AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The bow hair clip moment is for reader/reviewer "zhangxinna" who joked about such a scene, a while ago. I hope you enjoy my take on it. I waited for a while, to make it special, to make it have a meaning for both Angie and Emily and maybe make it be a cute, memorable moment.
CHAPTER 107
WITH HER. I MEAN, WITH YOU!
"Wow…" Angie gasped when she walked in Emily's apartment.
"What, you like this place?" Emily asked in disbelief.
Looking around, she confirmed what she already thought of her own apartment - it was plain and boring. She didn't even like it, herself.
"Not really. No." Angie once again showered her with the unfiltered truth.
"I mean, it's like…super clean. Is Emily Prentiss a maniac of some sort?" Angie walked further in and loved the lack of dust on the surfaces she noted.
"…of some sort." Emily replied with a smirk, making Angie wonder if this was yet another innuendo.
Which, it was.
"Can I see your room?" Angie asked curiously.
Someone's bedroom really spoke about the person and she had no problem invading Emily's privacy by asking to see it.
"Sure." Emily walked her there and stood by the door as Angie walked further in.
Emily then made a quick trip to the kitchen, to make sure everything would be ready for when the other guests would start to arrive.
Angie's eyes laid on the bed, first. It was big and it looked like it had one of those comfortable mattresses, the memory foam kind. It had been a while since Angela had slept on one of those.
The next thing she noticed was the wardrobe. It was big and all the doors were closed, so she couldn't peak inside and see if Emily Prentiss really had the obsessive-compulsive disorder that she thought she did.
The night lamp was cute - gold, with the letter E on it. Tacky, but so cute. JJ had bought it for Emily a while ago.
On the bedside table, next to the lamp, she saw a book and she smiled wide. It was one she had never read before and it was in French.
"Yes, you can borrow that." Emily said silently, just coming back from the kitchen, anticipating what Angie was clearly mustering courage to ask for.
Angie nodded in appreciation and she let her fingers trail along the cover of the book, as if she was caressing it.
Emily could tell that Angie had a lot of respect for books. She could only imagine all the research and hard work, all the editing and all the hassle an author had to go through before actually publishing their work. It was one more reason why she worshiped Rossi and all of his literary achievements.
Her eyes then continued their curious tour.
There was a full-length mirror in the corner of the room, right next to the big window. Angie cringed, she hated bright light. She was more of a night person – 'a night owl with a dark soul', as someone from her past had once called her.
The walls were plain beige color and Angie was sure she'd go insane if she ever had to spend more than five minutes, closed in there. It was so…impersonal. Empty. Colorless. This room, and the entire apartment really, did not have a soul. They didn't have the flair that she saw in Emily Prentiss.
"What's the verdict?" Emily asked curiously, knowing she was in for a run each time she asked Angela for her opinion.
"It does not look like a home." Angie stated.
"It does not feel like home…" Emily corrected her.
"What's missing then? I mean, apart from color, decorations, you know, candles, personal items, photos, anything at all?" Angie asked bluntly, looking around and imagining all the possible things she could enlist as 'missing' from that place.
Emily laughed genuinely.
"A family." She replied.
"Then go get yourself one!"
'Bless Angie's innocent way of thinking and her naïve twenty three year old mind' – Emily thought to herself.
"I've tried to…" Emily shrugged and her eyes inadvertently laid on a picture, sat on the window frame, on the opposite side of the bed from where the bedside table was.
"Wow, you look so young." Angie was quick enough to notice where Emily's gaze went and she grabbed the photo in her hands.
It was also the only photo, framed and kept in a visible place, in her room.
"Okay, you really need to stop commenting on my age." Emily sighed, feeling old.
"It was a compliment, come on now." Angie whispered, without looking at Emily.
Her eyes were now busy, analyzing the photo.
It stood awkwardly, a bit sideways and a bit crooked, in the middle of the frame. It had also been torn apart, with the left side of it now missing.
The person on the photo was Emily, years ago, standing in front of a beautiful, gracious fountain. It must have been taken in the Spring, as there were flowers everywhere. The water was dark green and a few lilies had grown in it. To anyone, it would look dirty, but to Angie it looked perfect.
In the photo Emily was holding a piece of paper in her hand, as if she was proudly showing it to the camera. It was illegible, from such a distance, plus, the photo was small and even if someone scanned and blew it up, it would be far too pixelated, to be able to read what was on it.
"Who was with you?" Angie asked curiously, noticing three fingers, holding the opposite side of the same paper, right where the photo had been torn.
The fingers looked smaller, slimmer, shorter. There was bubblegum pink nail lacquer on the one nail that was visible. Microscopic details, but Angie noticed all of them.
"Someone I loved." Emily sighed.
"Someone you still love?" Angie just had all the questions in the world.
"Someone I'll always love." Emily corrected herself.
"But we're not having another heated emotional conversation right now." She added, remembering the stove was on.
She was known for burning things…
"Excuse me for a second." Emily walked back to the kitchen and busied herself preparing things.
Luckily for her, this time, she hadn't burned anything. Not a single thing. She was proud.
When Angie failed to join her, a few minutes later, Emily opened the small safe in the living room and her hand brushed against a photo. The half of a photo. A photo of someone, standing in front of a beautiful fountain, in the Springtime. She smiled, remembering that person in perfect detail, remembering the words on a certain piece of paper she had obtained just prior to snapping this photo. And God, she remembered how happy she had been that day.
"I'm done snooping around your room." Angie spoke, coming from behind Emily.
She was smart enough to have figured she'd better announce her presence, than let Emily have a heart attack if she never heard her approaching sneakily.
Emily quickly closed the safe and turned to face the girl.
She didn't want to be busted with that photo. She also didn't want anyone to see a certain other piece of paper, one that only JJ had already seen, one signed by someone with the name of a pastry shop.
That said paper had been laying on top of the bedside table since JJ had returned it, but now that people were going to walk freely around Emily's house, there was no way she'd be dumb enough to leave it out, for anyone to find. So, it had gotten locked in the safe, for the night.
Angie flipped her hair to the side of her shoulder, as it was long and heavy and she just wanted to feel more comfortable. In doing so, a thin necklace string got caught to a strand of hair, allowing a dainty little pendant to pop on top of Angie's shirt.
Emily's eyes then got glued to the pendant, as it caught the light.
"Nice necklace." Emily smiled, noticing it was only half of the figure. "Who has the other half of your heart?"
"Someone who doesn't fully deserve it…anymore." Angie's tone of voice oozed pain and Emily could feel that.
"Or rather…yet…again…" Angie corrected herself, feeling like her previous statement was not nice and definitely not what her heart felt.
Yes, it felt good to bash on Monkey, who was the one to have given her this half-heart shaped pendant necklace in one of the care packages they sent to the Academy, but it felt wrong to be so rude, especially since Angie knew how much Monkey loved her. Even pissed off, Angie could not be disrespectful towards the person who had ruined her life. Twice.
Emily exhaled slowly, sensing Angie's confusion towards that unnamed person in her life. It was clear how hurt she felt, but she could also feel how much Angie wanted them back in her life. Ultimately, that last thought made Emily smile a little bit.
"What do you want to see next?" She asked, as a change of topic was much needed.
"Where you keep your gun!" It took Angie half a second to reply. Her interests were not normal, thus very hard to predict.
Emily pushed a gun case towards Angie. It was conveniently placed right underneath the living room table, out in the open.
"Right here. It's locked and secured, so I can leave this case wherever I want. Nobody can get to it."
Angie took a look and Emily stood up once again, to go make sure she had enough cold refreshments for everyone.
Two minutes later, she sat back on the couch and saw Angie, with the gun in her hands.
"How the Hell did you-…" Emily cut herself off, raising an eyebrow at Angela.
That case had a numeric lock of eight numbers on one side and also a dial combination padlock, on the other side of the case.
"Let's just say, I've run with diverse friend groups…" She said sweetly.
Like Hell, she did not look like a tough girl who had run with a bad crowd. Ever. Anyone who didn't really know her, would never believe that absurd statement.
"Put that thing back in and stop talking." Emily urged her, pointing at the gun and the now opened case.
"Mhm, that's what she said…" Angie smirked, not missing out on a chance to make an inappropriate statement again.
"I'm begging you, please, behave tonight. Don't give me a headache. Not tonight." Emily pleaded.
"Okay. I'll try." Angie said innocently.
Somehow they both knew that 'trying' didn't necessarily mean 'succeeding'.
"Hey Ems!" Garcia greeted cheerfully as she walked in, a little later that evening.
She was second, after Tara. Emily had figured Tara would take her sports car for a ride, so it had taken her half the time it usually took her, to drive to Emily's.
The rest of the team joined them a few minutes later.
"This must be Bryan." Emily stated when she doorbell rang and the BAU was already there. Including JJ, whom Emily had had a conversation with, previously, in private.
"Hey, come on in." Emily walked him in and he found it weird.
She was now wearing a dress that she would not wear to work. He had only ever seen her as the tough Unit Chief, in her work clothes and with her formal facial expression, which, quite frankly, scared him a little bit.
And she was different now. He walked in and greeted the team, noticing how much Emily was smiling and how happy and carefree she looked.
"Here, the host graciously saved you a seat right next to me, so that you wouldn't feel left out." Angie stated, pointing at the empty chair to her right.
"Angela!" Tara murmured, disapproving of her bluntness.
"It's okay. Him and I push each other's buttons, like, all the time." Angie smiled and gave Bryan a hug.
For some odd reason, she felt strongly connected to him.
The team saw the ease with which Angie hugged the guy and it made them curious. She had never let either one of them even touch her, yet she was okay with Bryan and all of this proximity with him.
Luke could not help but check their actions out. Angie was beaming, with Bryan next to her.
JJ was happy to be sitting on the far end of the table, across from where Angie and Bryan were. Emily had strategically accommodated her there earlier. She now had the perfect excuse to ignore Angie altogether. But, like Emily had said before – her ass better be at that dinner table and there was no other way.
"Okay, when's the pizza coming?" Matt rubbed his hands together hungrily.
"Food is already here." Emily informed him before walking to the kitchen and bringing out three salad bowls and a thermo-coated stainless steel soup kettle with the name of one of Emily's favorite takeaway restaurants written on the side.
She let everyone serve themselves as much salad as they wanted, but she served the soup herself.
She started with Angie and as soon as she opened the kettle top, Angie licked her lips.
"Potato and carrot cream soup!?" The girl asked, already knowing the answer.
"Mhm." Emily confirmed. "Want some?"
"Want some!?" Angie mimicked Emily's question. "I want all of it. Yes, please!"
Emily shook her head and let out a tiny laugh while serving her before she moved to the others.
When everything was on the table, or at least the starters and the soup, Emily finally sat down and relaxed.
"Okay, I just want to say a few words…" Emily started soon enough, finding it hard to hold that speech for any longer.
"Oh, yes…you are so going to cry now!" Bryan teased Angie and she elbowed him hard.
He had seen her crawl on the floor, exhausted, dehydrated and almost given up on life itself, after certain trainings, but he had never seen her cry. He knew that she was upset, at times, but she never cried even then. At this point he imagined that the only thing that could possibly make Angela's eyes water might be a sappy speech about her, given by her muse – Agent Hotness.
"I want to thank you, Angela Hunter, for choosing me, Emily Prentiss, to be your Big, this week. It truly has been a roller coaster ride for me and I know you were supposed to learn from me and from my work experiences, but I found myself learning a lot from you, too." Emily spoke and nobody dared interrupt her. She was known to give a good speech.
"You are so incredibly talented, so hard working, so motivated…." Emily gulped.
Her thoughts were drifting in one direction, a direction she could not allow herself to go to.
"And I am so incredibly lucky to be able to welcome you to the BAU team…" Emily's inner voice came out to play, teasing her with those words, while Emily was taking a sip of water and a break from all the talking.
Oh, how much she'd like to be able to say those words out loud.
"And I…uh…" Emily spoke up, but all she could hear, all she wanted to say, was that one thing that her inner voice had just whispered at her.
Damn that inner voice of hers.
"Can I say something?" Angie stepped in. She could not sit there and let Emily make a fool out of herself.
Emily nodded.
"I really did learn a lot this week. From all of you. But especially from…" With her last words, she looked at Emily.
"I came into this, not knowing a thing about Emily Prentiss. Hell, I honestly didn't even like Emily Prentiss, with her emotional Welcome Speech at the Academy and her head held high, chin up at all times, buttoned up shirt and those damn black pants, every single freaking day. I saw her as one of them, one of the many unknown faces of the Bureau." Angie started speaking.
Everyone's eyes were now set on her and Bryan was wondering why Angie felt the need to start her 'Thank You' speech by insulting that poor woman who had been nothing but nice to her.
"But then, I saw a different side of Emily Prentiss. I got to see her at work, outside of work…drunk off her ass, too. And oh, that was fun!" Angie laughed at her own words.
"I saw a human side to the person that I considered as nothing more than just a Unit Chief, a slightly more stuck up version of a Supervisory Special Agent. I'm not good with authority figures…Well, I mean, I'm okay with everyone, it's just that Boss figures don't really like me. I tend to rub them the wrong way. I always say something geeky and dumb and always at the wrong time, too. So, to have someone like Emily Prentiss, with her status at the Bureau, accept me and understand me and my weird jokes and random emotional meltdowns and all of my…ehm, other type of jokes…" She shot a glance at Emily, making sure she knew she meant all those dirty jokes they had said. "It's truly been a blessing. I've never had someone in my life, who guided me, like she did this week. Someone who taught me and who genuinely wanted me to learn it all. Someone who protected me. Someone who fought for me…"
At this point, Angie was in need of some water as well. Her left hand picked the glass up and she blew off some air before she took a sip.
Emily just looked at her, without uttering a word. She was too busy micro analyzing her words, profiling that girl to the best of her abilities.
"I guess what I'm trying to say here is that, yes, a week is not a long time at all, but sometimes a short period of time can almost feel like it could make up for a lifetime of missed opportunities…" Angie trailed off.
Bryan saw her lip quiver. He had teased her about crying, but he knew she never cried. And yet, at that very moment she looked awfully close to doing just that. How was he supposed to react?
In doubt, he simply let his hand go under the table and rest on her knee. A simple gesture like that helped her steady her emotions and act a little bit more normal again.
"Thank you so much, Emily Prentiss…I really needed this week. With her. I mean, with…you." In a moment of complete lack of judgment, Angie let something slip. She covered up quickly, hoping that the only one who would understand her words would be Emily Prentiss herself.
"And I really needed this week with her. I mean, with…you." Emily mirrored Angela's statement, with a small smile on her face. A genuine one, this time.
Of course she understood. And as far as she could tell, Angela Hunter was communicating way more than what she was saying out loud. With this girl it was never about her words, but about the actions, about those stolen glances, about the smiles and about the tiny little winces she made when she was upset. It was never about words. Emily Prentiss did not need words. She communicated in different ways and, apparently, so did Angela Hunter.
JJ rolled her eyes a little bit. Yes, Tara was right – she was maybe a little jealous. It had taken her weeks to get Emily to a state where she could smile again after the Cursed Case and she was barely starting to see results now, while this girl just came from nowhere and changed everything that Emily was. Even if it was a positive change, a much needed change for Emily, JJ could still not help but feel some type of way about Angela. The fact that she was now not on speaking terms with her husband and unable to find a new school for Henry, while Mikey still walked around with a cast on his broken arm, was not helping her mood, at all. That, combined with the stress of the job, was making her snap in ways that the normal JJ never thought she could.
JJ herself realized that and, recently, she had given it some thought. The more she analyzed things, the more she came to the logical conclusion that it wasn't Angela who was getting on her nerves, but rather her own inability to get a hold of everything in her life. Things just seemed to be happening, and JJ could not help any of them. She did not like any of them, either. She most certainly would have preferred to go home every night, to her loving husband and to spend the night with him and with her two happy and healthy children who were doing great at school, but it was just not a thing. And then, since she needed an outlet for her frustration, she seemed to be taking it all out, indirectly, on the new girl. Yes, she was somewhat annoyed that Angela was receiving all the attention, especially from Emily, but it was also true that when JJ was not feeling well, the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.
Maybe one day she'll have a talk with Angela and explain it all. She had already spoken to Emily about it, prior to that dinner. But, for the time being, JJ was fine, convincing herself that Angela was the source of all evil in her life and indirectly – without even glancing at the girl or badmouthing her to anyone or even wishing her ill; JJ kept on 'punishing' her for everything. She punished her in her own mind, just ranting to herself and pretending like Angela taking the spotlight was what was really bothering her. After all, after so many years by Emily Prentiss' side – The Queen of Denial; JJ had learned a trick or two on how to live in denial and how to blame people who are otherwise not responsible for one's mistakes and mishaps.
The conversation then took turn and everyone started chatting, while eating, and occasionally asking Angela more questions.
This week, she had been glued to Emily's side and no matter how much time she spent around the rest of the team, it wasn't enough for them. They wanted to know more about her.
"How does it feel to be back in class now, after a case?" Matt asked at some point.
"After two cases!" Angie pointed out. "You remember I went to Cuba with your old team, right?"
"Wait, how did you know I was with the IRT?" Matt questioned.
"They spoke about you. They said Matt Simmons joined the BAU when their Unit Chief SSA Garrett got shot and the IRT was temporarily off duty. I thought I already told you this, but Mae really misses you."
"Yeah, guess you could say she was 'the Angela to my Bryan', at the Academy." Matt said, using air quotes, and with a dreamy smile, remembering how their beautiful friendship had started - in khaki pants and blue polo shirts, with sweaty, messy hair, panting after their first PFT.
"Yeah, except that you two weren't dating." Luke added snappily.
Angie suppressed a smirk and Emily, in turn, hid her desire to kill Luke at that very moment.
Bryan was a guy. He knew.
After giving Angie a moment to decide how to proceed, he felt her grab his hand from under the table, and bring it on top of the table, brushing her finger on the palm of his hand.
"Well, guess that's out there, then." She smirked, making a very calm and serious announcement.
"Good Lord…" Emily laughed silently, watching the scene unfold, while knowing the truth.
"Awh, I knew it. You guys look so cute together!" Reid, the most naïve one of them all, said cheerfully.
"Hey, treat our girl right, or else…" Tara threatened Bryan jokingly, with her fingers forming into a fist.
Angie noticed her choice of words – 'our girl'. That sounded so bittersweet to her.
Bryan only noticed one thing that disturbed him - Luke's eyes on him.
"Uhm, guys…would you like me to crack open a window…you know, let some testosterone out?" JJ finally spoke up and, to everyone's dismay, her joke was even funny.
She had been somewhat reserved and quiet lately, so to hear her participate with a joke was a big step she was taking.
"Anyone ready for the main course?" Emily suggested before she'd have to use her gun on someone, as her eyes inadvertently got locked with Luke's.
Rossi was in his little corner, just enjoying 'protective Emily', while she was out to play. Through the years he had seen many colors of Emily Prentiss, but this was new. It was so pure, in his eyes, and he truly appreciated those moments.
"What's that?" Matt asked curiously. He loved food.
"Chicken tenders with four cheese sauce." Emily replied, already standing up to go get them from the oven where they were being kept warm.
"Nooo…" Angie exclaimed silently, licking her lips. It was one of her most favorite dishes in the world.
"What? Angela Hunter doesn't like cheese?" Emily raised an eyebrow.
If this girl did not like cheese, it was a deal breaker. Emily was a huge cheese lover, herself.
"Oh, Emily Prentiss better believe Angela Hunter loves cheese!" Angie said cheerfully.
"J'aime toutes sortes de fromages!" She added in French, because in no alternate universe could she ever speak about cheese and not connect that to France. Plus, it was a true statement – Angela loved all types of cheese.
"Good, I'll be right back." Emily grabbed the mittens and took a step towards the kitchen.
"Uhm, actually, would it be okay if I asked for some more soup first. Please? It's so delicious! I haven't had homemade soup in like…ages!" Angie felt a little awkward, but she knew what she wanted and she felt no shame, asking for it. Kind of like her sweet internship spot, but she had not yet admitted that out loud, to anyone.
"Of course." With a bright smile, Emily re-filled Angie's soup plate.
"Homemade?" Reid laughed.
"Yeah, Emily's definition of 'homemade' is takeaway pizza." Tara added.
"Hey! If I have to heat it up in the oven, it's as if I've prepared it myself. It's hard work, you know!" Emily said in her defense.
"But…" Angie looked at her plate with confusion. "This is homemade…"
"Hate to break it to you, but this came from a kettle with the name of a restaurant just a few miles from Emily's house, so…" Luke's shoulders rose a little bit as he spoke, as if he was telling her he was sorry for this unsettling revelation.
"But…it's…" Angie tried to argue once more, shooting a glance at Emily, who made a shush sign to her and pointed at the plate, as if to urge her to just quietly enjoy the food she had been served.
"Really now, I'd love the recipe for this." Rossi said a whole minute later, pointing at the soup kettle.
Somehow, he did find the taste of it pretty much homemade. Screw what the team said.
"I'll give you the number of the restaurant. They deliver quickly." Emily shrugged, not really in the mood to say anything else.
"See?" Luke smirked at Angela, raising his eyebrow, as if to say: I told you so. "Emily Prentiss cannot cook to save her life!"
"Since when?" Angie shot out quickly, which sounded confusing to everyone.
This was the first time she ate with Emily, in a home setting. Each other time had been in a restaurant and the food there had surely not been cooked by Emily, herself. So, her little question made no sense, unless it had been Emily to have previously told her that she could cook. Which – Emily Prentiss would never be caught uttering such words.
"Since I have no one to cook for." Emily replied honestly, nervously reaching for her wine glass.
God bless Bryan for having his own car there, so that Emily would not need to drive back to Quantico, because she surely needed some extra sips of wine that evening.
Angie's eyes looked down at her now empty plate and something must have been on her mind because she frowned.
"Thank you very much for the kind invitation and for the amazing food, Emily Prentiss." Angie said after she took a sip of her own wine glass with the same urgency that Emily had oozed just seconds earlier.
"It really was my pleasure, Angela Hunter." The dinner host said with a faint smile.
"Those two secretly in love or something? They keep using their full names. Last time I did that, the girl ended up with a concussion." Luke whispered to whoever was near him, trying not to be overheard by the two women in question.
"What the Hell, bro?" Tara questioned his words.
"She fell off the bed while we were...ehm, making nice." Luke said victoriously, winking at her.
Matt cringed. He was used to his best friend's dirty comments, but the moment was so wrong.
"Last time I called a woman by her full name, she ended up stealing my last name, so..." Rossi's little comment sent everyone giggling.
They all knew about his numerous weddings and about his sense of humor. He'd always joke about his wives and his family life, because if he didn't do so himself, then Emily surely would. She would never miss a chance to point that out.
Both Emily and Angela were a bit busy at the moment, sulking into their own memories of the past, so neither of them heard that brief and quite disturbing side conversation.
JJ, on the other hand, was busy thinking of how she had attended the dinner with an open mind, just like Emily had previously asked her to. She knew she wasn't going to have any sort of direct interaction with Angela, but she was willing to sit there and enjoy everyone else's company, while maybe overhearing some more stuff about the 'new girl'. And if she had to be honest with herself, she was quite fond of what she heard. Angela was behaving in a manner that showed everyone that she had been brought up well, but she was also free-spirited enough to tease everyone and to make bogus announcements, such as her so called 'relationship' with Bryan. And she was the first one to take the complete piss out of her own self. She spoke eloquently and, even if she was joking around, she never swore, she never acted improperly or in a tasteless way. A few times during the conversation JJ could tell that Angela was just itching to say something inappropriate as a joke, but each time she saw her glance over to Emily and then decide to stay quiet. It was like there was this magical pull between those two, like Emily held some kind of power over Angela and also – like Angela was doing her absolute best to prove something to Emily.
Two hours later, all food was gone and Emily could not be any happier, as she could not be bothered to be sorting things out and putting them in little containers, for tomorrow. All she needed to do now was to throw away the big takeaway carton boxes and to load the dishwasher.
At some point, Angie was out on the terrace with Bryan, Tara, Reid and Matt, while JJ, Garcia and Luke were on the couch, discussing something.
Rossi saw Emily walking back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room and he decided to help her out.
As he grabbed a few plates and walked towards the kitchen, Emily got called to the balcony by Tara who wanted to tell a dirty joke that she knew for a fact that Emily would appreciate. And she did.
Rossi rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher, but then something caught his eyes.
There were way too many things that needed to be washed. Porcelain salad mixing bowls sat in the sink, a kettle with melted cheese residue was on the stove and potato peels were on top of the trash can.
"You really did cook this, huh?" He asked, as soon as Emily walked back into the kitchen.
"Meh." Emily waved her hand in the air, dismissing the importance of it all.
"Emily…" Rossi started, but he should have known what was to hit him next.
"Don't Emily me." She said softly. "It's not a big deal. Really. It's just food."
It wasn't 'just food'. She had sat there, taking all of her friends' little digs about her lack of cooking skills, when in reality she had spent the majority of her afternoon stuck in the kitchen, making sure everything would be perfect.
She needed evening to be perfect.
"Whatever you say, Mamma Chef." Rossi smirked, testing how personal he could get with Emily at this point.
"Don't call me that!" Emily shot him down instantly, as he had supposed she would.
It wasn't about the straightforward nature in which he dared say those words, it was rather about that one word…a word Emily had always wanted to be associated with. And it had absolutely nothing to do with cooking, they both knew it.
Emily shied away, bringing her right hand up just to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. It was a gesture she never made, not even in the most embarrassing life situations, not even under maximum stress - not ever.
Rossi eyed her up and down, refraining from shaking his head knowingly. This woman could never fool him. He could not only write a book, but he could read Emily Prentiss, as one. And he knew…he knew more than he was willing to tell her about and way more than what she could handle hearing. So, for the time being, they had this unspoken accord of not bringing 'it' up, but in the back of their minds they knew…they both knew.
Angie chose that moment, to barge into the kitchen. She was known for having the worst timing in the world and this just got proven when she turned the corner and took a glimpse inside the kitchen, noticing Bad Boss Prentiss looking like a scared child, busted for something she had done, and Papa Rossi looking like a guilty child, instead. Had he maybe gone too far this time?
"May I?" Angie popped her head through the open kitchen door, asking for permission as she sensed those two were having somewhat of a private conversation. She could just read it on Emily's face.
"Of course, darling. Come here." Emily put her hand out instinctively and Rossi tried really hard not to profile that movement.
Emily had always been very good with children and for someone who did not have any of her own, she sure had spot on motherly instincts. During cases, Rossi had seen her jump in and grab a child who had tripped and was about to fall on the floor, he had seen her hand a child an object they didn't yet know they needed, such as a napkin, but seconds before the child would even spill something on themselves. Overall, Emily had the 'mom' vibe to her and it had always seemed weird, to Rossi…until one day, many years ago, she had chosen to open up and tell him something private, something about her past. And yet, it still did not make much sense – she was crushing the 'mom' game, like she had practiced it for years, not just hours with JJ's kids and any other kid she could lay her hands on. She was borderline obsessed with kids and he could tell they made her both happy and extremely sad.
So, to see her pull her hand out just at the sound of Angela's voice, as if she was welcoming her in for a hug, confused him. Angela was neither a child, nor someone Emily had known for this long. Yes, for her own reasons – whatever they might have been, she felt strangely connected to this girl. But she was not a child. Why did she provoke such a 'mom' reflex in Emily then?
Then again, Rossi just knew. In a way he chose to pretend to be confused about everything, as it was the best way to handle this delicate situation…for the time being.
"I need to excuse myself and go make sure Garcia isn't up to no good. As usual." Rossi laughed and walked back to the living room, giving the girls some privacy.
"Uhm…" Angie said, shyly nearing Emily's corner of the kitchen.
Emily could tell that she was holding something behind her back and it made her suppress a smile.
"I uh…" Angie stuttered. This was a first.
"Yeah?" Emily urged her to speak up, giving her a warm smile.
"I uh…" Angie repeated, but this time forced herself to add something more to her statement. Like, actual words, maybe.
"You seem like someone who would appreciate France…" She started off and this time Emily did not dare to interrupt her.
"So…I, I uh…I…"
She had rehearsed this in her mind so many times, ever since she decided to give Emily the object that was now being squeezed between her sweaty palms.
And yet, looking at Emily, she felt so intimidated. Her original plan had been to make a nice little speech and then give it to Emily, but she didn't want to turn this into a huge emotional mess of a moment, so she had then decided to casually pop this thing out and hand it to Emily, without much explanations. She would surely know its significance.
"Sweetheart, you have no idea how much I appreciate everything about France." Emily spoke up only when she felt like Angela definitely needed some reassurance.
And it worked. It melted some of that ice that Angie felt between them at that very moment.
Instinctively, she put both of her hands out and, removing the upper palm, she revealed a little box in her other hand.
God bless Angela, Emily thought she looked like an eager five year old who had just gotten home, impatient to give her mommy whatever useless little object she had created in art class, at kindergarten.
And then Emily inhaled sharply, realizing that, in her mind, she had just compared this situation to something she had never had - an innocent five year old who would want to share her entire world with her mommy.
"It's lame, okay? And you don't need to wear it or anything. It's just, you know, it's uh…" Angie started to excuse her choice of a present before Emily had even taken it from her hands and opened it, to see what it was.
Slowly, Emily's right hand obtained the tiny box and opening it made her gasp. Her lips quivered and she could not help it.
"It's perfect!" Emily whispered.
Of course she knew what this meant to Angela. In a way, this girl was giving Emily a piece of herself, a little something she must have held so dear to her heart. It was a tiny object, it looked like it had been used previously, but that was what made it that more special, in Emily's eyes.
Emily's index finger brushed on top of it and she smiled wide. How could a tiny object feel like such a huge deal?
"So…uh…" Angie, being the master of holding back her emotions, found herself unable to do so.
"Yeah, okay…" She continued stuttering like an idiot, as she didn't know what to say, how to behave or even – how she felt about this situation.
"So…I gotta go. Bye." Angie paired her sudden goodbye with the most awkward hand wave of all times, before she disappeared.
Going back to the living room, she urged Bryan to leave, so while she ran to the bathroom first, Bryan went to thank the dinner host and then they left, with Angela frantically making sure she'd leave before Emily would be out of the kitchen.
Everyone else left in the span of ten minutes, after that. It was a week-night and they all had an early meeting at the office the next morning. All, besides Angela. She would sadly be back to her life as a pumpkin, in the Academy, where she would be bored out of her freaking mind all week long, resuming her usual studying and training activities.
As soon as Emily found herself alone in her home, surrounded by some more dirty plates and empty glasses and bottles, she headed straight to her bedroom. The cleaning up could be done on the next day, it was not a pressing issue. There was something else she needed to do now, instead.
After a quick shower, she impatiently put her hands on the little gift box once again.
Opening its lid, it made her smile.
She set it on her bedside table just so she could brush her hair and make sure it was nice and silky. After that she took the object from the little box and she admired its beauty for a second, before she finally found the courage to put it to use.
With her left hand she slicked back a strand of hair and with her right hand she pinned it in place with her new present.
As she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the mirror, she kept on smiling.
"You seem like someone who would appreciate France…"
Angie's words when giving this present to her, resonated across the room. It sent chills down Emily's spine. Was it the wine? Why was she so convinced she heard Angela's voice at that very moment, in her room?
This girl had absolutely no idea what France meant to Emily Prentiss. It had saved her, more times than she could count. Angela had mentioned that she felt reborn in France, but Emily had quite literally risen from the dead, twice. Each time, in Paris.
Hell no, Angela Hunter had absolutely no idea how much France, specifically Paris, meant to Emily Prentiss!
She let her eyes linger on the small hair clip for the longest moment. Seeing it, she saw scenes from her past, as if her own shadow got wiped off the mirror and a film was being projected on it, instead.
"Je t'aime!" A small voice said to Emily, looking back at her, through the mirror.
"Je t'aimerai toujours, mon bijou!" The voice of a younger Emily replied, saying that she would always love this person, the one she called her jewel.
Her eyes shut for a brief moment as she remembered this scene, from her past. She was in Paris, with someone she loved. It was the person from the torn photo, the person Angela had been so curious about, just earlier. It was someone that Emily had promised the world, but she had failed miserably at delivering. Instead, she had caused them pain. She wouldn't be surprised if that person never came back to her life again. They had the right to be pissed. Emily had screwed them over majorly.
Feeling moisture in her eyes, she opened them, only to see the reflection of this beautiful hair clip one more time.
Angela could have given Emily anything in the world. She could have bought her the most expensive piece of jewelry. She could have made some artsy project with her own hands. She could have bought Emily a freaking yacht. But nothing – not a single thing, could hit Emily in the feels quite like this tiny little bow-shaped hair clip, with the colors of the French flag on it.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"Spooladio", "zhangxinna", "Natasha36" - I hope you are well :) Haven't heard from you lately. Hope you are still reading and enjoying the story. Sending you some positive vibes and smiles.
"Ducksdragonfly" Hi :) Thank you, this means a lot to me, as I try to build multi-dimensional characters, with layers of trauma, guilt, joy, tears, happiness, hope, deceit, lies, secrets, truths and so much more. I really enjoy writing scenes with different emotional load. Plus, I'm a sucker for both Bad Ass Prentiss and Soft Emily :)
Yeah, in my eyes Bryan is the male friend that every girl deserves to have! Although I'd personally rather have me some sexy Luke :P Or even better - French Richard to worship me in two different languages. Lol. Lucky Emily. Ugh!
Oh Angie is holding on to her last (mental) strengths. Poor thing is about to snap and it might get ugly. But it is necessary, in order for her to move on, as she is now clearly stuck in the past, living in denial, still feeling a huge pain. She just needs the right person to heal the wounds that Monkey once scarred her with.
The story tone will be somewhat the way it is now - with secrets and truths coming out, as I love mystery. However, it won't be a noir. I balance it all out with dorky stuff, jokes and fluffy situations, as I love seeing the team acting like fools while de-stressing. It shows their bond and it builds character. So yes, the revelations of the past will be dark, but also no - that won't change the tone and I won't go all dark, complete depression and no fun, no distractions, no positivity :)
PS: I replied to your message too!
"rmpcmfan" Hey :)! I've been extremely careful not to reveal Monkey's gender directly. I went back to the Full Circle chapter 105 and checked, so now I can confirm that ALL the female gender references Angie made were about EMILY, not Monkey. This, however, does NOT exclude the possibility of Monkey being a female! It's a 50/50 chance here, lol! There have already been some pretty revealing clues to Monkey's gender, plus, Dr. Martha Allen is absolutely sure she has figured it out and she is, after all, a certified professional :)!
Btw I like your thinking and analyzing process, you always catch the small details, but those that matter. Emily has surely been drifting off and soaking into her own memories lately and often those have to do with Paris - whether it's from her past when she was healing after Doyle, or from the recent days with Richard. And lol, I felt bad for Bryan during class, the way Big Prentiss and Mini Prentiss ganged up on him, but it was so much fun writing that! He's obviously specializing in a very different aspect of crime scene investigation. And yes, he is protective over Angie and feels a weird bond with her. In turn, she lets him get close and a bit more 'touchy' with her, than anyone else she has recently met. She trusts him with her life and he's proven to be worthy of that trust. Now...will others prove to be worthy of it, too? Will Angie let other people see more of her true colors or will she continue living in denial? Like Emily said - one day it will be too much and Angela would snap. Who would be there to hold her?
PS: (Quote) "a memory regarding Angie"? I spy a theory going on there. Care to share your thoughts, Detective? ;P
"sweetkid45" Keep in mind Angie is super nice to everyone, so if she's ignoring JJ's existence, there must be a SOLID reason for it. Also, nobody said Angie is getting in the BAU ;) We'll see what happens with that. Richard is working in Paris and there isn't much going on around him right now, so I'm focusing on the other characters at the moment. However, he might pop in after a few chapters...and it might not be what the readers were expecting hehe. Oh, everyone has an opinion and I respect all opinions, even if they differ from mine. I'm super chill, as long as the delivery is nice and educated. I just want everyone to enjoy their lives and do things that make them happy. We all need some fun right now, with everything happening in the world.
