Hey guys! A new chapter for today. Sorry for the small hiatus. I stumbled on a few things which made me put off this chapter for a bit but we are here. I will change my uploading schedule to posting on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Basically twice a month now starting today. Well here is chapter 33. Please leave a comment on what you think of this so far. Your feedback helps me improve my quality of writing. Enjoy.
Chapter 33
Knock Knock
"I have a feeling that knock answered your question," Emily said with a smile. "Come in," she said. The door opens and both Dani's and Emily's eyes widen as they see Garcia walk in holding large, colorful balloons on one hand while holding a cute teddy bear on another hand. Luke walks right behind her holding a large gift basket that had a "Get Well Soon" card on it. The rest of the team enters along with them.
"Oh my precious pumpkin," Penelope said with worried eyes. She carefully settled the balloons and teddy bear on a nearby table and rushed towards Dani. "I was so worried about you. We all were," she said while carefully reaching out to hug Dani. Dani receives her embrace with a smile.
"Hey, Penelope," Dani said while receiving the warm hug. She winces lightly, feeling a sting on her side of her ribcage but she ignores it. She looks at the rest of the team and offers a small hand wave. "Hey guys."
The team surrounded her and greeted her and Emily. Penelope lets go of the teen and cups her cheek with one hand. "Are you okay? Is something hurting you? Am I hurting you?" She asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Nothing hurts," she answered with a smile.
"Are you sure?" Asked the tech analyst with a brow raised.
"Positive," Dani said while nodding her head.
Penelope stares at the teen, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. "Oh no," Garcia said while looking up at the rest of the team. They all raise a brow wondering why Garcia said that. "Emily has infected Dani with eternal stubbornness."
The team all laugh at Garcia's statement, nodding in agreement.
"Oh no. Don't blame me. She was already a very stubborn child," Emily told Garcia.
"But you enhanced it," Dani said while glancing at Emily with a smirk. Emily nudges Dani playfully in response to the teen's words.
During the rest of the team's visit, Dani was talking to Penelope, Spencer, Luke, and Rossi. Penelope was telling the team about her visitation plan. This included movies, food, games, and overall quality time with the tech analyst. Spencer wanted to show Dani how to play poker and blackjack. He also wanted to show her books that he had found in his room about human psychology, which in particular went in-depth in discussing how a person's behavior and personality developed. He knew the teen was very interested in this particular subject. Luke promised to pass by with Roxy. Rossi told Dani that he would be Dani's personal chef, serving her delicious Italian dinner. He also wanted to try out a few new video games he recently purchased with her.
Dani was very grateful for hearing everything the team was offering. She is amazed at how they all treat her like they knew her their whole life. Dani has always seen the strong bond the whole BAU team had. They were more than a team. They were family and now Dani sees that she is a part of that.
After years of having a broken family, Dani wouldn't have ever imagined having the warmth and love of a family again. Between the death of her brother and being placed in the foster system the teen had lost all hope of ever landing in a good home. As the years passed, the illusion of her being happy with a family drifted away.
But now she has one. Dani always questioned why she was given a second chance at life. She tried to rationalize it with good karma or just pure luck. She will most likely never find a true answer for this but one thing is sure. Now she has a family she can rely on. She wouldn't trade them for anything in this world.
While Dani was talking with them, Emily was with the rest of the team at the other end of the room. She was drinking a cup of tea that JJ brought her. It definitely helped to calm her down.
"How are you feeling, Emily?" Asked Tara.
"I'm good," she simply replied.
"Do you really think we believe that?" asked JJ while looking at the brunette. "Emily, what happened to you and to Dani was something very hard. We just want to know if you are okay."
Emily looks up at JJ. She sees that the blonde agent was visibly concerned. "I...I don't know how I feel right now," Emily said while looking down at the floor. "I have mixed feelings about what happened. Right now I feel scared," she said in a low tone. She had never admitted publicly about being afraid. This was the first time she had done so.
"It is completely understandable why you feel like that," said Matt. "Any parent would feel scared if they went through the same thing you did. What is important right now is that it's all over. You and Dani are both safe now."
"That is true. We are safe because of you all and I thank you guys for that," Emily said. "I'm just worried about how this is going to affect her."
"Has she broken down or had any nightmares?" asked Tara.
"No, not yet" Emily said. She turns around and looks at Dani. The teen is watching Penelope arguing with Spencer about the true definition of fun. Penelope going all on Spence saying that reading antique novels does not count as fun. The girl was watching both of them discussing like children with a big smile on her face. Emily was scared that her smile would eventually disappear. She turns her head back at the group and looks at them. "I'm scared that once all the drugs wear off, Dani will fully take in what happened. She is a person who hides her feelings well, even hiding them away from me. I don't want her to go through hard times with everything she went through alone. I'm afraid she won't tell me how she really feels."
"I can't tell you that won't happen," said Tara. "But what I can tell you is that as long as you are there for her she will eventually warm up. It will just take time."
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After talking for a while, the team decided it was time to go in order to let Dani and Emily rest. They all said their goodbyes and left, leaving Rossi behind talking to the two ladies.
"As I told Dani before, I will pass by every night to give you two an exquisite Dinner," he told Emily.
"David, I appreciate your modesty but you don't have to do that," Emily said brushing her fingers across Dani's hair.
"But I want to," David said. "Plus, I will be saving Dani from possible burnt food that was left in the stove for too long."
"He is right about that," Dani said while looking at Emily. "At least the fire alarm won't go off for a while," she said with a smirk. Emily rolls her eyes and ruffles the teen's hair.
"Fine, you both win," she said in defeat. Dani and Rossi both pump their fist as a celebration.
"A wise choice," said Rossi with a wink. "I will get going now. Rest well, Dani. Try not to give Emily too much trouble," he said with a smile.
"I will try but I make no promises," Dani replied.
"Fair enough," Rossi said with a nod. He looks up at Emily. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" He asked while gesturing at the door. Emily looks at him and nods.
"Sure," she replied. Emily looks at Dani and brushes the teen's cheek gently. "I will be right at the door. I promise I will be right back," she told her. Dani looks up at the agent and nods. Emily pressed a soft kiss on Dani's temple and stood up, walking towards Rossi. They both exit out the room and Rossi closes the door.
"I wanted to inform you about Declan's arrest," he told the brunette. "He has openly admitted everything he did. He will have a psychological evaluation and from there it will be determined if he goes on trial."
Emily listens to Rossi and nods.
"Does Dani know about him? About your past?" asked Rossi with his arms crossed.
Emily shook her head. "I never told her before. When he had us both in the cellar he told Dani about Doyle. Parts of what happened but she doesn't know the whole truth."
"I'm sure she will understand once you tell her. She is a smart girl," Rossi said while placing his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Anything you need, call me. Okay?"
"Okay."
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Hours passed by and Dani was discharged out of the hospital. She was very glad that they were finally out of the hospital building. She never liked the hospital. The needles and overall dull environment was not a good fit for the teen.
Emily passed by the pharmacy to pick up Dani's prescription medicine and now she was driving home. She glanced at Dani who had her head against the window. She was looking outside, watching the buildings pass by.
"Hey, do you want me to pass by to get something to eat?" Emily asked the teen.
"No. I'm not hungry," Dani responded. She didn't have an appetite. All she wanted to do was get home and rest.
They finally arrive back at the apartment. Emily parks her car and steps out of the car. She walks to the passenger door and opens it, helping Dani out of the car and wraps an arm around the teen's waist. Dani was still pretty weak from all the hospital medication. Walking on her own wasn't exactly the best idea at the moment.
"I walk like a person who is on their twelfth beer," Dani murmured.
"I hope you aren't saying that from personal experience," Emily said while waiting for the elevator door to open.
"No. I can only go up to eight. Can't quite get to the two-digit number yet," Dani replied.
Emily looks at Dani and stares at her with a slight frown.
"At least I'm being honest," Dani said with a shrug.
"Well, I assure you that you won't be getting near a single-digit number when it comes to alcohol," Emily told the teen as the elevator door opens. Dani chuckles lightly as they both enter.
They arrive at the loft unit, Emily unlocking the door and guides Dani to the living room. She helps the teen sit down on a couch and smoothes her hair.
"Do you want me to make you something to eat?" She asked while sitting on the arm of the couch.
"I'm not really hungry," Dani told her.
"Okay. I will let you rest here for a while but I need you to eat something in an hour. I don't want you to run on an empty stomach, okay?" she told Dani.
Dani nods in agreement while leaning on the side of the couch. It was way more comfortable than the hospital bed she was in before.
Emily stands up and grabs the remote control that was on top of the coffee table. She turns on the TV and hands the remote to Dani.
"I need to work on some paperwork for a while. You rest here while I go work on it. Anything you need, do not hesitate to call me," she told Dani.
"Okay. Don't worry, I will be fine," Dani replied to the brunette. Emily places a quick kiss on the teen's forehead.
"I will be right in my office," the agent informed Dani. The teen nods and Emily walks towards her office. She enters and leaves her door open just in case Dani was to call her.
Emily sits at her desk and pulls out her laptop. She has so many things revolving around her head. She is thinking about how Doyle managed to get to her even after his death. How she let her guard down after seeing his death, confident that the final chapter with Ian was written and sealed. She couldn't even imagine that Ian would get in contact with his son, especially if he died. The man always had planned ahead. He knew his days were numbered so he planned accordingly. She just wondered how exactly did Ian do this. How did he manipulate Declan to fall for his trap?
Emily sees that your past always comes back to bite you. In her case, it's more than one round. When Ian escaped from prison in order to look for her, he was targeting the people she was close to. He threatened her with the lives of her team. He knew exactly which strings to pull in order to make Emily do whatever he wanted. He taught Declan the same thing. He said it himself, he saw that Emily took in Dani and knew this would have made Emily suffer more.
The worst part is that he was right.
When Ian took her, the agent was scared of dying but at least she knew that her whole team was no longer in danger. This time was different. Her daughter was the one being held hostage. She saw her get hurt and in pain without being able to do anything to help her.
Declan managed to do something that no other person has done in her life. He managed to terrify Emily to the core.
Emily has known Dani for two years. In that period of time, the brunette has grown very attached to the teen. The process of Dani warming up to her was a slow one but she slowly opened her heart out to Emily, allowing her inside. Anytime Emily would get even an inch closer to Dani, her heart bursts with joy knowing that Dani was starting to love her too.
Emily never quite understood how a stranger could steal someone's heart. The logic didn't make much sense to her at the time. How can someone that you hardly know take over your love? She now notices that without attempting, Dani took her's. Emily loves her unconditionally without any doubt. She would do anything for her. All because she loves her.
But she knows better than anyone that with great love comes deep pain. Watching someone about to take away her daughter's life was a stab through her heart. This traumatizing event will scar her for the rest of her life.
Emily tried to get herself together. It's all over. No one can hurt her anymore. She is safe. The agent repeated these words to herself as a way to compose herself but deep down she knew that these words were not all true. Yes, they were rescued and Declan would be placed behind bars. He would never get near them again. Emily was worried about how this whole situation affected Dani emotionally. Even though the teen tried her best in looking brave, Emily saw full fear in her eyes. She could just imagine how scared the girl was when she had a gun pointed at her face. No one should ever go through something like that, especially if you are just a kid.
Emily couldn't help but wonder how the teen would look at her from now on. She had learned a part of Emily's past that she never knew about. Dani was probably confused but too shy to ask what she was told by Declan. Emily knows that the teen would start to question everything about Emily and her past. The agent was afraid of the trust that she had built with Dani would start to crumble.
Emily knows she needs to tell her what happened. She has to tell her about her past with Doyle and try to explain everything that led up to this point. It's a lot to unravel for the teen but she needs to be as open to her in order for Dani to fully understand what happened. Emily hoped that the teen would understand why Emily didn't tell her about her time she was an undercover agent. She did it to protect her not to hurt her.
Emily let out a tired sigh. She rubbed her temple and looked at all the paperwork that she had to complete.
"Well, this isn't going to finish by itself," she told herself and started to work on them.
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An hour passed by and Dani was sitting on the couch watching TV. The channel was on Boomerang, showing a marathon of classic 2000's cartoons. After everything that has happened, Dani felt that watching cartoons would help ease up from all the tension she had. An episode of Scooby-Doo was airing, one of Dani's favorite cartoons of all time. Dani remembers watching these types of cartoons with her brother. How they both would lay on the floor with snacks and watch cartoons for hours. They even had a competition of who would solve the mystery first. She remembers how Lucas would try his best to imitate Scooby's voice and how Dani would playfully laugh at him. One of a few good memories from her past. Memories that she would cherish forever.
She hears footsteps approaching her and turns her head around and sees Emily walking inside the living room. Emily looks at the teen and smiles as she enters.
"Hey. I'm done with all my paperwork for today. What do you want me to cook up for you?" she asked while leaning against the wall.
Dani looked down and bit her lip. "I'm not that hungry," she said in a low voice.
Emily moved her head slightly sideways. "Hun, you need to eat something," she said with worried eyes. "You have to at least try."
"I know," Dani said while looking at Emily. "Can I just eat yogurt for now?"
"Add in a fruit and you have a deal," Emily said, hoping the teen would agree.
"Deal," Dani replied with a nod. Emily smiles and goes inside the kitchen in order to get the food.
Dani stays in the living room, waiting for Emily to come back. Dani really wasn't hungry but she didn't want to worry Emily more than she already is. She will try her best in eating most of the food Emily would give her. Mostly for Emily's sake.
Emily returns from the kitchen with two yogurts and an apple in hand. She sits down next to Dani and hands her a yogurt and a spoon. "I got you the vanilla flavored one. I know how much you like it."
"Thanks," Dani said while opening the yogurt. She takes a small scoop of yogurt and eats it. Emily accompanies the teen and both are eating while having small talk.
Emily made sure Dani finished eating all the yogurt before she could start talking to the teen about everything that was happening lately.
Emily placed her cup down and turned her body completely, looking at Dani. The teen noticed the change in posture that the agent had so she looked up to her, curious about what the agent was going to do or say.
"Dan, I need to explain to you what happened," Emily said while looking at Dani. "About how your kidnapping is involved with my past."
Dani looks at Emily and nods. She wanted to ask about what happened earlier. Why did she know the man? Why was he so mad at her? What did he mean when he said that Emily destroyed his life? She had a bunch of questions revolving around her head but didn't have enough courage to ask her. The main question that kept on reappearing is why didn't Emily tell her about her past? Was it because Emily didn't trust her? Part of her was scared about the answers Emily would give her.
"I promise I will explain everything to you. I just need you to bear with me, okay?" Emily told Dani while taking a deep breath. She knows she has a lot of things to say. She doesn't like recalling her past with Doyle but Emily knows it's the only way to explain to Dani what happened. After all, after everything the teen went through she has every right to know what happened. She had to tell her daughter the truth.
"Alright," Dani replied with a nod. She was nervous about where this conversation would lead to but she was determined to stay and listen to the answer to her questions.
Emily began to explain to the teen about her hidden past. About how she used to work in the Interpol back in the day. How she had to go undercover for two years in order to arrest an arms dealer. How she met Ian and Declan. She explained to the teen that both of them knew her by her undercover alias, Lauren. She told Dani about the arrest of Ian Doyle and what she had to do in order to keep Declan and herself safe. How she had to fake both of their deaths in order to live without the fear of Ian ever returning.
She then told the teen about her re-encounter with Doyle. Of how he managed to escape the North Korean prison in order to fully act on his thirst for revenge upon everyone who has wronged him with Emily at the top of his list. Dani was listening attentively as Emily was telling her how Doyle managed to find Emily and nearly killed her. That part is what scared the teen the most.
Emily tried her best not to confuse the teen with twists and turns while explaining about her past. She knows that Dani is smart but her story can be very confusing to anyone who is bombarded with this information like the teen was.
Emily explained the fall of Ian Doyle. How his bad actions caught up to him and ended with his life. "He was shot by Declan's birth mother. He died in the scene," Emily said while rubbing her face. "After his death, we closed the case. His son was sent under witness protection just to make sure that any other enemy of Ian wouldn't get to him. I haven't heard from him for years… until now," she said while looking down at the floor. She wouldn't have ever imagined her re-encounter with Declan the way it happened. How Declan was just as revengeful as his father. Cold-blooded and calculated. Knowing exactly where to hit in order to cause the most pain.
"That's why he wanted to kill me. To avenge his father," Dani said while glancing at Emily. Now that she knew everything it all made sense. He wanted an eye for an eye. Doyle's death goes down with her own.
Emily looked at the teen, feeling tremendous guilt when hearing Dani say those words. "Yes. That is why he took you," she told the teen. "I never thought anything like this would have happened to you. Dan, I swear to you that I never wanted you to get hurt."
"It's alright," Dani told her with a smile. "I just…" she paused abruptly and looked at Emily. She shifts a few centimeters down at the edge of the couch, distancing herself away from her.
Emily noticed that the teen moved away from her. It was subtle but she still noticed. The agent was afraid that everything she told her threw off Dani causing her to distrust her. It took a while for Emily to build a bond of trust between her and Dani. It required a lot of time and patience in order for the agent to land in the small circle of trust that Dani had. Emily didn't want to lose her trust. She didn't want to lose her daughter.
"Dan, you can tell me or ask me anything you want. I promise you that I will answer truthfully," Emily told her daughter in hopes that she would open up.
Dani glances up at Emily and takes a moment to take a breath. "Why… why didn't you tell me?" She asked the brunette with a slightly hurt tone. "About your past working undercover. Is it because you don't trust me or something?"