Don't own anything.
When Emma's alarm went off at 6 am, the last thing she wanted to do was get up. But she remembered that today was the first day she could return to running. Getting up, she went to the bathroom where she left her clothes. Tying her hair in a messy bun, she brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face. Grabbing her phone and earbuds, she made her way downstairs. Kensi bought her a case to wrap around her upper arm so she could put her phone in there while she ran… she would have never thought of that. Leaving Julia a note by the coffee maker, she made her way to the door to get her shoes on. Emma loved that she could do this again; she's never felt so free. No Olga, no Daniil. Just her music and the fresh air – well, sort of fresh air. She was happy and could do this whenever she felt overwhelmed or needed a break. Emma ran for about an hour before she headed home. Walking into the kitchen she could smell eggs and bacon but found Zach in front of the stove, not Julia. She almost forgot he was home for a second.
"Good morning, Emma." Zach said with a smile.
"Good morning, Zach." Emma said as she went for the kettle.
"I just boiled it, so it wouldn't take that long to heat up again." Zach said as he dished food up into plates.
"Thank you." Emma said without looking up.
"Good morning, you two." Julia said as she walked in.
"Morning." Zach and Emma said together.
"How was your run?" Julia said as she filled her mug and then Zach's.
"It was good. Forgot how it felt to clear your head by running." Emma said as she got up to get the chilli sauce she found at the farmer's mark one weekend.
"I'm glad you're getting back into it. You need something other than work and school." Julia said as she started to eat. "I have to head downtown. Do you want me to drop you off?"
"That would be great, if you're heading that way." Emma said as she finished her breakfast. "I need to go take a quick shower."
Placing her plate in the dishwasher, she grabbed her mug. "Thanks for breakfast."
"You're welcome." Zach said as she left the kitchen.
"So, what are you up to today?" Julia asked Zach.
"Have to drive down to Pendleton. Have a few people I need to go see." Zach said as he cleared the table. "So does Emma drive?"
"No, she takes the bus. I think she said she'll worry about it over the summer and then take her test later. She loves taking the bus. She couldn't do it before, so that's something big for her."
"So, Emma comes from an abusive household?"
"Let's say, she's been through a lot. Not just physical abuse but sexual and emotional abuse too. For her, just eating whatever she wants or being able to walk out of the house alone, is a big deal."
"That's just sad." Zach said as he sat back down.
"I know but she's slowly getting better. Just give her time and take it slow with her. Remember what I always tell you about kids like her."
"Take it slow, let them see that they can trust you and that you are here for them."
"It's right and she's learning to trust the people around her." Julia said as she touched his hand.
"I'm ready if you're ready to head out." Emma said standing in the doorway.
"I am. Do you have your tea?" Julia said as she went to get her purse.
"Almost forgot." Emma said as she reached for her travel mug.
"And your water bottle?" Julia asked with a smile.
"Already have that in my bag." Emma said as she poured her tea in her travel mug.
"Are we seeing you tonight for dinner?" Julia said as she walked toward Zach.
"Of course. I've missed your cooking mama." Zach said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Dinner is at six remember."
"I remember, mama. Pixie, have a good day at school." Zach said as he walked up the stairs.
"Have a good day, Zach." Emma said as she smiled and shook her head.
The days passed quickly and before Emma knew it two weeks where gone. Emma was happy to have the weekend. She had a lot of assignments due in the coming weeks, so getting an early start on them is always good.
"What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?" Kensi asked as she parked in front of her mom's house.
"Let's say just after 10. I want to see if I can get my body to sleep past 6 am." Emma said as she grabbed her bag.
"Sounds good, see you then." Kensi said before she waved to Emma and left.
Emma walked into the house and changed her shoes. She placed her backpack at the bottom of the stairs and headed into the kitchen to wash her hands. The house was quiet and Emma knew Julia would be back in a bit. Opening the fidget, she looked at what she could make for dinner. Grabbing some vegetables and chicken, she placed the ingredients on the counter and went for her apron. She took out the cutting board and started to cut the chicken and then the vegetables. She was about to start cooking, when she heard the back door open.
"Hi Pixie." Zach said as he walked in.
"Hi Zach." Emma said with her back to him.
"How was school?"
"It was good. Just glad it's weekend." Emma said as she added the chicken to the pan.
"What are you up to this weekend?" Zach asked as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"Kensi, Nell and Aunt Michelle are taking me shopping. And you?"
"Just hanging around here. Deeks asked if I wanted to go surfing with him so that I might do that." Zach said as he sat by the counter.
"You can't keep him out of the water. He wants to teach me to surf but not so sure I would like that."
Over the last few days, Emma started to talk more and looked up when she spoke to Zach. He knew that that meant she trusted him more every day.
"You might enjoy it."
"I need to become more comfortable with water again. A swimming pool, I'm okay with but not the ocean." Emma said as she stirred the vegetables.
"Can I ask you something?"
Emma just shook her head yes.
"When you were with… Uhm… when you were with…" Zach couldn't find the right words.
"When I was with clients." Emma said.
"Yes, when you were with clients, what did you do when you weren't being abused? You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Zach said holding his hands up.
"Sometimes we just went to a museum or the zoo. Sometimes they booked the pool for just me to swim while they're doing some work. When I was younger, they would take me to a park to sit on the swings. It depended on the client and what their business was with JJ and Olga." Emma said as she turned off the stove.
"It must have been a lonely time for you."
"It was but I never wanted them to see that I was weak. So, I just zoned out for the weekend and if they left me alone for a while, I would just read. I never wanted them to see that I was studying. I didn't want them to have more power over me. So, I just played the little girl in the corner."
"You're a lot stronger than me. I don't think I would've been so…"
"So dumb for falling for it." Emma said but quickly turned around. She didn't want him to see her cry.
Zach got up quickly and placed his hands on her shoulders. Turning her around, he made sure she was okay and brought her in for a hug.
"You are far from dumb. People took advantage of you and it wasn't your fault. They were supposed to be your caregivers. They were supposed to keep you safe but they took advantage of your trust. You are smart and strong and you are safe with your family. Never blame yourself for what they did to you."
"I'm sorry. I'm crying all over you." Emma said as she tried to move but didn't put effort into it.
"Cry on me. That's okay."
Julia just stood in the doorway looking at the two of them. Emma started to open up more; sometimes, she didn't even know she was doing it. It was good that she trusted them so much with the information she shared. Zach was right, she is a lot stronger than most of them. She's a fighter. All she needed to learn now, is to believe in herself.
"Well, something smells good in here." Julia finally said.
The two of them separated fast, and Emma turned her back to Julia.
"It's all her. She started to make dinner before I even got home. I was going to offer to cook but she beat me to it."
"You mean you were going to order pizza and pretend that you slaved over the stove all day." Julia said as she came to hug Zach and then Emma.
Emma looked toward Zach and she could see his mom was right.
"I did that once and you wouldn't let me get away with it."
"Nope, I'm keeping it to tell your wife and kids one day."
"That's going to be a long wait mama." Zach winked at Emma.
"So, what are you cooking young lady?" Julia said as she got herself a glass of water.
"Chicken stir fry." Emma said as she handed Zach plates and napkins.
"I guess I'm setting the table." Zach said.
As they ate dinner, they talked about school and what Zach was up to before getting an assignment. Julia told the two to go and find something to do while she cleaned up the kitchen. Luckily for Julia, Emma cleaned as she cooked. So she didn't have that much to clean. Living with Emma was an adjustment for Julia. She's never had a foster child who had OCD or was so meticulous about everything they did. But Julia wouldn't have it any other way. She never had to tell Emma to clean her room or take out the trash. She never had to ask her to pick up her shoes or put away her things because Emma rarely left anything around. Julia entered the living room to find the two of them just starting to watch a movie. Sitting down next to Emma, Julia brought her in for a hug. Emma never thought she would be such a snuggle bug but she liked it. It made her feel safe; it made her feel loved and she never wanted that feeling to go away. Just as the movie ended, Emma's phone rang. It was Sam with his nighttime check-in to update her on how Callen was doing. Callen was still unconscious in Georgia, but the doctors were optimistic that he'd recover. After hanging up with Sam, Emma asked if anyone wanted some tea. Zach offered to make it for her but said she could do it since she was already up. Julia knew that after Emma made her tea, she usually went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day with the girls but Julia was happy that Emma had a support system around her now that she needed it the most. And Emma needed to get out of the house and not be stuck with schoolwork. They opened her bank account and NCIS was putting her paycheck in there but Emma made sure to put some away in a savings account. She didn't like spending money when she didn't have to. NCIS was paying Julia for taking care of Emma and that money, Julia placed in an account for everything Emma needed. Emma said goodnight and went upstairs to take a shower. Sitting on her bed, she listed everything she wanted to get tomorrow. She knew the girls would help her with the things she needed and she appreciated it so much. Making sure her phone was charging, she sipped her tea and wondered how different her life had turned out. She liked the change and it was slowly sinking in, that she could now think about the future and what she wanted to do with her life.
Kensi picked Emma up at ten and went to pick up Nell. Michelle and Kam were meeting them at the mall and then the boys will meet them for lunch. Emma had just picked up the girls' coffee order, when she heard Kam yelling her name.
"Emmy." Kam yelled. She pushed through the people around her.
"Hi Kam Kam. How are you?" Emma said as she hugged her.
"I'm good. School is hard."
"Of course, it is. But it will get better, you'll see."
"Hi Emma-Grace." Michelle said as she hugged her.
"Hi Aunt Michelle." Emma said hugging her back.
"So, you're ready for this?" Michelle smiled.
"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this started, shall we."
Emma found everything she needed with the girls' help and it didn't even take that long. While shopping for a bathing suit, Emma pointed out that they only found her one piece. When Kan asked her why, Michelle told her that some people prefer to wear a one-piece, but she didn't want to tell Kam that Emma still had scares on her back from being burned. It was something the little girl didn't need to know or see… well nobody has to see them but Emma. All the clothes she bought and wore, coved the scare not just the ones on her back. She lost count of how many she had; sometimes she would look at them and think back on the day she got them. Most were from Daniil and some were from the clients, but the ones Olga gave her were the ones that stood out the most. Emma never thought about what she'll tell a boyfriend, if he asked about them if she was lucky enough ever to find one. Not that she was thinking about dating anyone anytime soon. She liked her freedom. She knew she wanted to finish school and tried to get her life going before she thought about a relationship. When they met with the boys, Emma was surprised that Zach came with them. She liked Zach - he was funny, smart and didn't push her to talk. He would ask a question and always said that she didn't have to answer if she didn't want to. But she trusted him just like the rest of the group, and she knew that he would never judge her for what she did in her past. Julia phoned Emma around 5 to find out if they'll be home for dinner but they told her they'd just grab something for her on their way home so she didn't have to cook for herself. Zach and Emma ordered Julia food and Michelle insisted on paying for everything… that got Kensi and Deeks going because they wanted to pay. Emma excused herself and went to pay while they were still arguing at the table but found Zach with the waitress at the bar ready to pay.
"Hey, no fare. I wanted to do that." Emma said as she smiled.
"Well, you're welcome to handle the tip if you want to."
"Deal." Emma said as she took out $100 and handed it to the waitress. "Thank you and sorry for the noise level."
"That's fine. As long as you guys had fun, I'm happy." The waitress handed Zach the bag with Julia's food.
They could hear Michelle and Deeks talking about who would pay as they walked back to the table. But as soon as they saw the bag, they knew that was the end of that argument.
"Come on guys, that's a low blow." Deeks started to say but Kensi gave him one look and he zipped the lip.
"Well, you snooze, you lose." Zach said with a grin. "You need a ride home?" he asked as he turned towards Emma.
"Yes, please. Then Kensi doesn't have to drive all the way there and Nell's apartment is on her way home too."
"Sounds good. Need help with your bags?" Zach offered.
"Nope, I've got it." Emma said as she started to pick up the bags. "Kensi, Nell, Aunt Michelle thanks for the shopping trip. I needed it. Kam Kam, I'll see you soon." Emma bends down to hug the girl. "Boys, make sure the girls get home safe." Emma said to Eric and Deeks.
"Will do. Drive safe and see you Monday, Pixie." Deeks said as he slapped Zach on the back.
The car ride home was silent. Neither had much to say; they were just happy the day was a good one. As they stopped at the house, Zach grabbed all the shopping bags as Emma carried the food into the house. As he walked into the house, she saw his mom hugging Emma and asked if she had had a good day with the girls. Zach went to place Emma's bags in her room as she helped his mother heat up her food and tell her about her day. As he passed her chest of drawers, he saw a picture frame. Walking over, he picked it up and just looked at it. The woman in the picture looked just like Emma but with lighter hair.
"That's my mom." Emma said as she walked into her room and saw him looking at the picture. "Hetty found it for me."
"She looks just like you but her hair is lighter and your eyes are lighter. She was beautiful."
"That she was. I can see what Callen saw in her when they met." Emma said as she took the picture frame. "Thanks for bringing those up. Before I forget, I got you something." Emma went to one bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped gift. "I know you're heading out soon."
Zach just stared at her. "How?"
"I'm sorry, I overheard your phone this morning. Does your mom know yet?"
"No but I'm going to tell her after dinner. And don't worry, I'm not upset that you knew before her." Zach said as he took the offered gift. "What is this?"
"Open and see." Emma said with a smile.
Zach opened the box and just looked up at Emma. "You didn't!"
"I did." Emma giggled.
Zach took out the little iPod. "This is awesome! Thank you so much."
"I know you can't have your phone and you miss your music so I got you the next best thing. Nell helped me as she knows what you can take with you and what you can't. Promise I didn't say that you were leaving. Just told her you wanted one for so long."
Zach scooped Emma up in a big hug. "Thank you. This is awesome."
"You're welcome and just come home safe."
"I promise you I'll come home in one piece."
"I can live with that." Emma smiled as he hugged her again.