CHAPTER 111
MY TEAM ALWAYS COMES FIRST
"May I take you to lunch, Emily?" Richard said after an eternity they spent, holding each other in front of that majestic fountain that, Emily was sure of it, had super powers.
"No." She replied calmly after checking her phone to see what time it was.
He frowned. He wasn't the emotional type of a guy who'd show his feelings so easily. But with her, everything about him was different. Better, even.
"But you can take me to the airport." She added.
"Oh?" He exclaimed. Had she already been in Paris for days now? Did she only contact him right before she'd leave?
"I only landed a few hours ago. And I have to work tomorrow. So, I had to book the first flight back home, you know, giving myself time to get over whatever heartbreak I was setting myself up for, this time around…" She trailed off.
Richard realized how incredibly hard she must have taken it, last time. Had she been too upset to work, after what he had done to her? Was she scared that this time it would be the same – that she'd go back home with a broken heart?
This was all his fault.
"But this does not mean I am leaving. Not you. Not now." Her hand caressed his cheek, giving him some comfort.
"When will I see you again?" He asked, a little impatient, a little scared of what her answer might be.
"I don't know. I haven't thought this far. Mentally, I only really went through this talk – me being open and honest with you about my feelings; about a million times. I even wrote it down, but it was nothing like what came out of my mouth earlier. It was the perfect speech, really…I would have had you crying by the end of it." She smirked. Emily loved writing speeches and then improvising everything at the last moment. She was good at it.
"Can I read it, Emily?" He finally smiled.
"Nope." Emily's hand was now pressed against his chest. "But I can read it to you, next time we meet."
"Mhh, yeah? We have a deal then, Emily." With those words he gave her another kiss.
After a long moment, Emily chuckled.
"What's on your mind, Emily?" His words made her chuckle again.
"Just the fact that you can't stop saying my real name now." She said, going in for one more kiss. "It sounds good. Sounds just about right."
"Despite my accent?" He teased.
"Mmh, especially because of your sexy French accent." She smirked.
One day she might tell him just how much a man with an accent turned her on. Or, she'd rather show him.
"Can't you stay one more day? There is a flight tomorrow morning." He pleaded.
"No. My team needs me right now. And to be honest, they always would. My team always comes first, but that doesn't mean there is no place for anyone else in my heart. You'll just have to learn how to cope with it, because it is what it is and it is always going to be like this."
"I appreciate your honesty, Emily." He whispered. "Now, let's get you to the airport."
"I have two more questions." Emily prevented him from moving, as he was about to take a step backwards.
"Is your name really Richard? And have you lied to me, about anything?" She asked, looking straight into his eyes.
"Yes, my real name is Richard. And no, I have not lied to you, not for a single thing. I have not told you the whole truth, yes. But no, I never wanted to lie to you, and so I never did."
"Good." She nodded, bringing him closer and kissing him one more time.
She really was insatiable. If he hadn't figured it out on their last night together, he was becoming more and more sure of it now.
"Then my instincts were right and I did the right thing by coming here on a whim." She added.
"I'm glad you followed your instincts, Emily." His words were accompanied by the thumb of his right hand, now gently massaging her chin before he kissed her again.
She was insatiable, but so was he.
"God, say that name, with that accent, one more time and ugh…" She chuckled, finding it hard not to tell him how much she wanted him. But that would be too soon. Too direct. And her whole trip revolved around fixing things with him, not getting naughty. In her experience, sex was what ruined a relationship, if that was all it revolved around. Not that she didn't want it, like, all the time.
All he could do was laugh. She was more than the perfect woman, in his eyes.
Emily realized that Richard was then walking in direction of a car she did not recognize. It was still fancy, but it looked like a work car - big, black, super clean and shiny, with tinted windows. If she saw that car driving down the street, she'd think the President was inside. That was how authoritarian it looked. But then again, Richard did not have a driver. He drove it himself.
"So, long distance right away, huh?" He started a conversation as she was then being awfully quiet in the car, on their way to the airport.
"I guess so. I mean, nothing in my life has ever been conventional, so why the Hell not?" She replied, with her eyes looking out the window, wanting to soak in the sight of the most beautiful city in the world.
"I can take some days off…" He suggested, because even if she was there, with him now, he could not wait until he'd see her again.
"Me too. But I'm always on call, so even if I fly to the other side of the world, I could always get called in and then I'd have to drop everything and just go." She sighed.
"Because of the team?"
"Precisely." With a nod, she finally looked at him. "I have a very stressful job and I am responsible for the lives of seven people on my team. I can never slack off or get distracted."
"I understand that, perfectly well." He avoided looking into her eyes, because that would have triggered him to pour it all out – his actual job, his actual identity. Yes, his name was Richard, but she had absolutely no idea who she was getting herself into bed with. Literally! And the more he'd wait to reveal it all, the more damage it could cause to their relationship.
"I am responsible for a lot of people, as well. And I hate all the bureaucracy, anything connected to politics and also - paperwork. I'm more of a…I guess you could say, a man of action." He added, making her appreciate him even more. Emily despised politics, so anyone who shared her feelings about them, was automatically someone she liked and could relate to.
"Mhm, I've seen some action from you." She teased. And that was precisely what made her perfect – that dirty mind of hers, that boldness when she'd come out and say things like that.
"Well, you could have seen more, if you took the morning flight." His suggestion was alluring, but she would not let herself cave into the temptation.
"No. This is not why I am here. I needed to talk. I needed to figure out my feelings and to see if you felt somewhat the same, about me. That's all. And I got it all and I am perfectly fine with things, right now, the way they are." She sighed, realizing that she had never been so brutally honest with a man. She'd always lie and pretend, she'd smile and she'd say whatever she needed to say, but never what was really on her mind.
And, with Richard, she was all different. Better, even.
He kept on driving and they weren't too chatty after that. Both had a lot on their minds.
When they finally reached the airport, he asked her the question he really needed to know the answer of.
"Where do we stand?"
"We are standing in the middle of an airport where I'd be leaving from…" She wouldn't be Emily Prentiss if she didn't reply in the most vague and weird way.
"And where I'd gladly be back to, as soon as I can. For you." She held out her hand and he held it instantly.
"That's where we stand. Nothing official. Just…us, giving this a try. Good enough?" She asked.
"Good enough." He replied, really wanting to add: for now.
"Washington, DC…" He pointed out as he saw her eyes lay on the check in counter that interested her.
"I live in Virginia, but that's where the earliest flight will take me. Closer to home than New York." She smirked.
"Yeah, I figured…even if you didn't live in New York, you'd maybe want to go there and get hammered, you know, test out the City that never sleeps, forgetting all about me and our week together, after what I did to you-…"
She put her finger on his lips, preventing him from saying another word.
"Shh. Ancient history. I don't want to talk about it, okay? You did what you did and I felt the way I felt. It's over and done with. Let's not remind ourselves of it?" Emily pleaded.
"As long as you promise to, one day, give me the chance to tell you the whole truth about everything. No interruptions. I need to know that I'm going into this, into us, knowing that you are willing to listen to me explain it all. Okay?"
"Okay, I promise. But please, not now, not any time soon. Respect my request. I'm not ready for more truths." Emily had a gut feeling. Yes, her inner voice had told her this was real and Richard had confirmed that it was not just a temporary physical attraction between them. Yes, they were giving this a chance. But something, deep down inside of her, made her worried that his whole truth may be something that Emily Prentiss would not like.
And yet, she was willing to give them a Go. Because any man that made her feel the way Richard made her feel, was a man that deserved to be given a chance. And she would be crazy not to do it.
"Are you scared?" He asked, holding her one more time before she'd have to leave.
"Yes…" She whispered. It was new to her to admit she was afraid. "But it's okay. I'm a tough gal. I can handle it. I know, at the end of the day, it will all be worth it."
He smiled at her, his hands holding her tight, just like she remembered. She had missed his touch. She missed the way he was obsessed with looking at her face. She even missed how uncomfortable that made her feel sometimes. She missed everything about him.
And she'd miss him, too, until the next time they could be together.
"Have a safe flight, Emily." He said after giving her the most passionate kiss they had shared yet.
"Mhm." She nodded once they broke it off.
"I'll text you when I land." With those words, she reassured him that she would, indeed, keep in touch.
She wouldn't simply disappear. She wasn't leaving. She was just continuing her life, but now with the thought of him, being part of it.
And Richard was more than okay with that. For the time being.
This time, the flight was a lot more bearable. She was not crying, if not for those couple of happy tears that managed to roll down her cheeks when she thought about the outcome of her trip.
She was crazy.
She must have been completely out of her right mind, to travel to a different continent and spend a few hours between arrival and departure, just to talk to someone. What if things hadn't gone the way they did? What if she had gotten her heart broken again?
She was absolutely crazy, there was no other explanation for it all.
And yet, for once in her life, things had actually gone the way she wanted them to. After being scared through the whole plane ride there, she found out that telling someone the truth, even if it was still partial, was not such a bad thing after all. She figured that, sometimes in life, it was okay to let a man know how she felt, it was okay to not pretend to be tough all the time, it was okay to be vulnerable and to let that show. It was only human.
And he had taken it more than well. All of it, including the most important part, which was the fact that her team would always come first. She had given this a lot of thought and the one compromise she was not willing to make, for Richard or anyone else in the world, was the team. They were her family, for years. They had stood by her side, they had saved her life. She owed everything to them. So, it would be really dumb if she up and left one more time, chasing someone, even if it meant chasing her own happiness. After hours of silent battles with her own daemons, Emily had decided that her priority in life was her team and if anyone else could find a way to be in her life, be her family even, they were welcome to do so, but they'd have to get in line and hold hands with the members of her team. Because that was what the BAU stood for – always there for each other, always extending a helping hand and welcoming new people to their little family. And that was what Emily Prentiss wanted in her life.
The landing in Washington, DC was much smoother than the one, almost two months ago, in New York City. Was it another sign of faith, that everything was going well this time?
After grabbing herself a smoothie and something to eat from the airport, she headed off to the parking lot where she had left her car.
Looking at it, she realized two things: she had missed it, despite all the little dents and scratches, but also – she needed a new car.
Richard's car, whatever his job might have really been, made him look like an absolute bad ass boss figure.
Emily's car, however, made her look like she was a random housewife from a rich neighborhood, one that did not like going to the car wash too often and one that would bump into whatever was in her way when she'd park – trees, trash cans, bikes, poles, anything really…and she had the dents to prove it.
Before she'd start driving, she sent him that text that she had promised.
"Landed. Flight was surprisingly nice. Saw a really dumb movie and regretted not buying myself a good book from Paris this time, ugh!"
Vague, not too short, but not too long either. Emotionally restrained, yet not too impersonal.
Then she drove an extra hour and a quarter, back to her home before allowing herself to enjoy a nice bubble bath and an ice-cream prior to going to bed early.
"Please tell me you didn't screw it up this time?" Victor jumped at Richard, the second he saw him walk back into his office.
"Have you been stalkily waiting for me here this whole time?" Richard's miserable attempt of not discussing that matter, failed.
"No. First I had to wow the business associates with some random idea that came to my mind after you left, and then I came here. And yes, I drank your scotch." Victor smirked.
"To Lauren!" Victor added, holding up a glass and making a toast.
"Uhhh…" Richard sighed profoundly. "She already told me her name is Emily and no, I did not screw it up this time."
"Good. And I better be best man, dude, because it's her, man. I'm telling you – it's always been her! She's the one!" Victor's enthusiasm was endearing, but Richard was nowhere near ready to hear anything about marriage. The pain of how his previous marriage had ended was still haunting him.
"Okay, calm down. I think you might need a re-fill for this one…" Richard offered Victor some more alcohol, clearly having something to add.
"Oh, shit. What did you do now?" Victor frowned, making Richard wonder how many glasses he had already downed, while waiting for him.
"I listened. And when she made a request, I said Ok. That's all." Richard shrugged, trying to put it nice and neat before he'd explain the mess that had actually happened.
"If that request was of sexual kind, please don't spare me the details!" Victor smirked. He was Richard's own version of the JJ to Emily. They would discuss the most private things and they would not find it disturbing, at all.
"Also, why are you here right now and not…I don't know, somewhere, making her wishes come true?" Victor added with a smirk.
"Her request was that we don't talk about our jobs. For now. So, she only told me her real name, but she made it painfully clear that she would not be telling me where she works and she has very kindly asked me to do the same, in turn. Twice." Richard was now pouring himself a very much needed drink, as well.
"Oh, no!" Victor gasped. "Oh, now you're really screwed!"
"Tell me about it…"
"Didn't you try to be honest? I know you wanted to tell her about…well, everything…"
"I tried, but each time she stopped me and literally begged me to shut up. She does not want to hear any of it. I feel like she is terrified of what she might hear…"
"Well, I mean…can you blame her?" Victor's hand showcased Richard's office.
An elegant space, with a desk and great chairs, a drawer full of paperwork and a drawer with a gun inside of it. On his computer, the word 'drugs' was contained in most of the e-mails he had both received and sent out. On the desk, a big and obnoxious sign with his name and his job title, proudly on display for everyone to read upon entering.
"Yeah, she already mentioned she thinks I'm into some shady illegal business…" Richard looked around his office as well.
He saw blood, sweat and tears. He saw years of hard work, just to get to where he was. He saw a job that he liked, a title that he knew he deserved and a man who had backed him up through the majority of his life. He should have been happy with what he had, no matter what it entailed.
But he wasn't. Not without her. And the thought of her, freaking out when she would learn it all, was giving him a headache. There was no way he'd lose her one more time, not now that he was finally being given a shot at happiness, with her.
"I hope she's as tough as we believe. Otherwise…" Victor made a little heart shape with his fingers and brutally snapped it in two halves, before his hands went different ways.
"You have questionable ways of supporting your best friend, you know that, right?" Richard laughed, because all the nerves and all the pent up tension were starting to rise.
"Sir…" Someone walked in his office, their face pale.
"We have an emergency." That person added before they poured out all the information they had.
"Crap!" Richard rolled his eyes.
"Alright, don't panic. We can do this. I need you to call everyone we have available right now. I need at least ten people out there." He said to Victor who was already typing that SOS message on his phone.
"And I need to be accompanied to the bunker. We need five large containers." Richard kept on speaking.
"But, Sir, what for?" The man who had entered his office, asked hesitantly.
"For the firearms. We are making the trade. We're giving them what they want and it's going down tonight." Richard said calmly.
"Holy shit, Richard, are you insane!?" Victor flipped out. "Those guns can smoke out a city in minutes. We can't just make a trade, not when the stakes are so high."
"And that is why I am the boss." Richard said calmly once again.
"Please tell me you have a plan!?" Victor pleaded.
"I always have a plan. Get the people ready. Fill in the containers and let's go. We're doing this at sunset, by their operations base." Richard smiled, finding it kind of challenging, kind of good to be back to who he loved being. This was his world and this was what he had always known. And he wouldn't trade it for anything and anyone in the world.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"Ducksdragonfly" Hi again! How have you been? Hope things are going good. Thank you for making the time to make me happy with those words :)! I've been sooooooo excited to post chapter 110 and I switched up my posting schedule, so it would fit on October 12th, because I'm a dork and I waned it to be Emily's birthday present, lol, even if in the chapter it it NOT the day of her birthday! Oh, I got plans for that one, later on.
Also, I've been admitted to the Maryland STEM Festival - I'm doing the "Forensics in action" webinar and I AM SO EXCITED ! PS: Clearly, just as a spectator.
"rmpcmfan" Wohooo, thank youuuuu for the kind words! I've re-read chapter 110 a million times, making sure it was cute, but still credible, yet romantic and with enough explanation as to why Emily Prentiss is suddenly going against everything she stands for, with how she acts and talks. And I love me a sweet lil' poetic metaphor here and there :)! Yes, it was CRUCIAL for Emily to tell him her real name! She hated it that Richard looked at her and saw 'Lauren'. In a way, Emily was incredibly jealous of that and in a way it pissed her off, because Lauren was bored of him and she did not deserve him, so why would she be getting all the appraisal from him, instead? And lol, Richard nearly snapped at her when she hinted at his illegal business affairs, hahaha! I can't wait until she learns who the heck he really is, lol! And wow, wooow, wait, slow dooown...ain't nobody talkin' about careers just yet! It's a HUGE part of the story and it CANNOT be disclosed right now. It needs to be a secret and trust me, Emily would do her absolute best to ignore his pleas to tell her everything. She may or may not regret her stubbornness later on haha!
"sweetkid45" I've been super excited about posting that chapter where Emily goes to talk to him! It was important to her to tell him her real name, I mean, she already has other things she wants to keep a secret for now :)! As for Angie - she will get what she deserves - nothing more, nothing less hehe! Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed the chapter!
