*sends out virtual muffins* Thanks so much for all of the reviews! It gave me the motivation I needed to get this chapter up faster. If I get just as many for Chapter 6, I'll send out some cookies next time. Yum!

Love Salem

"Only an Aunt can give hugs like a mother, can keep secrets like a sister and share love like a friend."

-Author Unknown

Thirty minutes after the duo had went to shower and change, JJ made her way down the stairs, running her hand along the oak banister. Her black sweater hung loosely off of her right shoulder as her normally straight golden locks cascaded down her back in a sea of waves. She tugged at her sleeves self-consciously, wanting to make sure that the cut that ran the length of her left forearm was completely covered. Her parents had been informed of her abduction a day or so after she'd went missing, but she wanted to spare them the gruesome details, just as she always tried to do after a case had left her a little worse for the wear.

The smell of simmering bacon floated through the Jareau cabin and JJ figured that her mother hadn't been able to resist the temptation to cook breakfast upon learning that her daughter was there. Just as she was about to round the corner into the kitchen, fingers gripped tightly around her arm and pulled her stumbling backwards. Her first instincts were to start swinging or reach for her gun, but she calmed once she caught a glimpse of fiery hair.

"Ash, are you crazy?" JJ questioned, obviously annoyed. "You know I don't do well with being snuck up on. I'm a freaking FBI Agent for crying out loud."

"Don't get sassy with me. You owe me big time! Do you know how lucky you are that I caught you and not Mimi and Pops?" Ashley said with a smug look on her face.

"Oh, don't even act like you're some kind of angel, Ashley Michelle. You owe me from all those times I covered for your ass on the weekends I was home visiting while you were off hooking up in the back seat of Paul's junker car! There are some things an aunt shouldn't know about her niece, and that is one of them."

"Don't start pulling out middle names, Jennifer Jean! And you know we were raised more like sisters anyway so do not pretend that it pains you knowing I lost my virginity to a guy I'd been dating for three years," Ashley retorted, sticking out her tongue in a very child-like manner. "Enough with the arguing… who's the babe?"

JJ's sapphire eyes grew wide, "Babe? Since when did you switch teams?"

"Um, anyone with eyes can see that Emily is totally hot, Aunt J. And I didn't, but when did you?" The redhead wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

A blush crept into the blonde's cheeks as she contemplated the question. "I don't know honestly. It just sort of happened." She paused, a smile gracing her flawless features as she thought about Emily and how rapidly their relationship had progressed in just a few days. "But God, she is so amazing."

"I gathered as much from all the, ahem, screaming you were doing in the kitchen. Which, ew… I really hope Mimi wiped down the counter before she started making breakfast," Ashley said in mock disgust.

"Shut up, brat," JJ replied playfully before throwing her arm over her green-eyed niece's shoulder and dragging her into the kitchen.

Jeanette Jareau stood in front of the sink, rinsing the spinach as the girls entered the room. Her graying red hair was held in place by a small clip, a few strands falling haphazardly in front of her face. JJ grinned as she watched her mama wipe her hands on the front of her faded jeans; the woman never could use a damn dish towel.

"Jenny Benny!" Alexander Jareau's booming voice echoed through the room as he looked up from the paper and noticed JJ standing there.

"Hi daddy," the blonde smiled before walking over to her father, allowing him to envelope her in one of his infamous bear hugs. He was still as handsome as ever with salt and pepper hair, and emerald eyes. His face was lined with wrinkles from years of playing sports out in the sun. He would often go on tangents about sunscreen being a bunch of crap because hell, he was just fine.

JJ winced slightly as her father let her go, feeling the place in her ribs where he'd squeezed her a little too tightly. She knew that he pretended not to notice; neither of them ever wanting to worry her fragile mother.

"JJ, it's so good to see you!" her mother squealed before hurrying over and placing her hands on her daughters small shoulders. "Penelope called to tell us about what happened and we're just so glad that you're okay. You are okay, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm fine," JJ placated before pulling the woman into a hug. "You get used to being tossed around when you work for the FBI." As soon as the words left her mouth, JJ wished she could take them back. She shook her head lightly, preparing herself for the rant that was about to come.

"Tossed around?" Jeanette questioned in a frightened voice. "Were you badly hurt? Penelope assured us that you were going to be okay. My goodness, if that girl lied to me I'll… well, I don't know what I'll do. Be mad, that's for sure!"

"Now Jeanie Beanie, don't work yourself up over there. Jennifer said she was fine. I believe her and so should you," her father said from his chair, giving a slight wink to his daughter.

"Just a few bumps and bruises," JJ said, giving her usual response, trusting that it would be enough to calm her frenzied mother. "So what's for breakfast?" She hoped talking about food would divert the older Jareau woman's attention since she loved to cook.

"Well as long as you're sure that's all it is," Jeanette stated, not willing to fully drop the subject, as she walked back over to the sink. "Spinach omelets, bacon and I was thinking about trying out these new biscuits I saw Rachael Ray whip up."

"Mimi, did we pick up asparagus when we stopped at the grocery store. An asparagus omelet sounds amazing!" Ashley said, practically singing the last word.

"Oh yeah, Grams used to make those and they were pretty awesome," JJ smiled as she walked toward her mother. "Do you need any help, mom?" She watched as Jeanette pulled the asparagus from the fridge before setting it on the counter. Not waiting for the older woman to answer, she took the asparagus and began to break the ends off, just the way her Grams had taught her.

"Does your friend, um… what did Ashley say her name was? Um, Emily! Yes, does Emily like spinach or asparagus?" Jeanette asked.

"I uh," JJ paused as she realized that she wasn't really sure. "I think she'll eat either. She's not really that picky from what I've seen."

"Whichever is easiest for you," Emily said as she stepped into kitchen, surprising everyone. Her straight black hair hung just above her shoulders, grazing the top of her alabaster shoulders. A barely audible gasp escaped JJ's lips as she ogled the woman in front of her, transfixed on the see-through ivory lace blouse that fit tightly over a blank tank top. Emily Prentiss was absolutely stunning in every sense of the word.

"You finally decided to join us," the blonde joked, emerging from her stupor as she walked over to her friend. "No preference for breakfast? Even though I can assure you that whatever my mom cooks will be fabulous."

"I'll have what you're having," Emily grinned, a suggestive undertone in her voice that only JJ- and maybe Ashley- noticed.

The media liaison flashed a devilish smile at the older woman, one that suggested that if her parents weren't currently in the room, she would finish having her for breakfast… lunch… and even dinner. Her appetite for the brunette was insatiable and seeing her in skin-tight denim was more than enough to drive her wild once again. She mentally took note of all the things she would do to Emily later before turning her attention back to her family.

"Nice to officially meet you, Emily," Ashley said, not waiting to be introduced as she lifted her arm in a slight wave, a smirk evident on her face. She resembled JJ when she had that 'I know something everyone else doesn't' look and Emily couldn't help but already hold a soft spot for the obviously wise-ass college girl.

"Likewise, Ashley," the brunette replied, shaking hands with JJ's niece.

"Em, this is my daddy, Alexander," JJ said, pointing towards the tall man that now sat with his hands folded neatly on top of his paper. "But most people just call him AJ since he thinks that Alexander is far too stuffy."

"Well it's true," the man huffed as he stood up from the table and walked towards Emily before grasping her hand in his own. "It's a pleasure to meet you Emily. I'm assuming that you work with Jenny Benny?"

Emily giggled a little at the cutesy nickname before answering the man's question, "Yes sir, I do."

"Any friend of JJ's is a friend of mine," he smiled as he stepped away and grabbed a few coffee mugs from the cabinet. "Emily, are you as addicted to coffee as little JJ is?"

The brunette beamed at the older man, taking comfort in his voice, as she accepted the mug he extended to her. "I don't think anyone drinks as much coffee as JJ, but I do like a cup or two in the mornings to keep me going."

"Hey!" JJ pouted, trying to sound defensive when really she was more amused. "Mom might as well have an IV of caffeine flowing into her system with all the coffee she drinks."

"Now don't start picking on me, Jennifer Jean," Jeanette glared playfully before introducing herself to Emily and drawing her into a friendly hug. "I don't do handshakes."

"That's good to know," Emily responded before turning her attention to her blonde friend. "Jennifer Jean. Should I start calling you Triple J now?"

"Apparently, my parents are a big fan of alliteration, or at least they were when they decided to name me," JJ sighed as she sat down at the table next to AJ. "They should've just named me Jeanette Junior and gotten it over with."

"You do look an awful lot like her, minus the fire engine hair that is," Emily countered, nudging her foot against JJ as she took the seat next to her.

"Not quite fire engine anymore," Jeanette smiled, setting the food on the table. "Ashley inherited that wonderful trait. They say it skips a generation, you know."

"Yeah, I got lucky," Ashley said as helped her grandmother pass out plates and silverware.

"Well they also say that redheads are soulless, so how lucky do you feel now?" JJ asked as she raised her eyebrows at her niece.

"Jennifer!" her mother scolded.

"Not you, mama. Just Ash."

"Do the two of you often argue like children?" Emily questioned.

"Yes," AJ spoke up before either of them had a chance, not looking up from his paper.

"Alexander, put the paper down and fix yourself a plate. You all need to start eating before it gets cold," Jeanette said as she sat the biscuits on the table and slid out the chair next to her husband. "I didn't spend all morning slaving over a hot stove just so it could go to waste."

Neither Ashley nor JJ could hold it in as they burst out laughing at their overdramatic relative. "Mimi always like to make it seem like all she does it cook when in reality, most of her meals, while delicious, don't take more than half an hour. She's a huge fan of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals."

"And just for that, you two giggle boxes are in charge of the dishes," Jeanette reprimanded.

Emily couldn't contain the smile that was etched across her face all through breakfast as she enjoyed witnessing the Jareau family's playful banter and loving antics. She'd been slightly thrown at one point when JJ threw a biscuit at her father, causing a short lived food fight to develop between the pair; only to be ended moments later with a few quick yells from an upset Mrs. Jareau. The graying woman had shaken her head, complaining that the small family couldn't even behave with company present. Emily sighed inwardly as she wondered what it had been like to grow up in a family like JJ's, one that appeared to be as close as ever even after the death of a daughter so many years ago, even after they only saw each other once or twice every few months. Her life growing up could've been classified as anything but 'close-knit.'

Noticing Emily's far-off look, JJ ran her foot up the brunette's leg, hoping to catch her attention. It worked. The older woman looked in her direction, only nodding when JJ mouthed, "Are you okay?" Slightly satisfied, the blonde began to contemplate just how she would bring up the topic of her and Emily's blooming relationship to her parents. Should she start talking about it now at breakfast or wait until a little later, like when they were in the car pulling out of the driveway kind of later? She honestly couldn't even fathom how they may react. She knew that no matter what, they loved her and always would. She couldn't imagine her ever-doting parents shunning her for any reason, especially for who she loved.

"Jennifer!" her mother said a little louder this time, snapping JJ out of her reverie. "Did you hear what I asked?"

"No ma'am. I'm sorry. I was totally spaced out for a minute," the blonde apologized.

"I asked what time you planned on leaving today since Emily said she wasn't exactly sure."

"Oh, um probably around 1 o'clock or so. I want to get back in time to straighten up the house and get ready for Henry to come home tomorrow. God, I can't wait to hear those little feet running around the house again."

"Did you and Will figure out a schedule? I know you're always telling me how unpredictable your hours are," Ashley chimed in as she took a sip of her coffee.

"We had things pretty routine before…" JJ paused, hating to bring up her abduction again, "before the last case so we'll probably just go back to that. It's basically half and half when I'm not jetting out of town. It's hard trying to make everything completely stable for Henry with my job, but I'm getting it down to a science. Or at least I hope I am."

"I think you're doing a great job," Emily comforted, unknowingly placing her hand on top of JJ's.

Ashley quickly cleared her throat, causing both women to jump, their hands separating as if they'd just received an unexpected shock. JJ realized then that it was now or never. If she truly was batting for the other team, and Emily' team at that, she needed to step up to the plate.

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees."

-Khalil Gibran

JJ and Emily stood at the kitchen sink washing and drying dishes while the Jareau family was upstairs, settling into their respective rooms. The brunette had dismissed Ashley from her clean up duties in hopes of talking to JJ about revealing their growing relationship to her parents. She knew that the younger woman was nervous, as was she, and if JJ wanted to wait to tell them then she'd accept that. She'd learnt a long time ago how difficult it could be to admit to yourself that you were different and even harder to expose your differences to others. But she had a feeling that JJ's parents would be receptive; from what she'd witnessed in just a few hours, they appeared to be accepting people. From the moment she'd stepped into the kitchen with them, she'd never felt more welcome. She couldn't even remember ever feeling that comfortable in her own home in between her own parents.

"I considered telling them at breakfast," JJ spoke up as she scrubbed at a stubborn pan. "But it just didn't seem like the right time. How will I even know when the right time is? When is the right time to look at your parents and introduce them to your girlfriend?"

"Well, men do it all the time," Emily joked, trying to calm the frantic blonde. The look on JJ's face didn't soften and Emily realized that it would take more than a few quips to calm her girlfriend's frenzied nerves. "You know, I never told my mother that I was attracted to women because I never thought any of the relationships would ever be serious enough to be worth sharing. There were a few random girls at Yale, but only one that I actually dated. It didn't work out though so I continued to pursue relationships with men in hopes that I'd just been going through a phase. I didn't want to accept that I might be bisexual or gay or just different. And you know, over time I actually began to believe that it was just a phase… until I met you," the brunette explained, peering down into her partner's crystal clear blue eyes. "I know I didn't admit it when you did and that I still haven't spent a lot of time talking about my feelings because I'm not used to that, but from the moment you walked into Hotch's office on my first day, I've been fascinated with you. I'm sorry that I didn't come clean in the hospital. I was just in such a state of shock that I couldn't even imagine that what you were saying was true. You were so damn doped up," she smiled, "that I was afraid you were just rambling or that you wouldn't remember. But when you came back to work, I realized that I'd really hurt you and for that I truly am sorry."

JJ gazed into the face of the woman whom she so desperately wanted to grab onto and never let go. She knew what it had taken for Emily to say all of those things, to talk about her feelings and to apologize. "What made you decide to say all of that right now?" she questioned, wondering where it had all come from. "I mean, I'm so very glad you did, but it wasn't exactly a smooth segue." She smiled, a twinkle glimmering in her eyes.

"I just wanted you to realize that no matter what, I'm here for you. No matter how your parents react, no matter what happens when we tell the team, no matter what Will says, I'm here for you, Jayje. You don't even have to tell your parents today if you're not ready. This trip was about discovering us and where we stood. I think it's pretty safe to say that we've done that."

"Yeah, I think we have, but I want to tell them. I don't want it to seem like I am hiding you because, I promise, there's nothing I want to do more than show you off," JJ explained before planting a delicate kiss on Emily's lips. "I want them to know who you are and what you mean to me."

Without another word the two women finished washing the dishes before pouring themselves some more coffee and walking together out onto the back porch, where JJ was sure her parents would be waiting. True to form, AJ and Jeanette Jareau were sitting in their rocking chairs. JJ's father was finishing up the paper while Jeanette sat contentedly, reading a book on her Kindle. It always made JJ's heart flutter when she saw them together, sitting in a comfortable silence, exchanging the occasional glance or reaching for each other's hands. It was exactly how she'd pictured her life being when she got older.

"Thank you so much for helping JJ tidy up the kitchen, Emily," Jeanette thanked the brunette. "It would've taken her and Ashley hours as much as they argue."

"Very funny," JJ laughed as she sat down on the bench next to Emily, turning her body in the direction of her parents. "Do you think I could talk to the two of you about something?" She watched in anticipation as her father set down his paper and remove his glasses. He could tell when JJ was serious and it was evident all over her face.

"What's wrong Jenny Benny?" AJ questioned, stealing a fleeting glimpse at his wife who looked like she was ready to pass out. She also knew that tone and she was so afraid that their daughter was about to deliver bad news.

"Nothing's wrong, I promise. Actually, everything is great. It's just… I… I don't really know where to start… or what to say," JJ admitted. "That doesn't happen to me often seeing as how I spend so much time in front of the press." The blonde tried to make light of the situation, hoping to prove to her parents that she was being truthful when she said nothing was wrong.

"Does this have anything to do with Ashley trying desperately to slow us down as we carried the suitcases inside?" Jeanette questioned.

"Um, I'm not really sure," the blonde giggled. "I didn't have anything to do with that one, but it's possible." She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs as much as possible, praying that the air she'd breathed in was full of the courage she'd need to finish what she'd started. "It's about Emily. Well, actually it's about Emily and me. When I introduced her to you all, I left out one little detail. She's not just my co-worker or just my friend; she's my… my girlfriend."

"I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you."

-Roy Croft