Emily gently ran a comb through Kehlani's hair as the little girl munched on apples. It had been three days since Emily and Mick had left the cabin and returned to London. Mick spent one more night with Kehlani and flew back to the States that following morning. Emily consistently ignored Mick's calls and texts once she returned home. She tried to stay posted in London but the bureaucratic part of her job had her gnawing at her already tender nailbed as she mulled over a decision. Emily was needed in D.C.; she figured as much once the FBI, DEA, ATF, DOJ, and Interpol locked horns with one another on a case involving a Europe national, more specifically a London national. She'd called her mother after that and asked her to fly into D.C. with her and Kehlani to watch after her while Emily was working. Ambassador Prentiss complied almost immediately and sounded excited to stay in her Alexandria home for a short while.
Emily finished combing her little girl's hair and stood up to go gather their bags for the trip. Her doorbell rang and Kehlani ran over to it, although she couldn't reach the handle, and knocked on it. Emily smiled when she came back into the room, "Mama door. Daddy?" Emily's heart broke and blinked back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. "No sweetie it's not daddy. It's grandma." Emily opened the door and gave her mother a tired but wide grin. "Nana Lizbeth!" Kehlani yelled before wrapping her arms around her grandmother. Emily laughed to herself before shaking her head at her mother. Elizabeth feigned innocence, "What? Not my fault that she prefers to call me Nana Lizbeth over grandma." "Oh yeah? I wonder who put that in her head to begin with?" Both women laughed and Emily stepped aside to let her mother in. Elizbeth saw the circles under Emily's eyes and the sadness that she was trying to push back. It was the same sadness when Mick first had to go back to the States. She wanted to talk to Emily about it but decided to wait until her granddaughter was asleep. "How long will you have to be in DC?" Elizabeth asked as she packed up some crayons and a coloring book into Kehlani's small backpack for the plane ride. Emily walked into another room but yelled back, "Until this fiasco gets cleared up." "What happened exactly? Maybe I can help." Elizabeth said as she thought about her connections. "Just multiple international crimes committed by the same person and now everyone is fighting for jurisdiction. At first, Interpol was out of it but then it was found out that more crimes may have been committed and that the accused just might have diplomatic immunity. All in all, it's like the first place trophy that every kid wants to fight over."
Emily walked back into the room with their luggage and Elizabeth grabbed Kehlani's backpack with one hand while grabbing her hand with the other. Kehlani grabbed her bear tightly and walked out the front door with her grandmother. Emily stopped in her tracks, "I'll meet you guys at the car." She put the bags on a nearby table and toyed with the necklace she was wearing, the necklace that Mick gave her. She took it off and placed it on the counter. Her eyes flicked to a picture on the refrigerator that Kehlani made. Her and Mick created a mini masterpiece with finger paint and glitter. She bit her lips as she once again blinked back the tears. She looked at the picture one more time before picking the necklace up. She didn't put it on but instead put it in her pocket. She grabbed the bags and exited her home before locking up and going downstairs to the waiting car. The Prentiss girls settled into comfortable silence as the flight took off. After a couple of hours, Kehlani fell asleep and Elizabeth glanced at Emily, only to see that she was staring off into space. Elizabeth raked her eyes over her daughter's form. Although Emily was clearly a pro at covering up whatever mood she was in with makeup, Elizabeth also knew that something was wrong with her daughter. She noticed Emily had removed the necklace that Mick gave her and even though she didn't say anything, she heard Kehlani call out for her father when she rang the doorbell. Elizbeth waged a battle within herself before her curiosity took centerstage.
"So, did you ask me to come along because you really want me there or because you don't want to tell Mick that you're coming to DC?" Emily felt time froze when she heard the question her mother asked. Emily let out a shaky breath, "Do you think I made a huge mistake by bringing Mick into our lives?" Emily didn't mean to ask the question that way but she couldn't stop herself before it came tumbling out. Emily sat in uncomfortable silence until she heard her mother speak again. "I think that for once, you followed your heart. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that. Emily, you're scared. It's okay to be scared. I think that you made a decision that you thought made sense until you really had to stop and let reality sink in." "We had a fight. Every topic that I'd been avoiding all came out. We never talked about where we'd live as a 'family' because that would involve once of us giving up more than the other. In hindsight, it all makes sense. Mick and I probably wouldn't work out long-term because I'm not willing to give up everything that I've worked for. Daddy was right; if you're not willing to compromise, then it's not worth as much to you as you think."
Elizabeth pursed her lips for a second before looking at Emily. "While I do love your father, what he told you wasn't entirely true. I know my daughter and I know that you'd compromise in a heartbeat…you're just afraid to. You love Mick so much that it terrifies you of the future that you two could have. You're waiting for the other shoe to drop. You're waiting for everything to go wrong. You are so worried about the bad that you're blind to the good. Mick is the first man who has ever treated you right. Emily, I want to see you happy. I don't want to die knowing that my only child is unhappy and miserable. Don't compare Mick to other men that you've dated. Don't have him fighting to get out of their shadows. Don't take away Kehlani's father. He is her father because he loves her and you unconditionally. Ian Doyle is nothing. He never was. Mick is your everything. You and I both know that." Emily let the silent tears fall and rested her head on her mother's shoulders. Elizabeth ran a hand through Emily's hair. "It will be okay sweetheart. Everything will work itself out."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMMMMMMMMMMMM
Emily had just spent four hours, right after she landed, sitting in a meeting that went nowhere. Everyone technically had a reason to be there but no one was willing to give up and let another agency take over. "It's like being in a room full of five-year-olds with only one juice box left" Emily muttered as she strolled to the SUV waiting for her outside. Her phone started to ring and she looked down to see Mick's face across the screen. She sighed and silenced her phone before dropping it in her purse and climbing in the backseat of the SUV.
Mick sat at his desk zoned out as he heard the voicemail pick up once again. Mick had called Emily over 2 dozen times in the past week; he'd texted her even more. Mick let out a sigh as he hung the phone up and leaned back in his chair. Mick ran a hand through his hair and picked the phone up again. He drummed his fingers on the desk as the voicemail clicked on once again. "Hey Em, it's me…again. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and I love you, the both of you. I know that this might be difficult but we'll make it work. Em…I'll leave the BAU if it means that I get to be with you. I can't lose you or my ladybug because of my ego. Emily I—" Mick sighed as the voicemail cut him off and he hung the phone up. Prophet looked over at Mick and sighed. "It'll be okay mate." Mick didn't even bother looking at his friend, "How can you be so sure about that?" "Because you and Emily are my personal standard for relationships, so if you don't work I'll be spending my last years with some woman that my mom chooses that probably has more facial hair than I do." In spite of the anguish that he was feeling, Mick gave Prophet a hearty laugh. Prophet stopped smiling and turned more serious, "I'm serious man. You two will be fine. She just needs some time to think." "What about my little girl?" "From what you've told me, I doubt that she'd purposely keep you away from her. After your fight, she still let you stay with her before you came back, so that's a good sign. Reach out to her friends and family. I'm sure they'll get a message to her that you want to see Kehlani." "I wouldn't know where to start. The only person from her old team that she told about us was JJ." "So call her mom." "Yeah maybe later" Mick said dismissively as he saw Cooper motioning for them to come into the roundtable room.
"Hello?" a dreary voice answered. "Hey JJ, it's Em. Did I wake you?" "Not really. We're on a case in Eagle, Wisconsin. We're just at a standstill with victimology." "Oh. You want to run it by me? Maybe I can help." "The three victims that we found were on their way to a football game. It looks like they may have tried a shortcut, but I didn't work out. We haven't found the vehicles or the primary crime scene. They have these puncture wounds as if they were about to be turned into a human puppet. They also have this waxy gloss on their bodies and have the faint smell of roadkill on them, which makes no sense." Emily sat back on the couch and tucked her legs under her as she listened to JJ. She glanced at some of the DVDs that her mother had sitting out for them to watch together. Even though her previous job gave her a lot of gore, Emily still loved to indulge in a horror flick or two, just to unwind. A light bulb went off in her head and she chuckled. "What's so funny Em?" "Nothing JJ. Your case just sounds like the plot of House of Wax." "What are you talking about?" Emily rolled her eyes, forgetting that the blonde was a sucker for romance movies. "This is how it goes. This group of college students, or something, that are on their way to a playoff game. They camp out for the night in a closed off campsite. Some guy gives them a scare that night. The next morning, the girls go clean themselves up and one of them slips down the hill and falls into a pit of roadkill. Two of them branch off and let a local take them to this town to find a phone. The entire town is made of wax and there are only three actual living people. It turns out two of them are twins and one of them is basically deformed. They were conjoined and separated surgically. The brother that's deformed sprays hot wax on people while their still alive and poses them as residents of this town. The college students try to fight back but only two of them survive. That's basically the gist of it." Emily held the phone to her ear and waited for JJ to respond.
"Um….JJ" "Emily what the hell do you watch in your spare time?" JJ asked with a laugh. "You think that my case is based off a movie about a deformed maniac who covers people in wax?" "No, but someone could be obsessed with movies enough that they could try and make one come true. We've seen far crazier things in the field, haven't we?" "Yes, we have. What's up Em. Isn't it like the wee hours of the morning in London?" "I'm not in London. I'm actually in D.C., well Alexandria to be exact." "Are you-" "JJ please lower your voice. Don't tell the team please. I'll tell them myself." "I promise I won't. Why did you call me?" "Because I think Mick and I are at the end of the road." Emily heard JJ shift as she moved, presumably somewhere quiet, before responding. "Emily I'm sorry if I brought these things up. I want you to be happy. I love you like a sister and I only want the best for you. Mick is what's best for you. he loves the both of you. Things will be hard. Long distance was hard for Will and I but we made it work. You and Mick just have to find the groove that works best for the two of you." JJ heard Emily sniffle and felt her heart broke. "Am I going to see my little angel baby before you guys go back?" "Yes. You'll get to see her. I'll make sure of it. I have to go. Talk to you soon."
Emily hung the phone up and settled back on the couch just as her mother walked into the room with food. "Pizza? Who would've thought the prim and proper Ambassador Prentiss would indulge in the greasy, fatty, gooey deliciousness of pizza?" "Ha ha very funny. Right now, we are having bonding time with movies and pizza. Now scoot over." Emily and her mother spent the rest of the night watching movies. Emily had a repeat of the same problem the next day. She'd spent the same amount of time arguing over jurisdiction. At around lunchtime, Emily decided that she'd eat far away from all these overgrown children. Her mother had called her and asked if it was okay to drop off Kehlani. Elizabeth neglected to mention that Mick had called her and that she told him that she would make sure he got a chance to see Kehlani. "Mom I'm going to run by the BAU. I promised JJ that she'd see Lani." Emily was fairly certain that Mick was on a case; even if he wasn't, they worked on two different floors so she doubted that she'd bump into him.
Emily straightened out Kehlani's denim shirt and the little girl shifted on her mother's hip. The elevator dinged and Emily stepped off and went towards the bullpen. JJ told her that her hunch had been right and that they solved the case and were back. Morgan looked up and gave that classic Derek Morgan smile. "Hey baby bear and Mama bear." Emily gave Morgan that Prentiss glare and then morphed it into a breathtaking smile. "Don't use that Derek Morgan charm on my baby." "Hey hey now. I'm the only one allowed to use charm on her. She's not dating until she's 30. Isn't that right baby bear?" "No way Jose" Kehlani said as she giggled and laid her head on her mother's shoulder. Emily laughed. "I guess she told you", Rossi said with a smirk as he walked over and pinched Kehlani's cheek. She giggled and squirmed in her mother's hold. Penelope squealed when she saw Kehlani. "Oh my gosh! She's gotten so big. And she looks more and more like her mother every day! How long are you here for? Where are you staying? We need to go shopping!"
"Penelope! Breathe. I don't know how long we're here. I'm in the middle of a case that I wish was over. We're staying with my mother at her house here. You are not going crazy in a store shopping for her. We still have to go back to London and I'd rather not have triple the luggage we came with." Garcia poked out her lip and far as it could go and grinned triumphantly when Kehlani mimicked her. Emily shifted her once more before she felt Kehlani turn her head and rested her chin on the part of Emily's shoulder closest to her neck. Emily made small talk with her old team for a few moments before Kehlani's deafening scream pierced her ears. Emily winced and shifted her daughter away from her left ear. "Lani-" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY!"
Emily froze in place and felt the breath leave her body. She didn't turn around but let Kehlani down after all the squirming she was doing. She ran right to Mick, who was awkwardly standing in the entrance of the bullpen, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck when he picked her up. She refused to loosen her grip around Mick's neck and tried to bury her face further into his neck. "Hey there ladybug. How's daddy's little girl? Huh? You missed me? I missed you. I missed you so much ladybug." Kehlani pulled away a little a rested her head on her father's cheek. "Missed you daddy. Micky bear missed daddy too. Daddy go home wif me?" Mick kissed Kehlani's forehead and then her temple. "I missed Micky bear too. I missed reading you bedtime stories and making pictures for mommy. We have to ask mommy if I can come home with you" Mick whispered against the crown of Kehlani's head as she started playing with the collar of his shirt.
Emily was still motionless and only made eye contact with JJ. JJ saw the pleading look on her face and prepared herself to intervene. "Did she say daddy?" Reid asked as he finished solving a puzzle he'd started on when Emily first walked in. Emily tore her eyes away from JJ and briefly glanced at every member of her old team. They all had expressions that conveyed confusion and hurt. "I was going to tell you guys but-" "But what?" Morgan asked with annoyance dripping in his tone. "Morgan-" JJ started but Emily cut her off with a raised hand. "Let's table this. I have something to do right now." Emily turned around and faced Mick. He looked up from Kehlani and immediately noticed that she wasn't wearing her necklace. Emily saw the hurt in Mick's eyes and unconsciously grabbed at where the necklace was supposed to be. She walked over on shaky legs to him. "Hi mommy" Kehlani said with a big grin. Emily matched her smile. "Hey my sweet baby. Can mommy talk to daddy for a second?" Emily asked in a low voice. JJ had walked closer to them and Emily motioned for her to take Kehlani. "Hi sweetie. You want to see the rest of the office?" JJ asked in a soothing voice. Kehlani looked back at her parents and went with JJ after they gave her reassuring nods. "Hey, you mind taking her to see my team? Prophet and Cooper have been asking about her." Mick asked sheepishly as he looked at Emily. She looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, "Uh yeah. Sure, that's fine." Emily turned her attention back to Mick. "We need to talk." JJ looked a Garcia and pointed towards her office. The peppy blonde understood and zoomed past the guys to be near Emily. "You guys can use my office and I'll help JJ out on that tour." "Thanks Garcia." Hotch gripped Morgan's shoulder when he tried to walk closer to Emily. "She'll talk to us when she's ready. Let's just finish our paperwork and wait."
Mick followed Emily into Garcia's office and shut the door behind them. He waited for Emily to say something but when she didn't, he spoke up. "So, I noticed that you don't have the necklace on." Emily bit her lip. "Guess not." Mick let out a frustrated huff. "Are we really going to stand here and barely talk to each other?" Emily paced back and forth and turned her back to Mick once again. "This was a bad idea. We shouldn't have gone down this road. I don't know how but we'll figure out a way to keep this civilized for Kehlani. We'll have to find a way to work out visitation because I'm not taking her from your life….just me." Emily stared at Garcia's dark screens and various knick-knacks as she waited for Mick to say something. The sharp "No" that she heard made her jump in surprise and tremble slightly in fear. Mick had never raised his voice to her. "You think I'm just going to let you run out on this relationship? Emily, are you out of your mind? I AM NOT IAN DOYLE! What are you waiting for? For me to cheat on you? For me to give you an ultimatum of giving up your job and moving back here? For me to marry you only to divorce you later on? For me to have more children with you and decide to leave all of you? Or are you waiting for me to physically hurt you? You waiting for me to hit you or God forbid rape you? Emily, when are you going to get it through your head that I just want to love you? When are you going to understand that I love you unconditionally and I would give you the world? When are you going to understand that I'd leave this job in a heartbeat and go back to London? When are you going to get that I don't want anybody else but you? Dammit Emily answer me!"
Mick could see Emily's slender frame shake a little before she turned around with tears streaming down her face. "Mick, I..i can't be you're everything. I will always be damaged. Ian Doyle will always hunt my psyche. I can't be the woman that gives you a white picket fence because I'm all screwed up inside. Mick I love you enough to walk away from you so that you can find that woman." Mick stepped closer to her, oblivious to his own tears, and placed his hands in her hair and brought their faces closer together. "Emily please stop pushing me away. I don't think that I can live without you. Please stop pulling away from me. I'm begging you." Emily tried to clear her vision of salty tears by blinking rapidly. "I'm sorry for all the craziness." "I wouldn't have it any other way baby." Mick lowered his mouth until he placed a feather light kiss to Emily's supple lips. She rested the palm of her right hand on Mick's cheek as she kissed him back hungrily. He parted his lips and let Emily's tongue start a slow and sensual dance with his own. Emily stole every breath, regardless of how small, that his body produced until he had to pull away just to take a deep breath.
She pulled him back to her and started to pepper kisses on his neck while he slowly trailed his hands down her slender form. He rested them on her ass and squeezed gently, which resulted in her grinning against his neck. "You in DC because of that international case, right?" Emily never moved her face from his neck but nodded yes as she started to nibble on the underside of his jaw. "You coming home with me or back with your mom?" Emily pulled back and smiled, "I figured she'd call you. If you want me to come then I will." "I want you to come in more ways than one" Mick said with a grin as Emily slapped him on the chest and laughed. He grabbed her hands and kissed both of them one by one. "I would love for you and ladybug to come home with me." Emily's growling stomach made her blush a deep pink color and Mick laugh. "Let's get some food in you."
Emily opened the door only to find Garcia, Reid, and Morgan crumpled into a dogpile in front of the door. Emily looked up and saw Rossi leaned against the wall with a cup of coffee. "I was smart. Them..not so much." "Where you guys eavesdropping?" Emily asked with a raised brow. She was greeted with blubbering excuses and stuttering from the trio. "It's been a paperwork day for all of us, everybody can go home early today." Hotch said as he came out the bullpen with Cooper and the rest of Mick's team. Emily immediately noticed how Kehlani had Prophet wrapped around her finger. "Get your guns ready daddy" Emily whispered as she kissed Mick's cheek. "Early dinner at my place?" Mick asked, surprising himself. Emily gave him a wide-eyed look, as did everyone else. They all agreed and went to gather their things as Mick and Emily stood near the elevators. "What did I just do?" "Opened yourself up for the interrogation from hell."