Long time, no see!
This is set roughly around season eight. Enjoy!
"Mom! Where's my hair ribbons, I can't find any of 'um!"
Jennifer Jareau's eyes snapped open and she blinked a couple of times, encouraging the fuzzy image that was her room to stop swimming and snap into focus. She inhaled and shrugged her shoulders slowly, stretching her arms out to relieve all the tension in her muscles that had built up while she had slept. Slowly, she edged to the side of her bed and reached over to see whether her cell phone had any important messages for her, although she knew that if something really urgent had happened, it would have woken her anyway – her phone was never on silent. No missed calls and one text from Hotch wishing her a happy day off. It was so rare that the team got a free day that they all celebrated it as a sort of a bank holiday once it came around.
"Mom!"
The small voice rang out again, and JJ stood up, pulling on a slightly oversized jumper before silently moving down the hallway. The early morning light was just about filtering through the light curtains that hung in front of the window at the front of the house, illuminating all the pictures on the walls with an eerie glow. JJ paused outside the doorway from where the yelling voice had originated, smiling briefly at the messy artwork that hung on the wooden panes of the bright pink painted door.
"Yes, baby?" she smiled, resting her head against the oak doorframe.
A pair of round blue eyes stared up at her, joy softening the little girl's facial features. "You're here! I need my ribbons, Mommy, I need them right now!"
The sudden stern expression on her daughter's face made JJ laugh, which she quickly smothered behind her hand. Shaking her head, she stepped over various stuffed animals before she reached a small drawer, hidden just out of sight behind one of the legs of the small girl's bed. Debating whether to choose one ribbon for her daughter, or just to hand her the whole box, JJ decided to compromise and pulled out a whole wad of ribbons in her hand, offering them to the smaller blonde.
Eyeing her mother carefully, the little girl plucked two ribbons from her mother's hand, gesturing to the pigtails that she had attempted to do on either side of her head herself. JJ chucked, throwing the unwanted ribbons back into the box and started to re-do her daughter's hair.
"What have you got in mind for Mommy's day off, Lina?"
Turning to face her mother carefully so as not to mess up her hair, the little girl's eyes began to sparkle with excitement, "I get to choose?"
JJ nodded, fixing the second bow, her hand automatically brushing a stray hair off her child's face. Lina jumped up and down on the spot, absentmindedly chewing on her bottom lip, the way she always did when she was mulling over a very important decision, well, as important as any decision can be when you're five years old.
"The park! The park! The park!" she shrieked, and threw her arms around her mother, "Pleeeeease?"
JJ laughed, kneeling back before standing,
"Go get your coat on, and don't forget your boots this time..."
The little girl jumped with glee and raced from the room, giving JJ a full length look at the outfit that the small girl had already dressed herself in. Her favorite pink knitted sweater, and a denim skirt and white tights. Couldn't have done better myself, JJ thought to herself. Picking out fashion items for her daughter had always been a bore to JJ, to preferred to lounge around in jeans and whatever sweater or T-shirt she could find first on her days off. She always dreaded the annual FBI Christmas party where it was black tie was mandatory. It always warranted long hours traipsing around the mall, with Lina skipping behind her, pulling at any dresses that happened to be pink or have any hint of sparkle at all on them.
Dressing quickly, JJ walked downstairs to join her daughter, who was already standing at their front door, fully covered in her winter coat and little black boots. In her right hand, she was clutching a silver packet of chocolate Pop-Tarts. JJ laughed at her daughter's choice of breakfast, and would usually prefer that something a little more substantial was eaten so early in the morning, but as today was the only day that they had had for the two of them in weeks, she decided to let it slide. Shrugging on her jacket and reaching for her house keys, JJ opened the door to let her daughter out.
It was a short walk to their local park, and many children seemed to have the same idea Lina did, as JJ could already count at least eight other children already swinging off the many play things that the small park and playground offered. Lina raced off to the swings, begging her mother in backward yells to push her.
Smiling, JJ stepped up behind her daughter and waited till she was seated properly before giving her a small push to start off with. The child's laughter filled JJ's ears and she chuckled alongside.
"Higher! Higher!" Lina pleaded, her long hair whipping around her face. JJ pushed harder, and she watched as her daughter swung her legs out.
"I'm flying Mommy, I'm flying!"
JJ laughed,
"Yes you are! Make sure you keep holding on tight though!"
A couple of hours later, the two girls made their way back to their house, both slightly damp as it had started to rain, causing them to leave earlier than they would have liked. JJ was still amazed how children could spend hours playing the same apparatuses as they always do, she didn't know how Lina didn't find it boring.
"Straight up to the shower please!" JJ called after her daughter as she raced up the stairs, laughing at the girl's small sigh.
The rest of the day passed pleasantly, they spent it watching Lina's favorite DVDs and munching on countless bowls of popcorn.
Once JJ noticed Lina start to yawn, she scooped the small child up and carried her up stairs, ignoring Lina's feeble protests against going to bed 'so early'. JJ tugged her daughter's clothes off and gently pulled a nightdress over her head before tucking her into bed. As soon as the small head hit the pillow, JJ could tell that it wouldn't be long until her daughter was asleep, so she left the room quietly, leaving the door slightly ajar.
She padded around the kitchen for a while, unpacking and re-loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counter tops until she felt herself becoming achy again and she knew that she needed to get a good sleep in order to function properly back at work tomorrow.
Yawning, she climbed the stairs, pausing momentarily outside Lina's door, watching the slight rise and fall of her daughter's chest as she slept.
As she settled into bed, JJ wished that she had another day off, or at least hoped they didn't have to jet off anywhere the next door. Usually she was home by seven if they didn't have to travel anywhere, and she could still put Lina to bed.
Moving around the bed until she was comfortable, she reached for her phone again, setting her alarm clock for five with a heavy heart - she hated leaving the house if Lina wasn't awake. Quickly, she sent her babysitter a text asking if she could be at the house by a quarter to six, and as she sat waiting for a reply, she quickly flicked through her camera roll, pausing at every now and again to concentrate on her favorite photos of Lina. Suddenly, the loud ping of an incoming text message startled her, and she smiled as she read the text back from Sarah, the woman that had been babysitting Lina since she was just a baby, that said of course she would be there before JJ had to leave.
She could feel her eyelids become heavier and heavier, and she relaxed, falling asleep almost instantly, her phone still in her hand.