These Endless Days, 4/?
Title: These Endless Days
Rating: R
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Universe: Creatures of the Night (Part Three)
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Hotch; Morgan/Prentiss
Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Summary: Emily returns to her mother, while the team prepare to face off against the vampire Matriarch. The balance of power hangs on a knife’s edge, and nothing is as it seems.
Chapter Four
Emily can feel all eyes on her as she steps inside.
Some of these people she knows. Some of them, she’s been trying to avoid for centuries. Some she’s fought. Some, she’s never seen before in her life. All of them are giving her the same look. The look that says “you don’t belong here.”
And they’re right.
They’re not the ones she cares about, though. Right now, there’s only one person whose opinion she remotely values, and that is the opinion of Elizabeth Prentiss.
It’s not because there’s any modicum of respect between them. The simple fact is, if Elizabeth Prentiss decides that Emily doesn’t belong here, then she’s as good as dust. They’ll tie her to a stake, and leave her out in the middle of a field, until she’s all burnt up. It’s a slow, agonizing death. All things considered, Emily would prefer a stake to the heart, or an axe to the neck.
‘What are you doing here?’ a man in a dark tuxedo asks - his hair is a sandy blonde, his skin as pale as the rest of them. Emily doesn’t remember his name, but she remembers the sword fight on a dark and stormy night in pre-Revolutionary France. He fights well.
Charles? William? It shouldn’t be this hard to remember a name.
‘All of you, leave,’ Elizabeth says, and the man stares at her.
‘She is an abomination,’ he says, and Emily feels like she could roll her eyes, it’s just that cliché. These days, everyone is an abomination. With so much crossing of bloodlines, it has to be either that, or inbred.
Still, Emily’s only partially surprised when the man starts to burn under her mother’s gaze. Literally burn. Tendrils of smoke curl from his body, and his mouth twists in a scream as his skin turns to charcoal. There is a very good reason why you don’t argue with the Fallen.
‘If there’s anyone else that would like to argue…’ Elizabeth starts, and wisely, none do. They leave the room as directed, and Emily follows her mother to the sofas by the fireplace. On the table, there’s a crystal decanter and two empty wine glasses. While the liquid in the decanter is that deep, rich red of wine, Emily would be a fool to mistake it as such. She eyes the glasses, wondering if she’d been expected.
‘Goat’s blood,’ Elizabeth says, to which Emily raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re practically killing yourself by drinking rat.’
The question hangs in the air, unasked and unanswered. Finally, Elizabeth says, ‘I had the feeling I’d be seeing you soon.’
A forgotten memory tries to edge its way into Emily’s psyche, but it can’t quite make it there. It pushes, and it pushes, but there’s some kind of barrier keeping it out. That memory will explain some things. Not everything, but some things.
Like why she’s here, for example. If she knew the answer to that question, then she might be a lot more comfortable in the den of the dragon.
Elizabeth pours out the blood, the thick, dark liquid overwhelming Emily’s senses. It’s a lot more potent than rat’s blood, and she’ll be a little more liable to lose control, but considering where she is, that’s a possibility anyway.
‘I would have thought…I would have thought that you’d never want to see me again after what’s happened over the years.’
Emily’s surprised. Apparently thousand-year-old all-powerful vampires are allowed to be doubtful too. She feels no sympathy.
‘Well, after the first dozen or so times you tried to kill me, I figured that you’d probably give up.’ It’s very, very hard not to let the sarcasm drip from her words, but the intent is not lost.
‘I was never trying to kill you, Emily. I was trying to bring you home.’
‘Forgive me if I find that just a little hard to believe.’ Emily pauses. ‘I’m here because I need to be.’ She’s not really sure what that means, but apparently Elizabeth isn’t in a questions asking mood. Definitely strange.
Apparently Emily isn’t the only one with an agenda.
The tense silence is cut off by a harsh ringing sound, at which point Emily realizes that her phone is still on. She’d actually intended on leaving her cell at home, but she’d been in such a daze when she’d left, that she’d forgotten.
“Derek Morgan” is the name that flashes on the screen, and she feels a pang in her heart.
‘Do you love him?’ her mother asks, and she starts.
‘What?’
‘It’s a simple question, Emily. Do you love him?’
She shakes her head. ‘I don’t…I can’t answer that question.’ She presses the “Ignore Call” button, and turns the phone off. Garcia could probably still trace the GPS signal, but that’s not really important; Emily isn’t hiding. The team is too good at what they do for her to even hope that such a venture would be successful. All she has to hope is that they’re not stupid enough to try and follow her. They might describe themselves as a “family” but Emily hasn’t been there long enough to really consider herself part of that family. Maybe in ten years. Maybe never again.
After all, she’s here now. Even if she doesn’t know why.
Elizabeth smiles, and it’s a scary thing, teeth glinting, fangs extending just to the edge of her lip. ‘Welcome home, Emily. There’s so much to catch up on.’
Rating: R
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Universe: Creatures of the Night (Part Three)
Characters/Pairing: JJ/Hotch; Morgan/Prentiss
Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Summary: Emily returns to her mother, while the team prepare to face off against the vampire Matriarch. The balance of power hangs on a knife’s edge, and nothing is as it seems.
Chapter Four
Emily can feel all eyes on her as she steps inside.
Some of these people she knows. Some of them, she’s been trying to avoid for centuries. Some she’s fought. Some, she’s never seen before in her life. All of them are giving her the same look. The look that says “you don’t belong here.”
And they’re right.
They’re not the ones she cares about, though. Right now, there’s only one person whose opinion she remotely values, and that is the opinion of Elizabeth Prentiss.
It’s not because there’s any modicum of respect between them. The simple fact is, if Elizabeth Prentiss decides that Emily doesn’t belong here, then she’s as good as dust. They’ll tie her to a stake, and leave her out in the middle of a field, until she’s all burnt up. It’s a slow, agonizing death. All things considered, Emily would prefer a stake to the heart, or an axe to the neck.
‘What are you doing here?’ a man in a dark tuxedo asks - his hair is a sandy blonde, his skin as pale as the rest of them. Emily doesn’t remember his name, but she remembers the sword fight on a dark and stormy night in pre-Revolutionary France. He fights well.
Charles? William? It shouldn’t be this hard to remember a name.
‘All of you, leave,’ Elizabeth says, and the man stares at her.
‘She is an abomination,’ he says, and Emily feels like she could roll her eyes, it’s just that cliché. These days, everyone is an abomination. With so much crossing of bloodlines, it has to be either that, or inbred.
Still, Emily’s only partially surprised when the man starts to burn under her mother’s gaze. Literally burn. Tendrils of smoke curl from his body, and his mouth twists in a scream as his skin turns to charcoal. There is a very good reason why you don’t argue with the Fallen.
‘If there’s anyone else that would like to argue…’ Elizabeth starts, and wisely, none do. They leave the room as directed, and Emily follows her mother to the sofas by the fireplace. On the table, there’s a crystal decanter and two empty wine glasses. While the liquid in the decanter is that deep, rich red of wine, Emily would be a fool to mistake it as such. She eyes the glasses, wondering if she’d been expected.
‘Goat’s blood,’ Elizabeth says, to which Emily raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re practically killing yourself by drinking rat.’
The question hangs in the air, unasked and unanswered. Finally, Elizabeth says, ‘I had the feeling I’d be seeing you soon.’
A forgotten memory tries to edge its way into Emily’s psyche, but it can’t quite make it there. It pushes, and it pushes, but there’s some kind of barrier keeping it out. That memory will explain some things. Not everything, but some things.
Like why she’s here, for example. If she knew the answer to that question, then she might be a lot more comfortable in the den of the dragon.
Elizabeth pours out the blood, the thick, dark liquid overwhelming Emily’s senses. It’s a lot more potent than rat’s blood, and she’ll be a little more liable to lose control, but considering where she is, that’s a possibility anyway.
‘I would have thought…I would have thought that you’d never want to see me again after what’s happened over the years.’
Emily’s surprised. Apparently thousand-year-old all-powerful vampires are allowed to be doubtful too. She feels no sympathy.
‘Well, after the first dozen or so times you tried to kill me, I figured that you’d probably give up.’ It’s very, very hard not to let the sarcasm drip from her words, but the intent is not lost.
‘I was never trying to kill you, Emily. I was trying to bring you home.’
‘Forgive me if I find that just a little hard to believe.’ Emily pauses. ‘I’m here because I need to be.’ She’s not really sure what that means, but apparently Elizabeth isn’t in a questions asking mood. Definitely strange.
Apparently Emily isn’t the only one with an agenda.
The tense silence is cut off by a harsh ringing sound, at which point Emily realizes that her phone is still on. She’d actually intended on leaving her cell at home, but she’d been in such a daze when she’d left, that she’d forgotten.
“Derek Morgan” is the name that flashes on the screen, and she feels a pang in her heart.
‘Do you love him?’ her mother asks, and she starts.
‘What?’
‘It’s a simple question, Emily. Do you love him?’
She shakes her head. ‘I don’t…I can’t answer that question.’ She presses the “Ignore Call” button, and turns the phone off. Garcia could probably still trace the GPS signal, but that’s not really important; Emily isn’t hiding. The team is too good at what they do for her to even hope that such a venture would be successful. All she has to hope is that they’re not stupid enough to try and follow her. They might describe themselves as a “family” but Emily hasn’t been there long enough to really consider herself part of that family. Maybe in ten years. Maybe never again.
After all, she’s here now. Even if she doesn’t know why.
Elizabeth smiles, and it’s a scary thing, teeth glinting, fangs extending just to the edge of her lip. ‘Welcome home, Emily. There’s so much to catch up on.’