December 24th

JJ knocked on Emily's front door, but received no answer. She tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked, sending her concern skyrocketing. "Em?" she called out as she entered the house on tiptoe, lest she be about to interrupt a burglar or something equally horrifying. "Emily, is everything alright?"

"In here," Emily called back, sounding completely fine, albeit exhausted.

JJ followed the sound of her voice up the stairs to find her looked harried as she paced outside the closed nursery door looking rather like she hadn't slept in a solid week. "You look like shit, Em," she informed her, keeping her voice just above a whisper so she wouldn't wake the baby on the other side of the door.

"Gee, thanks," she said wryly. She knew she was only teasing, but she was far too frustrated to take the joke in stride.

"Why did you call me?" JJ asked. She'd assumed at the time that the cry for help was because of the baby, but she was starting to doubt her assumption. "It's almost midnight..."

She let out a shuddering breath. "I think I fucked up," she confessed, scrubbing a restless hand through her normally pristinely styled hair.

JJ raised a brow. "I'm going to need a little more information," she prompted, trying not to let her curiosity show too obviously lest Emily mistake it for judgment.

Emily suddenly seemed reluctant to confess, mashing her lips together and deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"Em, I got out of bed in the middle of the night for you – the least you could do is tell me why," she urged.

She sighed. "I kissed Derek," she admitted, voice barely audible.

"What!?" The word came out an octave or two too high and, from beyond the door, there came the unmistakable sound of the baby stirring.

Emily winced. "Technically, he kissed me. But I didn't push him away..." She opened the door and lifted the baby into her arms before he could start screaming.

Blinking a few times in stunned silence, JJ took a few moments to digest the news. "Okay..." she said slowly, "So, what does this mean? Are you two like...together now?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so..." She huffed. "He left."

She raised a brow. "He left?" she repeated. "To go where?"

"I don't know! He just kind of...ran away," Emily said, obviously frustrated. She propped the baby against her shoulder and gently patted his back in an attempt to soothe him.

JJ laughed as if she thought this was all some kind of bizarre joke. A moment of silence followed, but no punchline seemed forthcoming. "No, really?"

Emily just glowered, obviously annoyed that she didn't seem to believe her.

"Well, where is he now? Why don't you just call him and have him come over to..." she started.

"I don't know!" She threw up one hand in exasperation. "I tried calling and texting, but he won't answer."

JJ held up her hands in a silent gesture to calm down. "There's a simple solution here..." She pulled her phone from her pocket, dialing the one and only Penelope Garcia. After explaining the situation (while leaving out certain sordid details), she paused to wait while Garcia did her sleuthing.

Emily was barely containing her anxiety, pacing as best she could in the limited space, only resisting the urge to pick her nails because her hands were currently occupied.

When she finally hung up, JJ looked like a woman headed for the gallows as she prepared herself to deliver the less than stellar news...

"Well?" Emily prompted, when no words were immediately forthcoming, decidedly impatient.

"He..." she started, faltered. "He bought a plane ticket back to Chicago." Her voice was small and meek, knowing Emily would be heartbroken.

Devastation washed over her face and it took her a few moments to find any kind of words with which to respond. She shook her head once, twice. "Please tell me you're kidding," she begged. "That this is just some sick joke. Please..."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She had nothing else to say. Nothing that would make this any better.

A few moments of silence passed, the wheels inside Emily's head obviously turning. Then, she exited the room without a word.

JJ followed after her to find her wrestling the baby into his snowsuit. "Em, what on Earth are you doing?" she demanded.

"I'm going after him," she announced, proceeding to buckle the baby into his carrier.

"Em, it's the middle of the night," JJ started to protest.

She wasn't in the mood to be reasoned with, though. "I can't let him leave," she insisted. "Not without telling him how I feel."

JJ knew Emily well enough to know that she wasn't about to be dissuaded. "I'll drive," she said with a sigh.

"Derek!" a voice called out through the airport.

He whipped his head around at the sound of his name, not immediately finding its source.

The airport was surprisingly crowded, given the time of day and the time of year, and he couldn't find a familiar face among the throngs of people, so he shrugged and continued on.

"Derek!" the voice called again. "Derek Morgan!"

He whirled around this time, the voice closer and more urgent, to find Emily racing toward him.

"Emily?" he called back, surprised and confused.

She flung herself into his chest, arms wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life. After a moment in which his mind struggled to comprehend the situation, he wrapped her own arms tight around her.

"Em, what are you doing here?" he whispered.

"Don't leave," she begged. "I want you to stay."

He sputtered for a few moments, trying to form a coherent response.

She continued, "I need you, Derek. I know what I said, but I was wrong – I can't do this without you by my side."

If anything, that seemed to confuse him even more. "Em... What..."

Seeming to realize she wasn't being clear enough, she stopped talking and kissed him with every pent up emotion she couldn't find the words to explain.