The Usual Rules

Chapter 20

"Mom, should we come home?" JJ asked, apprehensively.

"No sweetheart." Mary said quickly. "She is going to have to get used to it, she will be fine, you will solve the case and then come home."

"But.."

"No. Jenny, she's fine, just a little upset. She has a session with Dr. Yang tomorrow and she will be fine."

JJ glanced warily at Emily and the two knew that Mary was right. As much as they didn't like it, this was their life unless they wanted to find new jobs. "Just...Mom, just call us if she really needs us to come home. One of us could at least."

"Just work hard and get your guy, Rachel will be fine." Mary said firmly.

Andrew plodded up the stairs and made his way to Rachel's bedroom. He smiled at the crayon drawn sign on the door. Rachel had made in in one of her sessions with Dr. Yang. It showed everyone at the BAU with Rachel smack dab in the middle of them, her arms up in the air. Her drawings were definitely adorable. Andrew knocked twice on the door and waited.

"Who is it?" Rachel asked in an accusatory tone.

"Andrew, may I come in?"

"I guess so." Rachel grumbled.

Andrew opened the door and grinned. He had to remind himself sometimes that Rachel wasn't actually biologically related to Jenny. She was laying on her back in the center of her floor, arms and legs sprawled out and huffing every few seconds or so. Jenny used to do the exact same thing when she was upset. "Hi kiddo." He said as he situated himself on the floor, leaning against her bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Only Dr. Yang gets to ask me that."

"Not true. Its her job to ask you that, its my pleasure."

Rachel lifted her head and gave him a look very reminiscent of Emily when she was annoyed. He bit back a laugh. Rachel had learned their mannerisms so quickly. "That doesn't make any sense Mr. Andrew." She said.

"Are you okay Rachel?" He asked softly.

"No I am not okay. I like having you and Mrs. Mary here, but I don't like having Emily and JJ gone."

"Yeah, that's pretty normal."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Rachel looked back up at the ceiling and was silent for a few moments. Andrew almost went to get up when Rachel finally spoke up again. "Can we read a book?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." Andrew said happily. "How about Wizard of Oz?" He picked up the book and Rachel quickly got up from the floor.

"NO!" She yelled. "Not that one!" She grabbed it from his hands a little roughly. "Sorry." She apologized. "I...Emily and I read that one. A different one okay?"

"Sure, no problem." Andrew said with a smile. "How about..." He looked at the extensive bookshelf. Emily had gone a little overboard with finding books for Rachel to read. They're were already books she could read all the way up through college, and practically every children's book known to man. "Grimm's fairy tales?"

"Okay!" Rachel climbed up onto the bed and situated herself onto Andrew's lap. She had grown much more comfortable with him in the last three days. Mary had walked up the stairs a moment before and peaked into Rachel's room. She beamed at the sight of her husband reading to their granddaughter. Raising her cellphone, she snapped a quick picture and texted it to JJ.

I told you.

JJ felt her phone buzz and glanced down, grinning as she saw the message. She passed the phone over to Emily across the table and watched the worry melt off her wife's face. Hotch caught a look at it as Emily passed the phone back over to the blonde. "Cute." He commented and then went back to his file. They weren't having much luck on this case so far. Three days in and the bodies were piling up with very little to go on. Everyone was frustrated. "Guys, lets call it a night." Hotch said with a sigh. "We're getting nowhere tonight and we're already severely lacking in sleep. Go get some sleep, well meet back here at eight." Reluctantly, but also relieved the team gathered their things and trudged off to the hotel.