Okay, after some serious, hard-core consideration, I think I'm going to write this in 2 stories. This one will be post-finale (and subsequently my TV Prompt entry for the Bonus Challenge, though I haven't decided which prompt yet) and then I'll go back and do a series of only post-eps that goes through and solidifies Emily's relationship with Cami and her growing something with Hotch.

I know exactly which episodes I'm going to use, but if you guys think of something for an episode that will either build Hotch and Em's friendship (the relationship part's going to be in this story), or you can think of a moment where Emily would think of Cami, shoot me a message or let me know in a review, and I'll see what I can do. I make no guarantees though.

Updates will depend on inspiration. I know what I'm doing for the first 4-6 chapters (depending on what happens in between and how long I can drag it out), but after that, it's a little cloudy.

Finale Fix

BONUS PROMPT: Surprise (Buffy)

CHAPTER ONE

News of the Worst Kind

Emily couldn't help the smile that stretched over her face as she stepped into her condo. A dark head greeted her, curled up in the corner of the couch, watching some sort of mindless sitcom as she waited. The case had been hellish. All Emily could remember was all of those shoes and they'd reminded her of so many of the pictures she'd seen of the Holocaust. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw were those shoes…

The dark head looked up, identical in almost every feature. A smile blossomed over her face as she stood, making her way over. "Hey Mom."

But this… this was why she did what she did. She'd never been so glad to have her daughter home in her life. She wrapped her arms tightly around the now-twenty-two year old woman. "Hey Cami."

--

Cami pulled back, looking at her mother carefully. The lines around her eyes and mouth were more pronounced and there was a distinct pinch between her eyebrows. "That bad?"

"Worse," Emily said with a sigh, pulling away to lock up her service weapon. Even though Cami was twenty-two, Emily still locked it up every night. Heck, she locked it up when she was home by herself.

Cami could tell her mother didn't want to discuss it. Which was fine with her. Sometimes she wondered how her mother could do the job she did and not break. She was in her senior year of high school when her mother had received the transfer back to Washington and, eventually, into the BAU and Cami had made the move with her. At first, it had been hard with all of the travelling Emily now did and Cami starting school half way across the country in California, but Cami didn't feel it was abandonment. Something in the BAU had always called to her mother and both of them had discussed it long and hard before Emily had made the official decision to put in for the transfer. Because mother and daughter were extremely close.

Cami hadn't minded staying by herself while Emily was away. If she had a problem with it, she'd go stay with her Uncle Matthew or her grandfather. They were family, and she always made sure to notify her mother if she wasn't going to be at home. They talked as often as they could while she was on the road, but more often than not, Emily cut herself off from her family, partially out of self-preservation, partially out of protection instincts. Cami knew the last thing her mother wanted to expose her to was some of the things she saw on the job.

But now Cami was home for the summer from Stanford. It was a choice she'd made because she hadn't had any extended time with her mother in what felt like forever. In fact, Emily was planning on taking time off after this last case, just to spend some quality time with her daughter and Cami knew it. She had a whole tourist week planned out for them in Washington, then she was banking on being able to drag her mother to a beach somewhere. It was summer, so it didn't really matter where, but Cami wanted the beach, and she wanted her mother to relax.

"Pizza, Chinese or Cami's Cooking?" she asked her mother, moving into the kitchen. It wasn't late, but it wasn't early either. Still, Cami had gone grocery shopping while her mother was away. As a general rule, she preferred to limit her take out intake – she usually ate too much of it at school during finals anyhow – but she didn't know what her mother would feel like.

Emily tried for a smile, but she knew it looked pained and forced. "Surprise me."

"Sure thing," Cami promised watching worriedly as her mother climbed the stairs. She was glad she was here. She was glad her mother was taking the time off. Sometimes her mother worked too hard and she'd said it herself, sometimes, the job could kill you. She just hoped her mother wasn't quite at that point yet.

With a sigh, Cami pulled out pots and pans from their usual cupboards, deciding on what to make, then changing her mind at least twice as she listened to a bath run upstairs. As a general rule, that wasn't a good sign, but Cami hoped that she could cheer her mother up. Finally deciding on some simple chicken pasta, she picked up the phone and dialled an all-too-familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bumps."

"Perfect Grace!"

Cami giggled. Her grandfather was the only one that ever called her that. When she was old enough to understand, she'd asked why he called her that. She'd never forgotten what her name meant. "How are you?"

"I'm fantastic," her grandfather replied. Alan Prentiss adored his girls. All three of them, including his wife. "Where are you?"

"Home," Cami replied nonchalantly. "I figured it was about time I spent my summer away from the California sun."

"Don't want you damaging that pretty face of yours, Gracie," her grandfather agreed. "Where are you staying?"

"Home," Cami repeated. "Mom's taking time off. We're going on a vacation!"

"Vacation?" Alan asked in awe. "How did you do it? Your mother never takes time off!"

"I know," Cami replied. "I think it's time."

"Is she okay?" The concern in Alan's voice was obvious.

"I don't know," Cami said honestly. "But I figure some quality girl time will help."

Alan hummed in agreement, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Gotta go, Bumps. Door. I just wanted to let you know I was home," Cami said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Okay. Don't be a stranger, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. I'm not the one getting old."

"Ouch," Alan said with a laugh. "Bye Gracie."

She hung up the phone with one hand as she undid the chain with the other. Then she pulled open the door and leaned against the frame, looking at the nervous-looking dark-skinned man on the other side with questioning eyes. "Can I help you?"

His eyes narrowed. "You're not Emily."

Cami held in a laugh. It wouldn't be the first time she was mistaken for her mother. They looked almost like identical twins and they acted very much like the same person. "No, no I'm not. She's up in the bath. Is it important?"

The man let out a sigh. "Extremely."

The fact that this man had called her mother by her first name spoke to the personal relationship he most likely had with her mother, so Cami had no problem stepping aside to let him in. "I'll go get her. You are…?"

"Derek," he replied. "Derek Morgan."

Cami nodded as she took to the stairs. The name rang a bell, but it took her brain a few moments to realize that Derek Morgan was one of Emily's teammates. Though Emily didn't talk about her, she talked about her colleagues. She knocked quickly, but didn't wait for the 'enter' before she poked her head into the bathroom. "Mom, Derek Morgan's here for you."

"Tell him to go away."

Cami bit her lip as she took in her mother's closed eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea, Mom. He doesn't look…. This looks like something you're going to want to hear."

That caught Emily's attention. Cami was perceptive and her mother knew it. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't ask," Cami answered, "Just came up to get you." She bit her lip. "I'll grab you some clothes?"

"Please," Emily nodded as she shifted, standing and reaching for a towel almost simultaneously. Cami had already turned and headed back for the bedroom, pulling pants and a shirt from her mother's drawers, along with underwear and socks. Then she went back downstairs.

"She'll be down in a sec. Can I get you anything?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm good, thanks."

There was curiosity in his eyes, along with pain, worry… and something akin to grief. She tried for a smile as she held out her hand. "Cami. Camille."

He shook her hand. "Cousin? Sister? Niece?"

She understood the question and chewed her lip. "Um… Daughter," Cami finally replied. "Emily's my mother."

"Your mother?"

Cami only nodded. She'd known her mother hadn't mentioned a thing about her to her BAU colleagues and she wasn't completely surprised. Emily had always kept her sheltered from the things she did in the FBI and largely, Cami thanked her mother for that every day. Sure, Cami was probably more cautious than most twenty-two-year-olds, but her mother had always let her live her life as best she could. She didn't resent Emily for not telling her colleagues about her.

"How old are you?"

"Um... Twenty-two," Cami replied quietly, chewing on her lip. She was thankful when the stairs creaked, notifying her that her mother was on her way down.

"Derek, what are you doing here?"

The African-American man stiffened. Cami could tell he wasn't quite sure what to say, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Finally, Derek blew out a sigh and dove into it. "Hotch was shot."

Cami had only a vague idea who this 'Hotch' was from her mother's rants and stories, but the name held enough gravity with her mother to stumble her step. Cami's brow wrinkled immediately in concern and worry. "Mom?"

"Is he okay?" Emily asked, regaining control.

Cami watched as Derek reached out to her, grasping her elbow. "We don't know. He went into surgery. Neighbours heard a shot and called 9-1-1. No one knows anything. They didn't even tell Dave, the guy listed as his damned ICE."

"In case of emergency," Emily murmured the acronym's translation to her daughter.

Cami nodded. She took a deep breath. "Where do we need to go?"

"No, sweetheart, it's okay. You just got home, you stay here."

There was no way she was staying put, and a look conveyed that to her mother. "You guys probably shouldn't even be driving. You'll break all the speed limits. I'll drive, you guys can freak out in the car, okay?" She was already reaching for her flip-flops and her mother's sneakers by the door. She knew that if things went down wrong, she wanted to be there for her mother. It didn't matter who was in surgery, Cami owed a lot to the people who cared so much for her mother while Cami was a nation away at school. The least she could do was be there for some sort of support.

"Really, Cami, it's fine," Emily said as she slipped on her sneakers. They weren't worn for many things, but she was glad she kept them by the door anyway.

"I don't care if it's fine. I'm coming," Cami replied, her tone of voice brooking that it was final. As if that wasn't enough, she grabbed the keys. "Let's go."