RUNAWAY
CHAPTER TWENTY...!

❝ SEASON THREE ❞

  JENNIE SAT next to Emily, doing her homework as the Agent did her paperwork, when they could hear some commotion beside them. Turning, they saw Reid wearing some creepy mask, causing Morgan to jump at the sight.

The two girls laughed at the sight, as Derek groaned, "Reid!"

"Happy old Hallows-eve folks! To paraphrase from celtic mythology, tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and supernatural and temporarily rem-ooo-ved." Spencer used a ghost voice for the last part, tossing a skull to Emily.

"See, that right there is why Halloween creeps me out." Morgan huffed.

"You're scared of Halloween?"

"I didn't say I was scared, I said I was creeped out. There's a difference there, youngster. You should look it up."

"Pretty defensive for someone who's not scared of Halloween." Jennie mumbled, but it was loud enough for Morgan to hear, causing him to throw a crumpled piece of paper her way.

"What creeps you out about it?" Emily asked the man.

"I don't know. People wearing masks. I don't like folks in disguises."

"That's the best part about Halloween, you can be anyone you wanna be!" Spencer told him, throwing a piece of candy to Derek.

"Nah, I'm pretty good just being me."

"Yeah, why is it that neither of those points of view surprise me?" Emily asked Jennie, rhetorically, as the teen just shrugged.

"You know what though? On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick, and a little halloween honey." The man winked, with a smirk.

"If I hear Halloween honey come out of his mouth again, I will kill him and then myself." Jennie muttered, flipping through her papers.

"Halloween honey." Emily scrunched up her nose, equally disgusted by the name, "Now I'm creeped out."

That's when Spencer's eyes landed on someone behind Morgan, signaling the group, "Guys, he's here."

Everyone fell silent, trying to look professional. Jennie, on the other hand, had no idea who they were talking about. Turning around, she couldn't see the man's face, as he was already walking away from them. The teen only shrugged, not caring too much.

However, a few moments later, she could hear footsteps behind her. Before she could look, she heard her father speak up.

"Jen-Jen, there's someone here to see you."

Furrowing her eyebrows, the girl turned around, and when she did, her eyes lit up.

"Uncle Rossi!"

Jumping in for a hug, the man laughed, holding the teen in his embrace.

"Ah, piccola! You're all grown up!" Rossi told the girl, "Last time I saw you, you were this small!"

The two caught up some more, with big smiles, before Aaron cleared his throat, "Jennie, honey, I think its time Rossi meets the team."

"Oh! Yeah, right, sorry."

───

IT was the night of halloween, when Jennie sat in her dad's office, waiting for the team to get back from their case. She had just gotten back from taking Jack trick-or-treating.

Haley and Aaron had been separated for a while. Jennie didn't know a lot about the whole situation. Every-time she tried to bring it up, her dad would just dismiss it.

She still visited Haley─ mainly to see Jack. Not living with her younger brother had taken a greater affect on her life than she thought it would. She missed having the little guy annoy her at every second of every day, which is something she'd never thought she'd admit.

As she sat on the couch, with a small mirror on the coffee table, wiping off the makeup she put on for her cat costume, she saw someone walk through the door.

"Hey, kiddo." Rossi smiled at the teen.

"Oh, hey─" Jennie greeted, her words a bit muffled as she wiped the last bit of her makeup, "How was the case?"

"Good. Successful." Rossi told her, taking a seat on the table in front of her. The girl was slightly confused on why he was just staring at her, and before she could question it, he began talking again, "Your father said something to me out there. Said the team shares everything. You know if that's true?"

"Yeah." Jennie nodded, "Yeah, it's true."

"There is no I?"

"What's happening right now?" The girl furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

Rossi shook his head, with a slight shrug, "It just seems a big thing to withhold. Your dad separating from his wife, his son."

"What are you talking about?"

"He used to call Haley a day, Jennie. We've been together 48 hours, I haven't seen him call her once, haven't mentioned her. And─ I don't see you guys going home now."

The girl let out an awkward chuckle, "Rossi, I don't know what you want me to say─"

"The new technology, the fancy transportation systems, those aren't the only things that has changed around here." Rossi looked at her for an extended moment, "What's going on?"

"N-Nothing." Jennie shrugged, "I mean, yeah, things changed. Haley left my dad, I have a baby brother now, and I'm supposed to start looking at colleges soon. But─ you've been gone for ten years, Rossi, it'd be kinda weird if things didn't change."

"And─ you're okay? With all the change?"

"What, are you─" The girl furrowed her eyebrows, letting out a chuckle, "Are you trying to profile me, right now?"

"Just trying to catch up with an old friend." He shook his head, with a small smile, "You know you can always talk to me, kiddo. We're family, Jennie, and that means I worry about you."

The man then got up from the table, looking down at the girl, "So, I'm not saying you need it, but if you ever need someone to talk to, to get angry with, or just to sit with you in silence, you know how to reach me."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, before walking away, and Jennie's lips turned into a small, but genuine smile.

Before he could walk out the door, however, the teen spoke up one last time.

"Hey, Uncle Rossi?"

"Hm?"

"Do you still live in that lake house?"

The man paused for a second, before revealing, "It's more of a lake-mansion now, but yeah."

The girl laughed. She then cleared her throat, staying silent for a second, before speaking up again.

"Do you think we could sit in silence in it this weekend?"

He smiled, "Of course, Piccola."