Hello! I was able to get in an update this weekend after all! After these next few chapters, we'll mostly be seeing Hotch and Emily develop a different kind of relationship (I'm sure you're all thinking finally!). Hopefully my course load stays this light all semester so I can still get at least once a week updates in for you all. Your loyalty has given me incredible determination to make this fic as realistic and enjoyable as possible. So thank you to everyone reviewing, reading, favoriting, and alerting! Your kindness has not gone unnoticed!
XxxxX
Hotch and the team caught a case in some small town in Indiana nearly a week ago. Emily spent most of that week trying to get back to normalcy.
She'd gotten a call from Clyde just a few days ago. He'd finally officially replaced her. He told her that when she was ready to work again, he'd sign anything necessary to get her wherever she wanted to be. She thanked him over and over again. She knew that Clyde had pulled so many strings to keep her out of trouble with the higher ups ever since Elizabeth got sick.
Ever since she'd spoken to Clyde, she had really been trying to get back to normal. Whatever that meant. She forced herself to get up and out of the house every day, even if it was just to walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes George came with her, sometimes she went alone.
She found she liked spending time with the older man. She had never been particularly close to him until recently, but she'd always liked him. He had always been the least annoying person on Elizabeth's staff. Everyone always talked down to her or treated her like a child. But not George. He'd always treated her like a person, and she'd always respected him for that.
Talking to George always seemed to help her. Little did she know, talking to her helped him just as much. They worked through Elizabeth's death together.
Today, George and Emily decided to take their walk just a bit farther to a little park not too far from the house. There was a playground, a small picnic area, and a little pond where a lot of kids found joy in feeding the various ducks that called the area home. The park was fairly busy since it was summer break, but not overwhelmingly so. The pair walked slowly around the park on the sidewalk that outlined it.
"You're quiet." George commented. It was true, Emily had somethings she wanted to discuss with him but she wasn't exactly sure what to say.
"Clyde replaced me." Emily said softly. She wasn't upset about it, not really. It was just another chapter in her life ending. She'd never really felt at home in London, anyway.
"Are you okay?" George asked worriedly.
Emil sent him a genuine smile. "I'm fine, a little relieved, actually. It was a great job and I'm glad I had that experience, but I'm even happier to be back here." Emily admitted.
George nodded in understanding. He had seen her interacting with the team and he could tell based on those actions alone that those people had become her family. She could cross the world a thousand times and never find a group like that again. He was glad Emily would be sticking around.
"Um...I've been thinking...you know, about the house." Emily said finally. "I really don't have a use for it, and I was just wondering...if maybe you wanted it? Mom left it to me, but I can't see myself needing a house that massive. And um...well, truthfully..." She bit her lip. "It's kind of hard for me to live there." Emily confided. She didn't want to sell the house to anyone, but she also didn't want to live there anymore. It was getting harder and harder for Emily to walk last Elizabeth's room, and she knew to truly heal, she needed to be somewhere else.
George smiled softly. "It's kind of big for just me." He told her.
Emily nodded. "I know...I just...it sounds dumb, but I don't want anyone else to live there. Even if I don't want to." She ran a hand through her hair.
"It doesn't sound dumb, Emily. I understand. You know, you might not want to live there right now, but you might someday. Why don't you keep it? I'll do whatever you need me to maintenance wise. But after you've taken some time, you may decide after you've found someone and maybe even started your own family, that you'd like to live in that house." George's eyes twinkled, like he knew something Emily didn't.
Emily scoffed. "Okay, you've been out in this heat too long, old man." She joked, shooting him a grin.
"Maybe," George winked. "But seriously. Keep it. I've got some family out in Maine, I've been thinking I could go visit soon." He told her.
Emily blinked, suddenly feeling terrible. How had she never thought to ask him about his family? "Oh, that's great!" Emily said.
"Don't look like that." George said gently.
"What?" Emily asked him.
"Guilty. Like you should have known about this. But don't feel that way, there's a reason I've never mentioned them." He shrugged.
"You've mentioned them now." Emily pointed out.
"It's a long story." The older man said.
"We've got time." Emily smiled, nodding to an empty bench by the water that overlooked the other side of the park, the side with all the playground equipment.
George nodded and the two of them sat down. Emily listened intently. She'd only just realized how very little she actually knew about this man she'd come to admire and regard as a sort of father figure she never really had before.
Turns out, George had a sister about five years younger than him in Maine. They'd had an argument several years ago; over something so menial that George couldn't even recall what had them so angry. But somehow, they hadn't spoken in nearly fifteen years.
"After your mother..." George trailed off. "I just realized that this time we're given is so precious. None of us know when that time is up. There's no sense in wasting time being angry and upset if you don't have to be. Especially if you can't even remember what got you so mad in the first place." He continued. Emily nodded.
"I tracked her down, with the help of your computer friend. I e-mailed her a few weeks ago. I didn't really expect a reply, but I thought I could at least say that I tried. But to my surprise, she responded. We've been in almost daily contact since then. She invited me to come visit her soon. She and her husband have three grand kids she wants me to meet." George finished.
Emily felt her eyes burning with tears, but for once, they weren't tears of sadness. She pulled the older man in for a hug and didn't say anything for a bit.
"I want you to go. I want you to stay for as long as possible." Emily told him as she pulled away so she could look him in the eyes. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'll keep the house, I don't know if I'll stay in it, but for now at least I don't mind keeping up the cleaning and yard stuff. It's kind of calming." Emily smiled. She could sense that George might not be coming back.
"Are you sure?" George asked.
"Absolutely. Have you considered moving there?" Emily asked.
George looked at her. Wordlessly, he answered her question.
"I think that's great," Emily smiled. "We'll still keep in touch, right?"
"Of course." George nodded. Emily took his hand in hers.
"Then go. And if something happens and you hate it there and your sister drives you insane and those grandkids of hers are little brats, then you're always welcome to come back. That house is just as much yours as it is mine." Emily told him.
George's own eyes were starting to water.
"What's her name?" Emily asked. "Your sister," she clarified at George's confused look. "You never told me."
"Oh," George said. "Her names Elaine."
Emily smiled. "You've got a lot of women in your life with names that start with the letter E, don't you?" Emily elbowed him lightly.
"You're all probably why my hair's so grey." George continued with the banter.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that." Emily replied.
They were quiet for a few minutes, no words needed to be said just yet.
"Emily, you're truly amazing. I see more and more of your mother in you every day." George said.
Emily smiled, in another time, someone telling her that would have absolutely horrified Emily. But now it was the highest compliment she could ever receive. "You're not so bad yourself."
"You'll come visit me? You could bring Aaron and Jack." George suggested.
"Of course I will. I think they'd like to come. But I want you to get reacquainted with them before we come up there. In the meantime though, I expect you to call me or something every so often. I'll miss having you around." Emily admitted.
"I'll miss you." George returned the sentiment as he hugged Emily close to him. She'd become something of a surrogate daughter to him as of late. He liked to think that if he had ever had a daughter, that she'd be like Emily. He had never seen someone love as deeply and as wholly as Emily. It took so much for her to let anybody over the brick, sky high walls of her emotions. But once you got over that wall, she didn't let you back out. She'd fly to a different universe if she had to; if it would keep those she kept close to her heart safe. He admired that about her. He felt a little bad about leaving her, but he knew she would be alright. She had her friends, she had Aaron. And even if George was miles away, she'll always have him, too.
XxxxxX
Later that afternoon, Emily was cleaning the kitchen after George insisted on cooking them lunch. Her phone started to ring on the counter. She dried her hands off with a dish towel and answered it without looking.
"Hello?" Emily said into the phone as she balanced it between her ear and shoulder.
"Emily?" The familiar voice of Jessica Brooks said on the other end.
"Oh, hey Jessica. Is everything okay?" Emily asked. She and Jessica had gotten closer as of late, but they weren't close enough for friendly chats on the phone.
"We're fine." Jessica assured her quickly. "But um...are you busy?" She asked.
"No, not at all." Emily said.
"I'm sorry to ask you this, but Aaron and the team aren't back yet and I have an appointment that I've already rescheduled twice..." Jessica informed her.
"Do you need me to come watch Jack for you?" Emily asked, sensing that Jessica was nervous to ask.
"Would you mind? I mean, I could take him with me but he'd probably get bored sitting in a dentist's office." Jessica rambled.
"Of course I don't mind. When's your appointment?" Emily asked her.
"In an hour." Jessica told her.
"Okay, I'll be there in half an hour." Emily smiled as the two ended the call. Emily was looking forward to seeing Jack again, she hadn't seen him since the team took the case.
Exactly thirty minutes later, Emily showed up at Hotch's house, where Jessica normally watched Jack during the summer. Jessica opened the door and let Emily in with a grateful smile.
"Thank you so much, I know this was really short notice, but I thought for sure they'd be back today." Jessica said as Emily walked inside the apartment.
"No, it's no problem. They've been gone a long time, but I'm sure they'll be back soon. Sometimes these things just take a while." Emily told her.
"Well, thank you again. Jack probably would have been fine if I asked him to come with me, but I kind of figured if you were available he would rather hang out with you." Jessica said. Emily couldn't hold back a smile, she'd certainly missed that kid.
"I'd better get going, I'll be back as soon as I can." Jessica added as she sent Emily a smile and called Jack out from his bedroom.
Jack sprinted to Emily and hugged her tightly as soon as he saw her. "Emily! I missed you!" He said excitedly.
Emily had to laugh as she hugged the enthusiastic child back. "I missed you too. Are you sure you wanna hang out with me while your aunt goes to the dentist?" Emily asked.
"Definitely! I hate the dentist!" Jack said as he made a face of disgust at the mere mention of the word.
Emily smiled. "Okay, good. I was worried you wouldn't want to see me." She winked. "Now go tell Aunt Jessica goodbye and we'll see what kind of trouble we can get into." Emily told him. Jack nodded eagerly and hugged the blonde woman and told her not to be too scared of the dentist, because they could smell fear. Emily bit back a laugh and waved goodbye to Jessica, closing the door behind the woman.
"So," Emily said as she turned around to face Jack. "What do you want to do?" She asked.
Jack thought for a moment, looking so much like his father when he was deep in thought. "We could play cards!" Jack offered.
"Sure," Emily agreed as she went into the living room and started to clear some space on the coffee table. Jack ran back into his room and came out moments later with a deck of playing cards.
The two played a few rounds of Go Fish before Jack started a conversation.
"Emily?" He said, picking up the pair of cards that Emily had just handed him.
"Yeah?" Emily replied, setting her cards face down on the table, letting Jack know that she had his complete attention.
"Are you still sad?" He asked innocently.
Emily smiled softly and reached across the small coffee table to put a hand on his shoulder. "A little bit," she told him honestly. "But not as sad as I was."
"Oh. 'Cause, well…I don't want you to be sad anymore, but I know after my mom died I was sad for a long time. Sometimes I still get sad. But my dad took me to the zoo when I was really sad once, and then I felt better. I thought maybe if you wanted to, when you aren't busy, we could go." Jack suggested.
Emily felt tears start to well in her eyes, but she didn't want them to upset Jack, so she forced them back and moved around the coffee table to sit next to him. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, she just hugged him close to her. She knew that he could somewhat relate to her, and she hated it. She hated that he'd lost someone so important in his life at such a young age. It amazed her at how compassionate Jack was. He was just like Hotch in that regard. It seemed like every time Emily thought he couldn't be any more like his father, he somehow proved her wrong.
"That sounds like a great idea, honey." Emily told him, feeling her voice start to crack. She cleared her throat to try and make her voice stronger. "Are you and your dad going sometime soon?" She asked, still hugging Jack to her, feeling a warmth in her chest as Jack rested his head on her shoulder.
"No, I mean…just me and you go. If you wanted." Jack said quickly.
"That sounds perfect." Emily said.
"Okay." Jack pulled away from her embrace and smiled at her. "You pick the day, though. I'm always free."
Emily laughed. "Well, that's good to know. I'll talk to your dad really soon and see what he says, okay? But I promise you we'll go very soon." Emily said as she ran a hand over Jack's sandy hair. It seemed to keep getting darker as he got older, and if it kept up, he'd look just like Hotch before too much longer.
Jack nodded, seeming satisfied with that arrangement. Emily hugged him one more time before she went back to her side of the coffee table and picked her cards back up. They resumed their game, and Jack beat her for the third time in a row.
"Okay, I quit. You're too good." Emily said as she gently tossed her remaining cards a Jack and sighed dramatically, causing Jack to laugh at her.
"Hey, Emily, could you teach me how to play poker?" Jack asked randomly.
Emily couldn't even try and hide her laughter. She realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed like that, the kind of laughter that can't seem to be controlled.
"Poker, huh? I'll tell you what, I'll teach you…" Jack let out a cheer. "When you're eighteen." Emily added.
"Emily!" Jack tried to act upset, but the smile was still in his eyes. "How about seventeen?" He countered. Emily bit back a smile, she knew he was trying to be serious but actually he was just being incredibly adorable.
"Eighteen and a half." Emily said just as seriously.
"Sixteen?" Jack tried.
"Nineteen." Emily raised her eyebrow.
"Okay, fine. You can teach me when I'm eighteen." Jack agreed with a sigh. "I'll probably just google it anyway." He added.
Emily laughed again. Jack was probably the best form of medicine for anyone. That kid could probably make even the most serious person in the world laugh.
"You're going to give me grey hair, kid." Emily said after she was able to stop laughing. She was so glad that Jessica had called her. She didn't even realize how much she'd missed Jack until now. He was something special, that was for sure. She hoped Hotch called her soon—he tried to call her every night if they weren't too busy on the case. She was ready to plan a trip to the zoo with Jack, that would give her something to look forward to in the coming days.