Authors note: Hi! This is my first fanfiction and this idea i've had for so long. I have the next chapters ready but i want to get some reviews and follows and stuff first. I made the first chapter pretty long. It is slow to get to the point, but i would appreciate if you gave it a shot. Thanks! (Also as you can see I don't know a lot about foster care but I tried. Feel free to correct me!) enjoy!
"13 years old." I whispered as I looked at the clock. It read 7:34, the time I was brought into this world.
I love my birthday, I love celebrating another year closer to getting the hell out of my house. I hate it here. The way Dad gets drunk every night and hits me and Mom struggles to remember my name because of how high she gets. Most children who live in a shitty home have something keeping them going, unfortunately that's not the case for me. I have nothing keeping me from just running away or downing a handful of pills. The question is, why haven't I yet? Why am I still here? I feel something holding me back but I don't know what it is yet.
I get out of bed and begin to get dressed. I hear Mom and Dad yelling from downstairs as I quickly sneak out my window to get to the bus stop, trying to get out unnoticed.
-JJ's pov-
"We have a case." Hotch said as he approached us. We all looked at each other and sighed and gathered around Hotch. Garcia stood at the front and looked at us.
"Okay sugar plums, we have a bad one here. Three families, first the Jennings. Parents throats were slashed, but the children were left unharmed, leaving the children parentless. Same with the next two families, all of the kids were under 2 years old so they are too young to use as witnesses. They have family so they're not in foster care. The unsub left a note for all three families saying 'I did them a favor.'" Garcia said and frowned as she showed the pictures from each crime scene.
"So he is consistent." Hotch said.
"And organized." Emily said.
"When the unsub says 'I did them a favor' I think he is referring to the children." I said.
"In that case, the unsub would probably be someone who was once wronged by their parents." Reid said and we all nodded.
"Let's continue looking through the files and find anything that is similar between the families. It could be as simple as they all attend the same coffee shop in the morning. Anything can help. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch said and stood up. I met Emily out in the hallway.
"Hey Jayje you ready?" She asked. I nodded. Emily and I have been together for a couple years now, everyone knows and Hotch took it a lot easier than expected. He didn't care as long as our relationship didn't affect our ability in the bureau and so far we've done a good job of doing so.
We all met back up on the plane, Emily and I sat next to each other and looked through files. I frowned when I looked through the Jenning file. Their oldest was a two year old named Tommy, their youngest at only 10 months, Isabella. I've always wanted children. I brought it up with Emily a few times but I don't think she was thrilled of the idea.
"Hey you okay?" Emily asked as our eyes met. I sighed. I hesitated to speak.
"I..I don't know. These children lost their parents so young, they may not even remember them.." I trailed off.
"Hey, it's okay JJ. I understand, but these kids will not remember their parents like this." Emily said and held up the photos of the crime scene. "Their aunt and Uncle who took them in will keep their parents memory alive, but will fill them with happy memories." Emily said as she kissed my forehead. I smiled sadly and continued looking through the file.
"Hotch I don't see much of anything connecting these families." JJ said.
"Alright, well we're landing soon. JJ I want you and Reid to go to the Smith household, Emily you and I will go to the Jenning household, Rossi and Morgan to the Brown house and we will all meet back up in time to talk to the families and work on a profile. Got it?" Hotch said and we all nodded.
-Callie Pov-
I walked home from school and snuck back through the window and was quickly greeted with my dad's unsettling smile standing in my room.
"You know Callie, I am actually kind of grateful your room is a mess." He said as I stepped inside. I took a deep breath "Why?" I asked, he grinned and I cringed.
"So I could do this." He said and began beating me so hard. I screamed, screamed for my mom to finally be a mother and stand up for me and screamed for my Dad to get his hands off of me and that someday I would never have to smell his nasty beer breath in my face as he shouted at me. I screamed for someone to finally believe me and help me. I screamed and screamed and screamed till he got tired of listening to my voice turn into a small rasp.
He walked out of my room, the disgusting smile plastered on his face and his sweat dripped down his back and forehead. I began to pick up my room and wished for this to be over. I reminded myself, you're thirteen, only 5 more years. Suddenly everything felt a little easier.
-Emily pov-
We all met back at the police station in Jacksonville Florida. We found many things in the Smith household indicating their family was going through a rough time. Same with the Jennings and the Brown family.
"Okay, so why would this guy go for families who are struggling?" JJ asked.
"Maybe to put them out of their misery?" I asked, adding on to what JJ was thinking. Hotch nodded and we started to build a profile while Reid bombarded us with facts.
It was now 11:00 and we headed back to the hotel, there wasn't much we could do right now, and not getting sleep was just going to make it worse.
"Hey." I said to JJ as I sat down next to her on the hotel bed and rubbed her back.
"Em, I..I don't know, something about this case is just getting to me." JJ admitted. I wrapped my arms around her and she cuddled into me.
"Hey that's okay, it happens to all of us. It is about time it happened to you. Just keep your head up and know that we will catch him." I said as my phone began to ring.
"Agent Prentiss." I said through the phone and let them reply.
"We're on our way, send the address." I said and looked over at JJ.
"That was Hotch, someone has called the police about a disturbance in their neighborhood." Emily said and sighed.
"The neighbors heard children screaming." Emily said and we ran to the SUV.
-Callie pov-
10:45, and my birthday was coming to an end, not that anyone else would care. I watched the clock until suddenly I heard a loud noise from downstairs that startled me. I tiptoed down the stairs as I saw a strange man hold my mother and slowey slice into my mothers throat. My jaw dropped and my knees went weak as I saw my mother's lifeless body stumble to the ground next to my father. I let out a small cry as I watched the blood pool around their bodies and the man stick a note on our dresser. His eyes immediately locked with mine and I mentally hit myself for making noise. He darted towards me and I kicked the nearest thing to me down the steps and hit his face.
"You bitch! I'm helping you!" He shouted as he plunged the knife into the side of my body. I felt so much pain, I let out the loudest scream in my life. It felt as if all the name callings, beatings, neglect, I ever received from my parents just bursted inside me with one swift movement of a knife. He watched me fall to the ground and after about 15 minutes he darted out the door as he heard police sirens.
-JJ's Pov-
We were the first to arrive to the scene, our hotel was closest to the address. We ran inside with our guns out followed by Reid and Morgan. The first thing I saw was the bodies of the parents. Then over by the stairs, not far from the scene was a child. Couldn't have been older than 14. She was small, blonde hair and hazel eyes. I ran towards her.
"We need a medic!" I shouted to whoever was closest to me. She was breathing heavily, holding her wound.
"It's going to be okay. Can you tell me your name?" I asked. She looked up at me with sad eyes.
"Callie Parker." She managed to say.
"Good, good. Now do you know who did this to you?" I asked as I helped her put pressure on the wound.
"No, but I saw his face. I can help." She stammered. I smiled and suddenly the ambulance arrived and put her on a stretcher.
"He's not here." Hotch said as he approached me.
"Yeah, but the child hurt said she got a good look at him. She's the first witness old enough to recount what she saw." JJ said. Hotch nodded.
"I will let you and Emily take care of that once she is okay." Hotch said and looked around the house.
"Guys!" Emily yelled from the kitchen. We all met her there..
"There is A LOT of alcohol and empty bottles here. This shows that they were going through a hard time as well." Emily said. I thought to myself, what parents kept their alcohol out so openly? Callie could have easily gotten some without anyone noticing. I immediately feel guilty and join the team looking for evidence. But my brain just can't stop thinking about that poor girl.
-Callies pov-
My eyes fluttered open to see to women above me. It wasn't a dream, I was in the hospital. I recognise one as the woman who found me.
"It's good to see you're awake Callie." The brown haired woman started, "I'm agent Emily Prentiss and this is agent Jennifer Jareau. Would you care to answer some questions?" Emily asked. I nodded.
"Can you tell us about your family?" Jennifer asked.
"Um, well I want this guy caught and if this will help I won't sugar coat anything. I don't have any other family. My parents are.. I mean were.." I trailed off and felt a tear spill down my cheeks.
"Callie it's okay. You're doing great." Jennifer said and took my hand.
"Uh well my mom and dad were always drunk, if they weren't drunk they were high." I said. I felt so embarrassed by my life.
"That helps a lot Callie. You're doing so well. Is there anything else you can tell us about the man who did this? Anything at all." Emily said.
"He..he did it so fast. He picked my mom up so easily and just.." I couldn't even choke out the words. Jennifer squeezed my hand and I felt more relaxed.
"I cried when I saw it. I felt frozen. Then he came towards me. I threw something at him and it hurt him. He called me a bitch and then said he was doing me a favor.. I don't understand how though? My parents.. Were bad people. He would have done me a favor by killing me. Cause now I'm going to be in foster care with more people like my parents and I'll be moving around so much." I choked out and let the tears just fall.
"Don't say that Callie. It will get better. I promise." Jennifer said as she gave me a reassuring glance.
"And Callie, your neighbors reported that your house is very loud. They hear screaming a lot but they were sure it was nothing. Can you explain?" Emily asked. I looked down and played with the hospital bracelet on me.
"I..uh.. Well my Dad would hit me sometimes. But no one believed me. They convinced everyone that we were perfect. He would drown out my screams with his radio, he would just play the music louder and louder. I couldn't even hear myself.. That's why my grandma hated me. I told her about it and she screamed at me for lying. Do you know how it feels? To feel like the world is just against you all of the time? My teachers didn't even care. My parents didn't even remember my birthday! That's why this guy would've done me a favor by just killing me!" I shouted. I noticed Jennifer's hand still clutching mine.
"Callie honey, we believe you. We believe you and I promise we will catch this guy. Just know how important you are okay?" Jennifer said to me, her eyes never leaving mine. I immediately feel guilty for screaming at these women for something they had no control of.
"We will be right back Callie." Emily said and smiled at me as her and Jennifer left the room.
-JJ pov-
I feel heartbroken for Callie. I try to push aside the tears but it is just unbearable. I call Garcia.
"Hey pen, I was wondering if you could check back into the Jennings, the Browns and the Smiths to see any history of drug or alcohol addiction?" I asked. I heard her typing over the phone.
"Okay sweetness both Jennings parents have been given MULTIPLE d.u.y's along with the Browns. The Smiths on the other hand, John Smith goes to drug addiction counselling and I'm looking at Sarah Smith's receipts and she has purchased PLENTY of beer in the last few weeks." Garcia said on speaker.
"Alright Garcia, Rossi believes that this unsub has been in some type of mental hospital due to some of the things he has left behind, I need you to find any man who was in a mental hospital whose parents abused drugs or alcohol and any history of abuse." Emily said and we both listened to the sound of Garcia pounding the keys on her keyboard.
"I got three, Peter Jones, Terrence Miller and Michael Wilson." Garcia said and the pictures of the three men were sent to my cell in an instant.
"Alright thanks Pen." I said.
"Jayje, how is the latest victim? I heard a child was harmed in the latest murder." Garcia said softly. I looked at Emily, something about this case was just so different.
"She's given us a lot of valuable information." Emily said and looked at me with a smile, I returned a smile.
"Okay, well come home safe ladies." Garcia said and we hung up. We walked back into Callie's room.
"Callie, we have three possible suspects. Can you take a look at the pictures and tell us if you saw any of these men?" Emily asked. Callie nodded and looked at the screen where the pictures were. She began hyperventilating and tears started streaming down her face. I took her hand.
"It's him." She put her finger over terrence Wilson's photo. I took the tablet away from her and gave it to Em. She immediately threw her arms around me and I embraced it.
"You did so well." I said to her as she sobbed. I watched Emily leave the room and call Hotch. I continued to rub Callie's back as she cried.
-Callie's pov-
I don't know what got into me, I just felt so vulnerable. I sit back from Jennifer and look at her, she's so kind.
"I'm sorry." I say. She takes my hand again.
"Don't be Callie." She says and smiles at me. I smile back a little. Emily walks in.
"JJ, We have an address. Hotch wants us to meet him there." Emily looks at me and Jennifer.
"I am staying here." She says.
"You should go." I say, but deep inside I want her to stay here and keep holding my hand.
"I'm not leaving you here alone." Jennifer says and I can't help but grin the slightest bit.
"I'll tell Hotch, I've got to go I love you." She says as she kisses her head and races out the door.
"Are you guys married?" I ask, my voice raspy from all the crying.
"Yes we are, weren't expecting that weren't you?" Jennifer said with a laugh. I laugh too.
"My parents weren't always bad. When I was little they were nice to me until they realized how much of a burden I am." I said.
"You're not a burden." Jennifer said.
"They sure thought so." I said.
"They just weren't capable of taking care of a child and that is nowhere NEAR your fault." Jennifer said.
"Jennifer?" I ask.
"Yes?" She replies.
"C..can you see if I have any other family out there? I just don't want to go into foster care, no one adopts teenagers." I say. She squeezes my hand.
"I promise that I will not let you go somewhere unsafe. I will make sure of it." Jennifer says, "And you can call me JJ." JJ says and I nod.
"You should get some rest." JJ said to me and I listened and let my eyes close.
-JJ's pov-
I watched Callie let her eyes close and I sat next to her for the next couple of hours. Callie had medium length hair, it was the same shade of blonde as mine and she had hazel eyes. After two hours of me sitting next to Callie waiting for her to wake up, Emily walked in.
"Hey Jayje, we caught the guy. He's in custody and he admitted to all charges. Hotch wants us to meet him and the team on the plane, I got everything from the hotel." Emily said to me.
"I.." My voice was barely a whisper. "Em, I think I might take a later flight." I said looking down at Callie.
"Why honey?" Emily asked me.
"I promised Callie I would make sure she gets placed in a safe home." I said.
"Jayje, you know we can't do much to interfere with that process." Em said to me and I frowned.
"I know, but I have to try." I said to her.
"I'll stay with you then." Emily said.
"No, you go back. I'll be home soon."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure. I just have to make sure Callie is okay." I said. Emily looked at Callie and smiled sadly.
"This is good what you're doing. Make sure she's safe Jayje. I'll call you when I'm back in Quantico." She kissed me and she left. I saw Callie start to wake up.
"You're still here?" Callie asked as she stretched.
"Yes I am." I said and watched her sit up. A man walked in, he was tall with grey in his hair.
"Callie, I am your new social worker. Unfortunately, we cannot find a foster home for you. We did find a group home for you, you would be the youngest but.." He trailed off.
"You can't let me go into a group home! I heard about what happens at those places. Don't send me there! Please!" She almost screams. I look at her sad, hazel eyes begin to tear up.
"Listen sir, can we talk in the hall for a second?" I ask.
"Who are you anyways?"He asks in an annoying tone.
"I'm agent Jennifer Jareau, my team and I are here on this case." I say confidently and he walks out into the hall and I follow him.
"You have to try and get this girl in a decent foster home." I say as we stop in the hallway outside Callie's room.
"I have tried." He says.
"Try harder." I say back to him with attitude. He gives me a look.
"You're fbi, you have nothing to do with this. Why do you care?" He asked.
"Because that girl just lost her parents, and has no other family. She doesn't deserve to be in a bad group home." I said. He rolled his eyes.
"Look, I can't put her in a foster home. There is nothing I can do. The group home isn't terrible, it is just.. Strict. She will fit in eventually, she is tough. No one is available to foster her and those who I had planned to backed out. I'm sorry Ma'am. He said. I turned around to see Callie just sitting there, hopeless.
"I'll foster her." I said all of a sudden.
"What? A..are you sure? This is a very serious decision you should think it over first.."
"No need. I will call my wife now, but there is no way I'm letting her go to a group home after everything she has been through." I said. He nodded.
"I'm going to have to talk to my supervisor about this and you would have to get a foster license. But after that I don't see why not." He said and walked into another room to call his supervisor. I sat down and began typing Emily's number. How am I going to say this to her? What if she want's to leave me?
"Hey JJ you okay?" Emily asks on the other line.
"I need to talk to you Em." I say seriously.
"What's wrong?" She asks, I can tell she is worried.
"I..I want to foster Callie." I spit out. I immediately feel relief after I say it, I can tell she doesn't know what to say.
"Okay." She says hesitantly.
"Okay?" I asked, almost not believing what she said.
"JJ. I know you've always wanted kids, and I know I haven't really been super on board with the idea, but I have seen how you are with kids, especially Callie. I would love to foster Callie with you if that is what you want, I love you." Emily said. I felt a tear escape my eyes. I was not expecting that.
"I would love that so much Em, thank you." I say and I make my way back to Callie.
Alright! Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review, fav and follow! thanks! xoxo -Meg
