A/N: I do not own Criminal Minds!

Chapter 12

Emily opened the door after she heard the slightly aggressive knocks. She smiled at the man in from of her, but he didn't smile back. He looked concerned and anxious. She understood his worry.

"Thanks for coming, Reid. I was thinking it would just be easy if we went out for coffee before work. I have something to talk to you about."

Reid's eyes widened, immediately thinking of the worst things possible. "You aren't quitting, are you?"

"No!" Emily told him, shaking her head decisively. "No, I am not leaving the BAU. No, what I have to tell you isn't sad exactly. Come on, let's go."

He didn't seem sure of what she told him. But he followed her anyway outside of her apartment and to her car. He felt a tiny bit awkward being in the car alone with his friend, especially when there was something that she only had to tell him.

After about two minutes of silence in the car, she pulled into a parking lot and they both got out of the car and entered the coffee shop. When they received their coffee, they sat down.

"Look, Spencer, I'm going to tell the whole team what I am about to tell you, but I wanted to tell you first because you are the closest to Remi."

The genius didn't know what that could mean, however, something exciting popped into his head. "Are you guys getting married?"

Emily tried to hide her faltering smile. After a few seconds, she began to shake her head. "No. No, Remi and I aren't getting married."

"Oh," Reid muttered, his face full of disappointment.

"I want you to know that I'm a lot happier than I was before and that this is a good thing, okay?" At his nod, she took a deep breath and continued. "Remi and I have decided to end our relationship. Remi is moving to India in a few days."

Spencer couldn't hide his sorrow that he felt from that news. He loved Emily. He loved Remi. He loved them being together. "Oh. Wh-what about Maia."

"She was adopted by a nice family, Reid. She's going to be just fine. And so are me and Remi. We ending things amicably. We are happy just being friends. I just wanted you to know now because I know that you adore her. And I know you don't want her to leave."

His face gradually became more gloomy as the minutes progressed. "She doesn't stay in a country for more than a year. She speaks 5.5 languages. She loves learning about new cultures."

Emily understood that he was trying to process the news by going through the facts. She added, "I gave her your address so that she can send you letters. And I gave her your email, just in case. Though I know you hate email."

Spencer nodded, but he didn't seem like he was really listening. "I thought you both were happy."

"We were, Reid. We loved each other. And she loved you and the team. But sometimes, there are other parts of our lives that are important as well that don't fit into each other's lives. Like Remi not wanting to stay."

"It's the job, isn't. It's the team keeping you away from her?" He demanded almost harshly.

Emily was stunned by his tone. Tears entered her eyes as she shook her head. "I didn't choose you all over her. It wasn't like that. We chose ourselves over us. It wasn't working, Spencer. We were in two different places."

He nodded, finally listening to what she was saying. He felt a little guilty for getting too intense with her. He looked into her eyes, vulnerability shining through. "Do any good relationships last?"

Emily pondered his question for a few seconds. Looking back at her past and what she knows today, she answered, "I'm not sure, Spencer. I'm not sure."

Before JJ had a chance to brief the team on their next case, Emily stood up, prepared to tell the team about her news.

She cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry for taking a few days off without much notice. I had a dark day, but I'm doing better now. I just wanted to let everyone know that, uh, Remi and I have decided to split up. She's moving to India in a few days, but we are still very close. The breakup was mutual and I am doing absolutely fine. And Maia was adopted by a good family."

She sat down and found JJ's sympathetic eyes. She quickly looked away and turned to the rest of the team. Morgan looked slightly guilty and upset. Rossi gave her an empathetic nod. Hotch looked impassive, as usual. Reid looked as glum as he did at the coffee shop. And Garcia looked like she was about to cry for Emily.

"I'm so sorry, dear," Garcia told her friend comfortingly.

"No, no. This is a good thing, Pen. It was the right decision," She added those words in particular to remind Garcia of what she had told Emily when Henry was born.

The tech analyst nodded in understanding.

The team returned their attention to JJ as she began to explain their next case.

Emily walked out of the conference room and headed to her desk and knew immediately that the tech analyst was following her.

"Garcia," Emily groaned, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "Don't sulk behind me. Just say what you are going to say."

When the brunette finally faced the blonde, Penelope whispered, "Are you with JJ now?"

Emily shook her head. "No, PG. Our breakup had to do with us and why we didn't work well as a couple. It's strange, the second we broke up, the closer we got. We are so much better as friends. Besides, she got a job offer and wants to go."

The dazzling and spazzy woman stared at Emily as if she was trying to see if the brunette was telling the complete truth. "Are you sure you don't want to go? Are you sure that she isn't the one?"

"I am. I loved her, Pen. That I'm sure of. But it just wasn't enough for us. And that's okay, I think. We're happy."

Penelope finally nodded, as if she was giving in to believing Emily was telling the truth. "Are you missing Maia?"

"More than anything," Emily admitted shyly. "But she'll be happy with her new family. And there is always hope for the future."

"You know," Garcia recited with a mad grin on her face. "I know a girl that has a son who already sees you as a sort of parent and is probably into you. You know who I'm referring to?"

Emily snorted and rolled her eyes. She began to walk away. "Don't be ridiculous. Even if I have feelings for her, that doesn't mean she has them for me. And that was a while ago."

"Aha! At least you admit it!" She bounced up and down excitedly as she held onto Emily's arm. "Pretty please just talk to her! You guys would be the cutest darn couple."

The profiler sighed. "I just ended a serious relationship. Isn't it a little too soon to even think about someone else?"

"Oh, puh-lease! You guys have been waiting years to be with each other. It isn't too soon. It's too long."

Emily pursed her lips and replied, "Whatever, Pen. Gotta catch a flight. See you soon."

Emily watched the blonde dig into the bag of Cheetos as Reid rambled to the woman about Immanuel Kant. She couldn't hide her smile as she saw the liaison try to follow what the genius was telling her, even though he was skipping over important information that he thought everyone knew.

She had wanted to sit next to her best friend on the way back from the short trip, but she knew that she would be awkward. She had no words in her mind that she could think of that would make up for what JJ had to go through to get Emily out of her bed and her darkening mind. She felt embarrassed about the whole thing. And with breaking up with Remi on top of it. She didn't even know what to even say to the blonde.

"I'm sorry," The voice said from across from her. Emily jumped at the surprising voice.

"Excuse me?" Emily didn't understand what Hotch had meant by an apology.

"I'm sorry that your relationship ended. Even if it was for the best, it still hurts. Remi played a major role in your life. And now she's leaving."

Emily raised her eyebrows. She was surprised that he wanted to talk about her personal life. "Oh, it's okay. I mean, it's nothing like what happened with you and Haley of course."

Hotch shrugged. "Sure it is. You loved her, you lived with her, you took care of a child together. You might not have been officially married, but you were as close as it gets."

Emily blinked several times. She was speechless. "I— we were keeping each other away from what we wanted. Maia was adopted. I wasn't open to her."

"Even so. Even though there are many reasons why your relationship didn't work, you both still loved each other. That's the best you can do. But it's okay if you have bad days or if you miss her. That doesn't mean that you want to be in a relationship with her, it just means that you learned to live with her in your life and you miss that."

Emily nodded, trying to soak in all the advice. "Thank you, Sir."

"Is there anything you need?" Hotch asked her kindly.

"Actually," Emily muttered. "There is this one thing. Um… Remi's flight is tomorrow. I was wondering if I could take the day off. And if you get a case that I'll just fly up to you when she leaves."

The Unit Chief smiled as if he was glad that she asked for the favor. "Of course. Now, go talk to Morgan."

Emily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"He hasn't been able to keep his eyes off of you without looking guilty. I suspect he may have introduced you to Remi."

Emily turned to look at her close friend, who looked anxious listening to his music. "Not exactly. But, he might as well have." She got up and sat across from Derek. She folded her hands on top of the small table shared between them. "Derek…?"

He avoided her eyes by staring outside of the window. He felt bad about what happened with Emily and her girlfriend.

"Derek Morgan, please stop brooding for one second and listen to me," Emily told him as she waited for him to look at her. Finally, when his eyes met hers, she said, "I just came over here to thank you, actually."

"Thank me?" Derek asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically. "I was the one who told you to go for the relationship. I didn't even follow through with the bet! I didn't date anyone."

Emily tsked and shook your head. "You think I care that you followed through with our agreement? It was never about that. I didn't date Remi because we both agreed to date. You know that I don't do anything I don't want to do. What Remi and I did never had anything to do with you, pal. I know you have a big ego and all that, but come on."

Derek's lips twitched into a short smile at her words. "It's just that… I feel like if we didn't create that stupid agreement-"

"Stupid?" Emily interrupted. "No, Morgan. Dating wasn't stupid. It was new and sometimes uncomfortable, but it wasn't stupid. I don't regret it at all. I don't even think I'm going to do the one night stand thing anymore."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? So… you don't want to party-"

"Of course I want to continue partying with you, Derek. I'm not just going to turn into a shut in. I'm just saying I want something more. If there is something I learned about being with Remi, it's that I deserve something more. And maybe with time, I can let someone in."

He listened to her carefully and nodded. "You know, there is a person you know that you already let in…"

Emily glared at him. "Not you, too."

Derek shrugged as if he couldn't help what he thought. "She's single, Emily. You guys are close. You are close to her kid…"

She shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no. She's straight, Derek. She isn't interested in me."

"You never know…" Derek said with almost a vibrato in his voice. He winked at her playfully, purposefully trying to mess with her head.

Emily didn't know how to read into that. "What the hell does that mean, Derek? Do you know something about JJ or are you talking about yourself?"

For a quick second, Morgan put his guard down and he lowered his voice. "I don't only pick up girls at the bars, Emily."

She started to grin and she couldn't stop. His confession to her was welcoming and she held his hand. She, too, lowered her voice and replied, "Thank you for telling me."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "We could have been a sexy couple if…"

"If I wasn't a huge lesbian and I saw you as an annoying brother?" Emily mused playfully.

Derek beamed at her. "Ha. You're the annoying sibling. The bossy sister I can't escape."

Emily punched his shoulder. "You wouldn't escape me even if you could, jerk."

He chuckled lightly and said, "You wish, sis."

"I cannot believe that you get a day off tomorrow. I'm so glad you get to stay home with me! I think you are just excited to help me pack!" Remi joked as she rolled her clothes up and placed them in a suitcase.

Emily snorted as she wrapped the couple pieces of pottery from other countries with foam sheets. "Yes, that's exactly what I want to do. How in hell are we going to be able to fit your stuff in three suitcases?"

"I've done it in one, Em," Remi reminded her thoughtfully.

She nodded and finished taping the product around the object. "Yeah, yeah. Okay. I finished these here. Are you going to wrap the clothes around them?"

"Yep. Come here," Remi said as she finished rolling up her shirts.

Emily walked over and passed her pile of wrapped pottery to her ex. She watched Remi place the objects carefully in between the layers of clothes. "The other two suitcases are filled up with my bathroom stuff and my books and DVDs."

"I'm going to miss the originals collection that you had."

Remi smiled at her sympathetically. "Well, at least I know what to send you for your birthday."

"Music to my ears, Remi."

The professor chuckled and replied, "Don't I know it. Alright, Em. I'm done." She zipped up her luggage. "All ready to go for tomorrow. Are you going to miss me, Em?"

"Every day," Emily told her honestly as she got up and laid on the bed. "It's going to be so quiet here without you."

"Eh, you'll be fine," Remi argued as she laid down next to her. "You'll be forgetting about me in a day."

"Oh shut it you nerd," Emily snorted as she rolled to her side. "You know I'm going to miss you."

Remi rolled over and stared into the woman's dark eyes. "I do indeed know that. Because I know how much that I will miss you. But I'm glad that I'm going. And I'm glad that you are staying."

"Yeah," Emily agreed thoughtfully. "At least we have tonight. What do you want to watch tonight?"

"Hmmm…" Remi pondered questioningly. "I'm in the mood for some good ole Psych. I need some good comedy."

They ate takeout. They laughed. They talked. They watched. They enjoyed each other's company. They fell asleep on the couch and dreaded the moment they would have to say goodbye."

They walked the to point of no return and security checkpoint. After checking the couple of bags in, Remi was only carrying a backpack now. She turned to Emily with tears in her eyes.

"I think I should get going now," Remi whispered gently as she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist. "I loved being with you."

"Me too," Emily replied as she held on tighter to her ex-girlfriend. "I'm so happy that I found you staring at me in the bar."

"Well, I do have good taste," Remi joked lightly as she rubbed Emily's back.

They pulled apart and realized that they were both crying. Even though they didn't last as a couple, they meant a lot to each other. Both made each other feel worthy of love.

They wiped each other's tears away and laughed awkwardly.

"Don't be afraid of letting other people in, Em. Don't be afraid of showing people the real you. You are so lovable if you just let people in."

Emily's lips quivered. She hugged her again and said, "You mean the world to me. You're the light, Remi. You deserve someone who lets the light in."

"Thank you," Remi told her as she kissed her cheek. As she let go of Emily, she whispered in her ear, "I don't think JJ is as straight as you think she is." She then winked at her and started to walk into the line.

Emily watched her go through the line and waved at her every time she turned around. With one last look, before Remi had walked through the metal detector, they smiled at each other.

Emily watched her go and felt a small knot in her stomach. She was glad that Remi was going after what she wanted, but she was also sad to see her go.

Emily sniffled and pulled out her phone checking her message that the team had sent.

Hotchner: Case in Atlanta. The details are sent to your email. Take your time. We understand if you do not come.

Jareau: Hey, Em! I hope that Remi got through security easily! Text me if you need to talk! If you don't come to Atlanta, see you soon! Henry misses you! 3

Garcia: EP! Call me if you want to work on the case with me! I'm always here for you!

Rossi: These children are annoying me. Come here soon!

Emily snickered looking at her kind messages. She took a deep breath. She knew in the second that everything was going to be okay.

I'm sad to see Remi go, but this isn't the end of her in the story! I love how special her relationship was with Emily, but I'm glad that they are going their own way so that they both can be happy.

There are only a few more chapters left! Thank you for reading and reviews are appreciated! XX