Hey everyone! So here is the beginning to my sequel for "A Second Chance". I've been crazy busy with work but I'm going to work hard to update as often as possible! I hope you guys enjoy this story!
-J
Chapter 1
Emily Prentiss was tired; she might even say she was exhausted. Why she had chosen such an early flight when she had spent the past week barely getting any sleep was beyond her. As the plane landed, Emily looked to her right at the 14-year-old brunette who was looking out the window beside her.
"Well here we are," Emily said, pulling Alex from her thoughts. The teen turned to face her birth mother, a sad smile on her face. Alex's eyes were still red from the tears she had spilled as the plane took off from Chicago, there were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and she was biting her lip anxiously.
After JJ left the pair on Sunday to return to work, Emily and Alex had continued packing and setting things in order to sell the house and move back to DC. The two had taken advantage of the time together to get to know each other better, and Alex had been doing as well as could be expected of her, but at night things were a different story. Alex's sleep continued to be plagued with nightmares, constantly forcing her to imagine images of her parent's death and reliving the frightful experience of her own capture just over a week ago. The lack of sleep was beginning to ware on the two brunettes, and neither one was really sure how many more sleepless nights they could handle. Emily felt helpless, constantly doing her best to comfort the young girl who was often inconsolable after one of her nightmares, refusing to talk about the things that were haunting her.
When Emily had decided that they would leave Chicago for DC that Friday, she felt guilty taking the teen away from the place that she called home, but the profiler hoped that getting some space between Alex and her childhood home may help with the teen's nightmares, as the house now held so many negative memories.
"You okay?" Emily asked reaching over to give Alex's hand a squeeze.
"Just tired," Alex answered quietly.
"Well we'll be home soon enough and you'll be able to get some sleep," Emily answered, releasing her seatbelt and standing to get their carry-on bags from the overhead compartment.
A few minutes later the pair made their way off the airplane, Emily leading Alex through the airport towards where she knew they needed to pick up their luggage. As Emily steered the exhausted teen through the airport crowds, one hand on the teen's back, Emily noticed a familiar blonde smiling at her standing near the luggage carrel.
"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, happy to see her best friend. "I thought you guys were in New York?"
"We got back late last night," JJ explained giving her friend a hug in greeting. "Hotch thought you could use a ride home so he gave me the day. Hey Alex," JJ greeted taking the small girl in a hug noticing that the teen looked pretty defeated.
"Hi JJ," Alex replied, wrapping her arms around the blonde woman who had become like family in the two weeks that she had known her.
"Our luggage will probably be a few more minutes," Emily explained as JJ reluctantly released Alex from her hug.
"I'm just going to go to the bathroom then," Alex said pointing towards the ladies room just across the way from them.
"Alright," Emily replied, watching as the teen walked away.
"You know I hate to say this, but you two look awful," JJ pointed out when the teen was out of earshot.
"Well we haven't exactly been getting a lot of sleep," Emily explained, running her hand through her hair.
"She's still having nightmares?" JJ asked.
"Every night," Emily replied. "And it seems like they're only getting worse. Add that to the fact that I took her to Rachel's and the cemetery yesterday to say her goodbyes, and I think she's emotionally exhausted…we both are."
"I'm sorry Em," JJ said, wishing she could do more for her friend. "Maybe she needs to talk to someone."
"I know," Emily agreed. "I just didn't want to force anything too early. I'm going to look for someone she can talk to as soon as possible."
"Good," JJ said with a smile. "And in the mean time I'm here to help with whatever you need, starting with getting you two home to get some sleep."
"What would I ever do without you Jennifer Jareau?" Emily asked teasingly.
"Oh you would be completely lost Agent Prentiss. Of that I'm sure."
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"Well this is it," Emily announced, pushing open the front door to her condo, allowing the younger brunette to enter first. "Home sweet home."
Alex, JJ and Emily entered the condo, dropping the bags they were carrying in the entryway.
"It's nice," Alex commented, walking into the kitchen where the open floor plan allowed her to see into the dining and living rooms, straight back to the large windows with the great view of the Capital building.
"And it looks like all your stuff got here," Emily said pointing out the boxes that were currently taking up space in the living room. Emily had arranged for Alex's things to be shipped ahead of them, and Garcia had helped out by letting the movers in earlier in the week.
"Do you want me to start moving these bags upstairs for you Em?" JJ asked from where she was still standing near the doorway.
"No, no. We can get them later, just come on in Jayje," Emily replied, moving to stand beside Alex whose eyes seemed to be taking in every inch of her new home. "Do you want a tour?" She asked the teen.
"Sure," Alex replied.
"Well down here we've got the kitchen, dining room and living room, obviously," Emily explained pointing to each room as she went. "Over here we have my office and there's a bathroom right through here," she said leading Alex through each room and then heading for the stairs, leaving JJ who had made herself comfortable on the couch. Emily led Alex up the stairs towards a door on the left. "This will be your bathroom."
"I get my own bathroom?" The teen asked surprised, looking around at the spacious room she was standing in.
"Well I have my own so yeah I guess this one would be yours," Emily explained, then leaving the room to enter the room across the hall. "I've been using this as a guest room, but this will be your room now," she said, holding the door open for the teen to enter. "We can change the colour, put up some pictures, and get some new bedding …whatever you want."
"It's great," Alex smiled. "Thanks." She said walking around and imagining the things she could do to this room.
"We'll have to get you a new bookshelf too since we couldn't bring yours," the profiler pointed out, watching as the teen explored her new room, a small smile on her face. "My room's at the end of the hall," she then explained, leading the teen to show her the master suite.
"This place is really nice," Alex commented as she looked around Emily's room and master bath.
"I'm glad you like it," Emily replied, following the teen out of the room, both of them heading downstairs where JJ was flipping through television channels.
"So what do you think Alex?" JJ asked from her place on the couch.
"I think I could get used to it," the teen replied with a grin, taking a seat next to the blonde.
"So the team were hoping we could all get together tomorrow night," JJ said handing the television remote to Alex and turning to face Emily who was moving towards the kitchen.
"That sounds good," Emily answered, happy to be able to see the team. "Everyone can come here, I'll just have to get this stuff cleaned up," she said looking around at the boxes and bags strewn around the condo. "And I'll have to get some groceries," she laughed looking into her empty refrigerator.
"Well I can help you get this stuff upstairs and what not," JJ replied. "And we can order pizzas or something tomorrow night. Although you might want to get groceries anyways since you have another mouth to feed now," the blonde teased.
"This is true," Emily said laughing. "We can just go out for dinner today and get some groceries tonight after we get this stuff moved upstairs. That sound okay to you kid?" She asked looking confused when she didn't receive an answer right away.
JJ turned to Alex to find the teen with her head resting on the arm of the couch, fast asleep.
"Well I think we've lost her," JJ pointed out with a quiet laugh, grabbing the blanket off the back of the sofa, and placing it over the teen. "Why don't we let her rest and I'll help you with all this."
"Thanks Jayje," Emily responded with a smile. "You really are the best.
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Later that night, after having dinner with JJ and loading up on groceries Emily and Alex returned to the condo, put on their pajamas and hunkered down in the living room with a DVD, both feeling pretty tired.
After Alex had woken up that afternoon she helped Emily and JJ organize her clothes and a few of her other things, not wanting to unpack too many things since they intended to paint the room as well as redecorate later that week. Emily then treated JJ to dinner in order to thank her for all her help. Since Emily had next to nothing to eat at home grocery shopping had taken a lot longer than she had expected, spending extra time getting to know what Alex liked to eat, trying to stock up on the teen's favourites. After walking around the store for over an hour both brunettes were feeling pretty beat, deciding that they would go home and relax in front of a movie.
As Emily started the movie she looked over at the young brunette who still looked exhausted despite the nap she took that afternoon.
"So the team's coming tomorrow night," Emily began. "You're okay with that right?"
"Of course," Alex replied. "I like them. And I'm really looking forward to meeting Penelope."
"She has text me like 10 times today telling me how happy she is that she gets to meet you tomorrow," Emily said laughing.
"Will it just be the team?" Alex asked.
"Hotch's wife Haley will probably come too," Emily replied. "And I imagine they'll bring the baby."
"Hotch has a baby?"
"Jack. He's just 6 months old."
"Cute…it's kind of hard to picture him with a baby," Alex said biting her lip as she considered it. "I mean he seems pretty serious."
"He kind of is, but he can joke around too," Emily explained. "You'll see," she smiled. "Also I was thinking that we should ask Derek if he'd help paint your room, he loves that kind of thing. We'll have to pick out a colour."
"Can we do purple?" The teen asked.
"Of course hun," Emily replied. "Whatever you want."
The pair then turned their attention to the movie, falling quiet as they curled up and allowed themselves to lose themselves in the story, commenting every now and then about the plot. Two hours later Emily turned off the TV, yawning as she turned to the teen seeing that she was doing the same thing.
"Well I think I'm ready for bed, how about you?"
"Definitely," Alex replied, standing from the couch and following Emily up the stairs after she turned the lights off around her.
"Is there anything you need?" Emily asked as the pair stopped in the hallway between the bathroom and Alex's new bedroom.
"I think I'm okay," Alex replied.
"Okay well if you need anything just come get me," Emily said.
"Okay," Alex said moving into the bathroom to get ready for bed while Emily made her way towards the master suite.
Emily took her time in the bathroom getting herself ready for bed, excited to be able to sleep in her own bed after spending two weeks sleeping in a hotel bed. She turned the light off in the bathroom and made her way towards her king size bed. Just as she was pulling the covers back Emily heard a soft knock at her door. The profiler made her way to the door, pulling it open to find Alex standing there, picking at her nails and looking down at the floor.
"Everything okay?" Emily asked.
"I was just wondering if maybe…maybe I could…" the teen struggled. "I…I don't really want to be alone."
"Come on in," Emily replied putting an arm around the smaller girl and leading her into the room.
