"𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸'𝚖 𝙼𝚊𝚍"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪
𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺

"BE CAREFUL at school," Emily says as she puts the car in park. "I can pick you up after."

"Okay," Noah says with a confused expression. "Did you need me to send you my itinerary for the day?"

"Please don't be sarcastic right now," Emily sighs as she looks over at the teen, who seems to be upset.

"You look like you haven't slept in days," Noah mentions. "Is everything okay? Are you sure you're telling me everything about this CPS stuff?"

"I'm telling you everything," Emily assures her. "No keeping each other in the dark."

"You always say that and then I learn something new," Noah snaps and Emily rolls her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the mother asks. "You're mad that I'm looking out for you, so you're bringing up solved arguments?"

"I'm just saying," Noah says. "I want you to mean it."

"You know everything I do," Emily says and looks into her daughter's eyes. Noah takes in every inch of her mother's face. She watches as she takes a deep breath.

That's it. That's the tell. She's lying.

"I'll see you after school," Noah says as she rolls her eyes and opens her car door, grabbing her bag and slamming the door shut. She walks towards the school building and turns around, seeing that her mother is watching her walk into the school.

Noah walks down the hallways until she finds Liv standing by her locker. "My favorite redhead."

"Uh oh," Liv chuckles. "What do you want?"

"A day off," Noah says as Liv closes her locker. "Are you in?"

Liv laughs and thinks about it for a moment. "Yeah, why the hell not."

"C'mon!" Noah exclaims and pulls Liv's arm through the hallways. They sneak out through the side entrance and walk to the street next to the school. They go down the sidewalk, making their way to the opposite side of the city from the BAU.

—
𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕨 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣

Noah laughs so hard that it makes her stomach sore. She throws her head back as she holds her stomach. Across the table from her, Liv is also laughing. Noah calms down and looks around the diner.

"I can't believe they wouldn't come with us," Liv says as her laughter quiets down.

"C'mon, you know how they are," Noah says. "Jess would never, Parker has turned a weird new leaf, Tate's mom would kill him, and the only reason Ronan didn't come is because he has a test."

Liv giggles. "That must be why me and him get along so well."

"I'm really happy for you, red," Noah chimes as she leans her back on the wall and stretches her legs out on the booth.

"You too," Liv replies as she mirrors Noah on the other side of the booth. "I'm glad that you stuck around."

"What do you mean?"

"We were the first people you met," Liv says. "Usually, the first friends you make don't stick. I thought you'd find someone else more fun."

"No," Noah says with a smile. "I was lucky to meet you guys."

"Hey, what about that Hailey girl? She's nice. Do you think she'll stick around with the group?"

"Did you guys like her?"

"Yeah, she was cool," Liv shrugs. "But I don't know how Jess feels about her."

"I told her that she sounded a little jealous, but we were just joking around," Noah tells the redhead. "Hailey's just a friend. I haven't thought about it like that at all."

"Jess is scared," Liv chuckles.

"What?" Noah asks with a curious smile.

"She's scared to lose you—I mean, terrified. She's protective. I don't know if she's told you anything about Hannah, but that was definitely something."

"Honestly, she doesn't talk about it much at all," Noah shrugs.

"It's weird because they were so back and forth, I mean fought all the time. But it was always about stupid things. Hannah wanted to be controlling, but Jess likes to be in control of herself. She wants to write her own story or whatever," Liv says and takes a deep breath. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is thank you. For being good to her and for being a good friend."

"Thank you for not making me eat lunch alone," Noah giggles and smiles at her friend. "And for making me feel welcome."

"Love you," Liv chimes and holds her hand out across the table.

"Love you," Noah beams and holds Liv's hand in her own.

𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢

Emily walks down the sidewalk with Derek. They're on the way to ask a woman who might have encountered their unsub some questions. Emily has tried to conceal her worry all day, not wanting to set off alarms in anyone's head. Although, on a team full of profilers, it's hard to do.

"I don't know if he's the guy, but he was out of control," the woman says. "His cab was unregistered, and he actually made me, a paying customer, get out."

"Okay, was that all that happened?" Emily asks.

"Well, I was on the phone when I first got in the cab. Yeah, he was listening to something," she replies.

"What do you mean?" Derek questions her.

"Some dumb recording of himself talking."

"What was he saying on the recording?" Emily asks.

"I don't know. I tried to get his cab number down, but I was really flustered. I only got the last two digits," the woman says as she shows the agents her hand, which has the number thirty-three written on it.

"Okay, ma'am, these two officers will take down all your information. They're probably gonna ask you to look at some photos."

The woman's shoulders drop before her attitude comes out. "How long is that gonna take?"

"I'm not really sure, ma'am," Derek huffs. "But you may actually help save someone's life."

"Okay," she gives in and walks over to the officers.

Derek turns to Emily, who rolls her eyes to show her annoyance.

"Alright, if he's listening to recordings of himself, he's not only antisocial, he's probably delusional as well," Emily notes as she stands in front of Derek.

Derek nods as he looks behind her shoulder, noticing a cab driver leaning against his car. "You wanna do some role-playing?" he asks with a smirk.

"Ew," Emily groans.

Derek walks up to the cab driver and shows his badge. "We're with the FBI. You mind if we take a look inside your cab for a minute?"

The man looks concerned, so Emily calms him by informing him that it has nothing to do with him. The driver eventually agrees and steps away from the vehicle for a moment. Derek gets into the passenger seat while Emily gets in the back. It's just like the scene they've set the unsub in; man in the front, woman in the back.

"So why a cab?" Derek asks as he adjusts the rearview mirror to see Emily. "He could control the woman better if he had a van or something."

"Yeah, but a woman probably wouldn't get into a van voluntarily," Emily replies. "A cab enables him to blend in when he's on the hunt."

"He doesn't choose his victims until they get inside."

"Right, so what is it about these passengers?"

"Well, I doubt it's anything visual," Derek mentions. "He'd get a better look at his victims from the street as opposed to the back of his cab."

Emily looks around the backseat and closes the partition. She opens it back up and realizes that the unsub and his victim wouldn't be touching. It makes her wonder how someone could want to hurt someone they don't even see or touch. It makes her question the safety of the world. Makes her think about all the danger her daughter could innocently find herself in.

"Hearing? Something they say?" Derek throws out the idea but receives silence in response. He looks at her eyes in the rearview mirror, but they don't show him anything as they gaze outside the vehicle. "Prentiss," he calls out, making her eyes meet his in the mirror. "What's going on with you?"

"With me?" Emily asks.

"I've been watching you the last couple of days and something is obviously bothering you," he tells her.

Emily sighs and looks away from the mirror. "Derek, because I like you, I'm gonna ask you not to do this. Please."

Derek stays silent, not sure how to respond. He wasn't expecting her to stay closed off. That's not usually how they work as a team. Emily wears a concerned expression, but she pleads for him to let it go through her eyes.

"Ugh, it smells back here," Emily groans and goes to get out, but Derek looks behind his shoulder at her with a knowing look.

It's scent, Emily thinks to herself as she dials Spencer's number. She gets out of the car right as he answers. "Could it be smell? Could smell be what's attracting him to his victims?"

𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Noah asks as she feels the cold wind biting her face as she swings beside her friend on the swingset.

"My aunt's getting married," Liv replies. "We have to go to Maryland for it."

"Are weddings fun?" Noah inquires.

"Depends," Liv says.

"On what?"

"The people," the redhead answers as she slows her swing. "Sometimes, they're really fun and the music is great, and then other times they're boring and there's not even any dancing. This one's gonna be a boring one."

"How do you know?" Noah asks as she slows her swing down as well.

"My aunt's a snooze fest," Liv groans. "She listens to opera music and her life revolves around this guy that she met a year ago. No one in our family except for my grandma has met him."

"Maybe it was love at first sight," Noah says as she peers up at the sky. It's a cold day, but the sun is shining bright and there are clouds floating all around.

"Was it love at first sight with you and Jess?" Liv teases her.

"Not love," Noah shrugs. "But maybe something else. It clearly wasn't love at first sight between you and Ronan."

Liv laughs and as her swing comes to a complete stop, she peers over at Noah. "Will you let me be one of your bridesmaids?"

"I don't think I can," Noah says, making the redhead's mouth open in sarcastic shock. "If I'm marrying Jess, you'll have to be one of hers. She'd kill me if I took you away from her."

"Fair," Liv shrugs. "Who will you have then?"

"Do you think I can convince Ronan and Tate to wear dresses?"

Liv lets out a loud laugh and leans back on the swing, pushing herself to go back and forth again. "No way, but you said you wanted to wear a suit anyway."

"You're right," Noah nods. "Maybe I can have them and Penelope will want a spot, but she'll have to wear a dress, there's no way I'm getting her in a suit over a sparkling dress. And maybe I'll have Jack and Henry since they'll be a little older."

"Jack's the boy from the house, right?" Liv cautiously asks.

"Yeah," Noah nods. "And Henry is JJ's son."

"What about JJ?" Liv asks.

"I don't know, I feel like she'd want to watch. Sit in the front row with Emily, especially since I don't have a father to sit with her."

"Your grandmother could," Liv says.

"I can assure you, if I sit her next to my grandmother, the wedding would very quickly turn into a crime scene."

"Alright, so grandmother can sit on the other side of the row that Emily's on," Liv giggles.

"How about yours? Are we all in your wedding party?"

"Of course," Liv chimes. "I'll even let you wear a suit."

"Thank god," Noah replies. "Who else will you have in it?"

"Probably my cousin, Sarah, and one of my childhood friends, Kate. Although, I read something one time that said most brides are shocked by who ends up in their wedding party. All the people they thought would be in it don't usually end up in it and sometimes aren't even invited."

"Why?"

"Distance," Liv shrugs. "Middle school friends go to different high schools, high school friends go to different colleges, college friends come and go, and sometimes friendships just end."

"Do you think we'll all stay friends after high school?"

"I hope so," Liv says as she matches her swings to Noah's so they can look at each other. "Is it naive of me to think that our group is different from the other ones? That we would make it through anything?"

"Maybe," Noah mutters. "But then that would make all of us naive."

"We'll prove them wrong then," Liv insists with a smile. "I won't make it to the Ivy leagues like you and Jess, but I'll talk to you guys every day."

"Pinky promise?" Noah asks as she holds out her pinky.

"Pinky promise," Liv replies and struggles to get their pinkies to hook while they're swinging. They both laugh until they finally latch onto each other and seal their promise.

—
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘶

Emily walks onto the sixth floor with the rest of the team. They all disperse to their own desks and start on their paperwork. Emily gets through hers pretty quickly and realizes that she hasn't seen Noah around. She stands up and gets her stuff together, getting ready to find Noah, who is probably passed out on Penelope's couch like usual.

"Heading home?" Derek asks as he stands up as well, seeming to be done with his paperwork too.

"Yeah," Emily sighs.

"Let me take the kid to get a burger or something," he offers.

"Morgan, I told you, I'm fine," Emily assures him, but he shakes his head.

"You never said you were anything," Derek replies. "I'm not asking you to tell me what's wrong, I'm asking you to let me help you get some rest. I'll take the kid out, feed her, you relax, and I'll bring her home before nine."

"I can't ask you to do that—"

"You're not," Derek interjects before she can say no.

"Em," Noah says as she walks up to her mother.

"Hey, honey," Emily says as she puts an arm around her daughter. "How was school?"

"It was fine. What's for dinner?"

"Burgers, you and me," Derek says as he throws the teen his car keys. "And you're driving."

"Really?!" Noah asks excitedly and turns to Emily. "Can I go?"

Emily peers into her daughter's eyes and can't bear to tell her no. "Have fun."

"See you at home!" Noah exclaims as she grabs her bookbag and rushes Derek to the elevator. Emily watches the two with a small smile. She's glad she has someone like Derek in her life. Someone who she knows in her heart would protect her daughter as much as she would.

—
𝘴𝘢𝘮'𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴

"I have never seen someone so tiny devour a burger like that," Derek says in shock as he watches the teen bite into the burger.

"I was starved," Noah exaggerates with her mouth full.

"Hey, c'mon," Derek scoffs, telling the teen to finish her bite before she talks. "So, what's the deal with school?"

Noah takes a sip of her water before speaking so she has a clear throat. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why weren't you there today?" Derek asks as he leans back in his seat.

"What?" Noah asks him. "How did you know that?"

"You just told me," he chuckles. "And you always tell Emily about your day. All you said today was that it was fine."

"We're doing this right now?" the teen asks.

"Yeah," Derek nods.

"I was just trying to get back at Emily," Noah shrugs. "I just get pissed off. I'm told to do one thing, I do another. It's just how it works."

"That's not just how it works."

"Maybe not for you," Noah tells him.

"Not for anyone," Derek corrects her.

"Not when you have an anger disorder," Noah says and sees that Derek is a bit taken aback by the reply. "Intermittent Explosive Disorder. I mean, it's literally in the title."

"What made you angry?"

"It's just the stuff with the CPS agents," Noah huffs.

"CPS agents?" Derek asks with a confused expression.

"Emily didn't tell you about that?"

"About what?" Derek questions her.

"What?" Noah asks, trying to pretend like she doesn't know what he's talking about.

"Noah," Derek warns her.

"Okay, clearly, I wasn't supposed to tell you," the teen sighs as she puts her arms on the table, leaning in so no one around them can hear.

"C'mon, kid, fess up," Derek says, looking Noah in the eye, knowing it will make her come out with the truth.

"Yesterday, some CPS agents showed up at our door for a surprise visit. They were asking me all these questions because there was a report from my school. When I asked them if they looked at my record, they said I didn't have one. So I asked them about Sara Harmon, you know, the social worker from my case?"

"Yeah," Derek nods.

"Well, apparently, she doesn't exist," Noah says. "Not to them, at least."

"What does that mean?"

"There's no Sara Harmon in any employee database across the entire country."

"That's not possible," Derek says as he leans back in his seat.

"That's what everyone keeps saying," Noah huffs as she rolls her eyes. "Emily told Penelope. She thinks she might be able to find something. And now there's a whole investigation about it at CPS. How did this happen to me again?"

"Would you rather just leave it?"

"I mean, yeah, what's the worst it could be?" Noah asks. "Nothing's happened since."

"It's for the best, kid," Derek tries to convince her. "It's not something you can just let go. Also, your mother's a federal agent. Comes with the job."

"It's not my job—"

"But you're a connection," Derek says as he throws a fry into his mouth. "You're a direct link to an FBI agent. You'd be surprised what people would do to get that close."

"So, you're saying that at all times, every day, every second for the rest of my life, I'm at risk?"

"I'm not tryna scare you," the man says.

"It sounds like you are," Noah replies before she sighs heavily. "Look, I get it, okay? I saw it firsthand with Foyet. You might've chased him for weeks and learned the ins and outs of his entire being, but I stared down the barrel of his gun. I watched Jack innocently hide in a cupboard because he thought we were playing a game. I closed Haley's eyes after she was shot three times. I felt him knot my hands together before he kicked me into the closet. I think about him every time I see the scar on my arm or a tie on Hotch that looks remotely similar to the one he used."

Derek looks down at his plate with a frown. "It sucks, we've all been through it. That's why so many of us don't have families. It's partially why JJ agreed to leave. It's why Rossi's been married so many times. It's why Emily lived alone before she met you."

Noah shakes her head. "Life's not fair, right?"

"Don't be like that," Derek tells her.

Noah looks around as she thinks of something that could change the subject. "How's Ellie?" she asks.

"She's good, heard from her mom the other day. Sounds like they're getting along really well."

"Have you let her go yet?"

"I'm..." he pauses as he thinks of his answer. "I'm working on it."

"I thought this dinner was supposed to cheer us up," Noah says as she takes a sip of her drink.

"I tried, kid," Derek says, making Noah flash a small smile.

"That's all that matters."

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴' 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

Emily walks up to the front door and sees something leaning against it. It's a green gift box that has baby blue floral designs and a single white ribbon tied perfectly into a bow. Emily carefully picks it up and looks around to see if anyone is watching her. She unlocks the front door and turns the lights on. She turns the alarm off and locks the front door behind her as she pulls out her gun.

Emily hears her phone ring in her pocket and picks it up. "Reid?"

"Emily, you are not going to believe this."

"No?" the woman replies as she walks around her apartment, starting with the kitchen.

"They're showing Solaris tonight, the original in the theaters. Did you wanna go?"

"Did Morgan put you up to this?" she asks as she moves into the living room.

"What?"

"Did Morgan tell you to call me?"

"No, Morgan would have no idea what Solaris is."

"So, uh, you just called me out of the blue?" Emily asks as she peers up the staircase with her weapon aimed at any danger. She makes her way up while Reid answers and turns the lights on in the hallway.

"Well, I mean the original ones in Russian, so really you and I are the only ones that can really enjoy it."

"Isn't Solaris, like, four hours long?" she questions as she checks Noah's room quickly.

"It's five. The best sci-fi meditation film of all time, but for some reason, they never really show it in the theaters. You wanna go with me?"

"Sorry, handsome, I'm gonna have to pass," Emily says as she moves across the hallway to her bedroom and turns the lights on. "I'm just gonna hang out with Sergio tonight."

"Oh, shoot, I didn't know realize that..."

"Relax, Reid," Emily chuckles as she bends down at the cabinet with her safe in it. "Sergio is our cat, remember? But, thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you," Emily answers as she grabs the files in the safe before closing it again.

"Aw, thanks," Reid chimes. "I don't know how to be anyone else."

"Yeah, that's what I love about you," Emily says as she stands up. "I'm gonna have to talk to you later, but, uh, have fun at the movie."

"Alright, thanks. Bye."

"Bye," Emily replies and hangs up the phone. She goes to the front door and puts the files down on the decorative table. She takes the ribbon of the box off and removes the lid, revealing a single lilac freesia carefully concealed in wrapping paper.

Emily picks the flower up and brings it to her nose. She senses the now familiar, but back then foreign, feeling of her bangs tickling the skin above her eyebrows. But not as foreign as the feeling of being parted from someone she inadvertently fell in love with. She can remember it like it was yesterday.

The slight breeze of the Tuscany air. The incredibly green grass and the blossoming garden. The airy, fruity scent of the lilac freesias. But then it became a storm. There were black cars, shouting, guns, and men in suits. And suddenly it was over. She never saw him again. Whether it was a blessing or a curse is an answer she's never found.

Emily takes the flower away from her nose and throws it in the trash. She goes upstairs to her bedroom and quickly packs a bag. She rushes to Noah's room where she packs a bag for her as well. On her way to the door, she grabs Sergio and the files on the table, turning around to say goodbye to the apartment that has become a danger to her and the only person she considers family.

—

"Where are we going?" Noah asks as she peers down the street they should be turning down.

"Emily said to take you to some hotel," Derek replies as he concentrates on the road.

"What?"

"I don't know, she said she's waiting outside," Derek says. "It should be right up here."

Noah looks down the street and sees her mother standing outside of a hotel. It's dead in the middle of the city, so there are lots of people still walking around. Derek parks the car and Noah gets out, grabbing her bookbag from the floor of the truck.

"Hey," Noah says to her mother, who walks up to the truck. "What're we doing here?"

"We have to stay here," Emily says.

"Why?"

"There's a gas leak at the apartment," the mother lies easily.

"You know, I have a guest room," Derek offers.

Emily thinks for a moment. She wonders if Noah should stay with Derek and if she should stay alone. Maybe she'll be safer that way. But then she thinks about not having her own two eyes on her daughter and she changes her mind.

"We'll be okay," Emily chimes. "I got us a nice room anyway. It'll be like a little getaway."

Noah grins, but it quickly fades. "What about Sergio? Did you get him?"

"Don't worry," Emily laughs. "I snuck him in."

Noah nods as she calms herself, knowing that her cat is okay. Emily smiles at how much her daughter loves Sergio and turns to Derek.

"Thank you for taking her out," Emily says as she puts an arm around her daughter.

"You guys just have fun," Derek replies with a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, kid."

"Bye, Derek," Noah chimes and gives him a fist bump. He gets back in his truck and the two turn around to head inside.

The mother and daughter are silent in the lobby and on the elevator. Emily leads them to their room and quickly opens the door with the room key. Noah steps inside behind her mother and looks around. There's two beds, a large nightstand, a decent-sized TV, and a desk.

"At least it's nice," Noah mutters.

"I got you everything you'd want," Emily mentions as she sits on her bed.

The teen admires the expensive decor and feels the soft covers on the bed. She watches Emily nod towards her overnight bag on the floor. She picks it up and zips it open, revealing some clothes, a toiletry bag, her blanket, and Wallace.

"You packed Wallace," Noah chimes as she pulls the stuffed animal out.

"Of course," Emily giggles. "I know you can't spend a night without him."

"Where's Sergio?" Noah asks and just as she does, his little head pops out from under her bed.

The teen picks him up and pets him, giving him kisses on his head. Emily watches with a smile before Noah lets Sergio jump down and find another place to hide in the room. Emily stands and walks over to the window, feeling as if the room is getting smaller by the second.

"What did they say about the apartment?" Noah asks. "How long til it's fixed?"

"They didn't say," Emily replies as she looks out at the city. "Come here," she says and holds her hand out to Noah.

The teen gets up from the bed, leaving Wallace in her place. She walks over to her mother and takes her hand. Emily pulls Noah to stand in front of the window and wraps her arms around the teen's shoulders.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Emily asks as she rests her chin atop Noah's head.

"Mhm," the teen hums.

"And you know that I just want to protect you and make sure you're okay."

"Mhm," Noah hums again.

"Please don't think I'm a bad mother," Emily whispers into the teen's hair.

Noah furrows her brows and turns around to face her mother. "Why would I ever think that?"

"I don't know, baby, I just feel like the things you get in trouble for are sometimes my fault," Emily says with a frown.

"None of it's your fault. I know you want what's best for me. That's why I never stay mad. And I love you, even when I am mad."

"I love you even when I'm mad too," Emily giggles and her smile stays in place. "Now, c'mon, you need some sleep. I wanna show you something tomorrow."

"I have school tomorrow—"

"I know," Emily says. "But you skipped today, so why not skip tomorrow too?"

"Morgan," Noah huffs. "He's always telling on me."

"Go shower," Emily tells her daughter and turns the teen's body to face the bathroom.

"Am I grounded?" Noah asks as she pulls her pajamas out of her bag.

Emily thinks for a moment as her eyes meet Noah's. "I love you...even when I'm mad at you."

Noah smiles to herself and takes her pajamas to the bathroom. She closes the door behind her and takes a shower, preparing herself to get comfortable in a place that isn't home.

—
𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘

"Emily, we've been driving for half an hour, where are we going?" Noah asks as she looks out the window, starting to get nervous.

"We're almost there," Emily assures her daughter as they turn into a neighborhood. Noah looks around at all the houses. They're quite large and look insanely expensive.

"I wanna live in a house like these one day," Noah mentions.

"Yeah?" Emily asks as she peers over at her daughter.

"Mhm," Noah hums as she keeps looking out the window.

Emily slows the car down before coming to a complete stop at in front of one of the houses. "I used to live in that one right there."

"Really?" Noah asks as she perks up. "When?"

"After I left my desk job," Emily tells Noah as she watches her look at every inch of the house.

"Why'd you move out?"

"It was too far from work," Emily says. "And I didn't need all the room."

"You lived there alone?"

"I figured one day maybe a husband would come around and possibly kids too. But then, I don't know, I kinda got rid of that dream and decided to get a smaller place."

"Do you think we'll ever live in a house like that?" Noah asks as she turns around in her seat to look at Emily.

"Maybe one day," Emily chimes.

"Why'd you bring me here?" the teen questions her mother as she looks back at the house for a moment.

"I want to bring you closer to my life before you got here. I've always known a lot about your life, but you never really get to hear much about mine. My mother told me you ask her a lot of questions, so I thought I'd show you the answers to the ones she couldn't tell you."

"Is there anything else you can show me?" Noah pleads.

"We can drive around," Emily agrees and puts the car in drive.

They drive around the town, Emily pointing out all the places she remembers from living there. She shows her the coffee shop she always stopped at, the private school she would've put her children in, and the park she would always take walks in. Noah listened to her mother in awe of how much Emily seemed to have planned out. Somewhere along the line, something must have turned, but Noah can't tell what it might have been.

"Was it worth skipping school for this?" Emily jokes.

"Yeah, this is so cool. I had no idea about any of this."

"I hope you still think what we have is cool too," Emily says with a worried expression.

"Of course," Noah chimes. "I love our apartment and where we live. It's just cool to actually see parts of your past. I mean, there's Elizabeth's house, but you said you didn't stay there for many years before going to college."

"No, but you staying in my room is still weird," Emily chuckles. "I mean, throughout high school, I spent the majority of my time in that room."

"Isn't it weird to think that we spent so much time apart?" Noah mentions as she gazes at her mother, who keeps her eyes on the road.

"It doesn't feel like it," Emily replies, stealing a glance at her daughter.

"Thanks for showing me this," Noah beams.

"Of course," Emily replies. "I just want you to know things about me. I want you to feel like you're closer to me, even the parts of me that you weren't alive for. Just in case it's ever too late for me to tell you."