Safe now ( Emily prentiss )

...

When they arrived back at the apartment Addie was barely present, her eyes glassy and thoughts spiralling. Elle had to help her take her shoes and jacket off or else the girl would be lying on the sofa with her boots on. Elle frowned as she watched Addie stare blankly at the tv.
Her immediate thought was to call but Jj but she couldn't. Calling Emily would send panic through her and she didn't need any more stress... Elle furrowed her eyebrows and decided she and Addie would watch a movie; she hoped it would calm the girl slightly, at least enough for them to be able to talk. Sorting through movies, one movie in particular caught Elle's eye - Inside Out. It had been a movie she remembered watching vividly; Jj loves Disney movies and practically forced her to watch ( Elle hid a smile the whole time, not giving Jj the satisfaction of knowing she had liked the childish movie ). It seemed like a good choice, though she didn't know if Addie had already seen it.
Throughout the movie Addie gravitated towards Elle and they soon found themselves huddled together in the corner of the sofa, Elle softly brushing her hand though Addie's short hair and Addie watching the movie with curiosity. Addie was fourteen and knew there wasn't actually little emotions running around her head but the movie comforted her in an odd way. She liked the idea of having core memories and islands and that you could look back at a happy memory and feel sad and that a memory could be more than one emotion at a time. When Riley ran away, Addie understood how she felt; how sometimes emotions could just disappear and leave her blank, running on fear and adrenaline entirely; how sometimes her mind felt clouded by the abundance of emotions she was feeling and knowing she would do anything to quiet them...

"I think my Joy has got lost too." Addie blurted out, sneaking a glance at Elle before lowering her eyes to the ground. Elle took a moment to kept her voice even as she replied, "I thought my Joy died once, but she came back. My friends helped me find her. I think she was crushed by some heavy memories or maybe she ran away for a bit... You're joy isn't gone forever. Is there something specific that your Joy is maybe hiding from?" Elle removed her hand from the girl's hair and shifted to face her. Addie's eyes roamed the floor and walls. "Addie?"
"My father lives next door...he... when I was..." Addie stumbled over her words, helplessly trying to piece together her thoughts. Elle was patient and nodded her head as Addie spoke. "It was raining when he took me. He said it was a car ride - a trip. But... I... he still loves me. Even if he didn't want me... I know he loves me still. He cares about me. But he hurt me... not directly I mean... gave me away to... I didn't do anything wrong. I had been good. It wasn't my fault, I didn't do anything wrong. He left me... and I woke up alone in a dark and damp room." She finished, stuttering her last words but managing to end the last sentence without a sob escaping her. She wasn't weak and she didn't need anymore pity. Despite her brave facade, tears were threatening to spill and she desperately willed them not to. Elle continued nodding, reflecting upon what the small girl had just admitted to her. "It wasn't your fault. You did absolutely nothing wrong...What was done to you, against your will, had nothing to do with the person you are or your past actions, okay?" Elle talked so confidently that Addie almost fully believed her. She hoped the older woman was right; she needed Elle's words to be true.

Jj struggled to keep balance as her captor tightened the cuffs that restricted her. "Why?" She mumbled, her words fading quickly into the stagnant air. "Why what? Why Addie? Or should I say Ariadne ? She's such a pretty little girl." He tormented. "It's a good deal: her in place of you. I'll treat her nicely..." he whispered into her ear. Jj swallowed back the vomit building in her mouth. There had to be another way; she wouldn't even think about giving Addie up.

Emily hadn't slept; in fact Emily couldn't sleep. Her eyes begged to be shut for more than a second and her head was muddled but she couldn't. Jj wouldn't be sleeping, why should she? Her team was good - the best - yet they were no closer to finding Jj than they were the hour she went missing. Emily paced and murmured and ran her hands through her hair, unconsciously tugging at the weaker strands.
"Emily? Why don't you take a break? I'm sure Addie would love to hear from you." Hotch said, worried for the shaky women in front of him.
Emily nodded, she hadn't exactly forgotten about Addie but she found herself feeling guilty as she picked up the phone and dialled the girls number. "Addie?" She waited for the girl's voice to appear. "Emily?" Addie's voice sounded hoarse and Emily hoped she hadn't been crying.
"You okay? How's staying with Elle?" Emily remembered Addie's reluctance to have someone stay with her while they were out on a case.
"It's fine, everything's fine. Where's Jj? Is she okay?" Emily frowned at the abrupt change in conversation. "She's not here right now but she'll be back," she tried to keep help words bland. "Can I speak to her soon?"   "Yeah, of course."  Emily heard Addie hum in acknowledgment. "Have you been sleeping well?" Emily finally asked; she knew the girl would have trouble sharing the house with someone she barely knew. "Yes... I'm going to go watch tv now...bye," Addie mumbled into the speaker.

Addie passed her phone to Elle. She assumed Emily would want to talk to the grown up in charge. Elle shot Addie a puzzled look as she grasped the phone but began talking at once, consumed by the conversation. "Is Addie alright?" Emily asked, "has she had any nightmares?"  Elle glanced at the girl, unsure whether it was necessary to bring up the nightmare and fever. "She's doing her best. There was one incident. Does she get fevers often? Has her fath... I mean was it in her medical history?" Elle attempted to smoothly cover her mistake. "Addie moved a lot and her father wasn't exactly the most amazing caregiver. Did you manage to get her to take some medicine?"
"I did eventually. Tried cooling her with a damp cloth first... didn't go well. Think she likes me though." Elle heard Emily let out a quiet laugh.
"I should probably go. Penelope's been trying to call me for ages." Emily said. "Bye. Keep me updated?" "Definitely."