A/N: I meant to post this in the last one but forgot! Thanks to vickyvicky890 and debanshibansal for the lovely reviews. There's a little more angst coming up, but I promise it'll be worth it. I've just finished writing the reunion chapter and it made me cry just making it.

Chapter 15: The Sun Goes Down (Tears Dry on Their Own, by Amy Winehouse)

Emily jumped up from the couch when she heard the knocking at the door, grinning as she passed Tom at his bedroom door, and swinging the door open to greet her friends. It was their first ladies' night since her resurrection and lord knows it was destined to be a big one. They had seven months worth of wine and gossip to catch up on, and Emily could hardly wait.

"Ladies' night!" JJ squealed, holding up a couple of bottles of wine and grinning as Emily pulled her into a hug. It really was such a good feeling to have her back with them, and tonight would be just one of many that saw the women of the BAU getting together to celebrate Emily's return, catch up on gossip, and drink way too much wine.

"Oh…oh… I need to get in on this!" Garcia called out as she rounded the top of the stairs and ran as fast as her high-heel clad feet could run. She had been so looking forward to this night, and wasn't about to miss out on a minute of the fun.

Emily laughed as she was completely surrounded by her friends in a mess of arms and hair. As they stood back, she smiled at both of them and gestured with her thumb over her shoulder.

"Come on in, you crazy ladies," Emily said brightly, tipping her head to Will and Henry, "And you too, boys."

As they all stepped inside the apartment, Emily stood in front of Tom and smiled as she gestured over her shoulder, "Uh, Tom, this is Penelope and JJ," she explained, "And this is JJ's partner, Will and their little guy, Henry," Emily turned back to the others, "Guys, this is Tom, Declan's dad."

JJ's eyes grew wide, and she smiled, holding out a hand to shake, "It's so nice to meet you, Tom," she said brightly, "We've heard… well... not a lot, but we've heard about you."

Tom chuckled and shook his head, shaking hands with each of the visitors, before reaching up to rest a hand on Emily's shoulder, "I'm really grateful for what you all did, for Emily and for Declan," he said softly.

Garcia shook her head, "No thanks necessary, rugged stranger," she replied, eliciting a hearty laugh from Tom and a snort from Emily, "We'd do anything for this one."

Emily's eyes grew wide, and she let out a puff of air, "Ok… well we have wine to drink and you boys," she said, looking at Henry and Will, "have movies to watch…" she paused and smiled at Will, "… thanks for hanging out with Declan tonight, Tom has drinks with a friend."

Will smiled and shook his head, "Not a problem," he replied, ruffling his son's hair gently, "Henry's looking forward to it."

"Do you girls want to go and set up in the living room and I'll be along in a minute?" Emily said brightly, gesturing down the hall, "I'll go and make sure Declan is ready."

Garcia and JJ nodded, the latter saying goodbye to her boys before she followed Garcia down the hall, starting to set up in the living room. Their night would involve plenty of drinking, but mostly gossip and movies, so aside from the wine, they had also brought popcorn and DVD's.

Emily walked across the hall and tapped on Declan's bedroom door, poking her head inside when she was granted permission, and a moment later, Declan joined them in the hall. Emily put her arm around his shoulder and gestured to the LaMontagne boys. "Declan, this is Will and Henry," Emily explained, "They have big plans for movies and pizza," she added, holding out a card with Tom's details for Will to take, "Tom will pick him up when you guys have had enough, so just give him a call or shoot him a text."

Will nodded as he took the card, then gestured to the door, "We should get going so Emily can start drinking that wine," he teased, choosing not to inform Emily of the details of their plans. The guys on the team were heading to Dave's place for dinner and drinks, so when Will had told Dave he would be looking after Declan and Henry, he had assured him that it would be fine to bring them along. The plan was to have pizza for dinner and set the boys up inside to watch a movie, so technically, Will wasn't lying. JJ had told Will enough of the story for him to know that bringing Hotch and Jack into the conversation with Emily wasn't a good idea, so he had left his description of their plans at "movies and pizza."

Emily chuckled and brushed Declan's hair back with her fingers, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead, "You guys have so much fun," she said brightly, smiling at Declan. When she looked at Will, Emily offered him a smile too, "Not too much sugar, please," she begged, "And if you want him to just stay over, that's fine too... just let me know."

Declan rolled his eyes and turned towards the door, "Emily, you're embarrassing me," he groaned, while still stopping to give her a hug before he stepped into the hall.

"Bye Emily," Will said with a smile, stooping down to pick Henry up again and following Declan into the hall, "I'll see y'all later."

Emily closed the door behind her and then turned to walk down the hall, finding JJ and Garcia on the couch, interrogating Tom as he stood by the entertainment unit. She stopped next to him and crossed her arms, shaking her head as she listened to their questioning. It seemed that, in the short period of time she'd been occupied with sending the boys off, they had covered off on Tom's work, but were yet to move onto the topics of his relationship status, and his plans with Declan and Emily. Emily chuckled at the slight irritation on both of her friend's faces when they realised they wouldn't get the chance.

"Uh… now that you're here," Tom remarked with a tense smile when Emily stopped by his side, "I'm going to head out. Lovely to meet you both," he said to JJ and Garcia, before turning to Emily and kissing her on the cheek, "I'll see you later… have fun."

Emily squeezed Tom's arm before he walked away, disappearing down the hall. When the front door closed, she turned back to her friends, "So what do we need? Wine glasses?" she asked, nodding to the bottles on the table. Before the others could speak up, Emily walked into the kitchen and grabbed three glasses from the cabinet, before she returned to the living room and dropped onto the couch.

"So," JJ started as she poured the wine, "How are things going with Tom and Declan?"

Emily shrugged, "It's good… I think we're all starting to relax, now that it's all over," she explained, "Declan started his counselling, and that's been helping. And we've found a house for them to move into, so now that we've got the keys back to the old house, we can pack everything and move them over."

"And what about you, kitten?" Garcia asked, reaching over to squeeze Emily's hand, "Are you ok?"

Emily huffed and shook her head, "I'm alive…" she sighed and gripped Garcia's hand in reply, "And I'm back with all of you, so I can't really complain."

JJ chuckled, "I mean, you can…" she tipped her head, "But you won't."

Emily smiled sadly, taking a sip of her wine, and as she brought the glass back down, she looked up at her friends, "So, tell me what I missed? I want to hear all the gossip," she remarked with a more upbeat smile. She knew in seven months there was bound to be gossip, and that's what ladies' nights were meant to be about. She had been on her own for so long, and she just wanted to know what her family had been up to while she'd been gone.

"Well," Garcia said brightly, glancing at JJ before she looked back to Emily, "The top news story is still your son, and I for one, have sooooo many questions about that… how did you keep that a secret all these years? Who is the baby-daddy? Was he born when that yearbook photo of yours was taken?"

Emily huffed and shook her head, "Ok, I was trying to change the subject," she begged, "But now that you've brought it up, how did you find out about him, Pen?"

Garcia chuckled, "Well, while Hotch was on temporary assignment in Pakistan, I thought I'd do something nice for Jack and Jessica, so I baked some mini muffins and went to Hotch's house… this one," Garcia said, pointing at JJ, "Was at the house, having coffee with Zac… and bing bang boom, he told me he was your son."

"Hotch moved out of his apartment?" Emily asked, frowning as she took a sip of wine and waving her hand as she brought the glass back down, "Wait... what was Zac doing at Hotch's house while he was in Pakistan?"

"Uh… well… didn't Hotch tell you?" JJ asked, studying Emily's face carefully. Surely, they'd had at least that part of the conversation, even if they hadn't figured out the rest. That was a critical piece of information, especially for Emily, who was still trying to figure things out with Zac. JJ furrowed her brow as she realised from Emily's confused expression that they had very clearly NOT had that conversation. And that raised so many other questions for JJ, top of that list being what the hell they were doing wasting time, when it was clear to everyone that they both still cared deeply about each other.

Emily shook her head, and Garcia decided she would take mercy on her friend and fill in the blanks.

"Ok, so this is what Zac told me. You wrote a letter to Zac, telling him to reach out to Hotch if he had questions. They got along so well that Hotch and Zac spent a lot of time together while you were gone, and he became pretty close to Jack too, so when Hotch was reassigned, Zac helped Jessica take care of Jack," Garcia explained in an attempt to summarise the past seven months into less than a minute, "They're actually super cute together… Jack calls Zac his big brother… it…"

Garcia paused when she saw Emily's face fall, and when she reached out to squeeze Emily's hand, the dam walls seemed to break. Emily couldn't hold back the tears any longer and they came out in a violent, shaking flood. JJ quickly stood up from her seat and walked around the coffee table, sitting down on Emily's other side and wrapping her arm around her shoulder. Neither of the women had ever seen Emily show this kind of emotion, and it was slightly terrifying. This was seven months of being absent from her life, all flooding out of Emily's eyes at once, and while it was overwhelming, it also felt wonderful. When Tom and Declan were there, Emily felt so much pressure to keep her shit together. She never really had a moment to herself, and even when her head hit the pillow at night, she could never seem to let go enough to think about what she had lost. Seven months of her life had disappeared, while all of the people she loved kept living.

But here, with JJ and Penelope, it was different. They were just three women, happy to see each other and spend this time together, like they had so many other times before. And in this place, with her two sweet friends, Emily finally felt safe to let go.

When Emily caught her breath, she looked down at her hands, each one clasped in the hands of her friends, "I'm sorry," she said softly, rolling her eyes, "I think I'm just tired."

"Of course you are," Garcia replied, tucking Emily's hair back behind her ear, "You've been running for seven months, and now you're home."

Emily sniffed and shook her head, "I just wish I could fix things with Zac," she explained, "I don't even know where to start with him, and then you tell me that he and Hotch and Jack are hanging out, and all I ever wanted was to give Zac a family…"

"You know… Hotch would probably have some good ideas about how to fix things with Zac," JJ explained, "Have you thought about asking him for help?"

Emily furrowed her brow, "Things with Hotch…" she let out a sigh and shook her head, "I don't think it's a good idea to go down that track, so I think I'll just figure the Zac stuff out on my own."

"Emily," JJ urged, "I'm sure Hotch…" she stopped when Emily shot her a look, "Ok… I'll stop…" she paused and shook her head, "After one last thing, please." Emily nodded and JJ pursed her lips, "We all saw you and Hotch growing close over the last few years, and you seem to really make each other happy. Why throw that away now?"

Emily swallowed over the lump in her throat and ran her finger over the wine glass as she thought of how to explain herself, "I'm not the same person I was when I left. Doyle cut away pieces of me, literally and figuratively, and now…" she paused and sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall, "… it's just better for all of us if we move on."

JJ frowned, not sure she could leave it at that with Emily, but also knowing that if they pushed too hard, Emily would run away. Gentle prodding was usually the best tactic when it came to helping Emily, so for now, they would leave that topic alone.

Emily cleared her throat and pointed to the TV, "Ok, so the choices we have for tonight are sappy romance or bloody violence… let's vote."

"Aaron!" Rossi exclaimed in delight as he opened the door to greet his friend, "And Jack!" he exclaimed with similar delight, "I'm so glad you could both make it. Come on in," he said, standing back from the door and gesturing for them to come through, "The others are out the back."

"Who ended up coming tonight?" Hotch asked as he and Jack took their coats off, hanging them in the front closet.

"We have Derek, Reid, Will, Henry, and Declan… and yourself and Jack," Rossi replied, smiling down at Jack, "A merry band of eight!"

Jack giggled and nodded, "I like Henry," he replied, "We kick the ball a lot at my house."

"Well," Rossi started, speaking to Jack, but glancing up at Hotch to gauge his reaction, "If you like Henry, I think you'll like Declan too… I hear he's pretty good at kicking the ball too."

Hotch pursed his lips nervously at the thought of seeing Declan, wondering if that meant that Emily was going to be stopping by to pick him up. He wasn't ready to see her again just yet, at least not until he could get a hold on his feelings about the situation. He couldn't help but disagree with her decision, knowing that they had waited so long to be together, and now she just wanted to throw it all away. It made no sense to him. And he didn't want to push her to talk before she was ready, so he was feeling completely hopeless.

"I hear Zac's back in town," Rossi said, trying to keep his volume low, "How's that going?"

Unfortunately, it seemed that Jack could hear what the topic of conversation was, and as they walked through the back door onto the patio, "It's awesome! Zac's staying at my house!" he said brightly.

"Really?" Rossi probed, looking down at Jack and ignoring the look Hotch was giving him, "And why didn't he come tonight?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders, "He and Lucy had to go to Grams and Pop's for dinner," he explained, completely unaware that he was sharing sensitive information, "They're having lamb for dinner, but Daddy said we're having pizza and that's my favourite!"

Rossi chuckled and tipped his head to the large lawn, where Declan and Henry were already deep in a game of kick-ball, "Well, leave that to me Jack," he replied as he stooped down for a high-five, "I'm going to put the order in now."

"Make sure you get pepperoni, Uncle Dave!" Jack shouted as he ran across the grass to join the other boys.

Rossi laughed as he stood up, looking at Hotch and nodding to the large outdoor sofas where the others were waiting. The two men made their way over, joining the others on the sofa. Morgan handed a cold beer to Hotch, and as he sat back in his seat, he looked around at the group. He was surprised that Reid had come along, but by all accounts, Reid's reaction to Emily's situation seemed to be more aimed at JJ than at anyone else. Hotch wasn't sure that it was fair, but at least it meant that Reid was reaching out to him. He just had to find the right way to talk Reid into forgiving JJ.

"It's really good to see Declan," Morgan remarked, watching the boys kicking the soccer ball around in the backyard, and turning to Will, "You brought him with you right?"

Will nodded, "Yeah, he seems settled with Emily and Tom," he explained, "He was pretty chatty in the car, talking about the new house they're moving into."

Hotch furrowed his brow at this news, "They're moving?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He ignored the looks from the others and tried to focus on what Will was saying.

Will nodded, knowing from JJ that Hotch's questioning wasn't just for the purposes of filling out HR paperwork, "Declan told us that he'll stay at school during the week and spend weekends with Emily and Tom until they move," he explained.

"You met Tom?" Morgan asked, looking over at Will with a raised eyebrow, "What's he like?"

Will shrugged, "He seems nice enough, but I didn't really talk to him much before JJ and Garcia dragged him away for questioning," he joked, resulting in laughs from most of the group, "He's supposed to be picking Declan up from here tonight."

Morgan bit his lip and looked to Rossi, "So we might get a chance for our own interrogation," he teased, glancing at Hotch and furrowing his brow at the frown on his face. Morgan looked back at Will and raised his eyebrows, "Is it wrong of us to get him here sooner?"

Will chuckled and shrugged, taking his cell and Tom's card out of his pocket and typing out a quick text. When his cell buzzed with a reply, he smiled up at Morgan, "He's on his way."

Rossi stepped out onto the patio and turned to Tom, gesturing to the large sofa where the men were sitting.

The boys had been set-up in the den with a movie and their pizzas, so the grown-ups could talk in relative privacy. Declan had been fine with watching something more age-appropriate for Henry and Jack, and they were now well into their screening of Brother Bear. Rossi figured the big screen would keep them occupied, especially since it was likely the men of the BAU would have plenty of questions for this mystery friend of Emily's. He seemed nice enough, but Rossi knew the rest of the guys had their questions at the ready.

Tom made his way across the patio, feeling like he was walking up to a firing squad, but as someone who'd spent almost twenty years working for the CIA, he was used to intense situations. He took a seat at the end of the sofa, smiling when one of the men handed him a glass of scotch, while another handed him a couple of pieces of paper towel so he could help take care of some of the pizzas Rossi had over-ordered.

"The boys' movie has only just started, if you're fine to stay for a while Tom," Morgan started, biting his lip and eyeing Rossi with a smile. At Tom's nod, Morgan raised his eyebrows, "So how do you and Emily know each other?"

Tom chuckled and shook his head, "Wow, you're not even going to let me ease into it, are you?" he joked, taking a bite out of a slice of pizza and sitting back in his seat.

Morgan shrugged, "Every person at this table cares about her, so we just want to make sure," he explained, "You can understand that, right?"

Tom nodded, taking a sip of his scotch as he considered how to respond, "I do understand. Emily's one of my closest friends, so if I answer some of your questions, maybe you can answer some of mine," he replied, waiting for nods from the others on the sofa before he continued, "Ok... well... Emily and I started out at the CIA together in '92," he explained, "We were under special projects with the State Department for a couple of years and then she went to the FBI and I moved into the field as a handler."

"Are you still with the Agency now?" Rossi asked, glancing at Hotch, then back to Tom.

Tom shook his head, "I left a couple of years ago," he explained, "I'm in the private sector now, which I guess worked out for the best, since I'll have to be home more now with Declan..." he let out a sigh and wiped his napkin across his mouth before he dropped it into an empty pizza box, "... he's a really great kid, and I want to make sure he's ok after everything that's happened."

Rossi furrowed his brow, "So… what are the plans now?" he asked, "Now that Doyle is gone?"

Tom shrugged, "Well, Declan and I will move back to Reston, now that we've found a new house near his school," he explained, "Emily wanted to keep things as stable as she could for him, so we're only a few blocks from where we were before…" he paused, "And Dec will be at school through the week, and then with either me or Emily on the weekends and vacations."

Rossi glanced in Hotch's reaction, noting how quiet he was staying throughout the conversation. Taking pity on his friend, Rossi decided to ask the question that Hotch wouldn't ask, "And you and Emily…"

Tom chuckled and shook his head, glancing at Hotch before he looked over at Rossi, "We're just friends, I promise," he explained, "I'm happy to help raise Declan, and I love him like a son, but Emily and I have never…" his voice trailed off as he took a sip of his drink, "I trust her with my life, but Emily has this theory about relationships, that there are people who come into your life who are core-shakers."

Morgan huffed and nodded, "Oh we've all heard that theory," he sighed, shaking his head with a smile.

Tom smiled in reply and nodded, "Well, for me, my core-shaker was Hannah. She worked with us, but... well, let's just say that things didn't work out for us. And there's someone like that for Em too..." he paused and cleared his throat, staring down at his hands and trying to avoid looking in Hotch's direction, "... but it's not me. And even though she tells me it won't work out with him, I don't believe her... I think she's just scared."

Hotch stared at the half-empty bottle of beer in his hand, running his thumb over the label of the bottle and wishing his heart would calm down. He felt like he was in a play that he didn't audition for, everyone was watching his every move, and it was making him uncomfortable. Hotch swallowed over the lump that was growing in his throat and he stood from the sofa, placing the bottle of beer on the table and clearing his throat, "Uh... thanks for dinner guys, but I need to get Jack home to bed."

Rossi furrowed his brow, watching as Hotch disappeared inside and out of view, before he turned back to the others. After he exchanged a knowing look with Morgan and Will, Rossi shook his head, letting out a sigh.

"He knows it's him, right?" Tom asked, looking at Morgan and gesturing with his thumb in the direction that Hotch had disappeared.

Morgan shook his head in defeat, "Everyone knows it's him..." he paused and huffed, "... except maybe for Reid."

"How's the lamb, dears?" Elizabeth asked, looking over the table at her grandson and his girlfriend, "Not too dry?"

Zac looked up, woken from his thoughts at the sound of his grandmother's voice and glancing around the table. He offered a smile and shook his head, "It's wonderful, Grams," he replied, "Thank you for inviting us for dinner," he said softly, reaching over to squeeze Lucy's hand. They were only in town for a few days and, while they were staying with Aaron and Jack, Zac couldn't imagine a trip to DC without visiting with his grandparents. Even though his grandfather had been in the small circle of people who knew that his mom was alive, for some reason Zac couldn't imagine being angry with him. He had no rationale for that decision, simply that this was how he felt. And the reality was, the longer he spent thinking about the situation, the less angry he was with his mom. He just didn't know how to start them down the road to repairing their relationship, and that was frustrating him to no-end.

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head, "You are always welcome here, Zachery," she said softly, nodding at Lucy, "Both of you are."

Lucy smiled softly, "I tried to convince Zac to come for a visit sooner, but work has kept us pretty busy," she explained.

"Well, you're here now," Elizabeth replied, "And that's what counts…" she paused and nodded to their plates, "… Now eat up young man. You're too thin already… you take after your mother in that respect."

Zac huffed and cleared his throat, dropping his cutlery on the table, "We can't get through dinner without you bringing that up, Grams?" he asked, his tone clear, "Why don't we get straight down to it Grams, and you tell me how I'm supposed to feel… everyone seems to have an opinion and why should I expect you to be any different?" he shook his head and waved his hand in front of him, "So tell me what you think, Ambassador?"

Lucy reached over to place a gentle hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away. The last couple of weeks had been horrible, but at least in Philly they had a little distance from the situation. Lucy couldn't understand why Zac was so angry, but her role as his girlfriend wasn't to convince him to forgive his mom… it was to support… so that's what she was trying to do.

Elizabeth put her cutlery down, shaking her head in disappointment, "I understand that the last few weeks have been quite chaotic and confusing for you, Zachery, but do not even begin to think that it gives you the right to be so rude. You are my guest, and as such, you will allow me a little respect."

Zac swallowed hard, shaking his head and reaching over to squeeze Lucy's knee. The last thing he wanted to do was push away these two women who had been so supportive since his mom had come back. His grandmother had been just as shocked to find out that Emily was alive, but she'd done what Zac couldn't. She had looked past the lies that had been told to them over the last seven months, and she had just celebrated the fact that her daughter was still alive. But Zac knew he wasn't there yet… he wanted to get there, and that gave him hope.

"I'm sorry Grams…" Zac started, pausing for a moment to look her in the eye, "I promise, I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm just so frustrated, and I don't know where to put that, but you don't deserve it."

Elizabeth looked at Lucy, then turned her gaze to Zac, before she spoke, "Thank you for your apology, Zachery," she said softly, "I know you've been having a difficult time, and I'm sorry for that…" she paused and shook her head, "… If you have questions, you know that your grandfather and I would be happy to try and answer them."

Zac shook his head and shrugged, sitting back in his seat, "I don't even know where to start," he replied softly, "But I promise to ask when I'm ready."

Elizabeth nodded, offering a grateful smile to Lucy. As she opened her mouth to speak, she heard the dining room doors sliding open and she looked up to find Simon making his way in.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," Simon said brightly, "Meetings went long." He made his way to the other side of the table, kissing Elizabeth's temple, before he walked over to squeeze Zac's shoulder and kiss Lucy on the top of the head.

"Good to see you, Pop," Zac said, watching as Simon moved around to take a seat next to Elizabeth.

Simon looked up at Zac and nodded, "You too, ZIP," he replied, "So what have I missed? Have we covered off on your work yet, Lucy?"

Lucy huffed, grateful for Simon's efforts to inject some levity into an otherwise tense dinner, "My work has been great," she replied, "They're tough cases, but it's meaningful work."

Simon nodded and smiled, "And life in Philly is good?" he probed further. He had always liked Lucy, and he was glad she was back in Zac's life, especially given the upset of the last few weeks. Zac needed someone sensible, but tough, who could give him a logical response to his musings on the subject of his mother and who wouldn't shy away from a little tough love. Much to Simon and Elizabeth's delight, Lucy seemed to fit that bill nicely.

Zac nodded and smiled, taking a sip of water before he replied, "It's been a great place to spend time thinking... but more about that later, Pop... how's your work going?"

Zac stared at the fire, running his hand over Lucy's arm as she slept, nestled into his side. After dinner, his grandparents had retreated to their respective offices to finish up some urgent work, and he and Lucy had moved into the large living room. Aaron and Jack weren't due home for a little while yet, so they had decided to stay a little longer. They'd lit a fire and read their books, and soon enough, Lucy had closed her eyes and fallen asleep. It was one of those nights that made him infinitely grateful to have her in his life.

Zac jumped a little when he saw the object appear in front of him, and when he looked up, he saw his grandfather smiling softly. Zac picked up the large album and wrinkled his brow, "What is this?" he asked, as if he didn't already know.

Simon placed another album on the coffee table, then wandered over to the drink cart and fixed himself a scotch, looking up when the doors opened and watching Elizabeth make her way into the room. She dropped into the lounge opposite Zac and Lucy, and smiled when Simon sat next to her, handing her a drink, before he reached up to rest his arm on the back of the couch.

Simon gestured to the album and nodded, "Open it."

Zac huffed when he turned to the front page, sighting a photo he'd seen many times before. A young Emily Prentiss, lying in a hospital bed with a tiny baby resting on her chest. Zac had always looked on this photo with pride, knowing how much strength his mother had to have to bring him into the world. She was fierce and tender at the same time, and Zac had always felt that photo was a clear example of the complex woman that was Emily Prentiss.

"Did you every hear the story of when your mother first told us she was pregnant?" Elizabeth asked, watching Zac's face carefully.

Zac shook his head, focusing on the photos while his grandparents reminisced. Elizabeth leaned forward and picked up the other album from the coffee table, opening it and smiling at the image of Emily sitting on the front steps of the embassy, her mind taking her back to that freezing day in 1986. The weather had dropped, so Elizabeth had been working from the family home within the embassy, trying to find time between meetings to arrange for a trip to the south of the country, where they might be able to thaw out for a few days.

"Your mother had skipped school," Elizabeth started, "Mind you, this was in the time before computers, so when her friend arrived at home-room, she signed in for herself and for your mother, and the teachers didn't figure it out until well into the school day."

"Your grandmother called me and told me what had happened, and that we would need to present a united front when Emily arrived home from school," Simon added with a slight smile, "We were waiting for her when she came home and when she walked in the front door, we could tell she'd been crying. Her eyes were all red, her cheeks were puffy…" he paused and huffed, "… she barely said a word when she saw us in the drawing room."

"I was furious," Elizabeth continued, patting Simon's knee gently, "And embarrassed. The Ambassador's daughter was supposed to set an example for the rest of the staff's children, and I felt like she had disappointed us."

"We asked her to tell us about her day, and she started to make up a story…" Simon huffed and shook his head, "… If I wasn't so disappointed that she'd skipped school and was trying to lie to us, I might have been impressed at the effort she went to. She told us about playing dodgeball in gym class, and how in biology they'd dissected a frog… but we knew she was lying."

"I told her, "Emily Rose Prentiss, don't you dare sit there and lie to me about school when I know for a fact that you did not go. Now I want the truth, and so help me God, if I don't get it, you'll be enrolled in boarding school quicker than you can whistle Bolero."

Zac snorted and Elizabeth smiled, "Her face dropped and she sat in the armchair, her head in her hands… she was a sobbing mess," she continued, "I stood up to leave, thinking it was all an act, and then she said the words."

Zac swallowed over the lump in his throat and kissed the top of Lucy's hair, wracked with guilt at the idea that his existence had ruined the perfect plan his grandparent's had for Emily's life. He shook his head and sniffed back the tears that were threatening to escape.

"Your grandmother dropped next to me again and then Emily started to explain it all…" Simon paused and shook his head, "… I think we were both only half-listening, and just focused on that first sentence…"

Elizabeth sighed as her hands ran over the photo of Simon holding Zachery in the hospital, the memories so vivid she could almost hear him singing that song he loved to sing to both Emily and Zac as babies.

"You were such a beautiful baby," Elizabeth sighed, "You were blessed with your mother's dark hair and your father's eyes…" she shook her head, "She was so brave, labour went on for days, but she never gave up."

"I, on the other hand, almost passed out from how hard she was squeezing my hand," Simon joked, "But then when you arrived, we were all instantly obsessed."

Zac smiled sadly, flipping through the pages of the album and stopping on one photo, "What's this?" he asked, holding up a photo of him and his mom. She was wearing a red dress and holding Zac on her hip, the little boy dressed in a small tuxedo.

Elizabeth huffed and smiled, taking in the image, "That was after her high school graduation," she explained, "We were due back in the States a few weeks after your mother finished school, so we had a small dinner to celebrate."

"She was valedictorian," Simon added, "And you'd just learned how to climb the bookcases… so we had a lot to celebrate."

Zac chuckled and nodded, his face softening as he looked over the image, "I suppose I forget sometimes, how much she managed to achieve even with a mistake like me."

Elizabeth frowned and Simon shook his head, "You were never a mistake, ZIP," he urged, "Sure, you were unexpected, but your mother, your Uncle Matt, and both of us loved you from the moment we found out you were coming. We always have, and always will, love you."

Elizabeth cleared her throat, closing the album and placing it back on the coffee table, "I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, so I should get some sleep," she explained, standing from the lounge and making her way over to Zac. She leant down and gripped the sides of his face gently as she kissed his forehead.

"I love you Zachery," she said softly, "You need this time, and your mother understands. She'll be waiting when you're ready."

Zac nodded, biting his lip to stave off the tears. He watched as his grandfather stood from the lounge, making his way over and kissing the top of Zac's hair, before they joined hands and walked out of the room.

Zac turned back to the album and sighed, looking down at Lucy, still sleeping at his side. He turned the page, continuing his walk down memory lane and wondering how long it would take before he was ready.