Safe now ( Emily prentiss )

Cafe

Elle found Addie's behaviour slightly strange but decided to ignore it as the girl seemed fine. "Addie? Do you want to watch another movie?"
"Um," she paused, "I think I'm going to go read if that's okay?" Addie looked towards the older woman for approval. Elle nodded, "you don't have to ask for permission to read, it's your house." Addie froze for a second, awkwardly smiling and turning away to her room. Her room. It felt weird hearing Elle call Emily and Jj's apartment her home; was it really her home? Or would she be forced to leave when they realise taking her in was a giant mistake? She shook her head in attempt to get rid of the thoughts and picked out a book she hadn't yet read. Sighing in contentment, she began reading, allowing her mind to be overtaken by the interesting fantasy world of her book.

***

Emily and Reid worked tirelessly throughout the night, only stopping to go to the bathroom or when Hotch forced them take a break and eat something. Jj had been missing for almost 36 hours and they knew they only had so long left.

"Emily, we've got a location." The voice yelled to her. "Emily?" She recognised the voice to be Derek. Frantically, she left the room, heading towards the source of the clamour. "Where is she? Where is Jj?" Her voice broke at Jj's name; she so desperately wanted to hold her girlfriend, to tell her everything would be okay.

Jj hadn't woken up. Whether from exhaustion or dehydration, it didn't matter. Her head lolled back and her eyes stayed firmly shut. When her captor entered, she could hardly hear his distant murmurs, only catching the words, 'Addie' and 'mine'. Though she couldn't make sense of the jumbled works, she payed that whatever he was saying was wrong - That he was lying.

***

The next day, Addie woke up covered in sweat, her brown hair plastered to her forehead. Desperately, she clawed at arms, her vision hazed with dreams. She needed them off. Her wrists sunk into the mattress, weighed down by phantom handcuffs. She scratched relentlessly, tugging at the metal chains yet nothing could make them budge. Her breathing came out in short pants as she twitched around in her bed. Handcuffs. Wrists. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Suddenly, her surroundings came into focus; she heard the sound of the morning traffic and footsteps moving across the kitchen, Emily - no, Elle - must be awake. She sighed, wiping the sweat from between her brows. Not only had her temperature risen significantly but she could feel the start of a headache blossoming in her skull. Great. She knew if she didn't lower her temperature Elle would make her take medicine, so she decided she would lower it herself.

Firstly, she tried a cold compress, dabbing it across her head and body. It didn't work. The girl then opted - to much her chagrin - to take a cold shower. Addie wasn't water's biggest fan, in fact she now considered herself one of its enemies. Elle had worried enough about her the last few days and Addie wasn't a child, she could handle herself. It was difficult for her to find a way to shower without getting her cast wet. If different circumstances she might have asked Emily for a cover, however Emily wasn't here. All she had to do was get in the shower and wait until her fever was gone. Simple.

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, and although she wouldn't call it enjoyable, it was fine.
Except her hair was dripping down her neck; and the water was freezing; and the water kept creeping into her eyes, blurring her vision. She wiped her eyes and looked around the room, hoping to find something to ground herself, to stop her mind drifting but she couldn't. Suddenly she wasn't in the shower. Hands.His hands wandered up her frail body, tainting her soft skin. Water. Her lungs burned as she held her breath. One. Two...  thirty-three...
He finally pulled her head up, allowing her to gulp down some air before doing it again.

When Elle saw Addie walk into the kitchen, the girl had that same fog covered gaze she had had previously. "Hey, Addie. There's cereal if you want it, can't be bothered to cook to be honest. I think I'll shower then we can go out. Yeah?" She waited patiently for the girl to reply. Addie nodded. "When is Emily coming back?" Her voice sounded child like. "She'll be back soon. Promise. Why don't you think of where you want to go today?" Elle said and left to shower.

Addie realised she hadn't explored much of the city with everything going on. Pulling out her phone, she searched for some random landmarks or famous cafes they could try. She smiled, finding a cat cafe she was sure Emily would have loved. The cereal felt like sandpaper against her tongue as she sallowed the last spoonful - task 1 done. After a few more minutes of scrolling, she found a small bakery which looked nice: it looked serene and had hanging plants littered across the walls. It felt homey. When Elle arrived back in the kitchen, she was happy to show the older woman the place she had found. It wasn't too far and they decided they could walk - granted the stayed the same. She heard the click of the door and looked to see Elle had walked out. The woman reappeared a second later, telling Addie to put on her shoes and grab a coat.

Despite the dazzling sunshine, a harsh breeze fluttered in the air, pushing Addie's hair into her face. For the first time in a while Addie felt normal. She was wearing jeans and her favourite purple top - the one she had picked out with Emily and Jj - something normal teenager would wear. And a feeling of warmth filled her chest, instead of the doubt and dread which usually settled deep into her. Elle made casual conversation: school, friends, weather. She noticed Elle pause and shake her head slightly when Addie mentioned her father. She knew her father wasn't amazing but surely he wasn't that bad, she thought to herself.

The cafe was just as it was in the pictures online. The walls a delicate pink, contrasting the abundance of green plants plastered across the walls and windows. The windows - which were more like small doors, letting in a skylight of glittering sunlight - offered picturesque views of the city. It was perfect. They seated themselves in the corner, adjacent to one of the large windows, and stared at the menu. Addie cursed to herself when she remembered she hadn't brought any money. Elle must have seen it on her face because she offered Addie a kind smile and told her she would be paying and to order whatever and how ever much of anything she wanted. "I think I might get a coffee and a piece of cake. How bout you?" Elle said, setting aside her menu. Addie hid a face of confusion. "Cake? But it's the morning." She was already weary of eating sweets, according to her father, sweets were earned and never, ever, eaten before dinner. Elle laughed, "cake can be eaten at anytime." Addie nodded. "Can I have..." she glanced at the menu, mostly searching through the cheapest options. "I think I want the waffles and a tea please?" She mumbled uncertainly. "Of course. You sure you don't want a piece of cake too?" "I'm sure."

"Addie?" Elle said for the third time. "Huh?" "You alright? Is there anything you want to talk about?" "No. I'm fine." Luckily, Addie was saved by the waiter bringing over their food. Addie liked the taste of waffles much better than cereal. Elle saw her glancing at the piece of cake and offered her a bite. "It's red velvet, super good." Elle encouraged. Addie stared at it for what must have been five minutes. "You don't have to if you don't want to. And you can spit it out if you think it's gross." Hesitantly, Addie picked up her fork and took a bit of cake. The flavours exploded in her mouth. "Good right? Knew you'd like it. We can share." The girl nodded enthusiastically, taking another bite of the delicious dessert. "It's so good," she chewed. Elle smiled: it was the first time she had seen the girl truly smile and laugh.

Finishing their drinks, Elle decided to ask Addie about this morning, wondering if the girl had had another nightmare. "Did something happen this morning? You seemed...quiet." Quiet wasn't the right word but it was the best Elle could come up with. "I... had a shower?" Addie looked nervously at the floor. "That's not what I meant." Elle replied. Addie shrugged, suddenly taking interest in the checkered tablecloth. Elle dropped the subject and they went back to discussing normal things. Normal things were better, they helped make Addie feel like she hadn't been kidnapped. Normal things like maths and reading and music. Addie liked normal.