Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Rating: T

Author's Note: Still running with littlegreenbottle's ideas. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think. Reviews make me write faster; they also give me ideas and motivation!

"Pen!" Abby shouted loudly, knocking on Garcia's door. "Please open the door," she called.

"Squirt?" Garcia asked as she opened the door to reveal her frantic goddaughter. Abby slightly smiled at the use of her old nickname before Garcia ushered her into the apartment. "Kitten, what are you doing here? Do Emily and Jayje know where you are?"

"Pen, you've got to find her. We got in a fight, and she just left. Mom has been calling her for hours, and there's no response. I would have heard her come in. You have to find her!"

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. Let's take it one thing at a time. Who's missing?"

"Momma."

"Does JJ know where you are?"

"No. I'm grounded for the fight, and I couldn't take it anymore. Pen, it's my fault Momma left in the first place, and now, no one can find her. What if something happened to her?" Abby started to panic.

"Shh," Garcia cooed, pulling the teen into a hug. "Everything will be okay. Just breathe. Start from the beginning, okay?" Abby took a deep breath and nodded. Situating herself on Garcia's couch, she waited for her godmother to return with water. Pulling her laptop onto her lap, Garcia told Abby to start the story while she put a track on Emily's cell phone. As the multitasking queen, she easily listened to her goddaughter's rambles while setting up the search and IMing JJ.

TechGoddess: Abby is here. What's up with Emily?

SoccerMom: She's what? She's grounded! What's she doing there?

TechGoddess: She wants me to find Emily. Where is she?

SoccerMom: I don't know, Pen. I've been calling her for hours. She left around 6.

TechGoddess: I'll see what my search pulls up. Hang in there.

"And I said something about not being a dumb whore who gets pregnant at 15 or something like that. Then I said something about abortion always being an option and what did it matter because it is my body and I know when I'm ready. Then Momma just walked out without saying anything," Abby explained in full detail. Garcia nodded as she started to understand more fully. Abby managed to hit every one of Emily's buttons in one fowl swoop. The search pinged a result, which Garcia forwarded to JJ, before refocusing her full attention on the distraught brunette in front of her.

"Squirt, your parents are just looking out for you. I know that's not what you want to hear. You know I'm always here to listen, but this time, kitten, I'm on their side. Max is a great kid; he really is. Trust me, I've done the research. I know, but that doesn't change the fact that you're 15. You don't want what you do with your first love in your sophomore year of high school to dictate what you do or how you feel for the rest of your life."
"But Pen, that doesn't explain why Momma just left? It's not like her."
"That's her explanation to give. Now, Sugar, you need to get your cute, little butt home before your blonde momma knocks some sense into that head of yours. I love you, Abs, but you are going to have to let this one play out. My advice: listen."

"Listen," asked Abby doubtfully. "Nothing is that easy."

"It's not easy to listen. You need to actually hear and understand what they say. You're not actually listening if you're already forming a rebuttal in your head while they're still talking. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Thanks Aunty Pen. Love you," Abby said, shrugging into a loose hug.

"Love you too, munchkin. Call me from the house phone when you get home."

JJ drove quickly through the unpopulated streets. Streetlights, trees, and buildings blurred into one discombobulated stream. The bar wasn't far from their home. It was a local pub, family owned by a nice old man. Quickly throwing the car into park, she jogged into the bar, immediately spotted her wife, who perched dejectedly on a bar stool in the dim lights. A young man she didn't recognize bartended. As she approached Emily he nodded casually in her direction. Placing a reassuring hand on Emily's shoulder, she called softly, "Em." "Emily," she tried again when she received no response. Motioning to the bartender, she asked, "How much as she had to drink?"

"Nothing but water, ma'am," he responded politely. "She looked like she had a rough night, and I offered her something stronger. She only wanted water."

JJ nodded her thanks and returned her focus to Emily. "Emily, baby, it's Jen. Snap out of it," she whispered into the brunette's ear. JJ stroked Emily's hair comfortingly and tucked a few loose strands behind Emily's ear. JJ placed a gentle kiss to Emily's forehead and wrapped her arms around the seated woman. Emily instinctively leaned into the comfort of JJ's arms.

"Hey Jen," she spoke, her voice a raspy whisper from hours of silence.

"Hey," JJ whispered back. "You okay?"
"Is there a chance you would believe me if I said yes?"

"Maybe," JJ paused. "But that chance is only likely when hell freezes over. Come on; let's get you home."

"I'm tired of thinking, Jen. I know she doesn't know the effects of what she said. I'm not sure which is worse- the fact she doesn't know and that's what she honestly thinks or the fact I'm this upset by what a 15-year-old girl thinks. It sounds different coming from our child, and it hurts more. It's crushing, Jen. How can I tell her about my past now when I know how she truthfully feels?"

"You don't know how that's how she feels. It was in the heat of an argument. I wouldn't put so much confirmation on it."

"Rationally, I know that. It doesn't ease the hurt though, Jen."

"I know," JJ replied, her voice soft and gentle.