Happy weekend! I hope everyone likes this chapter.
The next day Emily's arms and back were a bit sore from all the lifting she had done the day before. She got a hot shower to sooth her muscles. She got ready for work knowing that today, Tuesday, would most likely be her last day at the BAU. It would surely be an emotional day but Emily knew that this was the right thing to do.
When she got to work Morgan gave her a sad smile but kept his mouth shut, as did Emily. She would wait until the end of the day to announce that she was leaving.
JJ wasn't at work that morning because Henry had been inconsolable so she had to go out to Will's and help him with their son.
Emily worked on a profile with Morgan and Rossi for most of the morning. While the three were taking a break in the conference room Emily spoke up. "I didn't want to say anything until the end of the day but today is my last day."
Rossi stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"That it's my last day? Yeah." Emily replied.
Rossi pulled her into a hug and whispered. "I'm going to miss you kid."
"I'm going to miss you too." Emily mumbled into his shoulder.
"Wanna go for coffee?" Rossi asked when they pulled apart.
"It's kind of late." She said looking at her watch. "What about the profile?"
"I got it." Morgan said behind them.
Emily still didn't really want to go. As if sensing this Rossi tried to convince her. "Come on Emily, you had sex in my office you owe me."
"You what?!" Morgan blurted out causing Emily to blush.
"Coffee sounds great." She said with a cheeky smile and low laugh. The two walked out leaving Morgan's already dirty mind to run wild.
The coffee break was good. Emily gave Rossi a few more details about why and where she was moving but left out the part about her getting raped out of course. The whole world didn't need to know.
"This was nice. For once." Emily said when they were on the way back to the BAU.
"For once? What's that about?" He asked.
"I didn't word that very well." Emily laughed. "I meant that usually when we go on these coffee dates we end up taking about something painful or personal. The company is always nice it's the circumstances that aren't."
"I get it." Rossi said. "I'm going to miss these coffee runs, even if they were torture most of the time." He teased.
Emily rolled her eyes and laughed along with him.
Rossi was sweet, he always was. But he knew when to be harsh with her in order to get a message across to her. She was going to miss him more than she would ever admit.
When they got back Hotch called her into his office and told her that she could take the rest of the day off if she wanted to because it was so slow at the office.
She looked at her watch, it was 10:50 so she decided to leave during lunch since she still had a few more things to pack up. She would say all her goodbyes and then cry on the drive home.
And that's what she did.
Garcia and Reid had helped her pack up her things and now there was nothing left to do but exchange sappy goodbyes.
Hotch called everyone into the conference room before lunch and although everyone knew she was leaving by now it was a nice and proper goodbye for everyone.
"Bye princess." Morgan said as he gave her a hug, just like before.
"Bye Derek." She said back and then added. "I'll never know why you call me that, will I?"
Morgan smirked. "I guess not."
"If I may cut in." Rossi said. "Goodbye Emily." He said with a sad smile as he pulled her in for a hug. "You'll call me if you need me, right?"
"Of course." Emily said surely. "Bye Reid. I'll miss your famous and endless facts."
"I'll text you some." He joked and laughed when Emily's face changed. "I'm kidding."
"Bye Emily." Hotch said behind her in an ever professional tone. "You were a good addition to the team. I don't think I ever apologized for the way I acted when you first-"
"And you don't have to." Emily interrupted "But I do want a hug." Emily said looking up from his hand to his face. To her surprise he actually hugged her. She smiled into his shoulder before pulling away.
Last but certainly not least was Garcia. She had been tearing up all day but had managed to keep it together. Until now that is. Emily walked over to her and opened her arms in order to give her a hug.
"No. Don't hug me." Garcia said stepping away while her voice cracked. "If you hug me it means it's real and you're really leaving."
Emily took a deep breath and moved closer to Garcia with her arms still out. "I am leaving Pen."
Garcia reluctantly hugged Emily. Garcia put her head on Emily's shoulder and Emily could hear her sniffling.
"Promise me one thing." Garcia whispered in her ear.
"Anything."
"Promise me you won't forget about me. I know things are rough right now but please promise me you'll remember the good times and not just the bad." Garcia said quietly so only Emily could hear.
"I promise." Emily replied while despite her best efforts her eyes clouded with tears.
They pulled apart and turned to the rest of her former team. "Once I get settled I'll invite you all down to my house for drinks."
"Take your time Em, we'll be here." Morgan said.
"Okay well I guess that's it-"
"Group hug!" Garcia interrupted and pulled Emily and Reid into a hug, while Morgan, Hotch and Rossi joined in. When the separated Emily said one final goodbye and then went down to her desk to get her stuff.
"I love you guys." She said as she backed up towards the glass doors. "Seriously. You're my family." And with that she walked through the doors leaving not only her friends behind but also the life she had built and grown to love.
Garcia snuggled in Morgan's chest and he held her tight. "It's okay Mama, we'll see her again."
"If anyone needs to talk to me my door is always open." Hotch announced before going to his office.
Emily leaving wasn't just Emily leaving, it was more. Not only was she a good asset to the team but she was also a part of a very close family. It was like having your sister go off to college and not knowing if she would come back for longer than a weekend.
The team had also lost her once before. And although they all knew she was alive it was still kind of the same feeling. It didn't matter if she was dead or if she had moved three hours away. She was gone.
Within a few minutes the team collected themselves and went back to their desks to work.
By then Emily had made it down to her car. She wiped tears from her eyes as she got in her car. She had lost it just after the elevator doors closed and she hadn't been able to stop the silent tears from running down her face.
She left the parking garage and drove to her house slowly. She had a few fears with this big change in her life.
Was she making the right decision? She thought she was at the moment but who knew maybe she would regret it in a month. That was the thing that was scary. She knew that eventually life gets better but what she didn't know was how long it would take. A week or a year. It would be aggravating if it only took a week to get better but she couldn't risk it taking a year.
When Emily got back to her apartment she made herself lunch and ate it alone on the only chair that was left in her apartment and pretended that she was eating lunch with her friends having a good time.
Meanwhile at the BAU JJ had finally come into work. She went straight to Hotch's office. "Sorry I'm later than I said I was going to be." JJ started. "When I went over to Will's Henry had an outrageous fever and we had to bring him to the doctor. I'm sorry."
"JJ that's fine. We didn't get any calls or cases so you didn't miss anything."
"Ok that's good." JJ said as she left his office. She put her bag and coat in her office and went out to see her friends who had just got back from their lunch break.
Morgan, Reid and Garcia walked over to Morgan and Emily and Reid's little cluster of desks. Rossi parted from the group before JJ met them and went off to his office.
"Hey guys." She greeted happily when she met them.
"Hey JJ." Morgan and Reid greeted in a kind of happy tone.
JJ surveyed her three coworkers and was puzzled when she realized Emily wasn't there. "Where's Prentiss?" She asked but got no response. When she looked at the three again she was even more puzzled when she saw that they all looked quite glum. "What's wrong?"
Morgan exchanged glances with a still noticeably sad Garcia. "Emily left today."
JJ looked at him confused. "What do you mean? When is she coming back?"
"She's not Jay. She left the BAU." Garcia tried to explain.
JJ didn't reply. She tried to process that Emily was gone. She kind of knew why Emily didn't want to work at the BAU. Because she was there and making Emily's life very difficult.
Before anyone could say anything Hotch called them into the conference room and the team had to come up with a profile for a case in Georgia, which kept them busy for the rest of the day.
At the end of the day JJ said goodbye to everyone and started to drive to her mother's house, where she had been staying since she left Emily's. On the way to Sandy's house she had to pass though Emily's neighborhood.
On an impulse JJ started to drive towards Emily's apartment. Ever since she had learned that Emily had left the BAU she was felling incredibly guilty. She knew she had been hard on Emily but JJ didn't think it was anything Emily couldn't handle.
When she got to Emily's building she sat in her car for close to twenty minutes. JJ didn't know why she was here or if she even wanted to say anything to Emily. But since she was there she decided to go up anyway. No harm in apologizing a little. Besides everything in JJ's life was turning back around and now she wanted Emily's to start turning around.
She waved a silent hello to one of the workers in the little lobby and then proceeded to the elevators. She pressed the button with the four on it and waited impatiently as the elevator crept up the floors. JJ didn't know why she was tapping her foot on the floor and acting like she wanted time to go fast because she really didn't.
Finally, but at the same time too quickly the elevator door opened and JJ walked the short distance to Emily's door.
She knocked lightly twice and waited. She could hear Emily moving around in her apartment before she yelled, "One second." from the other side off the door.
Probably without looking in the peephole Emily opened the door quickly. "JJ?"
"Hi Emily. I just wanted to see how you were doing?" JJ said in an awkward tone.
"I'm good. Do you want to come in?" Emily offered.
"Just for a minute, I have to get to my mother's house soon."
JJ walked in Emily's apartment. It was impossible not to see all the boxes everywhere. "Are you moving?" She asked even though the answer was clearly going to be yes.
"Yeah?" Emily replied slowly. "That's why I thought you were here. Didn't anyone tell you?"
"Well, yes but they told me you were leaving the BAU." JJ said turning to Emily for the first time since she arrived. "They didn't tell me you were moving."
Emily looked at the dish she was holding in hand. "I just figured it was for the best after what happened."
"Emily you don't have to move away. Everything will work itself out eventually." JJ said with a sigh.
"Since this is the first time you've talked to me in days I wasn't as quick to think that everything would work out." Emily defended but made her voice remain neutral.
"I know I haven't talked to you a lot but I was mad. I was still blaming you for everything and I didn't want to even hear your name let alone be in the same room with you."
"Is this supposed to cheer me up?" Emily asked after the little speech.
"Just hear me out Em." JJ said calmly before continuing. "My lawyer called me in for a little meeting last week and I didn't know what for. When I went in he showed me the rest of your statement." Emily's eyes widened as her head snapped up to look at JJ. "I know the truth."
Emily opened her mouth several times to say something but each time she closed it again. She didn't know how to feel about JJ knowing. Too many people knew now and it made her feel uncomfortable. But if people were finding out about the rape Emily was glad JJ was one of them.
"That's not why I'm moving." Emily lied. JJ raised an eyebrow at her, easily seeing through her lie and wanting to know the truth.
"I need a new start. I fucked up. You and I know that and so does everyone else in the office. Do I want to move away? Not really but this is something I have to do. I have to pay for my fuck ups." Emily rambled. "And moving away from the people I love is how I've chosen to pay up."
JJ looked around the apartment again. She knew she was too late to change Emily's mind. The majority of Emily's personality was packed up in boxes. Besides she didn't even know if she could change her mind.
"Ok I understand." JJ said finally. "I guess this is goodbye then."
"I guess so." Emily replied in a not particularly happy tone but not in a sad one either. "Bye JJ."
"Bye Emily." JJ said in a small voice.
JJ turned to leave and opened the door. Emily leaned out to the door and said. "Sorry for messing up your life."
JJ turned around and looked at her former best friends face. "Well, you weren't the only one." JJ sighed. "Sorry for messing up your life as well."
Emily knew she was largely apologizing for Will but she pretended as though it was actually JJ that was apologizing. With her new way of taking the apology she started to feel tears coming to her eyes.
JJ watched her change in mood and felt hers change as well. It was more regret than sadness. JJ had walked away from Emily instead of talking things out with her and believing her. She had jumped to conclusions and because she did so she had lost one of the most important people in her life.
Mistakes had been made on both sides and now that Emily was moving JJ feared that there was a slim chance things between them would ever be close to what they were before.
JJ slowly walked back towards her best friend? Her friend? Her coworker? Whatever. JJ slowly walked towards Emily and wrapped her arms around her waist. In a few seconds Emily actually hugged her back and for a few moments JJ could pretend that everything was just a dream and that she was just bidding her best friend goodbye after a girl's night in.
"I'm going to miss you." JJ whispered.
"No you're not, tell me the truth." Emily sniffled.
"Ok." JJ said before they pulled apart. "I'm going to miss you." She repeated while looking straight at Emily.
JJ thought she saw Emily smile a little but it was gone in a blink. "You're such a liar. I have so many things that I'm going to miss and I think you're on there but I'm going to have to double check." Emily said with the smallest of smiles.
"Whatever. Bye Em." JJ said with a friendly smirk.
"Bye Jay." Emily replied as she watched JJ walk down the hall without looking back.
JJ didn't know if her and Emily would ever be the best of friends again but at least this was a start. She had bid Emily goodbye but it far from over. She would keep at least a little contact with Emily even if it killed her.
She wondered how weird it would feel to go into the BAU and not have Emily there. She still had Garcia and the rest of them but there was a reason Emily was part of the team. She was part of something bigger than the team though, she was part of a family.
Family was really important to Emily, probably because she didn't have much of one. So this move wasn't just for Emily. Actually it was hardly about Emily at all. It was for everyone else. Emily didn't want to rip her family apart like her mother had ripped hers apart when she was a child.
JJ didn't know what to think anymore. It was a different way of thinking about the situation that's for sure.
Yes Emily had made a mistake. A huge mistake but know not only was she taking responsibility but she was also thinking clearly about. That's all JJ wanted. Well she did want Emily to burn in hell but that was two weeks ago. The anger JJ had for Emily was still there but it had calmed down a lot because of all the new things she had learned.
The little goodbye the two had shared was not a goodbye. It was far from over and JJ was hopeful for the future. Not only for her relationship with Emily but also for everything else that was going on in her crazy life.