Prologue

Emily smiled as she looked over at her dad, swaying by the window of the hospital room, cooing to the tiny newborn in his arms. Her mother was holding a video camera, filming the two Prentiss men as they spent a little quality time together, Simon softly singing the same Beatles' song to his new grandson that he had sung to Emily when she was first born.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Emily felt a tear drop down her cheek and she reached up to wipe it away. She was exhausted, but it was a very happy exhaustion. Two days of labour, on top of ten of the scariest, most incredible months of her life, and her son was finally here. She still hadn't figured out a name for the little man, but she was in no rush. He would be inheriting his grandfather's middle name, Irving, as the men in her family had done for generations, so she wanted to find something that would match that middle name and his personality.

For now, Emily was just glad to be able to rest, knowing that her son would be loved on by his grandparents while she recuperated. The birth wasn't traumatic, but she had held onto the hope that John might decide that he wanted to be involved, and she felt let down when he hadn't come to meet their son. As the door to the room opened, Emily smiled, watching Matthew walk through with a handful of balloons and flowers… she supposed she and the baby weren't completely alone. They had her parents and they had Matthew, and maybe that would be enough.

Matthew made his way over to the bed, leaning over to kiss Emily's forehead before he set the balloons and flowers on the bedside table, "How are you feeling, Milly?" he asked, calling Emily by the name only he and her dad were allowed to use.

Emily smiled softly and closed her eyes, "Tired, but happy," she replied squeezing his hand.

"Have you found a name for the little guy yet?" Matthew asked, running a hand over Emily's head.

Emily furrowed her brow gently, "What about Zachery?" she said softly, causing both of her parents to turn and look at her and Matthew. Simon made his way over to the side of the bed, gently placing the baby down on Emily's knees and watching with a soft smile as the baby gripped Emily's fingers in his tiny hands.

Elizabeth joined them, running her hand over the baby's head, "Zachery Irving Prentiss," she said softly, looking up at Emily with a gentle smile, "I think it suits him."

"We could call him Zip for short," Matthew joked, resulting in a good-natured eye-roll from Emily, and he chuckled, "Ok… maybe just Zac."

Emily looked back at her son, dressed in his little green onesie with the giraffe on it, a matching green beanie on his head. His eyes opened and he looked directly at her, cooing softly.

"Hi Zac… welcome to the family."


Chapter 1: The Last Word

Emily waited for the elevator doors to open before she made a move to step out of the car, pushing the trolley loaded with moving boxes down the hall towards her new front door. She reached into her pocket for her keys and unlocked the door, pushing her way through and dragging the trolley behind her. She let the door shut behind her and left the trolley by the entry-way, walking through the large, empty space and smiling.

She was home.

DC was probably the closest place Emily had to a home-town, and she really did feel like this was a good move for her, and not just out of necessity. Sure, it was convenient to be close enough to Declan to keep an eye on him, but Emily also felt like having some stability after all of her years of moving around the country… and the world… was a good idea for her.

Just as Emily started to make her way back to the trolley, there was a knock at the door. Emily furrowed her brow as she looked down at her watch, not expecting the movers there so soon. She shrugged and made her way down the hall, checking peephole and smiling wide as the opened the door.

"Coffee delivery!"

Emily chuckled, reaching out for the cup of coffee, "Zac, sweetheart!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here? It's Friday, don't you have class?"

Zac stepped through the front door of the apartment, pulling his mom into a hug as she kicked the door closed behind him. He squeezed her tight, content with his decision to drive down from college for a long weekend to help her move into her new place. It was step one in his plan to pay her back for everything she'd done for him in his life… step one of about a thousand. He knew that parents had to do things for their kids, but Emily Prentiss wasn't a typical mom. She had always gone above and beyond to show Zac how loved he was.

"I figured you'd appreciate some help with the unpacking, but I knew you'd never ask," Zac replied as he pulled away from his mom, "And I had no classes today, so I really had no excuse to come and help."

Emily shook her head and smiled proudly, reaching up to squeeze Zac's cheeks, "You are just the sweetest," she said brightly, holding up her coffee, "And you know me too well."

Zac chuckled and nodded to the boxes on the trolley, "Well let's not just stand around… make the most of my muscles and put me to work!"

Emily snorted at Zac's remark and shook her head, taking a few steps back and tapping on the boxes, "Alright muscles, these boxes all need to go upstairs," she replied, "So how about we unload this trolley and while you're walking them upstairs, I'll go back down to the truck and load more."

Zac nodded, making his way down to the kitchen and placing his half-empty coffee cup on the counter, before he returned to the trolley and reached for the first box. He made quick work of unpacking the trolley, while Emily drank her coffee, and once it was empty, she took the handle and tipped her head to the front door.

"I'll be back soon," she said brightly, "If you want to unpack the CD player and put some music on, go ahead, and the movers should be here soon with the furniture, so let them in if they come knocking."

Zac stood up straight and saluted, "Yes ma'am," he teased, resulting in a good-natured eye-roll from his mom.

Emily shook her head as she started the trolley towards the door, "I have no idea where you get your personality from, but I take none of the blame."

Zac snorted this time, "You are 100% to blame for the amazing specimen that's standing before you, Emily Prentiss," he teased, laughing loudly as his mom flipped him the bird before she disappeared into the hall.

Emily couldn't help the grin that grew on her face as she made her way back down the hall towards the elevators. It was true, her son was pretty incredible, but she didn't think she could take credit for too much of it. He had always been pretty incredible… he kind of just came out that way. Of course, Emily had taught him about books and music and movies, and she'd tried to create an environment in their home that encouraged him to be whoever he wanted to be, with the only real direction she'd given that he do whatever he could to make sure the people around him felt respected and loved. But the rest of Zac kind of just happened, turning into a kid, and now an adult, with a personality that Emily adored.

Emily was roused from her thoughts as she felt her cell buzzing in her pocket, and she took the device out and checked the ID, not recognising the number.

"Emily Prentiss," she said brightly, hoping to find out quickly who was calling so she could get back to moving in. She had a lot of tasks to complete by the end of the weekend, and hoped she'd be fully moved in before Monday rolled around.

"Agent Prentiss," a woman replied, "This is Section Chief Erin Strauss."

"Oh, hello ma'am," Emily said quickly, "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to confirm that the paperwork for your role with the BAU is ready, and I wanted to check that you have somewhere to print it before Monday."

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied, biting her lip, "I'm just getting everything set up at home, so I'll be able to print it out this afternoon."

"Good. Agent Hotchner is the Unit Chief and he will need to see a copy," Strauss replied, "When you arrive on the day, please go first to the security office in Building 6, and show them your paperwork. They'll give you a swipe card and a PIN code for access to the main building where the BAU sits."

"Understood," Emily nodded, "And ma'am, I just wanted to say that I'm very grateful for this opportunity."

"You've earned this, Agent Prentiss," Strauss replied sternly, "I'll be in touch again soon."

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied, hearing the click in her ear before she had a chance to say goodbye. She stood in front of the elevator, staring at her phone and wondering why she had a strange feeling in her stomach. As the elevator doors opened, Emily shrugged, putting the butterflies down to nerves. She'd been working towards this since she'd first decided to join the Bureau, and now she was finally going to be a profiler.

Like a kid on her first day of school, Emily couldn't wait for Monday to roll around.


Penelope shivered as she walked the final few steps into the coffee shop, desperate for something warm and caffeinated to get her through the next couple of hours. She liked to treat herself to a proper espresso at the beginning of a case and figured it was a good use of the time that the team was travelling to the airfield and taking off. And with two serial killers in the same city, this case was bound to be a doozy, and she'd need as much coffee as she could muster.

As she pushed her way through the doors of the coffee shop, she felt the intense relief as the hot air hit her face, and she could almost relax. Penelope smiled at the barista as she made her way to the counter and placed her order, handing over her credit card and stepping to the side to wait. She glanced around the shop and her eyes settled on one table, in particular, whose occupant seemed to be positively forlorn.

Penelope made her way through the mess of tables and chairs and stopped beside the woman, who was reading over a pile of paperwork, with a frown on her face and a cardboard archive box on the seat next to her. She cleared her throat and waited for the woman to look up.

"Did I see you in the BAU, with Hotch?" Penelope asked, tipping her head to the side.

Emily looked up from her transfer paperwork and, with a furrowed brow, widened her eyes slightly at the woman standing in front of her. Dressed in a floral dress, with coordinated red framed glasses and bright red lipstick, she seemed friendly enough, but Emily's initial meeting with Agent Hotchner (and the subsequent conversation she'd overheard him having with Agent Gideon) had left her a little wary of strangers from the BAU.

Emily bit her lip and shook her head, "Uh… I'm not sure… what's a Hotch?"

"Oh, sorry," Penelope mumbled, "Agent Hotchner, our Unit Chief."

Realisation taking over her face, Emily nodded and smiled sadly, "Yes… I was supposed to start with the BAU today, but… uh… the plans seem to have changed," she paused and tipped her head, "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Oh! My name's Penelope Garcia," she said, holding out a hand for the other woman to shake, "I'm the team's technical analyst."

"Uh… Prentiss… Emily Prentiss," Emily replied with a nervous smile, shaking the bright woman's hand, "I thought you guys had a case? Shouldn't you be on your way?" she asked, wondering if Agent Hotchner had been lying about needing to leave, using it as an excuse to get her out of his office. If that was true, and he had lied to her on her first day in the unit, Emily wasn't sure she really wanted to be on this team. As the daughter of a politician and a spy, she'd been told enough fiction to last a thousand lifetimes and didn't need any more. Maybe this Hotch guy had done her a favour.

Penelope nodded, "We do, but I don't usually travel with the team, so I just came to get a coffee while they're flying out to St. Louis," she explained, "When I saw you with Hotch, I thought you might be the new agent we've been requesting."

Emily swallowed hard over the lump in her throat and shook her head, "I thought so too, but apparently not," she replied, taking in a subtle deep breath, and trying to tide off her angry tears. She couldn't believe the way Agent Hotchner had dismissed her, especially given that she had the paperwork to prove that the vacant spot in the BAU was hers. It wasn't like she'd uprooted her life, given that she'd been working just up the road in Baltimore, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Emily had been working towards this goal for a decade, and now that her chance was here to join the BAU, some asshole was telling her that she wasn't welcome. And though Emily Prentiss tried her best to never show emotion in public, she was feeling an overwhelming urge to punch something right now, and an image of the Unit Chief's face flashed across her mind.

Penelope frowned and tipped her head to the side, "What do you mean?" she asked, sliding into one of the spare seats at the table, "Maybe there's something I can do to help." She was a big believer in gut feelings, and something told her that this woman would be a fine addition to the team. Penelope couldn't figure out why she wasn't sitting up at a desk in the bullpen, or on the jet with the others.

Emily shook her head again, "Thanks, but I don't want to get you into trouble," she said softly, smiling sadly as she took a sip of her coffee, "I'll figure it out."

Penelope sighed and tipped her head, "Well, the team is gone for the next few days, at least, so you can keep me company and we'll sort it all out by the time they get back," she replied, standing from the seat, "Come on kitten."

Emily smiled softly at the term of endearment and nodded, standing from the table and picking up her box of belongings, stopping with Penelope at the counter so she could collect her coffee. She watched as her new friend made her way through the front door of the café, holding it open for Emily, her hands full with her box and purse.

They started across the quad, towards the main building, and Emily turned to Penelope with her first of many questions.

"So what can you tell me about the team?"


"You won't be sorry," Emily replied, turning quickly to grab her box of belongings and running out Agent Hotchner's office door before he could change his mind.

Emily made her way down the stairs and into the bullpen, through the glass doors, and only stopping when she reached the elevator. She was not going to push her luck with Agent Hotchner by hanging around or trying to leave her belongings at one of the obviously empty desks. She awkwardly leant her box against one hip to reach over and press the elevator button, but in true Emily fashion, the bottom of the cardboard box gave out and she groaned as her belongings fell to the ground.

As she stooped down to pick her things up and try to jerry-rig the box so that it would last until morning, Emily heard footsteps coming towards her. She only hoped that the footsteps didn't belong to Agent Hotchner and was relieved when a petite blonde woman dropped to the ground and collected the couple of framed photos that had fallen in the heap.

"Let me help you with that," the woman insisted, placing the frames in the box and continuing in her efforts to pick up more of Emily's belongings. As she placed a folder of papers in the box, the woman looked up at Emily and offered a sad smile, "Coming or going?"

Emily furrowed her brow, "I think I'm coming," she replied, shrugging as she picked up the box of granola bars that she preferred to keep in her desk as an emergency snack, "But that all depends on Agent Hotchner."

"Oh… you're the one Garcia told me about," the blonde remarked, standing from the floor once all of Emily's belongings were back in the flimsy archive box, "Uh… Agent Prentiss?" At Emily's nod, she held out a hand for Emily to shake, "I'm Agent Jareau… JJ…" she paused as Emily shook her hand, and offered her another smile, "And don't worry about Hotch… if he didn't immediately kick you out of his office, you're in."

Emily grinned in reply, hopeful that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship, "Thanks, uh… JJ," she paused, "I just wish I had a desk already so I didn't have to lug this back and forth."

As the women stood, JJ tipped her head towards her office, "You can leave it in here until tomorrow."

"Really?" Emily replied, blushing at her reaction to such a simple, yet generous, offer.

JJ chuckled and nodded, "Of course, follow me." As she started down the hallway, checking over her shoulder to make sure the new team member was following, she wondered what questions she could ask now, without seeming like she was being too curious. "How long have you been with the Bureau?"

"About ten years," Emily replied, "I spent some time in the Midwest and now I'm here… or back here."

"You're a DC native?" JJ asked, taking Emily's box from her hands and placing it gently on the empty visitor's chair at her desk.

"Yes… I mean… my mother is an ambassador, so I'm a native in that we lived here between postings," Emily explained, "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm Pennsylvania, born and bred," JJ replied. She picked up her purse from her desk and tipped her head towards the door, "Are you heading out now?"

Emily nodded, "Yeah, I am…" she paused and waited for JJ to join her in the hall before continuing, "… Thank you for your help," she explained, "I'm feeling a little out of place here, after the other day."

JJ reached over and patted Emily's shoulder, "Not a problem," she replied, "Garcia told me what happened with Hotch… please don't hold it against him… or the rest of the team…" she paused and tipped her head, "It's been a rough few months."

Emily shook her head, "Not at all…" she replied, knowing that there were some concerning events that had befallen the BAU. She opened her mouth to say more, but before she could continue, her cell started to buzz in her hand. Emily looked down to see Zac's name flashing on the screen and she looked over at JJ, smiling awkwardly as they reached the elevator, "I'll just be one minute."

Emily turned away from JJ to answer the call, lowering her voice as much as possible, "Hey sweetheart," she said quietly into the phone, "How are you?"

"Hey Mom," Zac said in reply, "How was the first day?"

"Well…" she started, sighing softly, "I haven't actually had my first day yet," she replied, "But I'll explain more later. I should be home in about an hour. Can I call you then?"

"Definitely," Zac replied, "I want to hear all about it."

"I want to hear all about your week too," Emily added, "I'll talk to you soon…" she paused and lowered her voice a little more, "… Love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Zac replied, before hanging up the call.

Emily shoved her cell into her pocket as she turned back to JJ, just as the elevator doors began to open. JJ had been trying not to eavesdrop, but Emily could tell from her face that even the tidbits she'd picked up on from Emily's side of that conversation would probably result in some questions.

"So tell me, Emily," JJ began as they climbed into the car, "How do you feel about cocktails?"


Emily picked up the tray of drinks and turned to head back to the table, where Penelope and JJ were waiting. As she got closer to the table, Emily felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned slowly, finding a man smiling at her.

"Uh, hi," he said nervously, as Emily looked him over.

Tall, jet black hair, dark eyes… handsome … just Emily's type.

"Hi," Emily replied, holding the tray awkwardly in her hands, trying not to spill the drinks she was carrying. The man looked down at the tray and took it out of her hands to give her a rest while they spoke.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this," the man began, causing Emily to huff nervously. She nodded for him to continue, which he did after taking a deep breath, "I was watching you before and… god, that sounds really creepy… but I figured I'd kick myself if I didn't at least say hello."

Emily offered a shy smile and nodded, "Well, I'm glad you did," she replied, "And I'd like to keep talking, but my friends are waiting for me."

"Of course," the man replied, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hold you up, so I'll give you this back, and add this to your order " he continued, handing the tray back to Emily and taking his wallet out of his jeans. He removed a business card, and slid it onto the tray, between the drinks, "If you feel so inclined, give me a call."

Emily watched him walk away, admiring the view and smiling at his strange combination of bashfulness and confidence, before she turned back to head towards the table. As she got closer to her new friends, she realised that they had been watching the entire exchange and were both looking at her with expectant faces. Faces that were clearly expecting gossip.

"Margherita for Penelope, and a vodka and cranberry for JJ," Emily started, handing the drinks to the others and ignoring the looks they were shooting her way. She picked up her dry gin martini from the tray, trying to subtly remove the business card and push it into her pocket, and as she took her first sip, Emily looked up at the others' faces and smiled.

"Who was that tall drink of water you were talking to?" Penelope teased her new friend, impressed that Emily had already managed to order their drinks, deliver them, and pick up a guy in the minutes they'd been at the bar.

Emily rolled her eyes, "He was just asking for directions," she teased, chuckling at the disbelief on the others faces, "So what were you guys talking about?"

JJ shrugged and raised her eyebrows at Penelope, "Tall, dark and handsome dreamboats," she joked.

Emily chuckled and shrugged, "We're at a bar, I'm in a dress, which is not a regular-enough occurrence," she replied, "Why not take advantage of the situation?"

JJ glanced at Emily over the top of her drink, before she shot a look at Penelope, "And… you're…" she let her voice trail off as she waited for Emily's reply.

"Single?" Emily asked with a furrowed brow, "Of course I am, what made you think I'm not?"

"No reason," JJ assured her new friend, "Just checking."

Emily smiled sadly, looking down at her drink and letting out a sigh, "Just a heads up, I'm not great at sharing and I'm not even sure I'll be sticking around long enough to share."

JJ and Penelope exchanged a look, then both turned to Emily, "What makes you think you're not sticking around?"

Emily furrowed her brow as she considered what it would be like to share her concerns with these women. After all, of all of the people in the world who might understand, they would be the most likely. They worked with Agent Hotchner and knew him better than she did, so maybe they'd have some insight into how to get into his good graces. It had been a bumpy start and Emily felt like the ground underneath her could shift at any time, so talking it out with Penelope and JJ could prove helpful.

Emily shrugged and ran her thumb over the stem of her cocktail glass, "I just mean that… well Agent Hotchner doesn't seem to want me on the team, and he's the Unit Chief, so if I don't have him on my side, then what chances do I have?"

"You just leave Hotch to us," Penelope said, reaching over to squeeze Emily's hand, "You're here for the duration if JJ and I have anything to do with it."