A/N: Alright, alright. I know I haven't updated in god knows how long. Lately, my update schedule has been out of whack, because of other things going on, senior year, etc,.

Thanks for all the alerts/favorites/reviews! I love them so, so much and I'm glad you guys are showing interest in the sequel! If you haven't noticed, I changed the cover! One of my friends drew this for me, and although she doesn't have a fanfic account, I'm gonna say her name anyway. Brieanne, you rock, thank you so much!

"Haley? It's Kate..."

Haley's stomach dropped. This voice sounds urgent. This voice that Kate used, was used a total of four times. This was the fifth time, and Haley and Hotch made it perfectly clear that they were happy with their four children. Still, she wanted to hear this story. Haley excused herself from the dinner table and paced lightly back and forth. "Kate? What's wrong?" Hotch's eyebrows knitted with confusion and concern, along with their children who looked up briefly while silently eating their meals.

"Kate?" Haley asks again, after she hadn't gotten an immediate answer.

The other person on the line sighed. "Look, I know that you guys are done fostering, and you have your own family, but...you know how I told you how times are getting desperate and how children are finding less and less homes?"

Haley knew where this was going. She always did. "...Yes?" She wanted to hear it herself. "Give me a second, don't hang up." She covered part of the phone with her hand and said to her family, "Excuse me." She uncovered the phone and climbed up the stairs to her bedroom. "Tell me Kate, what is it?"

Kate sighed again, proceeding to go into a long explanation. "There's this girl, she's nine years old, and she's been homeless for the past six or seven months."

"Homeless?" Haley said, sounding horrified. "How...where are her parents?"

"Her parents perfectly made it clear that they didn't want her. They're facing serious charges for severe child neglect. Basically, they threw her out on the street." Haley waited for her to continue, somehow, she knew there was more to the story. "One of her...friends, it seemed, was shot in front of her. She tried and tried calling for help, but no one would listen and her friend passed away. She's pretty shaken, I never seen anything like this in my life."

Haley's heart ached for the girl she didn't even know. "That's terrible."

"Yes, I know," Kate said, clearing her throat. "But...my point is, do you think that you can take her for a few days before she gets settled into a new home?"

There it was. That's what Haley knew what was coming. The blonde mother was a little reluctant. "I don't know, Kate...we've just settled in with our new neighbor, and school's been getting busy, and—"

"It's for a few days, I promise," reassured Kate.

Haley grinned wryly. "You said that about Emily too, don't you remember?"

"Okay, I can see why you're hesitant," Kate said in understanding. "But this girl, she's been rejected so many times by other families that I've lost count in this hour. Please, Haley, I promise it'll be for a few days if you get tired of her."

Haley sighed and rubbed her temples with her free hand. The thought of a homeless girl at the tender age of nine freezing in this weather, it must've been awful. Then again, she shouldn't make a rash decision like she did those other times. Sure, those decisions were the best decisions of her life, but her family came first, and she needed to make sure they were safe. "Can you give me time to think about it?"

Haley heard Kate's disappointed sigh. "Alright, call me ASAP, please?"

"I will." The latter hung up the phone, burying her face in her hands. "Ugh, what to do..."

"So, I'm rejected again for the twentieth time, I think it is?" Penelope asked Kate, who was still waiting at the station as she watched Kate for almost an hour try to contact various foster homes.

"No, you weren't. This couple needs a moment to think about it, that's all," Kate tried to reassure Penelope, but even she started to lose a little hope for her. That has never happened in any moment of her career. Yes, there were many kids that were rejected from homes because they were either disabled, emotional disturbed, or any other excuse the family could think of. Kate, however, never felt so sorry for a girl, a child, who was homeless for such a long time. Prejudice against the homeless existed, and children were apparently not exempted from that.

"No one wants me," said Penelope, looking down at her battered shoes. "No one wants a homeless girl, no one. I'm a street rat, right? A thug. People don't take in people like that, you know." Her words stung Kate's heart so badly, it just wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair to this girl, and though Kate was losing hope as the clock ticked and got later and later, she said: "Have a little faith."

"Do you know who Shane is?" asked Penelope, looking desperate. "He was also my friend, but he went missing after the shooting. I don't know where he went, and I'm worried."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Kate said sympathetically. "I've met many kids, and you're one of the bravest I've ever met."

There was a lot going through Haley's mind as she got that phone call. Yes, although that was a sad story, didn't all foster kids have some sad story or background? Haley couldn't just accept that story at that moment, not right now when her dream of a family was filled, but what if this little girl had the same dream? But at the same time, she didn't even know the girl's name! How would this nine year old girl's dream be filled if she was moving from family to family?

As much as Haley wanted to make sure she got a nice warm meal and a good shower, she had to think of her own family first. Don't get her wrong, Haley would absolutely take her in temporarily, but it was the rest of the family's opinion that mattered just as much as hers, if not more.

If Kate was truly struggling with foster home placements, Haley should've known that she would've eventually come to her for help. Even when she and Hotch made it clear that they weren't going to have more foster kids, that four was enough. Right after Derek was taken it, that's when Hotch drew the line to Kate, which she accepted without a problem. Now, however, things were changing, things were evolving and devolving, and Haley didn't know how to feel about that.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts of the future. "Haley?" She turned around to see her husband watching her in concern. Hotch wrapped his arms around her neck from behind her. Haley's face only relaxed a little bit, since her thoughts were still racing. "Haley, what is it? The phone call?"

"Kate's really stressed out, and it's making me stress out," Haley explained. "Aaron, we're good people, right?"

Hotch gave an amused chuckle to lighten the mood. "I'd like to think we are, no, I know we are." He was more concerned that she didn't laugh at his attempt to make light of things, which only made him more worried. His voice is serious. "Haley, what's wrong?"

She sat down on the bed and gestured him to sit next to her, which he did, as she beat around the bush of the topic. "Remember when Kate told me that a lot of kids weren't getting into foster homes lately and how things have been tight?" Hotch nodded, signaling that she should go on. "Well...Kate is very desperate, it seems, and she can't find this little girl a temporary home, who's been rejected by many foster homes based on the fact that she was homeless."

"How old is this girl that she was homeless?" asked Hotch.

"Nine years old," replied Haley, and even Hotch felt a pang of sympathy. "Aaron, can you imagine being homeless for six months as an eight or nine year old?"

"Can you imagine a child under the age of eighteen being homeless, period," said Hotch, with a shake of his head. "What happened to her parents?"

"Her parents made it abundantly clear that they wanted nothing to do with their daughter, and yes, they're paying the price for neglecting their child," Haley said, sensing what questions may come her way.

"Good," Hotch said firmly. Silence fell between them, and Hotch gave his wife a knowing glance. "She asked you to take in the girl, didn't she?" His voice is neutral, not sounding hostile.

Haley nodded silently. Hotch continued, "Well, what'd you say?"

"I said I'd have to think about it," she answered. "I wanted to check in with you first, what do you think? This girl has been neglected for god knows how long, I just—"

"Haley," Hotch said firmly, but softly after seeing his wife's eyes go wide with sadness and fear. "Breathe, Haley." She did so, closing her eyes as she composed herself. "You're overthinking it."

"Am I really though?" Haley said sadly. "She watched her friend die, Aaron."

Hotch's eyes went wide briefly before returning it to its normal state. "That's...that's awful."

"That's how she was found," said Haley. "The point of the matter is, what do I do? Should we take her in?"

"Haley, listen," Hotch said calmly, because someone had to be. "I love you, and you're a good person, and since you feel so strongly about this, I'm okay with this. But...I don't think it's about what we think, I think it's a family decision. Our kids should know what's happening, and what's going on."

Haley nodded in agreement. "Right."

"Their opinions are important, it's not like they're foster children anymore, they're our kids, they're adopted, but they're our kids," began Hotch. "We're a family. If we're going to bring in a foster child into this home, we need to see if they'll be okay with it." He felt Haley's hand touch his, grabbing it so they could go downstairs and talk to them. She ushered him of the bed and down the stairs, where their children were looking at them with what could be curiosity, concern, or maybe both.

Their dinners were finished, which was also a good thing.

Emily pretended to look all serious. "Are you two getting a divorce?"

"Statistics show that fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce," added Spencer, looking up from the table.

"No, we're not getting a divorce," said Hotch, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in front of her. God, sometimes he could understand why Emily rolled her eyes a lot, it could be somewhat satisfying. "But we have something to discuss with all of you."

"Everyone to the living room on the couch," ordered Haley, which everyone did so, following Haley and Hotch. As soon as they sat down on the couch, Haley began to speak. "Remember when Kate brought you guys here? The worker from CPS?" All of them nod, not knowing where this was going. "Well, I've just received a call from her."

"No way," Derek immediately said, frightening Haley as she thought he had deduced what was going on. "She cannot split us up, we're not foster kids, we're adopted!"

"Derek, how many times have we told you that you guys won't be split up?" Hotch asked, though it was a rhetorical question. "That's not why Kate called. That'll never be why Kate will call."

"What is it then, spit it out, because you guys are making me nervous," JJ said, feeling herself tense up. "What is it?"

Haley didn't want to explain herself again, Hotch saw that in her eyes, so he took over. "There's a girl, who is nine years old, who's been homeless for around six months. We don't know her name, we just know that she was homeless and is nine years old, and that some horrible things have happened to her. She's been rejected from many foster homes based on the fact that she's homeless. Now," he paused. "Things are different. You four are adopted. Legally, we're your parents, not by blood but heart, and that's all that matters."

"Dad, you know that I think that's very moving and touching, but please, just get to the point," That was the impatient voice of Emily.

"We're asking all of you, if you think that's an okay decision, if this girl stays with us just for a little bit, before she finds a more permanent solution," Haley said, finally speaking up about this topic. "We're family, and we'll decide this together as a family, because your feelings matter too, your opinions count."

Silence.

It was like time stood still, no one knew exactly what to say to that.

Looking at their children, they didn't seem mad, angry, upset, or any negativity. However, they couldn't tell if their expressions were positive, really. It was really, really difficult to tell.

"I mean," said Emily, clearing her throat to speak after the long silence. "That's pretty rough, and I can relate to the bad things happening part of what you told us, I think all of us could." She paused, before continuing. "But...I don't want it to seem like I'm pitying her or anything, the last thing I'd want, if I was in her shoes, is pity. But if she's here, then I don't think that she should get freebies on things, just because she was homeless. I don't mind if she stays here, as long as she doesn't cause problems."

"So you're okay with this?" Hotch asked, which Emily clarified with a nod.

"Okay." Hotch's eyes went to the next person, which was JJ.

"I don't mind either," says JJ. "I just hope she's nice, like Emily said. It's not like she's a permanent member of the family in one day, right? It's temporary, like you said."

Spencer went next. "Do you think she follows the Facial Expressions Chart?"

Emily and Derek covered their laughter with a snort.

"She might," offered Haley, trying to cover up her own smile.

Thinking about it for just a second, Spencer nods. "That's good enough for me."

"I think she should come here," Derek said, sounding adamant. "I mean, she's been homeless for so long, and if her parents aren't here, then that's rough on her, we all know how that felt, with our biological parents. But, she hasn't probably experienced love and stuff, and that was pretty hard on me growing up. I can kinda relate to her. So I'm okay with this."

"Are all of you sure?" Hotch said assertively, one final time. He watched as they positively nodded their heads, not one of them showing harsh judgment.

Haley nodded at this answer, slightly relieved, as she picked up the phone and dialed Kate's number. "Kate? It's Haley...we've made our decision."

A/N: And scene! Ha, ha. Well it looks like Penelope will be arriving at the household. What will she say when she finally meets Spencer, the boy she stole from? And how will Derek react seeing her again ever since the cafeteria? What about Penelope when she makes eye contact with Derek?

Please Review!

~Sammie