J.J sat beside the table waiting for Clare to come out of her room. She's been in her room the whole day. J.J knows that Claire is sad, and angry about the move. And that she is sitting in the closet probably crying and missing her father. J.J also know that Claire needs her alone time right know. All that J.J wants is to go in and hug her daughter but she knows that if Claire wants to have a hug she would come to her, and if she's in her room she wants to be alone and J.J respects that. But she is worried about her daughter.
There is a knock on the knock on the door. J.J goes to open it and Emily stands on the other side.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" Emily asks with sympathy in her eyes.
J.J looks at her and she can feel her eyes filling up. Emily walks in and gives her a hug. "Oh honey" she says comforting.
J.J walks in to the kitchen, Emily following behind. "wine?" J.J asks and Emily nodes. J.J starts filling two glasses of wine and hands one over to Emily.
"So, how is Claire doing?" Emily asks while taking a small sip wine.
"She's been in her room the whole day. I tried to get her out, at least to eat something but she just says no. I don´t know what to do, and we have to get back to our lives tomorrow, and she´s going to school, I feel like she´s not ready, and I´m not sure that it was a good idea to switch school.."
"J.J you don´t have to get back to work until you are ready, and maybe Clare will feel better when she gets to meet some new people, and like you said before, the new school is much closer, and did you not say she didn't get along with the people at her last school?"
J.J sits quiet for a short while. "Well hopefully she finds some new friends"
"Of course, she's the most caring person there is" Emily smiles. J.J can't help but smile as well, thinking of her daughter and how caring she is, she can´t even believe the fact that she had a hard time making friends at her last school.
Claire and J.J are very alike, both blondes, stubborn and the most important thing for both of them is helping other people.
"So how is work! J.J asks inquisitive. Emily looks down, not meeting J.J's eyes.
"Emily?" J.J almost demands.
"Well" Emily starts doubtful "We lost the lead on Wills killer, I´m sorry J.J"
J.J just stares at her. "The lead was a bullet that is used in millions of guns, there's no way that you could find out something from it, you don't have to apologize"
Emily looks sadly at her.
"Well we want to find this guy" Emily says determined.
"Well, are there any other cases?" J.J asks.
"Yes, some young girl was murdered in the south and they needed our help, so we will go there tomorrow" Emily answered, and then takes a sip of the wine.
"Oh god" J.J said with a bit of fear in her voice. "Tomorrow, tomorrow is soon"
Emily looks at J.J who is looking pale and scared. Emily leans over the table and grabs hand and holds it comforting. J.J tries to smile but she can´t.
"Emily?" J.J starts almost whispering.
"what?"
"Do you think you can do me a favor?"
"Name it, I´ll do it"
J.J takes her hand out of Emily's embrace.
"Can you knock on Claire's door and see if she wants to come out. Maybe she will if you are here, i think she´s a bit disappointed with me about the move, and she don´t what to hang with just me right now, but she likes you very much and sees you as a friend, so maybe.. it´s a long shot. But could you try?"
"Of course"
Emily leaves her glass of wine and then walks slowly from the kitchen and to Claire's door. She raises her hand and knocks three times.
"Claire, It's Emily, can I come in?"
There is no response, Emily looks over her shoulder and sees J.J standing outside the kitchen leaning against the wall, and watching and hoping Claire will answer. Emily Knocks again "Claire, can.." Emily gets interrupted by Claire´s weak and weary voice.
"Come in"
Emily looks at J.J who's giving her a smile and then Emily is opening the door and walks in to Claire´s dark room, there's a lot of moving boxes and a lot of things and clothes on the floor. Claire is sitting on the bed, Emily sits down next to her.
"Hey honey, are you okay?" She noticed Claire's tear filled eyes. "you know it´s ok to cry."
Claire looks at her with tearful eyes.
"I want to, but I think they are gone now, there are no more, I´m trying to cry but I can´t"
They sit quiet for a while. Emily puts a hand on Claire´s shoulder.
"Do you want something to eat?"
Claire looks at her for a while and then nods.
...
J.J, Emily and Claire are sitting quiet by the kitchen table eating pizza. Claire puts her last piece in her mouth and then starts to move towards her room.
"Honey where are you going" J.J asks her friendly.
"Need to sleep, i can´t be tired on my first day at school"
A door slams and J.J looks down on her pizza. "At least she came out of her room"
...
The next day:
"Claire honey, are you ready?" J.J Shouted from the kitchen. She was dressed in a blue suit and her hair was done in a ponytail. A few minutes later, Claire walks in to the kitchen.
"Good morning"
J.J was almost shocked about her appearance. She was ready to call the school and say that Claire wouldn't come in today. So the fact that she was standing in the kitchen, with her school uniform on and eating an apple did make her a bit surprised.
"Can you drive me to school today mom?" Claire asked with a happy tone in her voice.
J.J Could´t understand what was going on. It was like nothing had happened.. It was exactly like before Wills death.
"Yes, off course honey"
J.J glared at her watch, "Oh, we have to hurry" She grabbed her jacket and moved to the door, Claire following behind her.
...
In the car, J.J and Claire was sitting quiet. Claire tried to collect some courage to talk, she took a deep breath. J.J noticed and she knew that her daughter was about to say something that made her nervous, and the fact that her daughter had something to say to her that made her nervous made J.J even more nervous. They could almost always talk about anything without it being awkward or they having to be nervous about it. So J.J also took a deep breath and then she asked her daughter
"Honey, are you alright?"
Claire stopped breathing for a second, now was her time. She had to say what was on her mind.
"Mom, I'm really sorry about the last few weeks. I know you have had a lot to do, and that you miss dad too, I've been selfish, only thinking about myself"
J.J looked at her daughter whose eyes were starting to be filled with tears.
"oh, baby, I´ts ok. I understand. You don´t have to apologize."
In front of her she could see the school approaching. She parked outside the school and then put all of her focus on Claire. She put her arms around her and gave her a long hug. "I love so much"
"I Love you too, I think i have to go inside tho, I don´t want to be late for school" Claire said.
J.J let her go. "Ok, I'm just a phone call away if you need me. Have a good day honey"
Claire walked out of the car and headed towards the brown school building.
J.J watched her walk in to the school and then started to drive to her job. She felt a bit sad about leaving Claire at school, she felt a bit alone and very nervous about going back to work. But at least Emily and Garcia will be there, and that's a real comfort for JJ, because if J.J needs to be alone, or talk, or anything Emily and Garcia will notice and be there for her. There is no one that knows her better than them.
...
J.J walked in to the office, and there was no one there, she walked to the briefing room, and there they were, Morgan, Reid, Garcia, Emily, and Hotch. On the Tv screens were pictures of murdered teenagers and when J.J walked in everyone stopped talking. J.J looked at her watch and noticed she was a few minutes late.
"Oh, sorry I'm late"
Garcia ran and hugged her
"welcome back, Are you ok?, how are you? can i do anything?"
J.J just smiled at Garcia, and then looked at everyone in the room.
"I´m going to be fine, and am ready to work"
...
In the school building, Claire was standing in front of her locker, it was time for her last lesson. The bell rang. She looked at her watch. She had one more lesson today, but she couldn't handle one more. She was too tired and she hated this school, everyone in her class was boring and childish.
Instead of going towards the classroom she went to the bathroom. She locked herself in one of the toilet booths and curled up on the toilet. She was sitting there daydreaming, suddenly she heard the door slam open and some footsteps, she could hear her heartbeat beat faster. The person outside stopped and then she could smell smoke, cigarette smoke. Then she heard footsteps coming closer to her and then a knock on her door.
"Hello? Are someone hiding in there?" An angry voice said.
Claire felt forced to go outside, what if it was a teacher or something. She opened the door and outside stood a long brown haired girl with a cigarette in her hands.
"Hi" Claire said nervously.
"Oh this is a surprise. I saw you in the corridor, and never, ever would I think you to be a person who skips school" The girl said.
Claire wanted to say she wasn't, but she started to realize that she actually was. And that thought gave her a bit of panic. She had never missed a lesson before, she got a bit scared and stared at the girl.
"Can´t you speak?" The girl asked.
"Sorry. I should get back to class"Claire said.
The girl tried to hide a giggle. "So this is your first time skipping, huh?" She put the cigarette in her mouth and then blew the smoke in Claire's face. Claire coughed a bit.
"Yes this is my first time"
The door opened and Claire could see an angry teachers face.
"What goes on here?"
"Nothing, Miss, Flourk" The brown haired girl said while hiding her cigarette behind her back.
The teacher gave her a look that said oh really.. you're both in trouble now.
Later that day, Claire was standing outside a door, she sent a text to her mother. "Sorry mom, I´ll be home late, got detention, I will explain when I get home, Love you"
Claire put her phone in her backpack and went inside the room. There was only Miss, Flourk in the room.
"Take a seat Claire" she said and Claire sat down on the closest bench. Miss. Flourk walked up to her and took a chair and sat down beside her.
"Claire, I understand that you have had a rough time, and you are sad right now. But we, at this school we don´t accept smoking, drugs or skipping school. So i called your mother. But you will only get one day detention this time, and hopefully there will be no next time, ok?"
Claire nodded. "No there will be no next time"
The brown haired girl walks in to the room. Beside her came five other students. The brown haired girl sad down beside Claire. "Hi, New girl" She said and smiled.
"My name is Claire"
The girl held out her hand.
"Karen"
Claire shakes her hand "Hi, Karen" The girls smiled at each other.
Miss. Flourk started talking and wrote some notes on the whiteboard.
Claire looked around the room, this was her first time in detention, and she felt a bit proud for the moment, she knew she would feel bad when she had to face her mother, but right now she liked that she did something bad, but not too bad. She felt a bit free. Her eyes stopped at a handsome guy in the back of the room. He had dark hair some stubble and a blue skirt. Claire could feel that she was staring but she couldn´t stop, he was too gorgeous. Suddenly the guy looked at her and smiled. Claire felt embarrassed and looked away, but still smiling nervously.
...
At home, J.J was preparing the dinner when the door opened. Claire was home. Claire walked into the kitchen and sat down, knowing there was a lecture on it´s way
"Hi mom" She said nervously, she did not know how her mother would react to the fact that she was in detention.
"Smoking Claire? Really." J.J said with disappointment in her voice. She took the food and put it down on the table and sat down, not looking at Claire.
"I did not smoke. Karen did, and I was just in the same room"
J.J still looking down. "Did this Karen also skip class?"
"No. Well yes. But I did not smoke, and I was planning on going to class, but I just wanted to get some quiet time fist. The whole day was too much"
J.J raises her eyes from the table and is now facing Claire's eyes. She can see that Claire is tired and sad. J.J started to feel bad for Claire. She did know that the first day at school would be a lot for her, but she did not like the fact that it ended up in detention.
"Ok, I´m sorry. I think I might be overreacting, so detention will be enough punishment for you this time, but try to not be in more situations that will end up in detention Claire?" "I will do my best" Claire answered, smiling. "So how was work?"
"It was Good" J.J answered. Not believing her own words.
Claire noticed that her mother was lying. But she did not want to ask her more about it. J.J never lies unless she really don´t want to tell the truth, or if the truth is too bad to talk about at the moment.
