𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀

𝟎𝟓𝟏

"𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚘 𝙸𝚝 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚄𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘶

     "WHAT'S UP WITH HER?" Dave asks Morgan and Reid as he walks up to their desks. He nods to the briefing room, making the two men to turn and peer up at Noah.

"Don't know, she won't talk to us." Morgan shrugs.

"Teenagers at their best," Dave sighs and walks towards his office.  He peers down the hall to the briefing room before he walks into his office.

David watches Noah for a moment.  The way her leg bounces up and down signals that she is stressed or anxious.  The way she is sitting with her back straight is unusual compared to her usual laid-back slouch.  He even notices her hands seem to be trembling, but it is hard to tell if it is sadness or anger without seeing her expression.

"Ugh!" Dave hears Noah huff and a sudden bang to the table makes everyone in the bullpen perk up.

Noah settles herself, sitting atop her hands to keep her from hitting anything.  She tries to shove her thoughts away, but she cannot help herself.  Everything she has always been curious about is slowly revealing itself to her.

The elevator doors slide open, revealing a shivering Emily. The heat of the building slowly settles within her. She walks to Garcia's office, expecting to find Noah.

"Garcia, where's Noah?"

"She's at the round table," Penelope sighs, "She won't talk to any of us."

Emily frowns and rushes out of the room.

Emily peers up at the windows that reveal Noah.  The teen is sitting in a chair, staring at nothing.  The woman cannot help but analyze everything about Noah; it is an instinct to use her profiling skills in a moment like this.

The first thing she notices when she approaches the room is the silence.

"Hey," Emily quietly says as she walks further into the room, "You ready to go home?"

Noah does not respond. She picks up her bookbag and walks out of the room. Emily follows behind her, quickly picking up her stuff from her desk to keep up. They ride the elevator and walk to the door in silence.

Emily knows the teen has something on her mind, but she promises herself to wait until they get home to ask.

The car ride has never felt so long.  Nor silent.  There is a tension in the air, but not from Emily.  The teen cannot even look at Emily, knowing she will burst the second they lock eyes.

Once they get to the apartment, Noah unlocks the door herself and goes to the stairs.

"Hey," Emily says, "Come here and talk to me."

"I'm tired—" Noah groans as she places her foot on the first step.

"No, you're shutting down." Emily corrects her with a frown, "Since when do you not wanna talk to me anymore?"

"Was this some sort of plan?" The teen immediately snaps as she turns around and walks into the living room.

"Was what a plan?" Emily asks as she follows Noah.

"You finding me, taking me in, saving the day?" Noah says dramatically as she paces in the living room.

"What?"

"Did you find me on purpose?!"

"No—"

"Then, why is it that your 'friend' is the person who approved my adoption?" Noah snaps and watches Emily's face react with confusion.  The teen storms over to her bookbag by the steps and grabs a piece of paper.  She hands it to Emily with force.