Story: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
Title: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love (Corinthians 13:13). Part IV
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, Spoilers for Lo-fi
Summary: And suddenly she's nobody left to talk to...
AN: HUGE thanks to kassandra_luem for doing her beta thing and putting up with my sometimes rather stupid mistakes.
AN2: I started this while I was in Taizé this summer. It probably shows.
AN3: This totally is for Jax, because she demanded angst
IV.
Three days later, on Monday, Emily is standing in front of SSA Aaron Hotchner’s office door, knowing that this is going to be her last day with the bureau. She knocks, her knuckles touching the worn wood for the last time, is permitted entrance and then asked to sit, her superior seeming not in the least surprised to see her.
“What can I do for you, Prentiss?” he asks and she doesn’t answer.
Not knowing how to express what she is feeling right now, she simply takes her gun and badge, carefully placing it on the desk between them.
He regards her with sad eyes for a moment before he nods.
“I’m sorry, Emily.” he says quietly and she manages a half-smile grimace.
“It was good working with you, Sir!” she croaks because half way through the sentence her voice breaks.
“That goes both ways”, he whispers und surprises her with the depth of emotions betrayed in his voice.
Emily feels she needs to get out of the building before she completely falls apart. She rises and turns to leave. One hand already touching the door handle, she hears him call her back. Seeing her turn around he says,
“Take care, Emily!”
“I will, Sir!”
And she leaves. Leaves the office, the building, her life. Leaves JJ, who has actually left her months before. The moment the glass doors slide shut behind her and Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss ceases to exist, she feels how a part of her goes numb. And it demands the last remaining ounces of her willpower to wait until she has tiredly pulled the door of her dark Lexus closed behind her before she allows herself, forehead resting on the steering wheel, to let the tears flow.