Ma Petite Chère
Disclaimer: I still in no way own anything connected to Criminal Minds. Darn it.
Summary: It's been a few months since Hotch and Emily took in the teenage Amy, and everything seems to fall into place until something unexpected throws the family through a loop...
Sequel To: Mon Petit
A/N: It seems chapter 12 didn't generate enough reads/reviews so here's a more of a thriller chapter. More action, drama, etc. Also included is a tiny tidbit of why Zoe's helping Amy. I hope it makes sense. There will be a few more chapters after this one.
This chapter is dedicated to my Twitter follower TeamAmerxoxo. Enjoy.
Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review.
"True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed." Tom Robbins
"Huh," Amy murmured to herself, leaning forward she opened the curtain, seeing her former fellow classmates all busying themselves with outside exercises.
Her heart longed to join them, but she knew she didn't fit in at St. Peter's anymore, nor did she fit at Parks Academy. In truth she felt like she belonged nowhere.
That's why she left the only family that she ever wanted. The first group of people who loved her for her, not because she came with a monthly check.
In hindsight she did know that this was a bad idea, running away. Especially without warning, but then she was never one for doing things the conventional way.
After the big blow out with Ashley, and learning where her so-called friends loyalty truly lies with, that's when she made up her mind. She could see it all in her mind.
"Zoe?" Amy said, standing in the school hallway, her cell phone pressed against her ear, "It's me."
The brunette looked up to see the smirking Zach rushing out of class in search of next one, while the two girls noticed her but hurried to their own rooms.
"I'll call you as soon as I get out of school," Amy sighed, "Ok, me too. Bye."
A few hours after the mysterious call, Amy was taking out the trash when she noticed a car parked on the corner quickly drive away.
Her interest peaked, the girl wrote down the partial license plate she got and shoved the paper in her pocket when she received a text message.
'I'm in,' she read, 'When do you want to do it?'
'Soon,' the teen wrote back, 'We can talk then.'
Noticing the nosy blonde analyst who was temporary watching the Hotchner children, she quickly pocketed her phone and hurried back inside.
A few days later, after getting permission to go over to Ashley's, Amy knew whether she really wanted to admit it or not, that there was no way out of this.
While everyone had been busy with the personal belongings that Zach had found that belonged to Ashley's mother, Amy had wandered outside to make a phone call.
"It's me," Amy told her, "Are you ready?"
"Uh huh," the girl answered, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," the brunette replied, "Here's what I need you to do..."
After all hell broke loose at Ashley's, Amy had opted out of a ride. It wasn't because Michael's best friend Zach was Ashley's boyfriend, it wasn't even pride that made her refuse that offer as well.
What did it, was that she had now realized she threw away a real friendship for a group of fake friends. She sold out the one person who knew her, even better than Emily did.
As Amy stood still on the sidewalk, pondering her future a car pulled up, stopping as it stared at her.
If she turned left, she'd be home in ten minutes; but if she turned to the right could go anywhere in the world.
"Hey," a voice called out, making the brunette turn to look at the driver.
"Hey yourself," Amy said, walking over to the car and getting into the passenger side car.
Amy's eyes opened when she heard the bedroom door open, "Talk about giving a girl a heart attack," the brunette sat up, "What time is it?"
"A little after eleven," Zoe said taking a seat on the chair next to the bed, "We need talk."
"I know," the girl sighed, setting the laptop down on the desk.
Even after her earlier dismissal of the girl sitting across from her, Zoe still went above and beyond to help her. It was something that she had always admired about her friend, a title that she still hoped she could call her. Besides she knew it was only fair that they have the talk, no matter how much she wanted to avoid but couldn't.
"I know you're mad at me," Amy started, pursing her lips as she searched her memory, "I know what I did was wrong. Ignoring your texts messages, emails and everything... and all I can really say is I'm sorry."
"Ames," Zoe interrupted, "I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't hurt because it did. It wasn't just that you had moved on to a new group of friends, because I understand that, but it's like you didn't even want to know me anymore."
"I'm sorry," the girl apologized again.
"I mean I do understand that you wanted to start over," Zoe paused, "After all you got a whole new life, parents, a brother and new friends..."
"They weren't real friends," Amy told her, sighing, "I just wanted to know what it was like" she saw Zoe frown at that, "Being popular. I mean doesn't everyone want that?"
"I don't," Zoe confessed, looking down at the ground tears forming in her blue eyes, "I'd rather have three real friends, then a dozen fake ones" looking back at Amy, "Look at me, crying like an idiot."
Amy wiped her own tears, "If you don't want to be friends anymore and want to turn your back on me, I can accept that. It's something that I deserve."
"Well, we can't go back and change the past," Zoe said, "Even if we wanted to, what happened, happened. Nothing can change that. The past is the past, but you're too important to just write off, Amy."
The brunette started nervously tapping her foot on the carpeted floor, "Meaning?"
Zoe reached over, watching as Amy started to bite her thumbnail, "Meaning that just because you hanged around with sucky people doesn't mean you're one of them. Amy, I forgive you."
"You do?" she asked surprised.
"Yes," the blonde girl said, "Don't you get it? We've always been friends first" her hand taking ahold of Amy's, "Who had my back when Sister Katherine wanted to throw me out of the science fair for questioning the theory of evolution?"
"Me," she said, "But there's a big difference between that and turning your back on a friend, Z."
"I know you haven't exactly had it easy, Amy" Zoe paused, "I remember what it was like for you when you first came to this school, but you just need to remember that there are people out there who love you."
"Yeah, right" the girl murmured, rubbing her hand over her face, "Is that why you agreed to help me find my biological father?"
"Part of it," she shrugged, "And partly to remind you that I've always had your back, and I'd still like to think if I had been adopted, you would still have done the same for me."
Amy nodded, standing up she walked over to the window, "Where are your parents this time?"
"Napa Valley," Zoe said, "Good thing you decided to run while they were out of town."
"So no one else knows?" Amy asked going back to the bed and sitting down, "Do you mind if I go over there to do some more investigating?"
"Sure," the girl shrugged, pulling out a copy of her house key, "I'll tell Sister Colleen that I'm going home for the weekend, she won't care."
"Let me go pack up and I'll be right back," she said, walking over to the small walk-in closet, while Zoe heard the chime on the laptop alerting her of incoming message.
The girl swiveled the desk chair around and opened up the instant messenger. What she read had her dumbfounded.
'When did she find him?' she wondered, 'Wait, what if this isn't him? OMG, what if this is some Creepy McKiller... that babysitter killer.'
"I really need to stop watching the crime screen channels before I go to bed," the blonde muttered, quickly responding to the I.M. then slammed the lid down when she heard Amy grunt as she came out of the closet.
"You say something, Zee?" she asked, opening the small bag, "Wow, when's the last time you cleaned out this thing?"
"What?" Zoe replied, watching her friend pull out empty potato chip bags and candy wrappers, "Oh, well, yeah."
"Ew, do they even still make this brand of candy?" tossing the wrappers in the trash can, "I'm going to go wash my hands and then we can go, ok?"
"Uh, actually there's something I have to do first," the girl slowly replied, "I'll catch up with you at my house, ok?"
"What's so important that you can't sneak me off campus?" Amy asked her friend suspiciously, "You're not going to call Hotch and Emily are you? Because you promised that you were going to..."
"No, no, no" the blonde shook her head, "I gave my word that I wouldn't call your parents. And I am a man of my word, well woman," the girl shook her head, "You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do," Amy nodded, "Ok then, I guess I'll try to sneak out. Do you think you can cause a distraction?"
"Please, have you met me?" Zoe answered with a smile, "When have I not caused a scene?"
Amy grabbed her bag, taking the closed laptop with her then followed Zoe to the door. The blonde paused, slowly opening the door a crack peering out.
"It's all clear," Zoe informed her, stopping she reached over to her desk chair, "Here wear this jacket."
"But that's your favorite," Amy told her surprised, staring at the black leather jacket that she had always envied her friend for, "I can't..."
"Please," Zoe rolled her eyes, "You need to wear something so that no one will see you, and it obviously has to be something of mine. Put it on."
"Fine," Amy sighed, "The things I make you do."
"I know, I know," the girl quickly replied, "I'm a saint."
As the girl walked down the hallway, Sister Colleen paused, "Zoe?"
The black jacket turned around, "Yeah, I already cleared it with Sister Katherine. I'll be back on Monday."
The nun smiled at the blonde, "Be careful walking across traffic this time of day."
"Will do."
Opening the main door, Zoe tossed the bag over the railing peering down at the similar black leather jacket girl, "I'll see you soon."
"You remember what to do, right?" Amy reminded her friend.
"Yep," she said looking back, "Go."
The young blonde watched her friend quickly race across the school grounds before disappearing from site. Turning around, she hurried back into the housing wing and grabbed her messenger bag and her hat before once again leaving the school.
As Zoe walked through the park moving onto the bike path, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the person she had suspected might be Amy's biological father.
She hoped he wasn't, because if he was then she could lose her friend to this man. She had no intention of losing the best friend she just got back, not if she could help it.
Pausing as she stood by the small pond, staring at the tiny ducklings following their mother, Zoe smiled.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out Amy's black iPhone. Remembering her promise of disposing it to keep from Amy's parents and the FBI from looking for her. The blonde snickered at the thought that if she turned on the electronic device that they'd know where Amy was. Well they would, and that she could end this disastrously bad idea that she only supported for her friend. So she'd never do that.
Pulling out her own cell phone, she opened up her email app and looked at the instant message that Amy had failed to see, which she sent and saved.
'If you want to find out the truth about your father, meet me at Main Street Park.'
"Not gonna happen," the girl murmured, closing the email she pocketed her own phone, then looked up when she heard the crunching of leaves behind her.
"Amy?" the male voice called out, watching as the girl turned around.
"Oh, hey" Zoe said, her hand clutching the black iPhone, "Give a girl a heart attack."
"Where's Amy?"
"Who's wants to know?" she asked skeptically eyeing the person before her. Her thumb turning the cell phone on while her heart started pounding.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Kevin gasped, quickly rushing through the bullpen nearly taking Anderson out with him as he rushed up the steps on the catwalk.
"Ugh," Garcia groaned in frustration, "I still can't find any link connecting the fake Carter to Ryan Manning. Zero. Nada. Zilch."
"Nothing?" Emily repeated, her stomach souring as she started reading the sex offenders registry.
"No," Garcia muttered looking over at Emily's screen, "God, I don't even want to know how many there aren't on this list that belong."
"I've got it!" Kevin announced, panting for breath, "Woo, that was a long run."
"Got what?" Hotch asked, turning his attention to the younger man.
"Amy's cell phone was just turned back on," Kevin informed the group, catching his breath, "Main Street Park, and there was another ping just under five minutes ago."
Hotch, Emily and Reid rushed out, leaving the two technical analysts to look at each other.
"This was a good thing, right?" Kevin asked Garcia.
The blonde crossed her fingers turning her eyes towards the Heaven, "Oh, I hope so."
Speeding through the main entrance Hotch slammed on the Bureau issued SUV's breaks not bothering to come to a full stop when Emily quickly jumped out of the passenger side.
"Everyone split up," Hotch barked out, pointing to different directions of the park, "Rossi come with me."
Emily and Morgan hurried towards the bathrooms while JJ, Will and Reid headed towards the benches.
"See anything?" Hotch asked Dave as the two hurriedly walked towards the main bridge.
"Nothing," the older man quietly cursed the lack of progress they had made.
"Over here," Will called out, the others looking up, "I... I see something."
JJ's hand instantly covered her mouth as tears welled up in her blue eyes.
"What? What is it?" Emily cried out, running over nearly falling over at the site, "Is that... is that her?"
Hotch's step faltered right behind Emily's while Dave and Morgan moved closer to Will who was kneeling underneath the pond's main opening beneath the small bridge.
Dave leaned over, his hand moving the small hat off the head and exhaling for a brief instant before recognizing the girl. He looked back to the two silent parents, shaking his head.
"It's Zoe Green," Dave told the group, "Amy's friend."
The brunette fell to her knees a sob racking through her as she mourned the young girl and wondered just where her own daughter was.
Each were startled when the sound of a ringing cell phone could be heard from the girl's hand.
"I'm calling this in," Will murmured walking away from the small group.
The continuous ringing made the angry Morgan reach over for it, despite the protesting from Reid and Dave about fingerprints and protocol.
"It's her mother," Morgan said looking at the caller id then to from Hotch to Emily, "We need to tell her."
Emily nodded, reaching out for the phone then standing up as she stared at the phone before answering it.
"Zoe, where are you?" Amy's voice rang out on the speaker phone.
"Amy?" Emily sniffled, her mind beyond stunned, "Amy where are you?"
"Emily?" the girl replied before slightly cursing then hanging up.
"What the hell is going on?" Emily cursed allowing herself to be held up by Hotch.
"I've learned to never regret, every turn of events, unexpected twist, makes us the person we are today." Author Unknown
To Be Continued...
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