A/N: Thanks to Kathlyn4060 and Vickyvicky890 for the reviews! Keep enjoying this story, and the next one... I promise there will be a happy ending in the next one. This will be the last episode-specific chapter, although Hotch alludes to The Stranger in the next, bonus chapter. Just two more little ones to go, and then we'll head back to the original story.

Chapter 48: Hanley Waters

JJ pulled her car into the circular driveway, stopping in one of the parking bays in the massive front yard of the Prentiss' DC home. She put the car into park and leant back against the head rest, letting out a sigh as she prepared for the coming conversation. She had only been in town for twenty-four hours and was due back at the State Department office in DC the following day, so this was literally the only time she had to follow through on this for Emily.

She opened the car door and climbed out, turning back to find the Ambassador, dressed in a flattering, black pant-suit, standing on the front steps of the large home. JJ held up a hand in a wave and offered a small smile as she closed the door and locked the car. She checked her jacket pocket, making sure she had the letters, before she made her way across the drive and up the front steps.

As she held out a hand, JJ nodded, "Ambassador Prentiss," she said softly.

"Please, call me Elizabeth," she replied, taking JJ's hand and shaking it gently. It had been a couple of weeks since Emily's funeral, so it was nice to see her friend again. It was a connection that helped her feel like Emily was still around, and Elizabeth would take as much of that feeling as she could get. God only knew what Emily had told her friend about her mother, but she was still grateful when JJ had called to arrange the visit.

She gestured to the front door and smiled softly, "Come inside."

JJ nodded, following the Am… Elizabeth… into the house. As she looked up at the huge staircase, the long entryway leading out onto a terraced garden, and followed Elizabeth through to a sitting room, JJ's mouth gaped open. She had always assumed that Emily's parents had money, but this place was stunning. It felt a little museum-like, and JJ was glad that she had decided against bringing Henry with her, but it also helped her make sense of so much of Emily's personality. She'd always had a lot to prove, and that didn't stop when she joined the BAU, and now JJ had a suspicion that growing up in a place like this, it was no wonder.

Elizabeth gestured to the two white sofas and JJ took a seat on one, while her host took a seat opposite her. A maid came into the room and placed a tray with a pot of tea, two cups and saucers, and milk and sugar, onto the large coffee table between the sofas.

"Effie, would you mind closing the door on your way out please," Elizabeth asked, receiving a nod from the maid as she exited the room. Once the doors were closed, Elizabeth turned to the tray and poured tea into each of the cups, gesturing for JJ to fix the tea as she liked it. They both settled into their seats with their cups of tea, and after taking a sip, Elizabeth looked up at JJ.

"Tell me, Ms Jareau," she started, her voice shaking ever-so-slightly, "Are you still with the BAU?"

JJ brought her cup down to her lap, "JJ, please Am… Elizabeth," she said with a slight blush, "And no, I'm working with the State Department right now."

Elizabeth nodded, "Is that in Undersecretary Jackson's group?" she asked, already knowing the answer. What she was looking for from Emily's friend was an indication of whether she knew what her new boss was really like. There had been whispers in the foreign affairs circles and Elizabeth always kept her ear to the ground.

JJ pursed her lips, raising her eyebrows as she nodded, "Yes ma'am," she replied. It shouldn't have surprised her that Elizabeth would know such things, but JJ did wonder if she could pick Elizabeth's brain a little. She was still finding her feet after almost seven months in her new role, and she wasn't sure she trusted her new colleagues just yet.

"Will you accept some unsolicited advice from someone who's been in this town for a long time?"

JJ huffed and nodded, "I would appreciate it, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, "Watch your back with her," she said softly, "She's a career politician, and they don't tend to mind who they leave in their wake."

JJ furrowed her brow and nodded, "I appreciate the advice," she replied sincerely, leaning forward to place her cup and saucer on the coffee table. As she sat back, JJ reached into her jacket pocket and took out the two envelopes, tapping them against her hand. She looked up at Elizabeth and saw her staring at the objects, tears glistening in her eyes as she likely realised what they were.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and leant forward to place her own cup and saucer on the table, unable to take her eyes off the envelopes in JJ's hand, "Is that…" she swallowed over the lump in her throat and shook her head, looking down at her hands as they clasped together in her lap. When she looked back up at JJ, Elizabeth offered a sad smile, "I'm the wife of a spy... I've been waiting for one of Simon's colleagues to bring me a letter like that for the last forty-four years."

JJ bit her lip as she held out the envelopes, waiting until Elizabeth looked up again and reached up to take them in her hand, "Before she…" JJ cleared her throat, "I told her that I would give these to you," she explained, gesturing to the envelopes, "And to Zac."

Elizabeth looked at her grandson's name, neatly written in Emily's handwriting on the second envelope. She looked up at JJ and smiled softly, "You know?" she asked, wondering if JJ was the only person in Emily's life with the BAU who knew this secret.

JJ nodded, "Emily told me," she replied, trying to be careful not to unknowingly spill the secret, "And she wanted to make sure that she could explain everything to you and Mr Prentiss, and Zac in her own words."

Elizabeth ran her finger over the paper, tracing her daughter's writing. She felt the tears start to well in her eyes and sniffed gently, trying to ward off the emotion until she was alone. She placed the envelopes on the sofa beside her, running a finger under her eye and looking back up at JJ. She wasn't sure if there was anything that Emily's friend could tell her, but she had to at least ask. Elizabeth was terrified that Simon would do something ill-advised, so any morsel of information she could give him to stop that from happening was worth trying to find.

"Can you tell me anything about what happened to my daughter?" Elizabeth asked, furrowing her brow and shaking her head, "What was she doing on her own? Why weren't you all there with her?"

JJ frowned, "The man who…" she dropped her head and cleared her throat, "He was targeting our team because of an investigation that Emily was involved in before she joined the BAU. She ran because he was killing families of the people who were involved in his arrest, and she wanted to protect all of you… all of us."

"I just can't understand how this happened," Elizabeth said softly, shaking her head and clasping her hands together, "After all this time, after all those cases… why this one?"

JJ pursed her lips, "This one was personal. But I can't…" she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. It's still an active investigation, so…" her voice trailed off, and as JJ looked up she realised she wouldn't need to finish her explanation.

"Can you promise me one thing?" Elizabeth asked, waiting to continue until after JJ nodded, "When this is all over, when you catch the man who killed my daughter…" she paused as her voice caught on those last words, "... can you tell me then?"

JJ nodded, standing up from the sofa and walking around the coffee table, dropping down next to Elizabeth. She reached out her hand to cover Elizabeth's and squeezed tight, "Of course."

"Believe me, everyone who tried to save him that day isn't gonna forget. It's the day they failed. They'll ask themselves what they could have done. Could they have gotten here sooner? They'll heal, but it's gonna take time. They'll move on, but they won't forget."

The memory of his interaction with Shelley had been running through Hotch's mind, ever since they'd returned from Florida the day before. He'd had no idea how much he had needed to say those words out loud, to Shelley, to the team, and to himself. Knowing that Emily was alive didn't stop him from blaming himself for even a second. Any moment he had to himself, he would think about what they could have done differently, how they could have saved Emily from the pain Doyle had inflicted, how they could have taken Doyle out and avoided the mess they were now in.

Hotch climbed out of his car, closing the door gently as he looked around the large open space, locking the car before he shoved his keys in his pockets. He started down the footpath, carrying the small container in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. He made his way down the maze of graves until he found hers. He placed the Tupperware container and bottle of water on the bench under the tree, then turned back to the grave, stooping down to dust the dry leaves from the stone and tidying up some of the grass that was growing around its base.

He stood back up and made his way over to the bench, picking up his lunch and bottle of water, and taking a seat. As he sat back, he sighed, reading over those words again.

EMILY PRENTISS
OCTOBER 12, 1970-MARCH 7, 2011
FIDELITY BRAVERY INTEGRITY

Hotch knew that Emily's grave wasn't actually a grave. He knew that she wasn't actually gone, but he found himself coming back to this spot, again and again. Coming here gave him a sense of peace, like he was close to her in a way, and if he got the chance, he tried to visit once a week. He would get Jessica to take care of Jack, he'd pack a lunch, and he'd sit on the bench and talk to her.

Just like he would if she was here.

Hotch took the folded travel fork out of his pocket, opening up the Tupperware container and scooping a bite of salad into his mouth as he stared at her name. He sat back in the bench and sighed.

"Well… it's been another week without you, Em," Hotch said softly, "I found out some things about you this week, things that make me miss you even more…" he huffed, "I talked the team through their grief assessments this week and they each had their own things to say about you… everything that you brought to their lives… it was kind of hard to hear, if I'm being honest."

Hotch sighed, placing his salad on the bench seat next to him, "The longer you're gone, the more I realise how much you did for everyone on the team. You weren't just there for me… you were there for everyone," he sighed, "You've left a gap, Emily Prentiss."

Hotch stood from the bench, walking over to sit on the ground, leaning back against the side of the grave stone, "I'm worried about Reid… I'm not sure what do to about it. You'd know what to do…" he paused, looking down to the ground and picking at the grass, twisting a piece of it between his finger and thumb, "I guess… I guess I could go and visit him. I could make him something to eat and take it over…"

Hotch huffed, looking down at the ground and smiling, "Even when you're not here, you still manage to find a way to help."

He knew it wasn't actually Emily who had come up with the idea, but he also knew that Emily's influence on him was what planted the seed long ago. She'd been the one to cook food for him when he was down, like when he'd moved into his new apartment and realised that Haley wasn't going to take him back. All those years ago, Emily Prentiss had come into his life and shown him what love was, before he'd even realised it. And now, she was such a big part of him that he was starting to think like her.

Hotch sighed, pushing himself up from the ground and making his way to the bench. He packed up his lunch, picking up his water bottle, and turned to look at her name one last time… until next time.

"I'll be back again soon, sweetheart," Hotch said softly, before walking away.

As he climbed in the car, Hotch wondered if it was healthy, coming to the grave. Emily wasn't actually dead, and he had to leave his child with someone else in order to find time to make these trips. He started the car and turned onto the circuit drive, leaving the cemetery, and as he turned onto the main road, he wondered if there was something else he could do when he was missing her, when he needed to talk to her. He'd found such comfort in the simple act of talking to Emily, that he couldn't imagine not having this outlet.

Hotch was halfway home when he saw the sign for the store, and he had an idea.

He pulled the car off at the exit, parking on the street and running into the store. He only had one thing to buy, so his visit would be brief. He walked straight to the collection he was looking for, choosing the same candle that Emily had always kept in her living room. He ran his thumb over the label and lifted the jar up to his nose, inhaling the scent of cherry blossom that reminded him so much of Emily.

"Can I help you there, sir?"

Hotch turned and offered a gentle smile to the attendant, "I've found what I was looking for," he said, holding up the candle.

The young man nodded, tipping his head towards the counter, "I'll go and ring this up for you."

Hotch nodded, following him to the counter and waiting while he scanned the item, before he held out his card. As the young man handed Hotch back his card and the bag containing the candle, he smiled, "Thank you very much," he said softly, before heading out of the store and heading home.

Reid made his way out of the kitchen, taking a sip of his coffee as he made his way over to the French doors in the living room, opening them up and letting the fresh morning air in. It wasn't often that Reid had the energy to do much on a Sunday morning, but after their time in Tampa, he had been feeling like he needed to pull himself out of this funk he'd been in since…

He couldn't finish that thought... too painful.

As he stepped up to the window, looking out over the railing at the neighbourhood outside, Reid felt the sun on his face and he took a deep breath. He watched a couple of cyclists ride down the road, ringing their bells as they passed a huddle of pedestrians. A group of women made their way down the sidewalk on the other side of the street, chatting away and drinking their coffee. And on the opposite corner, a couple had stopped at the lights, the man pushing a stroller with a small child buckled inside.

Reid was in the middle of taking a sip of his large mug of coffee when he heard a knock at the door, and he turned back, placing his coffee on the side table as he walked by the large leather couch. He checked the peephole and wrinkled his brow, opening the door with a confused look on his face.

"Hotch? What are you doing here?"

Hotch smiled nervously, nodding to his agent. This whole, checking on his team in their personal lives thing, was new to him and it all felt a little strange. The idea might have actually been in his brain, but it was definitely more of Emily's forte, and since she wasn't here to help him with his mission, he needed to figure it out.

"Hi Reid," Hotch replied, hoping the words would come to mind if he just started talking, "I uh… I just thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing."

Reid shook his head quickly, in shock more than anything else, and he stepped back to let Hotch into the apartment, confused not only by Hotch's general presence, but also by the bags he was carrying. After closing the door, Reid turned back, "Uh… what've you got here?" he asked, gesturing to the bags. It wasn't like Hotch to just drop by, leave alone bring gifts.

Hotch bit his lip, "I… uh…" he cleared his throat, wondering why he felt so weird about this. Emily had always made it seem so natural, whenever she'd shown up at his house, but Hotch just felt like a fish out of water. He wasn't all that comfortable showing up at his team's doors, and he definitely didn't make them food. But he had been worried about Reid, worried that he was struggling to find someone to talk to after losing Emily. Hotch knew that Emily had been a sounding board for Reid, that he had gone to her with difficulties he'd had at work, and in his personal life. She'd never actually told Hotch what Reid spoke to her about, knowing that the younger agent didn't trust easily. Nevertheless, the two of them had a strong bond, and Hotch wanted to let the young man know that he could be a friend to him, as well as a boss.

"Look, I'm not really good at this," Hotch said with a sarcastic smile, "But I was thinking about how much Emily took care of you, and I wanted you to know that… we're all still here. We're all here to help."

Reid smiled sadly and nodded, "You're doing better than you think you are, Hotch," he replied kindly, "And you're right. Emily was one of my best friends, and I miss her every day."

Hotch pursed his lips, holding up the bags, "Well, I brought a little bit of Emily with me, if you can show me the way to the kitchen."

Reid wrinkled his brow, gesturing to the small archway leading through to his kitchen. He followed Hotch and watched as he started to unpack the bags, which had been filled with a couple of Tupperware containers and… Reid huffed… a chess set. It was a very-Emily care package, with a Hotch-twist.

"What's this?" Hotch asked, his attention diverted from the unpacking when he saw a piece of card on the counter. He picked up the card, recognising Emily's handwriting straight away, and held it up to show Reid.

"Oh," Reid remarked, "That's something Emily used to make me whenever I was sad."

Hotch huffed as his fingers ran over Emily's writing, thinking over all the times she'd made this for him, and he'd made it for her. He now had it down to a sweet science.

Prentiss Comfort Pesto

Step one: In a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), blend together fresh basil, lemon juice,
Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Step two: Slice up your vegetables (I usually use broccoli, green pepper, cherry tomato, and roast pumpkin). Toss them all onto a baking tray and toss them in oil, salt, and black pepper. Bake on 320

Step 3: Combine the pesto and roast vegetables in a saucepan, add two cans of coconut cream,
stir to combine, and leave to simmer for fifteen minutes.

Serve with fresh penne, and a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Hotch held up the card, "Well, you'll never guess what I brought to cheer you up," he scoffed, holding out one of the Tupperware containers for Reid.

Reid opened the corner of the lid and looked into the container, smiling widely when he recognised its contents. He nodded, tipping his head to the side, "I mean, it's almost lunch, if you want to stick around?"

Hotch nodded, and Reid set about grabbing a couple of bowls and forks. Hotch scooped a serving of the pasta into each of the bowls, and Reid threw them both in the microwave to heat them up. Reid turned back to the fridge, taking out a block of Parmesan cheese, an item that had never been a staple for his home until Emily had started feeding him.

When the microwave beeped, Reid took both bowls out, handing one of them, along with a fork, to Hotch. They made their way out to the living room, Hotch settling onto the large leather sofa, while Reid took his favourite armchair. Reid watched Hotch for a moment, feeling at slight unease having his boss in his home, but also wondering how much of this visit might also be for Hotch. Reid knew that Hotch and Emily had been growing closer over the years, and he also knew that Hotch wasn't one to let people in, so Emily's loss was probably even more troubling for Hotch than for anyone else on the team. Reid had seen Hotch draw back from the team since they'd lost Emily.

They ate in silence for a while, Emily's comfort pesto going down a treat and lifting both of their moods. It seemed to Hotch that she had been doing even more for this team than anyone had realised. Hotch wouldn't have guessed, given how much time they spent together, but through the course of their grief assessments, he had realised the role that Emily played in each of the team member's lives.

And suddenly, that bubble he'd felt in his stomach all those months ago resurfaced. He found himself loving even more about Emily Prentiss. Her compassion towards Reid was something that made him immensely proud of the person she was. He wished she was here right now so he could tell her, but for now, he'd have to bank it away.

"One of my favourite times when Emily made me the pesto was when we got back from Colorado," Reid said brightly, shocking Hotch from his thoughts, "We'd been home for a couple of days, and we were both on medical leave waiting for the doctors to clear us. Even though she tried to tell me not to blame myself for what Cyrus did to her, I guess I was still being hard on myself when I was replying to her text messages. She showed up with the ingredients and we cooked and drank wine and danced in the kitchen…" Reid huffed, shaking his head as he thought back on that moment, "I'm not a very good dancer, but Emily didn't care."

"She was good like that," Hotch added, "Showing up right when you needed her."

Reid nodded, "Yeah… she stayed the whole afternoon and we ate the pesto and she made me talk about everything, except work. And…" Reid remarked, holding up a finger, "That was the night we found out that we both liked foreign films, and the next week, after we got back from Nevada, she dragged me out to see a French film at this little arthouse cinema near her apartment building."

Hotch huffed, nodding at Reid's story and remembering when she'd shown up at his door the following morning, surprising him and Jack with leftover pastries and speaking in French. She'd gone on to teach Jack a few choice phrases in French, including "poulet mouillé", which was apparently Emily's favourite child-friendly French jab.

"I'm sorry, Hotch," Reid said softly, breaking Hotch from his thoughts. When he looked up at Reid with a confused expression, Reid tipped his head, "I know you cared a lot about her. And I know you've lost a lot. I'm really sorry you lost her too."

Hotch swallowed over the lump in his throat and nodded, "Thank you, Spencer."

He placed his bowl down on the table and gestured with his thumb over his shoulder, "So how about we bust open that new chess set."