Story: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
Titel: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. Epilogue.
Author: xiotonks
Fandom: Criminal Mind
Pairing: Emily/JJ, Emily/OFC
Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did I'd sell Will and JJ and buy Jenny Shepard from NCIS
Ratings: PG-13 if you are really, really fussy
Warnings: Will maybe - and JJ friends won't probably be too happy with me
Summary: And suddenly she's nobody left to talk to...
AN: So I did it, yeah it's done. Finally, the epilpgue. This story is possibly the most important I've ever written because it helped me realize SO many things.
Forkassandra_luem , the best beta ever - I hope your trip around the world is everything you hoped for and so much more.
For eulenspiegler , for being the best best friend possible - you put a smile on my lips when all I wanted to do was cry out in pain.
For elekanahmen , for being there whenever I needed someone to annoy with my whining and just being a real good friend.
For sister dominique who encouraged me to try something else - new writing style, new fandom, new pairing, new awareness of life
For the brothers of Taize community in general who helped me cope.
And for everyone in the criminal minds fandom, because you are all just really amazing.
And for everyone in the criminal minds fandom, because you are all just really amazing.
epilogue
She hears how someone pushes open the doors behind her and a second later the golden light of the winter sun floats the room.
She hears how the heavy oak slams shut and 30 seconds later the sound of ridiculously sharp heels reluctantly moves forward in the almost darkness.
She hears how the person to which these heels belong slowly approaches her and a minute later she feels the very same person drop down onto the bench beside her.
She doesn’t need to open her eyes to know who’s come to see her here, in this place that she has told no one about. She feels her lips twitching.
“I should have known”, she states matter-of-factly and she really has to smile now.
“You did know” Garcia replies and Emily feels more than she hears her chuckle. “You didn’t switch your cell off.”
Emily laughs. And finally opens her eyes. “Alright, I give. I knew you’d do you magic.”
For a moment they sit in companionable silence, enjoying that, for a second, it is like it has been before. Before New York. Before October 21st. Before Emily woke up to the beeping noise of machines and the pained eyes of her mother. Before everything just fell apart.
“JJ has filed her resignation form this morning” Garcia finally says as if she has sensed Emily’s thoughts - which she probably has - and Emily realizes with surprise that this piece of information doesn’t actually provoke any emotion inside her.
“It seems as if Will has finally talked her into believing that being an FBI agent isn’t the right job for a mother.”
“It sure sounds like something he’d do” Emily observes and for a moment she thinks about what she would do, if she had kids. If she had a family. A part of her likes to think that it’s what she would’ve done for the person she loved. The other - the truthful - part of her knows that if she got the chance to work with BAU again, nothing could make her quit.
“Sooo… Any idea what you’re gonna do now?” Garcia asks.
“I’m absolutely clueless” Emily admits sadly, thinking that for a woman of 39 years that’s pretty wretched.
“You know…” Garcia starts, then continues in a rush. “I might have spoken to Strauss about the fact that she still hasn’t found a replacement for you and that there apparently has been a mistake with your resignation because you’re only filed as sick at the moment and she might have sort of said that if you were to apply for your old post she would at least think about giving it to you.”
Emily starts to laugh. What first starts as a quiet chuckle bubbling up in her stomach grows into giggling and then, finally, into real, genuine shouts of laughter. Garcia stares at her for a moment before she, too, can’t suppress first one giggle, then two and eventually joins Emily until both women are positively roaring and Emily has to admit that it feels really good to be laughing again.
“God, Pen”, Emily sighs when her breathing has evened out. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
“And don’t you ever forget it again, sweetheart!” Through this typical Garcia answer Emily can detect tears in the blonde’s voice.
“Tell me, Miss Prentiss - when am I going to be introduced to this new love interest of yours?”
“She’s not…” Emily starts, feeling like back in fucking high school, but seeing her friend’s raised left eyebrow makes her rephrase what she was going to say. “We haven’t even had our first official date, yet, Garcia!”
She sees the right eyebrow join the left one and she thinks that this woman is the best that’s ever happened to her.