AN: This story contains spoilers from Risky Business, All that Remains, Route 66, and In the Blood. As always I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters.
"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." Amy Li
November 1989
"MOM! Where are my soccer cleats?" Eleven year old Jennifer Jareau called down stairs to her mother.
Sandy Jareau placed a plate of eggs in front of her eldest daughter before answering her youngest. The visible roll of seventeen year old Rosaline's eyes didn't escape the mother of three, she only shook her head and answered her daughter, "They're supposed to be in your gym bag with your uniform!"
"I know! I took them out to clean them, now I can't find them!" Jennifer called back as she looked under her bed for the tenth time that morning. She promised herself once again this would be the last time she let her room get so cluttered. Her parents were always on her to clean her room, but usually she knew where everything was in all the mess.
"JENNIFER ANN JAREAU! You had better not be cleaning out those muddy shoes in that bedroom!" Images of Jennifer's room clouded Sandy's mind. Clothes strewn all over the floor, books piled up, and finding weeks old mud stains on the Sunday dress's the little girl hated to wear.
Suddenly the sounds off the eleven year old girl's feet bellowed through the house as she ran down the hall and clobbered down the stairs. Sandy and Rosaline watched as a blur of blonde and pink ran past them and out the back door.
"What am I ever going to do with your sister Rosaline?" Sandy asked as she put another plate on the table for Jennifer and sat next to her older daughter.
"I don't know, I wasn't like that at her age, was I?" Rosaline asked, picking up her fork and stabbing at the eggs in front of her.
Sandy laughed, "No, I don't think there's a child in this world quite like your sister." Sandy noticed her older daughter wasn't eating breakfast, just picking at the eggs, moving them around the plate.
"Rosaline, honey are you feeling ok?" Sandy put her hand on the teenager's forehead checking for a temperature.
"MOM! I'm fine!" Rosaline shook her head away from her mother's hand in horror, looking around the room just to make sure one of her friends hadn't shown up unexpected. Noticing the sadness in her Mother's eyes, "I'm just tired Mom, I promise nothing's wrong."
"She was up late last night talking to her boyfriend!" Jennifer walked back into the kitchen as the back door slammed closed. She put her cleats on the stairs before sitting at the table next to her big sister. As she sat down she started making kissing sounds at her sister.
"Shut up Jennifer! I wasn't talking to my boyfriend. You're such a brat!" Rosaline chastised her sister, annoyed once again at the tag along sibling she didn't want.
"I'm not a brat! And don't call me Jennifer!" Rosaline knew how much her baby sister hated to be called Jennifer. Their father had called the little blonde girl JJ as long as anyone could remember, and other than their mother that's all anyone else was allowed to call her.
From the moment the little girl was born she was the opposite of everything their mother had wanted her to be. Sandy had hoped for a girl who like Rosaline wanted to be held, liked to play dress up, but unlike Rosaline wasn't so shy and introverted. She had hoped this girl would join pageants and play the piano.
The only thing Sandy had been granted was that Jennifer was anything but shy. Jennifer, or has her father called her from an early age, JJ was rambunctious. The little girl was content with throwing her hair in a ponytail and running around the neighborhood chasing the older kids. Sandy and Michael had wondered more than once if she had been born with a soccer ball attached to her foot, from the moment she first stepped on her brothers soccer field when she was three, they knew she had a gift. The only way that Sandy got the little girl to touch a piano was because Rosaline played, and even though the two sisters couldn't be more different JJ always wanted to be like her big sister. It was in those moments when the two sat on the piano bench playing together that you knew despite her frustration with her overly excitable sister, Rosaline loved her baby sister and would do anything for her.
"Rosaline! We don't talk like that in this family. And Jennifer don't tease your sister, now eat your breakfast or you're going to be late." Sandy expertly diffused the fight.
"How are things with Jason?" the girl's mother asked, tired of the self-imposed silence the two siblings had created around the table.
"We broke up." Rosaline answered simply not adding any additional details she knew her mother would want.
Sandy knew there was something more there but didn't want to push her daughter too hard, "Why honey?"
"I don't know, just did." Rosaline shrugged.
"That's not what you put in your diary. You said he was mad you wouldn't put out!" JJ answered without realizing she was about to get herself in trouble. She had been in trouble more times than she could remember for sneaking into her sisters room, she couldn't help it though, in her eleven year old mind Rosaline was the coolest person on earth.
"JENNIFER!" Sandy exclaimed at the same time as Rosaline gave her sister a look that could kill, "You've been reading my diary again! I told you to stay out of my room! God you're such a little bitch!"
"Enough!" A male voice interrupted from the stairway. Michael Jareau had heard his family's conversation as he came down the stairs.
"You always side with her!" Rosaline was pissed as she looked from her father down to her little sister.
"Rosaline I said enough!" Michael said again. "Jennifer!" He looked down at the small blonde girl first, "You've been told before to stay out of your sister's room. When you get home from your game tonight you're grounded, no TV, no phone, and no going over to your friend's house. Do you understand young lady?"
JJ nodded her head, she knew when her Dad called her Jennifer it was better to just go along with whatever he said. "Good, now go upstairs and get you school books together. I'll drop you off on the way to work, and we'll talk some more." He gave her a stern look as she got up from the table.
Once JJ was on her way upstairs Michael and Sandy turned their attention to their daughter who was obviously hurting more than they could tell, and from the look in her eyes, had been for quite some time.
"Rosaline," Michael started.
"I know Dad! I'm not supposed to swear, and I'm supposed to be nice to my sister, she's the only one I've got. Family doesn't hurt each other, and I have to remember she's six years younger and just wants to be like her big sister." Rosaline ticked off all the words of wisdom her parents had shared with her over the years.
Michael looked over at his wife with a soft smile, "While yes all those things are true, I'm more concerned with you and how your feeling."
"I'm fine Dad. I broke up with Jason, now you know why, thanks to big mouth up there. Really Dad everything is ok." Rosaline tried to get her Dad to stop worrying about her.
"Ok, honey. I know you don't want to talk about these things with your old man, but your Mom and I are always here for you. And I know your sister can be, well to put it in your terms, a pain in the ass, but she looks up to you, she just wants to be like her big sister." Michael kissed the top of his daughters light brown hair, "I love you kiddo."
"Me to Dad." Rosaline answered quietly, staring back down at her breakfast, taking a bite just to appease her parents.
Michael turned towards the stairs, "Let's go JJ!" He turned back to Rosaline, "The next time you swear at anyone in this family you'll be grounded, this time we'll call it a warning." He winked at his daughter as he waited for his younger child.
JJ, who had been sitting on the stop stair walked quickly down the stairs. Before leaving with her Dad she ran over to Rosaline, "I'm sorry I read your diary Roz, and I'm sorry you and Jason broke up." She hugged her sister before walking out with her Dad.
"Daddy?" JJ looked up at her Dad as he opened the front door for her, "What does it mean to put out?"
Michael coughed not ready for this conversation with his baby girl, "Hey, JJ why don't you tell me about your game today." Michael listened as his little girl quickly switched her focus.
Sandy heard her daughter's question, and could only imagine the look on Michaels face right now, "She's a handful."
Rosaline gave her Mom a small smile, "I guess I better go get ready for school."
"Hold on just a second." Sand put a soft hand on top of her daughters hands, "Listen I know you don't want to talk to your parents about sex but like your Dad said we're here for you sweetie, you can talk to me about anything.
Not getting much of a response Sandy continued, "I'm very proud of you though for knowing yourself and what you're ready for. Don't let anyone tell you different." Sandy wanted to say more but wanted to give her daughter a chance to open up on her own.
"I know Mom." Rosaline sighed heavily before going up stairs to get her school books.
Ten minutes later Rosaline walked back down stairs, "Bye Mom!"
"Rosaline hold up just a second!" Sandy put the phone down, "Your brother called, he wants to know if you can babysit on Friday night."
"Um…I don't know…I'll let you know tomorrow." Rosaline answered.
Sandy looked confused Rosaline usually had her nights planned out days in advance, it wasn't like her to not have an answer. "Ok sweetie, I'll see you later at JJ's game." Sandy turned back to her son on the phone.
"Yeah." Rosaline answered. Before leaving the house she look back at her Mother, she walked back over to her mom and pulled her into a tight hug, "I love you Mom."
Sandy held her daughter for a moment, feeling like she was holding her baby all over again, "I love you to."
"When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them." - George Benard Shaw
