Chapter 19

The next couple days were difficult for Alex who was having a hard time with all the emotions that came with the funeral. The teen spent most of Thursday laying in her hotel bed, not quite feeling up to much else, and Emily and JJ allowed her, watching movies and making small talk, doing their best to let the young girl take her time to grieve.

While Emily would have liked to let the teen take more time, she needed to begin packing the teen's things to move while she still had JJ around to help her, and since Emily was reluctant to leave Alex alone she asked the young brunette whether she would like to join them at her house or be dropped off at Rachel's. Emily had expected to be asked to drive the teen to her friend's house, but was surprised to hear Alex say that she would join the two Agents at her house.

Going back into the house had been hard for Alex, but Emily watched as the teen took a big breath, squared her shoulders and walked in, keeping her chin up as they decided where to start.

It was now late Saturday morning, and Emily, JJ and Alex were in Alex's bedroom, packing up the last of the things that she intended to take with her to DC. The three females had come up with a system the day before, separating things to get shipped to DC, things that would be brought in the teen's suitcase and things that would be donated. The day before Alex had remained relatively quiet while the three of them packed, but Emily was happy that the young girl seemed a little chattier today.

"Okay so how about these clothes?" JJ asked pointing to the back of the teen's closet.

"That's mostly winter stuff," Alex replied. "I guess it can go in a box to get sent with the movers."

"Alright sounds good," JJ said, grabbing a box as she pulled out clothes and began taking them off their hangers.

"Man kid, I have never seen so many clothes in my life," Emily joked, from where she was pulling clothes from a large dresser and packing them in a suitcase.

"What can I say, I'm a teenager," Alex laughed filling boxes with books off her bookcase, every now and then putting one aside to donate.

"Don't let her fool you Alex," JJ called out, "I've seen her closet."

"I do not have this many clothes," Emily defended.

"Maybe not," JJ replied, "but you definitely have more shoes."

Emily looked like she was going to argue that point, but then closed her mouth.

"Exactly," JJ laughed, continuing with her work in the closet.

Alex's bedroom walls were now empty, and most of her things were packed and ready to go, a task that took part of yesterday and all of that morning to complete. As Emily finished up with the clothes in the dresser, she moved to help JJ finish with the closet, while Alex packed up the last of her books, a task which the teen insisted had to be done by her as her books were incredibly important to her.

"Well we're all done," Emily announced. "How are you doing over there kid?"

"Almost done," Alex replied, taking a moment as she considered the book in her hand, eventually placing it in the box to go to DC.

"Alright well why don't I go pick us up some lunch while you help the bookworm over there finish," JJ suggested, laughing at the glare she received from the teen.

"Sounds good," Emily replied, "Chinese?"

"Mmmm yes!" Alex called out.

"Okay then, I will be back soon," JJ replied making her way out of the room.

Emily moved to join Alex in front of her bookcase, smiling at the amount of books that had been packed to move, while only a handful had been placed in the donation box.

"So are you going to let me help you with this?" Emily asked.

"Okay, but don't put anything in donation without asking me," Alex said.

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied with a smile.

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Half an hour later, after all the books were packed and ready to go, Emily and Alex made their way downstairs to the kitchen where JJ met them a few minutes after. Alex, who hadn't been eating very much since her parents had been killed a week ago, happily dug in to a carton of fried rice, a sight that pleased Emily very much.

"So you're leaving tomorrow?" Alex asked looking to JJ.

"My flight's at 6pm," JJ answered nodding. "I have to get back to work on Monday. Someone has to keep the team in line."

"That's for sure," Emily laughed.

"And what about us?" Alex asked biting her lip.

"I'm thinking by Friday if we can," Emily answered watching, as the teen seemed to consider this. "Or later if you want."

"Okay," Alex answered quietly, continuing to pick at her food, though slower than when she started.

"Penelope is just itching to meet you," JJ said, hoping to keep the atmosphere light, knowing how easily the teen gets upset. "She says it's unfair that she's the only one who hasn't met you yet."

This put a small smile on Alex's face, having heard all about Penelope from Emily and JJ the day before.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Alex replied, interested to meet this apparently vibrant woman who worked at the FBI.

The three continued to eat in relative silence, making comments every so often, and chatting about trivial things. Upon finishing their lunch, the three cleaned up quickly, looking around as they considered where to go next.

"Well we can get anything from down here packed up," Emily decided. "Shouldn't take too long. There isn't much we're bringing to DC with us right?"

"Just the pictures from the living room," Alex replied, biting her lip as she glanced toward the front room anxiously. "Could…could I maybe go get started in my parent's room? I mean most of this stuff is being donated or left here…you don't really need my help do you?"

"No, JJ and I should be able to handle it," Emily responded, understanding why the teen was hesitant to spend time in her living room.

"Alright, well…you know where to find me," Alex said making her way out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"To the living room then?" JJ asked pointing towards the front room.

"To the living room." Emily agreed.

Emily grabbed a box from where they were sitting in the front foyer, grabbing some tape and bubble wrap, and making her way over to where JJ was standing in front of the wall of family photos.

"God she was so adorable," JJ smiled, taking down a photo of a 2-year-old Alex and holding it up to Emily who was taping a box together.

"Yes she was," Emily replied with a smile, handing JJ some bubble wrap to put the picture in.

"It's crazy how much she looks like you," JJ continued, pulling down a picture of a slightly older Alex. "I mean look at this smile, that is an Emily Prentiss smile right there."

Emily laughed as she took the picture from JJ and started wrapping it.

"She does seem to take after me doesn't she?"

"She's your mini-me that's for sure," JJ replied, taking another frame down and wrapping it up to pack.

The two continued this work, admiring each picture, as they watched the young brunette grow up through the pictures.

"So how are you feeling about everything?" JJ asked as they pulled the last picture off the wall.

"Still nervous I guess," Emily admitted. "I mean she seems to be doing better, but she's still having a hard time. I'm just worried about what leaving Chicago is going to do."

"It's going to take some time, but I'm sure she'll warm up to DC," JJ said. "And she seems to be warming up to you."

"I just want us to have a good relationship," Emily replied. "I just really want to be a good mom."

"You will be Em….you already are," JJ assured her friend. "Trust me. Just keep doing what you're doing. You two are going to be fine."

"Thanks Jayje," Emily smiled. "Speaking of the kid though, I'm gonna go check on her."

"Sounds good, I'll keep working down here."

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Emily made her way upstairs, turning down the hallway to make her way to where she knew Meredith and Matthew's bedroom to be. As she poked her head around the doorframe she looked around seeing that the room was empty.

"Alex?" Emily called out, looking down the hall but seeing no movement, feeling slightly panicked.

"In here," Alex answered with a sniff from somewhere in her parent's bedroom.

Emily followed the teen's voice, entering the room and making her way over to the walk-in closet, poking her head in to find a sight that tore at her heart.

Sitting on the floor of the closet, underneath all of her parent's clothes, Alex was curled up wearing a Northwestern University sweatshirt that was far to big for her, a box of things strewn out on the floor around her.

"Oh sweetie," Emily whispered, sitting down beside the teen.

"I miss them," Alex said quietly, leaning her head on Emily's shoulder as a tear ran down her cheek.

"I know honey," Emily replied placing a kiss in the young girl's dark hair.

The two sat in silence, as Alex continued to cry softly, eventually moving to wipe the tears from her face.

"I like your sweater," Emily broke the silence.

"It smells like my dad," Alex explained, tucking her face into the neck of the sweater, looking tiny in the large sweatshirt. "It was his favourite."

Emily nodded, looking around the closet floor at the things that had clearly been torn out of the box that was sitting empty beside the teen.

"What's all this?"

"Stuff my mom kept…pictures and memories and stuff," Alex explained, reaching beside her to pick up a photo that was sitting there. "I found this in there," she continued, handing Emily the same photo that Emily had given her from her wallet.

Emily smiled, taking the picture that had been her lifeline for the last 13 years.

"I guess we can both have a copy," Alex said, letting Emily keep the one in her hands. "I wonder why she never gave it to me."

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Emily replied softly.

"Did you ever think about keeping me?" Alex asked surprising Emily.

"I did," Emily replied, brushing some hair off the teen's face. "I met a few couples before I met your parents and they were awful…They were all about money and power and I didn't want my child to grow up in one of those families," Emily explained. "So I thought maybe I could do this…maybe I could get a job and figure out some way to make it work. Then the adoption agent brought your parents in. As soon as I met them I knew what I had to do. They were exactly the kind of parents you deserved. They could give you everything I couldn't, and I just knew they would love you no matter what…so I let you go."

"You definitely gave me the best parents I could have asked for," Alex said with a sad smile. "I really love them."

"They love you too," Emily reassured putting her arm around the small girl.

"I'm nervous about moving," Alex admitted quietly. "I want to move…but I'm scared."

"I know honey," Emily said running her fingers through the teen's hair. "But I'm going to be there for you and so is everyone on my team. I know it's not always going to be easy, especially at first….but we'll get through it I promise."

At this Alex once again placed her head on Emily's shoulder. The teen had been through a lot in the last week. She had experienced a million different emotions, and while she was still scared, and sad and a million other things; sitting here, wrapped in Emily's arms Alex felt like maybe, just maybe everything would turn out okay.

Alright guys! So this is the last chapter of this story and I hope you liked it! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and favourited it! Everyone has honestly been so great! So I'm definitely going to continue with this storyline in another story which I will hopefully be able to start posting by the end of next week (working tons this week sorry!). So keep a lookout for the next story and thanks again for reading!