Emily was woken up from a dead sleep as her phone rang. She grabbed for it blindly, "Hello?"
"Em, baby?" at the sound of JJ's voice, Emily shot up in bed, worried.
"Jen, is everything alright?"
"I'm fine, but I need you to come to the BAU, I can't explain over the phone." Panic started to rise in Emily.
"Uh, the kids?" Emily stammered.
"Spence is on his way." JJ answered calmly. Emily couldn't read anything in her voice, she thought that was the scariest part.
There was a knock at the door and Emily stood and pulled on some decent clothes as she got held the phone to her ear. "Okay, I'm on my way. I love you."
"I love you too." JJ hung up first.
Emily let Spencer in quickly. "Okay, take the guest room upstairs. I don't know how long this will take, but Henry and Ellie have school tomorrow. Henry needs to be at Washington Elementary by 8:30, and Ellie needs to be at Teaching Tots Academy by 9:00. I'll leave the keys to my SUV because both car seats are already set up in it. Gimme your keys."
Spencer tried his best to comfort his friend, "I know what to do, JJ gave me instructions. Here's my keys, don't worry."
Emily's drive was awful, she only got more anxious as Spencer's old car sputtered. She had to wait for a visitors' badge at security. When she finally made it into the BAU, the team looked at her.
Hotch stepped forward, "JJ is in the soft interview room."
Emily nodded and walked away quickly. She watched through the window just outside the room, JJ was comforting a young girl. Emily could tell she was in her teens. She didn't want to interrupt, so she knocked twice on the window.
JJ walked out of the room and hugged Emily into a tight hug, tears falling. Emily pulled back and wiped them away with her thumb. "Jennifer, what is going on?"
The shorter woman took a shuttering breath, "Em, we have to help this girl. She called an abuse hotline, and then the guy who worked for the hotline killed her mom and stepdad in front of her. Then the unsub burned the house down, she barely escaped."
Emily wasn't fully understanding, "Okay, so multiple levels of trauma…?" She led on so JJ could finish filling her in.
"Her dad died a couple years ago. After her mom married her stepdad, he started to… uhm…" JJ's breath caught in her throat. "He sexually abused her repeatedly. She has no family. Her dad was an orphan, and her maternal grandparents are both dead."
"Jen," Emily said warningly, "The last time something like this happened, I was destroyed."
"Emily, that girl is not Carrie. Pen has quadruple checked for family. She has no one, and she is so broken. The other kids from this case, they had other guardians, but her, she doesn't, and I can't let her be put into the system like this. Because if she goes in, I don't think she'll come out." JJ was pleading with her wife.
"Okay, let's call DCFS. Let's figure something out. My background before the BAU was in traumatized adolescents. We can handle this." JJ knew Emily was trying to convince herself, but JJ also knew that Emily's heart was big and sappy, and that Emily would always help those who need it most.
JJ hugged Emily tightly again, "There's already a social worker here."
Emily nodded against her wife, "Okay, Jayje you scared the shit out of me with that call."
"I know, Emmy. I just couldn't do that over the phone."
JJ and Emily headed into the conference room; hands intertwined. When they walked in, both women felt relieved, Sarah Daye was there looking just as tired as JJ and Emily.
"Emily, Jennifer. I'm glad it's you guys who are handling this." She said shaking both their hands.
"Likewise." JJ said, "We need to know where to go from here."
Sarah sighed, "Well, the state and local PD investigated the claims a couple months ago."
Emily felt anger rise in her, "So they knew about it and didn't do anything?"
"We placed her temporarily while it was investigated, but the mother backed up her husband. Without anything to corroborate the prosecutor dismissed the charges. Without the charges, we had no legal reason to keep her in the system." Sarah looked hurt. Emily noted the swirl of emotions behind her eyes. "Her name is Lola Harriet Arden. She's thirteen. Most foster parents don't want to take on the task of a teenager."
Emily sighed, though she was still angry at the injustice, "That girl needs help. She needs love and she needs compassion and understanding. I couldn't bare to watch her in the system, she wouldn't make it in there."
"I understand, Emily. But this is big project to take on, I want you to understand all that you will be taking on." Sarah said.
"I understand. We understand. We want to take her home." Emily said with finality.
Sarah smiled sadly, "Okay, we need to sign over emergency custody to you."
After the two finished paperwork they made their way back to the room Lola was sitting in. She had skin like Derek's and tight curly hair that fell to her shoulder. She had tears streaking her face. Emily looked to JJ, "Let me go in and talk to her." JJ nodded and stayed put to watch from the window.
Emily carefully opened the door, "Hi, Lola?" the girl didn't look up, but she nodded. Emily sat on a chair a few feet from her. "Hi, I'm Emily. I'm married to Agent Jareau. We're going to take you home with us. Is that okay?"
Lola looked up and stared into Emily, "It's not 'okay'" she spat with venom, Emily didn't harden her face. This girl was scared and intimidating her into quiet compliance was not going to help. "But I have no one left, so I guess I have no choice." Lola's strong act betrayed her as tears fell.
"I guess you're right. There are no words for what you've been through. Do you have clothes with you? Or do you want me to ask Jen to run over there for you?" Emily said softly.
"All I have are the clothes on my back." She answered coldly.
"Okay, how about we get you home, into some clothes, and go from there? One step at a time."
"Okay."
Emily led Lola out of the room, where they met up with JJ. Emily looked to her wife. "You take her in your car, I'll drive Spencer's junker home. If we leave now, we can make it home before the kids have to leave."
Emily's prediction was right, they did make it home before Ellie and Henry had to leave. When they walked in, Spencer was trying his best to brush Ellie's hair into a ponytail. He looked frazzled, and the kids were both yelling.
JJ laughed, "Spence, let me get her, can you get Henry into his shoes? He still has problems tying them on his own."
He sighed with relief and took Henry to his shoes. Emily walked in with Lola, "Are you hungry? I can make something to eat?"
Lola was looking around the biggest house she had ever seen, "Uh… no thank you. I'm not hungry."
Emily nodded, "Okay. Let me help Jen for a minute then we can get you settled."
Emily walked into the living room, Lola following close behind, not sure what else to do. Emily kissed Ellie and Henry, "Okay, this is Lola, she's going to stay with us like Ellie did. Promise to be nice?"
Emily held out one pinky that Henry and Ellie both took with their smallest finger. "We promise Momma!" Ellie called.
"Okay. Good. Now off to school or you'll be late!" Emily tickled both their sides.
As JJ got them to school, Emily helped Lola. She was fishing through her closet for something the girl could wear. She pulled out a pair of leggings and an old t-shirt. She sighed; this would have to work until she could take Lola to the mall. She walked out of her closet, holding out the items, "I'm sorry. This is all we have that might even fit a little. We'll take you out for some new clothes this afternoon."
Lola stood from where she was sitting in the lounge chair by the bed. "That's okay. These will work."
"Okay, great. Uhm, let me show you your room." Emily took the mocha girl to her room, it was one right by Ellie's, she pointed to the bathroom and linen closet on the way. "Okay, you're all set."
Lola headed towards the bathroom with fresh clothes and towels, she paused, "Hey, Emily?"
"Yeah?" the brunette asked.
"Is it okay if I catch a few hours of sleep?" She asked hesitantly.
Emily found it odd that she felt the need to ask, "Of course. Just come get me or Jen if you need anything." The girl nodded and turned back towards the bathroom, "And Lola?" Brown eyes met darker brown, "I mean anything. Nothing is too small." Lola nodded and shut the bathroom door behind her.
Emily sat in a chair in her room, she couldn't put her finger on why, but something in Emily's gut was telling her to worry. She pretended to read a book as she listened to the sounds coming from the bathroom. For a few minutes she just heard running water, then she heard a sob, and then another, and as the sound built with each sob, Emily shed a few tears with her. She listened carefully for signs of distress. When she heard what sounded like every shower product clutter in the tub, as well as a guttural scream, Emily leapt up and ran to the bathroom door.
She knocked lightly, trying not to let her panic show. "Lola? Please let me know you're okay." The only thing she heard was sobs that came out between shallow breaths that were picking up in frequency. Emily knew the girl was close to hyperventilating. "Lola, please open the door. Let me help you. It's just you and me." She heard the water shut off. Her mind was racing as she heard the lock click. She called through the door again, "Is it okay if I come in?"
"Yes." Lola managed through sobs.
Emily walked in and saw Lola leaning against the bathtub, wrapped in only a towel. Emily sat next to her leaning against the tub. "Lola, you're hyperventilating. Push all the air out of your lungs, then take a steady breath back in." Emily watched carefully as the teen did so. "Good, now take a couple more big breaths." Emily waited, "You did great. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Lola shook her head. Emily stood and extended a hand for her to grab before pulling her up, "Okay. You don't have to. Now, I'm going to stand right outside that door while you change."
A few minutes after Emily closed the door behind her, Lola stepped out. The shirt she was wearing came to her mid-thigh, but the leggings seemed to fit okay. Emily walked with Lola to her room. When she was in bed, Emily felt content enough to leave her be, kind of. She shut the door behind her, grabbed her book, and sat down on the floor by Lola's room.
Emily heard the front door open and close. "Emily?" JJ called through the house.
"Upstairs." She called back, not too loudly.
She watched the stairwell as JJ climbed the steps. The blonde spotted her wife immediately and sat on the floor next to her. "That bad?"
Emily closed her book, "There was a meltdown in the shower. I think she's asleep right now. How was getting the kids to school?"
JJ laughed lightly, "Henry was good to go, I could barely get a hug goodbye. But Ellie, man, she stalled as much as possible. Does she always do that?"
Emily dropped her head to side to look at her wife, "Yeah. It's still new for her. I'm sure she'll get more comfortable with it. Did she cry?"
"No."
Emily smirked, "See? She's already getting better about it."
JJ widened her eyes, "She cried?"
Emily laughed, "Yeah. The first day she sobbed, and then she cried less and less each day."
"Aw. Poor baby. Why didn't you tell me?" JJ asked.
Emily sighed, "Well honestly? After her meltdown I had to get through her registration. And then after I picked them up the rest of the time before you got home was hectic and I forgot."
JJ wrapped her hand around Emily's. "I'm sorry if you feel like you're doing it alone."
Emily shook her head, "Don't be. I don't feel like that. The life I have now is wonderful. While I do miss you when you're gone, I know why you're doing it and I couldn't be more proud."
JJ kissed her wife sweetly. "I love you." She said before yawning.
Emily chuckled. "I love you too. Why don't you go take a nap? You worked all night."
JJ nodded before yawning again, "Good idea. Join me?"
"Sorry, I have some business to attend to. I'll wake you up before lunch."
Emily walked downstairs to the office. She opened her laptop, on her to-do list she needed to find a school for Lola, a therapist, and then she had to go over inventory reports for the company. She found a therapist who specialized in sexual trauma and frequently used the EMDR technique. Emily knew firsthand how beneficial it was. Emily picked out a couple schools to go over with Lola. She thought giving her a little bit of freedom in the topic may help her feel more in control. She found an All-Girls School that was a little more of a commute than she would have liked, but the reputation of it was astounding, and it had great athletic programs. Then there was a private school that was closer, with a good reputation, but also had a reputation for scandals. Emily was more worried about that but read that the administration was undergoing changes. The final school was a charter school. It was near Henry's school and was known for its art programs. When Emily printed off documents for all the options, she set to working on the inventory reports. Emily felt her stomach protest at its emptiness. She looked at the time, it was only 11:30, but she had been up since three without food.
As she searched through the kitchen for food to make for the three of them, Emily noticed how there wasn't much. She found the ingredients to a chicken salad and called it good as she made a mental note to ask Jen to go to the grocery store. When it was all put together, Emily set it in the dining room with some bowls and forks. She climbed up the stairs and woke Jen first.
"Baby," She said as she shook her wife awake, "I made lunch. Come down and eat."
JJ groaned and tried to bury herself further under the blankets. Emily laughed and yanked the blankets back.
JJ shrieked, "Emily! Not cool!" She said, now wide awake.
"Sorry, babe. Lunchtime." She winked at her wife before stopping at Lola's room.
She knocked lightly, "Lola?" She called from the hallway. She repeated the pattern, hoping she didn't have to invade her space. When no reply came, Emily cracked the door and called for her again. She heard the rustling of covers, but no reply. "Lola, it's lunchtime. After that we'll go shopping." She added the last bit as a bribe, though it was true.
"Hold on, I'll be right out." The groggy teen answered.
Emily stood in the hall waiting. JJ walked out of their room and stretched before her face setting into her usual tired scowl. Emily laughed, "You're so cute."
JJ wasn't amused, "Here's cute." She said before flipping her wife the bird.
Emily just laughed at her and JJ made her way down the stairs. Lola was out of her room shortly after that. Emily looked at her and smiled, "Did you get enough sleep?"
Lola nodded and rubbed her eyes, "That bed was so comfortable, I think my soul left my body for a few hours." She joked lightly.
Emily laughed in return. "Good. Let's go down and eat."
Emily was the last to the dining room because she had to grab the school information from the office. "Lola, can I get you anything to drink?"
"Uh, do you have sodas?" She answered with a mouthful of greens.
"No, sorry. I'll put that on the list. What kind of sodas do you like? We have a lot of juice for now though."
"I like sprite and orange soda. Can I just have water for now?"
As Emily came back with her drink, she sat down and began to eat. "Okay, so we have to get you enrolled in school somewhere. I have three options, I thought you might like a little input?" Lola nodded and took her last bite before gesturing for the papers. Emily explained the schools, "Okay so the first option is Greenfield Academy, it's private school nearby. The next option is Willowcrest School for girls. The third option is Harrison High, it's a charter school."
As Lola looked through the options, she paused. "Uh, I don't know. Which one do you like?"
"I like Willowcrest. It has a really good sports program. I went to a couple all-girl schools and they were the best schools I went to." Emily replied.
Lola nodded, "I do like sports. Why did you like all-girl?"
JJ was looking over the papers, completely unknowing to the options. Emily smiled to Lola, "well, I liked them because there's no competition. In a co-ed school, girls are always fighting each other over who's the prettiest and most popular. But at girl schools, there isn't any of that. Even the outcasts have a place in that society."
"That's pretty cool. Do you know what sports they have?"
Emily smiled pointedly at an oblivious blond, "Well their best teams are their track team, swim team and basketball teams, but they have the last three state titles for their soccer team."
JJ looked up from the papers, smiling at her wife. Lola was smiling too, "Soccer?" they both said excitedly.
They both looked at each other before launching into their mutual love of soccer. Emily took this time out of the conversation to finish her food. As the other two finished their conversation, Emily interjected, "Jen? I'm going to take Lola to the mall after this. Can you pick up the kids and go grocery shopping?"
"Oh, so I get the chaos of those two things together and you get a fun time at the mall?" JJ teased.
Emily smiled, "Yep." She popped. "I'll give you the list before you leave." Emily ignored her wife's eyeroll and turned her attention back to the teenager, "Is there anything you need to do before we leave?"
Emily watched carefully as she watched a faint blush cover the girls face as she looked down, "Yeah, I need to do my hair."
Emily raised and eyebrow, "Okay, so why do you look embarrassed by that?"
Lola laughed nervously, "I don't know how to do my own hair. My mom always did it."
JJ watched her, "Hey don't worry. I know just the people to help." The blond quickly dialed Tara and Derek. When she got an affirmative on from both of them, she checked the time. "Okay, they'll be here soon. I have to get ready to get Ellie and Henry." She stood and quickly kissed Emily's cheek, "I'll see you guys for dinner."
Emily was just finishing cleaning up the lunch mess when the doorbell rang. Lola was watching some tv in the living room when Emily walked by to the door. She smiled brightly at her friends.
"Tara! Derek! I'm so glad you could help me. I think both me and JJ are out of our element." Emily laughed.
"Oh, come on princess, you have many talents, but hair is not one of them. Let alone the complexity of black hair." Derek laughed.
Emily lead the two in and stopped before Lola. "You remember Tara and Derek?"
Lola nodded and smiled shyly. "Nice to see you again."
Tara went up the stairs after the introductions, Emily looked curiously at Derek, before she could speak, he cut her off, "Don't ask." He looked back to Lola, "I used to be in charge of my little sister's hair before school. My older sister could do her own, but little Desi was helpless." He earned a small laugh from the teen.
Tara came down the steps, "Okay so there is nothing in there that's super helpful for her hair. We have to go shopping." She stopped before Lola, "Right now, I think we can work with a bun. Do you want me to help you?"
Lola nodded shyly again and turned her back to the tall woman. With Tara towering over her, it was easy to get her hair done.
Emily grabbed her purse, "Okay, let's go."