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Aftermath

Previously

"The bank on 3rd? That was you?" Meg says as she pulls Emily closer in her arms.

"Yeah. I -," Emily pauses. "I don't know what happened. It just —

"You did the best you could. You got the hostages out, Babe. They are all safe because of you."

Emily turns to face Meg head on. "What if it's not enough?"

"What isn't? You're job?" Meg asks, trying to follow Emily's thinking.

Emily shrugs in response. Meghan has never seen Emily like this. Her job was everything to her. She loved it. She loved her team, and she loved the FBI. She loved everything about it.

"Emily, whatever happened you did your best. You always do. It's what—."

All words die, and all thoughts fly out of Meghan's head when she feels lips against her own.

Emily is kissing her. The two pair of lips move in sync easily.


Eyes pop open. This wasn't right. It didn't feel right, and she knew exactly why. Those lips aren't the same.

They push each other away at the same time.

"Emily," Meghan whispers stunned.

"Oh, god." Emily jumps from the table and grabs her helmet. "I need to go."

Meghan swings her leg over the bench and follows Emily. She grabs her wrist.

"No. Don't." Meghan rubs her thumb back and forth over the inside of the agent's wrist. "Don't go."

Emily looks from Meghan's eyes to her wrist and then to her bike. "I can't," she shakes her head as she has no idea what the next part of that sentence was supposed to be.

"I know." Meghan steps closer and holds Emily's shoulders. Emily tried to step back. Meghan was too close and her head was spinning so fast. "Look at me. It's okay"

"I can't do this. I need to go. I just-" Emily pulls away quickly and runs to her motorcycle.

"Emily! Please, don't go. Not like this." Helmet on and motorcycle straddled, Emily is already backing the bike away from Meghan. Meghan set her hands on top of Emily's from the front of the bike. "Please. Just calm down. It's ok. Don't go like this."

"I'll call you," are Emily's last words to Meghan as she backs the motorcycle up faster and turns out of the lot. Her bike speeds past the diner's front window, leaving the same direction it had come back toward the city.


Rachel

After her yell at her brother, Rachel moved to her bedroom to lie down. Ashley came in about ten minutes after that to find her best friend staring at the ceiling. This leads to her declaring an immediate distraction was needed in the form of Sandra Bullock.

Miss Congeniality plays on the television opposite the two friends in bed.

"You were right," Rachel's voice wafts over Sandra Bullock's screams as she is waxed.

Ashley glances over to Rachel and then back to the TV. She's not sure what to say. Normally, she loves that phrase, especially coming from Rachel or Rylan, but it doesn't matter at all to her right now.

Rachel turns her head to look at Ashley. "I made a mistake. She needed to see me."

"Rach, don't do this," Ashley pleads. "Let's just watch the movie, okay?"

"Why didn't you make me?" The question was soft and frank. No anger or bitterness behind it.

Ashley pauses the movie. She turns to fully face Rachel. "You're my best friend. Emily's cool. I love Emily. I love that she makes you smile bigger than I've ever seen. I love that she makes you happy, and a wreck, and a gushing fool, and makes you feel loved. Emily's amazing. But you're my best friend, Rach, and I love you. And in that moment, you needed me on your side more than she did."

Rachel pulls Ashley into a tight hug. "I regret it," Rachel says into Ashley's ear.

"Don't. All epic love stories have a few obstacles."

A laugh from Rachel surprised both women. "Epic? Really?" Rachel laughs.

"It is," Ashley counters.

A knock on the bedroom door cuts their conversation short. The door opens and Caroline Montgomery pokes her head into the room.

""I'm glad to see you're in better spirits, Honey." Caroline says as she walks in with a tray of cookies, snack cakes, popcorn, and ice cream.

"I've been a mess." Rachel admits.

"Of course, it's expected." The older woman moves further into the room. "I sent the men away. They were just moping around."

Ashley smirks at Caroline's description of her own son and husband. Rylan could definitely brood when he wanted to. "And you brought snacks. Have I told you how much I love you?"

Caroline laughs as she sets the tray between the women on the bed and sits at the end of the bed facing them. "If you're going to drown yourself in movie watching to distract yourself from life, you need to be surrounded by snacks."

"Why weren't you my mother?" Ashley whines as she opens a snack cake.

"You and Rylan would be siblings if she was," Rachel points out.

"Oh, god, never mind. I'll settle for mother-in-law." All three pairs of eyes go wide. "I mean possibly someday, maybe, hopefully, if— never mind."

"So what has this one done to get you laughing?" Caroline asks her daughter as she gestures toward Ashley.

Rachel chuckles. "She called my relationship with Emily an epic love story."

"It is!" Ashley defends.

Rachel shakes her head. "Hardly. We're just people; there's nothing epic about it."

"Alright. What's epic about it?" Caroline asks. "Rach has been so tight lipped about this."

Rachel ducks her head embarrassed. "It's not epic"

"You didn't tell her?" Ashley smirks at this new revelation. She turns to Caroline. "This isn't the first time something huge and amazing has happened with Rachel and Emily. She didn't tell you about their first date?"

"No."

"Or how Emily came straight here after hopping off a plane from Wisconsin in the middle of the night to confess her love for Rachel?"

"She didn't confess her love," Rachel says to her mother with a shake of her head.

"Okay. Confess her intentions," Ashley corrects with an unbelieving eye roll. Caroline laughs as Rachel continues to shake her head in embarrassment. "Bottom line: you guys are kinda epic and adorable." Ashley turns to Caroline. "You have to see them together."

"Apparently," Caroline chuckles. "But until then why don't you fill me in on what my daughter has been neglecting to tell me," Caroline says with a playful smirk.

"Okay. So they met at Dean's. You've been there right?"

Rachel grabs the pillow behind her with a groan and covers her face with it.


Garcia's Apartment

The team was kicked out of the office by Strauss. Hotch headed home to spend the day with Jack once he got out of school, the other guys went their separate ways to deal with what was happening on their own, and JJ and Garcia decided to stay together. Neither wanted to be alone. They were the only two who Emily had confided in about Rachel and this situation hit them both hard. If Emily called and needed them, they'd be there immediately. It just made sense to be together.

So here they are at Garcia's place trying to pass the time as they wait for any word from Emily. Garcia is still monitoring any movement on Emily's bank account and cell phone.

"Do you think we should call the Ambassador?" Garcia asks as she sets down a cup of tea on the table and sits across from JJ. "Emily is kinda missing, you know?"

"She'll be back," JJ says before she sips her own tea.

"Yeah, but with everything that's happened," Garcia hesitates. "She is her mother."

"I don't know. I don't think Emily would be okay with that. She hasn't said anything about their relationship changing. I don't think we should."

Just then, Garcia's cell phone rings. Penelope stands from the table and grabs her phone from the kitchen counter. She sees the name of the caller and immediately answers and puts the call on speaker.

"Emily, are you okay?" Garcia asks frantically as she walks back to the table

"Yeah," they hear Emily say.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again. And quitting? What were you thinking?"

"You still have a job, Em. Hotch didn't file your resignation," JJ adds.

"So don't forget to show up to work tomorrow, Princess" Penelope says.

"I'm just calling to let you guys know I'm fine. My phone was just off because I was riding. You guys filled up my inbox," Emily says. "Is everyone there?"

"No, just me and Jayje."

"Okay. Tell the guys I got their messages and I'm fine," Emily says as she paces the length of her bike along the side of the road.

"We went to Rachel at the hospital when we couldn't..." JJ starts

"I know," Emily interrupts. "Let Rachel know I'm fine, too."

"She'd love to hear from you."

"Just let her know, okay? I gotta go." The beep from the phone let both women know Emily had hung up.

Garcia and JJ share a look. They'd been waiting for Emily's call and now that it had come, it wasn't enough. Not at all.

Emily didn't sound okay. She didn't sound like their Emily. She sounded like Emily Prentiss, daughter of Ambassador Prentiss. The Emily Prentiss that had to prove herself. Had to prove she was tough. Had to prove she could handle herself. This Emily Prentiss was running.

"She can't do that," Garcia says. She picks up the phone and calls Emily back.

Both blondes hold their breath waiting for an answer. It goes straight to Emily's voice telling them to leave a message.

"She can't just call and think everything is okay," Garcia cries as she tries Emily again.

JJ shakes her head at a loss. "We have to give her time."

"She's had time. A whole day. A whole day of nothing and a call doesn't fix everything. She quit, JJ. She quit the BAU. Without a goodbye. She just left us." Tears flow freely down the technical analysts' face.

JJ moves from her seat at the table to comfort Garcia. "I know. But we'll get her back." JJ hugs Garcia. "She'll realize she's being an idiot."

"So we wait again," Garcia says, disbelieving they have to do this any longer.

"We call everyone and tell them she's safe," JJ tells her.


Rachel's Apartment

Ashley had been taking great pleasure in embarrassing Rachel and regaling Rachel's mother with the chronicles of Rachel and Emily.

Caroline is laughing at the end of Ashley's story when the ring of a cell phone fills the room. It's Ashley's.

She reaches across the night stand to grab it. She looks at the name of the caller.

"Hey," Ashley answers the phone. She makes sure to keep her face neutral. Not giving away anything to her best friend until she knows what kind of news this is.

"She called," JJ says from the other end. "She didn't say much, just that she's fine."

"Fine? That's it?"

"Yeah."

Ashley sighs deeply.

"I know," JJ says. And she does. They are all on this emotional roller coaster together and "fine" wasn't good enough. At all.

"Do you know where she is?" Ashley lets her eyes slip to Rachel for a second and regretted it. She didn't want to see that look of fear mixed in with hope on the writer's face.

"No. She turned off her phone again."

"So back to square one."

"Sorry. Tell Rachel she's okay. She wanted Rachel to know that she's okay."

"But is she?" Ashley challenges.

JJ hesitates. "I don't know."

"Okay. Thanks for calling."

"Of course."

Ashley turns to Rachel when she ends the call.

"She's okay. She called and told JJ she was okay and to tell you she was okay."

"But nothing more." Rachel says. Ashley shakes her head. "Okay." Rachel states resolutely.

"Honey—," Caroline starts but is interrupted.

"Its okay, Mom. I'm just glad she's okay. I asked her for time. I can't be upset when she gives it to me."

"But this is more than that," Ashley interjects.

"Yes, but I know my girlfriend. And if there's one thing I've been reminded with your embarrassing stories is that we don't run away from each other for long," Rachel says with a smile. "She'll come back and we'll talk."


Ambassador's House

Emily rides through the gates of the Ambassador's house to the garages. She opens the garage and walks her bike in. She opens the locker and replaces her jacket and helmet.

She lets out a sigh and looks around. She's tired and the ride that was supposed to clear her head only made it worse. She made it worse.

She pulls out her phone and immediately starts pacing as she taps the name on the phone. It doesn't take long for the person to answer.

"Hey," Meghan's voice sounds through the phone. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just— I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"And for freaking out."

"Like I said, it's ok. It's not like I haven't been on the receiving end of an Emily Prentiss freak out before," Meghan says with a smile. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Emily stops pacing and her gaze settles beyond the garage door. A comfortable silence lingers between the two for a moment before Meghan breaks it.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"When I figure it out," Emily answers solemnly.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Prentiss."

"I know. I gotta go."

"Bye," Meghan says.

Emily ends the call. "You can come out now," she calls out.

Matt Tate sheepishly steps into the garage doorway. "Sorry."

"My mother send you?"

"No, actually. I saw you ride in."

"And then you decided to eavesdrop on a personal phone call?" Emily says as she's makes her way out of the garage and pushes the button to let down the garage door. "I'm not your assignment, Agent Tate." Emily pushes past Matt and walks toward the house.

"My assignment is worried about you," Matt says, walking in stride with Emily.

"My mother worries about a lot of things. I don't think I'm as high on the list as you think."

"You're wrong, Emily. She was —,"

Emily spins toward him as they reach the front door. "I know you love giving reports, Agent Tate, but I didn't ask for nor do I need one on my mother's feelings. I'm going to go have a private conversation with her, or would you like to eavesdrop on that as well?"

With his jaw clenched, Matt Tate reaches behind Emily and opens the door for her. Emily turns around and walks through the foyer of the mansion. She knows Matt isn't following her. He wouldn't dare.

Emily makes her way up the stairs and hears her mother moving around in the office. She fights the urge to roll her eyes at the realization, but she can't stop it. Of course, her mother is in the office right now. Where Emily would once have turned back, she surprises herself and moves toward the office. Actually, not too surprising, if Emily thought about it. Her mother had called her out earlier. Emily had been running.

Emily stands in the doorway and watches her mother for a moment. She's looking out the window of the office with a file in her hand that is no doubt supposed to have her focus. Emily could still leave. Her mother wouldn't even know she'd been back. Well, only if Agent Tate didn't tell her, and Emily's gut told her that he most definitely would. She steeled herself. She could feel even more tension pull on her shoulders. It had been there for 2 days now. But she would need the extra fortifying for what she was about to dive into. Emily knocks.

"Emily, you're back," the ambassador says, clearly shocked.

"You're surprised."

"Yes, actually. I didn't expect — You don't normally—,"

"Do what you ask? Why bother when nothing is good enough for you?"

"Emily, that's not —,"

"What is it you want, Mother?"

"Are you going to let me speak or just keep cutting me off?" Elizabeth Prentiss says with sharp frustration laced in her voice as she stands from the desk and looks at her daughter. She sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry." She looks at her daughter, who is looking everywhere but at her.

Elizabeth moves from around her desk toward her daughter. She stops in front of her. "Come with me." The ambassador walks past Emily and out the door.

Emily follows. She's never seen her mother like this and she doesn't know what to make of it. It's different, and it unnerves her. She follows her mother to the lounge.

The older Prentiss woman sits one one side of the large couch. She gestures for Emily to sit next to her. The profiler does. She sits on the other side as close to the armrest as she can get. Elizabeth takes note of the distance but says nothing.

"You're my daughter, Emily. You're not a disappointment to me," Elizabeth starts.

Emily scoffs. "Really?"

"Of course not. I love you, Emily."

"Where is this coming from?" Emily says with disbelief. "Is this your way of doing damage control?

"Emily, no."

"Then what is it, Mother! Because this is not us." She gestures between the two of them.

"Maybe I'm trying to make it be."

"There you go, trying to control the situation," Emily points out. "You can't control everything, no more than I can."

The two sit in silence. Neither looks at the other as the seconds tick by.

"I'm not doing this right," Elizabeth says, breaking the silence. "I don't know how I thought this would go. I'm usually better at speaking." Emily doesn't add anything. "I'll be right back. Will you stay?"

Emily looks at her mother. She's never heard her sound like that. There was a pleading hope in her voice. "Yeah."

The older Prentiss nods before standing and leaving the room. Emily leans her arms forward on her thighs and rests her head in her hands.

So many feelings and so much going on around her that she has no idea what direction to go in. She really wishes the bike ride had the intended effect. Instead, it just muddied everything. And she has no idea where this thing with her mother was heading.

A part of her didn't want this. Not now. She wanted the mother that she had come to know. She knew how to act around that one. This new one that she's seeing throws her completely. This used to be the one constant in her life, and like everything else she has come to count on, it's beginning to slip away. It's too much. It's too much too soon and she has no idea what to do.

Something falls onto the thigh of her pants. A tear. She's crying. She needs to get out of here. Now that she's aware of her tears, they make lines down her face of their own volition. She wipes the tears and stands from the couch. She turns from the couch to be met by her mother standing in the doorway. Emily swiftly turns away from her mother and covers her face.

"Oh, Emmy," the ambassador says as she rushes to her daughter. As she passes the end table, she quickly places the piece of paper in her hand and her cell phone onto it. She touches Emily's shoulder.

"Please, don't touch me," Emily's broken voice whimpers as she moves away.

Elizabeth ignores her daughter and pulls her daughter sideways into her. Emily fights her for a few seconds before giving in. The ambassador strokes Emily's hair as she holds her. She guides her crying daughter back to the couch and continues to hug her tight as Emily leans into her. She closes her eyes to keep her own tears at bay.

Nothing is said between them as the ambassador holds her FBI agent daughter. Emily's crying is muffled and repressed like she's trying her hardest to keep them inside and stop them. But the tears are winning and there is nothing she can do. Time seems to stretch on as the older woman lets Emily be. Even when Emily's cries subside, nothing is said until Emily is ready.

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth sniffles and shakes her head. "Don't be. Never be."

"I should go." Emily pulls away.

"No." Elizabeth grabs the younger woman's hand. "Please, don't. I meant what I said earlier. I want to change this thing between us."

"Why?" Emily asks desperately.

Elizabeth leans across Emily, still holding her hand with one of her own, and reaches to retrieve her items on the table with the other hand. She places the cellphone in her lap and holds the piece of paper between them.

It's a photo. Of Emily. She's seven, maybe eight. She's with Elizabeth, and they are on a ferris wheel. Emily remembers this. The picture was snapped just before they took off into the air. The two brunettes were all smiles at the camera. Real smiles. Not the ones that frequented their holiday cards or made an appearance at an obligatory function.

The photo is worn and deeply creased. Some creases are even reinforced with tape.

"You're my little girl and I let you slip away," Elizabeth says as she runs a thumb over the two of them in the picture. She looks at Emily. "I want that girl back."

"That girl's gone," Emily says softly to the floor.

"Okay." Elizabeth nods contemplatively. "Then, I want to know the woman she became."

Emily looks up at her mother.

Elizabeth continues. "When your father — I threw myself into work and it wasn't fair to you or me. Because you missed out on a mother, and I missed out on a daughter. I wasn't who you needed me to be. But Emily, when they told me someone was threatening your girlfriend, and then that you ran straight into that bank, and I saw footage of it, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I'd spoken to you. And I knew that you ran in there to do everything you could to get her out even if it meant giving yourself up. I realized I failed you."

Both Prentiss women look away and down at the floor. It was too much for both women.

Emily breaks the silence. "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I quit."

The ambassador's head snaps to Emily. "You quit? The BAU?"

"Yeah," Emily says softly.

Elizabeth is a bit thrown off. She knows Emily worked hard to get into that unit. "How's your girlfriend? Is she okay?"

Emily gives a sardonic scoff. "Yeah. Rachel's fine, I suppose." She rubs her eyes to stave off the tears she feels building up behind her eyes.

The older woman is at a loss. But she wants to keep Emily talking. "Did she want you to quit because of what happened?"

"No, I did that on my own. She doesn't even know."

"Oh, why, then?

"She doesn't even want to see me," Emily finds herself blurting out. Her mother stays quiet. "She wouldn't have been in there if I didn't work for the BAU."

"I don't understand."

"Keith, the UnSub, came in and he found out Rachel was dating me and he called for me."

"I still don't understand, Emily. How is any of that your fault?"

"She had to be hospitalized because I couldn't get her out of there." Emily starts to pace. "She got hurt because of me. She believed I could get her out of there and I failed. If I can't even protect my girlfriend, how am I suppose to save anyone else?"

"But none of that was your fault. It was Keith's choice to try and rob the place."

"He didn't have a choice."

"You don't believe that. There's always a choice. You've told me that."

"That still doesn't change anything. I failed."

"I heard all the hostages were released safely." The ambassador continues before Emily can interrupt. "And Rachel? She made it out alive. I also heard you saved someone who wasn't even in the bank. It sounds like you being in the BAU made all of that happen. It may have turned out worse if you weren't."

"But I lost Rachel because of it. She —." Emily stops pacing and looks at her mother. "Are you telling me the truth? This isn't part of some scheme because you need from me?" Emily stares into her mother's eyes.

"No, Emily," Elizabeth says plainly. Emily hears a bit of hurt in her mother's voice but doesn't dwell on it.

"Okay." Emily drops back onto the couch. She leans her head back and runs both hands over her face. "She loves me and I failed her."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes. She doesn't even know. Because I'm a coward."

"You've never been a coward, Emily. Never."

Emily scoffs at the statement. "I was with this." Emily turns her head toward her mother. "I don't know what to do, Mom," Emily says broken.

The ambassador thinks. "Have you spoken to her since you rode off?"

"No."

"Call her."

Emily shakes her head on the back of the couch. "No, she wants space."

"Did you have your phone off?"

"Yeah."

"Did she call you?"

"Yeah, she left a few messages."

"Then call her," the ambassador says simply and seriously.


So guys, you made it to the end. This is a whopping 11 page chapter, so I hoped you guys liked it.

Tell me what you think. Tell me what you think about the ambassador and her talk with Emily. Review and let me know.

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