~Carmen's POV~
(One month since the proposal)
"Hey, Spence, when does Emma's flight arrive?" I ask and Spencer checks his watch. We're sitting on the couch together with my head in his lap. He's stroking my hair and I'm trying not to fall asleep.
"In one hour, nine minutes, and twenty three seconds." He says.
"How long does it take to get to the airport?" I ask, suddenly frantic.
"One hour without traffic."
"Holy crap! Spencer, get up. Where's the keys?" We both jump up and scramble to find the keys and get out the door. I look outside and see dark clouds.
"Spencer..." I say slowly and he turns around. "Do you think they'll be able to land in that weather?"
"Well depending on the wind patterns and altitude of the clouds... I'm sure they'll be fine." He says hurriedly and I'm extremely thankful for the short explanation. I grab my hoodie and an extra one for Emma just in case she forgot hers. We make it out the door and to the car without any major hiccups.
When we pull onto the freeway my breath catches. There are cars backed up for as far as I can see.
"Backroads, Spence." I say and lay my head against the headrest. She's going to kill me. I think to myself.
~•~•~•~•~
We make it to the airport an hour late.
"Spencer, what if she's mad?" I ask nervously.
"Carmen. You've known her since you were four. She's your best friend. What are you worried about?"
"Your right." I sigh. "I'm just really worried. I haven't seen her for years, ever since she moved to London." I say, looking around the terminal.
"Hey." Spencer says, pulling me into a hug. "You'll be fine." He says and I snuggle into his chest. He smells like coffee and clothes detergent.
"Thanks Spence." I say and turn around, peering between bodies to find Emma. Suddenly I spy her blue eyes and dirty blond hair from across the terminal. Our eyes lock and I tear away from Spencer, running toward her full throttle. She does the same, weaving between people and objects in our way.
When I'm about two feet away I try to slow down a bit, but it doesn't matter, we wind up on the floor anyway.
"I missed you so much!" I tell her and she nods, tears in her eyes. Are you happy to see me or did it hurt when I landed on you?" I joke and she laughs.
"I think you broke my rib, but I'm happy to see you too." She adds. I stand up and offer my hand to her. She takes it and I pull her off the ground.
"Where's your luggage?" Spencer asks from behind me, being a gentleman as always. Then I notice something, his eyes. They seem a little sad as he looks at the ground. Maybe it's something I would have overlooked before joining the BAU, but now I see it clear as day.
Emma leads us over to her bench and Spencer takes her suitcase. Emma carries her purse and walks with us to Spencer's car. We make small talk on the way back to my apartment but I can't get the thoughts out of my head. Was that jealousy I saw in his eyes?
"Carmen!" I hear Emma say, snapping me out of my trance.
"Sorry, what?" I ask.
"I was asking what you wanted to do on my first day back." She says, rolling her eyes at me.
"Isn't it your decision?" I ask.
"Fine. We could go to the mall or the movies or something... Or..." She says playfully. I glance at Spencer.
"Or what?"
"Or we could go wedding dress shopping." She says, smiling from ear to ear." I look over at Spencer again.
"Is that okay?" I ask him.
"Of course, you go have fun." He says, but I'm still not convinced.
"You sure? You could come with, you know." I say, hoping that he's not mad at me for something.
"No, that's okay. It's bad luck to see you in your wedding dress before the ceremony." He says and I notice the lack of a genius remark about how weddings worked in some century long ago.
"Okay." I say slowly. "It's all set then." I say and look at Emma reassuringly. I'm really excited to go shopping with Emma for my wedding dress, I mean, we haven't been shopping together since we were teenagers. But the thought of Spencer's face when we met Emma keeps drifting into my mind, obscuring my thoughts.
~•~•~•~•~
We leave Spence in my apartment watching some SiFi movie and get into the car.
"You excited?" Emma squeals.
"Of course, I've been waiting for this my whole life. I just want everything to be perfect." I say, wishing for Spencer's happiness. "Are you excited to be back?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I feel like it's been so long since I've seen you!" She says as we pull into the parking lot of the wedding and prom dress store.
I walk in with fake confidence, reminding me again of my second week at the BAU. The day I got set up with Spence. I guess I'm good at that, hiding my true emotions. Ever since my grandmother died I'd been hiding my feelings and it kind of scared me that I had begun doing it without realizing.
I shrugged it off and joined Emma by one of the racks. She pulled one out and I winced. No way. I nodded though and pulled a different one. "What about this one?" I ask and she looks at it, squinting.
"Hmm... You could try it on... I don't know about the beading on the bodice." She says and I look down at it again. It looks fine.
"Yeah, okay." I say vaguely, draping it over her shoulder. We go back to looking at them.
~•~•~•~•~
A half and hour later we've picked out four dresses.
"Are you ready to go try them on?" A lady in a uniform asks.
"Oh. Sure, let's go." I say, still not sure about the picks. As we start walking back to the dressing rooms I notice one more on a manikin I stop, staring at it. "Wait, Em. What about that one?" I ask and she turns to me, nodding. We haven't really agreed on the other choices and I'm glad we finally chose one that we both like.
"Is that okay?" She asks the person helping us.
"Yeah." She replies with a smile. "I think that one would be good. I'll go get it, you go try on the first one." She tells me and we head to the changing rooms.
I come out of the changing room five minutes later and twirl. The first dress poofs out but remains elegant.
"I still don't know about the beading..." Emma critiques from a comfy chair in the corner.
"Okay..." I say, getting a tad bit frustrated. "What do you like about it?"
"I like the way that it poofs out when you twirl..." She says hesitantly.
"Okay. We're making progress." I say, more relieved now.
"Go try on the one that I picked."
She says, smiling. Maybe we should have done this a different day. I think, sighing.
"Okay. Second dress." I say a few minutes later, spinning again.
"Hmm." She says frowning. "I don't like the way it fits in the stomach... That's weird, I picked it out." She says.
"Emma...?" I ask, coming to sit down next to her. "Are you okay?" I ask, not knowing what to say.
"Of course, just frustrated that this is taking so long. Where is that lady?" Emma says and I frown.
"Why are you being so stuck up? You used to love shopping with me, now it's like I don't even know you anymore." I say hesitantly. "I miss the old Emma." I whisper. She looks shocked.
"Really?"
"Yeah." I mumble. "I don't know, I just feel overwhelmed with planning the wedding and things not working out and I was hoping that you would be my sanity in all this mess. I guess I just expected things to go back to how they were when you left." I say, a tear dripping down my face.
"I'm so sorry, Carmen. I'm used to all of the fashion choices in London. I forgot how it was back here. Guess I just forgot how to be me." She says sincerely.
"I know. I just wish things hadn't changed, you know? Like we were still teenagers. Can we just start over?" I ask.
"Of course. I'm sorry for being so stingy. This is your wedding, not mine." She says, wiping a tear from my cheek.
"Thanks Emma." I say as the lady comes around the corner with the dress that caught my eye.
"Hey ladies, you ready to try on the--" she stops abruptly. "Are you guys okay?" She asks and we nod. "Okay, well here's the dress." She says, handing it to me. "I'll wait here while you try it on. I want to see it on you." She says and I smile, taking it into the dressing room.
I smile at the dress. The top layer has lace flowers and below it is silk for comfort. The bodice has a sweetheart neckline and the lace comes a bit higher, providing the 3/4 length sleeves. The bottom poofs out and it all works nicely. I love it even before I slip it on.
I walk out with real confidence.
"Oh my gosh, Carmen. It's beautiful." Emma compliments as I twirl, lifting my hands above my head.
"I love it." The lady says smiling. "Really fits your body shape."
"I think it fits my personality." I say beaming down at it. "Elegant and classy."
"But also edgy." Emma adds and we laugh.
"We'll take it." I laugh, smiling down at it.
~•~•~•~•~
"Thanks for covering the difference, Em. It means a lot." I say, referring to the dress being a bit out of my price range.
"Of course! Carmen, my best friend is actually getting married to the man of her dreams, it's the least I could do." She says, winking at me.
"Actually, Emma. Do you want to be my maid of honor?" I ask, smiling at her.
"Are you kidding?! Of course!" She screams as we pull into the drive way of my apartment.
"Spence?" I call, setting my keys on the counter.
"In here, babe." He calls back. I walk into the living room and sit on the couch with him. Emma walks in with my dress in a protective bag.
"Can you out it in my closet, Em?" I ask and she nods. "Hey, Spence...? Are you happy that Emma's here?" I ask after a second of silence except for the movie.
"What? Of course!" He says, staring at me now.
"Are you sure? You seemed a bit off at the airport." I admit.
"Babe, I'm really excited that your friend's here. It could have been a bit better timing, but other than that I'm totally fine." He says, pecking me on the lips.
"Better time...? For what... Spence what's going on?" I ask.
"Hotch says he needs you for a special mission in two weeks. Top secret. Not even I'm allowed to know where your going." He says, frowning. "For our protection."
"Why me?" I ask, unbelieving.
"I don't know." He admits.
"Wait, but two weeks? Spence that's right before the wedding." I say, nuzzling into his chest.
"I know."
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Hey guys! Super sorry for missing a couple days of updating, I had writers block and it was really crazy t my house. I know that's no excuse, but please know that I'm super grateful for those of you reading!!! Remember to vote and comment!!!
What did you guys think of Emma? The new mission? The dress?
Really excited for the next chapter, some huge things happening!!!