Emily lay across her couch resting on her side. At twenty weeks pregnant it was hard finding someway to sleep so now she just wrapped herself in pillows and prayed she'd fall asleep. Her phone ringing broke her from her near asleep trance.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hey Em." JJ greeted on the other line. "How did the appointment go?"
Emily flung her feet forward in the couch allowing her body to sit up. "It went well. They doctor said the baby is doing good, it's the size of a banana."
"So no chances on finding out the sex?" JJ asked.
"Nope." Emily replied popping the 'P'. "It refuses to turn, the doctor is hoping it will soon."
"So what are up to for the rest of the day?"
Emily reached over to the coffee table to pick up her cup of tea. "Not much, Garcia dropped by an hour ago with chicken soybean salad. I apparently really need protein in this stage of pregnancy. And I'm supposed to gain a pound a week! Can you believe that?!" She groaned. "And Hotch and Morgan keep offering to paint the nursery."
"Go with a unisex colour like green or yellow. Oh go with a jungle theme, and cute little monkeys." JJ exclaimed.
Emily laughed before taking a sip of her tea. "That would be a cute idea"
........................
Weeks upon weeks continued and before she knew it Emily had reached her third trimester, the nursery was painted and her house was entirely filled with baby things thanks to a certain Penelope Garcia.
........................
As Emily walked out of the Medical Examiner's building, her cell phone rang. She shifted her bag on her shoulder as she reached into her suit jacket pocket for her phone. "Prentiss" She spoke into the phone as she rubbed her swollen stomach.
"Good morning Emily" Section Chief Erin Strauss said from the other end of the phone line making Emily feel extremely
"Agent Prentiss" Strauss said trying to capture the agents attention.
"I'm here" Emily said.
"I'm just checking in" Strauss said.
"Checking in?" Emily asked in an exasperated voice.
"On your case, the college girls?" Strauss said.
"Uh, we don't know that much yet ma'am" Emily said prevaricating in an attempt to get off the phone. She felt her heart burn kicking in.
"But you will let me know if there's anything to report, won't you?" Strauss asked referring to the conversation she and Emily had weeks prior. It made Emily feel sick.
"I really have to get back to work." Emily said into the phone.
"Of course, you know where you can reach me." Strauss spoke clearly.
Emily nodded her head and closed her eyes, sighing. Oh, how she hated politics. Her ankles were swollen, her child was kicking up and storm, and honest to god she was just tired of being pregnant! It didn't help that Strauss was down her throat trying to gain information on Aaron Hotcher, and honestly nice man once you got past the thick wall he build around himself. Emily groaned as she slid into her SUV, she was so tired of all of this... Maybe it was time for a change...
.....................
Everyone is so much younger than I remember being" JJ said to Emily as they patrolled though the campus. The mood of the campus had lifted with Tubbs being in custody.
"It's a weird age. You want to be treated like an adult, but you're used to someone else solving your problems for you." Emily sighed stopping at a park bench to rest her feet.
"All I remember is trying to figure out who I was" JJ said sitting next to her.
"You move around enough, you get used to being whoever people want you to be." Emily responded making JJ quirk and eyebrow at her.
.....................
So, where's Prentiss?" Morgan asked feeling slightly worried.
"Her phone keeps going straight to voice mail." JJ said as she shook her head, she had seemed very off the other day at the college...
"Well this room just keeps getting smaller and smaller doesn't it?" Morgan asked.
..............................
"I was hoping you'd do the right thing" Strauss said as Agent Aaron Hotchner stood before her desk. "Have you given any thought to what department you'll request?" She asked.
"I was under the impression that if I left the BAU that I'd have my choice of posts." Hotch answered.
"Well I'll consider it after I complete my investigation." Strauss said "You were a prosecutor. What about heading up a white collar crime task force?" She said "That'll get you home at night at a reasonable hour." She said trying to convince him to stay as far away from the BAU as possible.
Emily Prentiss walked into Section Chief Erin Strauss' office as she had been told Hotch was in a meeting with her, and Emily had a point to make with the woman. She didn't have the energy for any of this! This was a valid reason for why politics were her least favourite things in the world. They were always used to get one over on someone else.
"Sorry to interrupt" Emily said as she glares at the Section Chief.
Strauss had a look of concern and confusion crossed Strauss' face.
Emily turned to Hotch. "Sir, I've decided to resign from the FBI effective immediately.
"I don't understand." Hotch replied.
"I'm taking the Foreign Service Exam. With my connections, I stand a good chance of landing in the State Department." She explained to Hotch.
"Prentiss, I think that's a mistake." Hotch replied forcefully
"Well, don't try to talk me out of it. Garcia saw my name on a list and she already tried. If she can't talk someone out of doing something, no one can. I won't even take my maternity leave.
Hotch glanced at Strauss, it didn't take a scientist to figure out what she had done.
Prentiss turned to look at Strauss. "Sorry again, for the interruption." She said before turning and stepping towards the door. "But sir, its good to see you back. The team needs you." Emily said. She nodded towards Strauss "ma'am." and turned and left the office.
.........................
Emily was seated peacefully on her couch when there was a knock on the door that didn't seem to want to go away. Groaning as she stood up she threw the door open to reveal Hotch. "Oh no..." She sighed.
"We've got a case." He replied.
"No, I'm moments away popping this thing out of me," Emily stated pointing to her stomach. "I'm not going anywhere."
"If you don't already have a bag packed then I'll leave." Hotch said with a sincere look.
Letting out a groan Emily went up the stairs to grab her go bag.
..............................
"You're not even an agent anymore." Strauss stated from behind the SUV where everyone was hiding behind.
"All the more reason to go in." Prentiss responded before taking Hotch's spare gun.
"Emily you don't even have a vest." Morgan pointed out.
"I'll be fine just cover me!"
.................................
"You're dieing and this is what you want to leave your son?" The Detective asked Smith as he raised him to his feet.
"How's your head?" Hotch asked as he walked up to the ambulance where Emily sat holding an ice pack to her head and rubbed her stomach. Smith had managed to push her into a wall before he was taken down.
"I'll live." She said . "Is it weird that I'm glad to be back?"
"If that makes you weird, then I would have to say we're both weird." Hotch said with a slight smile.
"I know that Strauss came to you and asked for dirt on me." Hotch said.
"Why would she do that?" Emily asked rubbing her stomach again.
"I think if you have your eye on the top leadership of the FBI, you need to know who might stand in your way. You might make contingency plans to either get them out of your way, or eliminate them as a threat altogether." He said as he sat next to Emily."I think she put you on our team and expected something in return, and to your credit, you would rather resign than betray the team, than betray me." Hotch said as he studied Emily trying to figure out if she was okay.
"I told you, I hate politics." Emily said before her eyes widened. "I think we need to go to the hospital..."
"The medic said your head is fine-"
"My water just broke!"