Emily groaned, rolled over, groping at the nightstand.
Erik grunted, woken by the bed shifting. He rolled over, hand searching for her hip, her stomach. "What's going on?" he mumbled. "Is it...?"
"My phone," she replied sleepily, hand clasping the still buzzing phone on the nightstand.
He hummed a note of confusion. "No one knows you're here," he pointed out. "Who could be calling you?"
She didn't answer right away, frowning as she stared down at the screen. "Declan..." she whispered, fear closing around her stomach like a fist.
When Emily walked into the BAU, everyone's eyes were on her. Which, she supposed she should have expected, even if she wasn't 'dead'...
She attempted an awkward half smile, but could feel the trepidation clearly visible in it, wished she had a good answer for any of the questions they were surely about to ask.
She waited. For scorn. For condemnation. For any reaction at all in that moment where time seemed to stand still.
And then... Garcia was embracing her. A little awkward, a little hesitant, but an embrace all the same. And after a moment, Emily let out a shuddering breath and returned it.
When Garcia pulled away, she gave her a dubious once-over. "Look at you..." she said eventually.
Everyone was still staring at her and she could practically hear their thoughts, but had apparently temporarily lost all control over her speech.
Finally, Garcia could contain herself no longer and she said what was surely at the forefront of everyone's mind. "How far along are you?"
"Six months," she answered. She glanced down at her belly, stroked a hand over the swell so she didn't have to see them work out that, while it wasn't Doyle's baby, there was clearly something she wasn't telling them.
"Six months..." Reid spoke up first. "But that would mean..."
Hotch interrupted, "There will be time for catching up later."
"There's so much I want to tell you guys – and I will," Emily promised, "But right now, I really need to know what's going on with Declan."
"How's Will with the long hours again?" she asked JJ as they strode through the halls, her stomach still a pit of writhing nerves, hoping that if she acted as if everything were normal, maybe everyone else would too.
"Long story," JJ replied. And, if she knew what Emily was trying to do, she didn't follow her lead, asking, "But, I imagine it's a much less interesting story than the one behind that ring on your finger... Don't think I didn't notice. Is that new?"
She glanced down at her wedding band as if only just remembering it was there. She scraped her teeth along her bottom lip, debating how much of the truth to give. "How much did they tell you?" she asked.
"Enough to know you wanted out, not enough to know why," JJ answered vaguely.
She sighed slowly, shakily. "I, umm... I left to be with my husband," she said, voice barely a whisper.
JJ nodded silently, but it was clear from her expression that she was taken aback by the unexpected statement.
"You have to understand," Emily rushed to supply, "I wasn't planning on dying. When I asked Clyde to get me out, I just needed some time where I didn't have to pretend – time to be with him, to reestablish my life... It wasn't supposed to be permanent."
"Then why?" JJ asked, voice so soft, but the hint of hurt in her tone still audible. "Why run? Why not let us help you?"
She shook her head a little, blinked back the threat of tears. "I couldn't let Doyle hurt anyone I cared about. When he threatened all of you..." She trailed off, tongue flicking out over her top lip. "I couldn't let him hurt my family." Her hand found JJ's and squeezed it gently, letting the simple gesture say all the things she just couldn't put into words.
She expected more – more questions she couldn't answer, more emotions cutting like a knife... Instead, JJ said, "So, who is it?"
The sudden change in subject startled her and she glanced quickly at her friend to find playfulness dancing about in her blue eyes.
When she failed to answer, JJ prompted again, "Who's the mysterious husband you've managed to keep secret for six years?"
Emily choked on an inhale, unsure why the question surprised her, but taken aback all the same. "Just some guy," she answered evasively.
JJ shook her head vehemently. "Nope. No way. You're not getting out of answering the question by being vague and evasive..."
"Jayje..." she nearly whined.
"I promise not to tell anyone," she begged. "I won't even have Garcia dig up all his dirty little secrets..."
Emily muttered to herself, "I'm pretty sure you already know all his secrets..."
"What was that?" JJ asked sharply, brows arching high on her forehead.
Emily sighed dramatically. "It's Erik Lensherr," she admitted, voice so quiet it was barely audible.
"What!?" she yelped.
"Shhhh!" Emily hissed. "Can we please not make a scene?"
"Sorry," she said, chagrined. She took a few deep breaths, tamping down the urge to demand each and every detail about the bombshell her friend had just dumped in her lap. "But you have to admit...that's a huge secret to keep from everyone."
"What was I supposed to say?" she countered. "Oh, hey, everyone, by the way I'm married to Magneto..."
JJ snorted with laughter. "Okay, fair. But still...you could have told me."
"I wanted to," she insisted. "Really, I did. It's just... You have no idea how hard it was to be apart for so long. At some point, it was just easier to ignore that gaping hole in my life, to pretend it wasn't there, than to face all that pain. You know?"
JJ's expression softened and she nodded slowly. "I can't imagine how hard that must've been," she said softly. Then, because she couldn't resist a little teasing, she added, "I'm sure that long-awaited reunion must explain that..." She nodded towards Emily's belly.
Emily gave a snort of laughter. "You could say that."
