We're Gonna Be Okay (Emily Prentiss)

Chapter Thirteen

Emily's hand being wrapped around hers slowly began to register in her brain, the feeling entered her hand stinging but present, "I can't do it." she whispered softly,

"What honey?" Emily asks, taking her hand and brushing the hair out of the teen's eyes which had begun to fill with tears.

"Wash my hair," her voice quivered a little more with each word, "or look at myself." little whimpers turned into silent sobs.

"Look at me," their eyes met. "We can fix the hair part, when was the last time you showered?" Emily questions, Emily knew better than to respond to the second comment right now, the teen had just been through so much trauma on top of trauma. She knew how it felt, and she knew better than to push. So instead she offered a distraction- one they could work with. The teen shook her head,

"I can't remember."

"Can you sit up for me?" Emily asked as she began to sit up herself,

"I can try '' Alvyia tried to lift her head off the floor but like glue it was stuck her whole body felt like jello. Emily noticed and slid her arms under Alvyias slowly helping her shakily walk to the bathtub.

"Ali-'' Emily notices the bandage on her arm had become crimson,

"You need to change that. Can I help?" The women offered the teen sitting in the bathtub shivering,

"I don't want you to see." The teen says more into her knees then to the women who stands above her. 

"See what?"

"That I'm a monster-'' The teens voice begins to crack as she dissolved into a puddle of tears, "You'll hate me."

Emily's heart broke, she looked at the teen, her knees were pulled to her chest, her golden locks falling around her grey face, her body shook in fear and exhaustion. Emily sat beside the teen, the bathtub wall separating their bodies, Emily gently guided Alvyias face to where their eyes locked, pushing back a stand of the teen's hair she whispered

"I don't think you are a monster, I never have and I never will. Your scars won't change that, they don't change you." Emily's pointed to Alvyia's heart, " Wait here."

Emily quickly went to check the bag Clara had left on the couch by the window. She searched through the bag until she found what she was looking for; a pair of flowy navy blue shorts. When she was asked to pack all the weather she did. Seeing as Alvyia was in the bathroom and there was no one else in the room Emily changed out of the dirty bloody pants and white t-shirt she had on into the shorts and a hoodie with a little black cat on it. Pen and JJ gave it to her as a going-away gift, and Emily wore it anytime she got a chance.

After changing she took a deep breath and returned to the bathroom sitting on the opposite edge of the tub across from Alvyia. After another deep breath, Emily rolled up her shorts to her underwear line revealing a scattering of scars, most of them were white and a few still were a light shade of fading purple. JJ was the only one who knew about her relapse after Doyle, she had called her from Paris in tears- JJ was on the next flight out. Alvyia's eyes lit up ever so slightly Emily could not quite place the emotion, the teen scooted forward in the bathtub till she was looking right at them.

"Just like you," Emily began and continued to tread carefully asking, "Does having scars make me a monster?"

Alvyia looked up at Emily, her piercing blue eyes looking for something in Emily's brown eyes, she shook her head.

"Does it make me weak?" this time Alvyia found her voice,

"No." she said with a subtle conviction,

"So why does it make you?"