CHAPTER 136
I LIKE IT WHEN YOU GIVE IT TO ME
"You look amazing. Any man would be lucky to have you by his side." Richard said in awe when Emily joined him in the living room, now fully dressed up and ready to go to dinner.
"But it isn't just any man, by my side tonight. Is it?" She said in her flirtatious voice, one that she had only ever used a few times in her life.
"And you're not just any woman, my Mysterious…uh…" He bit his lip hard.
Why did he have to spill it, why did he have to almost put a label to their relationship? Was she his…girlfriend? Because that sure was what was about to roll off his tongue before he stopped himself.
"Alright, let's do this." Emily said calmly as they walked in the elevator.
"Let's have 'the talk'. I've been wondering myself, and clearly, so have you. So, let's just get it over with." She continued speaking casually. Why not? This was just a talk, it wasn't a scientific matter that she'd have to present to an audience. Plus, she'd chicken out of this talk, the moment it would start sounding like something legit and scary. "On my side, I'm not interested in seeing anyone else, nor would I pursue an opportunity, if it comes my way. There, I said it."
His right hand searched for hers and he held it while he spoke.
"Same on my side. It's always been that way, I just didn't want to tell you, in case it would put too much pressure on you, or in case you wanted something less…uh…"
"Less committed?" She smirked, offering him the word that he was, once again, clearly afraid to pronounce.
"Okay, let me put it this way – it is way too soon to be making such promises to each other. However, nothing about our situation is normal. And I need you to know that, yes, I've been with a bunch of other guys, but no, I've never been with more than just one guy, at a time. It isn't my style and I would be disgusted with myself if it was. So, if I'm now…with you…I'm with you and only you." Emily finished getting it all off her chest before she relaxed against the elevator wall for a few seconds until they arrived at the parking lot level.
She had promised herself that this time, with this man, she would be honest. She would tell him how she felt, even when it might hurt him to hear it. She would have open conversations with him and she wouldn't pretend to be anyone else but herself. So far, she was doing great. She was petrified of the consequences and she did not feel much like her usual self when she spoke so openly, but there comes a time in everyone's life when a change was well needed and this was Emily's time to change.
This whole 'honesty' act was hard for an ex Spy, who had lived half of her life pretending to be someone else. But she was doing her best and so far, she was happy with herself. Surely, she would flop and make mistakes here and there – it was only human, but for the most part, she was excited to be this new and updated, slightly more human and emotional version of herself.
"I can say the same thing. So, that makes us…" Richard somehow needed a confirmation of their status. Selfishly, he was hoping that Emily would be willing to put a name to it.
"Official? In a committed relationship? Wow, okay, that sounds like pressure…" Emily chuckled, getting out of the elevator and walking towards his car. Yeah, maybe she was right, maybe it was way too soon to be discussing that.
"So, do I call you…" He started off with the one question that had been on his mind. His 'girlfriend', maybe?
She was in his city and he knew a lot of people there. He would rather be uncomfortable now, alone at an underground parking lot, than later in public when he'd run into someone and fail to identify who the woman next to him was and what she was to him. What if he'd spontaneously call her his 'girlfriend' before she'd be ready to be called that, thus sending her into 'fight or flight' mode, without the 'fight' part of it, as she had so graciously told him that this was exactly what she always did when things went too far, too soon? And what if he said the wrong word and unintentionally offended Emily by calling her a 'friend' or an 'acquaintance'?
"You can call me Emily." Her hand brushed against his shoulder, as if to give him more hope than what her words expressed.
She wasn't trying to downplay their 'relationship'. She just did not want to label it, either. At least not just yet. In her mind, this clever response she had just given him was casual and cute enough to put an end to this conversation, with none of them ending up offended and with no consequences to follow. Well, that was surely one way to look at it.
"Hey, wrong car." He grinned, changing subject swiftly and pointing at a car near the one she was headed towards.
"Please don't tell me you own that one, too…" Emily gasped, following the trail of his finger to a car that made her drool.
"I don't." He smirked, but then tossed the keys in his hand and with the push of a button, the car was unlocked.
"Not yet, anyway. It's a present from a friend and they haven't yet handed me the documents. So, technically, I don't own it." He continued.
"Oh, you are so smug about your 'friends' and those 'presents' you keep getting." Emily laughed, using air quotes around those words, just to emphasize on them better, in a more sarcastic way.
She felt weirdly drawn to that specific car. It was surely luxurious, but way beyond that, she loved the unique color of it, its shine underneath the faint light. It would look amazing, under the Parisian night sky and Emily could simply not wait to witness that.
"Look at it. Wow. So gracious, so wild, so…wow, I mean…wow!" She mumbled, speechless, caressing the door with one finger, careful not to make him flip out if she left sweaty fingerprints on his new baby.
"How about we take her for the first ride, tonight?" Richard suggested.
"Her? Oh, I've never been more into riding a 'her' before!" Emily spoke, against her better judgment.
Richard suppressed a smile. That woman sure had a way of talking dirty while looking poised and collected on the outside.
"Any special requests for dinner?" He asked once they were both inside.
The car smelled of new leather and something sweet. Emily looked up and saw one of those commercial air fresheners, hanging from the mirror. Richard hated it when cars smelled strongly, so in each new car he'd spray perfume or leave fresheners hanging around, until it wouldn't smell like a car factory anymore.
"Dinner or dessert?" She asked with a smile.
"I'm pretty sure we both know what's on the menu for dessert." He played her game – if she could talk dirty, then he could talk dirty too. "I meant the actual dinner. What do you feel like eating?"
"Honestly? Everything but Italian."
"Oh, but Italian food is good." He countered.
"Let's just say I have it out for the entire country and everything connected to it." Emily shrugged.
She had spent years, building her hatred for Italy. That was where she had gotten pregnant at fifteen, that was where she had experimented with a few illegal substances a few months later, that was also where, years down the road, she had spent all these weeks with Ian Doyle – the man who had then led to her death…twice.
"How do you feel about Greek food? I know a small family-owned restaurant in the Latin Quarter. They have amazing traditional food. You should see what the upper floor of the restaurant looks like - it's so typical Greek style, I almost feel like I'm back in Greece when I eat there." Richard suggested.
"Greeks do know how to cook and that place sounds lovely. Plus, I love the Latin Quarter. Good call!" She complimented his choice, thinking of one thing – she had warned him not to book expensive and flashy restaurants. She didn't want the lavish life of the aristocracy. And he had listened. He was now taking her to a place where Emily knew she would feel at ease.
"Wait, you've been to Greece?" She asked, suddenly remembering the second part of what he had just said.
"Yeah, I was stationed there for, eh, for work…for a little bit." He shrugged casually.
There was so much more to the story, but he couldn't say it because it would lead to uncovering his real identity.
"Cool. I've been there as well." Emily said shortly.
Much like Richard, Emily had done a job in Greece. Back in her Spy days, she had been shipped off to Thessaloniki, to infiltrate an international smuggling gang and to uncover their mission and stop the next shipment of illegal goods. She had done a pretty damn good job at it, for only about ten days. And she had loved the country and the food, as well.
Before they knew it, Richard was parking the car already. Time seemed to fly, with him by her side, so she did not even feel that they had been in the car for seven minutes before they arrived at their destination. Like some fairytale, like she could spend an eternity with him, but still feel like it was not enough time.
When Emily walked out, she was awed at the sight of this four-wheeled beauty. Like she had imagined – it looked absolutely stunning under the Parisian night lights.
"So graceful. Like a Panther…" She muttered and Richard heard it, as he was taking a few steps towards her.
"Oh, the Black Panther?" He suggested and it caught her attention.
"Why would you say that?" She asked curiously, instantly snapping her head sideways, looking him dead in the eyes.
"Because it is a black car and you just called it graceful, like a Panther…" He stated the obvious.
Emily had jumped at his words a bit too easily. Why? Was there a reason why that nickname triggered her so quickly?
"Although, thinking about it – it would be much more suitable to call you Black Panther." He smirked, eyeing her hungrily.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. Beautiful, poised, gracious, dangerous, mysterious, fierce…come on, it's you!"
"You forgot passionate." She added.
"I haven't forgotten. I just wanted to test out exactly how conceited you are and how long it would take you to point that out." He loved this - playing with her, getting on her nerves, challenging her.
She loved it, as well. Guys had always been reserved with her, nobody dared question the authority of a big bad FBI Agent and it had gone especially bad after she was nominated Unit Chief. She was an Alpha and men crumbled in her feet. That was one of the reasons why she liked playing pretense - she would tell guys that she was doing some boring 9-to-5 job, just so she could have them act more freely around her. And not even then would she get the satisfaction of a guy, challenging her. It was great to be the tough one in a relationship, but she was a woman, after all. She needed to feel like such, she needed to be teased and joked around with, every once in a while. She needed to feel like she wasn't holding all the power in a relationship, which was exactly why all of her pseudo-relationships had crashed and burned once she had grown bored of the physical aspect of it all.
That was so not the case with Richard.
"Ooh, Mr. Richard!" An elder man, one Emily presumed was of Greek origins; welcomed them at the door.
"Welcome back!" The man continued, extending his hand as if he was proudly showcasing his restaurant and welcoming them in, urging them to take a step forward.
"Hello Sir Stavros, it is nice to be back here." Richard greeted him and Emily smiled when she heard the word 'Sir' roll off his tongue so naturally.
Richard treated people with so much respect and Emily could tell it wasn't just an act, because she was around, as if he was trying to make a good impression on her. She had witnessed him randomly meet people and interact with them, such as the bartender from their breakfast café, and there was no way the manner in which those people spoke to him, the way they respected him, could be staged or fake. He was clearly a great guy whom people liked a lot.
And then she thought of the word 'Sir' a bit more. Richard had just said it with the same natural feel, as Angela always did. That girl – as crazy and free-spirited as she might be, had always had the utmost respect for people…well, at least the ones who deserved respect, anyways. She called the men over forty 'Sir' and she always called Dave from the BAU 'Sir Rossi'. Everyone had noticed that and found it endearing, thinking it was due to the fact that Rossi was the eldest one on the team, but to Emily this spoke to more. Somewhere along her upbringing, Angela had caught the habit of using that word with people she deemed respectable. She was often ridiculed about it, especially as a teenager, when her peers would laugh at her and call her a phony ass-kisser, but she knew she would rather stay true to herself and respect her own values, beliefs and manners, than to stoop down to her peers' level and start calling others 'old man'. Plus, she had never even liked the people her age, anyways, so if she had to offend someone, she'd rather offend the dumbasses that the other teens were, while staying respectful to the elders.
Emily's train of thought got interrupted when she felt a tiny squeeze of her hand. So far, Richard had become quite good at figuring out when Emily was having one of her little 'spaced out and daydreaming' moments, plus, she really liked the way he always brought her back to reality, without making her feel weird about it.
"And you brought your…?" Stavros, the patriarch of the family, and also the owner of this restaurant, asked curiously.
Yes, this was exactly why Richard had initiated that conversation in the elevator, just earlier. He wanted to avoid this moment. What was he now supposed to introduce her as?
"My uh…Emily." He said lamely. Wasn't that what she had told him to call her - Emily?
"Καλησπέρα σας κύριε. Το όνομά μου είναι Έμιλη. Αυτό είναι ένα υπέροχο εστιατόριο." She said, shaking the man's hand politely.
Richard nearly snapped something in his neck, turning around to face her, with his jaw nearly dropped.
"I said…" Emily tried to translate, but he interrupted her.
"Good evening, Sir. My name is Emily. This is a wonderful restaurant." Richard continued her words. He wouldn't let her think she had the upper hand.
"You speak Greek!?" Emily was now the impressed one.
"So do you, apparently." Richard raised an eyebrow. She never seized to amaze him.
The elder man walked them to the upstairs floor and made sure they were seated in a private area. There was a window right next to their table, overlooking the beautiful narrow street. The flowers in the windows and the tables reminded both Emily and Richard of their time in Greece. They both had some good memories from there.
Looking at the menu, Emily realized how much truth there had been in the words she had told him earlier.
"What do you feel like having?" He asked her after a few minutes.
"Everything…" She replied shyly.
It was hardly etiquette for a woman to say such thing while out on a romantic dinner with her new…boyfriend? She chuckled, realizing how hard it was to label each other, without using that word.
"How about we both point to what we like from the menu and we get one of each, to share? This way we can devour more things and leave less leftovers in the plates."
"I like your thinking, Richard. Plus, leaving food on your plate is considered extremely rude, in Greek culture, and I don't want to offend this wonderful man and his business." She smiled and started showing him the things she was interested in.
Soon enough they realized that, unlike French restaurants, Greek ones had huge portions and even if they were sharing one of each dish, there was still way too much food on the table.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. I have a healthy appetite." Emily pointed out when she saw him look from left to right and then back left, checking out everything they had just been served.
"I've noticed." He said and Emily knew he wasn't referring to her appetite for food.
A few minutes of silence followed as they both ate. None of them had consumed anything other than the croissant for breakfast and the ice-cream afterwards…and then each other, for dessert.
However, after a while, it became too quiet.
"So, tell me about yourself, about your friends…" Richard asked. "Whatever you feel comfortable sharing." He added before his request would put pressure on Emily.
"Well, I've already told you the basics about me – I'm a geek, I'm weird, I'm unpredictable, I like to be in control and I hate handing the control to anyone, especially a male. I say the most random things, at the most inconvenient moment and people often think I'm creepy. I'm considered to be a strong leader at work, but I'm not a dictator. I have an amazing relationship with all seven people on my team and I don't have too many close friendships outside of it. It's hard to meet new people when I work the hours I do, and with all the travel my job requires. I can't have any distractions, because of what my job entails." She summed it all up and that was pretty much everything she could say about herself.
"And how about that little fact about you-…"
"Me, leaving?" She anticipated his question. "Yes, that too. I won't lie to you – I've done it a million times and I always do it when things go either horribly wrong, or terrifyingly well, for me."
"I appreciate the honesty." His lips were pursed as he spoke.
So, she'd be in flight mode, no matter how things were going in her life? Well, that sure was not too comforting to know.
"I'm not yet done speaking." Emily interrupted him, so she could continue her train of thought before he'd freak out and faint. "However, I want to break the curse and be done with all the running away and all the lies. I've built a life around those two qualities and I realize it isn't healthy for me to continue living this way. And this…" She pointed at her lips.
"This, the way I'm talking to you now…" She elaborated. "…is not something I've ever had the nerve to do, with anyone else. I'd lie, even to my closest friends, and I'd end up hurting them, but I've never felt this urge to be completely honest with someone. I mean, someone other than you now. So, I just hope you see how lucky you are here." She ended off with a smirk, turning it into a light tease, to take some tension off those words she had just shared.
"Trust me, you have no idea how lucky I already know I am, with you." He spoke while eyeing a piece of meat on the platter between them. Richard loved good food and he was eager to finish everything they had ordered that evening.
"Tell me something you've done and regretted?" Emily was really good at keeping conversations going. She always had an interesting question to offer to the table.
"Well, it happened recently. I lied to someone I care greatly about and I regret that, even though I know I had no other choice. It just had to be done, for the sake of their well-being." He said honestly.
"Would that lie hurt the person?"
"Not exactly. I guess it depends on the way they see it, once they learn the truth." He replied.
"Are they smart?"
"So incredibly smart, you have no idea." He felt the need for some water. His lips were dry. If only Emily knew what he meant with those words…
"Then I'm sure they will figure out why it had to be done." She said with a smile.
He really wished she would turn out to be right about that.
"Do you believe in second chances?" He asked.
"No."
Her short reply sent chills down his spine.
"You wanted the truth, right? The truth is that I've learned my lesson in life. Fool me once, shame on me, but fool me twice – not a chance! I never give second chances when I've been hurt. Ever! It's how I've survived through the years." She elaborated.
"So, does that mean that you won't be giving me a second chance after you learn the truth about me?" He questioned, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
"So, does that mean that your truth is going to hurt me?" Emily countered with a similarly structured question.
"I've already told you that it would, Emily. And I've begged you to let me tell you the whole story. You just wouldn't let me. And you promised to, one day, give me the chance to explain!" He reminded her, lowering his voice a little with his last words, almost sounding like he was scared that she might rob him of this chance that she promised to give him, no matter the circumstances.
"And I will." She said calmly. "I will give you that chance. I'm also at a phase in my life where I'm trying to keep the promises I make to people. God knows I've hurt innocent people when I've failed to keep my promises to them, in the past."
He remained silent. As good as things were between them, there was this huge black cloud, ready to crash right above their heads, at any moment. And he wasn't too keen on believing that she would actually give him that chance to explain.
Too much was at stakes. He had lost her once. He could not lose her again.
"I love American burgers!" Angie squealed contently when she was done with the huge burger and the huge side of French fries.
"Apparently, you love sauce, too. Girl, you killed that Indian hot sauce." Clara picked up the bottle and shook it, realizing there wasn't much left in it.
After hanging out at the Mall, Clara had taken Angie to a nice little diner, on the way back to the Academy. Both were hungry and it wasn't like Clara would leave Angela at the Academy after a day out, starving. She was considerate enough to feed the girl first, but also, she had a selfish reason, too. Clara just wanted to spend more time with Angie. As tense and awkward as things might get between them on occasion, Clara was very attached to Angela and she cared greatly for the girl. In a weird way, Clara wanted to make sure she'd be fed, happy and relaxed, for as long as Clara could help it all.
Clara had suggested that Angie would sleep over, but Angie needed to have an early start the next morning and that would mean that Clara had to wake up at half past four, just to drive her to the Academy, when she, herself, was not due to work until ten o'clock. Angie had politely declined the invitation. She didn't want to be of inconvenience to anyone. Plus, she needed to be back to the dorms and to catch up on some reading for a class she would have the next day.
"Thanks." Angie said silently, against the napkin that she was brushing against her lips, to wipe off all the ketchup and hot sauce traces.
"You're welcome. They have great food here."
"I meant thanks for hanging out with me today." Angie put the napkin down. "I appreciate it. I mean, it was your only day off for the past ten days and you had just gotten back from a case abroad. I bet all you wanted to do was lounge around at home and eat Cheetos."
"Doritos!" Clara corrected her with a grin. "And really, it was my pleasure. I like spending time with you. It's almost like…like old times…"
Angie shifted uncomfortably at the mention of 'old times'.
"Angela, it goes without saying, but I'm really proud of who you've become. I can't believe how much you've accomplished, all on your own. You've always been independent, smart, providing for yourself from an early age. I know this version of you – this Angela Hunter person, who comes off as a bubblehead and makes all these jokes and acts like a dork, just to make the people around her laugh…but I also know who you really are, deep down inside. And I'm so incredibly proud of you, sweetheart."
Angie smiled shyly. She wasn't a fan of compliments, mostly because she never had too many of those thrown at her, but she appreciated Clara's words, a lot.
"Hey, we still have some time for a milkshake!" Angie offered.
From where she was sitting, she could see a huge poster of a whole bunch of colorful milkshakes, on the wall, right behind Clara's back. She could never deny herself a sweet treat.
"Of course." Clara waved for the waitress and they ordered.
"You are big on having the All-American experience, aren't you?"
"Well, considering…"
"Your life in Europe?" Clara supposed and Angie just nodded.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Angie leaned over the table, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her next words.
"I've never felt American. Like, ever. I know I have the citizenship, technically…" She rolled her eyes. Her origins were all over the place and hard to explain to someone who didn't know her past. "And I've been in the States a lot of times, but I've never really lived here, you know? I never felt like this place was home. And I've never had the chance to get used to the things that you, guys, take for granted. In-N-Out Burger? Pinkberry? Diners? Milkshakes with your friends after dinner? I didn't have those, growing up. The only American style thing I had was my cheerleading practices and I didn't even have that in each school I've ever been to, so…"
"Oh, you would love Pinkberry! Have you ever been there?"
"Actually, yes. Emily took me there when we were in New York, on a case."
"Alright. Well how about this – next time we both have some time off we will go have the most American experience ever! Sounds good? Make a list of all the things and places that interest you and we'll plan around that. Okay?" Clara suggested.
"Okay, but one thing…" Angie pleaded. "Can we go with Emily, too? I mean, you and me and Emily, the three of us, together?"
Clara had to stop herself from getting up from the table and busting out in a celebratory dance in front of everyone.
Angie wanted to go out with both of them. Together! This was a huge step forward and Clara could not wait to tell Emily about it.
"Of course. I'll stop by her office these days to figure out which day would work for both of us and then I'll let you know."
"Actually, I'll see her on Monday morning for our training session together. I'll talk to her and I will let you know." Angie stated, turning the tables around.
Clara was bursting with joy, on the inside. Angie and Emily had a weekly training session together? And Angie was so eager to go talk to Emily, herself? This was huge!
"Can I just use the restrooms before we go?" Angie asked politely.
She had drunk two fizzy drinks with her burger and was now having a milkshake, as well. She didn't want to pee in her pants, in the car, on the way back to Quantico.
Clara nodded and used her time alone wisely. She grabbed her phone and shot a quick message to Emily.
When Angie came back, Clara paid for their dinner and they left.
On the way back to Quantico Angie was unusually cheerful. Maybe it was the caffeine from those two Coca Colas, or the sugar from the Milkshake, but she was bubbly and outgoing and she laughed with Clara, discussing the most random things. It almost felt like Angie was an innocent teenager, chatting away and laughing at everything Clara said. It felt nice to see her like that again.
"No way! Eidetic memory? That is awesome. I can't wait for him to destroy me at chess!" Richard said enthusiastically, without much thinking.
They had spent over an hour at the Greek restaurant, finishing up most of their food and telling each other about their lives and friends, as much as possible.
"Uh, you know what I meant." His geeky side added, not wanting to sound pushy, like he was entitled to meet Emily's friends already.
"I know. And you will meet him. Just maybe, not yet." Emily said honestly.
"No problem. On my side, I'd love for you to meet Victor. He's been asking so many questions about you. He's the one who kept me sane while I was waiting for you to make contact…" Richard then trailed off, realizing there was one major reason why he could not go and set up that meeting. He sighed, thinking to himself that he should have kept quiet about this.
"I guess Victor to you is like JJ to me." Emily smiled wide. "In which case, I'd love to meet him. Just, maybe-…"
"Not yet?" He figured it out. She had said the same thing about him, meeting her friends. And it came in handy now that Richard had quickly realized his mistake to have even mentioned it.
Emily nodded. She wanted to take her time, to build that relationship, based on solely just the two of them, before she would feel confident enough to bring Richard into her world. And she had one more reason to be so adamant about it.
"For many personal reasons that have to do with my upbringing, I am scared of commitment, especially if things move fast. I'm not saying 'no', I'm only saying 'not yet'." She smiled at him, proving that she was willing to let him into her world, later on.
"However, I don't have any problem going to that lunch you mentioned, you know, at the Latina woman's house. Since tomorrow we're doing the Spy game, how about we go the day after tomorrow? Call her, see if it would be a good time for her, as well." She continued speaking.
Meeting the people close to them freaked her out. But meeting people they had only just met recently was perfectly fine. In a way, Emily didn't want to mess with the relationships that Richard already had. Like, she wouldn't want it to be weird between them if maybe Victor turned out to dislike her. But with this woman that Richard had only just met, Emily was curious. It was a test to see how it would feel for her to be introduced by him, a test to see how she would fit into a tiny little piece of his world.
"Sounds great. I'll call Consuelo tomorrow morning."
"No, call her right now. It's not too late. Come on, give her time to prepare! You can't just invite yourself only a day in advance. Plus, tomorrow we should keep an eye out at the shops we walk by, as we need to buy something really amazing for that woman, for all the hassle we're putting her through." Emily insisted.
"Alright then, forget table protocol - let's call her." He laughed, grabbing his phone from his back pocket. He wouldn't have even touched the device, had it not been for Emily asking him to make the call.
"Plus, I don't think it's any inconvenience for her. In fact, she'd be happy to host us. She's Latina, come on, gotta give it to her - she sure would be an amazing cook and an even more amazing host. I love Latino people, they're so warm and welcoming." Richard added.
"Yeah, unlike the arrogant French people…" Emily teased and earned herself a nasty glare from her…boyfriend?
"I was joking. Oh, please. If you think I have something against France or French people, you are so wrong! I only have it out for Italy." She chuckled and leaned forward, placing a small kiss on his cheek, so he wouldn't be upset.
She felt young with him, free, adventurous. She had her few romantic moments with him, by her side, and in any other occasion Emily Prentiss would have hated it - she hated romance; but not with him.
The best of all – she didn't feel like she was losing a part of herself, by being with him. Emily Prentiss was the same person she always has been, just…well, in love now.
"Hello? Consuelo, hi, this is Richard." He spoke as soon as the woman picked up.
"If your kind offer still stands, I'd like to come over, maybe the day after tomorrow, for lunch?"
"Uh, yes, Consuelo, I will be bringing her…"
Richard smirked, glancing over at Emily.
From where Emily was sitting, she could overhear Consuelo's voice, but couldn't make out the words until the woman practically shouted when she heard that Richard would come over, accompanied.
"El amor de tu vida!?"
Richard gasped, he was smart enough to know that anyone could have heard her say that. What he didn't know was that Emily was fluent in Spanish as well. Although, those words were quite easy to translate – the love of your life.
Had he referred to Emily as that? Why did Consuelo use these specific words?
Emily blushed and busied herself by checking her own phone, the work phone. She wanted to give Richard some privacy to talk and it wasn't like she could just walk away from the table.
While he made arrangements with Consuelo, Emily read a few messages she had missed out on. She didn't even dare open the BAU group chat, as it had been spammed beyond belief and she didn't have the time to go through all the photos of animal memes that she was sure Garcia would have sent.
She had private messages from a whole bunch of people and she prioritized, only opening the most important ones.
Clara Seger, this one was important. The person was important to Emily.
"OMG OMG OMG EMILY! Just hung out with Angie, it was our day off, and she mentioned she wanted us to hang out and do some typical American stuff together! And I mean – Angela, me and…she specifically requested YOU! EMILY, SHE WANTS THE THREE OF US, TOGETHER! This is huge! I am freaking out! She also threw herself at some random guy and they smooched. It was weird. Anyway. I AM FREAKING OUT, EMILY ! Please call me! Do you even realize what this means!? I spoke to her a few times about…you know what. And I have a feeling she's coming to terms with it. She's so confused and I can tell she's scared, but the more we talk to her, the more she's open to the possibility of coming clean, about all of it! This is it, Emily…this is the chance we've been waiting for! Oh, you owe me sooo many drinks now! I am freaking out, OMG! Love you, bye!"
Emily's heartbeat quickened, just reading Clara's text. As emotional as she was, she could tell Clara had been feeling just about the same way, while typing it all.
"…and then she said…" Richard was now talking to Emily whose eyes were glued to her screen, eagerly reading Clara's text over and over again, as if to make sure it was true.
She hadn't even realized that his phone call was now done and he was trying to tell her all about the arrangements.
"…which, you're not, right?" Richard asked, but Emily did not reply.
"Emily?" He brushed his hand over hers and that was when she came back to reality.
"I already know you're not vegetarian, or vegan, but do you have any food intolerance at all? Because Consuelo mentioned all the things and ingredients in the world." He summed up his question.
"No, no. I eat everything." She said, still in a daze.
"Good news?" He glanced at her now spent off phone screen briefly. Clearly, she had received some news that made her happy.
"Do you remember that one thing I was telling you about? The only thing that I ever really wanted?"
"Yes, you never told me what it was, so I will continue spoiling you until I get it right and give it to you." He smirked.
"Oh, I like it when you give it to me." Still in a daze, Emily didn't even realize she had said those words, out loud, in a restaurant.
"Wow…uh, okay…" In attempts to breathe after hearing her say those words, he took a sip of water and sat back in his chair. This woman was something else, for sure.
"But no, sadly you can't give me this thing. Nobody can. It's the thing that has to come to me. It's uh, it's complicated. Point is, I just received a message that gives me hope that maybe one day, I'll have it back."
"One more reason to celebrate with drinks tonight." He said brightly.
Since he was driving, he had only had water with their dinner, so he could allow himself a drink at the bar, later. Despite the fact that he would never have problems with the law, he still didn't want to be an asshole and risk it. He'd hate having to use his name and status, to get himself out of holding, if that ever happened. And especially, he'd hate it if he dragged Emily down, with him…although he could not deny having had a certain recurring dream, in which Emily had worn a deep V-neck prison outfit while handcuffing him to a pole.
"Oh, I can't wait to put that tacky headband on and pretend like I'm undercover. Prepare for geekiness, I'll be looking left and right, checking for threats and other spies, at that bar!" Emily chuckled, remembering where they were going to go next.
"I just…I can't…I have no words." He laughed at her enthusiasm.
It was cute how much she liked all this spy-pretense. He couldn't wait to see her in action, even though the bar they were going to was just a normal bar, visited by foreigners, especially American expats. It only had the name of once maybe having been something like Spy Central, but while some Parisians believed it might be true, the majority of the other locals simply thought of this as an urban legend.
"Are we ready to go then?" He suggested and Emily nodded in reply.
She could simply not wait to feel like a spy. Again.
"GiGi!" Bryan greeted her with a warm hug when she got back to the dorm.
"Bry-Bry!" She greeted back, seemingly in a great mood.
"Feels like I see less of you these days." He pointed out.
"That might be true. With all the trainings and theory and all the studying we have to do on our own, we barely ever hang out anymore." She pouted. Angie really missed spending time with him.
"And you dumped me on our day off. Again!" He raised an eyebrow, only joking about it. He was actually happy to see her all smiling and cheerful after her day out. "Were you with her?"
"I was with Clara." Angie replied, since Bryan didn't specify which 'her' he meant. And then again, she kind of knew he meant Prentiss, instead.
"You two have been getting close ever since that case in Cuba."
"Guess you could say that. I really respect that woman, a lot. And she keeps me grounded. Plus, hello?" She dragged two huge bags of snacks into the dorm room.
On their way back to Quantico, Clara had insisted that they'd stop at a Target, so that she could get Angie whatever she wanted. And the girl wanted nothing other than chips and chocolate treats, as it was to be expected.
"She's very generous. It's weird how comfortable you are when she pays for you, but you wouldn't let me buy you a sandwich when you were starving and broke…"
Angie bit her bottom lip guiltily. The way Bryan just came out and said it pointed to some frustration that he felt, about that situation. In reality, Angie had a pretty damn good reason why she was okay with Clara paying stuff for her. She just couldn't tell him about it.
"I helped her with some paperwork this morning, so this was her way of paying me back." She stated calmly. That was most definitely not the real reason.
"So…" He knew when to change topic with Angie before she'd get upset. "I see you're scheduled to do Hostage Alley tomorrow?"
"Oh my God, yes! Everyone keeps saying this is one of the most screwed up exercises in the Academy!" Angie groaned. She had heard nothing but horrible things about it.
"Screwed up doesn't even begin to explain it! Me and the guy I was partnered with, spent an hour and a half, doing it over and over again, yesterday. And we still didn't get it right. It is frustrating and you will hate every second of your life. Trust me, you would!"
"No, no, no! Please don't tell me anything about it! I don't want to know! I need to figure it out on my own! It won't be fair if you gave me any clues!" She practically begged, with her hands cuffing her ears, so she wouldn't be able to hear whatever spoiler he might utter before she'd warn him.
The Trainees had been divided into pairs, with each pair receiving a different day and hour to go do that training. Bryan had done it the previous day, while Angie and some guy were scheduled to do it the next day.
"I wouldn't even know what to tell you. It's a no win situation. Like I said, we failed at it, no matter how many times we tried. They never told us the right way to resolve this, or what it really was, even. I suppose they didn't want us to spoil it for the other Trainees."
The training was in an alley, in the man-made fake village, on Campus, where the Trainees got a firsthand experience with handling situations of crisis – bank robberies, hostage negotiations, sniper training from the rooftops, sliding down a rope from the rooftop, breaching a specific room through the window and much more.
The Hostage Alley training consisted of two Agents, going against one or more perpetrators, who are holding one or more hostages. The purpose was to figure out what was really going on, how many people they were dealing with, how to get the hostages out, if needed, and how to deal with the unexpected twists and turns that their trainers and the hired actors would throw at them.
To Angie that sounded super exciting and interesting, until the moment everyone hyped this up to be the absolute worst experience of the entire Academy. Luckily for her, nothing could ever be worse than tactical driving, so at least that was to her advantage.
She spent her evening, comfortably snuggled on the couch and silently going through all the theory she needed to memorize for one of her classes on the following day. Bryan did the same and he'd occasionally munch on something, with Angie telling him off that he was munching way too loud and he was breaking her concentration. Bryan had seen her in class and nothing could ever distract her, so he knew she was just being funny each time she scolded him for popping a chips into his mouth. At some point, he even started to intentionally make more noise, provoking her to throw a pillow at him. He liked messing with her and Angie appreciated being messed with. Growing up, kids her age had always feared her. She was the kid who'd kick anyone's ass, if she wanted to. She was the kid who'd speak up and speak back, if needed. She was the kid who'd stand her ground and not take any bullshit from anyone, so people tried to avoid conflict when she was around. And yet now, she felt quite at ease with Bryan, joking around and pushing each other's nerves. It was a welcomed distraction from all the nerves, the occasional frustration and the inevitable and overwhelming sense of complete and utter exhaustion that the Academy brought them.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"sweetkid45" Hey :)! Oh, no, no, not at all! Nobody is supposed to know the truth yet, so all reviews are just assumptions and predictions and that's exactly how it should be with a mystery story. I really enjoy reading what everyone thinks might be going on with the different characters in each chapter.
"rmpcmfan" Yup, Richard stuttering is definitely NOT a normal sight, lol. Emily might have either hit a nerve or come close to something she is not supposed to know…yet…or maybe ever! As for the game – I don't know which one of those nerds would enjoy it more, hehe. Emily was clearly VERY into it, from the second Richard even mentioned it. But…Richard must be enjoying it too, if he even dared suggest it…right? :P Plus, to Emily Paris is a special place, where she had lived multiple times in and experienced very different things. She had been there as a child, then as a spy, then she also spent those seven months after her surgery when Ian Doyle tried to kill her. And she's now back again, finding herself to experience a whole different range of emotions, falling in love with this amazing guy. There are also other major events that had happened to her in Paris in the past, but that won't be evident now…however, if you remember there was this half torn photo of her that she keeps in her bedroom, but the other half – of the person who had been with her at a very special Fountain many years ago, is being kept in her safe at home. Clearly, that photo means the world to Emily. But…why would she tear it and keep one part of it under key!?
Ah, the power duo Angie and Clara…I love their relationship and I didn't initially mean anything big with it, but the more I kept writing the more it just naturally happened. And yes, both Clara and Emily play major roles in Angie's life, with VERY defined roles. As you saw in the previous chapter, it upsets Angela when anyone tries to take Emily's place in her life, even if she knew Clara did not mean it in a bad way, nor did she even realize she was overstepping.
As for that Prentiss slip up…oh, boy…you just hold on :)!
"Ducksdragonfly" Hey, I didn't understand what you meant about the blinking. Do let me know :)! And yes, the amount of (non professional) profiling I've done….ooof! I play mind games on people, telling them how I've profiled something and I sometimes joke, but when you sound convinced, people believe you lol! I've studied a looot of profiling and I've done some research for the story, so I sound confident when I speak and the people around me are afraid of me, lol (not in a threatening way, just as a joke)! Also, everything until the end is in reply to you, keep reading hehe.
Don't worry – our Emily likes to burn things! Plus, would she even be interested in a relationship if it wasn't absolute fiiiiirrreeee!? *wink* Hmm funny you should mention Doyle…he actually plays HUGE part in the story, with Emily's flashbacks and the trauma she keeps experiencing. She wouldn't be who she is and where she is, had it not been for Doyle – both in a bad way and in a good way, surprisingly. As for the hurt – you clearly see Emily curious, but scared to let Richard tell her the truth. She's torn and it messes with her head. However, Richard is (surprisingly) having it a million times worse! He's terrified of what may happen when Emily finds out and all I can say at this point is that if his feelings weren't real and Emily was just some 'fun' to be had, then none of the truth would matter and he wouldn't be so upset over it, at all. Also, I love that you used the term 'contrary patterns'! And it might be the case here…who knows!
Lol, I promise – no furniture through Emily's body…not from Richard, at least!
Cracks!? Oh, this girl (Angie) is broken beyond repairs right now! When (later on) you learn what had been the case all along, you'll know how extreeeemely hard this Academy experience had been for Angela. Clara is definitely helping by being by her side, but it is also hurting Angela and she won't admit it. She only gave half-assed info to her therapist; Bryan knows nothing about her; the BAU can't have her; the Brass seem to despise her guts and it looks like she does not fit in anywhere…which has been a recurring preoccupation in her life. Yes, she's tough and all, but just how much of her 'toughness' is a fake shell and how much is left there to help her through these times?
'Attachment with fierce jealousy'…well, switch 'jealous' with 'insanely protective' and I'll confirm hehe. But since you mentioned it – Angela would HAAAAAATE it if Emily had 'love and affection' for someone other than her! (Which, in fact, confirms the jealousy you mentioned…uff, you're good at this!) If Angie ever meets a person Emily is dating, she'd probably stare him down and make him regret ever meeting Emily and the little Devil (currently) named Angela. She'd test this guy's loyalty again and again and she'd make him sweat and swear every second of his life until he'd either crack and dump Emily (which would be horrible!) or he'd prove himself worthy. But what a strong man should he be, to endure all that! At this point, I don't see how Emily can have a healthy relationship (add to that: long distance!) AND Angela, too. Maybe she'd be forced to make a choice? Maybe she'd lose one...or both?
To sum Angie/Emily up (in a way possibly only you could understand correctly), think 'non romantic infatuation' in its next step - 'limerence', again, without the romantic notion to it. However, don't you catch some underlying ambivalence, too? After all, hate, within the context of a romantic relationship (in our case NON romantic!), arises mainly from a relational betrayal. However, pure philomisia is NOT Angie's case with Emily.
And given Angie's trust issues, abandonment issues and inability to connect, mixed with how she sometimes lashes out on Clara when it comes to Emily, but then she'd give her liver, her heart and her soul for Emily, at the same time…well…
Just keep in mind I enjoy making my characters suffer, lol.
