RUNAWAY , criminal minds

020 :: SPRING BREAK.

She then remembered how it probably wasn't the best idea to list off ways she could've died in her lifetime to her very loving, protective father.

"I don't think about my own death a lot. But I think about other people's." Jennie told her father, her tone a bit more careful, "Emily's, Grandpa's, Haley's. I think about how putting the bad guys away will never change the suffering in ache and affliction they caused. How— although they've been caught, they won. They won the battle."

"How so?"

Jennie looked at him, pausing for a moment, placing down a card.

"Because Emily is dead." She finally answered him, "Which means Doyle wins. No matter how much I try to cover it with the fact that he's in prison now— he still won."

The room went silent for a moment, Jennie only sighing quietly. The two went on, placing cards down on the table. After a moment of no progress within the game, the teen spoke, "Seriously? Still no jacks or aces?"

He shook his head, indicating he didn't have any. After placing some more cards down, he paused, looking up at his daughter, "What do you need?"

With him evidently referring to what she needed in order to grieve in a healthy way, Jennie couldn't help but chuckle.

"A jack or an ace."

"Jennie."

"Sorry, I know that's not what you mean. I do still need one though." She told him, placing one more card down, before signing once more, "I need— something good to happen. I need the world to be good. For once, I want to wake up, and not feel tired. I don't want to open my eyes and think about how I have to keep doing this all over again. I want the world to be— decent."

If 14-year-old Jennie saw what 18-year-old Jennie was saying right now, she would probably be shocked at the fact that she said all of that in front of her father.

The room filled with a silence, as Aaron placed one more card down, before looking back up at her again, "I'm proud of you, Jennie. You've made real progress with opening up."

Jennie gave her dad a small smile, "Thanks."

Again, another silence occurred. However, this time, Jennie was the one to break it.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Sorry if this seems like I'm being nosy, but—" She paused for a second, "Me and the team, you're taking the time to help us during our grief. Which— on everyone's behalf, we appreciate deeply. But..."

When the girl trailed off, Aaron furrowed his eyebrows, "What is it?"

She hesitated to continue, "Do you have someone? To talk to? I mean— Are you okay?"

Aaron stared at his daughter for an extended moment after she spoke, looking down, before back up at her. It took him a moment, but eventually he spoke up.

"I will be."

And with those words, Aaron placed another card down, it happening to be a jack.

The girl's eyes brightened, immediately slapping the deck. A small smile formed on her lips, before the pain from her hand for slapping the deck rolled in.