CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

7x16 A Family Affair

"Did you come all the way across town just to tell me how much you don't miss me?"

Emily sighed. She brought her hands to her hips and stared at her mother. "No," she admitted. "I came to ask you for grandmother's ring. I know you bring it with you even on travel."

Her mother looked at her incredulously, as if she was trying to gage if this was a joke or not. Emily stared back at her seriously. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

"Who's the guy?" she asked cynically - impatiently. "He didn't want to come ask me himself? Or what - you didn't want him to ask me?"

"Not everything is about you mother… I have to get to work, can I have the ring?"

"Can I have a name?"

Emily sighed. Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. They were at an impasse.

"JJ."

"JJ…" Her mother stared back at her with the kind of caustic look that only a mother could. It made Emily feel transparent. "As in Agent Jennifer Jareau from the BAU?"

Emily looked at her mother, shocked. That was astute - even for her. More than a lucky guess.

"Don't look so surprised. I check up from time to time. Believe it or not, I do care about my only child."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Emily replied, spitefully.

"Oh, don't be petty, Emily. You're here for… what? My approval?"

"I don't need your approval," Emily said quickly.

"So what brings you here, Emily?" Elizabeth asked pointedly. Emily frowned. As much as she wanted to hate her mother, she couldn't. And she did want her approval. But what bothered her most was the knowing look in her mother's eyes that said she knew Emily better than she even knew herself.

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me. And I don't need your approval. But I did want you to know."

Her mother just nodded slowly. Emily was trying. This was important to her. And Elizabeth could tell. Emily stared at her mother's inscrutable face for a few agonizing moments. Emily nodded her head knowingly, and began to turn towards the door. She wasn't going to get what she came for.

"Does she make you happy?"

Emily stopped, her hand on the door handle. "I get the sense that it wouldn't make a difference to you," Emily shot back stiffly. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her mother didn't approve. And even though Emily knew she wouldn't, it still hurt.

Her mother sighed, frustrated, but held up her index finger, signalling Emily to wait. Emily watched as she walked to the far end of the room and opened an antique jewelry box. She pulled out a thin chain on which hung a diamond ring. Elizabeth made her way back to Emily.

"It's yours," Elizabeth said softly, reaching out to hand her daughter the ring. Emily silently accepted the ring and stared at her mother's expression. She didn't know what there was to say.

"Thank you." Emily smiled tightly and turned back to the door again.

"I know it doesn't mean much coming from me… but I hope you and Agent Jareau have a wonderful life together."

Emily could have laughed at the dark irony. It was the very fact that her mother believed her opinion didn't matter to Emily that was the problem. Of course it mattered. It always had mattered, and even though Emily wished it didn't, her opinion always would matter.

By the time she reached the hotel lobby, the tears were threatening to fall. She quickly made her way to her car and closed the door leaning her head against the seat. She brought the ring up close to study it. It was a family heirloom. It was her grandmother's, then her mother's, and now hers. Well… JJ's. If she said yes. For the most part, Emily hated all of her family's traditions, but this was one of the only childhood memories that remained untainted by her mother's indifference towards her.

JJ's child would never feel that way. Emily vowed it to herself silently. Their children would never wonder if they were loved. Emily would never let them believe she was indifferent toward them.

Never.

Emily closed the drawer of her desk with a faint smile. She had hidden the ring there for the time being. Emily had been thinking about it a lot lately. What it would be like to marry JJ. To be her wife - she longed for it. It brought a starry-eyed grin to her face just thinking about it.

"May you always get that same dopey look on your face every time you think about her," David said with his signature smirk. Emily immediately looked up. Her smile turned to shock.

"How did you…?"

"Lucky guess."

Emily stared back at her friend. She wondered if he had seen the ring. But there was no good way of asking without giving it away. She walked up to the conference room.

"Oh - you're not playing around." Emily said as she laid eyes on her girlfriend downing a shot of energy drink. Under-caffeinated JJ was almost as dangerous as low-blood-sugar JJ.

"Well, some of us didn't have yesterday off, and still has to pull a double today," JJ responded jokingly. Garcia joined them. Emily smiled and sat next to her girlfriend.

"Please tell me we are still on for Saturday night because I have had it circled on my calendar for the last 23 and a half days which apparently, from the look of you, you did not."

"Ooh, Garcia paid good money for those salsa lessons," Emily added. JJ narrowed her eyes at Emily. She knew that Emily had also forgotten about Saturday. Emily raised an eyebrow wickedly.

"We'll be there, Pen," JJ said as the rest of the group filed in.

Emily groaned as she opened her eyes. Even the soft morning light was painful. Her head was killing her. Emily squeezed her eyes closed again. She felt JJ shift next to her.

"Are we dead?" JJ moaned sarcastically. Emily turned over and threw a lazy arm over JJ's waist.

"Last time I was this hungover was - oh god, I think it was that case in Vegas," Emily moaned painfully.

"Oh don't remind me…" JJ said absentmindedly. Emily opened her eyes at JJ's tone.

"Why?" Emily asked with a confused smile.

"Because… it's not exactly fun for me to think about you hooking up with some random guy." Emily's face grew suddenly serious. JJ looked over to her apologetically. "Look, it's not like I'm holding it against you or anything, I just…"

"I hurt you," Emily said in a small voice. JJ began to shake her head.

"We weren't even together then. It wasn't even my place to feel hurt."

"Yeah, but you did, didn't you?" JJ didn't respond. She continued to stare at Emily quietly.

JJ shifted to her side to face Emily. After a moment of reluctance, Emily did the same. Emily reached for JJ's hand and brought it up between them. JJ sighed. She loved the tender way Emily touched her. She could be so powerful and authoritative at times - but this side of her was only for JJ to see.

"For what it's worth, I didn't hook up with him."

"You didn't?"

"No… I didn't. And I never wanted to. I just wanted a distraction. It only ended up making me feel worse though."

JJ read between the lines and filled in what must have happened that evening. She would've been relieved, if Emily hadn't been in so much pain. She had thrown herself at that guy to try to repress her feelings. They had both wanted the other and were just too afraid to admit it. Emily smiled softly.

"It's in the past, Jay."

JJ watched as Emily's gaze dropped to her lips, then back up to her eyes. It drove her insane when she did that. JJ leaned in to close the space between them but stopped half way. She continued to stare into Emily's eyes. There was something mesmerizing about her eyes. There was something so incredibly intimate. She didn't feel self conscious - she didn't feel the need to look away. Emily made her feel cared for and understood. It was a rare thing - to be loved so undeniably - so fully. To trust someone enough to lay yourself bare for them. Emily closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. JJ sighed into her lips. The kiss only stayed chaste for a brief moment. It deepened. Emily felt like she couldn't get enough. No matter how many times JJ kissed her, she always wanted more. Emily's breathing became heavy and unsteady. Her desire was intensifying quickly. Emily broke the kiss and stared at JJ again. She knew her eyes had to be burning with passion. Emily brought one of JJ's hands to her neck where she could feel her pulse racing.

"This is you," Emily murmured. JJ breathed out softly. She could see how affected Emily was by her touch. She could see the desire in Emily's eyes - a product of their kiss. JJ pulled herself closer. She ducked her head under Emily's chin and pulled herself into Emily until her forehead rested against her chest. Emily wrapped a tight arm around JJ.

"According to my calculations Hotch should be here in a couple of minutes," Spencer said excitedly, looking down at his watch.

"Why are you yelling?" JJ asked in a hoarse voice.

"Make him stop," Emily added, dropping her head and leaning it against JJ's shoulder.

"What did you guys drink last night?" Morgan asked.

"The green fairy," Garcia answered. "But those two outlasted me. I honestly don't know how they're still alive." She gestured over to Emily and JJ.

Morgan looked past Penelope. Both Emily and JJ were wearing dark sunglasses. They were clearly suffering from major hangovers, but he watched as JJ whispered something into Emily's ear causing her to smile and laugh.

"You're in the FBI. Could you get the entire crowd to stop cheering?" Garcia added. Morgan focused back on Garcia and laughed a little bit. JJ wrapped an arm around Emily's as they walked over to congratulate Hotch.