A Second Chance

Time Heals...Nothing

After watching Sophia cry herself to sleep, JJ kissed her head and got up to leave. She quietly went downstairs and found Will walking in the door with the two boys.
"Hey, where's Soph?" Will asked.
"Yeah, I want to show her my new book," Henry added holding up The Boxcar Children.
"She's up in bed sleeping. She said she didn't feel good," JJ lied and ruffled Henry's hair.
"Oh okay," the boy said and headed to his room.
Will handed Michael over to his wife and asked,
"Do you think she caught something at school?"
JJ shook her head and watched as Henry climbed the stairs to his room. When she was sure he was gone she said lowly,
"Sophia's not sick. She just found out about Emily being her mom."
"What? How did she take it?" Will asked.
"Bad, which was expected," JJ replied.
"Poor kid," he said and lowered his head and shook it.
"Yeah," JJ said back.
Suddenly, JJ's phone started to buzz...it was Emily.
When Jennifer looked down at the caller ID she handed her son back to Will and excused herself.

"Hello?" she asked when she answered the phone.
"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I left Sophia's birthday gift with Penelope-," Prentiss told her.
"Em, she found out," JJ said and interrupted her.
"Found out? Found out about what exactly?" Emily wanted to know.
"You," was all JJ said back.
Prentiss went silent.
After almost a whole minute of neither one of them speaking, JJ asked,
"Are you still there?"
"Yeah I'm here," Prentiss replied.
"Did you hear what I said?" the blonde asked.
"Yeah, Sophia found out who I really am and now she hates me," Emily said, sounding sad.
"Okay, I didn't say that-"
"But did she say that she hates me now?" Prentiss wanted to know.
"Emily-"
"No. JJ, did she say that?"
Jennifer sighed and then said,
"She just found out, okay? She didn't mean it."
JJ could hear Emily curse under her breath on the other end.
"I screwed up big time," Prentiss sighed.
"She'll forgive you. Just give her some time," JJ advised.
"How exactly did she find out?" Emily asked.
"She overheard Morgan and Penelope fighting over your decision not to tell her," JJ explained.
"Let me guess, Derek hates me too?" Prentiss questioned.
"He doesn't hate you," Jennifer tried to say.
"I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought she was too young to understand -" Emily couldn't finish her sentence. She just sighed and then added,
"I landed a while ago and now I realize I shouldn't have even left."
"Maybe Sophia just needs some time away from you to realize that she does in fact need you," JJ offered.
"Maybe," Emily said quietly.
"I'll take care of her for you and let her know that you love her," the blonde told her friend.
"Thanks JJ. The only way I can not be there for her is knowing you are. Tell her she can text or call me or whatever she wants and that I truly am sorry...for everything," Emily said.
"I will," JJ promised.
"Keep me updated?" Prentiss asked.
"Of course."
"Bye."
"Bye," Emily said and hung up.

Right when JJ turned around, Sophia was standing in front of her looking lost.
"Hey, you're up? I thought you-" JJ tried to say.
"Who were you just talking to?" Sophia asked.
When JJ opened her mouth to say who, Sophia cut her off and warned,
"I swear if you lie to me, I'm gonna lose it."
JJ gave her a small smile and bent down so she was face to face with the girl.
"It was Emily," JJ told her truthfully.
"What did she want?" Sophia asked and took a step back.
"Well, I told her about Morgan and Garcia's fight and how you over heard it all-" JJ started to explain.
"So she knows I know?"
The blonde nodded and said,
"Emily's really sorry and honey, she still loves you-"
"Well, Emily shouldn't have left without telling me the truth," Sophia said.
"I know, and I'm sorry," Jennifer told her.
"I just don't get why-" Sophia started to say but then stopped mid sentence. "Never mind," she sighed and then turned to walk away.
JJ lightly grabbed her arm, turned the child toward her and said,
"No, what is it?"
"Nothing," Sophia said and ripped herself out of JJ's grasp.
"Hun, don't shut down on me, okay? I want...I need you to talk to me," JJ explained.
"But what if I don't want to talk to you?" Sophia asked which made JJ go silent. The kid took a deep breath then headed back up to her room. Damn she was stubborn just like her mother JJ thought. The part that scared JJ the most was how alike Emily and Sophia were. She knew Prentiss shut down and got quiet when she was sad or hurt, so she fears the same would happen with Sophia.

A few months have passed and it was already the end of April. Sophia was having a rough time coping with her mother issues and she refused to talk to Emily or about the woman with anyone. Whenever JJ tried to bring Prentiss up in conversation, Sophia would get really mad and upset and eventually storm out of the room. So JJ learned it was better to just stop trying and give the kid some more time. Over time, Sophia started to mentally shut down and everyone around her noticed. She wasn't the sassy yet loving child she used to be. No, she turned into a cold, short tempered teenager with a lot of hate in her heart for the woman who gave her life. It was only after her second physical fight that year in school that JJ decided to enroll her in therapy. The first time Sophia was caught up in a fight was when a boy called her a failed abortion. The second time was because someone accidentally slammed her books down and she took down the closest kid to her. Therapy was long overdue for Sophia but even then when JJ got her going, all she would do was sit there and say nothing. The only times she talked to the therapist was to express her anger and hatred towards certain people and how they pissed her off.

It was a Friday afternoon in late April. Sophia had her therapist appointment at four so JJ would be picking her up right after school and bringing her.
Right when the last bell rang, Sophia went outside to wait for JJ. The blonde was already there in the parking lot but Sophia couldn't see her. The kid took a seat on a bench and decided to wait. JJ saw and got out and started walking towards the girl. As she was walking towards Sophia she noticed two girls walking up to her. JJ knew it wasn't going to turn out well so she started walking faster.
"Hey, Sophia. Life's got you down?" the blonde girl with blue eyes asked. Her name was Lyla.
"She's just bummed her slutty mom left her again, aren't you?" the brown haired, green eyed girl named Kayla asked.
"Leave me alone," Sophia warned as she clenched her fists.
"Or what? You're going to hit us?" Kayla asked laughing.
"You asked for it," Sophia muttered and attempted to knock down the girl. Luckily, JJ stepped in a held the child back. Jennifer wrapped her arms around Sophia and was trying her best to restrain the girl. The other two girls were standing there laughing and then as they turned to walk away, Lyla said,
"I knew you couldn't hurt us. We're untouchable and you're not as tough as everybody thinks you are."
With that, Sophia tried even harder to get out of JJ's grasp. She was kicking and trying to wiggle lose, but the FBI agent had a tight hold on her.
After a while Sophia's little body gave out and she gave up. JJ could feel the child's body start to shake and that's when she realized Sophia was crying. JJ loosened her grip and let Sophia turn around and cry into her chest.
"Shhhhh it's okay," JJ whispered and rubbed the girl's back.

When the tears subsided, JJ walked her girl back to the car and they got in and went straight for the therapist. JJ joined her this time and explained to the therapist what had just happened. Sophia didn't breath a word until the therapist asked why she tried to hurt the girls.
"Sophia?" JJ asked.
The kid looked up and replied with
"They called Emily a slut."
"How did that make you feel?" Izzy, her therapist, asked.
Sophia shrugged.
"I think you know how it made you feel. I mean if someone called my mom a slut, I'd want to beat them too-"
"Emily's not much of a mom," Sophia told Izzy.
"I see. Is that what makes you upset? The fact that your mother isn't there for you?"
Sophia thought about that.
"But, I hate her and I don't need her. She clearly didn't want me before so I don't see why she'd change her mind now."
"Sophia, she's tried reaching out to you multiple times. You are the one pushing her away now," Izzy told her. Izzy and JJ always kept in contact and updated each other on Sophia and how she was doing.
"I don't care," Sophia said.
She sighed and then glanced at the clock. The time was up.
"Can we leave now?" Sophia turned and asked JJ.
The blonde nodded and said,
"Why don't you go out and wait for me in the hall. I wanted to speak to Izzy alone for a few minutes, okay?"
Sophia rolled her eyes but listened to her foster mother.

"So what's on your mind?" Izzy asked JJ.
"I'm really worried about her," the blonde said in a scared tone.
"Of course you are. You care about Sophia-"
"Yeah but this was technically her third strike," Jennifer explained.
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.
"I've been talking to her social worker and she told me that if Sophia lashed out three times or did something against the rules majorly three times then she would be put back in the system and out of my care," JJ said seriously.