Emily's fingers trailed up and down her daughter's arm as she slept, those tear tracks finally dried and sticking to Michelle's cheeks as her breathing stayed as even as it could. She had jumped in the car the moment Michelle had hung up on her, and immediately got a call from her daughter's school nurse saying that she had suffered a panic attack while trying to run outside and wait for her to pick her up.

JJ promised to pick the two youngest up like the brunette usually would, both parents taking off the rest of the day after their lunch hour to stay home with their children.

"How is she?"

The dark haired woman looked up, seeing her wife sit at the other end of the couch. "Sleep is good for her right now," she nodded, her eyes flickering over to the teenager in her arms before she pressed a kiss to her head. "I think she really needs to talk to someone."

JJ nodded in agreement, carefully picking up the older woman's feet and setting them in her lap.

Emily's gaze turned to her wife.

"I'm sorry."

The brunette nodded, biting her lip as she locked eyes with the woman she loved. "Me too."

"I'm sorry," a new voice croaked, and both women looked to the blue eyed girl in Emily's arms.

Emily slowly sat up with her daughter, rubbing her hand down her back as she watched Michelle wipe her fingers underneath her eyes. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

Michelle bit her lip, her body slouching as she shrugged. "I know you said it's not my fault, but it really feels like it is. Who put those signs up? Who would want to help her get me back? And what's gonna happen to Megan and Dylan if she comes here?"

"Hey hey, deep breaths," Emily soothed, pulling the teen to her and holding her close. "Just calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm down?"

JJ reached forward and took her daughter's hand in hers. "We're going to keep you safe. You have to trust us on that."

Emily leaned her head against the fourteen year old's. "Do you trust us?"

The blue eyed brunette let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know if I trust myself," she whispered, her dark hair falling before her eyes.

Both parents watched with sad eyes as their daughter got up and walked to the bathroom, Emily breaking down in her wife's arms once she had closed the door behind her. "What are we supposed to do, Jen?"

"We have to be here for her," JJ encouraged, holding Emily's shaking body against hers. "Come on, dry your eyes."

Emily shook her head, using her blouse's sleeve to wipe the mascara tracks making their way down her cheeks. "No one should have to deal with this, and especially not our baby girl."

Michelle watched her parents from the bathroom, her eyes filling with tears as she watched them share the first kiss she had ever seen from them. She hated herself for putting them through this, putting the two people who had loved her even when she didn't know them, and had done everything they could to try and protect her. What kind of a daughter was she?

"Michie?"

The teenager's eyes widened, and she opened the door just enough to see her little brother standing with his favorite teddy bear in hand. "Hey buddy."

He gestured for her to bend to his level, and he pressed a small kiss to her cheek. "You crying?"

"Not anymore," she nodded, doing her best to smile. "Why don't you go back upstairs?"

Dylan held out his hand. "Come?"

Michelle hiked her brother onto her hip and carried him up to the second floor, sure of her parents' eyes on her the entire time, before she made her way to her own room, pulling out her overnight bag from the bottom of her closet.

If she wanted to protect the people who loved her most-Michelle stuffed a few shirts into the bag-she was going to have to leave.