Chapter 7: Seven Seconds
Emily escorted Susan down the front steps of the mall, holding tightly onto her elbow with one hand, and Susan's handbag with her other. Emily was trying to be as gentle as possible – not out of any concern for Susan's comfort, but because she was worried that if she crossed the line by squeezing too tight or pushing to hard, she might not be able to rein herself in.
They reached the patrol car, waiting there to drive Susan to the local police station, and a uniform officer opened the back door. Emily held the top of Susan's head, guiding her into the seat and reaching behind her to unlock the handcuffs, re-cuffing them in front of her.
"What's going to happen to me?" Susan asked.
Emily shook her head and attached the handcuffs to the chain bolted into the floor of the car, "You're asking about what's going to happen to you... yet you haven't asked a single thing about what's going to happen to Katie... or Jeremy."
Susan looked down at the floor, and provided no response to Emily's caustic musings. Emily huffed and shook her head, "You'll be taken to the local station to be processed," she explained, "After that, you'll be sent to a facility until your initial hearing."
"I'm not a bad person," Susan remarked as Emily stood again, "I was just trying to protect my family."
Emily raised her eyebrows and bit her lip. She couldn't deal with this, and she knew she was seconds away from punching this woman in the face. Susan thought that protecting her family (or in Emily's view, protecting her image) meant killing a little girl who had been brutalised by people who were supposed to protect her. Emily groaned inwardly, thinking that an entire bottle of wine and a decent boxing session might be the only way for her to erase this day from her memory.
She looked down at the pathetic woman in the back seat of the patrol car and took in a deep breath. And in one final effort to avoid assault charges, Emily stood back from the door and closed it with a stronger-than-necessary shove.
"Anything else we need to do, Agent?"
Emily looked up and offered a sad smile to the uniform officer who had been waiting patiently. She held out Susan's purse, which he took from her. "This will need to go with the detainee," Emily explained, "It'll need to be bagged and processed."
"We have evidence bags in the trunk," the officer replied, heading to the rear of the car and grabbing a large enough evidence bag for Emily. She offered a tight smile and nodded, putting the purse in the plastic bag and sealing it, signing her initials in the appropriate place. When that was done, she handed the bag over to the officer, along with her business card.
"Call me if you need any more information."
Emily thanked the officer and turned to check the area for her team-mates, her eyes settling on Hotch, standing on the steps watching over the scene. Her direction decided, she started heading towards him. Emily knew that Hotch would be just as eager as the rest of them to get away from this mall, and away from the horrors of their job. As she came up behind him, talking with Franklin, she overheard the tail-end of their conversation.
"Tell you one thing, if I had a kid, man, I wouldn't still be standing here," Franklin remarked.
Hotch held out a hand to his colleague and offered him a smile as they shook. Franklin was right. As frustrating as it was to feel like his old life was slipping away from him, Jack really was the only person in the world who could help him see that there was still some good out there. Jack was a living, breathing reminder that there was at least one child in the world whose parents loved him and would be willing to put their lives on the line to protect him. And beyond that, given who the unsub was in this case, Hotch kind of needed a reminder that not all families were messed up like the Jacobs'. In addition to Haley and Hotch, Jack had Jessica. His aunty who would do everything in her power to make sure that Jack was safe and loved.
Franklin's voice broke Hotch from his thoughts... thoughts that Hotch could go back to later, when he was behind closed doors with a glass of scotch in his hand.
"I'll see you round," Franklin said, before he turned to head back inside.
"Take it easy," Hotch replied, watching his colleague leave, before he turned back to look over the remaining scene in the parking lot. It was time to figure out how to get the team back to Quantico and then get to Jessica's house to try and see Jack for a few minutes.
"You should go and see him, Hotch," Emily said softly, causing Hotch to quickly turn around to face her.
"There's still work to be done here," Hotch replied sadly, looking at his watch and realising that it was probably already too late to go to Jessica's.
Emily shook her head and looked over in the direction of the rest of the team, "Nope... everything's already been collected for processing. Local PD has it covered. We have enough space in the one SUV for the rest of us, and if you leave it any longer, you won't get to see that Jack is safe and sound."
He looked up at her and smiled sadly, wondering when Emily had learned how to read his mind. All that time they'd spent together in recent months, on and off the clock, had definitely given her more insight into how his mind worked. And tonight, that was something to be grateful for. Hotch made a mental note, to remind himself later to find some way to thank her.
Hotch looked at Emily and nodded towards the others, "You've got the team?" he asked.
"Of course," Emily replied quickly, showing Hotch just how much she meant it, "You go and see Jack, and we'll see you in the office in the morning."
"Thanks Emily," Hotch replied, "I owe you one."
Emily laughed and held out the keys to one of the SUV's, "Not a chance, Hotch… friends right?"
Hotch smiled and nodded, "See you tomorrow."
Emily watched as Hotch turned and headed off in the direction of the SUV's, before she headed off to collect the rest of the team. As she started walking to the huddle of agents, Emily slowed her steps to give herself time to pull herself together.
She hadn't had time since putting Susan in the patrol car to really think about the events of the day. But she didn't have the time now to process, so all she needed to do was get her mind straight before she reached the team. Taking a deep breath and slowing her mind a little, Emily gave herself that moment. And as she released the breath, she continued to the group waiting on the steps of the mall.
"Hey Emily," JJ said as Emily reached the group, "We're all packed up… you haven't seen Hotch have you?"
Emily nodded and smiled sadly, "Hotch needed to follow up on something straight away," Emily explained, "He'll see us back at the office tomorrow… so looks like we'll be squeezing into the one car back to Quantico."
The others exchanged nods, and Emily tipped her head towards the remaining SUV. As they started towards the car, Emily had been walking ahead of the others, so Morgan had to jog a little to catch up with her.
"You ok?" he asked, watching her face as she processed his question. Morgan had been working with Emily long enough to pick up on the indicators that she wasn't ok. The slightly pinched brow. The picking at her nails. The swift strides even though they were in no rush. And if Morgan was being honest, he wasn't ok either. None of them were. Adult victims were one thing. Stranger killings were one thing. But attempted murder and sexual abuse of a little girl by members of her own family was a whole other kettle of fish.
Emily offered a sad smile and nodded, "I'll be fine… I just need a hot shower to wash this horrible day away."
Morgan huffed and tapped her elbow with his, "You need company?"
Emily laughed loudly, "Oh my god… you did not just say that."
Morgan smiled and tipped his head, "Of course I was just kidding… about the shower… but the offer for company stands."
"I'll be fine, Morgan," she replied, "But I appreciate the offer." Emily offered a final smile to her friend before handing over the keys to the SUV to Morgan. She knew he always preferred to drive, especially in cases involving kids and sexual abuse. It was a lesson she'd learned after Chicago - it gave him more control over the situation when he'd been feeling a complete lack of control. And though Emily would usually make a joke about his need for control, this wasn't the time for it.
The five agents piled into the SUV... a little tight but not completely uncomfortable, and after Morgan gave a wave to Franklin and guided the SUV out of the parking lot, they started home.
Emily sat in the back seat, with JJ next to her, half-listening to Reid and Morgan, but mostly filtering through the steps she planned to take when she got home. Step 1: Pour a glass of wine; Step 2: Hot shower; Step 3: Call JJ; Step 4: Text Hotch… after that point, she'd be ok with just passing out.
Emily was broken from her thoughts when she felt eyes on her – Reid's eyes looking directly at her, and Morgan's eyes looking at her through the rear-view mirror.
"You gonna answer that?" JJ asked, triggering Emily to look at her quizzically. JJ huffed at Emily's confusion and pointed to her hand, "Your cell is ringing."
Emily shook her head to wake herself up and looked down at her cell phone. She quickly pressed the green button and held the phone up to her ear.
"You ok Mom?" Zac asked, "Your message was pretty cryptic."
"What are you talking about?" Emily asked softly, trying to keep her voice low. She looked up conspicuously to check if the others were eavesdropping, but JJ had turned back to talk to Garcia and the two men in the front seat were talking about getting a drink somewhere.
"You texted me a few hours ago to ask me if I was staying safe."
Emily huffed, "Just a by-product of a shitty case," she replied.
"Everything alright? Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I do want to talk, but not right now," Emily replied, glancing up when she heard one of the guys clearing their throat. Her eyes caught with Morgan's in the mirror and she offered a somewhat genuine smile, before she looked out the window at the street.
"Do you want to call me later?" Zac asked, sounding distracted.
"It sounds like you're cramming," Emily replied with a smile, "How about you focus tonight, and then we'll catch up when you're in town this weekend."
"Yes, Mother," Zac said dryly, "But you have to promise me that you'll reach out if you need to talk."
"I promise," Emily replied with a smile, "Really… I do." Emily paused, "And please don't ever call me that," she said, injecting as much humour into her voice as she could muster.
Zac chuckled, "Ok, well I'll leave you to it… and to answer your question, yes I'm safe."
"Glad to hear it," Emily replied, "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom."
Emily ended the call and looked out the window, avoiding the glances she was getting from the guys in the front seat. She let her mind wander as they turned the corner onto her street. She thought about her son, and how lucky she felt having him in her life. She had no idea if it was her influence, that of her parents… maybe it was just who he was just meant to be. And she always worried - maybe more now that he lived so far away - but she figured that was her job. To worry.
Morgan cleared his throat, and Emily looked up to meet his gaze in the mirror.
"Are you sure you don't want company tonight?" Morgan asked, pulling the car into the allocated space in the parking lot.
Emily offered Morgan a small smile. Small, but genuine.
"I'm really ok," Emily replied, "Unless you guys need to debrief?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison, with the group having clearly decided that an early night was needed.
There was a slight twinge of guilt when Emily felt relief at that consensus. But instead of letting the guilt plant itself too deeply, she simply nodded and tapped her hand on the door, opening it and heading to the trunk to help Garcia unload her kit. Once it was decided that they didn't all need to go back up to the Unit, and Garcia could be accompanied by Morgan to drop her things back in her office, the team quickly dispersed to their own cars, saying quick farewells.
"So…" Morgan started, looking over at Garcia, "Sounds like Emily has a boyfriend."
Garcia snorted as she swiped her ID at the elevator, "That girl does have pretty good game."
Morgan turned to Garcia, his mouth agape, "Do you have unshared gossip, Baby Girl?"
Garcia shook her head, miming that she was zipping her lips, "What happens at girl's night, stays at girl's night." As she finished speaking, the elevator doors opened, and Garcia stepped into the car, leaving a shocked Morgan behind.
Emily turned back from the cabinet with her glass, reaching over to the wine rack and selecting a dry Merlot. As she worked the corkscrew, she thought back over the events of the day. Now that she was home, behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of the public – and her team-mates – she felt like she could finally process.
The image of that doll. That's what was stuck in her brain. The thought that this little girl had so hated herself that she had scratched at her eyes, cut away her hair, tore at her clothes… it was horrible. It wasn't the most horrific case she'd been a part of in her time with the BAU… or even before that… but it was horrible. The fact that these people who look just like any normal family had taken that girl, their niece, and had tortured her, abused her, and blamed her.
Emily thought about Katie… and she thought about Jeremy.
His father was a child sex offender, his mother a kidnapper and attempted murderer.
What hope did he have?
Emily rolled her eyes as she took her first sip of wine, wandering out of the kitchen and into the living room. She spun the armchair around and kicked the ottoman over, so that she could sit comfortably and watch the city lights dancing outside of the window. Her mind wandered to the idea of nature vs. nurture.
As a profiler, she understood that there were genetic components that contributed to how a person turned out. There was the biological factors that contributed to how an individual's personality evolved through the course of her lives. She also understood that social and environmental factors combined with biology and that none of those elements existed in isolation.
Bio-psycho-social.
As a mother, she also understood that there were some components that worked a little more strongly in some people than others. Zac had her eyes and hair, and his father's nose and chin. Her sarcasm, and his father's social anxiety. But she had no idea where his optimistic outlook of the world came from. Was that inherent? Or was it conditioned?
And what did that mean for Jeremy? A boy who was on the cusp of adolescence, a critical time in anyone's development, who had witnessed the arrests of both of his parents. Beth and Richard would do whatever they could to protect him - they had assured the team of that much. But what could they do if there was a biological component of his parents' sociopathy that had already been growing in him?
As Emily lifted the glass to her mouth again, her phone buzzed and she reached over to pick it up from the table.
*Just checking to see if everyone got home and make sure you're doing ok? Thanks for your great work today, Prentiss. – AH*
Emily smiled sadly at the praise and put the glass down on the edge of the entertainment unit so that she could reply.
*Did you get to see Jack? I hope you're doing ok too. And thanks for trusting me with that interrogation today. – EP*
Emily picked up her glass again and leant back in the armchair, taking a sip and enjoying the relaxing effect the drink was already having on her mind.
*I spent some time with him. And home now. Thanks for covering with the team. And you didn't answer my question. – AH*
Emily huffed.
*I'm as ok as can be expected. I hope you can get some sleep now. See you tomorrow. – EP*
*You get some sleep too. Let me know if you have any trouble with that and need to talk. – AH*
With that last message, Emily figured they had done their jobs in checking in on each other, and put the phone to the side. She thought about how things had changed since her first days and weeks in the team, and how she now valued each of her colleagues as friends. Even Hotch... especially Hotch. She hated that he was going through this separation, and it seemed to be dragging out for so long. She felt like he deserved to have a happy home life, considering the miserable circumstances their job often involved. But she knew that wasn't how the world worked.
Emily let out a deep sigh and looked at her watch. It was getting late, and she still had to go back into the office tomorrow and deal with this all over again. She pushed herself out of the armchair and picked up her phone, starting her way upstairs to bed.
Just as she reached the top of the landing, Emily's phone buzzed in her hand and she opened up the new message, anticipating a follow-up from Hotch.
*Hi Emily. Just got back to DC and would like to catch up if you have the time. I'll be staying at my grandparent's place in Dupont, so anytime, anywhere. A lot to talk about.*
Emily didn't recognise the number, and was starting to write a response when a second message came through.
*P.S. It's John.*
*Cooley*
A/N: Still trying to keep these notes to a minimum so they don't disrupt the story, but as usual, I'd love if you guys could review. Let me know if you're enjoying the story and what you'd like to see. Given that Hotch/the team don't meet Zac until after the Valhalla/Lauren episodes, this is really just about picking up on moments in the episodes where it would be conceivable for Emily to have a son/secret past.