Emily looked up as she heard Hotch yank open his door and angrily stomp down over to the break room. Curiously, she set down her pen gave Reid a look and headed after him. He was about to break the coffee machine.
"Hotch, you break that and we're all screwed." Emily said with a gentle laugh, hoping to calm him down slightly. It paid off. He sighed and set the the coffee pot down in defeat. Emily smiled at him and moved in to fix the coffee while he sat down. "Want to talk about it?" She asked, knowing the answer would most likely be no.
"Not really." Hotch said. Of course. Emily thought.
"You want to tell me anyway?" Emily said with a smile, setting his coffee down and taking a seat.
"Do you remember I mentioned Jack had been getting bullied a little?" Hotch asked. Emily nodded, waiting for him to go on. "I thought it had stopped. He invited the boy over and they had fun, but apparently, the boy's older brother has made things worse. He threw snow at his face in front of all the kids at recess and cut Jack's cheek."
"God, kids can be awful." Emily said through gritted teeth. Hotch nodded and looked up as JJ walked over in her coat.
"Ready?" She asked with a smile, which faltered as soon as she caught the look on her friends faces. "What's wrong?" She asked. JJ and Hotch often went to pick up Henry and Jack together, Henry's preschool was located in part of Jack's school. Hotch just shook his head and sighed.
"I'll get my coat, be right back."
JJ looked to Emily in question. "Jack's still getting bullied."
"Kids are such assholes." JJ spat out. Emily laughed at JJ, but agreed with her. "You heading out too?" JJ asked.
"Yeah."
"Text Calla, tell her to walk over to Jack's school, we'll get them all together."
"Good idea." Emily went to grab her coat and text her daughter. Calla's school was only a few blocks away from Jack's, by the time they drove over there from the bureau, she would be there already. Calla got out earlier than Jack and Henry.
"Danny, my mom wants me to go over to Jack's school, I guess they're picking me up there."
"Why? Do they have a case or something?"
"I dunno, she didn't say. Want to walk with me? We can grab coffee at that place on the way."
"Yeah sure."
Calla and Danny donned their coats, hats, scarves and gloves and headed out into the snow. They had been given a particularly difficult math test for their last day and were comparing answers as best they could remember.
"Its just so unfair to do that right before Christmas vacation." Calla groaned. She had studied with Reid for hours the last three days, but she still felt like she bombed it. "And to give us an essay to write over break! I mean its called 'break' for a reason."
"I think teachers live to make our lives hell. Its part of their job description or something."
Calla laughed. "Yeah probably." The two teenagers entered their favorite coffee place and got two to go. Handing over their cash, they took their coffees outside and headed over to PS. 24. "Do you want to hang out over break? Do something other than just watch movies and talk?"
"Sure! Like what though?"
Calla shrugged. "I heard there's a party on New Years. Greyson Young's house I think."
"The senior Greyson Young? Calla, we are lowly freshman, no one talks to us, there's no way we were invited."
"So what? The whole school will be there, we'll just blend in." Danny looked at her skeptically. "Danny, we are losers, we never do anything interesting, we hang out with our families all the time, we're teenagers! We're supposed to rebel, go to parties, get in trouble, whatever. Come on! It'll be fun."
"Fine." Danny groaned. "But I'm not drinking."
"You don't have to. No one says you have to drink to have fun." Calla and Danny had made it to Jack's school as the elementary kids were getting out. Most of them were waiting out in the front courtyard for their parents to pick them up. Calla scoped around looking for Jack. "Do you see him?" She asked.
"Over there." Danny pointed. Calla looked to where Danny had indicated. Jack was sitting alone on the steps, looking upset. Calla could see a big cut on his face from over there. She pursed her lips together curiously. The two teenagers watched as some older boys walked up to Jack and surrounded him. Calla frowned, she could tell they were taunting him. As an older boy with blonde hair shoved Jack, Calla dropped what was left of her coffee and ran over, Danny, right behind her.
"Hey!" Calla yelled. "What the hell is your problem?" The boy turned, shocked to see her running over. He was at least eleven or twelve. "You think picking on eight year olds is funny?"
"Who're you, his sister?" The boy asked with a sneer.
"For all you need to be concerned with, yes." Calla growled. "I am the person who will make your life hell if you touch him ever again."
"Hotchner, you need your sister to stick up for you?." The boy said with a smirk.
Calla chuckled, and in a flash reached over and yanked the boy over to her by his arm. Pulling him away from his friends, she whispered in his ear, so no one but him could hear her. "You little shit. If you come near him, so much as look at him, I will make you regret it. You keep your friends away from him. You think you're all tough and cool now cause your at the top of this school? We guess what, in a few months, you will be at the very bottom of mine; and I swear to you, I will make your life hell. I will end you. Got that?" The boy winced as Calla gripped his arm, looking down in embarrassment he nodded. "Say it out loud." Calla warned, tightening her grip on his arm.
"Yeah, fine sorry, we'll leave him alone."
"I will know if you don't. Remember that."
"Okay!"
"Calla..." Danny warned as he noticed a teacher heading over their way with Henry. A frown on her face. Calla released the boy and smiled perkily.
"Well gentlemen, have a wonderful Christmas break. Jack and I certainly will." Calla motioned for Jack to come over to her, and she wrapped her arm around him as the boys cleared out. "You okay?" Calla asked when they were gone. Jack just nodded. "Jack, come on, really?"
"Yeah. Thanks Calla." Jack said looking up at her with a smile, probably for the first time that day.
Calla beamed back at him and jokingly bumped her hip against him. "Anytime kiddo."
"Those kids are jerks Jack. Kids who bully other kids always are. I used to get it all the time." Danny said with a tight smile.
"Really? Why your cool."
Calla and Danny laughed from the pure look of shock on Jack's face. "Cause I like boys the way most boys like girls."
"Oh." Jack said looking a little confused. "So what?" He asked a moment later. Calla and Danny just smiled at him.
"Yeah, so what?" Calla laughed.
"Calla!" Henry yelled as he noticed the trio. Calla turned as the very bundled up four year old waddled as fast as he could over to them and lunged himself at Calla. "Hi!" He said cheerfully as she caught him.
"Hi Henry."
Emily, JJ and Hotch pulled up to the school and caught sight of Calla and Danny running across the courtyard. Confused, the three profilers watched on as she shoved a boy. Emily frowned and was about to climb out of the car and yell at her once she caught sight of Jack in the middle. They sat in the car curiously as Calla spoke to the boys, then pulled the blonde one away from the group. All of them hesitated from getting out of the car. They couldn't hear what she was saying, but from the fierce look on her face – very reminiscent of Emily's – they had a pretty good idea. She released the boy and they all walked away, mumbling apologies to Jack. Hotch smiled at Emily as they saw Calla wrap her arm around Jack and joke around with him.
"Come on." He said, releasing his seat belt and climbing out of the car. JJ grinned as she saw Henry waddling over to Calla.
"You got one hell of a kid Prentiss." JJ said with a smirk.
"Yeah, she terrorizes little boys, I'm real proud." Emily answered sarcastically.
"I saw talking, not terrorizing."
Emily just nodded as they went over to collect their kids. Secretly, she was proud that Calla stuck up for Jack. As they headed back to the car, Emily pinched her side playfully. "Mom!" Calla yelled. "What was that for?" Emily just shrugged and got into her car.
