Emily jolted awake, quickly returning to an upright sitting position when she felt a hand softly graze her arm.
She rubbed her eyes, yawned, then glanced around the room to take in her surroundings. She was reminded of where she was instantly: the hospital. She remembered what Clyde had told her and that he wanted them out of the country as soon as Addison was cleared to fly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," Addison apologized. Her voice was weak and laced with pain.
Emily reached out and grasped the young girl's free hand. "It's okay, Sweetheart," she said softly as she rubbed her thumb across the top of Addison's hand. A small sympathetic smile crept onto her face.
Addison eyed the dark-haired agent with an unsure expression, though she did not avoid her touch.
"Do you remember me?" Emily asked in a soothing tone.
The teen bit at her bottom lip as she nodded slowly. She tried to lean forward but pain shot through her body with every bit of movement. She winced, then slowly lowered back down against her pillow.
"How much does it hurt?" She knew that Addison would be in a significant amount of pain when she finally woke up. With bruised and broken ribs, a bullet wound and a minor concussion, she was sure to be.
Addison shrugged but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain pierced her shoulder. She wanted to scream but all that escaped from her mouth was a loud hiss. She hesitated for a moment while waiting for the pain to dull down before whispering, "I'm fine."
Emily shook her head as the young girl tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. She knew that look far too well as she herself was too stubborn and too headstrong to admit defeat.
"I'm going to get the doctor." The agent started to get to her feet, but Addie's grip tightened.
"No, please. Just… just stay a little longer," Addison pleaded.
Emily pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head again. She knew that the doctor could help make Addison more comfortable, but when she caught a glimpse of fear in the young girl's eyes, her heart broke.
"Okay, I won't leave," the older woman said as she moved to sit on the side of the bed.
The duo sat in silence for a few long moments. Addison stared at the ceiling as she tried to avoid Emily's worried regard.
"We need to have a little chat," Emily said finally with a sigh as she patted the teenager's leg.
"I don't know who did this… I never saw their faces. I wasn't involved in my father's work, I didn't reach out to anyone and no, I do not have any known enemies," Addison said as if she had recited it a hundred times and sounding more defensive than she had intended to. She had already told Agent Easter everything she could recall when they were in the ambulance. That was before she coded twice.
Talking about what happened made her annoyed with herself for not putting up more of a fight. She felt ashamed to have let someone get away with hurting her.
Emily's gentle voice shook her from her thoughts. "That's not what we need to talk about."
The teen's expression became confused, her eyes narrowing as she watched the older woman run her hand through her hair.
Emily didn't know how to start. She searched for the right words. "See.. well..." She was at a loss. "Addison, we want to keep you safe."
Addison let out a chuckle, then a sigh as she rolled her eyes. She ripped her hand out of Emily's as she spoke. "I can tell. You've done such a great job so far." She then tried her best to turn herself away from the brunette.
The agent ignored the hostility in the young girl's voice. She had a right to be angry about the lack of protection she was given.
Emily scooted herself closer to Addison and once again softly grabbed hold of her fingertips. "I know you're upset." She paused for a moment as she watched a wave of frustration run through the teenager. Once she seemed calmer, Emily continued, "I'm sorry that this happened. But please hear what I have to say. I'm here to help you."
"I don't need anyone's help. I'm fine, " she said with a clenched jaw. She wanted so badly to be able to stand up. She wanted to lift herself from the bed and run from that room.
"No, you're not. Sweetie, you can hardly move without something hurting."
"I'm FINE!" She didn't mean to yell, that was just how her words slipped out. She hated being treated like a weakling and she found the term 'sweetie' to be condescending. It wasn't her fault that she was snapping, she had been through enough for one day.
Emily kept quiet for a few moments in hopes of letting Addison's hostility subside.
She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "As of three hours ago, you are dead. In order to keep you safe, we had to fake your death. There was a press conference earlier this evening."
Addison didn't speak. For minutes she stared at Emily as if she did not understand. It wasn't an easy thing to grasp.
"What?! What do you mean I'm 'dead'...? This isn't some Bourne movie. You can't fake my death and send me off! You can't do this!" she yelled in a dry scratchy voice. She was beyond furious. Addison didn't want to play hide and seek with terrorists and killers anymore.
"We can and we have." Emily's voice was firm. "You have two options; I will not question your decision because this is completely up to you. You can move to the United States with me or you can follow whatever protection plan Interpol comes up with. You could have a chance at a very normal life, this could be a new beginning for you." Emily felt guilty; Addison was only a child, this was a lot to take in. She also knew that there was no place safer for Addison than in her protection. Come hell or high water, Emily would not let anything happen to that poor young girl.
She stared at Emily for a moment contemplating.
"Okay, I'll go with you," she growled as she rolled her eyes. She was stubborn and though she didn't want to move across the world with a woman she hardly knew, it seemed a lot better than the alternative.
Emily smiled softly and then began gathering her things. She needed to go talk to Clyde immediately.
Before leaving she turned back towards the angry teenager. "I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk more about this in the morning."
Addison slowly rolled over and sighed. "As if I have a fucking choice." She murmured to herself.
Emily spent the next few days getting herself packed and ready to head home. She cleared out her office and her flat, taking only her most important possessions; the rest of her clothing could be shipped over eventually. Clyde briefed her on how everything was going to be handled from then on; it wasn't going to be easy but he had confidence in her. There was to be a private jet waiting for them at the airport as soon as Addison was released that would take them right to Ronald Reagan International in Washington DC. Once they got there, a car would be waiting for them in the parking lot; Emily had one set of keys and the other was in the glove compartment. They would then head to their new home in Vienna, Virginia.
She checked up on Addison every day to make sure she was recovering well and so she could judge when the teen would be strong enough to travel. Most days-between packing and working out the details for their move-Emily would stop in for a couple of hours and normally just watch Addison sleep. She looked so peaceful and calm until she woke up, then she looked broken. They briefly discuss the plan so Addison would know what was happening. Emily had every intention of keeping her in the loop.
Addison was fully clothed with a pair of black leggings and a baggy sweater. She sat crossed legged on top of her bed watching some kind of horrible British soap opera when Emily arrived. She had two pillows piled on her lap and she was resting her elbow on it with her face in her palm, while the other hand was being held against her body in a sling.
When she finally spotted Emily in the doorway, a small smile spread across her face. She switched off the television and started putting her pillows back. She was getting stronger, though her movements still seemed labored and sore. She was more agile now.
Emily smiled back. Taking the young girl's greeting as an invitation to enter, she walked in, and while doing so tossed a plastic bag onto the bed in front of Addison.
"What is it?" she quickly questioned as she stuck her hand into the bag and pulled a box out. When she realized what it was, her smile dropped. She shook her head in disbelief.
Emily laughed as she watched Addison's expression change.
The teen glanced up with an annoyed look in her eyes. "You're kidding, right? This is some kind of twisted joke, isn't it?!" Addison cried as she shook the box of dark brown hair dye and a pair of scissors. She loved her blond hair, it was beautiful, thick and long, but most of all it was the one physical characteristic that she had developed from her mother.
"It's good that you already have an American accent, but I think it will be very difficult to convince people that you're my daughter if you have blonde hair."
"You can dye your hair," she proposed. Addison knew she wouldn't win this battle but a girl could always try.
Emily took a seat in her regular bedside chair. "Not happening," she said as she let out an airy laugh. She leaned back in the chair while shaking her head in disagreement.
The pathetically hopeless scowl on the younger girl's face made containing her own laughter nearly impossible. Addison was really starting to grow on Emily and though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she was excited to do this day in and day out. She wanted someone she could call hers, even if it was all pretend.
Addison groaned as she slowly got off the bed. "I can't destroy my hair on my own," she said putting her injured arm forward to bring attention to it. She stood in front of the bathroom door and raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for?"
Emily laughed and shook her head then followed the teen into the bathroom.
She helped Addison lift her sweater off and laid towels on the floor, the hard tile would hurt her knees. Emily opened the package of hair dye, read the directions. Addison's hair was long and thick, it would take forever to dye so Emily had no option but to cut it. She sectioned the girl's hair and tied off with elastics halfway down her hair, just past her shoulders. Once the elastics seemed at en equal length, she started cutting. Addison held her eyes firmly shut as she did her best not to move. Losing her hair was agonizing but she understood why it had to be done. Once the ends were even Emily mixed to dye together and began to brush it is into Addie's light hair.
Between dipping and brushing the dye, Addison caught Emily's eyes. "This sucks. I hope you know that this makes me hate you even more."
"I don't like doing this just as much as you do."
"Couldn't we get this done professionally?" she said with a placid tone to her voice.
"We will, once we get to Virginia," Emily responded simply, her hands massaging the color into Addison's scalp.
An hour later, after rinsing and drying the kid's thick hair, Emily stepped back to admire her work. She had to admit, she did a damn good job. Addison's hair was now a rich, dark brown color and the length made her look more mature. It suited her but it would take some getting used to.
"Damn it!" Addison mumbled under breath as she tried to buckle her seatbelt. With only one good arm this was a struggle. The metal buckle slipped from her fingers once again as she cursed her sling.
Emily leaned over and attached the two pieces, then pulled the seatbelt tight around the teenager's hips.
She thanked the agent for the help, though she hated feeling helpless.
The private jet was very similar to what Emily used to travel in at the BAU. The interior had several chairs facing across from one another with tables in between them, and a couch. The girls sat next to each other at a table in the middle of the plane.
As the plane headed towards the runway, Addison reached into her bookbag and found a pack of Excel gum. She popped two pieces of bubble mint gum out of the package and tossed them into her mouth. She then threw her head back against the seat as she chewed vigorously on the gum. Her body became tense and she kept her eyes shut.
Emily looked at her with a raised brow. "Is everything okay?"
Addison looked at the dark-haired agent through one eye and sighed. "I hate flying," she confessed.
The aircraft jolted as it began to pick up speed. Addison could feel her heartbeat in her ears and her breathing quickly became irregular gasps. She held the armrest with all her strength.
Concern filled Emily as she watched Addison fall into a state of panic. She reached out, trying to wrap her arm around the girl's body. "You're okay. Everything is okay," she cooed. She leaned in closer and she held the terrified girl's head against her chest. She ran her fingers through her now dark hair and slowly Addie relaxed.
Once the plane was in the air and the pilot let them know that they were free to move about the cabin, Emily stood up to get a drink.
"Do you want anything?" she asked as she opened the mini-fridge.
The young girl simply shook her head. She was embarrassed; she tried to look out the window and ignore the other passenger's eyes.
Emily sat back down next to Addison and removed a magazine from her bag. She flipped through it, slowly examining the pages before settling on an article about this year's winter fashion. She tried to act like nothing had happened to keep Addison from feeling uncomfortable. It was better to let her "daughter" start a conversation when she wanted to. For now, she would read and try to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head asking her what she was getting herself into.
The plane ride dragged on, and slowly day turned to night. Emily was checking her emails. She needed to tie up some loose ends and figure out how she was going to explain her unexpected homecoming to her friends, and more importantly, her new teenage traveling companion.
Addison had recently moved onto the couch and was now trying to get some sleep. She was finding this to be quite difficult with the incessant sound of typing that was filling the cabin.
She sat up slowly and sighed. "I had a bad experience on a plane when I was little."
Emily stopped typing, showing that she was listening. She turned in her seat so she was facing the girl.
"I was seven and my dad had a conference at Tiantongyuan Kyoto in Beijing. My mom had just died so all the traveling was really new and exciting. It got old fast after that..." She paused. Maybe this was too much sharing.
"That must have been hard, losing your mom," Emily said solemnly.
"She was really sick for a long time. It was a better alternative." Addison avoided the agent's eyes by staring out the window. A distant light was now coming into view, slowly it morphed into millions of houses and buildings.
Emily chose not to respond. There was a lot she had yet to learn about the mysterious child.
"When does it end?" Addison asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked back.
She turned away from the window, pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her free arm around them. The feeling was comforting. She hesitated but eventually began explaining herself. "I've always been in hiding because my dad's work put us in danger. I've been using aliases and memorizing cover stories for as long as I can remember. I know this sounds horrible but when he died, as sad as I was... I felt relieved because I thought that it was all over. I loved my dad, he was everything to me but I didn't have a life. This is just my reality now; it's never truly going to be over is it…?" Tears formed in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away before they had a chance to fall.
Emily pursed her lips and thought about everything she had been through over the past couple of years. If there was one thing she knew, it was that level of paranoia and fear. "The running and the hiding, it's part of you now and every time something bad happens you'll immediately want to disappear. For a long time you'll be afraid to trust and you'll constantly feel like someone is watching you. But, eventually, you'll stop looking over your shoulder and realize that not everyone is out to get you."
Well there it is finally! I hope you are enjoying my story and please let me know what you think! I'm having lots of fun writing this!