Chapter 14
Emily, along with Yasmin, waited for their meeting with the director of the FBI, ready to discuss her possible return to the FBI after her unfortunate dismissal as the FBI referred to her situation. Holding Yasmin's hand tightly with her good hand, Emily was lost in her head, replaying the last six months of this nightmare, feeling distraught again. Isabel, the lost soul who had saved her life in her selfless act, and her grandmother and mother are trying to repay her debt. A small tear trickled down her cheek. Her redheaded one and only friend from prison would only have two people in attendance to witness the cremation tomorrow.
Yasmin glimpsed the change in her girlfriend; a smile appeared as she slowly rubbed her promise ring on her left hand. Wiping the tear from her cheek with the pad of her thumb, she startled Emily.
"Thinking about Issy?" asked a concerned woman
With a slight nod of her head and a sad smile. "Yeah, am I a bad person thinking she is in a better place now? Away from her tormentors in prison, hopefully happy," she told Yaz. "Sorry, Yaz, just finding her death senseless and blaming myself."
"Look at me, Emily." asked the dark-haired attorney. She was waiting for her to look at her. "The Isobel Isles foundation is a marvellous thing you are doing in her name. You told me all she wanted was to help those whose lives she had destroyed. Not everyone will initially respond positively, but you are trying to rebuild the damage caused in her name. It's an excellent start to her redemption in the eyes of the people's lives she had damaged. I think Iris can be proud of her daughter again." she kissed Emily on her temple
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"The director is ready for you, Ms Prentiss." smiled the assistant.
Entering the plush office of the FBI director Emily was surprised to see Strauss and Hotch sitting on a couch. He indicated that the two ladies should sit on the sofa opposite Hotch and Strauss.
"Ms Prentiss, please take a seat; you didn't have to bring legal representation for this meeting." smiled the director
"It didn't go so well for me last time. You arrested and charged me, let's not forget, sent me to prison." Emily angrily told the director while glaring across at the opposite occupants." Yasmin gently squeezed her hand, reminding her to stay calm
"We followed the evidence, Ms Prentiss." answered the director
"How did that go for you..." Yasmin stopped her girlfriend from jumping onto the giant rabbit hole by very unprofessionally kissing her lips to keep her firmly in the present.
Emily smiled at her thanks to her girlfriend
"While I am Ms Prentiss's legal council, I am not here in a professional capacity. I am here for her emotional support. I'm sure you can understand that the last six months have been very taxing on her emotionally and mentally director." Smiled Yasmin.
Hotch casually looked across at Emily and noticed a silver and diamond ring on her left finger. He didn't know if it was an engagement ring or not. He could face serial killers but knew nothing about rings other than a golden wedding band. JJ had been very quiet about her week of vacation, everyone assuming she would reignite the spark in her relationship with Emily.
"Ms Prentiss, I would like you to return to the FBI fully reinstated. I would like you to return to the BAU as you have a proven track record as a profiler. I understand if you would like to return to a different section." asked the director, "I understand it might be difficult for you after everything that transpired; some might think you still had some involvement in the whole incident of evidence tampering. Your mother's interview will not have helped your case." Director Cato told her
In full profiler mode, Hotch carefully watched Emily's face as the director talked. She firmly had her ambassadorial mask down. Unable to read her facial expressions or her body language, he was unsure how Emily felt about a return to the BAU.
"Ms Prentiss, I would like you to return to agent Hotchner's team. They are all amenable to your return to the team..." Emily cuts Strauss off. "No, I will return to the BAU bullpen, please, director. I want to heal and fully rehabilitate first before considering my return." Emily asked, looking at the director
He nodded. "That's the least I can do for you. Take two months, call section chief Strauss and inform her when you're ready to return.
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"Enter the palace," shouted Maddy
Emily walked into the new tech lair of Garcia and Maddy with her new girlfriend, Yasmin.
"Thank you, Penelope, for saving my ass from that hell hole." she pulled Garcia into a hug, unable to go do it last time, still being a felon. "I would like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Yasmin Khan."
"Hello again, counsellor." Penelope smiled ever so politely. "I would like to introduce my new partner Madison May. She assisted me with your female fan club." she grinned
"Thank you, Madison." smiled Emily.
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Madison took Yaz down to the cafeteria while Emily walked into the round table room with Strauss to meet her old teammates. Entering the rear door, the room silenced as she stepped into the conference room.
"Emily, I would like to thank you for everything you did to protect my sisters and mother. I feel so ashamed of how I treated you. I worked with you for ten years, and I know you. I allowed myself to follow the evidence without properly questioning it for myself and treated you shamefully. The Emily Prentiss I know would crawl over broken glass to protect others. I allowed myself to forget that. Please forgive me, Emily?" Morgan emotionally asked his old partner.
Emily's one-worded answer felt like she had stabbed him in his heart. "Agent!"
Not wanting to hear each member of the team's apology, she raised her hand to stop everyone. " I have no regret protecting everyone. I would do it again in a heartbeat. What destroyed me in that holding cell and prison interview room? Not one of you believed in me; you all knew I was not capable of allowing serial killers free for money. I can comprehend why everyone in the FBI believes the damning evidence but not the people sitting in this room." she paused, looking directly at JJ. "Laying in my cell, I had two friends worldwide. I had never felt that alone before, not even as a child being dragged around the world with my mother." happy, she had confronted her old team, and she walked out to find Yasmin.
Hotch walked out to pursue Emily as the remaining seated team members watched in silence as Emily walked out, followed by Hotch.
"Ms Prentiss has declined the offer to return to your team on her reinstatement. She asked to return to work in the bullpen." Strauss tried to tell her unit members professional but couldn't hide the joy in her voice.
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"Wait, Emily," Hotch shouted at the back of the retreating Profiler
Emily stopped and turned to face her old team leader and waited for him to talk, just wanting to find Yasmin and leave Quantico.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for protecting Jack and Hailey these past six months. Losing Hailey and Jack messed with my head. I should have seen you were in trouble after your sudden break-up with Jennifer and leaving the team. For that, I am humiliated, knowing what you had to go through. Please..." Hotch is interrupted by clutching Emily before she falls.
"Stand down, agent!" ordered Hotch
The aggressor was a fellow female agent from counter-terrorism. She believed Prentiss had something to do with the evidence interfering with her belief, only confirmed by the ambassador's interview with the breakfast show. Fellow agents and security remove the furious agent from the BAU.
"Do you want to press charges? Emily." inquired Hotch
Shaking her head, Emily glanced at Hotch, who still supported her. "Thank you. I will have to get used to that, especially after the ambassador's latest interview. How are Jack and Haley doing?"
"Jack is ok still has nightmares most nights and sleeps with Haley and me. Haley still has blanks but remembers more each day. It's just fragmented and confusingly out of order. The doctors tell us everything will return in time. How are you doing, Emily?" replied Hotch
"Hurting and mad as hell for what they put me through. Yasmin has been my rock, Aaron. Tell Hailey and Jack I will come around and visit again soon." she replied and walked off to find her girlfriend.
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An oppressive silence hung in the conference room after Emily walked out. JJ broke the silence and walked out. "I'm going back to work; I have wasted enough time." the blonde told her team.
Morgan watched JJ walk off toward her office. Turning to Garcia, "Out with it, baby girl. What happened in the lone star state?" he asked the colourful nerd.
"Our JJ rushed to the lone star state to see Emily when she didn't return to Quantico after her release from prison. I think she was expecting to run into her arms and continue as if nothing had ever occurred. To our JJ's horror, she found her in a loving embrace with her beautiful attorney. Yasmin Khan is now our brunette Saviour's girlfriend." smirked Penelope. "For a super profiler Derek Morgan you are clueless. She is wearing a promise ring on her ring finger." Garcia smirked at the blank look on his face. "Reid, please tell my Derek the meaning of a promise ring."
He was pleased to be asked for a bit of monologue. " Is a pre-engagement ring sometimes referred to as a friendship ring. The ring is given as a gift to a romantic partner to signify a commitment to a monogamous relationship, often a precursor to an engagement ring." smiled Reid, pleased he had the chance to finish without being told to shut up.
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Watching from behind the blinds of her office window, JJ watched as Emily embraced her girlfriend. Returning to her desk with a heavy heart, she opened her bottom desk drawer and removed a framed picture of herself and Emily in a happier time. Ghosting her finger over Emily's face, she allowed a single tear to fall. The blonde agent still cherished Emily, knowing that she was the one responsible for destroying the heart of her love. She was blinded by fury when Penelope died in prison. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her office.
"Emily." she smiled, approaching. "I am happy for you and wish you all the happiness together. Look after her, Yasmin." smiled Jennifer
Emily profiled JJ finding no malice or deceit in her last statement. "Thank you, Agent Jareau," she replied, still highly annoyed at the blonde.
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Jennifer retained her professionalism and borrowed a thing from her ex-girlfriend and locked the brunette away in a box until she was in the solitude of her own apartment. Flicking through her photos from Candy's bar, she laughed at the pictures and memories of her week. She walked across to the shelf she had placed her white Stetson and put it on.
Decision made, JJ stood before her full-length mirror wearing only her white stetson, admiring her curvy body.
"Your loss Emily Prentiss," JJ told herself as she ran her hands over her taut abdomen
Tossing back her three tequila shots, toasting her brunette bar owner Jennifer pondered where to go and what to wear. Her outfit was selected. She ordered her Uber for an hour
She dressed in a pair of black-figure hugging jeans and her cowgirl shirt from her Texas vacation, finishing her ensemble with her cowboy boots and, of course, her white Stetson. A local bar had a weekly ladies' night, and it was my turn to put Prentiss to bed. If she could move past me, I could move past her. The determined blonde told herself as she walked out to her Uber.