A/N: Quick nod to CrimeStopper136 for leaving me a review that inspired parts of this chap! Okay, continue.
Emily closed the door and exhaled. Her fingers were involuntarily picking at her nails which was a clear indication that she was anxious, but unwilling to admit it. She did, however, have plenty of reason to feel that way. Exiting the room where Teddy was finishing a talk with her and a social worker, detailing (as best he could) all that he'd seen and heard, encouraged her stress levels to mount. And in due time, she would try regulate that. For now, she was content to let her nail beds suffer and use her expert compartmentalizing skills to repress the worst of it.
After his nap, some lunch and a little M&M persuasion, Teddy grew comfortable enough with his new environment to open up and agree to a cognitive interview. And while Emily and the social worker did share in the same concern that it might be best to wait a couple of days before rehashing the events with him, it was also equally imperative that he remember the details of what happened so that her team could ensure this case didn't escalate any further than it already had.
The story from his perspective provided information about timing and the chronology of events. According to Teddy, the family woke up early and ate breakfast together, but had an unexpected visitor before he went to school. A tall man with dark hair, the 5-year-old could tell it was a stranger because he had never met this person before. However, his mum didn't behave as if she were unfamiliar with him. In fact, she embraced their visitor.
Shortly after the arrival, there was grown-up talk and Elana's voice grew shaky. Teddy recalled her finally turning to him, and saying that Nanna, Mum and the visitor were all going to play hide-and-go-seek with him. He was excited because she encouraged him to pick his best, most favorite spot. Which he did, and waited for a long time.
Having played the game many times, he understood that the house rules say "don't come out until you're found", so he stayed put. Not long after he tucked away into his hiding spot did he hear screaming, then silence, a door slamming, a loud, loud noise that shook the house, and then more silence. He was unsure, and too scared of the dark to move from where he hid. But a long few minutes later, Emily found him.
Collecting her thoughts, the Division Chief departed from the interview and started towards the bullpen. She was expecting her team back soon, and needed to go over this new information with them, and additionally, have them share their findings from the scene with her. She strut down the hallway, nearly arriving at the central gathering place of her division, when another person came alongside of her.
"Prentiss!" She exclaimed.
The brunette didn't need to turn her head to recognize who had just joined her, but to properly greet her, she did.
"Hi, Mitchells." Emily acknowledged her kindly.
"Yea, hi!" The woman bubbled over.
"Hey, what do you have?"
Imani Mitchells was the team's research analyst, and tech expert. Standing at about 5 foot 3, she was shorter than Emily, with dark ebony skin and a sleeked back bun. She had a slim athletic build and could very well have been a field agent herself. But she often joked that her clumsiness and the fluidity with which she moved her limbs would make her Interpol's greatest liability.
She also had an incomparable amount of energy. Half of that could partly be attributed to her natural ebullience. The other half most definitely had much to do with the 5 cups of caffeine she insisted on consuming each and every morning. At 34 years young, Mitchells was highly knowledgeable and capable. More than anything she had a big heart, and that's what made her an amazing colleague to work with.
"Me and counterterrorism are coordinating right now," Mitchells started her energetic ramblings,"We're still running current threats and comparing them to see if any past bombings might be linked to this— serial explosions, you know? But nothing so far."
"So… what do you have so far?" Emily wondered.
"Bank records," The analyst responded, "Elana's emails from the past 4 months and loads of family information." She handed Emily a file,"I sent you digital copies as well."
Prentiss inspected the thickness of the file and then the type of material within it. Seeing as it was getting late in the day, and the majority of the paperwork enclosed was doubled-sided, she'd likely have to take the file home with her tonight. Truly, there was nothing like a glass red of wine and a little homework to finish off a grueling day…
"I appreciate this. Thank you." said Emily.
"Alsoooo," Mitchells mused in a more lighthearted way, "When the others got back, they brought another agent with them? Do you know him?"
"Oh," Prentiss said, her tone kicking up in pitch in the slightest,"That's Agent Morgan."
"Yes!" squealed Mitchells,"I met him in the bullpen a minute ago. He said that he was at the crime scene offering "evaluative assistance." At the last two words, the other woman dropped her octave to imitate Morgan's tone,"God, his voice is so... and his arms are so..."
Emily watched with amusement as Mitchells didn't complete her sentences, but made grasping motions with her hands. She was generally free of her inhibitions, but she'd never really allowed herself to "act out of turn" in front of her new superior. Yet her eyes continued to narrow and expand, heavily inferring her attraction to the man. When her gaze finally reconnected with Emily's, her eyes went wide with questioning, as though she couldn't quite comprehend why they Division Chief was staring at her with smirk across her face.
"Why are you smiling like that?" The woman asked in her raspy British lilt.
"No reason." Prentiss mashed her lips together, stifling her laughter.
The analyst shrugged, not giving it a second thought,"Anyway, we told him he could meet you in your office."
"Thanks, Mitch." Prentiss said as the two of them parted ways, Mitchells returning to her office and Emily heading towards her original destination.
Before climbing the stairways to her own office and meeting with Derek, she still needed to stop by the bullpen to check in with her team. Sharp and determined, Emily rounded the corner where three of her agents— agents she'd specifically recruited for this case, gathered around a projection screen filled with victimology related images.
Out of the many agents that worked under her supervision, the three in front of her were the few she'd grown to know and trust the most. Obviously, the first of them was Hughes. The second of them was Katia Lelant. Katia had only been with Interpol about a month or so before Prentiss arrived, but she had a long history in government, specifically specializing in the prevention of war crimes.
With south-asian heritage and olive skin, she favored a Bollywood princess. The only thing allowing her to break the mold was her long, dark, curly hair which was almost always scraped back into a wild ponytail. At 44 years of age, the two women could relate to each other. For the most part, Emily had come to appreciate that the only thing that matched Lelant's unique look was her witty bluntness and candid attitude.
The last of them was Dr. Peter Yun. Definitive South Korean features and the body of a firefighter, composed a soft-hearted and kind-spirited man in his early 40s. With a masters degree in both Psychology and Computer Science and B.A.'s in Anthropology and Criminal Justice, Yun was far more accomplished than anyone Emily had encountered in her division yet. But he was humble about his certificates, and having been with Interpol for over 15 years as an agent, he was still as engaged as an academy rookie.
"How's Theodore?" Hughes asked, taking notice that Prentiss had arrived.
"He's doing better than before. I'll be sure to forward you the audio from his cognitive," Emily answered as she joined their gathering around the projector screen, "Talk to me about the crime scene."
"Well, your mate was telling us about this sort of IED attack," remarked Yun,"It was hard to find shrapnel, but it was most likely a small pipe bomb— maybe even package on the north side of the house." He seemed to finished his summary, but then spontaneously posed a question, "Is he fishing for a job?" He arched one dark brow as he narrowed his eyes.
"Not at all," Emily casually replied to his last inquiry, not paying much attention to the curious glances her agents were sharing amongst themselves, "From the explosion alone, can we assuredly say that Elana was the target?"
Lelant cleared her throat,"Despite the slight damage to the neighbor's home, the couple who lives next door are currently away on vacation. So, it's highly likely."
"It's also possible this whole family was a target." Yun interjected, "Father very recently passed away, mother and daughter are wiped out in an explosion with precision, why?— Also, if he's not previewing a position, why is he here?"
"You might be onto something," Prentiss breezed over his question about Morgan and latched onto his theory about the family, "Elana mentioned that her father passed a little over a week ago, but didn't mention how. We'll need to interview the coroner who performed the autopsy and gain access to a hard copy of their report." She completed her statement, eyeing Lelant and Hughes for the task.
Accepting the responsibility, Hughes nodded,"Alright, love."
"Also, Yun," Emily continued, "Will you dig into records with Mitch and see if there are any agitating circumstances surrounding the parents— specifically the father, around the time of the their son's abduction?"
"Only if you tell us about him." Yun tried again.
"All I know at the moment is that his name was Harrison Foster, he owned—" Emily started.
"Not the father, Prentiss!" The nosy doctor exclaimed, "The guy. Agent Morgan."
"Yea, is that your boo?" Lelant joined in on the interrogation.
Given their level of interest and persistence, it suddenly dawned on Emily that no one's focus was really on the case or the tasks at hand. Her eyes darted to Hughes, trusting that he could help her reinforce the gravity of the situation, but the backbone she relied on was missing in action. He was now resigned to the same goal as the other two. Eyes wide and ears open, all three of them were leaning into this moment with full curiosity.
"You pulled up in the same car this morning, he works at the FBI, you seem to trust him implicitly…" Yun listed off observations with an insinuating tone.
Emily inhaled evenly. Seeing no legitimate reason to put off the conversation any longer, she decided to briefly entertain their preoccupation with Morgan's presence.
"Agent Morgan is... my former partner from the BAU." She admitted, making sure to cherry pick her words in such a way that explicitly neglected to touch on her love life,"He's on temporary duty with the FBI's Legal Attaché branch, and I asked him along today to help with the investigation."
"Ah, I know a few good men over in those offices." Hughes remarked,"Does he like it over there?"
"Hughes is beating around the bush," Lelant asserted,"What he really meant to ask was, are you two an item and is he good in bed?"
The grey-haired man glared at the other woman for her brashness. Meanwhile, Yun stifled a chuckle and shook his head. Emily bit her lip, attempting to keep a straight face as she fought her cheeks from flushing bright red. Perhaps another time, she could see herself opening up and continuing this sort of jovial repartee with them. Some evening at a bar, over drinks, or at a dinner— but even then, she still wasn't fully comfortable discussing her relationship with anyone other than Derek himself. On top of that, they had taken enough time away from the matter at hand.
"Get on your tasks, you three." The Division Chief said in a tone bordering on a warning as she transitioned from the increasingly awkward moment,"I'll be following up with each of you later."
After she gave out her orders, Prentiss pivoted and started towards her office. She walked alongside the glass wall which served as an overlook from her corner of Interpol into the bullpen. It also proved useful for those approaching to confirm that the head of the unit was at her desk— that is, if the privacy glass wasn't switched on.
From time to time, the Division Chief needed to alternate from translucent to opaque when she undertook meetings with highly classified information. But since her schedule was clear of everything but this case, the window remained clear. And because of this, it wasn't hard to spot the silhouette of a tall, muscular figure standing on the opposite side of the room, using the opposite window to take in the vast London landscape.
"Hi." Emily greeted him as she stepped into the room.
Morgan turned to face her, his hands flying from his pockets as he gestured broadly to the space,"They all told me to wait up here."
"I see that." Emily noted with mild amusement.
"Feels like timeout." He continued,"I had to move over this way because they keep watching me like I'm some kind of intruder."
Emily snickered,"It's probably because you mysteriously showed up at the scene, and started offering an expert opinion."
"They think I'm here to join the team?"
"And other things…" Emily alluded to the prying conversation she'd had with her agents just moments.
While it did feel a little overfamiliar for them to be questioning the details of her personal relationship, she couldn't blame them for wondering. For someone so prominent in her life, it would seem a bit strange that they — individuals who she was learning to appreciate and trust — hadn't formally met him. It was also fair for them to be curious about what Morgan's role was while he remained at the office. Would he stay on the case? What was his clearance level? Would this random expert join the team? To a cohesive group of coworkers, his involvement raised many questions.
"I told them you'd be on location before we arrived, but did you even introduce yourself?" A puzzled but playful expression danced across her face.
"I did, but there wasn't much time for smalltalk." The man defended himself,"Besides whose fault is it that I didn't officially meet them before today?"
"Your's actually." Emily said pointedly,"You kept insisting you meet them all at once, on a night off. Like that could ever happen with the kind of work we do."
"Damn, I was hoping you forgot about that…" Morgan gave in.
The brunette chuckled. At least the case of the Prentiss' Mystery Man was quickly solved and put to rest. Meanwhile, the Foster case endured. It didn't take long for their moment of levity to dissipate, and the swirly, unpleasant mixture of guilt and concern to return. Emily made a move to cross to her desk, and subsequently, attempted to cut past him to sit in her chair. However, sensing the palpable shift in her mood, Morgan cut in front on her, blocking her path from engaging with anything work related.
He didn't touch her. And for the moment, she was actually relieved that he didn't. If he took her by the shoulders or reached to put her palm in his, Emily knew she would want nothing more than to fully lean into a long embrace. She would want to breathe deep in the safety of his arms and become weightless. And if she allowed it, she might very well stay that way for hours. The entire day of work be dammed.
He arched his brow,"You doing okay?"
"I'm good." She replied nonchalantly, hoping deeply that it was enough to convince him that she wasn't lying,"You don't have to stay on this case, by the way. I'm thankful for your input this morning, but I know you've got enough on your plate back at the legat."
Morgan nodded,"Yea, my boss actually called me about 20 minutes ago, so I better get over there."
Emily raised her eyebrows,"I'm surprised that you didn't duck out earlier, going straight from the crime scene to your job — or that you aren't chomping at the bit to leave right now."
"I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need," His voice was gentle while his eyes shone with both affection and concern. It was then that Prentiss could detect that he suspected the stress she was under, but knowing Morgan, he wouldn't dare leave her alone until he knew for certain that he had done everything in his power to alleviate that,"Also, I wanted to see you one last time. You know, before you climb into bed late tonight."
Emily glared at him with a smirk, and might've had a clever comeback to his loving yet backhanded remark. However, a sudden knock at her office door quickly stole her attention. Although her windows were transparent, her wide door frame was not, so there was no indication as to who might be waiting right behind the entrance. Stepping away from her desk, the Division Chief crossed the room, pulled open the door, and found that Mitchells had escorted the social worker up to meet with her.
"Is everything alright?" Prentiss asked, a hint of alarm coloring her voice.
"Oh, everything's fine for now!" said Mitchells,"I ran into Ms. Nora here about a minute ago, and she asked to speak with you. So here we are!"
"I'm simply want to follow up with you on a few things and get your approval on arrangements." Clarified the social worker.
"Lil Ted is hanging out, watching cartoons at Lelant's desk while she's away." Mitchells informed her superior in her characteristically chipper way.
Before Prentiss could invite her visitor in, or thank Mitchells for escorting Nora to her office, she felt a hand on her waist and the warm pressure of another body against her back. Morgan was grabbing her attention in the most unsubtle of ways.
"Why don't I get out of your way?" His voice spoke over her shoulder, and openly to the three women standing in the doorway.
Emily simply responded by rotating in his grasp so that she could better face him. She glared at him, discreetly scolding him for being so handsy in the workplace, and he eyed her back, mockingly copying her expression. In the interchange of him leaving and others requesting her attention, it felt a bit awkward— if not a little unprofessional— to have this moment with him, but her reservations were ultimately trumped by Morgan's conviction for public displays affection and his palm on the small of her back, drawing her closer. Tipping his head forward, he kissed her softly on the forehead.
"See you tonight." He said.
As quickly as the familiarity of his touch came to her, it disappeared. Morgan nodded to both Nora and Mitchells before maneuvering between the two of them, and exited towards to stairs.
Having been audience to the moment, Mitchells eyes slid to Emily, and they were wide with a mix of shock and excitement. Her jaw opened in awe as her irises darted to the man sashaying away and then back to the Division Chief. The analyst mouthed "You and him are a thing?", to which Prentiss volunteered a tight smile, and a single nod of her head. Upon confirmation, it didn't take but another spilt second for Mitchells' expression to shift from extremely delighted to helplessly mortified as she seemed to recall how unabashedly she'd spoke about the man earlier.
"I have to, uh, go get some files printed out… for the, uh — team." Mitchells floundered.
The darker skinned woman tossed Prentiss an awkward thumbs up and briskly ducked out, leaving her to take up business with Nora. Emily shook her head, but was still somewhat amused that postponing the revelation for her coworker, gave way to the inevitable humor of her being madly embarrassed by her open admiration. Changing gears, Emily stepped back and gestured inside.
"Come in. Have a seat." She offered the social worker,"How's Teddy?"
"He's doing okay," Nora spoke in her upright British accent,"A bit shook up, but extended counseling and a good home will work to assuage that over time."
"That's to be expected." Emily said.
"Yes, now, based off the personnel file your analyst gave me, and after making some calls, the nearest immediate relative to assume guardianship would be his biological father."
"That's great. If you need, I can help them get acquainted."
"That's the thing." Nora raised a contingency,"The father is based in the US and won't be able to make it to London until next week."
"Oh?" Emily cocked her head,"Where will he stay until then?"
"Currently, I will be taking Theodore to the foster care facility in Manchester, and he'll stay there until the father arrives or until further notice."
"Of course…" Emily breathed.
"You sound uncertain." Nora pointed out.
Emily frowned. The immediate decision to house him at a care center did perplex her a little bit. "Are you sure there aren't any trusted family members or close friends nearby that could take him?"
"Unfortunately, unless someone is stipulated in the will of the deceased, our protocol mandates that, for all interims less than a month, we look out for the interest of the child on site at the facility."
"So, what you're saying is there are no other options?"
"Not necessarily…" The social worker dragged out the words as if she were suddenly cautious to speak what she would speak next,"We are permitted to release orphans into the supervision of law enforcement agents. This, of course, is for hearings and judicial procedures, but… given the short length of time until the father's arrival and Teddy's developing connection with you, I could arrange for you to take him."
Emily blinked as Nora's words washed over her. She didn't know why, but the woman's suggestion took her by surprise,"Me?"
"That's correct." Nora said, sitting up straighter in her seat,"I'm not really one to bend the rules, but for true betterment of a child, I can't see that there would be much harm done in this case..."
Where Emily's eyebrows were raised, they gradually settled into an introspective frown. Certainly, there was a lot to consider. For one thing, taking Teddy in would seem to cross a professional boundary that she'd learned to put in place years ago— and not by her own instruction. But although Hotch's words on objectivity echoed through her head, as always, something plucked at her heart. Without much warning, the thought of Teddy's big hazel eyes, and his arms squeezing around her neck began to override the stern voice of opposition in her head.
Emily pondered. The reason was almost unfathomable, but this little boy trusted her. Even if very briefly, Elana trusted her. They both sought her out for safety and protection in their own way. And while there wasn't much she could do for Elana at this point in time, she could honor her by being there for her son during this huge life transition. After all, she had the space, and if anything dangerous should happen, she'd be right there to step in.
Inhaling deeply, the Division Chief came to terms with the familiar sensation ignited within her. The urge to do more than her job description described was hopelessly unavoidable, the need to accept the responsibility rapidly absorbed her hesitation.
"Alright…" Emily said with an exhale,"I'll do it."
Nora gave a small, compassionate smile, "Very good." She said, then pulled out a sheet of paper from her briefcase and placed it on Prentiss' desk,"If these arrangements are agreeable, I'd like to have you sign this form for temporary guardianship."
Prentiss nodded, removing a pen from her desk drawer to sign the form and a few subsequent waivers. After addressing the paperwork, the social worker stayed a few minutes to explain her agency's expectations and how to help Teddy prepare for his move away from home. Once all was said and signed, the two stood up and Emily escorted Nora out of her office.
Now alone in her own space, the brunette walked along the glass wall, looking out over the bullpen as she contemplated and processed all that had just happened. In an instance, she felt both relieved and plagued. Her palms were suddenly sweating like she'd done the right thing at the wrong time. Of course, she was confident about giving Teddy a home for a short while, but there was more riding on this than simply taking in a little boy for a week.
Much more than merely orchestrating a child's transition from one home to the next, lives were in jeopardy. Considering the way the Foster's were murdered, anyone nosing into their deaths or associating with their lineage could also be at risk— taking him in could be a risk. But regardless of how sneakily that thought injected a dose of unease into her veins, closing out this case would remain a priority. Because not only did this little one deserve safety, he deserved justice.
Emily bit her lip as her eyes landed on Teddy, his knees to his chest as he watched cartoons at a monitor. In a few minutes, she would go down and do her best to explain what was happening and where he would be staying for the next few days, but before she could even begin, one thought was on repeat in her mind: What on earth was Derek going to say?