After loading her plate down with some of the best cooking that she had seen in a long time, Emily turned from the food-laden desks to survey the room for a place to sit. If nothing else, she could go back into the room that they were running their investigation out of, but then she spotted a desk to suit her needs. Two desks had been left in their original spots towards the back of the room, away from all of the noisy hubbub that was currently taking over the rest of the room. Emily tightened her grip on the case file that she still held, and aimed for the desk farthest from everyone else. Considering the memories that this whole abortion angle of the case was bringing up, she was in no mood to be good company tonight. Instead, she sat down, flipped the case file open, set her plate on her lap, and, after taking a bite of green beans, set to work.

She was absorbed in her work, and so she was startled when ten minutes later, Mrs. Hayes came over and putting the chair of the other desk from one side to the other so that she was facing Emily, slapped down with her plate. The woman brazenly reached across her desk and slung the case folder closed when Emily did her best to ignore Mrs. Hayes in hope that she would get the message and go back to join the others.

"You know, your coworkers are all over there relaxing," Mrs. Hayes pointed out gently.

Emily glanced out at them. They were all mingling, and really did seem more relaxed than they ever had on another case.

"I know," Emily sighed. "It's just this case… I want to get it done."

Mrs. Hayes cocked her head to the side, asking, "What's wrong with this one in particular?"

Emily glanced across the room towards the back of Lieutenant Hayes' head. He and Thomson seemed to be engaged with Morgan and Rossi in a friendly debate of Cubs vs. whatever-baseball-team-was-Albany's-favorite, because really Emily didn't know or care enough to ask.

"What has your husband told you about the case, Mrs. Hayes?" Emily asked, not wanting to tell her something that she couldn't handle or didn't want to.

"Please, call me Kayla. He hasn't told me anything; Nathan tends to try and leave work at the door. But you know how men can be." A smile eased onto her face as she added, "I can handle more than you think if that's what's worrying you."

That seemed like a funny statement to Emily, because the lieutenant's wife had come across as a very strong woman so far as she could tell.n

"It's not even the case really," Emily said, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to get into a conversation with the woman across from her, she dropped the case file onto the floor and put her paper plate on top of the desk.

"What is it then," Kayla inquired carefully. "If you don't mind my asking?"

Emily bit her lip and looked past her, taking note of where each member of her team was. Morgan and Rossi were still debating, Hotch and Corporal Mitchell were swapping cop stories, JJ was doing the mom-talk thing with Ms. Williams, and Reid – really, Reid? – was helping Dylan Mitchell with something on the homework that the boy had brought. All of them were distracted enough or far enough away that they wouldn't hear her confession.

She took a deep breath and decided to delve in and trust the woman with the motherly brown eyes.

Keeping her gaze fastened onto her plate, Emily confessed, "My mom is a politician, so we moved around a lot – all around the world. When I was fifteen, we were in Rome for a little while, and while we were there… I got pregnant." She paused, suddenly fighting the tears that came whenever she broached the subject. "Um… and then I… I got an abortion."

"Oh, sweetie…" Kalyla reached across the desks and clasped her hand. Emily looked up at the other woman then, surprised to see tears in her eyes, but even more surprised by the two words that she whispered, "I understand."

Emily sniffed, eyeing her carefully for a second. And then it clicked. This woman had gone through an abortion as well. Emily closed her eyes, mentally begging herself not to cry. Her team would definitely notice if she did. Kayla took her chair and moved it so that she was sitting beside Emily.

"Nineteen years ago, I was a wild and immature teenager who didn't report to anyone and never had to pay the consequences of my actions. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought that I didn't have to go through with it. I hadn't had to pay for anything else that I had done, so why start now? So I went through with that abortion… and I've been paying the emotional toll for it ever since."

Emily looked into the woman's eyes, noting something there that she didn't understand. Peace. How could she talk about something that Emily knew to be so difficult with such serenity? It wasn't that Kayla didn't care – the tears in her eyes belied the fact that she cared very much – but she was genuinely at peace with it, and Emily wanted to know why. So she asked.

"Honey," Kayla asked softly, returning the question for a question. "Do you know Jesus?"

Emily shrugged. "I grew up in church, but I don't go anymore. Jesus can't want anything to do with me anymore, and not just because of the abortion. My whole life after that…" Emily shook her head as she remembered.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Emily. Luke 19:10 says that 'the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.' And, no offence, but you, sweetie, seem a little lost to me right now."

"You really believe that," Emily asked tearfully.

Kayla nodded with certainty. "I do… and you could too. It's the promise that I brought to God the night that he saved me, and I doubt that He'd turn you down if you do the same and turn your life over to him."

Emily stared at Kayla for a second before she slowly nodded her head, whispering, "Okay."

One minute. Sixty seconds. That was as long as she and Kayla prayed; Emily checked. But those seconds made up the most life-changing minute in Emily's life. Because in that minute, she too found "the peace that passeth all understanding."

I'm not sure where this came from but I do know that it's going to be very Emily Prentiss-centric in the first chapters. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! Reviews (and votes on my poll) make my day! Thanks!:)