CHAPTER 8

Uninvited Guest

For the remainder of the night, Emily is at home finishing some paperwork. She is sitting down in her office with a coffee cup next to her.

It is rather quiet inside the house, with no noise other than her pen writing on paper.

Ever since Emily took in Dani, she has rarely heard her house this quiet. Dani would be at home watching TV, playing a video game, or playing her guitar.

Emily enjoyed the teen's presence. With Dani living with her, she has felt complete fulfillment in her life.

Before, Emily wouldn't have ever imagined herself taking care of a kid. She has always focused solely on her career.

She never had the time or energy to create a family of her own.

Over the course of the years, Emily noticed how lonely it can get when it came to staying home, with no one to talk to or spend time with.

She felt very fortunate when it came to her meeting Dani, even if it wasn't in the best circumstances.

Emily knows she raised more than one eyebrow when she took in the teenager. There was more than one reason why people were questioning her actions.

The main reason being how Emily met Daniela. People found it rather odd that Emily chose to take in a girl who she had met in a case.

Emily knows that this practice was rare and to some extent, unprofessional.

In the Beurrue, it wasn't quite adequate for agents to get close to people involved in cases on a personal level.

There are many formal reasons but they all summarize in the relationship tampering with the case and the potential of it ruining the objectivity of the agents.

Emily understands these terms but doesn't agree with them. After all, she never lets regulations get between her and something she really wants.

She was stubborn ever since her childhood and uses her stubbornness to her advantage.

She wanted to take Dani in and she did. Ignoring what others would say behind her back because they didn't matter.

The only thing that matters to her is Dani.

Emily stands strong in her decision. From the first day, she decided to take Dani till now.

The main reason for this is because the girl she took in changed her life for the better.

Emily hopes Dani feels the same way.

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The environment was in all full party mode. The music blasting in the background with people dancing and drinking.

The neon lights brightening the scene. A place filled with fun and enjoyment.

It's around ten in the night and Dani is enjoying the party with her friends. They had spent most of the night dancing and laughing with each other.

They were all having fun and enjoying the night.

Dani was sitting with Emma and James on a couch in the living room, watching Amelia flirting with a guy.

The girl was a natural at flirting. Her smile, her charm, and her confidence was a perfect combination that can catch any boy's eyes.

"Sheesh. That girl is always hunting for her next meal," Emma said with a chuckle.

"I don't think I could ever just go up and instantly flirt with a guy."

"I do admire her level of self-confidence," Dani said with a nod.

"I think half of that confidence is from the fourth beer she had," Emma murmured.

Amelia is done talking to the guy and she walks up to the group of friends. Smiling down at her phone, she types something and puts it in her pocket.

"Damn, girl!" James said. "You take full advantage when it comes to a party."

"What can I say. I love the adrenaline," Amelia says with a drunken smile.

"What exactly did he give you?" Emma asked her. "I saw you type something down."

"I secured his phone number and his Instagram," Amelia replied.

"I can't wait for him to slide inside my DM's."

"Look at her. Securing her bag," Dani said while taking a sip of her drink. "Good job, Mija."

"Why weren't we invited to the party!" a group of people yelled, entering the house.

It was the infamous "Chaotics" group. The group of eight kids storms inside the house, looking rather angry.

They pushed through people, going in front of the living room. In front of the group stood a guy and a girl who looked like they were the leaders of this group.

The guy was tall, rather buff, and had tall, black hair. The girl was around 5,4. Pale skin, and mid-length blonde hair. The DJ stopped the music abruptly due to the commotion.

Amelia stood up, followed by Emma, James, and Dani. They were all worried about how she was going to react in a situation like this.

Amelia was always the wild friend of the group. With a couple of beers in her system, she was unpredictable but so was the group of kids who came in.

They know that these people can react violently if they don't get what they want. They just didn't want Amelia to get hurt.

Amelia stands in front of the group, looking at them.

"I didn't invite you guys because I don't want any trouble in my house. You guys have to leave."

The girl steps up so she is only a few inches away from Amelia. She crosses her arms and gives her a demeaning look.

"Oh, yeah? What are you going to do if we don't?"

"I will make you. I'm the owner of this place so I decide who enters," Amelia responded.

"And I decided that none of yall should be here so go on and leave."

The girl rolls her eyes and shoves Amelia, causing her to stumble. Emma quickly grabs a hold of her so she doesn't fall.

The girl gives her an evil smirk. Dani, having enough of this situation, steps up in front of the girl. Both arms crossed.

"That's enough," she says in a stern voice.

"No invite, no party. None of you are welcomed here. If you do anything like that again, this won't end well for you."

"You think you can tell me what to do?" The girl says with an attitude.

She throws a palm at Dani, aiming for her face. Dani quickly dodges the slap and grabs the girl's arm, twisting it half way.

The girl shrieks in pain.

"I don't think I am telling you what to do. I am." Dani says, still holding the girl's arm.

"Did I make myself clear?"

The girl nods and Dani lets go. She backs up to the rest of the group, holding her arm in discomfort.

"Don't worry. I didn't sprain, dislocate, or break anything," Daniela said looking at the girl.

"But I won't make any promises for next time," she says, narrowing her eyes.

"Amanda, let's go," said the tall guy in a rather annoyed tone.

"Shut up Max!" Amanda exclaimed.

She looks at Dani, her facial expression showing pain and anger.

"This is not the end, you hear me? I will show you what you just got yourself into!" she says in an angry tone.

"Be my guest," Dani replied.

Amanda and Daniela stared at each other for a few seconds though, with all the tension from both girls, it felt much longer.

"This isn't over," Amanda said with a scoff as she turned around.

The girl and the rest of the chaotics walk out of the house. Everyone at the party looked at Dani in an astonished manner.

Dani just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Pendeja, she thought to herself.

She then looks back to see Amelia. "Are you okay?" Dani asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you for what you did there." Amelia said with a thankful smile.

"It's no problem."

"Damn, Dani! That was so cool!" James exclaimed. "Calculated and firm. I love it."

"You were a total badass out there, Dan," Ema said, nudging Dani's shoulder.

Dani chuckles.

"Did you really think I was going to let those assholes ruin tonight?" she asked. "Not on my watch."

Amelia nodded and took a beer that was on the counter.

"In that case, let's continue where we left off."

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Dani arrives back home, dropped off by Amelia's chauffeur.

She checked the time, seeing It was five minutes till eleven. Perfect timing, she thought to herself. It was a long night and she was tired.

She had fun, for the most part, dancing with her friends and hanging around with them. Her favorite part was watching Amelia flirt in a drunken state.

She had to admit, she really wanted to have a beer or two. The temptation was hard and lingering. About half of the people at the party had at least a drink.

The cold-brewed beer looked pretty damn good in the eyes of the teen.

Wait... I'm starting to sound like a deprived alcoholic. I am not an alcoholic. I just like to drink once in a while.

Daniela thought to her self.

The only reason why she declined the offer was that Dani knew Emily would kill her if she went back home drunk.

Dani didn't want Emily to take out her cop's side and start interrogating her.

Daniela knew two sides of Emily's personality. One side was her human side, a loving and caring person. Fun to hang around with her sarcasm and sense of humor.

The other side was Agent Prentiss. Authoritative and strict. A serious person that one should not mess with.

The teen preferred her human side. To be honest, anyone would prefer her human side.

She heads up to the building's entrance and goes inside.

Dani reaches the unit's door and unlocks it. She steps inside and takes off her shoes, placing them in the shoe rack. She heads up to the kitchen in order to get a glass of water.

"You're here," Emily says, walking inside the kitchen.

Dani jumps up, startled.

"Ay Dios Mio, you scared me," Dani said as she placed a hand over her chest.

"Sorry, Dan," Emily apologized. "How was the party?"

"It was...eventful," Dani replied, taking a sip of water.

"Eventful?" the agent questioned with a brow raised. "What happened?"

"Ummm. Stuff, a lot of stuff happened. You had to be there in order to understand what happened."

"That sounds rather suspicious," Emily says while narrowing her eyes.

"Did you get yourself in trouble?"

"C'mon now, Em. Cut a girl some slack," Dani said while placing her cup on the kitchen counter.

"All we did was have some innocent fun. Talking, eating snacks, and enjoying the music."

"Nothing else?" Emily asked with curiosity.

"Nothing else to report, Sergent," Daniela replied.

"I'm pretty sure if I did something bad you would be the first to know."

"That is right. I have eyes and ears everywhere," Emily said with a smug.

"I won't doubt that for a second. After all, you are an FBI agent," Dani points out.

"But just to let you know, I also have tricks up my sleeve."

"I won't doubt that either," Emily said as she walked towards the fridge.

"Just remember that I only ask because I worry about you, not to nag you," she said as she opened the fridge and took out a water bottle.

"I want to make sure that you are safe."

"Aww, look at that. You care about me," Dani said playfully while nudging Emily's shoulder.

Emily looks at the teen and rolls her eyes.

"Of course I care about you, kid," Emily said while ruffling her hair.

"If something were to happen to you, who will make me such an exquisite breakfast?" Emily asked while looking at her.

"You would die of breakfast starvation," Daniela answered.

"And that is why I always worry about keeping you safe," Emily told Daniela.

"C'mon, agent. You don't have to go all crazy worrying about me," Dani said as she leans against a kitchen counter.

"I've grown up most of my life as a foster. Living in that type of environment makes someone grow up and mature faster," she casually said.

"I learned to be more independent that way. Trust me when I tell you that I know how to take care of myself just fine."

Emily looks up at Dani, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"I know how responsible you are, hun. You've shown to be a very independent person for your age," she told the girl.

She then reaches for Dani, placing both hands on the girl's shoulders.

"But you are also just a kid. You still need someone to guide you through and make sure you are safe."

Daniela looks up at the agent and can see how sincere she was being. It was weird hearing someone telling her all of this.

The teenager was always used to working things out on her own. She never had anyone who truly cared about her wellbeing other than her mother.

Her mom would be the one who would look out for her and tried her best in taking care of her.

For the most part, her mom did her best in taking care of her. She cared for her, worked two jobs for her, took her to school, and treated her like gold.

Unlike what others said about her mother, Dani knew she was a good person at heart.

It wasn't perfect, obviously. A person hooked up on drugs can only do so much for themselves, making it harder to take care of another person.

But ever since she landed with CPS and social services, things drastically changed.

She no longer had a permanent home. Bouncing from house to house was the only thing she knew from that point on.

She never made any personal connection with any of her foster parents. There was no point in doing that. There were many reasons to keep her relationship with her foster parents neutral.

One of them being that the parents already had so many other children to also take care of, so she never got their full attention.

Another reason she chose to not have a relationship with her foster parents was that it was a waste of time.

There is no point in bonding with someone if it's just temporary.

She was better off not getting attached, that way she wouldn't get hurt.

That is why she, like so many other foster kids, has grown up very independent from the help of others.

It's just how the system has shaped them. You have to figure out things on your own without the help of someone.

But things were starting to change for the girl.

"Huh, I guess you are right," she says.

"I guess I'm not used to that yet," she said rather shyly while scratching the back of her head.

"It will take time for you to get used to it. You're used to doing things on your own but I want you to know that I am always here to help. Just know that having someone to take care of you is nothing to be ashamed of," Emily told her.

"I know you have had a lot of changes but this is a good change, I promise," she told the girl.

Dani nods in response, taking in what Emily told her.

Emily smiles and pulls Daniela closer, wrapping her in a hug.

Her action caught the girl off guard, making her stiffen at first but she quickly warms up to the embrace, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

"I will be heading upstairs to sleep. Don't stay up too late, okay?" Emily told her while still holding the girl.

"Got it. I will be heading upstairs soon too," Dani answered.

"Okay. Goodnight, love," she told Dani as she places a quick kiss on the crown of the girl's head.

"Goodnight, Em."

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It was a typical Sunday morning inside the Prentiss household. Both ladies woke up around ten in the morning, which was a typical time to wake up during the weekends.

Sundays would normally run slowly and smoothly for the both of them.

When Emily wasn't out on a case, she would normally spend her weekends with Daniela. They would either go out and walk around the city, visit the mall, or just simply stay inside and relax.

It is a great opportunity for both of them to catch up after the busy week they both have had.

For breakfast, Emily made pancakes with chocolate chips while Dani helped in making scrambled eggs and sausage.

Emily doesn't know much about cooking but she does know how to make some good fluffy pancakes.

Dani felt safer when she would be inside the kitchen with Emily.

She felt the need to supervise the woman since the last time Emily was left alone in the kitchen, she decided to experiment on trying to make some ribeye steak.

Let's just say, the house was filled with a lot of smoke.

A lot of smoke.

They both finished cooking and served themselves a plate. Both ladies sat down and began to eat.

"So, what time are you going to the BAU?" Daniela asked while serving herself a cup of orange juice.

Though it was a Sunday, Emily still had to finish up some paperwork that was left from her recent case along with a meeting she has with an agent for evaluation.

She hated that she had to go on a Sunday but it was just something she has to do as a Unit Chief.

As the head of the BAU, she couldn't let her responsibilities slide. Even if it meant taking away her free days off.

"I have to be there by twelve so I will be leaving in about half an hour," Emily told the girl.

"Will you take long?"

"No. It should only take me a few hours to finish with everything over there. I should be back by four," She tells the teen.

"How come you ask?"

"I just wanted to know because I borrowed Emma's math textbook and I promised I would stop by her place and give it to her," Dani explained.

"I was planning to give it to her today since you told me you were going to work."

"Sure, you can go," Emily told her.

"Just be careful and be back here by three. I invited Tara over for lunch."

"That sounds great," Dani said with a smile.

"I imagine we will be ordering take out."

"Hey, what if I was planning on cooking us some fine food," Emily said with a pout.

"We both know that isn't true. I'm pretty sure you don't want Tara to see how the oven burns up again," Dani said while drinking a sip of juice.

"That was an accident. I thought I set up the timer," Emily defended herself.

"Look how that ended up. The oven still has the burnt stain on the side."

"It's a small stain," the woman said.

Dani cocked her head to the side with her brow raised with a questioning look. Emily looks at her and sighs.

"Fine, okay. I still don't know how to cook and we will be ordering take out for lunch."

"Don't worry, Em. One day you will master the art of cooking," the girl told her.

"I mean, you have the basics down. These pancakes are amazing," she said while taking a bite.

The pancakes were delicious with the chocolate chip, satisfying both of their sweet teeth.

"Amazing indeed."

Both of them finished eating breakfast and cleaned up before getting ready for their plans. Emily washed the dishes while Dani cleaned up the table. Afterward, they both got ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at Emma's house? I still have time," Emily told the teen while she was finishing putting on her blazer.

"I'm sure. It's only a few blocks away," the girl replied while tieing her shoes.

"I need to take in my daily vitamin of sunlight."

Emily nods and walks towards the girl.

"Okay. I will go now. Remember to be back by three or we will eat without you," she teased the girl.

"That's a cruel thing to say but efficient. I will probably be back before you guys so don't worry," Dani told the agent.

"Alright, see you later," Emily said as she ruffled the girl's hair and got her keys.

"Adios," Dani replied as they both parted ways and left.

As they both stepped outside they were met with a fresh end of summer breeze with a nice temperature.

The sun was shining brightly with minimal clouds. The weather just made the day even better.

What can possibly ruin this beautiful Sunday?