AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys :)!
I have severely underestimated the complicity of having to move my entire house, under the scorching sun and heatwaves, while working 12-hour shifts, five days a week, plus also working a second job on the weekends, right after the pandemic situation somewhat allowed companies and businesses to re-open in the country where I live.
However, I managed to treat you all to this looong chapter that I really enjoyed writing! It's one huge installment that I needed to post at once, because breaking it into pieces/chapters wouldn't make sense. Honestly, the word count is worth FOUR weeks of normal length chapters, so I hope I'm forgiven for skipping last week :P
Thank you ALL for being such awesome readers and I appreciate each one of you, whether you come forward and msg/review, or not. I see my stats and I know you're out there in the world and I'm happy to know you're following this little project of mine that I'm so passionate about :)!
CHAPTER 102
YOU REMIND ME OF A GIRL THAT I ONCE KNEW
Angie's idea to go out for shots the night they closed the case had been a hit. Even Rossi decided to join in and have a little fun, despite being tired and needing some well-deserved rest after the case. It hadn't been the case itself to wear him out, but rather all the stalking and profiling Angela, every possible chance he had. She intrigued him and it scared him that he had no idea why he felt almost like it was his duty to figure her out.
Going back to the hotel, all tired and most of them a little tipsy too, they separated and walked to their assigned rooms. Angela did not find it weird, nor did she care that the entire numerous team had only two rooms to share. In fact, she liked it that way, as she got to spend time with the awesome BAU ladies…and JJ, too, which she still ignored whenever possible.
Emily, however, took the first opportunity she had, to do the exact opposite. She wanted to talk to JJ in private, so when she saw Tara head over to the boys' room for a quick game of tipsy poker, where she was bound to be destroyed by Matt and Luke, Emily stalked her prey. Angela was in the shower and she knew her appreciation for a good pressure, hot shower, so it was safe to say she won't be out in the next thirty minutes or so.
"Hey…" Emily muttered, catching JJ off-guard, just as she was taking her shoes off.
"Please don't yell at me again!" A tipsy JJ replied, struggling to untie her shoes.
Emily just laughed and she sat on the bed, next to her, helping her out with that horribly difficult task.
"I actually wanted to apologize about how I handled our situation…" Emily spoke while figuring out how on Earth JJ had managed to make triple nodes while trying to untie those shoelaces.
"Let's put aside the fact that I had to be tough with you, as the Unit Chief…" She elaborated. "But I'm not proud of my words and my approach. You've been nothing but nice and helpful to me lately, through something you don't even know the details of. I know how much you've done for me and I am grateful for it all, so I can't believe I told you that I don't have time for your tantrums. I'm sorry. Your emotions are valid, your troubles are not a burden to me and I never wanted to come across like this."
"Emily?" JJ put her hand on top of Emily's knee, preventing her from hyperventilating any further. "It didn't upset me. I deserved to be treated a bit harshly, I get it. It served me well. You don't need to apologize and you don't need to thank me. What you need to do is make me a damn bridesmaid!"
Emily was suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of half-drunk hiccups.
"It's never happening." She murmured in response.
At this point in life Emily was fine just thinking of her career. She had nobody to share her life with and she, sadly, had no children. It could have all been different…but it was her own fault, up to an extent. She had closed herself off to some amazing people that had come into her life and then she had left, in situations where things were going well and maybe there might have been a future for her, besides someone awesome.
"Oh my God, there will be French wine at the wedding! French cheese, too! And flowers! And cute little babies in white fluffy dresses. So damn cute. Oh my God, please hurry and get it done, like, tomorrow. Is that an okay day for you or should we postpone it for this weekend?" JJ chuckled, already imagining it all, in her head.
"You must be way more drunk than I thought. You're hallucinating!" Emily said defensively, knowing what JJ was hinting at.
"But…he sounds great I wanna know more about him. I want you to marry him. I want you to be happy. And I want to be a damned bridesmaid!"
"He did make me happy…" Emily scoffed. "And then he left. So, no wedding plans. Please, calm down."
"Also, even if it was the case – you'd never be a bridesmaid…" Emily added, trailing off to give JJ time to pout before she continued. "You'd be my maid of honor and I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"He made you smile!" JJ squealed, in reply about the guy before she heard the part of Emily's statement that concerned her. "And you just made me smile and I love you, Emily Prentiss!"
"He used to…" Emily corrected her. "And for the record – I love your drunken emotional outbursts. Thank you and I love you too, you lightweight." She added, chuckling.
"No, he just did. He just made you smile. Oh my God, Emily…you are so whipped! Just thinking about him made you smile. Look at you…Emily, you are smiling and oh…you're blushing. Emily Prentiss, you are most definitely blushing! Oh my God, I never thought I'd live to the day this happened." JJ went on a full rant and as much as Emily wanted to look pissed about it, she could not hide the fact that she actually found this entertaining. She had also exaggerated with the shots at the bar, so an Emily with lowered inhibitions was more prone to telling the truth. JJ knew that, which was why she chose that moment to ask her about her mysterious French crush.
"Okay, fine. I may be smiling, but that's only because I can't help it…Ugh, that only reinforces your statement, though. I hate you." Emily stopped speaking once she realized that she was contradicting herself. Was she or wasn't she whipped, like JJ had suggested? Why did she feel so strongly about trying to deny that statement, but then every word that came out of her mouth only served to reinforce it, instead?
"He kept calling me beautiful. He gave me a lot of compliments, actually. And he held me so tight. I felt safe. Protected. Happy..." Emily added, because…the Hell with denial. JJ was her best friend, she deserved to know the truth. Also because Emily was tipsy enough to not give a crap about how much she'd share.
"Sounds like he is a wonderful man." JJ pointed out.
"He is. He really is…" That dreamy note in Emily's voice made JJ smile again.
She loved this new version of her tough friend – the one who was always anti-romance, the same one who was now blushing, speaking about a man she had just met.
"Maybe even the right man for you..." JJ dared to add.
"Mhh." Emily growled, unsure if she could properly put what she felt about JJ's last statement, into words.
"I bet the BAU fam is going to love him. God, they'd bombard the poor guy with questions when they meet him, but they'd accept him right away. Any man the Boss loves is a man that must be respected."
"I never said I loved him!" Emily interrupted her immediately.
"Come on. I'm a profiler!" JJ smirked.
When would Emily learn that JJ could read her, no matter how much Emily hated it?
JJ also profiled Emily's following non-verbal signs - acting self-conscious and confused about her feelings.
"Well, we don't need to think about that introduction. I'm never going to see him again, thus you guys are never going to meet him." Emily said, a bit more grumpily this time, as if she disliked what her own statement suggested.
"Emily...you have his number!"
"No, I don't." Emily replied stubbornly, right away.
"Yes, you do."
"I threw that letter away. No, wait…I burned it!" At this point Emily folded her hands, giving JJ the most visibly obvious and clear clue that she was feeling uncomfortable. Also – that she was lying.
"Mhm. Or did you move it some place a bit closer to your heart at night? Say, the nightstand, maybe?" JJ teased, now kicking off her right shoe, only now realizing that it had been a while since Emily had untied it and she was desperate to feel air against her feet. JJ hated her new work shoes, they hadn't been properly broken in yet and they gave her the sensation that her feet were being held hostage at all times.
"God, I hate how good you are at profiling!" Emily murmured.
How could JJ have possibly figured that out?
"You did!?" JJ smirked victoriously.
She had bluffed earlier, but Emily's reply had confirmed her suspicions.
"So what if I did?"
"It means you are not ready to let go of this wonderful person. And, from what I've heard, I can't blame you." JJ said a bit more softly now.
Those words made Emily reflect for a second. JJ was a very wise woman and Emily valued her opinions and her advice. What if she was right? Emily knew that the hardest person to ever profile is oneself, but could it possibly be that JJ knew her well enough to figure her out, even if Emily was not able to figure herself out at that moment?
"And just in case you ever flip out and actually end up throwing it away or burning it, be aware that I wrote it all down…and just to be sure, I memorized it, too!" JJ said proudly.
"...the number, not the whole letter." She added before Emily would find it super awkward that her best friend had memorized a love letter with which a guy she liked had ended up dumping her, instead.
"Oh God, JJ…I need a freaking drink!" Emily rolled her eyes, standing up from the bed and walking towards the mini fridge, hoping she'd find something a little more hardcore than the pack of M&Ms and cashew nuts that she found, to accompany the two bottles of light prosecco and the non-alcoholic beer that was still warm from when the staff had placed it in, just earlier.
Early the next morning Tara had plans with Rossi to go for a walk, so she had left the girls' room before dawn. JJ was known to sleep in, as much as she could and whenever possible, so Emily found herself sitting up in bed, next to a very calmly asleep young Angela.
She looked at her for a long moment, seeing her breathe in sharply and then breathe out evenly. Her hair was tickling her nose, which disturbed her sleep, so Emily reached a hand out, to move it away, to give Angela the chance to relax properly.
And then time kind of froze. To Emily it felt like it was just a second ago that she had removed that strand of hair from Angie's face and her hand was still resting against the girl's forehead, moving her thumb up and down a little, as if she was dealing with a baby that needed to be calmed down before their nap.
It was only when Emily felt JJ's hand on her back, that she realized it had most certainly not been just a moment and that she was most certainly now crying.
"Emily, why are you crying?" JJ whispered.
She had woken up about fifteen minutes ago, but she couldn't force herself to interrupt that sweet moment that Emily was having with Angela, until she saw Emily cry. It was then that JJ decided to get up and to speak up. There was something that Emily needed to hear, something that would hurt.
"…Because you could have had a daughter about her age now...?" JJ added a possible reply that she thought would fit with what Emily was thinking and feeling at that moment. It was a reply that she knew Emily was terrified of giving her, herself, so JJ ripped the band aid instead, like a true best friend would do.
"Yeah. I could have..." Without any hesitation, Emily replied, leaving JJ speechless.
She hadn't expected a reaction from Emily – the master of denial. If anything, she might have winced and turned her head sideways, as she always did, and then she would have either found a way to change the topic or a way to get the Hell out of that room and out of JJ's sight.
And instead – she had replied, with the truth. Or at least, some of it.
"Emily, you should really think twice before shooting this guy down. And before you kill me…" JJ spoke fast, noticing the rage budding up on Emily's face already. "…I want to add that I'll never be done with my desire to be an auntie to your kids!"
Emily went silent. One hand went up to her own cheek, brushing off the tears, while the other hand remained on Angie's forehead, with the index finger softly pressing against it.
"I can see it…" JJ whispered, witnessing the sweet way Emily was constantly treating Angela.
"See what?" Emily decided that she was too spaced out to understand JJ's words, without further explanation.
"You…kids…" JJ whispered.
"Yeah…?" Emily licked her lips, not even aware of the fact that a soft smile appeared on her face – a kind of loving, caring, hopeful smile that JJ had never seen before.
It all reminded her of this one time, years ago, on the BAU jet, when they had had the same conversation. Emily was now having the same curious reaction that she had once had. JJ had known it for as long as she had known Emily for – that woman wanted a family. She wanted a husband and a happy life, but above all – she wanted a child. Emily Prentiss was mother material, no matter how hard she always tried to deny it, to laugh it off, to change topic or to get pissed off at anyone who would dare mention it.
Children were a touchy topic for Emily – they made her happy when she was around them, but they made her extremely sad when they were nowhere near her. She had tried to somewhat fill that void in by being the BAU 'mom', but it had never given her the real satisfaction that having her own child would. It simply was not the same. And to Emily having a child went beyond giving birth. She didn't care about DNA. She could love a child – any child in the world; whether it came out of her womb or not. Her desire was not connected to the 'giving birth' side of motherhood. She just wanted to have someone to shower with her eternal love. It was as simple as that. And it was as complicated as that.
"Have you even given kids a thought?" JJ misread Emily's silence. She decided it was a green light to go further into details, but she was in for a rude awakening.
Emily had the amazing ability to go from a zero to a thousand, when it came to changing her mood. She seemed calm and collected until now, but it only took this additional question, to make her snap.
Looking down at Angela, still sleeping peacefully, now sort of curled up and with her face slightly tilted sideways, as if she was following Emily's movements and facing her, in her sleep, Emily started a downpour that JJ was most definitely not expecting and certainly not prepared to handle.
"I've always wanted to have a daughter. Strong. Opinionated. Smart. Loving. And so much more. I kind of picture her as my best competitor and my amazing companion in life. She would always have what she needs, but she wouldn't be a spoiled brat. She would respect people. She would be curious about life. She would be smart about her choices, because, unlike me, she would grow up with a mother who loves her deeply and unconditionally and who would walk through every step of her life, holding her hand, always being by her side. I'd name her something strong, something powerful, so she could intimidate people just by announcing her presence. I'd sneak into her room and watch her sleep at night, I'd listen to her take tiny uneven breaths and watch her sweat a little in her fluffy pajama. I'd push strands of hair off her face, so they wouldn't tickle her nose as she slept, because I wouldn't want anything to ever disrupt her naps, no matter how old she was. I'd wake up and stare at my own reflection in the bathroom mirror, with a smile on my face and I'd thank God and all Heavenly creatures for blessing me with her, every single morning. I'd pretend like one waffle was breakfast enough for me, so she could have the last two. I'd let her steal my clothes and wear my favorite shoes off and I'd be nothing but proud of her, for wanting to be in my life and to use the things I like. I'd watch her grow and keep a part of her childhood with her, no matter how old she gets. I'd hold her close when she's upset and I'd laugh with her when she is happy. I'd build a relationship with her, where she'd feel comfortable telling me anything and I'd never have to worry about her getting in trouble, because my daughter would have a great head on her shoulders. She'd make people laugh, she'd fight for her rights and she'd be overall the most amazing person in my life. Her laughter would be just as contagious as yours, if not more, and she'd smile, even through her pain."
Halfway through the opening line of Emily's revelation, JJ was covered in her own tears.
Never in a million years had she thought she'd one day hear Emily admit to such an intimate thing, in such an open and honest way. Looking at her face, JJ could see pain in it, regret, denial. Emily was only human and she was bound to crush under the pressure of having to hold back her desires, to deny what she really wanted in life, to act tough and appropriate all the time. The Hell with it all! Emily Prentiss was entitled to a moment of complete emotional breakdown and it was happening then and there, with her one hand brushing against Angie's forehead subconsciously, and the other hand now being squeezed by JJ tightly, as they both shed a few tears, for their own different reasons.
Through it all, Angela slept like a baby. She moved just an inch closer to Emily, but other than that she was immobile.
Just when JJ thought this was it, Emily added more.
"But most of all - I'd be damned if I ever hurt my daughter. I'd hate myself, blame myself, I'd never forgive myself! With time, my pain would only grow bigger and my hatred towards myself would start to consume me. I'd try everything in my power, to let her know I've wronged her, for all the right reasons. And then I'd cry myself to sleep, countless nights in a row. I'd pretend like I was okay, I'd have a life of my own, but I'd never forget her, not even for a second. I'd think of her constantly and I'd dream up a world in which I would have never had to leave her. A world, where she would still be my precious little gem and I'd get to hold her in my arms, whenever I wanted. A world where she would call me 'mommy' and I'd pretend to not have heard, so I could hear her say it one more time again. A world I'd immerge myself completely into and I'd let it consume me, let it ruin me, let it make me hate myself all this much more…"
Emily stopped, only to take a breath. And then she realized that all the words in the world would never be enough to fully express what she felt, so she just decided to go back to being an ass with a bad mood, instead.
"So, to answer your question once and for all, dear JJ - yes, you see, I have given kids quite some thought. Now, can you, please, drop it?" Emily spat out, looking at JJ with a fierceness that JJ had never seen before.
She almost looked like those lionesses that Henry had been watching a documentary on, just days ago – beautiful, gracious, calm even, but only until their precious little cubs would be attacked. Then the lioness would turn psycho and she'd rip up anyone and anything that came between her and her little ones. She'd shred them into pieces and she'd chew their bones dry. Because that what was a true lioness would do for her cubs. That was exactly what Emily reminded JJ of, at that very moment.
JJ could only nod in reply to that. She was way too emotional to speak and way too scared to even want to do so.
This conversation had hit her harder than she expected. Clearly, having Angela around, as someone young and very attached to Emily from the start, was messing with Emily's emotions, to the point where things she never thought she would ever admit, ended up coming out of her mouth, accompanied by salty tears.
Emily Prentiss had never been a crybaby. And yet, as of recently, too many emotions were brewing inside of her and the first natural response her body had to all of that was to produce tears. As lame as she might have looked and as powerless as crying may have made her feel, those tears actually served a purpose. They made her stronger. They made her able to open up and speak about her feelings. They made her human. And 'human' was everything that an ex-undercover law enforcement officer could ever hope to one day become again.
JJ needed air, so she stood up and walked to the terrace without saying another word. Emily didn't need advice and she certainly didn't need anyone's pity. All she needed was to finally admit certain things and to be heard.
The team met up for breakfast soon after that and Angela joined them a little later, having slept in a bit longer. Emily acted calm and collected and it pained JJ to see just how good Emily was at hiding her true emotions. Just minutes ago she had poured her heart out to JJ and there she was now – discussing the softness and the different flavor fillings of the pastry they had all ordered for breakfast. No doubt Emily Prentiss had been amazing in her undercover days, but it also inevitably put a stain on her emotional capacity to connect to people, to let people in, to be herself and to trust someone.
That morning, after breakfast, since all the case-related stuff was closed, the team found themselves with a whole day to spare in New York. They had put the UnSub Sammi in custody the previous evening and then spent the night in their hotel, as Emily had to do some paperwork at the local station before they could leave. Garcia had been told to arrange the flight sometime after lunch, so she had managed to make the jet fly out that evening, giving everyone some well-deserved fun time, to go around New York City and to do whatever they wished before their flight later that night. It had been a rough few days and everyone was happy to have the chance to do whatever they wanted.
Matt and Luke went to the movies to see the premiere of some action movie that nobody else cared about, while JJ and Tara decided to do a little shopping. Rossi and Reid went to Central Park, with a book in hand.
"What are we doing, Emily Prentiss?" Angie asked curiously, wanting to handcuff herself to that woman, so she wouldn't miss out on a second, with her.
"Anything that does not belong to our ordinary world." Emily announced, keeping in mind a promise she had made the girl when the week had started.
Angela was excited. A lot of normal people things didn't belong to her reality, so it wouldn't be too hard to come up with stuff.
"What's first?" She kept on asking, once again sounding like an eager five year old. She could not help it.
"Whatever we want." Emily grabbed her bag and triple-checked if everything was left perfect back in the Precinct.
They walked out and took their time to enjoy the streets of the City. The weather was quite nice, except for the wind that occasionally blew their hair in their faces, but it was warm and there was something that resembled a sunshine, in the sky, which for New York was quite an achievement this time of the year.
"Before we end up having a discussion I do not want to partake in, I should let you know that everything we do, is on me." Emily informed her, knowing perfectly well what Angela would do as soon as she saw Emily reach for the wallet.
"No, that's not necessary. There are plenty of things we can do that do not involve spending money. We could go sightseeing…and maybe sit somewhere and uh…"
"And talk?" Emily challenged.
Angela did not seem like the kind of person who enjoyed long walks and long talks. She was the most reserved person Emily had ever met and she knew she had to tread lightly with this girl. For so many reasons.
"Yeah, on second thought, that would really suck." Angela laughed, confirming what Emily already knew.
"Oh, Pinkberry!" She pointed enthusiastically as they walked by one of their shops.
"Pinkberry it is then!" Emily crossed the street and directed herself to where Angela had showed a wish to go.
"Oh, that is so cool!" Angie was in awe as she walked in.
To so many girls her age, Pinkberry was a given. They'd hang out there after school and chat about boys. But this was not her reality.
"Never been here?" Emily questioned.
"Nope. First time ever." Angie hurried to find a table.
It wasn't busy, yet she took her time, choosing strategically.
She eyed the big tables in the middle of the venue and discarded them right away. Then she eyed the tables near the windows and she winced.
"I never understood people who chose window seats. Like, do you have to put yourself in danger, even at a restaurant?" Angie rolled her eyes, speaking more to herself, than to Emily.
"I don't think anyone normal ever considers drive-by shootings or opportunistic bombings when they are out, dining." Emily pointed out.
"They should!" With that statement, Angie hurried to an angle table, in the far end of the hall.
It was the smallest table, again, with only two chairs. It reminded Emily of the one Angela had chosen on Monday morning, at the French pastry place. This girl definitely had a type.
"In case of fire or an armed robbery, this would be the perfect spot to die first, you know?" Emily chuckled, wanting to push Angie's buttons.
"Far from the exit, both the general one and the emergency exit, too. No windows for us to break and find escape, either. And no place to duck and hide." Emily pointed out wittily, wanting to shake Angela up a little bit, just to see her reaction.
"Well, then thank God we are two bad ass FBI Agents who know how to take care of themselves, and others, in such situations." Angie smirked and did not seem too stressed.
"Please, follow me forever and everywhere!" Emily thought to herself, while just smiling on the outside.
She was only starting to figure out the girl behind the name of Angela Hunter and she was already feeling some type of way.
Happy, somehow.
More free spirited, in a way.
Spontaneous, finally.
Attached. Definitely.
"How do you do it?" Emily asked vaguely.
"How do you find the strength to smile, to joke, to be so positive?" She elaborated since Angela did not understand the question at first.
"It's not easy…" Angie sighed. God knows she had skeletons in her closet. "But I try to surround myself with amazing, positive people, whom I draw energy from and that's what keeps me going."
"What about Emily Prentiss? Is she an amazing, positive person?" Emily asked.
She had never really referred to her own self in third person, but the situation was calling for it.
"I'm still trying to figure it out." Angie's honesty was refreshing and Emily appreciated that.
"Remember how we said we'd learn to judge people, this week?" Emily smiled.
Angie nodded. Screw learning about serial killers, she had read enough books on that topic. All she needed was to learn about humanity, on the job.
"Well, I think I'm still figuring Angela Hunter out…" Emily smiled and saw how Angie diverted her attention to the menu, instead. She was avoiding eye contact and to Emily that screamed insecurity.
"So far I think she might be a good person. You know, one of those rare people you meet, but you instantly know you want to have in your life. Forever." Emily pushed it and she did not care how distracted Angela tried to appear. The girl needed to hear those words.
"Mhm…" Angie muttered.
"Mhm is my reply to things I don't want to hear, my dear. Find yourself a new line." Emily laughed.
It was true – she always replied with a muffled 'Mhm' when she just wanted the other person to shut up and mind their own business.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just-…"
"Not used to people, showing affection to you? Unsure how to process that? Afraid they might leave?" Emily cut her off and continued her thoughts, instead. Angela was surely not going to put it in those words. Or in any words at all. She'd lie. That was for sure.
However, hearing the harsh truth and figuring out she was already busted, she could do nothing more but to shrug.
"You have to learn how to let people in…" Emily said, her voice oozing sadness.
"I'm perfectly able to do that. I cannot, however, teach them how to stay." Angie said weakly.
"Well then you need to learn how to let people back in your life. Because, trust me, a lot of amazing people are forced to do bad things to the ones they love. And they do deserve a second chance. Or a third one…" Emily sighed, counting the times she had left the people she loved.
"I agree. They do deserve another chance. I just don't want to go through the pain of losing them a second time. Or a third time." Angie gulped and Emily could tell she was very emotional. "Call me selfish, I dunno…" She added.
"You are not selfish. You might be the most selfless person I know, Angela Hunter."
"You don't even know me." She countered.
"True. But I do appreciate having the chance, this week, to get to know Angela Hunter."
Ultimately, whatever the topic was, it came to one thing – Emily stating how grateful she was, to have Angela around.
The salesgirl interrupted them, inviting them to place their order. This time Angie did not hold back. She got the yummy thing of her choice and it felt a little less weird to have someone else pay for her, now that this someone else was Emily Prentiss.
"How are you, financially?" Emily asked casually, as soon as the waitress left.
"Mhm, good."
"Mhm? Really?" Emily laughed. Angela really needed to stop trying to fool her with her own phrase.
"I think Emily Prentiss might be one of the good ones, too." Angie suddenly admitted, changing the topic back to what it had been, just minutes ago. She would rather talk about that, then about her financial situation.
She had been studying every little thing about Emily – her body language, her smiles, her frowns, her emotion shifts, her moods, the things that made her smile, the things that upset her, the foods she liked, the coffee she drank, how much water she drank during the day, which Angie thought was not nearly enough hydration. Everything. She'd been studying every damn thing about this woman, in every occasion she had. And, so far, Emily Prentiss seemed awesome. Genuine. Loving. Caring. Real.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you'd say that." Emily said.
The girl behind the counter handed them what they had ordered and Angie's jaw dropped. That thing was definitely bigger than what she had expected it to be.
"Want a photo with it?" Emily suggested, offering herself as the photographer.
Was that not what youngsters did? She had noticed so many young people snapping photos of their food before they'd even touch it.
"Nope. I don't even have a phone, so…" Angie shrugged and grabbed the spoon.
"Yeah, about that…" Emily sighed and commanded herself not to think of all the calories she was about to intake as she tasted her own sweet dessert.
"How come you don't have a phone? I wanted to give you one for the case. It's been weird only calling JJ when I needed to contact both of you."
"I don't think that shall be necessary. I'm always around JJ…" Angie could not help that tiny eye roll.
"Ohhh, someone doesn't like JJ…" Emily chuckled, teasingly.
"Pfff. Who doesn't like JJ?" Angie said in the only moment when her mouth was not full.
"Uh. You. Duh!" Emily pointed at her.
"It's not that I don't like her. I actually do. I just have absolutely nothing in common with her. So I'd rather keep my distance. I should tell her that, before she considers me to be rude."
"Wait, woah, hold on! Tell her what exactly? That you fully intend on ignoring her entire existence? I'd advise you against such wrongdoing."
"But she needs to know it's not personal and it's not her fault."
"You can't always be cordial to people and let them know exactly what your intentions are. Don't feel connected to JJ? Then let her be. Ignore her. She'll get the memo and she'll give you some space."
"For the record, I have nothing against JJ." Angie sighed and decided to take Emily's advice, knowing very well that as soon as Emily saw JJ, she'd tell her to back off anyway.
"So, how do you like it?" Emily pointed at the thing Angie was now halfway done eating.
"Amazing. So delicious. Yumm! We don't have this back hom-…" Angie stopped speaking and gave herself a second to revise her words.
"Uh, back where I came from." She then corrected herself.
Where she came to Quantico from, was not home.
No place really felt like home anymore.
"Does Angela Hunter want to settle down and find a new home, then?" Emily asked curiously.
"I'm not sure. It would be temporary anyways. It always is."
"It shouldn't be."
"No, it shouldn't…"
If anyone was eavesdropping on any of the interactions Emily and Angela had ever had, they would not understand a thing. It sounded like they were speaking in code, leaving so many things left unsaid, but they communicated them to each other non-verbally instead.
And then there was also a certain sadness, even in the fun moments they shared.
"Which field office does Angela Hunter want to join?" Emily smirked, trying to look as innocent and genuine as she could, while asking this dumb question.
"Seriously!?" Angie raised her eyebrow. "Some profiler you are…" She then muttered to herself.
Emily heard. On the inside, she was laughing at this girl's courage to speak her mind. But she did not question it.
"You need to keep your op-…" Emily barely started speaking when Angela finished her line.
"My options opened? Yeah, Rossi already told me that." Angie sighed.
"Wait. Rossi spoke to you about it!?" Emily freaked out a little bit.
This was both good and bad.
Good, because if Rossi had already told the truth to Angela, then it wouldn't have to be Emily now to break her heart.
Bad, because Emily was the authority figure and such communication had to come from her.
"Before you bite his head off, I should elaborate that he did not say anything specific, other than this one line. He said I should find my perfect fit or whatever." Angie shrugged. She had zoned out during that part of his speech earlier.
"And you think you already have?" Emily pushed it a bit more.
"I know I already have." Angela stated confidently.
It pained Emily to have to tell her that her wish would not only not be granted, buy blatantly disregarded altogether. She wouldn't even be able to apply for the BAU internship, because it was not on the list.
So, she decided not to say anything at all. Which, as she'd find out sooner or later, would turn out to be a not-so-perfect choice.
"Hey, what about the person you've been trying to figure out. Do you have any progress already?" Angie changed the topic in the most obvious way.
Emily had to think for a second, to remember how much she had already shared about Richard. And it was none. She had only vaguely said that she was trying to figure people out, but she hadn't mentioned names, or even the gender of the specific person she had in mind.
"Mhh, nope. Not really. I mean, I guess someone told me they were a great person, but I'm not sure how I feel about…it…" Emily shrugged and it was her turn now to look like the confused child in the conversation.
"But you said he treated you well…?"
"I said that. But I never said it was a he." Emily would not fall for a basic trick question, not after all these years of her interrogation tactics being perfected.
"I ain't judging if it was a she…" Angie smirked. If she didn't succeed the first time, he'd just keep on going until Emily would admit it. And she knew she would.
"Ugh. Fine. It's a he." Emily rolled her eyes - a one and a half roll, followed by a dramatic sigh, just like Angela had done earlier.
"Oh, tell me more, tell me more…was it love at first sight?" Angie sung the theme song to one of her favorite Musicals – Grease.
She had now forgotten all about her food and was leaning against the table, with her elbows on the edge of it and her fists under her chin, like a curious kid.
"You like Grease…" Emily's words sounded more like an affirmation, like a mantra, rather than a question.
"Yup. I'm also jealous of those cute pink bathrobes you and the girls have." She said honestly.
Emily made a mental note to herself to do something, as soon as she got back to Quantico.
"What else does Angela Hunter like? Tell me about her." Emily asked in such a soft voice that Angie could simply not deny her.
"She likes weird, random things. She reads a lot, about topics she does not even understand. But she likes to challenge herself. She likes pizza and lasagna, but dislikes Italy…"
"Oh, Italy. Phew, don't get me started…" Emily trailed off and shook her head, shaking the image of Ian Doyle away. "It was the second time my life got ruined by a man. And the first time I lost something incredibly dear to my heart. Not to mention – the first time I died…"
She did not go into details. It was not something she ever spoke about.
Angie bit her bottom lip hard and then continued before Emily would have a breakdown.
"She is really bad at rollerblading. You know, those ones on four wheels. Not really Angela's forte. But she likes figure skating. She's somewhat okay at it, in the sense that she would not fall flat on her butt after a few meters of skating. But she doesn't enjoy ice, snow and cold temperatures, unless she's inside, with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and a good book, in the other."
Angie spoke in third person, as if she was talking about someone else. Emily had noticed her do so many times now and so had Rossi.
Emily just smiled as she listened to everything intently, occasionally taking a spoonful of her frozen yogurt.
"She likes long walks on the beach, but not like the other girls. She prefers to be alone. She likes to hear the waves crashing against the sand and she likes to walk on the verge of the water. She could walk kilometers like that. She also dislikes romance, even though her favorite movie is a romantic comedy. She'd never admit that, to anyone, though." Angie chuckled.
"Doesn't she want to have a boyfriend, maybe?" Emily asked.
"Mhh, not really. Not right now, anyway. She has a lot on her plate at this moment. I guess she has to figure herself out first, before she lets anyone else in, and I don't mean just a boyfriend, but also as friends."
"That's a very healthy thing to do – knowing who you are first." Emily pointed out.
"I've been told it's the grown-up thing to do. I'm simply following orders." Angie referred to the words of her therapist and she remembered she had her next appointment with her quite soon.
"She also likes glitter and I know it sounds stupid, but people sometimes forget that twenty-three does not mean that one has their life perfectly sorted out and one has to always be perfectly grown-up. Angela Hunter likes to keep a part of her childhood, always with her. As a reminder, I guess." Angie continued.
"I see she also measures everything the European way. Kilometers, meters…" Emily pointed out.
"Yeah, it's a habit." Angie smiled, without explaining how terribly bad she was at converting things to the American standards.
She had no idea how long twenty inches were or how distant a mile was, if she had to point it out without measuring it. Having lived in Europe for so long, a lot of American things were a foreign concept to her. Things like Pinkberry, for example.
"She likes way too many things. Now, tell me, what does Emily Prentiss like?" Angie shot the ball back to Emily's court.
She could go on and on about random things, but what she was really interested in was getting to know the woman who was sitting in front of her.
"Let's see…Well, Emily Prentiss likes her job. She likes her friends, a lot. She likes walks on the beach, too. She is not much of a fan of romance, at least I didn't think she was…" Emily was perplexed.
She had always said that romance nauseated her, but remembering a certain week, with a certain French man, she was not so sure anymore. Everything had been perfect, romantic, like in a fairy tale, like in those movies that Emily refused to ever watch. Why had she liked it so much, if all she ever stood for was the complete opposite of romance?
"Emily Prentiss also likes making dumb decisions which ruin her life, every now and then. She likes it when people give her another chance, but it also scares her…" Emily trailed off.
"Scares her? Why?"
"Well, because once she realizes she has been wrong, and the other person or people give her another chance, she gets scared that she might screw up again." Emily said honestly.
"But isn't that what life is all about?"
"Tell that to the people who refuse to give Emily Prentiss another chance!" Emily smirked, loving how that statement came out.
Perfect timing. Every now and then she said the right thing, at the right time.
"What is the most precious thing Emily Prentiss has ever lost?" Angie asked curiously.
Emily's words always pointed to a great loss, one that has been haunting her for a long time now.
"Honestly? A child…" Emily looked down and gulped.
It had been years since she spoke about that. She remembered having a vague conversation about it, with Rossi, but apart from that, those words had never escaped Emily's lips.
Angie sensed how upset Emily was and she put her hand on top of Emily's, squeezing it lightly.
"It was before I turned into the Emily Prentiss that I am now. I've been many versions of Emily Prentiss. I've also been that, but under different names. But you know what?" Emily gave herself a second to steady her emotions before she'd continue.
"What?" Angie was on the verge of her seat.
No, she did not know what. Yes, she wanted to know what and why and when and where and how. She wanted to know absolutely everything there was to know about this woman.
"No matter the name, I've always been me, the person you are seeing this week. I've changed a bit here and there, I've been through phases in my life, but I've always been me. I guess other people see me differently, though, because they know of my past – one full of aliases and things I've done…things I'd like to forget…" Emily licked her lips, still thinking primarily about Ian Doyle, among other things and people.
"I've changed my hair and my clothes, but underneath it all, it's always been me - same heart, same soul…same person who lost the most precious thing in her life. Same pain, in the same place, haunting me just the same, every single day. Because, trust me when I say this, losing a child is the worst feeling in the world and there is no going back from that." She looked at Angie as she spoke.
It felt good to put it out there, put it into words, confide in someone, share some of that pain.
"Angela Hunter has also suffered huge loss. Not a child, but she was once someone's child. And she no longer is. So, yeah, I guess I kind of understand your pain. I'm sorry you have to go through all of this…" Angie said in a tone just above a whisper.
If she had to be honest with herself, this was the perfect moment to forget about the promise she had made to herself all those years ago and to just let hot tears roll down her cheeks. How could she not get emotional?
"It's…uh…" Emily opened her mouth, but felt an overwhelming wave of emotions hit her. Her heart was beating way too fast and she just closed her eyes and moved her head to the side, as if she was trying really hard not to start crying.
"Awwh…" Angie's heart dropped, seeing Emily like this.
While fighting her own tears, she stood up and walked to Emily's chair. Without saying a single word, she just extended her hands.
Emily stood up as well. She was desperate for proximity. Human contact. Human connection. Human touch.
The second she got close to Angela, though, she realized she was the one to be holding Angela, not the other way around. Was the girl in desperate need of human contact, too?
Emily tightened her grip on her and she exhaled a huge chunk of breath that she did not realize she had been holding inside of her ever since her revelation.
It was a relief. It was so bittersweet. Angie smelled like a fruity perfume, one that Emily was very familiar with. Her hair was clean, shiny and so incredibly healthy. Emily let one hand caress Angie's head, going down to feel just how soft her hair was, before it rested on her back, gently pressing her closer. She also felt Angie's nails pressing against her skin, as if she was searching for more closure, more emotions, more of Emily Prentiss.
Angie, in turn, felt like she was suffocating. She burrowed her nose against Emily's neck and she was immobile. She felt Emily's hand move, but hers were gripping Emily's waist and they were not moving an inch, if not to make that grip a bit tighter. She felt Emily's chest move up and down as she breathed in, but it felt like Angie was not taking a single breath at all. She didn't feel her own heart beating. She only felt Emily's. And that was okay. It was beating. She was alive. It all helped Angie calm down a little – Emily was alive. Wasn't that the most important thing in life?
Angie gave in first and she whispered the beginning of a small confession to Emily, feeling like she was going to lose it and start crying any second now.
"Shh." Emily pulled away, just enough to be able to put her index finger on Angie's lips, preventing her from saying anything else.
It didn't take a genius to figure out Angela needed to get something off her chest and it didn't take a profiler to understand how incredibly hard that girl was finding this revelation to be.
"Whenever you're ready, Angela Hunter. No rush. I'm here…" Emily said with a smile.
"I'll always be here." Emily added, letting her hand caress Angela's face before they broke the hug off simultaneously.
"Can we, please, get out of here? I feel like I can't breathe. I need some fresh air." Angela asked, rushing to the door with her cheeks red, like they were burning.
Emily quickly paid for the things that they had already finished eating, and she joined Angela outside.
"It's a beautiful day…" Emily pointed out, trying to start a new topic, to get both of their minds off of what was bothering them.
"You know what's going to be beautiful?" Angie said, staring at Emily's face, quite like Richard always used to. It was creepy, but it was also cute, in its own weird way.
"Do I dare ask what?" Emily sighed. She already knew Angela was a Daredevil and she wouldn't be surprised if the girl randomly suggested they'd go bungee jumping off the Empire State Building.
"You!" Angie smirked. "You'll look banging hot without the stupid fringe."
Angela's blunt way of saying things always made Emily laugh and this was no exception.
"Add some highlights here and there. Maybe go a tone lighter, overall. Yup, definitely lighter…" Angie circled around Emily, checking her hair out.
"Okay, I'm starting to have complexes now…" Emily's hand slicked her hair back, suddenly not so sure of her hairdo and how well it fit her.
"You mean 'insecurities'?" Angie said smartly. "Because 'complex' is an informal term for what happens when someone develops a belief, and it is often an exaggerated belief, that a particular situation is dangerous or embarrassing. And 'insecurities' are-…"
She trailed off when she saw Emily fold her hands and eye her up and down. Yes, she had most definitely once again entered Angela-Nerd Mode and she needed to be stopped.
"Well, how long have you had this hair for?" Angie asked, returning to the main topic.
"Since I came back to life. Well, the second time around." Emily's words usually confused people. But Angela did not even flinch.
"How about a third rebirth then? Come on, you'll look just great. I promise. Just…trust me, okay?" Angie held her hand out and Emily hesitantly put hers on top of it and let the girl drag her down the street, in search of a hair salon.
Fifteen minutes later they walked in the hair salon of their choice, laughing like they were drunk.
Angela had just shared one of her weird, random stories, making Emily lose it. This girl was a pretty good storyteller and it didn't help that her stories were full of crazy twists and juicy details, too. In less than half an hour Emily had gone from desperately wanting to cry her heart out because of a huge loss, to desperately trying not to cry from laughter, because of what Angela was saying.
They found themselves in front of the reception desk at the beauty salon, calming down their giggles so they would be able to speak to the girl who welcomed them.
"Hi, she needs a makeover. Quickly!" Angie said dramatically, pointing at Emily's hair.
"God, you're making me feel self-conscious right now." Emily faked offense.
"Woman, please! If you ever need a pick me up, go ask Bryan about Agent Hotness. He'll tell you all about her well-shaped ass and those…well, those!" Angie pointed at Emily's chest, well hidden behind her buttoned up smart shirt.
"Jesus Christ! Is that what you, young people, discuss these days!?" Emily gasped.
"Is it not what you discussed when you were my age?" Angie raised an eyebrow.
"It still is, my dear." Emily resumed laughing and checked out the progress of the girl who had welcomed them to the salon.
They were now trying to accommodate them as soon as possible.
"Miss, we have two adjacent chairs, if you want." The woman said politely, pointing at the chairs that were just getting liberated by two elderly women.
"Oh, no. It's just her." Angie shook her head.
"Girl, if I suffer for beauty…you suffer for beauty with me. Okay?" Emily felt a new mix of emotions.
With Angela, things always moved fast. She'd make Emily laugh and then she'd say something that would make her want to cry and scream at the top of her lungs, then she'd be laughing again, to the point where tears would fall from her eyes.
"Okay, fine. I will sacrifice my sanity. Only for you, Emily Prentiss…only for you!" Angie said dramatically, pretending like a beauty procedure wouldn't be an awesome thing to do in New York City.
Emily felt like she was watching a play. That's what this was. Angela was an actress and the world was her stage. She would change costumes, play different roles, show different emotions. She would make her public laugh and cry with her, she'd take them on an emotional rollercoaster ride and she'd rise and fall, with them by her side.
But that public – the ones who really got to experience the play and understand the play, was limited. She had a lot of spectators and she sure liked to put on a show, but those special ones, the ones who got it, the ones who got her, were not many.
So far, she had only let Rossi see a tiny piece of her soft side. Bryan, as well. And, to Emily's dismay, she was slowly allowing her to move to that front row and enjoy her show from up-close.
Emily would sometimes close her eyes for a few seconds, while Angela narrated one of her wild stories. She'd dive into her thoughts, listening to this girl go on and on about whatever topic. She'd occasionally sigh or chuckle and, deep within each phrase, each word, Emily would find a meaning. Spontaneously. She wouldn't even have to search or think about it. Those words, Angela's actions, would speak to Emily's heart.
The hairdressers who came to tend to them were two adorable young guys, very funky looking in their daring outfits and even more daring hairdos. Angie loved everything about them. If they were walking down the street, looking like this, people would call them freaks. But to Angela, their style communicated something else. She could relate. She had tried so hard, and so many times, to be a different version of herself, to look like someone else, like someone new. But each time, she ended up feeling like herself. That was hardly a bad thing, though. It almost felt like she knew exactly what Emily had been trying to tell her just earlier – about the different versions of Emily, the names and the disguise, but still the same person underneath it all. Angela could relate completely.
"So, beauties, what are we doing today? A little trim and blow out?" One of the boys suggested.
Looking at Emily, all prim and proper in her FBI approved attire, he assumed she wouldn't be the daring type who'd go for a complete makeover.
"Hmm, actually. How about we switch things up a little. Like, lot…" Emily smirked.
Checking herself out in the mirror, she realized she hated that look. She had sported it since she came back from the London Interpol Office, with the only difference that she had grown bangs now. Those were annoying. They covered too much of her face and she did not feel comfortable, or cute, for that matter.
"I'm going lighter. Like, brown. With some highlights, but please, not the Godawful yellow strikes that are visible from an airplane! I want them subtle. And I want my hair somewhat curly. Like…beach waves, but bolder. Make them stand out. Play with it, I don't know…get creative." Emily had quite the specific look in her mind, even if she didn't realize it herself.
In a way, she had just described Lauren Reynolds' exact look, from all those years ago.
"Oh, Mamma's going younger!" Her assigned hairdresser said, clapping his hands contently.
He could already tell how amazing Emily would look like that.
"How about your daughter? What are we going to do with you, sexy model babe?" Angie's hairdresser said with a huge smile, while his fingers brushed through her long honey-brown hair, adoring its length and texture.
Angie sucked in a breath. What did he just call her?
Emily went a little pale, but said nothing at all. Had she not just spoken about a lost child? Hearing words like those made her a bit…upset. They also compensated for some of the pain, filling a void she had carried inside her for years now.
It almost felt…natural, for her to hear such words.
If only they were true…
"Her daughter is damn fine, the way she is." Angie did a little Diva hair flip, because if she didn't use her spark at a hair salon, being tended to by two very funky looking guys, one of whom wore boots with heels; then where the Hell would be a more appropriate time and place to do so?
"Okay, I'm going for that trim and blow out. I also want the beach waves. Don't you dare ruin my face by cutting bangs! I swear to God…!" She laughed, clearly being humoristic rather than rude and obnoxious.
Emily noticed Angela's half-spoken threat. It was Emily's most famous one liner ever. There was not a single person at Quantico who would ever hear those words and not think about Emily Prentiss. It was her trademark and it sounded just as genuinely convincing, coming from Angela's mouth, too.
The guys loved the vibe at the salon, having those two girls there. They would later spend the entire time discussing random things like music, fashion, and other boys.
"So, let me get this straight, Baby Doll…" Angie's hairdresser said, shooting a look between her and Emily.
"You basically wanna turn into a Mamma 2.0?" He added.
Angie chuckled. It was true – they both wanted the same hairstyle, only that Angie's hair would still be longer. And much more sane, having evited dying it and destroying it with blow-dryers and blow outs.
"Exactly!" Angie smirked.
With what she already knew about Emily Prentiss, maybe turning into her was not such a bad thing, after all. Literally or figuratively.
Neither her, nor Emily, ever corrected what the guys presumed about their connection. Let them believe what they wanted to. Why the Hell not?
It was their week to experience new things and to get to know each other. So, this was new and it didn't feel bad…or awkward. In a way, in a very dark and twisted way, it felt kind of good. Very good, actually.
"You must be so proud of her. She's gorgeous." Emily's hairdresser pointed out, studying Angie's facial features carefully, in the mirror.
"So incredibly proud…" Emily said weakly, adding to herself: you wouldn't even believe it.
It didn't take Angie long to find common ground with the boys. Apparently, they were huge Musical theater fans as well. Emily knew a lot, but not as much as these three nutjobs who took 'fun' on a whole new level.
Angie felt comfortable enough to put on a show, for the whole Salon. The guys would suggest a Musical and she'd randomly sing a piece of its theme song.
"Girl, you have a beautiful voice. You should be on Broadway!" Emily's hairdresser said to Angie.
She did not seem to mind the attention, at all. She felt absolutely in her element, singing in front of about twenty people and it was obvious how much she was enjoying it.
"I have some Musical training. When I was young, I wanted to be a Broadway star. Haha, look at where I ended up." Angie rolled her eyes and laughed at the irony of life.
"Where are you now?" Angie's hairdresser asked her curiously. He figured she must be a back-up singer or a dancer for someone relatively famous.
"I'm with the FBI!" Angie said with a content smirk. It wasn't such a bad compromise after all. "To be honest, I've always had the FBI as first option. Broadway was my safety job. More like, my guilty pleasure. I should specify that I was five years old. It was pretty much the same, for me. I considered both jobs as great fun. Guess I still do."
"Girl, you're weird…" One of the guys stated, absolutely in shock to hear that this fragile little thing was an FBI Agent.
Emily did not correct Angie with the fact that she was not yet an actual working Agent. She didn't have the heart to do that, so she simply let Angie have her moment of awesomeness.
"…But I like it. I like your vibe." The same guy continued his thought.
"Thanks. People sometimes think I'm a freak or that I'm bigheaded. Oh, so not the case." She chuckled before randomly busting into a song from Aladdin.
"She's the most down to Earth person on the planet. But God, yes, she is a freak!" Emily pointed out with a smile.
She had gotten to know Angela Hunter just a few weeks ago. Briefly. She still didn't know exactly what she stood for and who she was, but she already liked what she saw.
"Okay, Hot Mamma, ready to cut ten years?" Emily's guy said, having mixed the dye and waiting to apply it to her hair.
"Make that fifteen and I'll tip you generously." Emily said contently, tilting her head and allowing him to work his magic.
She also sent a silent prayer to all higher powers, hoping that she wouldn't look like a clown. It was a bit of a bold change for someone like SSA Prentiss – predictable.
"Oh, I can't wait to see the look on Bryan's face when he sees the new and improved Agent Hotness." Angela teased, nudging Emily, sitting right next to her.
"You do realize how inappropriate this conversation is, right?" Emily blushed.
On one hand, it felt good to hear that a hot, young guy was into her.
But on the other hand, she could be his boss. Scratch that – she could be his mother! This was just…weird.
"Yup." Angie smirked contently.
She loved pushing people's buttons and the fact that The Great Emily Prentiss was giving her the green light to continue doing so, was a sweet plus.
"How about he finds someone his age? Or, has he already?" It was now Emily's turn to push Angie's buttons, nudging her back.
"I dunno." Angie shrugged, knowing what was about to hit her.
"Come on. The guy moved in with you…"
"Only because my roommate decided to die for a few weeks. And then we found out she was an undercover Agent who was infiltrated to make our first two weeks miserable."
"Mhm…" Emily muttered, not believing a word.
"What? Seriously? Bryan and I!?" Angie laughed. It sounded so ridiculous.
"Why not? He's hot."
"Oh, so you do like him?" Angie teased.
"Jesus, okay, this came out so wrong…" At this point Emily was blushing profoundly.
Why did Angela have to have this crazy ability to twist someone's words against them? Damn!
"You don't have to worry. There will never be anything between Bryan and me. That's why I chose him." Angie's statement made Emily suspicious.
"Chose him for what?"
"To be in my life forever."
"Forever? You've only known him for, what, eight weeks now?" Emily scoffed.
Maybe Angela was being a bit naïve. Friendships would change with the time. She couldn't be so sure, or she'd end up hurt.
"I'm only a good judge of character when it comes to the people I want in my life forever. I spot those out since the moment I meet them. I know what I want and I've never been wrong. Plus, there aren't many people on my 'Nice list', so…" Angie shrugged casually.
If she had to be honest, she could count those people on the fingers of one hand and still be left with a spare finger to flash one of the people who did not make it on the list.
"Who else is on your Nice list?" Emily asked curiously.
"Just…people."
"People who would remain on the Nice list or people you're not sure about anymore?"
"I dunno. I guess they shall remain…" Angie's own reply confused her.
She took a moment to think of the names of people on that list. She checked all the names as Safe, except for the first name on the list – the most important one of them all. For some reason, she was unable to put that mental green check sign in front of that name. She felt like she didn't even know that person anymore…like that person did not exist anymore. Wasn't that why she had named them Monkey?
"Beautieeeees…" One of the hairdressers interrupted them. "Since you've been such a ray of sunshine in our Salon, we've decided that all of your beauty treatments today are on the house."
"Oh, we can't accept that…" Emily panicked, being used to the ban of accepting favors, in her capacity of an FBI Agent.
"Speak for yourself. I'm broke!" Angie laughed, not even realizing how she had just admitted to not having money. It wasn't something she wanted people to know about.
"We absolutely insist! That woman who was just sitting here earlier…" The hairdresser pointed to a now empty chair, two chairs away from theirs. "Well, she's a Socialite and she just tagged our Salon on her Instagram, saying the atmosphere was awesome and she had live entertainment, thanks to your singing. We just got over 200 new likes on our page. So, it is our pleasure to offer you also a complimentary manicure, too, if you'd like. Anything for our favorite Mommy-and-me darlings!"
His voice was high-pitched, very feminine and so adorable. Angie almost regretted not having any form of social media, so she would be able to follow him and his colleague.
Angie caught a glimpse of Emily's face in the mirror, after she heard yet another mommy-related comment. Maybe she should have spoken up earlier, set the record straight as to what their relationship really was? All this pretending was fun, until it hurt Emily. And it did hurt her. It made her think of the loss she had just shared with Angela.
Without saying a word, Angie put her right hand on Emily's left knee and when their eyes met, she smiled. A warm smile. A bright smile. A genuine smile. A smile that warmed Emily's heart for so many reasons.
"Hey? Chin up, Princess. The world deserves to see you smile!" Angie whispered to Emily.
"Also, we don't want that crown to fall from your head. Nobody else deserves it. Nobody, but you!" Angie added confidently.
To say that she worshipped that woman would be a huge understatement. Angela was more than obsessed with everything she did and if it were up to her, she'd want to breathe the air Emily Prentiss would breathe, for the rest of their lives and there would be no other acceptable alternative.
Emily took a moment to analyze Angela's face, now that the girl's hands had forced her to keep her head up and to look her straight in the eyes.
There was something so soft about it. About her. Apart from hey honey-like voice and those almost invisible cute little dimples on her cheeks, there was something else that Emily felt so drawn to, so relaxed by, so intrigued by.
"Who turned you into this wonderful human being?" Emily said, a tone just above a whisper.
"And why are you doing this to me?" She added silently, only saying those words in her own head, while her lips remained immobile.
"Life…" Angie shrugged lightly. Suddenly there was something else on that face – a childlike sorrow. "And people…"
"Must have been one Hell of a tough life…" Emily trailed off mysteriously, just like Angela had just done.
"And some Hell of an amazing bunch of people, too…" Angie added, feeling the need to point that out, as if that was the most important part of her statement.
"Do you ever look back? At life…with those people?" Emily asked.
By that time, the hairdressers were away for a few minutes, waiting for Emily's dye to work it's magic before they'd rinse it off.
"Mhh, yeah. But it makes me sad. Extremely sad. And I don't want Angela Hunter to be sad…"
"How are you going to battle her sadness then?" Emily had an idea. A few, really. But she wasn't going to impose them on this girl. No. She'd make Angela analyze her situation and choose her best option, on her own.
She was a grown up now. She was fully capable of taking decisions for herself.
"I haven't figured it out yet." Angie shrugged again, being the first one to break the eye contact, as it was starting to feel a bit weird already.
"Guess I thought I'd figure it out this week." She added, hesitantly.
"There is still time. It's only Wednesday." Emily pointed out before realizing that time seemed to fly and she was confused about the days. "Wait, is it Thursday? Already!?"
Angela was quiet. It was unusual. Emily could sense how she had mentally transferred herself to another place, in another time.
"You don't have to figure your whole life out, in just seven days, Angela Hunter." Emily said softly, when Angela failed to engage in the conversation for a minute or two. She was there physically, but mentally she was elsewhere.
"But that's all I have…" Angie said with sadness in her voice.
"All you have with what?" Emily knew what the girl meant, but maybe making her say it out loud would help her figure some issues out already.
Angie did not speak. Slowly, hesitantly, her index finger pointed at Emily, as reply.
"Ohh, sweetheart. If I am an important piece in your puzzle of life, you should know you would always have me, to turn to." Emily then tried to touch Angela's hand, which was on the armrest of the chair, but Angie shrieked away, like Emily was the Devil.
"Would I?" Angie raised an eyebrow, only letting Emily see it in the mirror. She refused to make further eye contact.
"Yes, Angela Hunter. You would!" It took Emily a nanosecond to reply. Her voice was a bit louder, a bit more serious now.
Angie shrugged, yet again.
"But I'm sick of people saying that…" She only came out with half the truth.
"People will always say that." Emily spoke the tough truth.
"And I'm sick of them always leaving, after saying that." Angie continued with the other half of what was really bothering her.
"People will always leave." Emily's statement shocked her.
It was far from what Angie wanted to hear. It was rough, upsetting, but it was the truth. At least one person was being honest with her. Finally.
"But if they care about you, they will always find their way back to you." Emily sighed, continuing that thought about people always leaving. "You just have to let them back into your life. Because, trust me, if someone is busting their ass to be in your life, they sure as Hell want to be there."
Angie raised an eyebrow at those last few words, not fully believing what she was hearing.
"Always is a pretty damn big word, you know?" Angie spat out her next statement, since the word 'always' was recurring in their last few statements.
She hated that word. She did not believe it in anymore. To her, that word was nothing but a promise that would surely one day be broken.
"Oh, come on! You are incredibly hard to deal with!" Emily chuckled at Angie's disbelief. "You close yourself off, you push people away and you'd rather spend years, keeping all the pain locked inside of you, than giving them a chance of maybe healing you. If someone is fighting to be back in your life, even after all of your little tantrums, there must be a solid reason. And as far as 'always' is concerned – yes, I may have learned the power of that word, the hard way. If it gives you any peace of mind – I hate that word, too."
Angie now gulped. That was so damn true.
"Oh yeah?" She challenged, finally getting the courage to pierce Emily with a stare. "How is Emily Prentiss any different?"
"She isn't." Emily confided. "She is the absolute same way. And she is stubborn, in a self-destructive way. And, after years of closing herself off for happiness, she is finally faced with the only option – dying sad and alone."
"Hey, don't say that!" Angela cringed at the possibility of Emily Prentiss dying. Let alone sad and alone.
"It's the truth, Angela Hunter. I don't have anyone. All my colleagues are married, they have children…" Emily trailed off.
"I mean, screw men, but…don't you want to have children?" She asked curiously.
"I do…but it's just not happening for me." Emily looked down at her nails. She had the habit of biting them when she was nervous and recently her hands have been looking like a mess.
"Hello, Hot Mamma." Emily's hairdresser returned and busied himself washing her hair while Angie's hairdresser prepared her to get the curls of her dreams.
They boys had tended to another couple of quick trims, while Emily's dye would work its magic. Now that they were back, noticing Emily's desperate need of a manicure, they snapped their fingers in the air and two girls prepared seats for Emily and Angela to go get their manicure, as soon as their hairstyles were ready.
While the girls got blow-dried and pampered, the sound of the blow-driers was too loud, so they could not talk. It was not until they sat down for the manicure that Angela spoke up.
"Emily Prentiss looks like an amazing woman. I'm sorry to hear she's not happy. She should be. She deserves so much more in life." She said honesty, making Emily move her hand across the table and place it on top of Angela's, for just a second.
This time Angie did not shriek away. She let Emily touch her. It did not freak her out, as it usually did when people touched her. This was…different.
"Thank you for saying that, Angela Hunter." Emily forced a smile, but Angie knew that it was not genuine.
She could feel the pain that Emily's eyes and nonverbal signs were communicating. And whenever Angie felt someone else's pain, she usually cracked. She was perfectly able to keep up a straight face in any other occasion, except for when the people she cared about were in pain. It was then that she would lose her cool and let things slip.
And, for some odd reason, having just met Emily Prentiss, the Unit Chief, Angie already cared about her. A lot.
"You know what?" There it was, she was already slipping. "I needed this week to help me figure out where someone else stands, in my life. Different name, completely different person, different place, feels like from a different life, too…"
Emily listened intently, but at some point Angie just stopped talking, in mid-sentence. Emily saw her bite her bottom lip and it made her smile, genuinely this time, because at that moment Angela was a mirror image of Emily Prentiss – biting her lips when nervous.
Thank God, Emily thought, this girl does not bite her nails, as well.
Angie inhaled sharply, looking like she was giving herself a mental pep talk, so she'd have the courage to continue speaking.
That courage was not there yet.
Emily let her have her time. There was no point in rushing things. Emily had tried rushing many things in life and each time she had failed. This time, with Angela Hunter, she wouldn't take chances. She had to thread carefully.
After another deep breath, the courage was still not there.
It was then that Emily felt something…
"But I guess I'm slowly figuring out where Emily Prentiss stands, instead…" Angie finally whispered, after letting her hand search for Emily's, which was still on the table.
A small gesture like this one made Emily's chin quiver. Everyone had already figured out that Angela hated proximity. She'd barely let anyone touch her and she would most definitely not initiate physical contact, herself.
So, to have that hand, one that felt so small, so innocent, so childlike…now search for her own, in a way giving Emily some sort of control, power, some type of…hope. It made Emily proud. Happy. Appreciated.
"What about Angela Hunter? Where does she stand, with Emily Prentiss?" She asked curiously, her smaller hand now squeezing Emily's, as if she was really a child. A scared child. A child that needed protection.
Seeing Emily vulnerable and hearing her admit to being screwed up and alone, had definitely kicked Angela's 'tough girl' walls down, until there was nothing left, but the real girl behind those emerald eyes.
And Emily liked what she was seeing.
"I have never doubted the fact that Angela Hunter is a girl, worth fighting for!" Emily stated, without taking a breath.
"Are you?" Angie raised an eyebrow. "…Going to fight for me?" She added, explaining her previous question.
"Until he last breath I take on this planet." Emily stated.
"You are worth every battle, every drop of blood, every hit, every blow, every lie, every tear, every fight and every gunshot wound." Emily then did something she only ever did with JJ – she brought both of her hands to Angela's face, cupping it in them and making the girl look her, straight in the eyes as she spoke.
It was also possibly the first time that Emily called Angie "you" and not "Angela Hunter".
"Hey, hey?" Emily whispered, feeling Angie resist those hands that were making her face Emily.
"It's okay. I mean it. All of it. Look at me…" Emily pleaded and Angie could not deny her.
"I'm never going to stop fighting for you." Emily repeated and stared at Angela's face until she saw her nod, confirming that she had received the message, loud and clear.
"Can we do more stuff?" Angie asked naively, changing topic and confusing Emily.
"I mean, do we have to go to the airport right away?" Angie elaborated.
The clock was ticking and, as fun as it had been to get pampered, she knew that in a few hours they should go back to reality. To Emily Prentiss' reality.
"We can do whatever we want. We have four more hours until the flight. Let's make the most of them." Emily smirked, feeling oddly adventurous.
After their nails got built and shaped with gel – Emily's painted in a beautiful Bordeaux color, to compliment some of her favorite clothing items; and Angie's in bubblegum pink, to compliment her personality; it was time for them to leave the Salon.
Emily exchanged numbers with the hairdresser guys, just because they had been such sweethearts through this whole experience and then she found herself outside, crossing the street, with Angela walking by her side, with no aim…they just started walking.
And weirdly, it felt good to walk next to each other.
"Can I just say that you look damn good with your hair like this?" Angie pointed out, glancing over at Emily a few times, curiously checking her out.
"Can I just point out how much I adore having you around when you compliment me?" Emily said with a smirk, letting one hand feel the bounciness of her new curls.
Her new hairstyle made her feel good, not only just look good. She remembered having a very similar style, back in the days when she was Lauren Reynolds. In a way she had once convinced herself that this hairstyle was the reason why Lauren had been so funky, so carefree, so savage. Years ago, Emily Prentiss had loved wearing her hair like this, it had given her comfort, it had made her feel like a completely different person. Weirdly, it didn't feel wrong that she had just gone back to her Lauren Reynolds hairstyle, being Emily Prentiss now. Somehow it symbolized the merging of those two women, in one – the real Emily Prentiss, the person she had always been, no matter the name she might have been using for a while.
"Actually, I don't mind you even when you make me second guess myself. It serves me well. I guess I kind of like you, with everything you bring to the table." Emily then added to her statement.
She had given this some thought lately. Angela was a straight shooter and she always knew she'd get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, with her. If a piece of clothing didn't look good on Emily, Angela would surely let her know, so she'd avoid making a fool of herself if she walked out in public, wearing it. If Emily was doing or saying something dumb, Angela won't sugarcoat it, either. It was not a bad thing to have someone point out your flaws, even if Angie's ways were a bit savage. Emily understood her. She appreciated her.
Angie smiled weakly at what Emily had just said. It felt good to feel appreciated.
"I'm surprised I'm not hungry again. I'm always up for food." Angie laughed, feeling the pleasant smell of hot dogs, coming from a street stand nearby. Also, she needed a change of topic before she'd let herself feel bigheaded.
"Speaking of food, are you eating well?" Emily's protective instincts kicked in.
She, herself, had gone through a battle with food. At fifteen, Emily Prentiss had gone through way too many battles. All on her own. She'd be damned if she let another young girl suffer the same faith.
"Mmh, yeah." Angie nodded hesitantly.
"Mmh? Angela Hunter, this is my line. You should know better by now." Emily rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine. Really."
"I shall be inclined on believing you, young lady. You certainly do look healthy." Emily admitted. She had seen Angela eat and that girl had an appetite.
"How about materially? You doing good?" Emily pushed it a bit further.
"It is kind of rude to ask people you don't know, about their monetary status, you know?" Angie faked offense, just so she'd get away with answering the question.
The only thing Emily did was to raise an eyebrow at her and Angie started singing the truth.
"Ok, fine. I'm not too well off, but I'm managing. I don't need money. I have coupons for food and that's all I need. If I ever need money, I know how to provide for myself." She sighed.
"You do realize that, being part of the FBI now, your ways of providing have to be legal, right?" Emily's eyebrow was still up, looking at the girl disapprovingly.
"Either that, or I shall be smart enough not to get caught!" Angie smirked, clearly just joking. Or, was she?
"Alright. Jesus, woman! Ugh." She gave up, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. "I'm always wise and somewhat legal, when it comes to my revenue channels."
"God, Angela Hunter, you really are a piece of work!" Emily smiled and pointed at a beauty shop.
"What? Wanna go rob this place?" Angie smirked at her own words. Stealing make-up had once been the beginning of a nightmare of hers. In her sleep, she would enter a shop and put some eye shadow pallets in her bag before someone busted her and, somehow, guns were blazing and she was locked inside a cell, with five armed men. She never really figured out the meaning of that nightmare and she had only had it twice in her life. But each time she had found it ironic that, in her sleep, she'd die, over something as stupid as make-up.
"No, of course not. Oh my God!" Emily gasped.
Why was she even surprised at anything this girl said anymore?
"We could use a little color on our faces. I mean, we can't rock this awesome new hair with no make-up at all, right?" Emily explained her suggestion to enter that shop.
"Oh, Emily Prentiss…I like you!" Angie clapped her hands enthusiastically and started crossing the street, ignoring the light that was clearly still red.
"Aren't you a Daredevil, Angela Hunter…" Emily's words were not a question, but a mere observation.
"Why, yes I am, Ma'am!" Angie smirked. "Or are you too legal now to be caught jaywalking?"
There were no cars on the street, as she crossed. Why would she wait? Moreover, why would she pass on a perfect opportunity to tease Emily Prentiss about her lawful citizen, super legal ways?
"Oh, mon Dieu, please do not call me that!" Emily cringed.
The last time someone had called her Ma'am, it had been Richard. And then, also Luke Alvez, but he was being am ass to her occasionally, jokingly pissing her off by calling her that. She always let that slide, because deep down inside, she loved the sick and twisted friendship she had with the guy whom she had profiled and insulted as soon as he had joined the FBI. Looking back on that moment, Emily blushed. She also wanted to strangle JJ for not having made a sign for her to stop talking, when she had noticed Luke right behind Emily. If only Emily knew that JJ did make the subtle sign, but it was Emily who hadn't caught on it and had continued going on and on about the 'new guy's' issues, as profiled by the lack of personal objects on his desk.
"It's funny. Soon enough the Academy will be done and I'll end up calling someone Madam, during my internship." Angie said casually.
"How are you so sure the Unit Chief would be a woman?" Emily played dumb.
"Because I know they are." At this point, it was painfully obvious what Angie was hinting about.
Emily did not comment. There was still that final piece of information that she had not yet told that girl and, no matter how much she wanted to be completely honest with her, she simply did not want to be the reason for her beautiful smile to turn into a frown.
"Hey, maybe they'll be cool, like Emily Prentiss, and they'd wanna fight for me, too." Angie shrugged and at this point Emily was wondering if the girl already knew the truth and if this was her way of guilt-tricking Emily into changing the fact that the BAU was not having an intern.
Maybe if Emily heard about the possibility of Angela, working for someone else, it might make her want to do something about the BAU Internship situation?
Unfortunately, it did not depend on Emily anymore.
Damn the BAU team and their conspiracy against Emily, in regard to the budget cuts…
"Oh, I love this song!" Angie overheard a tune, coming from a shop near them.
She smiled and danced a little.
"I love that song, as well." Emily said, allowing herself to, mentally, sing along with the song.
Emily had always liked Usher. More so after, years ago, JJ had shown her a photo of him, topless. It had been in a magazine and there was something so memorable about the way the light shined off of his oiled up, naked six pack, especially with the color of his skin. Emily had a type, she'd never admit it, but she was drawn to the same type of men.
"See this girl, she sorta looks just like you…" Angie started singing, randomly, on the sidewalk.
Why the Hell not? She was young, she was carefree… People her age did way worse and way more scandalous things, on a daily basis. All she wanted was to sing a song.
"She even smiles just the way you do…" She twirled around and took Emily's hand, putting up yet another one of her shows.
"So innocent she seemed, but I was fooled…I'm reminded when I look at you…" Emily weirdly joined in, muttering the rest of the words after having looked around like a creep, trying to figure out if there were people, watching them.
At the end she gave up and gave into the temptation to sing a damn song. Why the Hell not?
"You remind me of a girl that I once knew…" Angie smiled, loving the fact that Emily was finally starting to be more fun, less Chief.
"See her face whenever I, I look at you…" Angie continued singing, this time in perfect sync with Emily's voice, for this specific line.
"You won't believe all of the things that she put me through…" Emily ended off the chorus line, ignoring the very last line about getting together with that said girl - that would sound weird if she sung it out loud, on the street.
Also, what it hinted at was so not what either Emily or Angela were thinking of.
"Such a bad, bad girl she must have been…" Angie chuckled.
There was no alternate universe in which Angela Hunter would hold back a sarcastic comment on any topic. That made Emily smile, reminding her of the same exact way that Lauren Reynolds had been – full of sarcasm and fierceness. She sort of missed some of Lauren's traits. Would it really be such a bad thing to act a little like Lauren, even when she was being Emily Prentiss?
"Can't argue with you there." Emily suddenly felt a little self-conscious.
What was she doing? She was standing in front of a shop, singing along to a song, with a girl who clearly felt much more comfortable in putting on a show.
Since when was Emily Prentiss so spontaneous?
Why did she enjoy this so much?
"Okay, now we go dancing!" Angie stated calmly.
"It's the afternoon, on a Wednesday…or Thursday!" Emily pointed out, still confused about which day it was.
She could only hope it was a Wednesday, as that would give her one more full day, with Angela by her side.
"There are enough dim-lit bars to choose from. Come on, it's New York City! What happens in New York, stays in New York!"
"I'm pretty sure that only applies for Vegas…" Emily trailed off. "Although, God, I hope it also applies for Atlantic City, with all those Sin To Win weekends, phew…"
Angie smirked, but said nothing, which triggered Emily's curiosity.
"What? Come on, say it." Emily urged her, knowing that there was something on Angela's mind.
"Sin To Win? Never thought Emily Prentiss was the naughty type…" Angie really wanted to smirk, but for some reason, her body response to her own words was to blush. Her cheeks turned red. Maybe this time she had pushed her teasing a bit too far. Emily was, after all, an authority figure, even if she hadn't been acting like one with her, at least not when they were alone.
Emily's response was to start laughing genuinely. Oh, if Angela only knew that Emily always won big…
"Come on, Daredevil, let's go dancing." She urged Angie, placing a hand on her shoulder and urging her to start walking again.
Emily now had a specific bar in mind. She remembered she had been there with JJ and Tara once, at noon, and it had been great. The music had been loud and, after five drinks, neither of them cared that the bar was empty. They had all danced and acted silly. She could only hope the bar still existed, as this had happened over a year ago.
"Oh, hip-hop, yes!" Angie was in awe when they walked in, ten minutes later.
The bar did still exist and it was still just as funky as Emily remembered it.
Walking in, they followed a long hallway, with pictures of the biggest names in R'n'B and hip-hop, from the East Coast. Angie took an eternity to walk down the hallway, as she kept stopping in front of pictures and recognizing the singers.
They could hear the music, coming from the downstairs floor, where all the tables were situated. It was the real hip-hop, the one that Angela really liked. The songs were old and the lights were dim, the bar was open and there was not a single thing in the world Angela needed to add to this perfect little Heaven she had been introduced to.
"Lemon tonic, please." Emily ordered at the bar.
"Yeah, she most certainly forgot to mention the gin, inside." Angie added, yelling to the bartender, on top of the loud music.
"Angela!" Emily said, a bit scandalized. "We can't drink!"
"Why not? We're done with the case and, as far as I know, neither of us is pregnant. What's stopping us?" Angie said with a mischievous wink.
"Ugh…I swear, you'll be the end of me!" Emily muttered to her, shrugging lightly and allowing the bartender to go nuts on the gin, seeing as he had been bored before they showed around and he was very eager to mix some cocktails now. Maybe he'll even get a generous tip if he got them drunk quickly.
"What a sweet end that would be!" Angela said confidently.
Emily was a little confused by her. At times she would speak highly of herself and most times it was obvious she had quite a good opinion of herself, but other times – mostly when she was surrounded by the entire BAU team, Angela would second-guess herself and downright put herself down or call herself 'useless'. Why? Those were two completely different behaviors that belonged to two completely different types of personalities. Then again, Angela was neither of them. If anything, she was a mix of both.
An hour later Angela was ordering a third cocktail, telling the bartender to get creative and to mix whatever the Hell he wanted to. Emily had tried to tell her that mixing alcoholic drinks and trying out so many different alcohols at once was not the best idea, but Angela wanted to hear none of it. She was out and she was having fun. She was not a child and she knew how to handle herself if she got tipsy. Plus, she was in good hands.
However, Emily decided to try and outdrink her, so they both ended up in need of someone with a good head on their shoulders. Sadly, they only had one another, so they had to contribute with the best they still had in them.
"We should get going soon…" Emily tried to say, watching Angie take a big sip of her fresh drink.
"Neeeh, the Hell with the flight." Angie giggled.
In reality, she was very responsible and she wouldn't miss a flight. She just wanted to say it out loud, to let herself feel like she was breaking the rules or doing something bad. She'd run after the damn jet, if she had to, but she knew that ultimately she'd be on that flight and so would be Emily Prentiss, even if she had to drag her there.
"Yup, screw the flight…" Emily trailed off, snapping her fingers in the air in attempts to grab the bartender's attention. "Ey, can we get another one of these?"
"Hello?" Emily added with a pout when the guy didn't even tilt his head up from looking down at his phone screen.
"Hey, you…?" Emily rolled her eyes.
The bar was empty. Yes, the music was still loud, but was it really so damn hard to notice your only two customers?
"You gotta flash the babes!" Angie said smartly.
"Eww, shut up. That only works in a crowded bar. Why would I need to flash-…" While Emily was trying to deny the validity of Angela's naughty little suggestion, Angie took it upon her to prove her words right.
She leaned over the bar, making sure her shirt would get a little too tangled on something, so she'd end up showing a little too much skin.
"Whoopsie." Angie chuckled innocently, pretending to be embarrassed as she fixed her V-neck into a semi-presentable position.
"Well, hello there." She added as the bartender's neck snapped sideways, instantly checking Angie out. "Now that I have your attention, can we get new drinks?"
The guy nodded instantly and started preparing two drinks, while every now and then he kept on checking Angela out.
"Incredible…" Emily shook her head, in half denial. The other half of what she felt was rage. Did it really take showing off your chest, for a guy to notice you these days? And if that was what it took, how many guys have checked Angela out, with her carefree attitude and her apparent flirting, even if it was all fake?
Richard had not been like that. Not at all! He had clearly appreciated seeing Emily in less than the usual clothing garments one would wear in public, but he had never acted like a hungry teenager, drooling over her in a borderline disrespectful way. The thought of that made her smile.
At some point she took her credit card out, intending to pay, before it slipped through her fingers and ended up on the floor. Angela picked it up and handed it to the bartender.
"I'll need a name, for confirmation." The guy asked, looking at Angela, since it had been her to hand him the card, even if it belonged to Emily, instead.
"Josephine…" Angie said in deep, dark and mysterious voice, as if she was imitating someone.
The guy didn't even care enough to look down to check that the name written on the card said Emily Prentiss, instead. He just swiped it and credited all the drinks to Emily.
"Really!? Okay Nikita, calm down!" Emily could not stop laughing, as soon as she heard Angie's dramatic way of introducing herself.
"No shit! You know 'La Femme Nikita'?" Angie nearly freaked out at this realization.
She was used to being dramatic and quoting things that most normal people did not know about, but to have someone catch on such a quote, so quickly, gave her so much satisfaction.
"Are you kidding me? A convicted felon, turned into a spy and an assassin for a secret government organization, against her will? Falls in love with a mysterious hot dark-haired man and struggles to fit her feelings in with the job she now has? I loved that TV show! The original, I mean. The latest version, not so much. And watch your language, young girl." Emily could not help her inner nerd coming out. It was just bound to happen. With Angela it wasn't even weird, it was like they were two of a kind – both had their geeky moments and their weird outbursts that could be read so wrong, if someone did not know what they were referring to.
Also, she could not stop herself from censoring the language Angela was using, even if it wasn't really a swear word.
"I'm sorry." Angie felt ashamed, but also kind of good, knowing that someone cared enough about her, to censor the way she spoke.
"It's cool that you've seen it. That French actor in the original was so freaking hot!" Angie added, squealing like a teenager.
She remembered watching the show, years ago. It had been such a great inspiration for her, seeing another young woman do the job that she had always wanted to do. Except, maybe, the assassin part of the job. Everything else had been nothing but pure goals to a young Angela.
"Well, Emily Prentiss is a cool person, you know?" Emily complimented her own self, holding her chin high and feeling good about herself.
Damn it, with Angela around, Emily was able to forget all the troubles on the job and to just strip down to nothing but Emily – not the Unit Chief, not everyone's friend, not the neighbor who would always ring strange delivery guys in, not the wild woman who hated her parking spot down at the garage, but just Emily…whoever the Hell she really was.
And that made her realize that it was okay to not know exactly who she was, as long as she felt exactly like herself, without the pressure to be anyone and anything other than herself.
"Ain't nobody came here to watch you sit on that perfection…come on, now!" Angie urged Emily to stand up, clearly speaking about her butt in that statement of hers.
"Ain't nobody came here…period!" Emily pointed out smartly, looking around, just to confirm that they were, indeed, the only two people at the bar, at this time of the day.
"Shut up and twerk!" Angela commanded.
"Oh my God! Please don't tell me Emily Prentiss doesn't know how to twerk!?" She added, a few seconds later, since Emily had stood immobile, with her back against the nearby wall.
"Are you joking!?" Angela started giggling uncontrollably, making fun of Emily.
"I do know how to do it…" Emily muttered in her defense. "I just…"
"You're just too stiff to do it? Or are you genetically incapable of having some naughty fun, you know, being a Prentiss and all that…" Angie smirked, knowing that she had won this argument, just by mentioning the 'Prentiss' family name.
Emily narrowed her eyes on the girl, right before she started to loosen up a little. Those four cocktails had surely helped her not give a damn. Also, the fact that nobody was watching them was definitely a big plus.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you how much fun Cuba really was. You know, Clara, Mae and I were dancing on the tables of this bar and then we danced with some of the hot, local guys and yeah…it was fun. We had a small twerking competition. I won, I mean, come on, obviously…but Clara was close second!" Angie smirked even wider, now that she had given Emily a reason to be jealous.
Emily and Clara were friends. The Hell if Emily let Clara be better than her, even if it was at twerking, or trying to, anyway.
Without saying a word, Emily let go of all of her inhibitions and ignored Angie's existence for the next few songs, as she danced on her own, feeling the music and, sadly, also feeling the effect of all the alcohol she had consumed.
Angie was beyond tipsy herself, but she knew she wasn't gone to the point where she would be dumb enough to put herself and Emily in trouble with the team, if they really would end up missing the flight.
Earlier on, while placing her second drinks order, Angie had arranged with the bartender that he would call them a taxi and instruct the driver exactly where to drop them off, at the end of their stay at the bar. This way she had some peace of mind, knowing that if they both had a little too much fun – which was the whole point; they would have the certainty to be taken care of.
"Ohhh, daaamn Prentiss. I bet you're thinking of that guy you were so hesitant to tell me more about…but daaamn…I mean…daaamn!" Angie hyped Emily up, watching her dance like it was a competition.
It was weird to see her acting so free, but it was also pretty cool, at the same time. The best part was that she turned that into a yet another inappropriate comment.
"Girl, we're not talking about guys and feelings right now. Please. Move. And thank you!" Emily pushed Angela away with one hand, playfully getting rid of her, which only lasted about two seconds anyway, before Angie found her way back to Emily's side.
"Good! Because I have mixed drinks about feelings!" Angie stated and in her own drunk mind there was absolutely nothing wrong with that statement.
"Me too, girl…" Emily nodded in agreement, not even noticing how Angela had worded it. After the third drink it didn't really matter to her – if it sounded good, it was acceptable.
"Me too!" Emily repeated, reinforcing the power of her words.
"I kind of feel like I really like you, though. I mean, Emily Prentiss, of course." Angie said awkwardly, as she tried to slow down her pace, if she didn't want to continue dancing out of rhythm with the current song.
"I kind of really like you, too. I mean, Angela Hunter, of course." Emily mirrored her statement, which was something she had found herself do quite often lately.
In a way they felt like they were on the same page, while everyone else was reading a completely different book. The things they said to each other often did not make sense, but neither of them seemed confused. To the world they might seem like two drunk weirdos, but to each other, at that very moment, they seemed to be the entire world, with Angela curiously eyeing Emily's every move while Emily looked back at her, making sure she was alright after all she had drank so far.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"rmpcmfan" Yup, chapters started coming out much longer, so it made sense uploading less frequently, as the amount of words per week is the same anyway, or dare I say it's even higher :)!
Well, Angela sure was calm and collected, but she was only consulting. Will things change if she had a gun strapped on and a badge to honor? Would she have bent under the pressure? What if she froze, on the field? Too bad not even an internship at the BAU seems to be in the books, for her. Poor Angie...
About Tara's question: Nope, Doyle is most definitely NOT the person Emily mentioned she had once screwed over. She wouldn't be THIS bummed out, for him. It's someone else. Angie was referring to Monkey, whoever s/he might turn out to be :)! And yes, Monkey has ties with the FBI world. That would be a major storyline later on btw! And JJ was beyond upset when that question reminded her of something that had stayed with her, all those years. Nobody really knows what her first case had been, except for the two other Agents whom she was assigned to work her first BAU case with, after her graduation. And even then - they don't know EVERYTHING that happened that night. Let's just say that JJ is damn good at keeping a secret - just think about how she kept Emily's secret after Doyle "killed" her!
Rossi...oh, Rossi is a hawk! He stalks and he analyzes better than anyone else. He can figure things out, just by looking at the way people interact. This would also play a big role later on. He's VERY fond of Angela, as in a way it feels like he had "mentored" her through his books. She's genuinely interested and whenever she brings up theories and things, it isn't done to show off her memorizing skills, but to help the case. He appreciates her modesty and her wisdom.
As for connecting to people - Angie has so much empathy for people. Emily does too, but she is a bit colder/distant when it comes to non work-related events. However, both are terrified of the thought of letting someone in - Angie because she is used to being "abandoned" and Emily because...well, she's always the one that abandons people and that one specific time she had failed someone years ago is definitely screwing her up and giving her a hard time in life...it's her biggest regret!
"Ducksdragonfly" Hiii :)! Lol, I just wrote the name of whatever pie that came to my mind (ok, I admit I Googled a random pie!). I'm sure Angie would have shared her piece with you, though! Emily...not so much, lol! As for the promise - it goes waaaaaayyyyy beyond the BAU! This "internship" mess is about to explode in everyone's face. Would it stop a Prentiss? I don't think so :D !
I'm glad you're enjoying the "mini me" effect in the story. Lots more to come. Angie finds it extremely difficult to connect to people...however, with certain people she just clicks instantly. She knows exactly whom she wants in her life and she would go to Hell and back a thousand times, but she would have that person by her side! My little schemer, Angie :)! Rossi will be an important one through the story (not a main character, but majorly supporting like JJ) as his analytic skills will come handy later on when something unexpected happens. And let's just say that Angela is going to worship his every breath!
"Who one was born" ... you've just cracked open a door that is definitely going to be opened wide, later on in the story. Trust me - you have NO IDEA :)! Also, I think you will enjoy the complicity of the story later on, as it is connected to something you told me you used to do (as a job). I just hope I don't come across amateur to you...even though I've read tons of literature and articles on those topics. Clearly not a professional though :)!
Also. I don't have the foggiest clue as to HOW do writers hold back the urge to spoil stuff! Like...I just wanna tell you guys everything! Lol I clearly won't, though! One day you will realize just how teasing my words were and just how much I've HAD to hide from you before truth came out!
"zhangxinna" Ok, you are AWESOME and we are most definitely friends! You just made me smile as I'm packing my stuff to change house...it's been hectic lately and it was super nice to read your review! I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter now - all about the relationship between your favorite duo: "Angela" and "Emily Prentiss". Two troublemakers, just having some fun and not giving a damn, lol! (Keep reading...everything until the end is in reply to YOU!)
I wanted Angie to be super involved, but not right all the time and not super incredibly on point. She wants to learn and grow and the team had to see how she deals with an incomplete profile and how she never dropped the thinking when things seemed doomed.
The Angie/Luke dynamic will continue. Yes he was testing the waters, as he doesn't want to offend the new girl. But she teases him mercilessly and always has a comment to make and she likes it when people tease back, too. Angie is a bit flirty with guys, you will see how she acts with other people too, so it's not like she was this way with LUKE only. It's her attitude. And in Luke she found someone whom she likes to spend some fun time with. Also, I swear you can foresee the future with that suggestion about them hanging out and having a bet maybe...as to who will flirt with the most people at a bar. *wink* Stay tuned :P Btw Angie is 23 and in my story everyone will be slightly younger: Emily will now turn 45 and Luke and Matt are 33. If JJ did the Academy at 23 too, now 15 years later she's 38. I need them to be a bit younger than when the show left off. So even if Angie had interest in Luke as bf material, yes there is still 10 years of difference, but she is incredibly mature for her age, so it wouldn't have been awkward. Btw Luke and Garcia are NOT a thing in my story! Garcia has her Morgan as in the show and now giving her Luke too takes away from the special bond and makes it seem like Garcia just clicks with ANY guy. Luke is given to Angie to hang out with and get close to, instead :P
As for JJ - notice how Angie is always incredibly nice to people? Maybe she has a reason to not like JJ? Maybe she is jealous of her relationship with Emily? Maybe it's not even that she "doesn't like" JJ? Maybe it's a completely different thing than what you expect! Obviously it gets explained later on :)
Hmmm...remember how when the BAU was off for a week before the Hearing, Emily did not leave everyone home, but she assigned them to different other Units to work? It was so humble of her. Also spoke to her integrity. Therefor, who is to say that anyone in this world could make Emily Prentiss do something she doesn't want to? Or specifically: NOT do something that she DOES want to do? (Hint: internships, ehmm!) Just...wait for it. Lol! This woman is crazy!
Yup Richard is more than smitten. And Emily is more than wild and creative...spontaneous...so who knows what might happen :P
