Chapter 7

"My name's Emily. I'm with the FBI."

Hannah frowned, wondering how a stranger knew her name. She narrowed her eyes as she sized the woman up. Emily was wearing a black blazer over a striped button-down shirt with black slacks – a classic suit. Her Glock was holstered at her hip and her badge was clearly visible. She definitely looked like an FBI agent, even to the untrained teenager's eye.

For her part, Emily knew what Hannah was doing and stayed where she was, keeping her body language non-threatening as she waited for Hannah to finish her examination.

Perhaps if Hannah wasn't so concerned with the fact that she was being picked up by the FBI, she might have noticed how much she looked like the woman standing in front of her, but all she saw was the badge and gun. She swallowed hard as she wondered how much trouble she was in. Her dad must have called the police and reported her missing. That was the only reason she could think of that the FBI agent would know who she was and be looking for her.

"FBI?" Hannah said in a panicked voice once she accepted that Emily was who she said she was. Her eyes widened and her expression said oh, shit. "My dad called the cops?"

Emily opened her mouth and then closed it again as she studied the nervous teenager and decided how she wanted to play this. Assuming her kid was smart enough not to get in the car with a stranger, Emily was only using her position and badge as a way to make Hannah comfortable leaving with her without revealing their connection. She didn't anticipate that the perceived involvement of the FBI in finding her would make the teenager realize how serious running away was. She didn't feel too badly for scaring her kid a little, even if it wasn't her intention – maybe now Hannah would think twice before doing anything like this again. But Emily wasn't going to let the kid sweat it out any longer – that would just be mean. She fought the sudden urge to comfort her scared kid and instead relied on her words to reassure the girl.

"You're not in trouble. I'm just here to bring you home, that's all."

Hannah nodded dejectedly. Just because she wasn't in trouble with the cops didn't mean she wouldn't be in trouble with her dad. If he called the police, she knew she was going to be in trouble – the only question was how much.

Even though she wasn't looking forward to facing the angry parent she was sure would be waiting for her at home, Hannah got up from the ledge she was sitting on and walked over to Emily unprompted. She was tired and cold, and she wanted to go home - even if it meant her dad would never let her leave the house again.

Emily was the first person Hannah had seen since arriving at the closed Metro station. There hadn't been anyone to ask for help. It had crossed her mind to go to a restaurant and ask to use the phone there, but pretty much everything was closed that late on a weeknight in the sleepy suburb. Hannah had no idea what to do or how she was going to get home until Emily showed up. If she were being honest, Hannah was glad to have someone – anyone – there who could help, even if Emily's presence there could only mean her dad had completely freaked out when she left.

They walked to the street where the Suburban was parked. Emily was watching her daughter out of the corner of her eye in case the girl decided to make a break for it. But judging by Hannah's resigned demeanor, Emily didn't think she would.

Hannah hesitated slightly when they reached the SUV. She didn't know if she was supposed to sit in the front or in the back like a criminal. The FBI agent said she wasn't in trouble, but it certainly felt like she was in trouble. She was essentially being brought home by the police, and it wasn't even just a cop - it was an FBI agent. That seemed like a bigger deal in the teenager's brain.

"Ms., um, Agent?" Hannah started nervously.

"You can call me Emily," Emily told her. She appreciated the show of manners and respect, but it would be way too formal to have her daughter calling her Agent Prentiss.

"Um, do you want me to sit in the front…or the back?" Hannah asked awkwardly.

"The front," Emily answered immediately. She could guess what the girl was thinking and gave her an incredulous look. "What, did you think I was going to put you in the back like a common criminal?" She teased a little, trying to get her kid to relax. "I told you you're not in trouble."

Once they were both in the car, Emily turned the heat on full blast and reached over to make sure the vents on the passenger side were aimed at Hannah. The girl wasn't shivering, but she'd been out in the cold November night air without a jacket for hours. She had to be cold. Emily was, and she hadn't been outside nearly as long as Hannah had.

Next Emily dialed Steve Johnson on her cell. She knew every minute she hadn't known where her daughter was had been excruciating for her, and she didn't even know Hannah. She could only imagine how the man who had actually raised the girl felt not knowing where she was. She needed to let him know Hannah was okay.

"Emily? Did you find her?" Steve answered frantically after one ring.

"I've got her," Emily told him. "We're on the way now. We'll be there in ten to fifteen minutes."

Emily kept the call short. Bethesda wasn't far from Washington. It would be a short drive and then they would all be in the same place. Emily was going to tell Hannah who she was to her, but she thought it would be better for all three of them to talk – the adoptive father, the biological mother, and most importantly the daughter they shared.

"Was that my dad?" Hannah asked softly after Emily hung up.

"It was," Emily confirmed.

Hannah bit her bottom lip. "How mad is he?"

Emily glanced at her anxious kid with a sympathetic expression. "I think he's just glad you're okay. He was worried sick."

"I wanted to go home. I really did," Hannah said earnestly, feeing like she owed the woman some kind of explanation. "I didn't know the Metro stopped running, and then I didn't know what to do."

"It's a good thing I showed up when I did then," Emily said simply, offering Hannah a small smile.

The rest of the drive was quiet with the exception of Hannah giving Emily directions once they got to D.C. Both occupants of the SUV were nervous about what would happen when they arrived at their destination, although they each had very different reasons for their worry.

Emily was worried about how her daughter would react. What if meeting Emily the same day she found out she was adopted was too much for the fourteen year old? But not telling Hannah who she was to her would make Emily just another person in a long line of people keeping the truth from her. The girl was already upset enough with her father for doing that. Emily didn't want to give Hannah a reason to be angry with her, too. She knew there was a chance her daughter would be angry and hurt over being given up in the first place and didn't need to add to that.

Hannah was still angry with her dad, but she also felt terrible about how she left things with him. She knew she needed to apologize for leaving the way she did. It just felt like everything she thought she knew was a lie. She wasn't who she thought she was, and her parents weren't who she thought they were. In one night, she lost the blind faith she'd always had in them. Her dad was the one person she should have been able to trust most in the world, and she felt like he'd been lying to her for her entire life. But he was still her dad. He was still the person who built her a treehouse and painted it pink because it was her favorite color when she was little. He was still the person who hung a basketball hoop on their old garage for her when she decided to try basketball in middle school. The hoop was still there even though they'd moved. Her dad had played countless games of Horse with her in their old driveway as a way for her to practice, but her first season had still been her last - she'd been terrible in spite of having a height advantage over most of the other players. Being back at her old house in Bethesda had brought back memories of all the things her dad had done for her – things only a real parent would do. And that just made her feel incredibly guilty for scaring him enough that he called the police. She always went somewhere she could be alone when she was upset, but she'd never been gone this long before. She hadn't even realized how late it was until she saw the digital clock in the Suburban. No wonder her dad freaked out – it was after 1:00 am. He was going to kill her.

Following Hannah's directions, Emily pulled up to a townhouse in one of the many residential pockets in urban Washington. It was a nice neighborhood, but they had definitely downsized from their old house in Bethesda.

After Sarah died, Steve and Hannah both agreed that they needed a change of scenery. The old house contained too many memories of the wife and mother that the father and daughter had lost. The townhouse they moved to was a lot closer to Steve's office. It may have been a short drive when it was after midnight on a weekday, but traffic in D.C. was legendary, and Washington to Bethesda was not a fun commute in rush hour traffic. Well aware he was the only parent Hannah had left, Steve always felt guilty spending an hour sitting in traffic when he could have been picking Hannah up from volleyball or helping her with her homework.

True to her word, Emily maneuvered the large SUV into a space on the crowded tree-lined street less than fifteen minutes after ending the call to Steve. When she turned the ignition off, Hannah realized Emily was going to walk her to the door.

"You don't have to walk me to the door," Hannah told her quickly. Like most kids, she didn't like being yelled at or scolded in front of other people, even if the other person in question was an FBI agent she would probably never see again.

Emily glanced at the girl in surprise. "Uh, I need to talk to your dad."

Hannah hoped her dad would wait until the woman left before he killed her. On second thought, maybe having a witness would work in her favor - he wouldn't kill her in front of an FBI agent. "He probably won't kill me if you're there," she mused.

"He's not going to kill you," Emily said with a half laugh. She didn't remember being that dramatic as a teenager, but to be fair, her parents wouldn't have missed her if she'd disappeared for hours on end so she couldn't say she'd ever been in Hannah's shoes.

Steve left the porch light on for them and was waiting anxiously by the door. He opened it when he saw Hannah and drew her into a bone-crushing hug, meeting Emily's gaze over his daughter's head and mouthing a silent thank you to the woman.

Emily merely nodded in acknowledgement from where she stood forlornly at the bottom of the front steps, observing the father-daughter reunion as an outsider looking in when she wanted desperately for her daughter to count her as family. Longing twisted painfully inside her.

Unaware of what had just transpired between the two adults, Hannah pulled back from her father's warm embrace and looked at him apprehensively. "I'm sorry," she said remorsefully. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know," Steve cut her off softly, giving her a fatherly look as he squeezed her shoulder.

Steve held the door open for Hannah and Emily, bringing up the rear as they all went inside. A very excited Golden Retriever was waiting in the entryway to greet them. It didn't take long for the dog to get gold hair all over Emily's black pants. That was why she had a black cat. At least Sergio's hair blended in.

"Come here, Alex." Hannah pulled the dog over to her by his collar and gave Emily an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"He's never met a stranger," Steve said jokingly. Seeing that his daughter was struggling to hold the exuberant dog back, he suggested she take him upstairs and put him in her room and change into pajamas while she was up there. "Then come back down," he called after her retreating back. "We need to talk."

"Can you lecture me tomorrow?" Hannah asked from the top of the staircase, trying in vain to delay the inevitable. "I'm really tired," she added with a loud yawn to really sell it.

Emily couldn't help but laugh softly at the nerve of the kid.

Steve looked exasperated. "You laugh now, but just wait until it's your turn." He shook his head and looked back up the staircase as he called out his response to Hannah. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you stay out until 1:00 in the morning. You have five minutes to be back down here."

Hannah wasn't surprised by his answer, but she had to at least try.

While they waited on their daughter, Steve led the way into the family room and asked Emily if he could get her anything.

"No, thank you," Emily declined politely as she took a seat in an armchair in the back corner of the room.

"Where was she?" Steve asked as he took his usual seat on the sofa.

"The Metro station in Bethesda. She wanted to come home, but had no way of getting home or calling for help without her phone," Emily told him.

"I can't thank you enough for finding her," Steve said sincerely. "You didn't…tell her who you are, did you? It's okay if you did. She just isn't acting like she knows."

"No. It would be better if you were here for that. If it's too much for her, she'll need her father, not someone she barely knows," Emily said honestly. "But I'm going to tell her now – unless that's a problem?"

"No, it's no problem," Steve told her.

"Good." Emily said, not wanting to wait and risk angering Hannah by keeping the truth from her. She needed to be honest with her daughter now if she wanted to start building trust.

They heard a telltale creak on the stairs and knew the teenager was on her way back down. Emily took a deep breath as she tried to mentally prepare herself for what could be crushing rejection.

"I can't believe you called the cops," the girl said to her dad as she emerged from the bottom of the stairs. She thought Emily would have left and blushed when she saw the FBI agent sitting there, realizing the woman must have heard her. She looked at Emily with a sheepish expression. "No offense."

"Hannah, your father didn't call the police or the FBI," Emily started to explain, taking that as her opening. "He called me."

Hannah looked from Emily to her dad and back again, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you were an FBI agent."

"I am with the FBI, but I'm not here in my official capacity as an agent," Emily continued to explain. She stood and took a few tentative steps toward her daughter, stopping when she was maybe four feet away and wringing her hands in front of her. She was normally in complete control of her body and could stop herself from displaying any signs of nerves, but her nerves in that moment went way beyond the usual nervousness she felt in awkward or uncomfortable situations. She had a lot riding on this. She took another deep breath. "I'm here because I'm your biological mother."

Hannah stared at Emily in shock, her mouth half-open. She just found out she was adopted. She hadn't had time to wrap her head around that yet and hadn't even really begun to think about the two people out there somewhere who should have been her parents, but weren't. Now the woman who could have been her mom was in her living room, staring her in the face. The initial shock turned into awe as she locked eyes with the older woman and realized it was like looking into a mirror. Their eyes were mirror images of each other.

The girl had always wanted to look like her mom. Their coloring wasn't that different, but they didn't have any of the same facial features. She carefully examined pictures of her mom from when she was growing up whenever she was at her grandparents' house, comparing their noses and chins, never finding what she was looking for. Unlike her cousins whose baby pictures were nearly indistinguishable from the baby pictures of whichever parent they favored, Hannah didn't seem to have either of her parents' eyes, noses or smiles. Now that she knew she was adopted, it made perfect sense. Why would she look like her adoptive mother when they weren't actually related? With Emily, Hannah didn't have to look for similarities - they were jumping out at her. It was weird to think she looked like someone who was a virtual stranger, but there was no denying genetics.

Mother and daughter stared at each other for several long seconds. Emily was waiting anxiously for her daughter to say something, but realized after a long moment of stunned silence from the teenager that she would have to be the one to break the silence.

"I, uh, wanted you to know who I am," Emily said. "In case you ever need anything, whether it's answers to any questions you may have or a kidney." When she realized what she said, Emily felt like inserting her foot into her mouth. It was no wonder that particular organ was top of mind with an unsub who was performing illegal kidney surgeries on girls like Hannah, but she didn't want to think about her daughter needing a kidney, not even in the context of a half-joking comment she made in an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

"I don't need a kidney, but I do have questions – or I will," Hannah said with a frown. She was trying to think of all the things she wanted to ask Emily and felt a little like she was being put on the spot. "Is it – do I have to ask now? Or can I have some time to think about what I want to ask you?" She didn't know when – or if – she'd ever see her birth mother again. Was this a one-time thing?

"Take as much time as you need," Emily told her. "I'll be here for you whenever you're ready. I'd like to be there for you for more than that."

"Like for what?" Hannah asked bluntly.

Emily hesitated as she tried to read her daughter. She couldn't tell if the girl was receptive or not. What kind of a profiler was she if she couldn't get a read on her own kid?

Emily licked her lips as she decided what she could say that wouldn't scare her kid off. She needed to make it clear that Hannah was in control here. She wanted to build a relationship with her daughter, but she wouldn't force anything Hannah didn't want on her. "I want to be a part of your life if you'll let me. I want a chance to get to know you, and for you to be able to get to know me." She waited a beat, hoping her daughter would give her something – anything - but got nothing. "If you don't want that, I'll respect your decision. I spoke with your father this morning, and we agreed that what happens next is up to you."

Hannah glanced at her dad, looking for something - permission or validation? Emily wasn't sure.

"It's up to you, angel," Steve told his daughter. "What do you want to do?"

Hannah turned her attention back to Emily, but she was frowning uncertainly again. "I do want to get to know you. I'm just afraid."

"Of what?" Emily questioned gently.

"Of what my mom would say – my real mom," Hannah said, referring to her adoptive mother. She was feeling torn between her loyalty to the woman who raised her and her rising curiosity about the woman she looked like.

Steve sighed sadly. "Hannah, your mom's…gone, and no one can ever take her place. But your biological mother is here. I knew your mom better than anyone, and I don't think she would have wanted you to miss out on an opportunity to have another person in your life that cares about you, at least not on her account. Do you?" He posed the question, knowing that in her heart Hannah knew the answer and it would assuage any unnecessary guilt she was feeling over a possible reunion with her biological mother.

"No," Hannah replied in a small voice.

"You can never have too many people who care about you," Steve said with conviction. "But if you're not ready for this, that's okay."

"No," Hannah said quickly. "I, uh, I want to."

Emily let out the breath she'd been holding as relief flooded her. For a minute there, she thought all of this was going to be too confusing for Hannah. She didn't know if she could have walked away from her daughter again and was glad she wouldn't have to.

"You're sure?" Steve questioned his daughter. He studied her, looking for any signs that she felt pressured or uncomfortable.

Hannah nodded, not wanting her dad to change his mind. "I'm sure."

"Okay, we'll set something up as soon as you're done being grounded," Steve told her. He smirked when the teenager's face fell. She didn't really think she was going to get off scot-free, did she?

Hannah sighed resignedly. "How long will that be?"

"A week," Steve said. "And before you complain, it really should be three. Don't make me regret giving you a break because of everything that's going on right now."