Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, Criminal Minds.

Who We Are
Part 7

By N. J. Borba

It took Elizabeth a few seconds to remember where she was upon waking. She lay on Emily's bed, still fully clothed and weary from a restless night. Many years had passed since she'd last held a doll, but Charlotte's old cat was tucked under her left arm. She'd found it on the dresser in the guest room while checking on her sleeping granddaughter. As she clutched the doll, Elizabeth remembered the soft-spoken little girl who had loved ballet and bedtime stories. Those long-buried memories had only recently been set free. They were a comfort, but also served to confuse her.

A deep breath was taken as she tried to settle her mind; instead her eyes fell upon a book on Emily's nightstand.

The slightly tattered item was open to a page that she felt compelled to see closer up. After a few hesitant moments, she reached for it and held it on her lap. She had seen her younger daughter's writing enough to know this wasn't it. She read the words aloud. "Yesterday was bad. I held Anna for a long time before she stopped crying and fell asleep, but we still had to stay in the cellar all night. I don't know why they hate her more than me. I wish I could make everything better for her. I'd gladly stay if it meant her being free from this…" Elizabeth flipped through the pages, unable to read any more.

She stopped on another section nearer to the back of the journal and read again. "I felt the baby move tonight; our baby. Some days I hardly believe it's true that we are to be parents soon. And the elated look on Anna's face was amazing. I worried for a long time that I'd never see her happy like she is now. She really loves this child even though we haven't even seen it yet. This baby has given both of us a reason to hope again." Elizabeth closed her eyes as she bit back tears.

"Grandma?"

Her eyes reopened to regard the dark-haired child standing in the open doorway. Michelle looked to her with a curious countenance. She rose from Emily's bed, sweeping her legs over the right side. The journal and doll were both discarded as she stood, faced Michelle, took a deep breath and tried to think of something to say. It had been a long time since Emily was eight years old, and she hadn't done a very good job of relating to her daughter then, nor most of her life.

Noticing the makeup still on the girl's face, Elizabeth hoped that might make a good opening. "I hear you dressed as a cat last night and went trick-or-treating?"

The girl nodded, mostly out of politeness. She had much more important things on her mind than candy. "Where's my mom and Emily?"

Seeing the worried look on Michelle's face caused Elizabeth to reevaluate her decision to stay with the girl rather than going to the hospital. Even with all her years of practice delivering difficult news to members of foreign countries, she found it a complex thing to talk to her granddaughter. "Your mom wasn't feeling very well last night so she went to a hospital. Emily wanted to stay with her," she finally managed.

"What about Derek?" Michelle asked.

"He went with them," Elizabeth replied, trying to gauge the child's reaction.

Michelle knew the woman and she wasn't afraid, but she was still unsure what her presence meant. "Can I go see mommy?"

"Certainly," Elizabeth replied. "But perhaps we should get you cleaned up first. I can run you a bath."

"I know how to take my own shower," the girl stated, a bit defensively.

The smallest hint of a smile graced Elizabeth's lips. That obstinate nature was something she certainly recognized from Emily at the age; the desire to do everything on her own. She nodded her agreement. "Okay, but how about I help pick out some clothes for you to wear?"

"All right," Michelle turned away for a second, nearly ready to leave. But she spun around and faced the older woman again with inquisitive eyes. "Grandma? Why didn't I ever meet you before? Why didn't mommy talk about you?"

Children often asked the most poignant and difficult questions, Elizabeth realized. "When your mother was little, even younger than you, she had to go live somewhere without us. And we…" Elizabeth tried to figure out what exactly to say to the girl. She wanted to tell her the truth, but she wasn't sure how. It was a conversation she'd considered having with Emily so many times over the years, but had always chickened out of. "Do you know what the word kidnap means?"

Michelle scrunched up her nose in thought. "Is it like what happened to mommy, her being taken away from her real family when she was little?"

"She told you that?"

The child nodded. "But why didn't she remember you?"

"Because she was so little," Elizabeth found it somewhat easier to explain, given the child's knowledge. "Do you remember when you were four years old?"

"I remember daddy singing the Michelle song," she answered. "And mommy singing the French song to me. I always liked when they sang to me," Michelle smiled softly at those memories. "My mom said she hoped to find her real family some day and then we met Emily and you and grandpa. I think that made her happy. And I'm happy when she's happy. After daddy died she wasn't happy for a long time and neither was I, but now we have you," the girl concluded.

Elizabeth found herself at a loss for words again. She was amazed by the girl's capacity to keep moving forward. "The faster you get into the shower, the sooner we can go see your mother," she encouraged. As she watched the child finally take off down the hall, Elizabeth found that she was anxious to see her daughter as well.

xxx

A soft but persistent pressure against her right shoulder caused Emily to finally open her eyes. Her vision remained blurry for several moments as she slowly remembered where she was. Emily looked over to find Derek seated beside her and she carefully untangled herself from the scratchy blanket they'd procured from the nurses' station. "Morning," Derek greeted. "Sleep well?"

"No," Emily yawned. The bench she was curled up on might as well have been made of concrete for all the comfort it had offered. "Probably about as good as you by the looks of it," she sat up fully, noticing his droopy eyelids and five o'clock shadow. Thankfully they'd found a place to wash up after Anna had been admitted, so at least they were cat-whisker free. "You really should have gone home last night," she told him, running fingers through her mess of hair.

"Your dad has been with Anna all this time, and your mom is with Michelle," he pointed out. "I thought you could use someone too," Derek handed her a cup of coffee.

"We really need to stop having coffee dates in hospitals," she remarked, gratefully taking the offer of liquid fuel.

"I agree," Morgan nodded, sipping his coffee. What he really wanted to say involved asking her out on a real date, but Derek knew she wanted to keep things on a friends-only level, and he'd vowed to respect that. Even though his feelings for her had only managed to increase since their kiss in the park.

She flashed a small smile his way, but it quickly disappeared as she looked down at her watch. "It's after nine already? Has the doctor shown up yet?" Emily got to her feet and headed toward the waiting room's exit.

"No, but the last time I looked in on Anna she was sleeping," Derek followed her. They moved down the brightly lit corridors of George Washington University Hospital. It was a different hospital than last time, but vaguely similar with its polished floors, white interiors and wood accents. "I didn't see the use in waking you until now, because I was hoping you'd get some rest, and your dad is still keeping an eye on Anna."

Emily wasn't sure how she felt about her father being with her sister. She was glad he seemed more interested in Anna than her mother, but Emily hated to admit it made her a little bit jealous. "I don't know how anyone can rest in a hospital," she breathed out. "I couldn't stop thinking about how I never should have left them last week. I knew she was upset about Margaret and my mother, and the stress of…"

"Hey," he reached out to place his hand against her wrist. "Anna is a grown woman who has taken care of herself for many years without your help. You leaving her alone for a few days is not why she's here right now. And that Sullivan guy Rossi and Reid spoke to claims the envelope was left on his door anonymously with a delivery address and cash payment, so we don't even know that it was Margaret."

"Please don't try to sugarcoat this, Morgan. Who else would want to hurt Anna or Michelle?" Emily asked. "People don't just send things like that without reason. And that Margaret woman is the most likely candidate we have right now. I should be doing something more to find her," she insisted. "I hate this… sitting around, not being able to protect Anna, just like the night she was taken."

Morgan sighed. "Emily, you were a baby that night. There was nothing you could have done," he tried to calm her, despite her protests. "You're going to drive yourself crazy if you stay on that path. I know, because I went over my father's death so many times wondering if there was something I could have done different," Derek shared that helpless feeling with her and saw her furry begin to settle a little. "I had to learn to stop living in the past, and so do you. Your sister is alive and here with you," he smiled. "Do you have any idea what I'd give to have my father back?"

"I'm sorry," Emily reached out to place a hand against his cheek, feeling compelled to lend some small comfort through her fingertips. "You're right. I am so happy to have Anna in my life, and that's why I'm so upset. I don't want to think about anything taking her away again."

"I can understand that," his hand reached up to wrap around hers. Derek brought it to his lips, softly kissing her palm. Their words had done a fairly good job at not crossing the bounds of friendship, but their actions spoke so much louder. He dropped her hand a second later, knowing he wouldn't be able to walk away so easily if he held on any longer. "You have done nothing but help Anna and Michelle," he assured her. "And I know you won't give up until this case is solved. I wouldn't expect anything less from you. But stop being so hard on yourself, okay?"

A smile formed as she nodded. "I'll try, but no promises," Emily replied. Her thoughts floated from one worry to the next in the blink of an eye as she checked her cell phone. "No messages," she noted. "I should call my mother. I never should have left Michelle alone with her. Maybe you should have stayed with her. Michelle isn't used to a lot of people, but she knows you."

"She knows your mother, too," Derek pointed out as he realized most of his previous words about not worrying had fallen on deaf ears. But he did his best to keep at her, no matter what. "Michelle will be fine. It might even be a good experience for both of them."

Her eyes rolled in a doubtful manner as they stopped just outside Anna's room. She really was trying not to worry, but the fact that the doctor had admitted Anna made her think it was more than just the flu or a stress thing. "Michelle is only eight and my mother probably doesn't even know how to…"

"Emily," he stopped her before she could launch off again. "If you don't relax you're going to end up in a bed next to your sister." He watched her nod and hoped his words were sinking in at last. "Somehow you managed to make it to adulthood, so I'm guessing your mother didn't do too badly," Derek grinned. "I mean, you're pretty high functioning, aside from knowing how to cook," he teased.

Another smile curled her lips and even made it to her eyes. It grew even brighter when a whirlwind of green cotton dress and pink sneakers collided with her, wrapping its arms around her waist. "Hey, kiddo," Emily greeted the child, kissing the top of her head. Michelle looked up at her with wide eyes. "You sure smell good, and your costume makeup is all cleaned off," Emily noted. "And someone braided your hair."

Michelle didn't let go of her aunt as she spoke. "I showered, but grandma did the braid and picked out my clothes. I like the green and pink together."

Elizabeth caught her daughter's surprised look. "I used to braid yours before you became so independent," she noted. There was a brief moment of silence between them that the ambassador quickly tried to cover. "I brought you a change of clothes," she presented a small duffle bag to Emily and then looked to Derek. "I would have brought you something as well," she addressed him. "But I didn't find any of your things at my daughter's place."

Emily was glad she'd swallowed her most recent gulp of coffee a few minutes ago; otherwise she was pretty sure the hot liquid would have been spit out upon hearing her mother's declaration. "Well, you wouldn't," Emily finally managed to say. "Because he doesn't live there."

"But surely he must stay there from time to time," Elizabeth maintained. "I'm not completely old-fashioned, Emily. I do know people who date sleep together."

"Mother!" Emily exclaimed, looking to Derek for some help. But he seemed rather amused by her mother's insinuations. "We're not dating."

The older woman's forehead knitted. "You're not? I'm sorry, I just assumed," she took a small breath. "I mean, three out of the last five times I've seen you this month he's been at your side. He's here right now looking like he spent the night with you," Elizabeth observed. "But I guess I should have known not to get my hopes up. You've never shown much interest in settling down, getting married, having kids…"

"Unbelievable," Emily shook her head. "Anna just spent most of the night in a hospital bed. You remember her, don't you mother? The daughter you haven't bothered to try talking to for over a week… yet you find the time to comment on my relationship status."

Derek's amusement quickly retreated as he listened to Emily's terse words. As much as he cared for the woman, he couldn't condone her constant need to provoke her mother. He stepped forward and extracted Michelle from Emily's waist. "Come on, sweetness, let's go see your mom," he took her hand and glared at Emily and her mother. "Maybe you two would like to join us if you can stow your stubborn egos long enough."

xxx

Anna opened her eyes and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She was exhausted, even after sleeping for several hours. But the man seated in the chair beside her made her smile despite her drained feeling. "Good morning, princess," his deep voice was hushed, like the tone of a man speaking to a small child. "I'm sorry, is it weird that I called you that?"

"No," she shook her head, not wanting to dissuade him. "I just never had anyone call me that before. Eric and I were never called nice things like that."

Joseph had only heard a little about Eric and the life he and Anna had endured. He tried not to dwell on that at the moment as he took her hand in his. "You were always my princess, and Emily was my little pumpkin," he explained. "After we lost you, pumpkin was about the only thing that remained of my connection to Emily," the last few words were spoken with regret. "Your mother and I were never the same, we both dove into our work and left Emily to nannies and… we fought a lot, or were just silent. Sometimes it didn't feel like much of a marriage, or a family."

"But you stayed together," Anna noted.

He nodded numbly. "I'm afraid a lot of it was for political reasons, to put on a show for the public. I mean, not that I don't love your mother very much, I always have and always will. It's just, the last forty years feel like we've been trying to stay afloat in quicksand, always desperately clawing for that next breath," he shook his head in shame as he gently stroked her hand. "I really shouldn't be telling you any of this."

"It sounds like you need to tell someone, and I'm here," Anna offered.

Their brief moment of bonding was ended by a small knock at the door. Just a second or two after that Michelle launched herself toward her mother's bed. She paid little mind to the fact that her mom might be injured and climbed atop the bed to snuggle up with her. Anna easily obliged the girl, glad to have her in her arms again. She'd never spent the night away from her child before. "I'm all right, my sweet baby," she whispered softly to the girl whose face was buried against her chest.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the question came from Emily who moved into the room behind Derek. Elizabeth stood just to the left of them, near the door.

Anna smiled reassuringly. "I feel much better this morning," she spoke up. "It is foolish to wait for this doctor and his blood test results. I was always good about making sure Michelle got to the free clinic in town and I took care of Eric when he was ill, but I often ignored myself in the process. I believe I've done that again these last few weeks. With the travel and worrying about Michelle and where we would go if the people at Quantico could not help us. I just need to rest now."

"I'm sure that's it," Joseph agreed.

Elizabeth finally stepped forward. She stood beside Anna for a long time, gazing down at her as the room turned deathly silent. After what seemed like an eternity she extended one hand to her daughter and brushed her fingers lightly against Anna's hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered.

The room's other occupants all seemed to release a collective breath, each of them understanding that the words carried a two-fold meaning.

"When Michelle was about two years old I went through this strange period where I would sit and watch her for nearly an hour after she'd fallen asleep," Anna revealed to her mother. "I wanted to remember every little detail about her so I'd never forget, the way I forgot my parents. I would trace all the lines in her fingers and study her eyelids and eye lashes. I somehow thought all those things would keep me close to her, but then I realized that I already had everything I needed to remember her. I had my love for her and that's something nothing, not time or faded memory, could ever steal."

Anna looked her mother in the eye. "Maybe your head gave up on finding me, because it had to preserve some type of life. But I'm willing to guess – I'm hoping – that your heart never gave up on me. Because, even though I could not remember your face or your voice… I've always loved you, mother."

"I've always loved you, too, Charlotte," the words rolled off Elizabeth's tongue with an ease she never could have imagined.

Tears stung Anna's eyes. She felt bad for what she was about to say, but it seemed necessary. "I'm sorry, but I don't know that name. Charlotte was the little girl you lost a long time ago. I am not that girl. I'm a grown woman who only knows the name Anna."

The ambassador's eyes circled the room and landed on her younger daughter for guidance. Emily caught the confusion on her mother's face and silently walked toward the bed. Michelle loosened her grip a little, but remained settled beside her mother as Emily sat down next to them. "You could have your name legally changed," Emily carefully broached the subject, trying to create some bridge between her sister and mother, the way Derek had suggested. "You could be Anna…"

"Prentiss," Anna was quick to make the offer. "I'd like to at least have that name," she let them all know.

"I have a friend, Judge Anderson, in the superior court," Elizabeth announced. "I'm sure he could run it through quickly for me," she offered, seeming more in control with a plan to implement. Seeing Anna's thankful smile loosened her heartstrings a little more and she moved to fetch the bag she'd brought for Emily. She plucked out the stuffed cat she'd been hanging on to earlier that morning and handed the item to her daughter, hoping it wouldn't seem a foolish thing to do.

Anna's smile remained a happy one as she fiddled with the cat's tutu and eyed her mother. "Are you the one who used to sing the French song, Au Claire de la Lune, to me when I was little?"

"No, that was your grandmother," Elizabeth replied.

"Mommy sings that song to me," Michelle joined their conversation. "She has a pretty voice."

Elizabeth actually cracked a smile at that. "I think the singing gene skipped my generation."

"So did the cooking gene," Emily added.

The room erupted into laughter. It was not the boisterous melody of a happy family with no cares in the world, but rather, it was the soft pulse of a healing family who finally believed the road ahead would be a little less painful. Anna watched her mother, father and sister, not quite believing that she'd actually found them. When their laughter died down, Anna asked a question about the doll in her arms. "Does she have a name?"

"She went without a name for many years," Elizabeth replied. "When Emily was born you were a little jealous at first, so we'd have a special reading time before bed, just the two of us at first. You loved when I read chapters from Alice in Wonderland," she explained, growing a little stronger in her renewed roll as a mother with each word she spoke. "You got it in your head that you wanted to name your ballerina after the Cheshire cat," she recalled. "You could only manage to say Chester, though. I suggested we name it Alice, but you insisted on Chester and it stuck."

"Hello, Chester," Michelle said to the stuffed cat as she pretended to shake hands with it.

Her innocent antics caused them all to enjoy another light moment until the doctor knocked and entered. This time it was Anna who searched the room and looked to Emily for some guidance. Emily squeezed her sister's hand and then shoed everyone out of the room, an action which incensed only one person. "I'm her mother, I have a right to know what's going on," Elizabeth protested.

"She's a grown woman, Liz," Joseph tried to pacify his wife.

Emily had Michelle firmly latched to her waist again and was trying to ignore her parents as she looked to Derek. "You should go home," she insisted. "Actually, I'm surprised my family hasn't sent you running by now," she chuckled dryly.

"I've faced a lot more frightening things than your mother's tongue," he replied. "I'd like to stay and make sure Anna's okay."

She smiled her thanks, one hand smoothing along Michelle's thick braid. The doctor exited Anna's room a few minutes later and spoke to no one in particular. "I signed her release papers; she's free to go now. I suggest she take it easy for a while." That was all he said before taking his leave of them.

"Doctor's," Elizabeth huffed. "Always in a big hurry," she complained, pushing open her daughter's door and going straight to the duffle bag. "I brought you some clean clothes along with Emily's things," she told Anna, taking charge. "You and Michelle will stay with your father and I," Elizabeth declared. "Both of you can have your own room. There's a cook so you don't have to worry about that. And my assistant can look after Michelle while you rest."

Anna stood beside the bed and took the clothes her mother offered, but her head shook. "I just want to go home," she said, looking to her parents and the others crowded in her room again. "I'm sorry I worried you all, and I promise to rest up, but I don't want to live with… servants. I like to cook my own meals. I like to take care of my daughter. And I feel at home at Emily's place."

Elizabeth pursed her lips and swallowed. "Well, then I guess… maybe your father and I can take you out to lunch someday this week," she edged toward the door. "And please don't worry about the hospital bills. We'll take care of everything," she insisted, turning to her husband. "Let's go."

A groan left Emily's throat when she was sure her parents were out of hearing range. "One step forward and two steps back," she lamented, rummaging through the bag to remove the rest of the clothes for her sister.

Derek silently led Michelle into the hall again, allowing Anna to change. "Was I too harsh?" Anna asked her sister when they were alone.

"No, harsh was when I told her she'd ruined my life by making me move to Italy my freshman year of high school," Emily replied. "And that I hated her and was never going to talk to her again as long as I lived. Although, there may have been times she wished I'd made good on that never speaking to her again promise."

"I just wish that I knew the right things to say to her," Anna said as she pulled on a pair of dark blue yoga pants.

"You and me both," Emily sighed.

xxx

A waning moon shown in the night sky as Emily sat curled up in a chair beside the large window that overlooked the Washington monument. The elegant stone prominence had often lent her strength, and it was almost starting to work its magic again when her doorbell chimed. Emily sighed, not wanting to answer it, but she also didn't want it to wake her sister or Michelle. She finally got up and trudged toward the door. Emily's conflicted mood brightened a little when she opened the door to him. "I thought you were finally going home."

Derek nodded. "I was about half way there when I saw this in my rearview mirror," he held up the ballerina doll that they'd learned was named Chester. "Anna must have forgotten when I drove you all home earlier. I wanted to return it."

"Anna is asleep," she took the doll as he stepped inside. Emily closed the door behind him and they remained standing in the entry hall. "Chester was a good way for my mother to finally open up to Anna, but I doubt my sister has much use for a doll."

"Maybe not," he agreed. "So, what are you still doing up? I figured you would have gone to sleep the second you got Michelle and Anna settled."

She sighed. "I tried, but I'm waiting for it to end first," Emily replied cryptically.

He voiced his obvious confusion. "What to end?"

"This month," she replied, leaning against the wall and cradling her sister's doll. "I'm waiting for the last few minutes to slip by," Emily explained, realizing it still wasn't much of an answer. "When my mother was talking about Alice in Wonderland earlier I realized that's what this month has been like; falling down a hole into some strange land where nothing feels quite right. I feel like the world has done nothing but shit on me these last few weeks."

"I think you may be exaggerating a little," he grinned, hoping to lighten her mood. "I know a lot of this month had been difficult, but I think Anna, Michelle and your mother making an effort at being civil is cause for celebration. And, for what it's worth, I would never shit on you," Derek let her know.

Emily couldn't help smile. "That might just be the most romantic thing a guy has said to me in… a really long time."

Derek smiled too. "I lied about the doll bringing me back here tonight. Actually, I came back to thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"I know I said you owed me for last night's trick-or-treating, but I take it back. I'm grateful that you made a happy memory for me at that mall, where once there were only bad ones." Morgan glanced down at his watch and then held it up for her to see. "Midnight," he informed her. "It's over now."

"Like a magic spell in a fairytale," her voice took on a wistful tone that she rarely indulged. "Broken pumpkins, lost shoes," Emily chuckled nervously as she watched Derek cross the hall so he was standing right in front of her. His left hand rested against her shoulder and he leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead. The warmth and comfort of his lips made her want to curl up in his arms. But he retreated a second later.

He brushed his fingers across her cheek, bringing finality to his visit. "Goodnight, Emily."

She tried to respond, but he was out the door before her senses reignited. Emily ran her fingertips across her forehead, unable to get the sensation of his kiss out of her head. Soft footfalls against her carpeted stairs alerted her that she wasn't the only one still rattling around. Her confusion over Derek was momentarily shelved, again, as she met Anna at the bottom of the stairs. "I thought you were asleep."

"I can barely keep my eyes open, but…" the older woman sunk down on the second to last step. "There's something I really need to tell you."

Emily sat down beside her sister, sensing that Anna was reluctant to speak up. "I've told you before, you can talk to me about anything," she offered. "What is it?"

Anna sighed. "I need to tell you the truth."

To Be Continued…