A/N: I know that it's been a while since I've updated, but I'm back with a new chapter… I do want to clarify when I said another problem would be cropping up that it wouldn't be one that is going to result in physical abuse or anything of the like… Or at least not from a guy to a girl… More than anything the problem will come from within families… While I may speak of cases that don't follow the show I will not go into detail about them… Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or GG!

Word Count: 2,701 words

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Derek saw the pain Rory was feeling reflected in her eyes and swore silently. He motioned Dave and Emily over to the side. "Is she alright?"

Dave sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Shots were fired as we were getting her into the SUV and Tristan tackled her to the seat to make sure that she didn't get hit by any of the flying bullets. On top of that she didn't really look good when I saw her to begin with. If I'm not mistaken she really hasn't been eating and nor has she been sleeping."

He shook his head as his dark eyes took Rory in. "We may have gotten the rapist already, but in all honesty, I think that we just started the hard part in all of this. It is going to take all of us working together to keep Tristan, Aaron, and Rory put together. The kid still looks like he wants to kill someone and if the looks I have seen on Aaron's face are anything to go by he wouldn't have a problem helping him do it."

Derek ran a hand over his bald head in frustration. "What are we going to do? We fight monsters all the time, but this time the demon is inside all three of them and they are going to need to deal with it. That girl looks like a strong wind would blow her over and I have to say, Rossi, that something else had to have got her that way because there is no way that she has lost that much weight in the week since her attack. She needs time to heal and I don't think she is going to get that here where she was attacked."

Dave's eyes narrowed as he really looked at Rory. He could see bags under her eyes and the strain on her face. He could tell that something else other than what happened to her had put the strain on her face. He groaned as he realized that Derek was right. "We'll take her back with us. I'm sure that I can get the Dean of Yale to work with us on her getting her assignments handed in. You are right in that she needs time to heal and besides there is no way in hell that Tristan and Aaron are going to let her out of their sight anytime soon. Call the hotel and make sure that Aaron's and Tristan's hotel room has a couch in the room. A doctor should be here soon to check Rory out."

Tristan who heard the end of Dave's conversation looked at the older man with a slight smirk. "I texted my Grandfather and asked him to send his personal physician. I want someone I know looking Rory over instead of some stranger. He should be here soon and more than likely my Grandfather will be with him."

Rory smiled slightly at that. "I would like to see Janlan."

Tristan bent down and kissed Rory on the head. "If he by some chance doesn't come, baby, I'll make sure that you get to see him. How are you feeling? And, Rory, I would like the truth please."

Rory looked up at Tristan with tears swimming in her eyes. "My side is killing me as is my back, leg, and arm. I also need to go to the bathroom."

Tristan nodded grimly and looked at Emily and JJ who were standing close by. "Could you two please help Rory to the bathroom and back out here?"

Emily nodded and smiled reassuring at Tristan, Aaron, and Rory. "We'll help you get to the bathroom, Rory. Maybe by the time we get back out the doctor will be here and he can give you something for the pain. Are you alright to walk or do I need to have one of the men carry you?"

Rory shook her head as she allowed her father and Tristan to help her stand up. "I'm pretty sure that I can walk, Agent Prentiss."

Emily chuckled lightly as she gently wrapped an arm around Rory's waist with JJ doing the same on Rory's other side. "Call me Emily please, Rory, and the blonde on your other side is JJ. Maybe while we're in the bathroom you can tell us some stories about Tristan's high school years." She grinned internally when she felt Rory relax somewhat as they slowly made their way to the women's bathroom. "I know that Tristan has talked quite a bit about you, but he never really talks about himself a whole lot."

Rory sighed even as she smiled slightly. "Tristan was what you would consider a bad boy while we were at Chilton together. My first day there and the first time I met him he dubbed me Mary and called me that instead of my name from then on. He was all the time with a new girl it seemed every week and I would always find him making out with said girl against my locker. Even when he was acting like a cocky asshole he was keeping watch over me and I knew it."

JJ laughed. "That does sound like Tristan."

Rory shook her head as she walked into a stall and shut the door. "Don't let his image fool you, JJ. The one thing I know about Tristan is that he uses his image to protect himself. I should have noticed that while we were at Chilton but I was too distracted with other things. Tristan may be many things, but the one thing he is truly not is a player regardless of what he lets everyone else see or think. He is afraid to get hurt so he doesn't put his heart out there for it to get stomped on."

She took in a deep breath and let it out as she flushed the toilet and slowly walked out of the stall and to the sinks so she could wash her hands. "The first-time Tristan and I kissed I cried and ran away. I never told him that the reason I ran was because I was scared of what he made me feel. I had just broken up with my then boyfriend because I couldn't tell him I loved him like he wanted me to, but no sooner did mine and Tristan's lips touch and I felt everything I should have felt with my ex. I wasn't ready for it and I didn't expect it so I started crying and after I saw the devastation in Tristan's eyes when he saw me crying I ran. I didn't want him to be hurt because of me."

She turned to face the two older women with sad eyes. "When he left Chilton, he took my heart with him and I never got it back. Tristan is the only boy/man I have ever loved and he will always be the only one because when I gave him my heart even without him knowing I gave it to him for forever. Before he showed up tonight I was ready to give up because I didn't see any way to get over what happened to me. However, seeing Tristan again reminded me why I need to keep living and that is because I have so much to make up to him. I have so much that I want and need to say to him, yet I have no clue how to say it. How do you tell someone that you haven't seen in almost five years that he has ruined you for any other man even when you never did more than kiss one another a couple of times?"

Emily stepped forward and pulled Rory into a gentle hug. "You tell him just like you told us, Rory. Tristan is in love with you and he always has been. He has a picture of you on his desk. He may not have seen you in almost five years, but please believe me when I tell you that he has been keeping tabs on you to make sure that you are alright. He switches out the picture on his desk once every month with a new picture of you. I'm not sure how he gets them, but he does and when he does it lights his eyes up."

Rory blushed. "I should have known that pictures Janlan has been taking were for Tristan even if the old man has a lot of them in his big house. Janlan has been a Godsend to me and not just because of the attack. He was there for me when I walked away from my Grandparents. He was there for me when my mom and I fought after she accused me of sleeping with my married ex. There have been many times that I have almost asked him to get in touch with Tristan, but I always stopped myself because I didn't feel like I had any right dragging him into the drama that has seemingly taken over my life without my permission. Don't get me wrong I love my mom, but when she believes my ex over me I just don't know what to do any longer. I can't keep beating my head against a brick wall and even though we are talking again since the attack happened it just isn't the same."

Emily frowned and shook her head. "It sounds like to me that you need to get away for a while. Maybe it is time that you reconnect with your dad now that you can openly call him dad, honey. You don't need to be around people who are only going to make you feel worse than you already do. You need some place where you can heal without interference from people who are just going to bring you down even without them meaning to. I have a spare bedroom if you'd like. Besides I think we need to get to know one another."

Rory's eyes lit up at the idea. "It would be nice to get away for a while. If I can get away, then I won't have to be trying to dodge people who stop by or call because I just won't be there to answer the phone or the door. Is it bad that I even want to get away from my mom for a while?"

JJ felt her heart go out to the young woman in Emily's arms. "Is isn't bad at all, Sweetie. What you need to do is focus on you and not on everybody else. You're never going to heal physically, mentally, or emotionally if you don't have the time to focus on yourself and not what somebody else wants or thinks. Besides you now have a new extended family who would love nothing more than to get to know you. For now, I think we should get back out there before Tristan ends up barging in here because he thinks that something is wrong. Who knew that, that young man was such a mother hen?"

Rory laughed and then groaned in pain. "There was one time while we were at Chilton that he freaked out when I got hit with a ball in gym class. I don't think that he meant for me or anyone else to see it but I did and I have to admit that it made me feel good. I liked the fact that someone cared if I was hurt or something. I liked that fact that I was liked for me and not for what I could do for someone else. With Tristan I always knew that I was safe and that I didn't have to worry about getting hurt if that makes sense. I may not have showed him like I should have but he did make my days a lot brighter than they would have been had I not seen him each day at school. When he got sent away it was like the light went out for me at Chilton and I just went through the motions. I hated walking the halls and not seeing his face or hearing his voice."

JJ walked forward and kissed Rory on the head. "You have a second chance now, Sweetie, so make sure that you don't waste it. I can tell you that being the girlfriend or wife of an Agent isn't always easy, yet I think that you won't have a problem with that at all."

Rory shook her head. "I want to be a crime reporter and I know that, that can be dangerous. I don't see the point in making someone change just to be with someone else. If you like someone then you like them for who they are and what they do. I always knew that Tristan was a good guy and this just proves me right and everyone else including his father wrong. Besides he is on my dad's team so I know that he'll be safe."

Emily nodded at that. "That is true. I have always wondered why it seemed that Aaron was always trying to make sure that Tristan stayed safe and now I know why. Okay, ladies, let's get out there before we have men storming the women's bathroom looking for us."

Rory leaned more on Emily and JJ and let them lead her out of the bathroom and back to her father and the guy that she was still in love with. She wasn't surprised to see Tristan pacing even as he talked to his Grandfather who had obviously showed up while they were in the bathroom. However, she was surprised to see Tristan's father and mother there. Once she was seated she looked at Janlan, Michael, and Natalie DuGrey and nodded. "Hello."

Natalie swept forward and bent down to hug Rory. "Oh, you poor thing. As soon as Michael and I heard what happened to you we flew back as soon as we could. How are you doing, Sweetheart?"

Rory's eyes widened in shock. "I'm alright."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "You most certainly are not but you will be. Philip, you will look Rory over now!"

Tristan couldn't help but laugh at the look on Rory's face as he shrugged his shoulders. "I may have told them in an email a while ago that I planned to make you my wife as soon as I could."

Rory blushed. "Tristan!"

Aaron laughed and shook his head. "It's only six years late, Rory."

Rory rolled her eyes at her dad. "Don't be encouraging him, dad! Besides I want a big wedding so it would take at least eighteen months to plan."

Tristan's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Rory smirked and then winced as Philip pressed on her leg. "Yes, seriously. We will have to talk but it can wait a while."

Tristan nodded and then grimly said "You are coming back with me."

Rory surprised him and her dad when she nodded. "Yes, I am."

Janlan grinned. "Good thing I called the housekeeper at the house in D.C. to have it readied. It looks like we're all heading to D.C."

Rory looked at Janlan with her mouth wide open. "You don't have to come."

Janlan narrowed his eyes at the young woman he thought of as a granddaughter. "Of course, I do, Rory. Do you really think I would stay here when you need me? I'm not Emily and I'm not Richard who always does what she tells him to do. You may not be my flesh and blood but you are my granddaughter and I will be there to take care of you."

Rory just nodded as she closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone and that is exactly what she felt like doing. She knew then that she had finally found where she belonged and it was with Tristan, his family, her biological father, and his family. She wouldn't let anyone stop her from doing what she wanted for herself for once. She would fight tooth and nail for what she wanted this time and she wouldn't give up or give in no matter what was thrown her way.


A/N 2: *groans and huffs* I really should know by now that my chapters won't go as planned... lmao... Hope you all enjoyed this chapter... Click the button and let me know what you think!