Hello my friends!

Chapter 2 is here, and I hope you like it. I wanted to set things up for the trouble that Alex will be getting herself into, and I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter (I've got lots of ideas). So enjoy this one, and I will do my best to get the next one done and up as soon as I can!

Enjoy! -J

Chapter 2

She was tied to a chair. The rope binding her wrists and ankles was tight; surely cutting into her skin as she attempted to loosen the knots, hoping to get away. Her attempts were to no avail though, as she pulled and pulled, the bindings never budging as tears began to fall down her face.

"You're wasting your time," a gruff voice told her as she noticed the man, whom she didn't recognize, standing in the doorway. "They're not going to come undone Alexandra," he said, the teen shuddering, unsure how this man knew her name. "You're just going to hurt yourself."

"Who...who are you?" Alex stuttered.

"I think you know the answer to that," the man practically sneered. "I mean I'm sure your mother must have warned me about you."

"P-Parrilla?" Alex asked nervously. "Isaac Parrilla?" She repeated as the man nodded, an evil looking grin on his face. "You're not going to get away with this," she said, once again struggling against the ropes that were binding her to the chair. "My mother's going to find me."

"What makes you think your mother is looking for you?" Parrilla asked. "I mean if she really cared about you do think she would have left you?" He continued, moving closer to the teen as he pulled out a large, sharp knife. "I mean come on, she had to know I'd find you…that I'd come after you," he said. "So why would she leave you alone? Why wouldn't she stay home and keep you safe."

"She..she was," Alex replied, her uncertainty evident in her voice. "She loves me…she'll be looking for me."

"Oh Alex, so young, so naïve," Parrilla said, lightly dragging the knife up the teen's arm so as not to actually cut her. "Your mother's out of town. Her team is on a case. They don't even know you're missing yet," he continued. "And by the time they figure out that you're gone it'll already be too late," he said, pushing the knife down harder now. "I'll be done by then and you'll be long gone."

"No!"

"No!" Alex shouted bolting up in bed, her breathing heavy and filled with panic as she flicked on her bedside lamp, searching the room so as to assure herself that Isaac Parrilla wasn't there. "It was just a dream," the teen sighed out loud, grateful for the fact that her mothers didn't hear her shouting from down the hall. "It was just a dream Alex, calm down," she told herself.

Alex knew what Emily and JJ had told her about Parrilla. She knew that the team were doing everything in their power to find the man who had kidnapped and tortured young girls who looked just like Alex, before eventually shooting Emily in the shoulder and escaping. Her mothers had reassured her more than once that she had nothing to worry about, and yet the teen couldn't help but feel anxious and her anxiety was never more evident than when she slept.

The nightmares had begun as soon as Emily had returned to work, despite the fact that the team hadn't even caught a case since her return; meaning they had been working from Quantico and were home every night. Alex worried about the ladies getting a case all week and could only breathe a sigh of relief when they made it to Saturday without getting called away. And yet the nightmares continued. The teen's fears and insecurities regarding Parrilla appeared in her dreams and every time she woke up she couldn't help but let her doubts creep into her waking thoughts as well.

Because the Parrilla in her dream had a point. Why wouldn't her mother stay with her until the killer was caught?

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"Jareau," JJ answered her cell phone while doing her makeup in the bathroom mirror the next morning, not bothering to check the caller I.D first.

"Hey JJ," Hotch's voice came through the phone. "Sorry to bother you at home, but I just wanted to let you know that I got a call and we're going to need to head to Cleveland as soon as everyone gets here," he explained. "We've got a serial rapist whose first victim was just murdered. Chief of police called me personally."

"Okay, why don't you fax me the details and I can go over it on our way over," JJ suggested. "I'm guessing the media is going to be a madhouse on this one."

"Definitely, which is why I wanted to warn you," Hotch replied. "I was actually thinking of calling the team and just having everyone meet at the airstrip so we can leave straight away. We can brief on the plane."

"That's probably a good idea," JJ said, nodding even though her boss couldn't see her. "I can call Reid and let Garcia know too if you want."

"That would be great, thanks JJ."

"No problem Hotch, we'll see you soon," the blonde replied before ending the call, placing her phone down on the bathroom vanity.

"You talking to yourself in here crazy girl?" Emily said, poking her head into the bathroom with a goofy grin on her face.

"Actually I was on the phone," JJ replied rolling her eyes at the brunette. "Hotch called. We've got a case in Cleveland. Serial rapist whose first victim was just murdered."

"Which means we could have two unsubs," Emily states.

"And the media is going to be nuts," JJ nodded. "We're meeting at the airstrip to save some time. I need to call Reid and Garcia to let them both know."

"Alright well while you do that I'll go wake the kid and let her know we're leaving," Emily said, leaving forward and giving the blonde a chaste kiss. "I'll meet you downstairs beautiful."

"With toast? With peanut butter and jelly?" The blonde asked with a smile.

"You got it," Emily laughed, making her way out of the bathroom; hearing the blonde dialing her phone as she made her way through the master bedroom, grabbing her briefcase before heading towards her daughter's bedroom.

Knowing Alex liked to sleep as long as she could before getting up for school, Emily knew the teen would still be asleep; not bothering to knock before letting herself into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of dark hair sticking out of the covers, the rest of the teen burrowed underneath. Making her way over to the bed, Emily sat down on the edge of the bed pulling the covers down so she could see Alex's face.

"Lex," the older brunette called, brushing her fingers through her daughter's dark locks. "Lex baby time to wake up."

"No," Alex groaned, turning over so her back was to her mother. "Go away. Too early."

"Actually your alarm should be going off in like five minutes," Emily said poking the teen's ribs and earning a disgruntled groan in reply. "Baby, come on Jen and I are leaving soon. I just wanted to let you know you're going to have to stay with the Hastings tonight."

"What? Why?" Alex finally responded, sitting up quickly and looking and her mother with wide, worried eyes.

"Because we have a case," Emily replied slowly, unsure why Alex seemed so confused. "We're leaving for Cleveland, I'm not sure when we'll be back."

"Oh…right…fine," Alex replied shortly, suddenly unable to meet her mother's eye. "I'll uh just come and pack a bag after school."

"Okay," Emily nodded. "Well why don't you get ready and come down and say goodbye before we leave okay? We'll probably try to leave in the next half hour or so."

"Yeah sure," Alex replied, pulling the covers off. "I'll be down soon."

"Sounds good," Emily said, leaning forward and placing a kiss against the teen's head. "Love you sweetheart."

"Yeah love you too," Alex replied, desperately trying to keep her worries out of her voice.

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"Alex was acting kind of weird this morning," Emily said when she and JJ were almost at the airstrip; the brunette at the wheel, while her girlfriend sat in the passenger seat, reading over the files Hotch had faxed them before they left. "Don't you think?"

"She seemed quieter than usual," JJ replied, looking up from the file. "But it was early. She's a teenager; she's probably just having a teen day. You know how it is."

"Yeah I know," Emily sighed. "But it seemed like more than that. I mean you should have seen her face when I told her we were leaving. It was like she was surprised and considering how long we've been doing this now you'd think she'd be used to it."

"Well it is the first time we've been called away since you came back to work," JJ pointed out.

"Yes, but I didn't even take that much time off," Emily countered. "So why would that matter?"

"Em you got shot," JJ said, turning towards the brunette with a disbelieving look on her face. "You got shot on a case and now you're going back out in the field. She's probably scared."

"We talked though," Emily replied. "Last Sunday before I went back. We talked about me going back and she told me a million times over that she was okay."

"Emily she's a teenager," JJ sighed. "AND she's a Prentiss. You know she's not going to come straight out and tell you she's scared," she said. "We worked from the office all last week. She saw you every day, so she knew you were okay, but that's going to be different this week. She's not going to see you; she's not going to know you're okay."

"But…" Emily began, pausing as she bit her lip, taking in what JJ had just told her. "God I'm an idiot," she eventually huffed as she made the last turn into the airport parking lot.

"You're not an idiot," JJ assured the brunette, reaching over and taking her hand. "You just believe your daughter when she tells you that she's fine and you trust her to talk to you when something's wrong," she said. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you have to remember that she's not always going to do that."

"So what do I do?" Emily asked, turning to the blonde with wide, worried eyes. "I mean should I not go?"

"You have to go," JJ replied. "You know that, but I definitely think you need to call her and talk to her," she said. "Just reassure her that you're going to be just fine and do your best to keep in contact with her while you're gone so she knows. Chances are she's going to keep being quiet and a little disconnected but it'll make her feel better. Even if she doesn't tell you."

"You're right," Emily nodded, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you, I just…thanks," she said, looking up with a small smile.

"Anytime," JJ smiled. "Now come on, let's get to Cleveland and solve this thing so we can get back to our girl okay?"

"Okay," Emily agreed, taking a deep breath as she got out of the car, willing herself to get her head in the case so she could worry about her daughter when they got to the hotel that night.

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"What's up with you this morning?" Spencer asked as she followed Alex off the bus in front of their school. "Why are you so quiet?"

"I'm just tired," Alex replied, not looking her friend in the eyes. "My mom woke me before my alarm so her and JJ could say goodbye before they left. Guess I needed those five extra minutes."

"Oh," Spencer said nodding in understanding. "That sucks. Where were they going this time?"

"Cleveland," Alex replied as they made their way into the building.

"Right," Spencer replied. "Well if you want we could watch that movie you wanted to watch last week tonight. Have a lazy night."

"Yeah sure," Alex nodded, still not meeting Spencer's eyes as they headed towards their lockers.

"Hey are you sure you're okay?" Spencer asked again, grabbing Alex's arm and forcing her to turn around and face her. "Lex."

"Spencer I'm fine," Alex snapped, seeing Logan coming up behind the taller brunette. "Just drop it okay?"

"Hey you," Logan greeted, placing a kiss on Alex's cheek. "Hey Spencer. You guys okay?" He asked, suddenly noticing the tense looks between the pair; Spencer still holding Alex's arm.

"We're fine," Spencer replied, plastering a smile on her face as she let go of her friend's arm. "I just remembered I have to meet Zoey before class though. I'll see you guys at lunch," she said, throwing Alex one last worried glance before walking away.

Watching her friend walk away, Alex then turned towards Logan, smiling as she met the blue eyes of her boyfriend. "How was your weekend?" She asked.

"It was pretty good," Logan replied with a smile. "But I missed you. I feel like we never get to see each other anymore," he continued. "Which is why I think I should come over after school today. We can do our homework together or something. How does that sound?"

"I wish we could," Alex sighed. "Mom and JJ got a case. They're probably already in the air on their way to Cleveland. I'm staying with the Hastings so…"

"Oh right," Logan replied disappointedly.

"As soon as they're back we can do that though," Alex quickly told him, wishing she could just spend her afternoon with her boyfriend at her house despite the rules that had been set out when they started dating. "And we can have a date night this weekend. Go to dinner. The movies. Whatever you want."

"Sure," Logan nodded, once again with a smile on his face. "That sounds perfect," he said, placing another kiss on Alex's cheek. "I can't wait."

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Alex did her best to keep her focus on school that day, but with each hour that passed the teen became more and more exhausted; her thoughts beginning to drift to the dream she had the night before. The more she thought about her dream, the more worried she became.

She knew her mother loved her. She knew there was very little the older brunette wouldn't do for her, and yet she couldn't understand how she could just leave her when Parrilla was still on the loose. Despite what her mother had told her about keeping her safe, Alex's nightmares had inserted doubts in her mind; doubts that were no longer going away when she was awake.

The teen's thoughts became so plagued by her worry that when her cell phone began to ring later that night as she sat at Spencer's desk working on her homework, she considered not answering it. Deciding that her mother was likely to keep calling until she did answer though, Alex hit the answer button before bringing the object to her ear.

"Hi Mom," Alex greeted, her exhaustion evident in her voice.

"Hey sweetie," Emily replied. "How's it going? How was school?"

"It's good, school was school," Alex responded, feeling slightly awkward. "How's…how's the case."

"It's…awful," Emily sighed, unsure how else to describe what was going on in Cleveland. "It's definitely a bad one, but I don't want to talk about that," she explained. "I just wanted to talk to you about this morning."

"This morning?" Alex questioned. "What about this morning?"

"Well you just seemed a little…off I guess," Emily explained. "I just want to make sure that you're okay honey I mean if there's something wrong then,"

"Mom I'm fine," Alex quickly interrupted, her voice sharp and slightly irritated.

"Really because you don't sound fine," Emily replied, realizing that her own irritation and tiredness was seeping through her voice; taking a deep breath in order to calm herself down. "Alex if you're worried about me being away you don't need to be. I mean we talked about this remember? I'm going to be just fine. The team will be looking out for me, just like they always are."

"It's not…it's not that," Alex denied, not sounding very convincing. "I'm fine okay? Nothing is wrong," she continued. "I was tired this morning and I just have a lot on my mind. It's fine."

"If you have a lot on your mind then talk to me Lex," Emily replied, sounding disappointed. "Honey I'm here to listen, always. I really hope you know that."

"I…I do," Alex replied quietly, biting her lip as she considered whether or not to bring up her nightmares, just as Spencer came into the room; quietly making her way towards her bed as she noticed her friend on the phone. "Listen it's nothing okay. I've really gotta go though, I still have a ton of homework. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," Emily sighed. "I'll call tomorrow night when I can. I love you sweetheart."

"Love you too," Alex quickly replied. "Night," she said before hanging up, immediately turning towards her homework; feeling Spencer's eyes on her back.

"Was that your mom?" Spencer asked.

"Yep," Alex nodded, still not turning around.

"How's she doing?"

"She's good," Alex replied, looking over her shoulder. "I really need to finish this though," she said gesturing towards her notebook.

"Right, sure," Spencer smiled, opening up her own books as she lay out on her bed, falling silent as they both began their separate assignments.

Though Alex's attention was on her notebook, the teen couldn't focus; wondering if perhaps she had done the wrong thing in not being honest with her mother. She knew Emily would be upset with her if she knew she was hiding her nightmares from her, but she honestly wasn't sure what to say. Because for the first time since they had met in Chicago; since she had found out the truth about who Emily was, Alex just didn't know how to talk to her mother. And she didn't know what to do about that.

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The next chapter the trouble begins! :)