Prentiss looked out at the audience. It's kind of like The Princess Diaries, she thought. Where Mia is making her speech but she's really awkward and doesn't really know what to say.
She cleared her throat. "First of all," she started, "I just want to thank you all for coming. It's really great to see so many familiar faces gathering here to honor my mother."
She bit her lip. She prepared a speech, but it seemed so trite, so useless. Not that she was any good at making speeches off the cuff…
"My mother is really quite an incredible woman. She never gives up, and she is always prepared for a challenge. I can remember being a little girl, and traveling to all these different countries where she was stationed. Although I didn't really understand at the time why we had to move so much, I now know that it must have been because she was really good at her job."
A few chuckles erupted from the audience. Prentiss relaxed a little bit, knowing that her speech wasn't a total failure.
"I think that she's so good at her job because of her determination and her compassion. She doesn't settle. Ever. And she always wants everything to be better than it is. In a good way. She doesn't give up until all parties involved are happy with the results."
Prentiss fixed her hair a little bit. "There was one time where my mom brought a case to me at the FBI. There was a Russian family, and the father had been kidnapped. And the family was being threatened that if they didn't make the appropriate payment, the kidnappers were going to keep cutting off body parts and mailing them back to the family. My mom believed that we could help the family, and she stood by them through the entire process. And I admire her for that. She's probably where I get my determination from. I have a tendency to not give up, and even to be a little stubborn sometimes. But I definitely inherited both of those things from my mom." She looked down and smiled at her mother.
"I want to thank Georgetown University and the Alumni Committee for organizing this event. My mom has played such an important role in so many people's lives. From nationals to government officials, and local immigrants, and students here at Georgetown. And most importantly, my family. I know I don't say this often enough, but Mom, thank you for everything you do. You're such an inspiration to so many people. And even though sometimes you annoy me, and I annoy you, at the end of the day, you're so incredible. And I love you, Mother."
Prentiss looked down to her mother, and she saw a tear in her eye. Her mother stood up and hugged her, and the audience began to clap. Prentiss sat down. She was a little embarrassed, but she was proud. Proud of her speech, and proud to be Ambassador Prentiss' daughter. She looked to her right, and saw Reid grinning at her.
"What?" she said.
"That was great," he said. "That was such a great speech."
"Oh, thanks." She smiled. She looked around. "The orchestra's gonna start playing soon."
"Orchestra?"
"Yeah. There's always a small chamber ensemble at these events. And then people dance. I usually just end up sneaking out to the balcony."
"Not much of a dancer?" Reid asked.
"I mean, I'm okay. But I don't usually have an escort to dance with." Damn, she thought. I just made myself sound like such a loser. "But the view from the balcony in this ballroom is gorgeous, so I don't usually mind sitting out there."
"Really? You could, um, show me the balcony. If you want."
"Uhh, yeah, sure. I bet you'll like it," Prentiss stammered. She stood up to take Reid to the balcony. He offered his arm for her to link hers with. She smiled and bit her lip in a way that Reid found strangely enticing. "Lead the way," he said. And she did.