Life was full of unexpected surprises, even if Emily did this one unto herself.

Taking custody of an unknown teenager whose adoptive family had a criminal record was definitely not on her list of things to do that morning. Taking said teenager home was also not on that list, either. What was on the list was to do more work on the current case, potentially locate the unsub, and hopefully finish the case. That was how the day was supposed to go; smoothly and almost routinely.

Emily silently mused to herself at how her life was always full of complications and surprises, one way or another.

"Make yourself at home; what is mine is yours," the unit chief announced as she unlocked and opened the door to her apartment. She walked in and stepped aside, allowing Serenity in. Unconsciously, she held her breath as the girl tentatively stepped inside, only to take her shoes off before looking around the large open space. "You can keep your shoes on, I don't mind."

Serenity turned to her with a sheepish smile. "I've never been fond of having shoes inside the house. Who knows what you're bring in from out there, right?"

Emily chuckled and couldn't help but nod in agreement as she slipped off her own shoes and left them by Serenity's near the door. She closed the door and started to wave her arm around to every area of her home. "This is the living area with a great view of D.C., my kitchen and dining area, and the stairs that lead to two bedrooms upstairs."

"This isn't a loft?" The space's layout surprised the teenager.

"I opted for a two bedroom with the intent of making the second bedroom a study, but since I'm almost never here… it turned into a guest room," Emily simply explained. "There are takeout menus in a drawer in the kitchen island, so feel free to pick one and order dinner for us while I go change the sheets in your room."

Serenity reached out for her before she could leave. "Let me help you with the sheets; it's the least I could do for imposing on you like this."

The agent softly smiled and placed a hand over Serenity's that was on her arm. "You're not imposing because you are my guest. Come on, we can change the sheets together, then we can choose dinner. Sound good?"

Serenity nodded with a small smile on her face.

Together, they headed upstairs to the guest room which Emily presented. It was spacious with its own great view of D.C. from the floor to ceiling windows installed. There was a dresser, a simple wooden desk, and a door to what was expected to be the closet. Emily saw the girl place her duffel bag on the floor by the dresser and take in the sight before her.

"I may have also used this room as storage, so there are five sets of sheets and comforters in the closet behind you. You can choose which one you'd like to use while I toss these into the washer," she announced. She folded the blanket into a bundle and made her way to the washer down the hall. When she returned to the room, she found Serenity holding a package of burgundy sheets while a bag of a pale grey comforter sat by her feet.

Burgundy was a colour she had to keep in mind.

Together, they removed and folded the old sheets that Emily carried to the washer. As she made her way down the hall, she couldn't help but think that it would be an adjustment having another person in her home. Hopefully, it would be a good addition. What she suddenly hoped for was that she wasn't harbouring the potential unsub of the case.

"You forgot the pillow cases."

"Whoa!" she exclaimed in surprise when she heard Serenity's voice right behind her. She turned around and found the girl apologetically smiling at her while holding said pieces of fabric in the air. "Don't do that again, please."

"Sorry."

Emily took the pillow cases and tossed it with the sheets into the washer with the comforter. She turned back to the girl and tried to calm her racing heart.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Bringing someone home without getting to know them… probably something she should have thought over.

Especially given the circumstances.

They returned to the room and replaced the sheets with the new ones. It took little time, although Emily did have to pause when a pillow flew at her and hit her head.

"Sorry, I thought you were looking when you asked for it," Serenity squeaked out.

Emily wasn't entirely sure how to take that statement, but she laughed it off and wrapped the case on the pillow. When they placed the comforter on the bed, she felt an odd sense of accomplishment. She turned to the girl and motioned to the dresser.

"It's yours to use." She earned a silent nod from the girl and watched her unpack the few belongings she had into the first two drawers of the dresser. "We'll have to go back and get the rest of your things soon."

"You're assuming I'm staying for the long-term, Agent Prentiss," Serenity joked as she left some things in her bag. There was a half-smile on her face, but it was rather a sad one. "I don't know if you'd be able to keep me if some estranged relative shows up and whisks me away."

Emily frowned and wasn't particularly happy with that thought.

"I guess you have uncles, aunts, or cousins who could take you in, huh?" she asked.

"None that actually want to have anything to do with us," Serenity answered. "I guess they knew about the dark business my family had and chose to stay away. Biologically, I tried looking for my relatives, but they weren't fond of me or the path my parents chose before they died, so the Robertson's were my only family," she continued. "There are times I wondered what it would be like to have a huge family dinner, but having mom, dad, and my siblings were more than enough."

Emily pulled the girl over to her and wrapped an arm around Serenity's shoulders. "I can't promise you a huge family dinner tonight, but I can promise you a huge family dinner with the team, if you'd like."

There was a shy smile on Serenity's face. "I think I'd like that."

"Good, now let's go downstairs and go through the takeout menus," Emily said, squeezing Serenity's shoulder. "I'm sure you're hungry."

"Yeah, I am," Serenity replied back as she was being led back downstairs to the kitchen.

As Emily rifled through the drawer for the menus, she heard some rummaging coming from the direction of her refrigerator. She looked over her shoulder to find Serenity going through it with quite some intent. As soon as she saw the girl start to pull things out, she stopped looking for the menus and turned around to watch.

Serenity pulled out vegetables and placed them on the kitchen island beside her. Next, a small case of beef followed, and bottles that looked like they were meant to be mixed for a sauce. Amused, she allowed Serenity to do what she wanted.

"Do you have any noodles?" the entranced girl asked, closing the refrigerator door.

"Pantry is beside the fridge." Emily couldn't bite back the grin that crept on her face as Serenity truly made herself at home and easily navigated the space. She watched as the girl came back with a package of pasta, but stopped at the dining area to remove her blazer. She could see a small smile on Serenity's face as she came back with her sleeves rolled up and pasta in hand. "What are we making, chef?"

The title seemed to perk the girl up even more as she grinned and pulled out a cutting board from the side of the kitchen island. She was quite observant.

"How do you feel about noodles and stir fry for something quick and easy?" Serenity asked.

"Perfect!" Emily exclaimed, reaching for the case of beef. "Here, let me cut up the meat," she said, retrieving another cutting board.

"I can't believe you nearly had us have takeout when your fridge was still stocked," Serenity commented as she began chopping vegetables.

"I wasn't keen on cooking and I wasn't sure if you wanted to cook," Emily replied back, slicing some meat. She looked at the girl and saw how proficient she was with a knife. The thought of danger crossed her mind again. The thought must have shown on her face with how Serenity was looking at her.

"I love to cook since mom let me help her out in the kitchen since I was a child. Then, I was a little obsessed with The Food Network and seeing how professional chefs can work with knives and cook so quickly, and so well… I was enrolled into summer cooking classes. Next thing I knew, I was making dinner for the family almost every night, which I didn't mind. They minded because the grocery bill was a bit extravagant at times."

"I can only imagine how grand your holiday meals were," Emily said, finishing her bit of work. She heard a chuckle and looked up to see Serenity grinning.

"Holidays—no one was allowed in my kitchen. Prep would start two nights before, so at least everyone could eat and not disturb my process before the holiday, but really no one was allowed in my kitchen unless it was to grab a snack."

"Do you plan on going to culinary school after high school?"

Serenity stopped chopping and placed her knife on the cutting board. "I've thought about it, but it's more of a hobby than something I want to have a career in. I've thought a lot about possibly going to med school, but maybe the FBI might have a spot for me."

Emily chuckled and shook her head. "You need a degree to get into the FBI, so we can talk about that once you've got another school on hand."

"I've got a few places that I need to answer," Serenity replied.

"A few sounds like a lie."

"Maybe more than a few," Serenity answered back.

Emily raised her brow and smirked. "Maybe we can get Spencer to help you pick a school since both of you have brilliant minds."

"Spencer?"

"Oh, Spencer Reid is the genius of the team and—I should really just invite the team over for dinner ASAP so you can meet them, shouldn't I?"

Serenity thoughtfully nodded. "Yes, yes, you should."

It was strange, but welcomed, to be sharing dinner with someone after a long day of work like this. She did have another person in mind, but who she was with at that moment mattered the most then and there. To Emily, now was the perfect time to know who she was sharing her food and home with.

"So, you must be quite the student at the academy if your principal was ready to come clawing at JJ and I for seeking you out," Emily said, eyeing the girl across from her. She saw Serenity pause mid-bite and raised a brow. "Serenity?"

"I would love to say Ms. Grant is all bark and no bite, but that would be a lie," Serenity replied back, slowly eating. Once she swallowed, she looked at Emily with a wry smile. "I should have been in university by now, but I chose to slow it down because I like the academy. Sticking around did allow me to experience high school life… and make the academy popular."

"Now, you've piqued my interest, Miss Song."

Serenity laughed and a content smile crept on her face. "I excel in my studies… and I excel in sports. I'm the captain of the basketball and volleyball varsity teams. I also run track," she explained.

Emily chuckled. "I'm supposing your great aim helped in the former of the two sports?" She saw the girl blush and nod. "And I doubt your principal would ever want to give you up."

"Many post-secondary institutions were calling her to take me away, but she refused all of them—with my knowledge. Ms. Grant and I are close—babysitting her son over the years does that," Serenity confessed before returning to stuff her face.

Emily smiled and began to eat. She had an interesting one at her table. Ms. Grant would be someone to talk to over time, if needed.

"Emily?"

"Yes?"

"The Robertson's aren't bad people, are they?" Serenity quietly asked, looking at her food.

"You would be the best judge of that, Serenity; you grew up with them."

"I only know a fraction of their lives," Serenity replied back.

Emily put down her cutlery and realized what was going on. "You're worried about what your brother said."

"He essentially confessed to his crimes and it seems like my mother and my sisters have, too. It always made me wonder why Leo and I had a 23-year age gap—why a family already established wanted to adopt me, but I guess I know why now."

"Finding out this way wasn't ideal, but did you ever feel like something was different about them? That something was up?" Emily asked, her profiler side unintentionally coming up.

"No, I always felt like I was part of their family. I felt like we were part of the status quo save for me being a prodigy. I never expected anything like this—robberies, crime—the FBI looking for them."

"Then, they truly changed for you, especially your father."

Serenity smiled. "Edward was always kind to me and treated me like I was truly his daughter. It never occurred to me why he was acting that way. He always did favour me over Leo, but that could've been out of guilt."

"Favouritism is a difficult subject and I bet you know that, but he could have truly loved you for who you were. Needless to say, I think he would've been proud for what you did today and saving your brother."

"I have you to thank for bringing me along and not stopping me when I took your gun," Serenity mused.

Emily sighed and looked away. "I'm sure everyone will have words to say to me about my decisions today."

"Especially, Jennifer," Serenity muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Emily asked, raising a brow. She swore she heard something about JJ.

"We should eat before the food gets cold."

The unit chief shook her head and picked up her cutlery.

Teenagers.