Chapter 39: Home

When Emily picked up Nate the next day from his friend's house, the reaction she got was priceless.

Emily arrived at the house and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. A woman came to the door, introducing herself as Elyse Duncan.

"Hello Ms. Duncan. I'm Emily Prentiss. Nate's mom."

Her breath hitched as she said that. This was the first time, outside of her normal group, that she introduced herself as Nate's mom.

"Hi Emily. Call me Elyse. The boys are just playing. Come on in."

Elyse waited for Emily to move into the house before shutting the door behind them.

"Would you like some coffee or anything?"

"Oh, no thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, thanks. Nate and I have some plans today. I wanted to surprise him."

"Then I better not hold you up. Follow me. They're just out back."

Emily followed Elyse out into the backyard. It didn't take long for Nate to realize she was there. As soon as the sliding glass door opened, Nate was running over to them.

"You're here! But you're not supposed to be back until tomorrow," Nate gleefully said, practically jumping into her waiting arms.

"I know. I wanted to surprise you. Did I?"

When Nate called the night before, she feigned that she was still in London in order to experience the sheer joy in his face play out live.

"Uh huh. I'm so happy you're back."

"Me too."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, Nate."

"You have to meet my friends. This is Eric and Noah. It's Noah's birthday."

"Happy birthday, Noah," Emily said, happily greeting Nate's friends.

"Noah, this is my mom."

"The kick ass FBI agent?"

"Noah, watch your mouth," Elyse ordered.

The boy rolled his eyes and focused his attention on Emily. "Are you really in the FBI?"

Emily smiled and answered, "I used to be. Used to be in the FBI and Interpol."

"Did you save people?"

"I have."

"She saved me," Nate added. "Just like I told you."

The kids all swarmed her with questions like she was a goddess and they just wanted to touch her for luck. In an unexpected turn of events, she was the cool mom. The kids wanted more and more. If it wasn't for Elyse saving the day, she wasn't sure how she ever would have gotten away in one piece.

"Thank you," she said to the woman, grateful for the save. "Come on Nate. Get your things."

As he and the boys went off, Elyse telling them no more questions, the woman said, "You're a real hit with the boys."

"I just have an interesting job history. They think it's all glamorous."

Elyse nodded. "I've seen you before at the open house. You were hurt, weren't you? Your leg?"

"My knee, yes."

"From the job?"

"Car accident," she answered.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I'm doing better. Finally running again."

"That's great. Nate loved sharing stories about you and your team. He tells me you live in London."

"I did."

"But he didn't?" she pried.

"We have an interesting history, too, his fathers and me." One that wasn't anyone's business, she thought.

"I'm sorry. I'm prying. I didn't mean to. Nate is just such a great kid. He was so well mannered and very sweet with my younger boy, Kai. Does he have any siblings?"

"Only child."

"Well, he sure doesn't act like it. I just wanted to say that he's welcome over anytime."

"Thank you. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear. Noah is welcome over too once we get settled."

"Are you moving?"

"Soon. But I'll leave my number, so we can set something up for the boys."

Elyse nodded, and they exchanged numbers just as Nate returned.

"Ready?" Emily asked.

"Yup. Thanks Mrs. Elyse."

"Hope you had a good time, Nate."

"I did. Bye."

Emily took Nate's backpack and threw it over one shoulder as Nate leaned into her side and they walked out of the house.

"I'm so happy you're home."

"Me too Nate, and I thought we could spend the day together, just the two of us."

"Yeah! What are we going to do?"

"What would you like to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm," Emily said, "Well, what if we go see the DC monuments? Would you like that?"

"Yes, please."

"It will be fun. On the way home, we'll pick up dinner and then I brought you something back from London."

"You did? What is it?"

"You'll see."

Emily put his bag in the trunk and then drove them to DC. They began their afternoon with the Lincoln Memorial and tried to cover as much ground as they could. They made it through all the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument before Emily's knee started to get sore and stiff after travel and walking.

Nate, seeing that and not wanting her to get hurt further, asked if they could stop by the shops so he could get something for Jack and Hotch.

"Sure, Nate. Why don't you see if you can find something for your dad, too? I was thinking we could go see him tomorrow."

He looked hesitant, like he did with most things involving James, but agreed. Emily laughed at some of his choices. Nate ended up picking out a book for himself and Jack, a funny tie with presidents' faces on it for Hotch, and a key ring for James. Emily couldn't help but feel how impersonal that gift was. She knew thought went into the others. Hotch always wore ties to work, Nate told her, and this one was funny, so it would make the sad times fighting the bad guys a little easier. Jack would appreciate the book. James' gift was one you buy when you can't figure out something of meaning or you just needed something small to bring back. On its own, it would have been fine, but when compared to the other gifts, it sent a clear message: a rift between father and son.

"Come sit with me a moment," Emily said, patting the bench seat beside her once they were out of the souvenir shop.

Nate came and plopped down next to her. They both took a second to look around. It was a beautiful November afternoon. Now seemed like as good a time as any to have a conversation with Nate about a few things.

"I know we talked about it a little, Nate, but I want to talk to you again about me being your mom."

"Why?"

"Well, you called me mom before I left."

"Was I not supposed to?" he sadly asked.

"No," she said quickly. "No, you did nothing wrong. You can call me mom. I love it, actually, but you've never done that, so I wanted to check in with you."

"Like about why I did it?"

"Yes."

"Because you're my mom… So I call you mom," he said, like he was stating the obvious.

"That simple, huh?" Oh to think like a child…

He shrugged.

"I just know you seemed a little unsure before. Did something change?"

Again, he shrugged his shoulders, thinking back to a talk he had with Jack.

"Why are you sad?" Jack directly asked.

"I'm not sad," he answered. "I'm… confused."

"Why?"

Nate explained that he and Emily talked. He told Jack what she told him, reiterating the surrogacy and the reasons why Emily wasn't in his life for so long as best he could. He said that Emily was his mom, but she wasn't like other moms because she couldn't be there… He said it in a way that showed how confusing the situation really was to him.

"I just don't know why she wasn't there. I think my dads had something to do with it, but she didn't say it was their fault. Does that make it her fault?" Then he found himself thinking, why does everyone leave me, thinking about how, now, his father wanted nothing to do with him.

"I don't think so," Jack answered. "Emily wouldn't leave you alone if she could help it."

"But she wasn't there for so, so long and she was once. I have pictures."

"I know…" Jack looked to the pictures on Nate's desk. He caught Nate looking at them all the time. "It's a little scary, huh?"

"I guess."

"I think you just need time to get used to it, because this is a good thing. Maybe she wasn't always there and you didn't know you had a mom somewhere, but you know now, and you have her now. That should make you happy."

"I don't want having a mom to replace having my dads."

"That's not how it works," Jack explained. "You got a gift."

"A present?"

"Kind of," Jack said. "You had two dads who loved you all your life. That's more than some kids get. One of your dads died, and that's sad. It hurts, I know, because I'm still sad that my mom died, but you're lucky. You get another person, another parent, to love you. You get a mom, too, now. And that mom is Emily. Emily's kind of cool."

"I know."

"It's weird and new, but don't feel bad for loving Emily. She's awesome. She's your mom. Maybe she couldn't always be there, but I know Emily, and she had to have her reasons for that. I don't think she would ever choose not to be there."

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"Would you have believed her?"

Nate shrugged. "I don't know."

"You love her, though, right?"

"Yes."

"And she takes care of you? She's good to you?"

"She's awesome."

"Then be happy that you have someone like her in your life, and that one of your dads is still around too. Emily won't take the place of your other dad, ever. You can love her without feeling bad. Just think, you get three parents. Some people don't get any, and I'd do anything to see my mom again."

Nate knew that Jack was right. At that moment, he still wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew that he felt love for Emily. He knew that Emily would do anything for him and saved his life once already. She took care of him and loved him and played with him and did things she didn't really want to just because he asked. From what he knew, that was what parents did. Having blood between them was only just a bonus. Either way, she had become his mother.

"Before I was scared because both my dads were gone and what if you left me again too?"

"I never willingly left you, Nate. I'm so sorry you feel that way."

"I know you didn't, I think. It's just. I'm sad that dad doesn't want to see me."

"I get it, but he wants to see you now. We're going to work on that, ok?

He nodded. "Jack told me I was lucky. Because of you, I got two great dads and now a mom and a bunch of new people who love me too. Like Jack."

"You do have a lot of people who love you."

He sighed. "But what happens when we move to London?"

"Who said we're moving there?"

"We're not?"

"No, Nate. I was going to tell you once we got back home, but we're not going."

"What about work?"

"I left my old job so that we could stay here. I'm going to find something, hopefully close by."

"With the FBI?"

She could see he was hoping she said no. He didn't want her to work in law enforcement at all. It was dangerous, he knew, and didn't want to risk her being taken away from him again.

"I don't know, Nate. I'm going to have to look for something and see what's available."

"But we get to stay here?"

"Yes. In fact, I think I found a place. Would you like to go check it out?"

"A place for us to live?"

Emily nodded.

"Just us?"

"Yes."

"But what about Jack and Hotch?"

"They'll still live where they live. If we move to this place, we'll be very close by."

"What if I don't like it?"

"I think you will, but if you really don't, then we'll keep looking."

"Ok," he agreed.

Emily called Hotch on the way to the apartment and told him that they could make tonight a pizza night and order once they got back. He was all for it. Jack was home now, and he knew they could use an evening just hanging around. He was sure Emily was still a little jetlagged and he didn't want either of them to have to worry about making dinner when they could be focusing on the kids.

Hotch didn't know that the apartment below him was almost move in ready, but Emily talked with the landlord while she was in London. He told her that the place was vacated already, and they were just doing minor repairs and repainting, but the place should be on the market within days, move in ready in weeks. So, she arranged for the apartment to be left open for her to look through once she got home.

When they got to the building, Nate was confused and curious, but Emily explained that there was a potential apartment. That got him excited. Sure, he didn't want to leave Hotch's, but being so close would be like being roommates with a lot more room. That was how Emily sold it.

"Is it on the same floor?" Nate asked when they reached the elevator.

"No. One below. Press the button."

He did, and they waited for the elevator to drop them off on the third floor. Emily told him it was 3B, the first apartment on the right.

"Door's open," Emily told him. "Just go in."

He waited for her to be right behind him before pushing the door open. It wasn't like they were walking into some grand furnished apartment or anything, but it was still exciting that it could be theirs. They were greeted by the smell of fresh paint and a few scattered boxes on the hardwood floor.

"Let's look around."

It was a three bedroom, which was spacious for them, but Emily thought could work better. The master bedroom, which Nate tried to claim, would be hers. The bigger of the other two would go to Nate, and the third could be used as an office for her to get work done in for whatever job she ended up at.

"This one would be yours," Emily told him as they entered the bedroom.

"Could I paint it?"

"Yes," she answered. The landlord said that painting was allowed as long as she paid for the repainting if she moved. The bedrooms weren't painted over yet, so they could make those choices. "What color would you want?"

"I don't know. Maybe blue or green. No, red. Blue… I haven't decided."

"That's ok. We could go to the hardware store and look at paint chips."

"Could I get bunkbeds?"

"I don't see why not."

"Cool, then Jack could stay in my room sometimes."

"He'd like that."

"Is the other room for Dad?" he tentatively asked.

"No," she stated. "Once your dad gets out of treatment, he won't be living with us."

"But… why?"

"I don't want to just say that it's complicated, so I'm going to try to say it as simply as possible. Ok?"

He nodded.

"Your father and I both love you, but when we all lived together, it didn't work. I wasn't happy, he wasn't happy, and, most importantly, you weren't happy."

He was going to deny it, but Emily stopped him.

"I know you weren't happy, Nate. You weren't yourself, and I'm just sorry I didn't realize it sooner. When he finishes his rehab, he's going to be able to take care of himself, and, hopefully you as well. That means he can have his own place." She felt like she was explaining divorce. "We don't work living all together."

"But… what about me? Where will I go?"

"Don't worry about any of that right now. We have time to figure it out, and I promise, if I have any say in things, your father and I will always be in your life. Let us worry about that, though. The only thing you need to worry about is what you want your room to look like. What do you think? Is this the place for us?"

"I think so."

"Me too," Emily said. "I think we'll take it. I'll talk to Hotch and the landlord about it. If all goes well, maybe we can go shopping for this place one day after school."

"Cool. Will I get to pick out everything myself?"

"You'll get some say. I make the final decisions."

"Alright."

"Now, Hotch and Jack are waiting on us. Let's head up and order dinner. You can give them their gifts while I make a call."

The two went to the apartment with renewed excitement. Emily, though she loved living with Hotch and helping with Jack, was ready to do this on her own. She was nervous, but so ready for it to be her and Nate making a go of it. Working toward making that happen was the first thing she did when they got in. Well, the first thing after giving Jack a big hug and offering the kids their London souvenirs. Henry and Michael got one too.

From there, they split up responsibilities. While Hotch ordered dinner, Emily went to the basement of the building to talk to the super. There and then, they made the deal. Before Thanksgiving, she and Nate would be in their own apartment.

"I'm happy for you," Hotch said once the boys were asleep and they sat on the couch with a glass of wine for Emily and a beer for Hotch.

"I think this is just what we need."

"I know you have savings, and I hope you don't mind me asking, but can you afford this? You quit your job."

"I can afford it," she told him. "I still own the London flat. It's like a condo. I own it and now I'm subletting. I make money off that. It's not enough to sustain me and Nate indefinitely, but it will buy time for me to find a job. Clyde agreed to help out with the tenants if they need help that I can't take care of remotely, so that will be taken care of and I get some money."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Clyde's been a great help. He offered to write me a recommendation to any job I apply for and told me that he could call in favors if I want him to."

"What did you say to that?"

"That I'd take the recommendations, but I'm not ready for favors yet."

"I would love to offer you a spot on the team, but we don't have any open positions."

"I appreciate that you've thought about it, but I don't want to be an agent anymore."

"Really?" He found that surprising.

"I know. It's hard to believe for me too. I loved it. I still love it, but if I'm making the commitment to be here, to move here and be a mom to Nate, that means really being here. He nearly lost both his fathers and me. I can't go out in the field all the time and not worry that I won't come back to him. I don't know if I can risk putting him through that or not let that worry effect my actions in the field. Time to look for something else."

"Thoughts?"

"On jobs? A friend of my mother's has something for me. I'm thinking I'll investigate that and see what happens. I'm looking around, though. I know I'll find something."

"That's great."

"Yeah."

"And you can count on me to help you move in when the time comes."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Emily told him that she was taking Nate to see James the next day. She was worried about how that would go, but she was hopeful, especially because Hotch told her that James had been in contact with him for updates on Nate.

"Jack and I can take the drive with you," he offered. "We won't stick around during the visit, but we'd be around for moral support if needed."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to."

"That's not why I'm offering."

"I won't say no if you'd like to come, but I don't know how much there is to do around there."

"We'll find something."

"Ok."

Hotch asked her if she was nervous about seeing him again to which Emily replied a little. But it wasn't about her. It was about Nate and repairing his relationship with James. That was what was important.

"I understand. If things get too tough for you, I can hang out with them and you can spend time with Jack for a bit."

"Appreciated, but not going to happen. I need to be there with Nate. I need to mediate if it comes to that."

"Just offering."

"Thanks." Her hand reached through the slight space between them, resting on his arm and gently squeezing. "You really have no idea how much everything you've done for me has meant."

"I think I do."

"Thank you… For everything."

"Anytime."

She smiled and pulled her hand away. "On that note, I'm turning in. I was thinking we could leave around eleven?"

"Sounds good. Night, Emily."

"Night Aaron," she said, testing the waters. "That feels weird."

"It's my name."

"I know. I just always called you Hotch. It was what you wanted to be called, but also the more professional thing, but I'm not an agent anymore."

"I can still be Hotch."

"Or you can be Aaron. We'll just have to see."

Emily retreated to her room, slipping into her jammies and fulfilling her nightly rituals. Before getting into bed, she peeked into the boys' room, their door always kept slightly ajar. Both were sound asleep, Jack's arm hanging off the side of the bed and Nate sprawled out, his covers falling off. Emily pulled his blanket back over him before heading to bed.

She was nervous about the next day, but was so tired, she slept easily. In fact, the alarm came way too soon. She could have slept the day away. She couldn't, and the group was out the door at eleven sharp and at the rehab facility before one.

Hotch and Jack dropped them off before exploring the town, Hotch sure to tell Emily his phone was on and to call for anything. Emily assured him she would but hoped not to need to.

"Ready?"

"I guess," Nate huffed.

He wasn't thrilled about the visit. Emily knew that, and he made no effort to hide it, but he was going to try. As they walked through the halls toward James' room, Nate gripped Emily's hand and squeezed it. He was nervous too, wondering if his father would send him away or not want him around again.

Surely enough, it didn't go that well.

The initial greeting was forced, but friendly. James was thrilled to see Nate and went to hug him with vigor, but Nate wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. James let go, knowing the sour reception was his doing. Emily tried to let the conversation flow naturally and only mediate when necessary, but a few silent minutes with no interaction at all led her to step in.

She had Nate catch James up on school and what he was learning. He could talk about that no problem. Every so often when there was a lag, she would offer something to reignite it. Eventually, she remembered to tell Nate to give his father the gift they got him.

James pretended to love it. "This is awesome, Nate. Thank you."

"Thank Mom. She made me pick something out," he harshly said, but it wasn't the tone that got James, it was the reference.

He heard "mom" and immediately looked confusedly toward Emily.

Thankfully, before James could say anything, Nate continued talking about their trip to the monuments. He was excited to share the history he learned from Emily and all the cool things he saw with anyone who would listen. It was a safe topic for him to talk with his dad about. An icebreaker of sorts.

"We saw everything I've wanted to. Now we just have to go to the rest of the museums," Nate said. "I want to go to the spy museum. Jack said that one was cool. Hotch said he could take us during our Thanksgiving break. He won't have to work and then we'll be in our apartment."

"Apartment?" James asked.

"Yes," Emily answered. "Nate and I have been staying at Hotch's, like I've told you."

"No, I don't think you did," he angrily responded.

"I did," she affirmed, "But now we're going to move into our own apartment." She was treading carefully, reading his reactions. He wasn't happy. "It's a nice building, very safe, and in his school district."

"What about the house?" he asked.

Nate was already getting uncomfortable, and only just minutes after he started to warm up again.

"We can talk about that later," Emily hissed, nodding her head toward Nate, subtly trying to allude that they would discuss it without him.

"No, we'll talk about it now."

"Later," she said through gritted teeth.

Nate, sensing the tension, tried to interrupt and talk, unfortunately, he brought up Hotch again, which just rubbed salt in an already raw wound.

"Why does he keep bringing Hotch up?"

Things escalated from there.

"Are you fucking him?"

"James!" Emily yelled, both she and Nate flinched at the harsh tone.

"Are you?"

"Jesus, James. What is wrong with you?"

"I have the right to know if you're bringing your fuck buddy around my son. God, you're supposed to be taking care of him, not using him as date bait."

"Don't talk to my mom like that," Nate defensively yelled.

"She's not your mom," James countered.

"Yes, she is. You told me she is and so did she. I love her and she loves me like you don't anymore."

"Nate," James tried, remorse hitting him hard and fast.

"I hate when you're like this," Nate huffed and stormed out.

Emily was tempted to follow and leave the angry James she barely recognized behind, but she knew better. There were things they needed to discuss, and Nate needed a moment to cool down. He was a lot like her in that respect. He wouldn't go far.

With a deep breath, Emily said, "I guess it's later, and we need to talk."

"Shouldn't you go after him?"

Emily sighed. "He needs a moment, and Hotch is in the lobby with Jack waiting after I sent him a message."

"Great. Send your boy toy to play daddy."

"Stop," Emily immediately put an end to that. "Hotch is my friend and he has been good to both our son and me. For the record, we are just friends and I would never use Nate to get a date. That's the end of that topic, and if you know what's good for you, you won't bring it up again."

Emily kept reminding herself that, while the doctors said he had better control over his temper than he did when he arrived, the outbursts were still there. He couldn't help it and probably never could completely stop them, but they were working on tools to control them.

"He's calling you Mom now?" James growled.

"It's not his fault," she repeated to herself.

"I am his mom. You made sure he knew that. If you didn't want this to happen, you shouldn't have told him." Squeezing her hands in fists, she calmly said, "You can't treat him like that. He was nervous, but excited to see you."

"Yeah, sure looked that way. You had to force him to talk to me and all he could talk about was this man playing dad to my son. This man, who you say is just your friend, gave me a talking to, and then I find out you're all playing house again. He's my son. I don't want him relying on Hotch."

"Then maybe you should man up and take responsibility for your actions. He's attached to Hotch because he has been there after you shut him out. He wanted nothing more than to come see you as often as he could, but you didn't want that. That's on you. Damn it, James! We've had this conversation already. You're supposed to be fixing things with him, not making them worse."

"I didn't mean to," he said. "I just… I got upset."

"But you don't get to berate me and blow up in front of him anymore. I know you care, and so does he, but he doesn't feel it right now."

She ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"I know you love him, and I know you're not happy with the situation, but, despite the lack of friendship between us now, you have to know that I wouldn't use him or make him call me mom, or do anything that could end up hurting him. Tell me you know that."

"I do. I know that."

"Good. Now, next time you want to yell at me, don't do it in front of him, and don't take out your frustrations on him."

He nodded and was about to speak, but Emily could read him. He wanted to give her a mushy apology and she just wasn't there. She didn't want that.

"As for the house situation… I would like your permission to put it on the market."

"What?" He asked confused. "That's my house, Emily."

"I can't afford to take care of it, James. You don't have any money left. Nate and I have to survive off what I have."

"What do you mean there's no money left?"

"Do you have any idea how much this place costs? Places like this aren't cheap. We're talking six figures by the time you're out of here. Medications, hospital bills, surgery… That's expensive. And then I was in the hospital, I had surgery, Nate had medical needs… I don't have a job right now, James."

"You're staying?"

"Yes. Which you would have known if you let Nate talk before blowing up." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "I'm staying in Nate's school district, at least for the rest of the school year while I look for a job. I'm hoping I can find something still in the area, so he doesn't need to be moved again. The apartment is in Hotch's building."

He went to talk, but she raised her hand to still him.

"No. You don't get a say in that. He loves Hotch and he loves Jack. They are my family and now they are his. You opened that door. I've done everything I can for you and now my focus is solely on keeping him happy and healthy. This is what he needs. He is excited to decorate his bedroom and to have sleepovers with Jack and his friends. I'm going to give that to him, and you're going to continue to work on yourself and your relationship with him. I don't want to keep having that part of this conversation."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yeah. Sorry isn't always enough. The point is that I'd like your permission to sell the house. You can't afford it and I can't spend money on it."

"That was my house with Vince. We were supposed to build a life there, make it a home."

"You will still be able to make a home, just under a different roof. You can say no, James. I'm not going to force you, but then things are going to have to change. I am tapped out. All the money in the cover ID accounts is gone. I used it to take care of your bills and to charter private planes for your trip here and for Nate and me to get out of France. I did what I had to do, but none of that was cheap."

"Are you saying you're poor? Your mother won't help?"

"My mother would help. She has, but it's not her responsibility to take care of your bills. For Nate, I'm sure she would do it, but we're not asking her to. I've paid for as much as I can. Now, if you sell the house, you can live comfortably after you get out of here. You can find an apartment or a smaller house near Nate's school. I don't know, but we'll find something. You need to understand that Nate doesn't want to be there. He doesn't want to be that far from his friends or his school. Forcing him to will not help."

James shook his head, reluctant to agree. Emily told him her game plan, how she would put it on the market and set up an account for James with money from the sale. Once he was done with rehab, she would help him find a place that was suitable for him and Nate and whatever condition he was in at the time.

Eventually, he agreed.

"Just sell it," he said. "I don't care. It wasn't the same without Vince and, like you said, Nate wasn't happy there."

"Ok. I'll get on that and will keep you abreast."

They talked a little more about what was to come and about Emily's job situation. They were civil, but no real personal talk was shared. Emily spent a little time with him to help him remember what he was getting better for, but she knew it was time to go and check on Nate.

"Emily? How do I fix this? With Nate? With us?"

She wanted to laugh, wanted to point out the irony of his attitude shift, but instead, just said, "You can start by calling… consistently. Every day before bed. You call him. We will not call you. Got it."

He nodded.

"Then we'll try an in person visit in a few weeks. Nate will cool down and he will see the effort you're making. Once we're settled in the apartment, maybe we can have you over."

He sighed. That was more than he deserved.

"And with us?"

"I've already told you. There's no fixing this."

"There has to be a way," he said. "What happens when I get out of here? Will you fight me to keep Nate with you?"

"I'm hoping it won't come to that. We'll be civil. We'll compromise."

"I'm going to want him to live with me. Full time."

"And I'm going to want to be a part of his life for the rest of time," she made clear. "Let's just hope this will resolve itself."

That was how she left it. She didn't want to say anything or leave on a sour note, but she made sure she was taken care of on that front.

Emily sat in the botanical garden a block or two from Clyde's place, enjoying the London scene she loved so much. A mother and son were playing near the small pond, making Emily think of Nate. He would have loved it there.

The more she thought about Nate, the more she thought about the strain between her and James. Things would never be the same. He would never be her best friend again. She was ok with that. She had a whole flock of best friends now, but that didn't change the fact that it hurt. It hurt to know where their friendship was and the potential hardships to come. Most of all, it hurt to know that he could and might try to take Nate from her once he was better. Right now, she had custody and if he fought her on it, he would lose.

Eventually, he would be healthy again. He was already well on his way there. When that time came, he would fight to keep Nate with him all the time, and she couldn't let that happen. She didn't want to keep Nate from him, but she didn't want to lose Nate either.

James and Nate deserved to be together, but she and Nate deserved it too. No way could they ever, for any long period of time, stay under the same roof, but there had to be something.

Elizabeth's words about protecting herself and her rights kept playing in her mind. After her last encounter with James, it struck her even harder. She didn't expect him to just give up his son, but now she worried he would fight her completely.

Not being able to let that go, Emily pulled out her phone, searched through her contacts, and placed a call.

"Hi Malcom. This is Emily Prentiss. Remember a few months ago when you said we could talk other options if or when the time came? Well, I think that time has come. I'm in London for a few more days, but I'd like to set up a meeting as soon as possible. Can you get back to me with your availability? And if you can draw up some of those preliminary documents for me to look at, that would be great. Thanks so much. Talk soon," she left a message on his voicemail.

Emily had a meeting on the books with Malcom the following week. She hoped that whatever plan of attack or defensive plays they came up with never had to be used, but it didn't hurt to have them in her pocket. It was something that had been on her mind since Nate came back into her life, and she hoped it never came to a fight, but she wasn't going to let him go.

She also wasn't going to let the what if weigh her down while Nate needed her. Her focus was on him and, right now, making sure he was ok. Custody and future worries would wait.

"Let's go home, Nate," she said, taking him in her arms for a hug. "Everything will be ok."