Chapter 16:

It took everything Emily had not to say "Finally" when Nicole told her that she had something to say about Jared.

"Why don't we take you to the round table room and you can tell me there?" Emily asked.

"I thought I was charged with destroying evidence," Nicole said, "on the cop shows I watch the person who's charged with anything has to stay in the interrogation rooms."

"You've been cleared of all charges." The group turned to see Hotch in the doorway.

Nicole nervously played with the hem of her t-shirt. "Really?" she asked, looking around at the group.

"Really," Hotch smiled slightly. "We won't be filing charges against you because you're now a material witness in a capital murder trial."

"Did my mom really kill those girls?" Nicole asked quietly, the tears began forming.

"We are still looking into that," Hotch replied. "We will keep you updated."

"What's going to happen to me?" Nicole asked. Her lip trembled.

Mia spoke up this time. "You'll be put into foster care until other arrangements can be made."

"I've heard really bad things about foster care," Nicole said. "Da-Jared said I'd get hurt in foster care, too."

Mia reached across the table to squeeze Nicole's hand. "I am going to try to find an all female house to put you in."

Nicole nodded, but doubt was in her eyes. "Okay."

"Why don't we take this to the round table room?" Hotch asked. They all moved to leave the room. Hotch moved aside and began to walk beside JJ. Emily could hear them talking quietly.

"You okay?" JJ asked Hotch.

Hotch nodded, but spoke quietly "About halfway here, I glanced in the rearview mirror, I didn't see Nicole, I saw Jack when I had accused him of doing something he hadn't."

"I know what you mean. It's a natural reaction on part of the parent to see their child in another child. But we saved Nicole and you can rest easy," JJ replied softly.
*******

"What do you want to tell me?" Emily asked as Nicole sat in one of the chairs in the round table room.

"About how my dad treats me," Nicole's voice was a whisper and Emily had to lean forward for her to hear.

"How does he treat you?" Emily asked quietly, she hated asking Nicole this, she knew it would bring pain, but once they got Nicole out of that house, she couldn't be hurt anymore.

"At night he-" Nicole broke off, but then took a breath as she started shaking, it was clear that she was scared. Tears started rolling as she started talking again. "He comes into my room." Sobs overwhelmed her. Slowly between bursts of tears, she told Emily, JJ and Mia about the abuse. She told them about Jared coming into her room at night and touching her when she was younger. As she got older it got worse, he would rape her and tell her exactly how he'd hurt her or her friends if she talked about it with anyone. The film project that Nicole had mentioned a few days before was child porn; Nicole wasn't sure if it was being sold or put on the internet, but Emily called Garcia to check it out anyway.

Emily glanced at the clock and did a double take, it was nearly five in the evening; Nicole had been talking for nearly two hours. The teen was now curled up in a chair visibly shaking.

"We can take a break," Emily suggested.

"I can still feel him Emily," Nicole said, tears still falling.

Emily closed her eyes. Bad things had happened to her when she was undercover but what had happened to Nicole was beyond horrible.

Garcia came in with a box of Kleenex. The computer tech set it close to Nicole who grabbed a few tissues.

"My computers are still working on getting the information we need. But I could hear her over the phone," Garcia gestured to Nicole. "It sounded like she needed the tissues."

Nicole looked up at Garcia, her eyes widening at the kitten ears, black pumps, neon orange tights, green dress and neon pink glasses that the computer tech was wearing. Normally the outfit would clash because of the bright colors; Garcia, however, seemed to make the colors look good together. "Hi." Nicole said carefully, unsure of who this new person was.

"Hi!" Garcia said cheerfully. "I'm Penelope Garcia."

"Hi." Nicole repeated quietly wiping fresh tears from her face.

"I also want to let you know," Garcia said to Nicole, "that I am using my computers to scour the world for information regarding the 'film project' and when I find the answers I will permanently cyber eliminate all known traces of the dirty guys who hurt you or viewed it."

Nicole smiled faintly. "You know how to delete all traces of a person online?" she asked.

"Honey, the only thing I don't know about computers is how to set a laser printer to stun," Garcia boasted proudly.

Nicole gave a gasping laugh, and Garcia bent to give the girl a hug. "However you feel, it's normal," she soothed gently. Emily remembered that Garcia counseled victims' families.

"I can still feel him," Nicole repeated, hesitantly hugging the computer tech. "I wish it would go away!"

"It'll go away in time Nikki." Garcia said her voice full of emotion, "In time, that icky, icky feeling will be just a memory. You did nothing wrong. You survived…not a lot of people can say that."

Nicole wiped her eyes and Garcia pulled up a chair and sat next to the teen, one arm still around the teen.

"How long?" Nicole asked. "How long until the feeling goes away?"

Garcia hesitated. "It's different with everybody." There was a long pause, before Garcia spoke again. "It may take months." Another pause. "Maybe even years."

Nicole didn't say anything and Garcia spoke again. "There's this one girl I know, she was raped a few times. It took her a long time to be able to say that the abuse was just a memory."

"What happened?" Nicole asked.

"It took her a while, but she surrounded herself with people who love her and she got a really good job and she has an incredible best friend."

"How long has it just been a memory for her?" Nicole asked.

"About 9 years." Nicole smiled a little bit and Garcia spoke once more. "They've been the best nine years of her life."

Garcia kept hugging the teen for a few more seconds before she let go. "I have to go back to my lair; my computers will get me the answers I need soon."

Nicole nodded. "Okay," she said quietly.

"I'll get back to you ladies!" Garcia left the women alone to work things through by themselves. And she needed to weep by herself in the privacy of her lair.