Sophia was lying in her bed, trying to forget about what happened, but she couldn't. She started crying, slowly at first and then all at once. She heard the door open, she was facing away from it but she didn't turn around. She tried to stop crying, but she couldn't, so she put her pillow over her head to hide her face.
Reid walked around the side of her bed and knelt down in front of her. "Hey," He whispered as he moved the pillow, frowning at her tears. He put a hand on the side of her head and wiped away the tears with his thumb. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Reid's frown deepened further. "I don't have to be an expert on behaviour to know that something is wrong." He said. "Come on sweetheart, talk to me please."
"Do you think people know I'm adopted?" She asked.
"What do you mean?"
"When people see us together, do you think they know I'm not really yours?"
"You are really mine, and it is very plausible that I could be your biological father. It would mean that I was a teenage father and had you when I was eighteen, which is not hard to believe, but it doesn't really matter what other people think."
"Yes it does. That teen father thing may work for you but people's first thought will never be that Dad is my Dad." She said. "People will always be surprised and that means they will never stop staring, and judging and asking questions."
"Okay, come here, sit up." Reid said as he sat down on the bed and pulled her up to sit beside him. "What happened?"
Sophia sat crossed legged, facing him and sighed. "Savannah's mom said that anyone could see that I'm not Dad's daughter."
"Sometimes people don't like things they don't understand." He tried to explain. "It's ignorance and it has nothing to do with your character, but it says everything about hers."
"She said I was just a stray you guys brought home." She said. "A stray, like I'm a dog."
"She's wrong." He said. "Do you know why I brought you home?"
Sophia shrugged. "Because you didn't want me to go into child services after everything?"
"I brought you home because when Dad handed you to me and I brought you out of that warehouse, I put you into the ambulance and you grabbed my hand and you said 'please don't leave me'." He smiled at the memory. "It was like you slipped into my heart and I couldn't walk away from you."
"I asked you to stay because when you told me my parents were dead, you did it because it was your job, but instead of passing me off to child services you held me until I stopped crying because that's the kind of person you are."
Reid smiled. "I will always hold you until you stop crying," He said and moved to sit in the bed beside her, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her head and whispered, "You are mine, no matter how it came to be."
OOOOO
Sophia pulled out some baking supplies as she dialed the number on her phone, putting it on speaker as she began mixing ingredients. No one was home; they were all working a case, Caitlin was spending time with her Mom, and Liam had practise. She was still thinking about the dinner and what Savannah's mom had said and she knew there was probably only one person who could really understand.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Grandma," Sophia said. "I need your recipe for banana bread."
"Uh oh, what's wrong?"
Sophia frowned. "How do you do that?"
"I know you." She said. "I know your voice and I know you only bake when something is bothering you."
"Yeah, well, I do have a problem."
"I'm listening." She said.
Sophia hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to word the question she had. "Did people ever say things about how you were white but you had black kids?"
"Oh god, yes, all the time. People would stare, they'd ask if they were mine, if I was babysitting, all sorts of things." She said. "Why do you ask?"
"I went to dinner with Dad and Savannah and her parents." Sophia sighed. "I overheard her Mom tell Savannah that anyone could see that I wasn't his daughter."
"Some people are just closed minded." She tried to explain. "You can't let it get to you."
"I never thought about it before but now I can't stop thinking about it." She said. "Do people see us and automatically know he's not my Dad?"
"But he is your Dad, Sophia."
"I know, but it's sad that no one thinks he's my Dad at first glance and that people will always be surprised when I tell them."
"Honey, it doesn't matter what other people think, trust me." She said. "I thought about all those things when I first started dating your grandfather, but it ultimately came down to the fact that I loved him and he made me happy. Savannah's mother and her views are her problem, not yours."
"You should have heard the way she said it," Sophia said, shaking her head. "It was like I wasn't good enough. I was just some damaged kid he rescued. She called me a stray."
"What did Savannah say to that?"
"She defended me."
"And what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Sophia said. "I just stood there and then I went back to the table and pretended it didn't happen."
"That says everything about your character." She said. "They didn't know you were there and Savannah still defended you, and that's important."
"I didn't tell Dad."
"You didn't tell me what?" Sophia turned when she heard his voice. He was standing in the kitchen doorway and she wasn't sure how long he'd been there, but she was sure he didn't hear much. "What is going on with you, huh?" He asked as he approached her. "Who are you talking to?"
"Grandma," Sophia mumbled.
"Sophia, let me talk to him." She said. "I will tell him."
Sophia handed her phone to him. He simply raised his eyebrows at her as he took the phone. "Hi, Mom." Sophia turned to leave and Morgan stepped in front of her. "You sit." He said, pointing at the table.
She sat down and watched him as he talked on the phone. He leaned against the counter as he listened, and then he looked over at her and Sophia knew he knew. She looked away from him, dropping her eyes to the table. She tuned out the rest of the conversation. He started pacing, then he said goodbye and he put the phone down. He looked at her, she could feel his gaze, but she couldn't look at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He finally asked.
"What was I supposed to say?" She looked at him then. "I overheard you're girlfriend's mother say I wasn't really your kid? Would you have believed me?"
"Yes, of course."
"Really?" She asked. "Or would you have just thought that I was acting out because I didn't want you moving out? Or because I didn't want you dating? Or because I didn't want things to change?"
"Baby, I would have believed you." Morgan kneeled in front of her. "I knew something was wrong when you came back to the table. It was written all over your face."
"She said anyone could see that I wasn't yours." She said. "She called me a stray, like I was some dog you just brought home."
"Listen to me; families are created in many different ways." He said, putting his hands on her arms. "You are my child, and I don't care what that woman or anyone else has to say, nothing is going to change that."
"I know that but you didn't hear her, Dad." Sophia shook her head, tears starting to fall. "She made me feel like I wasn't good enough, like I ruined your value or something. The only reason I came back to the table was because Savannah defended me. She didn't even know I was there, and she still stood up for us."
"Savannah doesn't think the same way, she really likes you." He said.
Sophia nodded slowly. "I like her too, and I know you love her and I want you to be happy," She said. "But I don't want you to leave. I know that's selfish."
"It's not selfish, it's honest and it's okay to feel that way. I understand and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He said. "But I wish you would have told me about this when it happened instead of letting it get to you because you were afraid of how I'd react. I would have reminded you just how important you are to me and how you have brought nothing but joy into my life. You come first Sophia, you always have and you always will, and you need to remember that."
Sophia reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, baby girl." He said as he held her tightly.
