"Agent Prentiss?" Anderson said, waiting for her when they disembarked the elevator. "You have visitors waiting in your office."
Emily heaved a weary sigh. "Can you tell them I have to reschedule?" she asked. "I'll speak with them tomorrow."
"I really think you'll want to speak with them," Anderson insisted.
With a reluctant nod, she waved to the rest of the team and headed up to her office. When she pushed the door open, a little squeal echoed through the office, followed by tiny footsteps and a face peering around the door. "My Sunshine!" she gasped.
"Mommy!" Aurora greeted, making grabby hands in silent plea for a hug.
Emily knelt down, sweeping Aurora into her arms, blinking hard as if to keep tears at bay. She gently rocked the toddler, letting her cling about her neck as if having sensed her mother's need. "What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling back to sweep the girl's strawberry blonde locks off her face.
Aurora wrapped her little hand around Emily's and tugged her over to her desk where Lucy was waiting, watching their interaction with a soft smile. "Dinner!" Aurora announced with a sweeping gesture at the waiting food.
"Did you cook me dinner?" Emily asked the girl, teasing smile on her lips. She caught Lucy's gaze, winked.
Aurora giggled, shook her head.
Sitting at the desk, she lifted Aurora onto her knee. "Where's Sissy?" she asked.
Aurora shrugged, digging into her food with gusto.
"Aunty Penny is showing Clara her lair," Lucy answered for her.
Then, as if speaking her name had summoned her, Clara came sprinting into the office and flung herself at Emily. "Mommy!" she trilled. "Aunty Penny has the coolest office!"
Emily just laughed, kissed her head. "She sure does," she agreed, silently praying that her daughters never lost their sense of wonder.
Lucy woke up in the middle of the night, unsure what it was that had roused her from her sleep. She rolled over in search of her wife with the intent of snuggling into her body and falling back asleep, but instead finding her side of the bed empty. "Em?" she asked in an almost whisper.
When she failed to get a response, she climbed out of bed, wrapping herself in her robe, and went in search of Emily.
First, she ducked into the girls' room, as Emily had a tendency to sit in the rocking chair and watch them sleep when she found herself wide awake in the middle of the night. But the rocking chair was empty. She tucked the girls in again, kissing their foreheads, before once again emerging into the hallway.
A sound by the doorway startled her. "Emily?" she hissed, steps softer and more wary now, fearing the worst.
A beat.
"Lucy?" Emily replied, coming around the corner and startling her. "What are you doing awake?"
"You weren't in bed..." she replied, brows furrowing in concern as she glanced over Emily's shoulder, down the hall, to a familiar sight of the hallway table bumped up against the door and a lone chair sitting vigil nearby. She didn't miss the way Emily tucked her gun into the waistband of her pants. "What... What are you doing?" she asked, eyes meeting Emily's once again.
Emily attempted to block her view, but it was too late – the damage had already been done.
When she didn't answer, Lucy prompted again, "Em? What's going on?"
With a sigh, Emily grabbed her hand, gently lead her into the living room and pulling her down to the couch next to her. She looked like she'd very much like to tell Lucy that it was nothing to be concerned about, but she knew that there was no way Lucy was going to believe that.
As the silence continued on longer than was entirely reassuring, Lucy said quietly, "I didn't ask questions when the protective detail showed up. I didn't ask why you were holding back tears as you held Aurora earlier. But I'm asking you now...should I be worried?"
"It's complicated," Emily said at length.
"Are we in danger?" she pressed. She didn't need the answer. She already knew.
"Yes."
She nodded slowly. "You're worried." Also not a question.
Emily sniffled, surprising Lucy. "I shouldn't have brought you here," she said shakily. "I should have made you stay in London until I knew it was safe...but I just couldn't have lived without you."
"Em," she said softly, "You're scaring me. I've seen you like this only once before and..." She shook her head, breath coming out in trembling gasps. "Em, you nearly died. If this is going to be another Doyle, I need to know."
For a few moments, Emily's mouth hung open slightly as she absorbed what Lucy had just confessed. "Lucy..." she whispered, her name coming out on a sigh. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Lucy shook her head urgently. "It's not about me," she insisted. "I care that one day I'm going to get a call from the Bureau telling me that you've been killed in the line of duty. I care that I'm going to have to see your picture on the wall of Fallen Heroes. I care that our daughters are going to have to stand at your graveside and watch them lower your casket into the ground."
"That's not going to happen," Emily insisted. "I won't let it."
Looking like she'd very much like to believe that, Lucy offered a pained smile. "I need you to tell me whether this is another Doyle. I need to hear you say the words. And whatever answer you give me, I'll believe you. But I'm begging you: please don't lie to me..."
For several long moments, Emily just stared into her eyes, sparkling with tears barely kept at bay. "I can't promise it won't be," she whispered. "But I can promise that I'm not going to make the same mistakes this time. I can promise you that I'm not going it alone. I can promise that I'll ask for help. I can promise this will be different because I have every reason to make it different."