Derek sits silently calmly in the interrogation room as the inmate gets escorted in. The sounds of chains moving roughly, was the only sound that's filled the otherwise quiet room. Derek doesn't even bother to look up, when Martin Daley was forced down in a chair across from him. The guards step back, and Daley studies Morgan; waiting for him to speak. In the 10 years since he's been locked up, the agent has questioned him 7 times. He asks him the same 5 questions, and at first Daley got a kick out of it, but now he just finds it annoying.
"You going to speak Agent, or we going to hold hands." Daley's rough voice gets no reaction from Derek, instead Derek continues to ignore him, paying special attention to the file in front of him.
"You come here to waste my time, Agent Morgan." The comment was meant to be bitter, but all it did was make Morgan chuckle.
"You have nothing but time here Daley." Derek looks up at the man and couldn't help but to notice how much he's aged in 10 years. He was older, and definitely looked weaker. Nothing like that man that was torturing women a decade ago. Daley stares Morgan down for a while, before a sickening grin appears across his face.
"You're here about that bitches kid." Daley lets out a hearty laugh. "I guess it's about that time again Agent Morgan. Go ahead, ask me." Daley puts his hand to his ear, exaggerating the idea that he was actually listening. Derek doesn't speak, instead he watches the man laugh, like he's done before. But this time Morgan had the upper hand, Daley just didn't know it.
"We found him, Daley." Derek says calmly. His voice never faltering, causing the laughter to slowly come to a halt.
"Bullshit." Daley all but growls out. Derek shakes his head, a smile now appearing on his face. "How?"
"You lost Daley." Derek whispers, leaning forward and standing up. Daley sits frozen in his seat, anger building in his chest as Morgan walks over to the door; signaling to the guards he was done.
"Tell that bitch it's not over!! It's not fucking over!!" Daley shouts after Morgan, as he makes his way out without even looking back. The door slams shut, silencing Daley, as Morgan makes his way out of the prison.
xxxxx
"Just a little pinch…" The phlebotomist coaches, as he quickly pokes JJ with the needle. JJ watches as the vile fills quickly with blood, before he pinches it off. He removes the needle, and places a small piece gauze over the needle poke. He lifts JJ's arm up, bending it, before turning and labeling her blood.
"How long?" JJ asks, speaking for the first time since she left her house with Derek.
"Uh keep it on for about 20 minutes. Bleeding should stop by then." The phlebotomist informs, turning to face JJ after finishing his task.
"No uh.. the results." JJ clarifies. His face softens and he offers her a small but warm smile.
"24 hours. Someone put a rush on it." JJ nods at the information, before standing up slowly from the chair. She takes a couple steps forward before stopping and turning to face the unknown man.
"So does that mean there is something to compare it to." JJ asks. Her question was vague and possibly confusing to the man, but she didn't want to ask outright. She was curious if he had been here. If he sat in the same seat she had, or maybe he was on his way here, and that meant it was possible she could sneak a look at him.
"I'm sorry, I just collect the blood." JJ again nods, accepting the answer, before making her way out of the room. Once she steps out, she sees Emily immediately stand up from her spot in the waiting room.
After she left with Morgan, Emily did hang back with the boys, but that was before Penelope showed up at the house, offering to take the boys a little earlier than planned. It was obvious to the profiler, that she had known what was happening, or at least some of it, but Emily didn't have the energy to pry. So instead, she left the boys with Garcia and headed straight over here. She was worried about her wife, and she was worried about what this possibly meant for their family.
She would be lying if she said she was hoping to have a couple extra years to explain this to Henry and Jamie, but that was before. Before when she thought they would never find him, or worse they would find him decomposed in some forest. There was a finality in death, and that that was a luxury they were not afforded. So instead they had to live with the worst thing possible, hope. And hope was dangerous, it was like a cancer. It spread, and spread, and spread until one day it just kills you. Getting your hopes up over and over just to be let down, it was cruel.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Emily asks out of anxiousness.
"It was a blood draw, Em. How do you think?" JJ responds. It came out a lot more bitter than she was intending. JJ pauses for a moment, and takes in Emily's reaction. She wasn't upset, or even surprised at JJ's words. Emily was no stranger to JJ snapping at her, especially when it has to do with their missing son. JJ's faces softens, as she recognizes her words impact on her wife. She sighs and steps towards her wife, gaining a surprised look from Emily.
"I'm sorry ok, I'm just… I'm kinda…"
"Freaking out?" Prentiss finishes. JJ nods immediately, feeling validated by her wife. And why wouldn't she, if anyone in this world could relate to what she was feeling, it would be Emily. Emily felt like she was the one to blame for years. Daley set his sights on her, and had she stepped away from the case or done a million things differently, their boy would still be with them. It took some time, and a little bit of couples therapy for Emily and even JJ to work through that feeling.
"Yea, freaking out." JJ sighs. "Is that wrong, that I'm freaking out. I mean we should be bouncing off the wall, screaming with joy, but for some reason I just feel sad." JJ admits quietly.
Emily looks around briefly, before taking JJ's hand and lacing their fingers together. She nods her head towards the door, and JJ takes the hint, and follows her wife out the door, and into a courtyard with benches. Emily finds the most secluded one, before sitting down on the bench with her wife.
"I feel sad too." Emily admits after they both settle. "I feel sad for all the things we missed."
"I think about him crying for us, and us never showing up." JJ says, her voice filled with tears. "What if he hates us, Em? What if he hates us for never coming for him?" JJ says, a single tears managing to spill over as she tries to hold it together.
"Then we tell him everyday that's not true until he believes us. He's our boy, Jay." Emily tries to reassure.
But part of her has the same fear.
xxxxx
Flashback:
It was late. JJ was sure of it. But when she reached out expecting a warm body, she was surprisingly disappointed. Instead she was met with cold sheets, causing her to lift her head from her pillow to investigate. Her wife usually occupies this part of the bed, except tonight she didn't. She sits up, pushing away some stray blonde locks, before looking around once again. She looks towards the bathroom, searching for signs of her wife.
She furrows her eyebrows when she is once again disappointed. She swings her legs over her bed, her feet coming into contact with the rug that was placed over their hardwood floors. She yawns, before standing up and making her way out of her bedroom. Once she steps out of her bedroom, she scans the entire second floor of their home, looking for any sign of her wife. When she doesn't see anything, she starts making her way down the stairs. She wraps her arm around herself, for she was only in a thin tank top and underwear. She makes it down the stairs and was alerted when she sees a dim light on in the living room. She follows the light, and couldn't help but to smile at the sight before her. In the play pen, lay Emily, asleep on her side, using a stuffed animal as a pillow, while their son stacked his colorful rubber squeaky blocks on her.
"Caden Jareau." JJ whispers, gaining the toddlers attention. "What are you doing up?" JJ asks rhetorically. She knows it's allergy season, and it hits Caden the hardest. He's so congested he can't lay down, which means he doesn't sleep. She assumes her wife heard the boy crying and woke up with him. But clearly sleep had other things in mind for her wife.
"Shhhh momma steeping." Caden's tiny congested voice puts a smile on JJ's face, before she walks over and picks him up from the play pen.
"Let's let her sleep then." JJ says before pressing a kiss to the side of the boys head. She makes her way back up the stairs, promising to give the boy medicine and a nice steamy shower to help with his nose, but not before she flicks the light off for her wife.
End flashback:
"Jay?" As JJ comes out of her flashback, she is suddenly aware that her wife was trying to get her attention. Her wife comes back into focus, noticing the worries look etched across her face.
"Are you ok?" She asks, watching her wife refocus on her. JJ offers a tight smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, and nods her head.
"Yea sorry, I just.." JJ releases a sob, her hand coming to her mouth. They were sitting on the couch, sharing in a bottle of wine, after successfully putting both boys to bed when, Hotch called and told them the DNA results came back. It has been confirmed.
Caleb Thornwood was Caden Jareau Prentiss.
It's not that she doubted Morgan or Hotch, or anyone when they said they found him. But they had leads before, promising leads, and they all lead to nothing. After year 5, JJ started loosing hope they would find him alive, and after 8 years JJ was starting to wonder if they would even find him at all. She was prepared to live with the pain she had in her heart, the not knowing, the unbearable pain she felt every time his birthday came around, or any holiday. She was prepared.
"Jay.." Emily sighs, scooting closer to her wife. She so badly wanted to take her in her arms and hold her. Take away all her pain, but if she was being honest, it felt like 10 years ago all over. Watching helplessly as JJ cried herself to sleep on the couch, no amount of comfort was useful. No words could be said, nothing could be done.
"I'm so sorry, Em." JJ lets another sob escape before her body was racked with them. Uncontrollable tears roll down her cheeks, as Emily pulls the blonde into her side.
"You have nothing to apologize for." Emily whispers, with such conviction, JJ almost believed her.
"You lost a son too, all of this is happening to you too." JJ manages to get out. She feels incredibly bad, and she has for 10 years. For 10 years Emily has been taking care of her and her emotions. From the moment they lost Caden, to right now, Emily has been taking care of her. Her emotions, her feelings, what she needs, it always came first. Who was Emily going to with all of this?
"I'm afraid." Emily says after a long pause. She wasn't sure what she should say. She wants to be honest, but she doesn't want to make it worse for JJ. She doesn't want to add fuel to the fire. There has been plenty of heated arguments over the years, especially in the beginning. Mostly JJ, picking a fight when the emotions got too high, too out of control.
"I'm afraid of what he's been through. We know the statistics Jay. We see the evil humanity has to offer everyday. I'm worried our son was a victim to that evil. I mean Daley he was…" Emily tailed off, catching herself. It felt good to ramble, to say what was on her mind, but she felt like she was crossing a line. But when she looked up, all she was met with was compassion. Her wife looked on with care, and anticipation. Waiting for her to finish, wanting her to finish.
"He was sadistic. He got off on other people fear and pain. I don't…" Emily stops again, tears pooling in her eyes. She shuts them, hoping to keep the tears at bay. She feels her wife's warms hands clasp over her own, causing her eyes to open and see a pair of warm blue eyes looking back at her.
"I don't want to think of him like that." Emily whispers. JJ watches the tears fall from her wife's eyes, and before she had a moment to overthink it, she carefully climbed on top of her wife. Her legs coming to rest on either side of the brunette. JJ's hands come to rest on either side of her wife's face, cupping it gently. Her thumb catches the silent tears that fall down her wife's face, before she leans down and presses soft kisses to her face. After a few moments, the tears stop, but the couple remain silent. JJ pulls back to look at her wife, and to her surprise a pair of warm brown eyes were already watching her.
"We will deal with it as a family. Whatever it is." JJ says softly. Emily nods, as words seem to be lost on her. She can't find the words to accurately express how she feels, but she does know she can do just about anything with her wife at her side.
xxxxxx
The next day, the couple found themselves standing in the round table room, their team slowly starts filtering in. Each one of them had a sad look and a hug to offer them. Reid came with coffee, handing each one of them their preferred drink. Morgan offered to buy them several rounds at the bar that night. Garcia promised to take the boys whenever needed, Rossi came baring expensive scotch, and Hotch offered them as much time off as they needed. All of it was appreciated, but the only thing they could focus on was getting their boy home, whatever that meant.
"So what happens from here?" Prentiss asks after they all settled down and found their seats.
"We build a case the best way we know how." Hotch responds.
"Are we prosecuting the….parents?" The word left a bitter taste in Emily's mouth.
"We are going to build our case, with getting Caleb back as our priority." Hotch informs.
"They will pay Prentiss. The right people will pay."Morgan adds, trying to provide comfort for his friend.
"Ok.." Emily nods weakly.
"Ok." Hotch nods before turning to look at Garcia.
"Garcia." He says nodding his head approvingly. Garcia hesitates, her eyes traveling to her best friend. JJ is staring straight ahead, her eyes trained on the screen; Her usual bright blue eyes were dull with a certain sadness. Garcia takes a deep breath before turning towards the screen herself and pressing the button on the remote in her hand.
"The sweet boy you see on the screen in front of you, is Caleb Thornwood aka Caden Jareau Prentiss." Penelope says, her voice held a hint of sadness as she clicked the screen on and then there he was.
Her eyes flash over to JJ and Prentiss, who seem stuck on the screen. This is the first time they have seen him since he was 5. His icy blue eyes pierced right through the screen, and his black hair was long, longer than he ever liked to keep it when he was younger.
"Thornwood. As in senator Thornwood?" Reid asks.
"And the good observation bonus goes to boy genius. Yes." Garcia turns slightly, again clicking the remote, and pictures appear on the screen.
"Senator Richard Thornwood, was involved in several, and I mean several different scandals over the years, leaving the family virtually broke. He's away most of the year, leaving the mom, Linda Thornwood, who is in and out of rehab facilities, alone to raise Caleb." Garcia clicks the bottom again.
"What is she on?" Rossi asks.
"Pain pills, and a lot of them. She has no friends or family, Caleb is the only one to visit when she is in rehab.
"What can you tell us about him, Garcia." Hotch says, from his standing position off to the side.
"Caleb Thornwood is all that is good in the world. He goes to Valley High Academy; has a 4.3 GPA, which I didn't even think was possible, he's Captain of the varsity football team, youngest in the history of his school, Varsity baseball, he is in band, volunteers at the local children's hospital, teachers describe him as loyal, hardworking, and quote 'one of the best kids I had the honor of working with.'" Garcia finishes turning back to the team.
"He keeps busy." Rossi notes out loud.
"Garcia, if the family doesn't have any money, how are they affording to send him to private school?" Morgan asks.
"Not just private school. Valley High Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in the area. The students include children of Ambassadors, political leaders, and even some celebrities." Reid informs.
"Reid is correct, it is very prestigious, and very hard to get in. And Caleb is there on scholarship."
"Garcia what are these ER reports here." Rossi asks.
"Small injuries, an occasional sprain or break. Concussion protocol has been administered a few times, but all consistent with him being an athlete." Hotch says out loud.
"Yea but look at these dates. None of them line up with football season." Morgan points out.
"He plays baseball too." Reid points out.
"But these injuries are consistent with playing a little rough on the football field, not playing baseball." Rossi adds on.
"I mean look at these dates, February 20th, May 13, July 7th, I mean these aren't even close to being around football season." Morgan thinks out loud.
"These injuries more closely resemble children who are being abused, rather than football injuries." Reid notes. Emily feels JJ go rigid beside her, and she turns her head to see a pained look written across her wife's face.
"If he is being abused, it would make sense that he keeps himself busy. Staying busy keeps you out of the home." Morgan adds.
"I think it's the Senator." Reid says, flipping through the iPad in front of him. "Look at these dates, Senator Thornwood had arrived back in town, a day or two before Caleb showed up in the ER with these injuries."
"He's being abused?" And for the first time, JJ speaks up. All heads turn towards her and she is met with sad faces from her team.
"I'm sorry JJ." Morgan says after a moment. His voice was laced with sadness as he knew what this meant to his friends. They knew it was a possibility that he had seen or been through some really terrible things in the last 10 years. But it was a different feeling actually knowing what he'd been through.
"I need some air." JJ stands up, leaving the round table room in a hurry. Emily stares after her for a minute, before shooting her team a mumbled apology and following behind her wife.
xxxxxx
JJ stands next Emily as their group starts to gather in the courthouse. It's been a whirlwind of a week. It's been only a week since the DNA results came in, and since then they have been non stop, meeting with lawyers and special investigators. JJ has had a hard time processing the evidence that he was being abused, Prentiss hasn't processed it at all. She threw her energy into helping Morgan build a profile, trying to find a way to lock up his so called parents. They had to be connected to Daley somehow, there had to be a connection somewhere and Prentiss was determined to find it. To find where they went wrong.. where SHE went wrong.
And now they stand in the courthouse, waiting to see a judge who is going to decide if they get their son back, or if they will end up going to trial. Hotch and the rest of the team were confident in the evidence they have, but JJ could still feel anxiety creeping up her throat. What if they loose, she will loose him a second time. JJ tried to understand why they were going through this to begin with. It's not like they ever lost custody of him, they should still have custody of him, but Hotch informed her that their lawyer is making a case of establishment. Caleb was established in their care, he was thriving. But their evidence contradicted that statement, so now they have to present all their evidence to a judge.
JJ takes a breath, before turning to look at her wife. She was biting her nails nervously, and JJ couldn't help but to smile. It was small but it was there. She found comfort in her wife just being herself. It was familiar, in this unfamiliar terrain they were in. JJ reaches out, grabbing the hand Emily was chewing on, gathering it in her own. Emily offers her a small smirk, before leaning in a pressing a soft kiss to her lips. It was so soft, JJ almost missed it, but she completely melted at the contact. She knew it was going to be ok.
"Jay." Garcia whispers. JJ turns her head to look at Penelope, but when she looks at her friend, she was looking across the room. When she follows her eye line, that's when she sees him. His head was down, but it was him. He was wearing a dark blue suit, a white dress shirt, no tie, and black dress shoes. He comes to a stop, and that's when JJ noticed the large group of lawyers. He was tall, taller than JJ expected; she remembers the feeling of his body colliding into hers. How his head came up to her stomach. He would rest his ear on her stomach and laugh at the different noises he heard, before turning his head to look up at her with his piercing blue eyes, just like her own. His chin would dig into her stomach as she brushed his black hair from his face. She remembers it so vividly; it was memories like that, that kept her going after 10 years.
He stayed off to the side, and he was clearly uninterested in whatever they were talking about. JJ turns to look at her wife, who was equally entranced by the boy just a few yards away. JJ flashes her eyes back over to the boy, and that's when she sees a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes looking back at her. Her breath catches in her throat as they make eye contact for the first time in 10 years. She watches as he tilts his head slightly, his hands in his pockets, and his focus completely on her. JJ couldn't help but to note to herself she has witnessed Henry doing a similar thing. She isn't sure how long he was staring at them, but she feels Emily's hand squeeze her own. Emily could see a hint of… recognition? His eyes stay on them until someone grabs his attention, his head turning away from them. A few people pass in their line of vision, and when they finally had a clear line of sight to the gang of lawyers, he was gone. It was like the air left her body, he was gone. Again. JJ could feel the tears prick in her eyes, and she moves her eyes around furiously trying to find him.
"JJ." Emily's voice brings her attention back to her wife. "Are you ok?" She asks quietly. JJ nods, despite the tears in her eyes. She knows it's ridiculous, they are going into the same court room, she will see him again.
"You guys ready?" Morgan asks, approaching them with Prentiss at his side. JJ and Emily share a look before nodding their heads, their fingers entangling together as they make their way into the court room. They take their seats next to their lawyers, their family sitting behind them in support.
JJ and Emily watch as some familiar and some unfamiliar people file into the courtroom. They gave polite smile to people who they recognized. Some were cops, some were lawyers, but they were only looking for one face in particular. Their lawyers and Hotch grab their attention, causing them to look away from the people filing in, and before they knew it, the hearing was starting. The judge walked in, giving them permission to sit, before looking down at the file in front of her. JJ tuned out most of it, fighting the urge to turn around and try to find him again, the missing piece of her heart.
"We would like to call Caden Jareau Prentiss to the stand." JJ's ears perk at the sound of his name. She notices Emily starting to look around, and she joins her, she doesn't notice anyone moving, and she looks over to her lawyer. He waits a couple moments before nodding his head in recognition.
"Also known as, Caleb Thornwood." He clarifies. There is a moment of silence, before it happens. Standing up in the back, Caleb stands, buttoning his suit jacket, and walks down the aisle. The bailiff opens the short wooden swinging door for him, as he makes his way over to the stand. He takes his seat, as the bailiff walks over and swears him in.
"Hi Mr. Thornwood. I'm just going to ask you some questions, is that ok?" JJ and Emily's lawyer, Neil Murphy starts. Caleb nods his head in understanding and Murphy nods back to him.
"Can you state your name for the record?" Murphy asks, and Caleb hesitates.
"Caleb Thornwood?" He responds, his voice filling JJ and Emily's ears for the first time since he was 5. JJ's breath catches as she tries to control the overwhelming emotions that were washing over her. JJ has to look away from the boy, in order to keep the tears at bay.
"How old are you?" Murphy asks
"15." His voice again, filling the air. Unlike JJ, Emily had to keep her eyes trained on the boy or she might completely loose it.
"What grade are you in?" And that's how it went for a while. Basic questions answered with basic answers. Emily marveling at how much he was like her wife, yet she saw so much of herself in him.
"Caleb are you aware of why you're here?" Hotch asks, his voice even as always.
"Objection your honor!" The opposing lawyer steps in.
"On what grounds?" The Judge asks.
"Relevance." He fires at her.
"I'm establishing his knowledge of the situation." Hotch explains to the Judge and the lawyer.
"His knowledge is irrelevant. We are here trying to establish if uprooting him from his environment is a mistake."
"His knowledge of the situation just as important as knowing what grade he's in. Gaining an understanding of the environment he's in is a vital part of establishing if it's a so called mistake or not." Hotch says, his voice never wavering.
"His knowledge of the situation has little to no impact on him as an individual." The lawyer fired back.
"Really, knowing your kidnapped has now impact on you as a person?" Hotch feels himself chuckle cynically at the man. He knew it was going to be a dog fight, but he wasn't expecting them to keep Caleb completely in the dark.
"Wait, wait. I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Caleb asks, turning his head back and forth between Hotch and the judge. The bickering between his attorney and Hotch stopped, Hotch turning his attention to the boy on the stand.
"What did you say?" Caleb asks again. This time there was a forcefulness behind his words, something Hotch had experienced from both of his parents. It was almost comforting how much he was like them.
"Caleb, you were kidnapped." Hotch says, his voice unwavering. Hotch watches as his eyes close and his jaw flexes, as he processes this information. Caleb feels his heart to race, and the rest of the world starts being reduced down to darkness and white noise. Caleb forces his eyes open and notice Hotch was moving his lips but words weren't coming out. He could feel his face starting to get hot, and the need to run became overwhelming. Caleb stands up quickly, everyone's attention on him. Hotch immediately notices that he was shaking and tries to calm the young boy, he had been around long enough to recognize the signs of a panic attack.
"Caleb, you should sit." Hotch says, but again Caleb doesn't hear him. Instead he steps down from the stand on shaky legs, but he doesn't let it stop him.
"Caleb?" Hotch tries again, but with every step, Caleb could feel himself get stronger, and before he knew it, he was sprinting out of the courtroom and out of the courthouse.
xxxxxxx
"How'd you find me?" Caleb asks as he sits on the table of the park table. He wasn't sure what brought him here, but he found himself sitting in the place he always felt safe. The place he threw a football for the first time, the place he met his best friend, and the place where he met her.
"I took a guess." Her voice always found a way to soothe him. He lifts his head and watches as she climbs on the table and sits next to him, their knees touching. Caleb sits with his forearms resting on his thighs, and his hands clasped together in front of him. They stay silent, the wind whipping around them gently was the only sound that filled their ears.
"Wanna talk about what happened?" Her voice fills his ears, warming his entire body. Caleb stays silent, opting to just shake his head.
"Ok." She says quietly. She waits a moment before leaning into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Caleb's eyes close, feeling the tears prick at his eyes. He focuses on his breathing, trying to slow it down. He focuses on the warm breeze, the wood of the table beneath him, the warmth of Callie's body against his.
"It's ok." Callie whispers, noticing the signs of an impending anxiety attack. She drags her hand up his back, and up to the back of his neck. She plays with the small hairs on his neck, trying to offer him some comfort. They stay like that for a while, comfortable with just being with each other.
"Let's get drunk!" The unexpected but familiar voice, causes Caleb to snap his head up and see his best friend walking over to them. A smile creeps across his face and Callie lifts her head from his shoulder.
"Why is that your answer to everything?" Callie asks with a smile, though her voice was laced with irritation.
"Cause it works." Jude says laughing. He steps up on the bench, and sits next to Caleb on the table. The three of them sit in silence for a moment, comfortable with just being in each others company. Caleb could hear his brain moving a million miles a minute, but the only thing he could really focus on, was her eyes. How they were just like his, how it made him feel safe. A feeling he hasn't had for a long time, she gave him that in 30 seconds. And now she won't leave his head.
"Look, there is a party with your name on it. Enough booze and weed to get your mind off of all of this. What do you say?" Jude asks, his head turning to look at his friend.
"I have to do something first." Caleb says earning an understanding nod from both of them.
xxxxxxx
"The judge will see you now." Caleb looks up from the floor and makes eye contact with the judge's assistant. She offers him a warm smile, and Caleb returns it. He stands up and makes his way to the large wooden door. He isn't sure what compelled him to come here, or what he was going to say, all he knew is he was here.
"Caleb, come in." The judge by the name of Gale Hawthorne, says to him. Caleb walks through the office, shutting the door behind him.
"Please sit." She says, nothing the teenager awkwardly standing a few feet from her desk. Caleb nods gently, before walking over to the seats that were across from her desk. He sits down slowly, his eyes looking around the office, trying to find something to focus on.
"What can I do for you?" She asks gently. She has seen the evidence the BAU provided. She's aware of the possible abuse Caleb has endured silently for years. She knows with most abused kids, you have to gently coax them, he's here for a reason she knows that. She watches as he looks at all the different degrees and pictures on her walls; Trinkets to commemorate her greatest achievements.
"I'm sorry.. for uh, storming out." Caleb says after a few moments. The judge doesn't speak, she instead leaves him the space to elaborate if he wanted. But when he didn't, she hums softly in understanding.
"It was a lot to take in." She says, trying to offer the boy validation. Caleb nods, his eyes still traveling around her office.
"You know, I've been a judge for almost 20 years and I've seen some bad stuff. Some outrageous stuff, even some incredibly happy stuff. But this… it's a lot." She says, pausing to watch how the boys eyes have stopped looking around, and have found focus on something behind her. "I can't imagine what this is like for you." She finishes. Caleb remains silent, his eyes filling with tears as his eyes flash over to the judge. Judge Hawthorne feels her heart break, seeing the pain shine in the young boys eyes.
"I used to dream about them." Caleb says, his voice cracking with emotion. "They told me it wasn't real. They were just dreams. That my biological parents didn't love me, didn't want me. But when I saw them today, it's like I knew. They weren't dreams, they were memories." Caleb feels the tears fall from his eyes.
"I'm sorry I left. I'm just not sure what I can offer. I don't even know what's real." Caleb says, his voice oddly calm for the tears that were falling from his eyes. "I just want to stop hurting." Caleb finishes, this time in able to help the sob that escaped from his throat. His head falls forward, as his arms rest against his thighs. Caleb isn't sure how long he was sitting like that crying, but when he looks up, Judge Hawthorne was squatting down next to his chair, her warm brown eyes attempting to provide him with comfort.
"A life was stolen from you, and that was out of your control, but your parents, your real parents, they want you Caleb. They have looked for you and they never stopped." She whispers with conviction. Caleb keeps his eyes on the older woman, finding comfort in her words.
"Some things are so broken… I'm so broken, what if I can't be fixed."
"You are not broken. You may be a little bruised, but you are not broken." She says with such conviction, he almost believed it.
"Let's get your life back." Caleb nods his head, and the judge nods with him, before standing up and walking around to the other side of her desk. She picks up her phone and presses a button. She speaks into her phone, informing her assistant to reconvene the hearing. After she hangs up, Caleb stands up slowly, gaining the Judges attention.
"What happens now?" Caleb asks, his voice smaller than he anticipated.
"Well, I'm going to get everyone back here and tell them my ruling."
"And what is your ruling?" Caleb asks, studying the Judge carefully.
"You will be remanded into the custody of Jennifer Jareau-Prentiss and Emily Prentiss by Sunday at 10 am." Caleb pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, as the gravity of the situation falls over him.
"I don't want to be here when you tell them." Caleb says after a moment and the Judge nods in understanding.
"Ok." She says softly, she walks around her desk and sticks her hand out to the boy. "Good luck Caleb." Caleb takes her hand, shaking it softly. He offers her a small smile.
"Thank you." He drops her hand, before waking out of her office.
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Review!! I'm excited to hear your thoughts and predictions. Next chapter we will get a good insight into Caleb and what's going on with him.
