A/N: Breaking news! I am continuing a previously completed fic! Shocking, I know. Anyway, The Bond of Cousins will now be extended through season 10. That's probably as far as it's ever going to get, though.

I don't own Criminal Minds. And I have not yet had a chance to watch season 17, so please, no spoilers in your reviews.

Summer passed surprisingly quickly. Spencer spent a lot of time at the shooting range, but still found plenty of time for Maeve. Maeve finally met both Gideon and the team, and she began learning ASL. Jessica split most of her time between babysitting Henry and spending as much time with Beth and Claire as possible before the other two girls began school at Gallaudet University. Thankfully, things were fairly quiet on the serial killer front; the summer's biggest excitement was an unlikely earthquake in the DC area.

Finally, it came time for Jessica's orientation at Mendel University. Somewhat to her surprise, she was not the only student who needed an interpreter. Her fellow Deaf student was a Black girl who looked incredibly familiar, but Jessica couldn't quite place her…until the end of the orientation, when she finally had a moment to properly look at the girl's face. Her jaw dropped. "Darren?!"

"I think you have me confused with someone else," the girl signed quickly, looking incredibly nervous and uncomfortable. "My name is E-V-E, my name sign is Eve."

Jessica gave Darren—Eve?—a flat look. "We've gone to school together for the past six years, I think I know what you look like."

Eve looked around, definitely nervous. "Darren is my twin brother."

"So why didn't you go to our school?" Jessica signed, not convinced.

"I…went to boarding school in Baltimore?" Eve replied, obviously floundering for an answer.

"Come on, you know I was raised by a bunch of profilers, you'll have to do better than that," Jessica retorted. "Look, if you don't want me to tell anyone your real name, I won't."

Eve swallowed. "You won't tell anyone I was born male?"

"Born…" Jessica cut herself off. "Oh. Duh. I get it now. No, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." Eve heaved a sigh of relief, and Jessica made a decision. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm asexual. Welcome to the queer brigade."

"Thanks," Eve signed, finally breaking into a small smile. "I was kind of hoping college would be a fresh start where I could just pass as female."

Jessica gave her an exaggerated look of innocent confusion. "Girl, what are you talking about? Don't you remember how shocked people were when we girls went to homecoming together?"

Eve's smile widened. "Such a scandal. Glad everyone got over it…including your family." She couldn't quite repress a shudder at the memory of the BAU's shovel talk.

At that moment, a tall Hispanic boy approached them. "Hi. Sorry if I'm being too forward, but are you both Deaf?"

"Yes," Jessica responded. "You, too?"

The boy shook his head. "No, but my little brother is. My name is M-A-T-E-O, my name sign is Mateo." He offered his hand.

Eve shook it. "E-V-E. Eve."

"J-E-S-S-I-C-A. Jessica." Jessica also shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Mateo replied with a smile. "Do either of you have lunch plans? I'm from San Diego and I have no idea where to find good restaurants around here."

"My cousin is dating one of the faculty members here, so I actually know several near campus," Jessica replied. "You want a '50s diner, barbecue, or Italian?"

"I could totally go for some barbecue," Eve commented.

"I'm down with that," Mateo agreed.

"Okay, to Fat Pete's BBQ it is," Jessica concluded. This looked to be the beginning of some beautiful college friendships.

That evening, Spencer got home just in time for dinner. He took off his messenger bag and ignored Bianca's greeting. "So, did everything go okay?"

"Yes," Jessica responded. She turned off the sink. "Did you find the unsub?"

"Yes, and we found two hostages still alive," Spencer confirmed. "Did the interpreter do a good job?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, he did. Like I said, everything went okay."

"I'm just making sure," Spencer signed defensively. "After what happened to Emily, I don't ever want to miss any more warning signs if someone I love is in trouble."

"I'm not in trouble," Jessica assured. "I think I made a couple friends, actually. Well, one new friend; the other went to my old school. Looks like I won't be the only Deaf freshman."

"Really? Who's the other?" Spencer asked, interested.

Jessica almost replied 'Darren', then caught herself. "A girl named E-V-E. Her name sign is Eve."

Spencer frowned. "You've never mentioned an 'Eve' before."

Jessica had to suppress a wince; Spencer's memory could be really inconvenient sometimes. "We weren't close. Not that we had anything against each other, we just didn't hang out much." A fact for which she still blamed Hotch and Morgan.

Spencer narrowed his eyes, not looking convinced. "You hesitated before saying her name. Like you were about to say something else."

"And there's a reason why I didn't say it," Jessica retorted. "Your case is over; you can stop profiling now."

Spencer gave her another suspicious look, then relented and walked over to the table. "Fine. Dinner smells good."

"Thanks," Jessica replied, heaving a small sigh of relief. She honestly didn't think Spencer would judge Eve for being trans, but she'd promised not to tell anyone, and that included Spencer.

Shortly after the school year began, Spencer texted to let Jessica know that the team was closing in on Ian Doyle. The following night, he let her know that the team had found Doyle, but now Doyle's son was missing. Jessica ended up going to bed before he sent any further updates.

In the morning, Jessica checked her phone and saw another message saying that the son had been found, and that Spencer needed to talk to her as soon as possible. Jessica was already running late, so she suggested meeting in Maeve's office after her last class. A few hours later, Spencer agreed.

That afternoon, Spencer came to Maeve's office, accompanied by a woman who Maeve found vaguely familiar, though she couldn't think from where. "Emily, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Dr. Maeve Donovan," Spencer stated. Maeve stared as he continued. "Maeve, this is Emily Prentiss."

Maeve looked back and forth between Spencer and Emily, sure that this must be some kind of joke. And yet…she had seen photos of Emily, and this woman looked exactly like the photos.

"I'm assuming Spencer has told you what happened in March," Emily said wryly. "It's a long story, but as you can see, I am alive and well."

"Well, that's…it's very nice to meet you," Maeve replied, still gobsmacked. She offered a hand to shake. "Spencer's told me so much about you, I feel like I know you already."

Emily shook her hand. "Good things, I hope."

"Very good things," Maeve assured. "I, uh…" She broke off with a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, I've never met someone who was supposedly dead before. I'm not quite sure what to say."

"Well, I've never met anyone Spencer was dating before," Emily responded, smiling. "He told me about you right before I…well, 'died'…and I'm glad to see you're still together now."

"Me too," Maeve agreed, returning the smile. She took Spencer's hand and briefly squeezed it. "He's a keeper." Spencer squeezed back.

"I hope that doctorate means you can keep up with his brain, because sometimes he leaves us ordinary agents in the dust," Emily joked.

Spencer frowned. "Do I not explain my theories clearly enough? You're a profiler too, I didn't think I needed to use layman's terms with you…"

"Kidding, Reid," Emily said quickly. "I've missed your explanations."

"Oh. Thanks." Spencer was about to say more, but the sound of footsteps caused both him and Emily to turn around.

Jessica had just walked through the open doorway. The moment she saw Emily's face, she turned white as a sheet. She quickly backed out of the room and shut the door.

Emily turned back to Spencer, surprised. "Have you not told her yet?"

Spencer winced. "I haven't had the chance. I got home while she was asleep, then she left for class while I was asleep, and this didn't seem like something that should be shared over text."

"Good point," Emily conceded.

The door slowly opened again. Jessica cautiously looked in, staring at Emily. Emily smiled and signed. "Hello."

Jessica stared for a few moments longer, then turned to Spencer. "Am I losing my mind, or is that Emily?"

"You're not losing your mind," Spencer assured. "Emily is really alive and is really standing right here."

"I've missed you," Emily offered. "It's very good to see you again."

Jessica stared for a few moments longer, then tentatively stepped forward and gave Emily a hug. Emily returned it, and suddenly Jessica was squeezing her very tightly. They held on for at least a full minute before Jessica finally let go and pulled back to sign. "How?"

"I was badly hurt, but the doctors were able to save my life," Emily explained. "Unfortunately, with Doyle still on the loose, it was highly likely that he would come after me again. So, we faked my death and I went into hiding overseas. Now that Doyle is dead, there's no need to keep up the pretense."

"We?" Jessica repeated. "Who else knew you were alive?"

"Hotch and JJ."

Something in Jessica's expression suddenly shuttered. "I see," she signed stiffly.

"I'm sorry," Emily signed quickly. "I never wanted any of you to have to mourn me, but my survival was strictly need-to-know."

"Yes, I'm familiar with the concept of classified information," Jessica snapped.

Emily flinched at Jessica's obvious anger, and tried to think of something more positive to say. "I couldn't tell you who I was, but…I did actually play some games with you on that online Scrabble site."

Jessica stared incredulously at her. "Is that supposed to somehow make things better?"

"I…" Emily looked around at Spencer and Maeve for help, but neither one seemed inclined to come to her aid. "I just wanted you to know I didn't forget about you, while I was in hiding."

Jessica was unimpressed. "Do you have any idea how many times I would fantasize about the mysterious 'vampire' player, imagining that you had somehow risen as the undead? But then I would tell myself it was a stupid idea, because if there was any way you that actually could rise from the dead, then you would do a hell of a lot more than just play online Scrabble with me!" Jessica glared. "Or at least, the Emily I thought I knew would have done more. Clearly, I was wrong."

"I'm…sorry," Emily signed helplessly, now seriously wondering how on earth she could fix this.

Jessica glared for a few moments longer, then turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind her. After a few moments, Spencer followed her. Emily turned to Maeve, hoping that someone could tell her how to make this better.

Thankfully, Maeve had learned enough ASL by now to follow the gist of the conversation. "Give them space," she advised. "Losing you hit them both pretty hard."

"I never meant to hurt them…" Emily murmured softly.

"I believe you," Maeve replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that you did."

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?"

Maeve glanced towards the door. "I think only time will tell."

Spencer caught up to Jessica in the hallway. "Are you okay?" he signed, concerned.

Jessica let out a short, humorless laugh. "I have no idea."

"I'm sorry," Spencer continued. "I should have met you outside, warned you before you saw her…"

Jessica shook her head. "I don't think any amount of warning could have prepared me for that."

Spencer sighed. "Hotch did give us a bit of warning, last night, but still…" He took a deep breath. "At least she's not dead."

Jessica grimaced. "I wouldn't ever want her dead, exactly, but…I've spent half a year wishing she could somehow be alive, and I'm sure you have too. But then to actually see her alive, and then realize that this means that people we trusted have been lying to us…"

"It's a lot to take in," Spencer agreed.

Jessica spotted a nearby bench, and sat on it. "So what happens now? Does she just come back to work, like everything is normal?"

Spencer winced and sat next to her. "Well, actually…the whole team has been suspended over how things went down."

Jessica stared. "What?! Even people like you who honestly didn't know?!" She paused, frowning. "Wait, you didn't know, did you?"

Spencer shook his head. "No. Like Emily said, only Hotch and JJ knew. But it wasn't just that they faked Emily's death. The whole Doyle case was handled in very unorthodox fashion. We're going to have to discuss it with a Senate committee in two weeks."

Jessica raised her eyebrows. "Damn, that's serious. Do you think your job's in danger?"

Spencer gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who actually broke procedure, and I intend to tell them that. If they fire me, I'll accept it, but the rest of the team don't deserve to lose their jobs."

"If they do fire you, what will you do?"

Spencer swallowed. "Ever since I got my first PhD, universities all over the country have been trying to recruit me. There's a few in Washington that would be happy to have me."

"Is Mendel one of them?"

Spencer shook his head. "They've expressed interest in the past, but with both you and Maeve already there, I think it would be a conflict of interest to accept now. I might consider Georgetown. It'd be good to spend more time working with Alex."

Jessica spent a few moments considering this. As much as she would love for Spencer to take a desk job, she wasn't sure that he would truly love it. "Do you want to leave the BAU?"

Spencer sighed. "I don't know. Twenty-four hours ago, I wouldn't have even considered it. But now…I'm not sure how much I can trust the team."

Jessica swallowed. "Well…" She did a quick mental count. "Derek, Penelope, and Rossi didn't know either, right? So they haven't lied to us."

"True," Spencer conceded. "I would definitely miss them." He hesitated, then sighed again. "And I understand why the others lied. I really do. If half a year's grief was the price of Emily's survival, then I'd say it was worth the cost. But the grief was real, even though Emily's death wasn't, and I can't just pretend it never happened."

"Yeah." Jessica smiled wryly. "We both know what happens when you try to do that."

Spencer shuddered. "Don't. I am trying very hard to process things without considering that option."

"Sorry."

Spencer spent a few moments staring at his hands, not sure what else to say. "I guess I'll just have to see how the hearing goes and then decide things from there."

"Good luck," Jessica responded.

An hour later, Garcia received a text from Jessica. "Hey, could you do me a favor and check if my parents have death certificates on file somewhere? Apparently, just because I've been to someone's grave, it doesn't mean they're actually IN it."

Garcia wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry when she read this. "Sure, sweetie. I'll double check for you."

"Thanks."

As it turned out, Vivian and Arthur Warner did indeed have death certificates, both dated February 5th, 2005. Garcia relayed the news to Jessica, and Jessica thanked her again.

Jessica couldn't decide whether she felt disappointed or relieved at this. On the one hand, it was disappointing to know she would never get her parents back…but on the other hand, she didn't know how she would have reacted if her parents had been lying to her too. She set down her phone and stared sadly at a framed family photo.

That weekend, Gideon came over to play a few rounds of chess, and Spencer was noticeably distracted throughout the game. Gideon had already heard about the Emily situation, so it wasn't hard to guess why. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

"No." Spencer moved his rook forward three spaces, only to wince when he realized he had just left his king exposed.

Gideon immediately took advantage of the situation. "Check." He raised an eyebrow.

Spencer quickly moved a knight to block the attack, and sighed. "You know, Emily wasn't the first person to just walk back into my life this year."

Gideon moved a pawn, not quite sure what to say to that. "I hope my coming back has been a good thing."

"It has," Spencer agreed, moving one of his own pawns. "But it was different with you. I wasn't happy with how you left, but at least I knew you were out there. And you were honest about why you left. Emily, Hotch and JJ all let me mourn a friend who wasn't really dead."

"Do you think they were wrong to do so?"

"I…I'm not sure," Spencer admitted. "The more I think about it, the less I blame Emily. She couldn't make contact without risking her cover. And JJ was busy with the State Department, so I hardly saw her for months afterward. Hotch, though…"

"Was trying to protect one of his agents, the best way he knew how," Gideon stated. He moved a bishop to protect his king. "I can't speak for him, but I'm sure he weighed the decision very carefully."

Spencer snorted bitterly. "Did he weigh the risk of me falling off the wagon?"

Gideon's head snapped up. "Did you?"

"I would have if Jessica wasn't there." Spencer moved a knight. "Hotch and I have never explicitly talked about what I did after Georgia, but I know he knows I'm in recovery. And it almost went down the drain, all because my friends lied to me."

Gideon stared at the board, weighing his next words very carefully. "Spencer…have you considered the possibility that maybe Hotch was placing too much faith in you? For those of us who have never lived with addiction, it's easy to forget the daily struggle you face. We see your success, and we want to see your success; we don't want to think about how easy it would really be for you to fall back into old habits."

Now it was Spencer's turn to stare at the board, considering his answer. "There was this one case, about a year after you left…I cracked the code that the unsubs were using to communicate, and then Emily poked me in the cheek and said I was 'so lifelike'. As if I weren't really a living, breathing person." He grimaced. "People see my intelligence, and…I think, sometimes, they forget that there's more to me than being a genius. That I'm still a human being, with feelings."

"In this particular case, I don't think it has anything to do with your intelligence," Gideon said quietly. "It's human nature to see only what we want to see. And we all want to see you happy and thriving. I acknowledge that it's not always the most helpful outlook, but it's one that takes conscious effort to avoid, and Hotch has had a lot on his mind already."

Spencer snorted bitterly. "Hotch had us all in his office for grief counseling sessions. I'm pretty sure he could tell I was neither happy nor thriving."

"Did you tell him how close you came to falling off the wagon?"

Spencer stared at the board again, then sighed. "No," he finally admitted. "Only Jessica and Maeve knew how close I came. I didn't want to worry anyone else."

"So you're angry that no one noticed something you were actively trying to hide?"

"No, I…" Spencer trailed off and looked up, finally realizing the root of the problem. "I'm angry that it was all for nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing," Gideon pointed out. "It was for Emily. The lies kept her alive. You falling off the wagon could have been fixed—I know, it wouldn't have been easy, but you've done it once and you could do it again—whereas Emily's death would have been permanent. There would be no bringing her back if Doyle managed to kill her for real."

Spencer let out another sigh and looked back at the board. "I know it was all for a good reason. I guess…it's just going to take time before I can trust them again."

"Do you trust that they won't lie to you again unless they have another, equally good reason?"

Spencer thought about it, then nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Then I think you're gonna come through this just fine, kiddo."

Ultimately, the hearing was a success, and the entire BAU (including Emily) were reinstated. Spencer still didn't fully trust the team members who'd lied to him, but he felt he could at least work with them, and hopefully trust would be rebuilt with time.