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Warning: see my profile and the first chapter
A/n hey all, here is the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy. RL has interefered for a few days so I am behind in responding to your reviews. Rest assured I will get to them all. Thanks in advance.
Helga bustled to the door of Emily's brownstone when the bell rang. Emily, who was sitting on the couch with pillows behind her back, tried not to feel overwhelmed by the sound of the mother's voice when Helga let her in.
"You must be Helga." Her mother was saying in that voice she saved for the servants at home.
"Ya… I am Helga. I am honored to meet you Ambassador Prentiss. Emily has told me much about you. You look just like her. She is very beautiful."
Emily had been reading the copy of Treasure Island Reid had got for the baby. Now, she buried her face in it, so as not to show how she wanted to laugh at the exchange between her mom and Helga.
"You'd be much more comfortable at home, Emily." Her mother said by way of a greeting as she took the wing back chair Helga had pulled up to the coffee table.
"In that cold, marble mausoleum, I don't think so Mother."
"The house has a full staff and you'd have your own suite. You know how much Mrs. Cooper misses you."
Emily shifted on her pillows. She'd had lunch with Mrs. Cooper two weeks ago. So, she couldn't be accused of ignoring the woman that had practically raised her.
"I saw her two weeks ago. I'm not neglecting her."
"I didn't mean to imply that you were." Her mother said when clearly she had meant to imply that very thing.
"The guilt trip won't work mom."
"I'm not trying to guilt you into anything."
"Good… Then we can start over and you can say, "Hi Emily, How are you today?" To which I would reply," I'm fine Mother, how are you?"
"There's no need for sarcasm Emily."
"Mother!"
"Alright… Hello my dear, how are you this beautiful day?"
"I'm fine Mother. How are you?"
"I'm fine. The weather is lovely outside. Don't you agree?"
"Yes… The weather is very nice today."
A very long and awkward silence followed Emily's answer. Her mother was staring at her as if to say 'I told you so.'
"Are you going to say anything mother?"
"I thought you wanted to stick to small talk."
"Fine mother, go on with what you were saying."
"I'm just saying that you'd be more comfortable at home than here. It's too small and you shouldn't be climbing stairs in your condition."
"I appreciate your concern Mother. I have Helga and she's wonderful."
"I'm sure she's fine -" The ambassador fell silent as Helga came in with a silver tray. It had a teapot, cups, saucers and pastries on it. She set it down on the coffee table and beamed at Emily.
"Thank you Helga."
"You are welcome leibchen. If you want anything else…"
"No Helga. Thank you very much. You can go home if you want."
"Thank you Miss Emily. I vill see you Friday. Good day Ambassador Prentiss."
Helga went to the closet for her light jacket and bag. Sophie ran past her to sit at Emily's feet. Helga glared after the cat and Emily almost laughed. Then, Helga was gone and she was alone with her mother and a smart-ass cat.
"Now that she's gone, we can have a conversation."
"Mother!"
"I'm just trying to understand why you stay here. I could see to it that you and the baby are comfortable."
Emily began pouring out the tea, adding one cube of sugar and just a little milk for her mother. The chore gave her a chance to think. She was a profiler. She should be able to handle her mother. She poured out her own cup with two cubes of sugar and no milk.
She smoothed down the pink maternity blouse she wore that had a picture of two sleeping kittens on the front. Her mother was staring at her when she looked up. She passed the cup of tea she'd poured out for her mother and the ambassador took it without comment.
Then her mother reached for one of the cream filled pastries that Helga had included on the tray. "I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do," She began. "Just think about this… You don't have anyone but a servant to take care of you since you insisted on artificial insemination. You're going to be all alone raising the baby. I don't want to see you shouldering such a burden by yourself."
"I'm not alone mother. I have friends and family I have my team. I would like to include you and father, but I won't be dictated too."
"I want you to have someone to depend on. What if you're alone and something happens?"
Emily put down the china cup that held her tea. The set, including the silver tray, had been a gift from her mother when she bought the brownstone. The cup rattled a bit on the matching saucer.
"Emily…"
"I wanted to wait until a more appropriate time."
"What is it?"
"The donor I used to get pregnant wasn't anonymous. He's a member of my team."
The Ambassador's face stayed neutral, but tea sloshed over the edge of her cup when she put it done on the saucer. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"
"It's Dr. Spencer Reid."
The look of relief and curiosity that came over her mother's face was surprising. "You looked relieved mother."
Her mom took another bite of her pastry and wiped her hands delicately on the light blue cloth napkins Emily had bought just for this occasion.
"Mom!"
"I'm glad you didn't get involved with your boss."
Emily's eyebrows shot up. "I thought you liked Hotch."
"I do, but he's your boss. And, he's divorced with a child of his own."
"So you're okay with Spencer as the father?"
"Now you sound surprised." Her mother took another small bite of her pastry.
"Of course I am. I chose him because he is kind, sweet, and gentle. He is smart and handsome. He loves the baby and me. He's not arrogant or the member of some blueblood family like you always wanted me to marry."
"I wanted you to be well cared for and happy."
Emily shifted a bit on her pillow, her cup of tea forgotten. "I am Mother." She huffed impatiently.
"Then why all the drama? Why not just get married and have a baby?"
Emily felt her face getting red. She had been asking the same thing of herself for weeks.
"Your view is so simplistic mother. It wasn't simple for him or me. There are rules against fraternizing at work. I didn't want him to lose his job. I love my job and I didn't want to leave. I know you don't approve of my career, but it means a lot to me. Its part of who I am, just like this baby."
She rubbed her hands over her abdomen. "This baby will live and have all the love he or she ever needs from a mother and a father."
Her fingers trembled on her stomach as she looked over at her mother. She felt the strong urge to be young again before she really knew that her mother could only give one hundred percent to her job.
"I want you to be a part of this baby's life."
Ambassador Prentiss didn't move from her chair for a long time. Tears began to enter the corners of her eyes. Then to Emily's great surprise, her mother stood with all the grace Emily wished she inherited. Her mother crossed to her and bent down to embrace her.
"I know you don't believe me, but I love you Emily. I always have. If you're happy, then so am I."
Emily sat back stunned after her mother released her and went back to her chair. "I - I d-don't know what to s-say."
"Don't say anything. I know I neglected you when you needed me most. I am sorry for that. Let me prove it by helping you."
Tears were prickling in Emily's eyes. Oh how she wanted to believe her mother.
"What's this?" Her mother asked pointing to one of the school brochures that Reid had left on the table.
Emily explained that Reid had been checking into schools while her mother listened and finished her tea and pastry.
"It's just a dream though." Emily said, as a couple of tears fell down her cheeks. "We can't afford any of these schools."
"Well, I have a surprise for you. It's one of the reasons I came to see you."
Emily waited as her mother got the briefcase she had left with her coat in the closet. Her mother pulled out several papers and handed them to Emily.
"You can have Hotch look at this if you want."
"Mother, what have you done?" Emily scanned the pages in front of her with growing annoyance.
"I put together an educational trust for the baby. I'll pay for any school he or she wants to attend."
"But I can't let you do that," Emily squeaked.
"Yes you can… There're no strings attached. I don't want anything but the chance to know my grandchild."
"I want to believe you."
"Please let me do this for you."
"It's not just up to me. I have to talk to Spencer about it."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. As I said, you have Hotch look at it. He'll tell you there's no hidden agenda."
"I - Um… thanks mom."
"I love you Emily. Give me another chance to prove it."
"Alright mother… I'll try, after I have Hotch look at this and I talk to Spencer."
"That's all I want. Now… What else do you know about this Dr. Spencer Reid?"
"Do you have to make that sound like it's the nineteenth century?" Emily asked as she finished her tea.
"Your father is going to want to know everything. I have to be able to give him details, unless you want to call him."
Emily grinned for the first time since her mother entered the room. "I didn't think so." The ambassador smiled back at her daughter.
"I promise I'll call him this week." Emily swore, crossing her heart like a small child.
"I still want to know everything there is to know about Dr. Reid" Her mother persisted.
"Okay… Well, let's see… He plays chess and does really clever magic tricks…"