SUMMER CHILD, emily prentiss

𝟎𝟎𝟐

"𝐈'𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞"
𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 22, 2022
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗋𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Charlotte took an Uber from the airport when she landed, her anxiety rising as they hit lunch hour traffic on the outskirts of D.C.

When she got to Bureau, suitcases in tow, she was relieved to see a familiar face. One whom she didn't expect to be there, she thought she was done working for the FBI.

"Oh my goodness is that my Mini-Prentiss?" Charlotte hears none other than Penelope Garcia rushing towards her at the entrance of the building.

"Hi Aunt Pen! I thought you didn't work here anymore." Charlotte says inquisitively and hugs the exuberant woman.

"Yeah, it's complicated," Penelope continues. "Is your mom expecting you? She didn't mention you coming home today, and she usually talks our ears off before she goes to pick you up out of sheer excitement."

Not wanting to give too much information, or the wrong information, Charlotte thinks on her feet.

"No, she's not, I wanted to surprise her a day early." Charlotte smiles genuinely.

"Aww she's going to be so happy!" Penelope exclaims. "Here, let me buzz you in."

The two get in the elevator to the BAU, making small talk and catching up on things. Charlotte makes sure to not be too detailed. They part ways when the doors open, and Charlotte anxiously walks towards her mom's office above the bullpen.

Her door is open, and through the frosted glass windows she can see her mom is sitting at her desk at the far side. Taking a deep breath, she walks to the door and gently knocks, a smile of relief immediately growing on her face when she sees Emily.

Emily looks up, ready to respond to one of her team members when she sees her daughter instead. "Oh my goodness! You're here a day early!" she jumps up and embraces her daughter in the biggest hug.

Charlotte wraps her arms around her mom, burying her head in her chest. She begs herself not to cry, not to break down, it's not the time for that. She just holds on tighter, trying to make up for all of the lonely nights spent crying into her pillow.

Emily noticed that her daughter doesn't seem to want to let go. Not that she's complaining, she would hold her in her arms forever if she could. But she knows her daughter, and something's wrong.

"It's okay honey. I'm here now, it's okay. I missed you so much."

As Emily comforts her, Charlotte feels a tear rolling down her cheek, but wipes it away and swallows the lump in her throat. She pulls away from the embrace with a shaky breath and smiles sadly.

"I missed you too."

Emily lifts her daughter's chin to look her in the eyes and gives her a warm smile. Yet even through her smile Charlotte can tell her mother is profiling her, if you can even call it that.

Emily and Charlotte have always had a sort of unspoken language. They seem to be able to know what the other is thinking by just looking in each other's eyes. Or you could attribute it to mother's intuition, but profiling or not, Emily knew there was something her daughter wasn't telling her in that moment.

But she didn't want to press her. She knew Charlotte would come to her when she was ready, and to her credit, it was probably a longer conversation than either of them wanted to have at the BAU.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. How did you manage to get home early without me knowing?" Emily teases her daughter lightly and walks to sit on the small couch to her left.

"Let me tell you, it took years of skill to be able to book a flight without your FBI-agent-mother knowing," Charlotte chuckles and sits next to her mom, wiping the stray tear left in the corner of her eye.

"Well, since I wasn't expecting you, I planned to be in work all day. But I can see if the team can manage without me, and I can bring this paperwork home with us."

Charlotte immediately protests, "No mom, it's okay... really. I knew that you would be working when I decided to come a day early. I can get a ride back to the house and maybe shower and get some sleep before you get home."

Emily doesn't want to oblige and looks at her daughter with a face of guilt but gives in when she sees her daughter's innocent (and persuading) smile.

"Okay, but on my strict conditions." Emily says playfully. "I will drive you home on my lunch break, and when you get home, you are to do nothing but relax and unwind... and raid the fridge."

Charlotte laughs and leans into her mom's side. "Deal."

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇɴᴛɪss ʜᴏᴜsᴇʜᴏʟᴅ

Emily pulls into the driveway at their house in the suburbs of D.C. They moved out of Emily's small apartment not long after Charlotte was adopted and have been happy there ever since.

Emily helps her daughter bring her bags up to her bedroom on the second floor.

"Dammit." Emily whispers under her breath as they reach the top of the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asks worriedly, the young adult being constantly on edge these days, always ready for something to go wrong.

"I forgot that I put your bedding in the wash this morning before I left for work. I was going to have your room all nice and clean with fresh sheets before you got here tomorrow, but..." Emily sets down the suitcase and puts her hands on her hips.

"Looks like you have to wait until I get home to have warm sheets." Emily begins to walk out of the room and plants a kiss on Charlotte's forehead.

"That's okay, I'll take a nap on the couch." Charlotte laughs and follows her mom down the stairs. "Or better yet, I'll steal your bed."

"Yeah, yeah." Emily opens the fridge and takes out two water bottles, handing one to the girl. "We both know that's going to happen anyway."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Charlotte says sarcastically.

Emily says goodbye, pulling her daughter into a quick embrace before walking out the door with her keys and purse in hand.

I'm so glad to be home, Charlotte thinks as a smile grows on her face. She watches her mom pull away onto the road through the window in the kitchen.

Maybe I'll be okay after all.