Chapter 4- Ready Or Not
Carrie awoke to an overwhelming smell of breakfast and smiled when she looked at the bedside clock, realizing it was close to eleven in the morning.
Despite the one nightmare, it had been the best sleep she had had since the murders, and she figured that had something to do with the sense of security she now felt.
Carrie threw her legs over the side of the bed, slipping her ugg boots on and grabbing her dressing gown from one of the bags she had yet to unpack.
She made her way to her bathroom and washed her face before slowly walking downstairs to see Emily setting the kitchen table, JJ standing over the stove cooking, and an entire buffet of food being laid out.
"Good morning." Emily sing-songed and smiled at her.
Carrie smiled back, coming into the kitchen. "Wow." She smiled to JJ. "This looks amazing."
"You'll soon learn Jayje is an amazing cook." Emily bragged proudly.
"I can tell." Carrie agreed, taking a seat at the table.
"Coffee?" Emily handed Carrie a freshly made latte.
Carrie grinned, taking a sip and savoring it as if it was oxygen while Emily and JJ both laughed. "Thank you." She breathed happily.
Emily and JJ made their way over to the table, both taking a seat after JJ had finished dishing out the pancakes she had just made.
"Do you mind?" Carrie asked, signaling to the food.
JJ shook her head. "Go ahead."
"Thanks." Carrie smiled and dished herself a large helping of pancakes, bacon and eggs, waffles and toast. Both JJ and Emily looked on in awe as the teenager began to devour the food, helping themselves as they did. Carrie blushed, covering her mouth. "Sorry, I must look like a complete pig."
Emily and JJ laughed. "Don't worry about it. Em here is much worse." JJ smirked and nudged Emily whom faked hurt.
They ate quickly, the conversation mostly general chitchat about the team. Once they were all finished, Carrie collected the plates and carried them over to the sink where she started washing while Emily and JJ tidied up the food.
"Oh, Carrie, you don't have to do that…" Emily started.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I like to clean." Carrie shot her a smile to reassure her and Emily hesitated before giving in. After all, how many fifteen year old girls liked to do the dishes.
"Hey, Carrie, Emily and I were talking and we thought that maybe today we could all go shopping and pick up a few things for your room." JJ offered and Carrie shrugged.
"Sure. Sounds fun." Carrie didn't want to be rude but honestly she felt uncomfortable spending someone else's money and didn't really want to use her own savings.
Emily and JJ exchanged glances before Emily spoke up. "Okay. Do you want me to finish up here and you can go take a shower and get dressed?"
Carrie looked down at what she was wearing and blushed, wiping her hands dry and nodding. "If you don't mind…"
"Carrie," Emily spoke gently and cautiously. "this is your house too now."
Carrie nodded and smiled politely before walking back to her room.
JJ waited for the sound of the shower running to start before she spoke. "Do you mind if I run home for a while?"
Emily looked at her, surprised she herself hadn't suggested it earlier. "Oh! Yeah, of course. Go."
JJ smiled and walked to the front door, turning around to smile at Emily. "But I'll meet you at Tysons in about an hour?"
Emily smiled gratefully and nodded. "See you then." JJ smiled once more before closing the door behind her.
Emily busied herself on her laptop in the longue room until Carrie emerged back down stairs half an hour later. "Hey." Emily smiled. "You ready to go?"
Carrie nodded and smiled, pushing her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. For only spending half an hour getting ready, Carrie looked gorgeous. Her brown wavy hair hung loosely down her back, and her outfit of perfectly fitting jeans and a combination of a turquoise and a blue top under a grey leather jacket and colored scarf suited her, and the currently cold weather, perfectly.
"You look great, by the way." Emily noted and Carrie smiled as they left the apartment.
"Thanks."
Emily and Carrie met up with JJ outside of Tysons Corner Center as agreed soon after. Sure there were closer malls to both Emily and JJ's houses, but Emily had wanted Carrie to have the biggest selection.
They walked slowly through the busy mall, Emily and JJ on either side of Carrie. "So do you want to cover your bedroom or clothes first?" Emily asked.
Carrie shrugged. "Uh, it doesn't really bother me." She looked embarrassed. "But could we find an ATM first? I don't know how much I can spend."
"It's on me now, Carrie." Emily said gently, making sure to not aggravate or upset the girl. "You're in my care now, it's my responsibility."
Carrie shook her head. "No… I mean you've already done so much for me, I don't want you to feel like you have to buy me things too…"
Emily smiled at her reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I want to."
JJ smiled and helped assure Carrie. "One of the upsides of living with Emily Prentiss is that she is a shopping addict." Carrie still looked unsure and JJ looked over to Emily whom nodded for her to continue. "Carrie, Emily asked me to organize a bank account and card for you." She pulled out her wallet and handed Carrie the card. The teenager looked at in surprised and then to Emily for an explanation.
"Each week I'll put your allowance on it, plus a bit extra in case you need anything." She pulled out her own wallet and handed Carrie one of the duplicate credit cards she had organized. "Plus I organized a duplicate credit card for you." She handed Carrie the American Express. "It's under my name, but at least that way there's a higher credit rating, huh?" Emily joked.
Carrie cleared her throat, trying to find words. "I-uh, you didn't- I- thank you."
Emily smiled. "You're more than welcome, Carrie."
They walked in comfortable silence for a little while before Carrie spoke up. "So… bedroom first?" She offered smiling and both Emily and JJ grinned, the three of them walking into Macy's.
A/N: So I'm not really sure if I like this chapter or not but I thought I needed a bit more Carrie/Emily/JJ bonding before Carrie can really open up and feel like she belongs. Plus I wanted to get another chapter out before I went away. I probably won't be able to update for a few days but I'm taking my laptop and I promise I will upload a ton once I get back! Please read, enjoy and review :)
