A Journey | Emily Prentiss

~ | Nine | ~

On the plane ride back home on a case the team was playing cards. Reid still wasn't back yet so the 4 of them were sitting together and Emily was on the couch.

Emily wasn't focusing at the conversations she was more invested in the game and watching everyone else's expressions and tells. She had been told no profiling rule but she doubted anybody ever followed it.

She loosely followed on about how team was talking about their weekend plans. Morgan she already that he was from Chicago. JJ was a small farm down in Pennsylvania though she didn't really seem like the type. She was out of thought when JJ asked her a question.

"So Emily where are you from?"

"I don't really have a hometown"

"What?" Derek says

"I grew up all over the world by the time I was 14 they had lived in 8 different countries I never lived in one place long enough to call it home" Emily says sadly. She couldnt give them much truth but she could give them this

.

Reid was given 2 weeks off. But Emily didn't think it would be enough for him to heal. She was sure she couldn't be the only one who noticed that he was different. Now that he was back he was more jumpy and loud. He got agitated more quickly. All the pieces fit together perfectly. Emily just didn't understand how Hotch or Gideon hadn't seen it. 

Tobias Hankel was a drug addict with split personalities, it was definitely possible that one of his altered states might have given Reid drugs when he felt sympathy for him. Emily knew from experience that once you started it was very hard to stop and a drug addiction was something that could definitely explain Reid's behaviour that week. She knew no one else was going to do it so it was up to her to confront Reid whether he liked it or not.

. 

After they get back from New Orleans, the team worked the rest of the day to finish the paperwork. By 6:00 PM most of the Team had gone home, Emily could see the lights in Hotch's office open, aside from that it was just her and Reid left. When Reid got up to go to the bathroom, Emily followed him.

When she entered he hastily put away something into his bag. He turned to face Emily and Said, "Prentiss, this is a man's bathroom".

" yes, Spencer I can read the signs" Emily said as she stepped closer. 

"so why are you here?" Reid stuttered.

" Spencer , you can't continue on like this." Emily says as she stepped closer she grabbed Reid's arm that was previously holding his satchel.

Spencer grabbed his arm back from Emily, "Emily I don't know what you mean" he moves to exit the door.

" I know about the drugs" Emily says. 

Spencer's head immediately flicks back to her. " Emily you don't know what you're talking about"

He turns back to the door and when he grabs the handle Emily speaks " it's never as good as the first time is it, no matter how much you take it can never feel the same" Spencer's movements falter. Emily knew she was getting through to him. "Reid I know what it's like, And I want to help you before you dig yourself into a hole that's too deep for me to pull you out"

Spencer turns back to face Emily. She envelops him into a hug. She leads him to her car and then begins to drive.

In the silence of the car reid asks " Emily you don't even know me why would you wanna help me"

Emily hesitates " because Spencer this road you're going to go down I know that you don't deserve to be on it, and I get that you don't trust me but I really do just want to help you"

Reid leads Emily up to his apartment." we are taking the next week and a half off" emily says

" but Hotch-" Reid says

" No Spencer you need to get better, Where is your stash?" Emily asks

Once Spencer gives Emily all of his stash, They sit across from each other at the dining table. " I understand why you haven't told hotch or getting about this, you don't wanna lose your job and I understand that and that's Why just thinks we're both off sick for the next two weeks"

"so What is the process?" Reed asks

" I know that it's going to be hard but first we'll start off and see how you go with going cold Turkey, if that doesn't work we'll think of other options but we'll start with that" Emily says 

" I don't know if I can do that" Reed says quietly

"See Spencer I'm going to give you two options either we do that just the two of us or I'll go to Hoch and Gideon" Emily says laying her options down the table

Emily stays with Spencer at his apartment while he cleanses. One night Emily finds Spencer draped over the Toilet. Once he finishes vomiting she leads him to the kitchen where she gives him a warm glass of water. It's then when he decides to ask her the question " emily the way you know what to do you seem like you're doing this from experience"

emily Bites her lip, then says " When I was 15 I was in Italy, And me and a friend we fell into the wrong crowd. And it wasn't until about six months later that someone noticed a difference in me. My father brought me back to the states where I cleansed and just restarted. But my friend he was too far gone and I couldn't help him." Emily gives him the watered down version.

" I'm sorry" Reids says quietly

.

After detoxing read returns back to his normal self. It's another two weeks later that Emily's mother shows up at the BAU.  Emily is more than shocked to see her mother, for 2 reasons. Number one, she hadn't actually told her that she was working at the BAU, her mother thought she was still at the CIA. Number 2, she hadn't actually seen her mother in 6 years, since before JTF. The last time they met was just like any other time. That time they were arguing about the dangers of her job. 

It was just after the Amerithrax case in 2001, when Emily had accidently touched one of the contaminated envelopes. The hospital had called her mother when she had been admitted. 

The outcome of the case, didn't surprise Emily at all. Actually she would have been more shocked if something like that didn't happen. Elizabeth had come to thank, Hotch for his help. On her way down she walked up to Emily. 

"Thank you Em" 

Emily stands up, "Its my job"

"I see that now, Maybe we could go to dinner sometime?" Her mother asks

"Sure" Emily says, a smile creeping up on her face. 

After Elizabeth walks out, Emily sits back down at her desk. "So how long has it been?" Emily sees Hotch walking toward her, 

"For what?" Emily asks 

"Since you last saw her" Hotch says

"6 years" Emily admits, 

Dinner never did come. Before they could meet Elizabeth was being shipped of to Ukraine. She left Emily with a voice mail, promising that next time she was in the states they would meet.