Chapter 4
Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react.
~Dennis P. Kimbro
Emily finally had some peace the doctor had informed them that JJ was going to be alright.
"There's one little detail. When she got hit she hit her head really hard and she lost some of her memories." The doctor explained. He let them in to see her. Walking in JJ saw her team.
"Hey how you felling?" Emily asked.
"Good but you guys?" JJ voice was very high. Like if she was nervous.
"I don't remember anything before my wedding with Will." Emily smiled to hide the pain that those word caused and walked out. Derek being the only one that knew about their past followed Emily.
"Are you okay?" Derek asked Emily.
"I'm fine this is for the best. I'm going to go take the kids to watch a movie and then be back to check up on her." Emily walked out and left. She needed to clear her mind. So much was going on and she had little control over anything the one thing she did have control over, was keep her promise to her daughter and to Henry. Emily true to her word took the kids to watch a movie and after to eat and get icecream. Dropping them back off at JJ's place she went back to the hospital. Walking into JJ's room she saw that the team was still there.
"Emily can we talk?" Will asked.
"Um yeah but first I have to talk to the team." Everyone walked out behind her and followed her to a room the the doctors let her use. Hotch, Reid, Rossi, Morgan, and Garcia looked at Emily curiously.
"What is it Emily?" Garcia asked after she grew anxious. Emily couldn't decide if to tell the team the whole truth about her and JJ's past or to keep JJ hidden and just explain her.
"The thing is um I don't know if you noticed that I was acting strange during this case." Emily tried to hard to find the right way to place this. A few members of the team gave nods. "Well the thing is, you know how the parents of his first victim were kept hidden."
"Emily what are you trying to tell us?" Aaron had asked reading the pain on her face. Emily knew she wouldn't be able to finish this with out crying. She already had tears going down her cheeks.
"I'm that parent." Emily breathed out. Gasp came from everyone including Derek. He knew the love story he just never knew about their child. He wanted to ask Emily if JJ was the other parent but he knew right now wasn't a good time. The team hugged Emily trying to provide some comfort.
Doctor Avery walked in.
"Um agents," the doctor said. "The girls you guys brought in are missing." Everyone knew what to do Garcia had her laptop and was given access to every camera.
"Found them sir. They are in one room, but aren't we suppose to have eight girls not nine. Right?" Garcia questioned.
"That's correct." Spencer analyzed. "There's eight girls not including the little girl." Walking out to the room were the girls were walking in they realized it was the another girls room.
"Thank you." The girl laying on the bed said looking directly at Emily. "To you and the other woman that brought me and my baby." Knowing that a trust had been established by that small gesture Emily approached the girl. Pushing the boundaries Emily stretched her hand out and just like Emily hoped the girl took her hand.
"I'm Agent Emily Prentiss."
"Hi my name's Blake." The girl in the bed said. Blake looked over at the other girls and Emily noticed it seemed to be that they were communicating with their look.
"My freinds and I were wondering if we can talk individually?" Blake looked away from the rest of the girls and back to Emily. Giving Emily a gentle nod, each agent took a girl. They needed to find out which of these girls wasn't a victim. Hotch was talking to Jordan trying to figure out any useful information.
Hotch was getting nowhere with Jordan and decided to walk out to see how the rest of the team was doing, but sadly no one had gotten anything useful.
"What if it's Blake." Reid thought out loud. The team gave him questioning looks. "Think about it she wasn't in the house when we got the rest of the girls, and when we talk with the girls near her they look at her before answering." Emily didn't want to believe that Blake was with the unsub. The girl seemed too sweet.
"Guy's I got something!" Garcia shouted. Together they walked over to her. Garcia played a surveillance video on her laptop. "The red head that was concerned about her in the forest was the first one out of her room, and according to the DNA she doesn't fit any of the victims DNA." Garcia explained and continued before the questions came. "So Mama here did a little digging her name is Sarah Lining left in costudy of her older brother Jordan Lining 16 years ago when their mother died."
"That's your trigger." Rossi said. Making a quick plan on how they would get Blake away from Sarah, everyone went their own way to try and get the other girls. Emily having established trust with Blake would be the one walking into her room. Calmly walking into Blake's room Emily scanned the room and just like they thought Sarah was there, right next to Blake.
"Is this a bad time?" Emily asked seeing that the little boy was laying sound asleep next to Blake and she was also breastfeeding her baby.
"Not at all Agent Prentiss." Blake told Emily. "Is there anything I could help you with?"
"Actually there is. Remember my freind the one that helped with you." Blake nod her head only remembering Emily's voice yelling at someone else. "Well she wants to see you but she had a accident before you were awake and now she's awake and would like to see you. If it's okay with you?" Blake thought it was great that a stranger worried for her and agreed. Emily pulled over a wheel chair and gently sat Blake on it.
"Would you like me to go with you?" Sarah asked right away.
"No it's fine I'll be right back." Blake dismissed her. Sarah didn't seem to happy about Blake's response if Blake and Sarah had been alone Blake would have said yes but Blake knew that in front of these people she would never do anything.
"Mom?" The little boy spoke when he felt the bed empty. Emily grabbed the little boy and placed him on her hip.
"Your mom's in the wheelchair I got you." walking off Emily stayed clam. She knew a wrong move could make this go wrong. Once outside the room Emily stopped and her team went in. "Blake can I ask you something serious?" Blake hummed.
"Is she with the man that kept you guys." Blake looked at her surrounding and shhed Emily.
"We're not suppose to tell anyone." Emily smile that was all the innocent conformation they needed. Now that the unsubs were out of the way they gave the social worker the go ahead to begin calling the girls' parents. Emily walked away and began to look for Will she hadn't forgotten that he wanted to talk. She found Will in the hospital cafeteria. She took a seat in the chair in front of him.
"What can I help you with Will?" Emily wanted this to end already but it had just begun.
"Before the accident JJ was telling me she had to tell me the part about her past that according to her was to precious to tell anyone. She said that this case brought it up for some reason and that she needed to tell me the truth because our life was going to change." Emily didn't understand what Will was trying to say. "I guess I'm trying to say you're her best freind and you guys know everything about each other do you think you can tell me what it is?" Emily stood up from the chair and looked down on Will.
"I can't help you with that Will and even if I knew it's not my story to tell it's hers. And have you thought that maybe what happened was for the best." Emily knew that what she was saying was a lie but it's was JJ's job to tell her husband not hers and for what it's worth Emily thought that JJ losing her memory was the universe way of telling them that they shouldn't be together. Emily walked away and went back to find her team. Once she found them she saw a lady in a pantsuit standing with them and having a conversation. Getting closer she noticed it wasn't someone she knew.
"Actually that's her." Reid pointed to Emily. The woman turned around. "Emily this is Mrs. Treabs. She's been looking for you cause your phone is off." The women exchanged a firm handshake.
"Yes I apologize my phone died a few hours ago. What can I help you with?" Emily questioned.
"I'm the social worker assigned to contacting the parents of missing children." Mrs. Treabs explained. "It's with a great honor Miss Prentiss that I deliver the news to you; that your daughter is among those girls." Everything went quiet around Emily. Her daughter was alive that's all she needed to know. She hadn't given up on this case because a part of her knew that she would find her daughter and it payed off. The team gave confused looks. No one knew Emily had a daughter, well not a kidnapped daughter. Until today when she told them, but still the team was getting use to it.
"Can I know who she is?" Emily was desperate to know who her daughter was. She wanted to hold her in her arms once again after 16 years, to be able to kiss her and never let her go again.
"Yes she goes by the name of Blake." Mrs. Treabs informed Emily. Emily ran off in the direction of Blake's room she had been near her and she didn't know she was her daughter. The team was behind her, each one with a question they desperately wanted the answer to. Derek pulled Emily back before she could open the door. Emily whined at being pulled. She just wanted to go in and see her daughter, hold her. She had been feeling empty, a hole in her heart. A hole that couldn't be closed the emptiness consumed her and over the years she went emotionless, now she was so close to the finally getting the peice of her heart back, that had been taken away.
"Emily this isn't fair to her." Derek had no doubt in his mind that JJ was also Blake's mom. The look of agony on Emily's face when JJ told them she didn't remember anything before her and Will's wedding was his first clue. "She deserves to be there to meet your guys daughter." Derek tried reasoning. Everyone else was lost except Spencer, JJ had told him not long ago.
"Emily Derek's right." He interfered "You both went through this together it's only fair she's with you when you get her back."
"What the heck is going on?" Rossi said in the background but was ignored.
"I know but I been waiting sixteen years to get her back, she was only two months old the last time I held her in my arms! I should have protected her and been there for both of them but I wasn't. I'm standing here sixteen years and three days after the day she was abducted, the peice of my heart I lost long ago is in that room, call me selfish but I can't wait for her to remember our daughter because I'm dying to feel complete again and hold my little girl." Emily was now in tears she hadn't let it out. She'd never told anyone that she felt empty. The team no longer needed and explanation they understood. Emily wiped her tears and opened the door she could feel her heart race. Walking in she saw that Blake was asleep. She took a good look at the girl noticing every detail she didn't before. The girls short black hair, her light skin, and a few scars that the girl had. Penelope stood next to her and wrapped her arms around Emily's waist.
"I know that look." Penelope said. "Don't go there Emily please." Emily nod and hugged the blonde back. Her daughter was safe. That's all that mattered to her.
"What's going on?" JJ said from behind everyone. JJ had asked Will to bring her in a wheelchair to find her team. Penelope and Emily moved away from the door and let JJ roll herself in. JJ glanced at Emily and saw tears in her eyes. "Guy's can we have a minute?" JJ asked the team. Everyone walked out knowing that if anyone could break threw Emily's walls it was her.
"What are you doing here you should be resting?" Emily didn't want to talk about herself right now.
"Come here." JJ motion for Emily to sit on her lap. Emily just shook her head mumbling an I don't want to hurt you. JJ took Emily by the wrist and pulled her into her lap. "I hurt my head and some other things but no my legs." The blonde clarified. Sitting in her child's mother's lap was enough to tear her apart Emily let everything out. She sobbed in JJ's lap as the woman made soothing circles on her back.
"I'm sorry." Emily whispered, knowing that she wouldn't tell JJ the truth, she wouldn't fight for her or their family. Emily's heart had been broken when they lost their daughter but when the love of her life got married right infront of her she thought she'd never recover from the feeling of her heart shattering all over again into a million peices. JJ said nothing just continued to comfort the burnette. They stayed like that until Emily fell asleep from all the crying. JJ didn't do anything just let things be and stayed in Blake's room.
•••
17 years ago...
Emily was flipping out her mother was coming to visit her. The Ambassador had herd the news that her daughter was pregnant and wanted to help her out as much as she can. JJ watch as her four month pregnant girlfreind paced back in forth in the living room of their apartment.
"Em baby you need to breathe." JJ tried calming her down.
"Don't tell me to calm down when my mother is about to arrive." Emily yelled. "La femme est folle maintenant, elle veut aider avec un bébé quand elle me déteste clairement." JJ looked at Emily dumbfounded not understanding a word that came out of her mouth.
"Emily eniglish." JJ said.
"Oh right." Emily realized she had switch off to french. "Sorry right I'm saying the woman is crazy and now she want to come and help with the baby." Before JJ could successfully calm down her lover there was a knock on the door. JJ went to and saw a brunette at the door.
"You must be Emily's mother." JJ said taking the bags from the woman. "I'm Jennifer."
"Yes I'm Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss." The older woman introduced herself. The Ambassador knew her daughters sexually and wasn't thrilled when she herd her daughter would be raising her grandchild with another woman but she would do her best to respect and help her daughter. Elizabeth hugged Emily and properly said hi to JJ. The evening went fast and less painful than Emily thought.
The Ambassador remained for a week. She refused to leave until Emily and JJ did a gender revealing. Emily deciding she had enough of of her mother decided to go along. They asked the doctor who happily filled a balloon with confetti. Blue meant a boy and pink a girl. Elizabeth hired a professional photographer to take pictures.
"Are you guys ready?" The photographer asked. JJ and Emily both had their hair down, dressed in white dresses, and and were standing in a green grass field. JJ placed her hands on top of Emily's that were on her belly. A black balloon floated on top of them full of confetti waiting to be pop. With out warning the balloon was fired at and pop dropping pink confetti on top of both woman. Once getting the okay to move Emily and JJ looked at the color that fell on their skin and hair.
"We're having a girl!" Both yelled of joy. Emily pulled JJ into for a quick kiss. Walking over to see the pictures JJ and Emily fell in love with them. Leaving the field and driving off back to their apartment. Neither women with the energy to cook bought pizza.
"You expect to have a healthy baby by feeding her that." Elizabeth said with disgust in her voice. Elizabeth was leaving in less than an hour and Emily couldn't wait. "At this rate you child will be fat before she's even born." JJ excused herself and began carrying the Ambassador's bags to the car. Emily was going to stay and rest while JJ took Elizabeth to the airport. Once done she let Elizabeth know it was time to go. JJ placed a quick peck on Emily's lips.
"Be carful." Emily warned with all seriousness and no joke. JJ just nodded and walked away because Elizabeth was already waiting in the car. Walking out and into the car she drove off. The car was silent and JJ knew that Elizabeth wanted to tell her something but didn't say it. When the car came to a complete stop JJ decided to ask away despite her gut saying not to.
"Is something bothering you Mrs. Prentiss?" Not once in this whole week had Elizabeth told JJ to call her by her first name. JJ could feel Elizabeth's disapproval from the moment they met.
"Actually yes there is Jessica." The older woman spat. JJ was going to correct Elizabeth on her name but the brunette continued. "I've seen my daughter go threw this before you're just a toy to get over her and once she gets tired of you she'll throw you away like worthless being you are. So my advice to you leave now." JJ took a minute to process everything just said to her.
"With all do respect I'll be here 10 years from now standing next to your daughter even if in some fucked up way fate or destiny separates us I'll always be there for her because I will never stop loving her." Elizabeth ignored JJ and got out of the car, grabbed her bags and left. JJ sighed the last thing she needed was the disapproval from her girlfriend's mother.
My Princess:Baby I'm craving McDonalds can you pass and get me a two cheese burgers and a McFlurry.
JJ smiled at the text from her girlfriend. Right away she change direction and went to the nearest McDonalds. The drive threw was packed and JJ waited an hours to get what the pregnant Emily was craving. As soon as the food was handed to her she speeded off to the apartment. JJ parked the car and got off speeding into the apartment. Walking into their room JJ saw Emily asleep. JJ smile at what she was seeing. JJ put the food down next to the nightstand and took off her jeans and sweater. JJ was now only in a shirt and underwear. She placed a kissed and Emily's forehead. Laying down next to Emily, JJ began to think of what Elizabeth told her. What if I am just a toy? No it can't be we're having a baby? These thoughts began to consume JJ. Emily turned around and snuggled into JJ.
"Em baby are you awake?" JJ knew her girlfriend to well Emily usually could never sleep unless JJ was home but JJ thought maybe the pregnancy had changed that but by the looks of it it hadn't.
"Maybe" Emily said lifting her head to notice that JJ seemed off. "What did my idiot of a mother say?" Emily already knew that her mother was bound to say something while JJ was at work during the week Elizabeth made sure to express how she felt about her situation.
"It's nothing don't worry about it." JJ didn't want Emily and her mother to get into a disagreement because of her. Emily gave her a look that said spill it and JJ gave in. "She said you're just using me to forget her. That you'd get sick of me and throw me away because I'm worthless." JJ now had tears falling down her cheeks she hadn't realized she cared so much about what Elizabeth said. Emily fully sat up and pulled JJ into her. She wiped JJ's tears away.
"JJ listen to me my mother has no idea what she's talking about. You are not worthless, I will never get tired of you because I love you." Emily took JJ's hand and placed it on her stomach. The baby had woken up the second she herd JJ's voice and was kicking. "Jennifer I love you and you feel that little girl in there kicking she's ours and she will be the reason we're always united even if our fate is to somehow for us to separate we will always be together because of her. But know one thing I could never stop loving you." JJ smiled.
"But that will never happened because we are destined to be together." JJ now felt better. It may be stupid but all she needed was to hear Emily say something.
"Now you woke her, you get her back to sleep." Emily was serious she was tired and the last thing she needed was a moving child inside her all night. Just like if the baby knew it was JJ's hand on her mother stomach rubbing soothing circles she stopped kicking.
The next morning JJ and Emily wrote six names each on a small pieces of paper and put them in a jar. They couldn't choose a name and decided that they'd make it a random pick by letting fate choose the name. Emily shook the jar around and placed it down.
"You pick the first name I'll pick the middle name." JJ said to her girlfriend. She wanted Emily to pick the first name. Emily agreed and pulled out the paper she got then JJ pulled a name out. Emily opened her name first then JJ. Both women smiled.
"It's perfect." Emily thought out loud.
"It is." JJ agreed. "Rosaline Isabella. I love it." Both women did they thought the name would fit their daughter perfectly.