So here's the next installment! Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! I know everyone is waiting for some Alex/Emily, and rest assured it is coming…in the next chapter!

I hope you like this chapter!

-J

Chapter 10

After hanging up with Emily, JJ sat outside Detective Hale's office waiting for Alex to come out so she could take her back to the hotel to meet Emily. When Alex did finally come out some ten minutes later, her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were red.

"Can…can someone take me back to the hotel," she sniffed, her letter clutched tightly in her hand.

"I'll take you," JJ explained. "Emily is going to meet us there."

Without giving a response, the teen made her way towards the exit, JJ following closely behind, knowing the teen was way past her breaking point.

The two females climbed into the waiting SUV, and JJ made quick work of starting the vehicle and making her way out of the parking lot. As she made her way in the direction of the hotel, she looked over at the teen who had her head resting against the window, looking anywhere but in the direction of the blonde.

The tension in the car was obvious, and JJ couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"Alex, I'm so sorry," JJ apologized, feeling guilty. "I know you're upset, but you have to understand, Emily didn't want to freak you out by telling you who she was. You just lost your parents; she didn't want to upset you with this too. She had no idea about any of this," the blonde explained, wishing the teen would at least look at her.

"Were you ever going to t-tell me? Was she?" Alex asked, staring out the car window.

"It wasn't my place to tell you," JJ admitted, knowing she could never have told Alex, as it was Emily's decision not hers. "As for Emily she's been struggling with this so much. There was no easy way to tell you. I just think she didn't want to upset you."

Alex remained silent, chewing her bottom lip, as tears continued to leak slowly from sad brown eyes. It was a few minutes before Alex spoke again, but to JJ it felt like hours.

"I-I just don't understand," she sniffed. "I mean, m-my parents left me with someone I don't even kn-know."

"Your parents left you with family," JJ responded. "I know you don't know Emily, but she is your family Alex, and she will take care of you," she reassured, confident that her best friend would be a wonderful mother to the teen.

"What….what if she doesn't want to?" Alex asked quietly, looking over at JJ for the first time since getting into the car.

"Oh sweetie, you don't even need to worry about that," JJ replied, briefly meeting the brunette's eyes before looking back towards the road. "I won't lie, Emily's nervous, but she's going to be there for you."

"How do you know?" Alex asked, picking at her nails.

"Because Emily's my best friend and I know her," JJ replied certainly. "She's the strongest, most caring person I know…. you just have to be willing to let her in."

Alex nodded her head, considering what JJ said. The teen was overwhelmed; she had never felt so many different emotions at once before and the whole thing was giving her a headache. As much as she wanted to trust what JJ was telling her, she couldn't help but fear what her future had in store.

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When Alex and JJ arrived back at their hotel room the younger of the two made her way straight towards her bed getting under the covers and facing the wall, her back towards the blonde, who understood that the teen needed more time to process everything. JJ sat down on the other bed, knowing there was nothing she could say right now that would make this better for Alex, so she decided to simply sit in silence, waiting for her raven haired friend to return.

It was 15 minutes later when the bedroom door began to open, and the blonde quietly made her way towards her friend, who came in chewing her bottom lip in an anxious manner.

"Hi," the blonde greeted, now standing in front of her friend.

"Hi," came the whispered reply, as the profiler's eyes fell on the teen who was currently curled up in a ball with her back towards them. "How is she?"

"She's upset…. confused," JJ replied softly. "You two really need to talk Em, I honestly think she's just really scared right now."

Emily nodded, continuing to chew her lip as she contemplated how their lives were about to change. Alex wasn't the only one who was scared right now. The truth was Emily was terrified. She didn't know how to be a mother, especially to a teenager, and while she had dreamt about what it would be like to be with her daughter, she never imagined it like this.

Emily's gaze once again fell on JJ who was looking at her with big blue eyes filled with worry. "Hotch is waiting for you downstairs," she explained, wishing she could keep her friend with her, but knowing that the team needed her more than she did.

"Okay," JJ reluctantly replied, wishing she could stay with her friend for the time being. "I think she might be asleep. Everything you need is in here," she explained handing Emily the file she had been given from Sam. "The lawyers number is in there, I told him you'd be in touch later today."

"Thanks," Emily replied taking the folder from the blonde's hands.

"I'll uh…I'll see you tonight then," JJ said, making her way past the brunette and towards the door. "And Em? Talk to her."

"I will," Emily replied, giving the blonde a small smile. "Thanks Jen."

At this the blonde exited the room, leaving Emily, who stood and watched the closed door for a few minutes, as if willing it to open and for JJ to return. Accepting that the media liaison was not coming back anytime soon, Emily quietly made her way over to the table, where she opened up the file to find an envelope with her name written on the front in neat writing.

Emily picked up the envelope with shaking hands, both curious and nervous about what she would read inside. Looking over at the teen one last time to see that she seemed to be asleep, Emily slowly started to rip open the envelope, pulling out two pieces of paper from inside with the same neat writing. The profiler began to read:

Dear Emily,

If you're reading this, then something terrible has happened; something that has taken Matt and I away from our daughter, and for that we are terribly sorry, for we love her very much. I imagine that this letter, and the news that accompanied it, have come as a bit of a shock to you, so please let me explain.

I am writing this now, while Alexandra is just 12, because it has recently occurred to Matt and I that we need a plan for our daughter, should something happen to the two of us. You see, Matt's mother recently passed away, and since we have no other family left, we have begun to worry about what would happen to Alex, if we were both gone. That's when my thoughts fell to you. I think of you often, grateful for the gift you gave us, and even though we haven't seen you in many years, I am confident that you have made something of yourself, and are doing well. I know that this is asking a lot of you, but I truly believe that this is what will be best for Alex.

When Alex was 10 she began asking questions, the kind of questions that I had been waiting for since she learned to talk. Matt and I sat her down and told her everything. It was a difficult conversation, and it was followed by a few difficult weeks, but eventually Alex understood, and things seemed to return to normal. Telling Alex was like a weight being lifted off our chests, and we have been open with her about you ever since. She asks about you often, curious about who you were, and I always wish I could provide her with the answers she wants.

I have loved watching Alex grow into the young lady that she is quickly becoming. She looks more and more like you with each passing day and I cannot thank you enough for bringing her into my life. She's an amazing kid; funny, sarcastic, stubborn, and smart. She has a laugh that is contagious and she is stronger than I've ever been. She sings like an angel and she always dreams big. She has been the best part of my life, and my husband's too, and it breaks my heart to even think of us not being there to watch her grow up.

Many years ago you asked Matt and I to take care of your daughter, and so now I am asking you to return the favour. I need you to take care of my; of our daughter now, because I know that if Matt and I are gone, then she will need you. She will need you because you are family Emily; her other mother. I know it won't be easy at first, for either one of you, but be patient, because she will let you in, and when she does it will be worth the wait.

I hope the two of you will find happiness together, because I think you deserve it, and I hate to think of my baby girl growing up unhappy. So please Emily, please take care of her. Make sure she knows how much we loved her, and know that we'll always be in her heart. Help her to make the right choices, and help her to be strong. The day I met you I thought you were the strongest girl I had ever met, and I see that strength in Alex, but she'll need help now, and I know you're the best person to do so.

I know how scary the prospect of becoming a mother can be, but remember, you've always been Alex's mother. The two of you share so many things; things that go way beyond physical appearance, and therefore I know you can do this. I know it won't always be easy, there will be plenty of bad days, but take this as a second chance, and find happiness in each other.

With love always,

Meredith.

Emily wiped away the tears that were running freely down her face, as she reread the letter, lost in her own little world. She sniffed as she the tears continued to fall, oblivious to any noises around her. So when a hand holding a box of Kleenex reached out towards her, she jumped, looking up to find brown eyes identical to her own looking back at her.