A/N: I do not own Criminal Minds!
This story includes JJ's family that I created myself. This is totally different than what we are shown in the show.
Chapter 7
It was just over 1:30 when they arrived at the Jareau Residence. Emily turned to JJ, looking grim.
"It's going to be okay, Em. Look, there aren't many cars here, so it probably will be a small group right now." She tried to calm her girlfriend, who looked like she was a step away from having a panic attack.
"What if they don't like me?"
JJ took Emily's hand and smiled. "They are going to love you, Em. But if you ever feel uncomfortable, just let me know and we can leave. No questions asked. Actually, I probably will ask, but you get the point." Emily nodded and JJ leaned to kiss her. "I love you, Emily. More than you will ever know."
Emily smiled at her, a little reassured. "I love you, too."
"Come on, then. Let's get our bags."
They got out of the car and got their duffel bags from the trunk. As they walked to the front porch, JJ grabbed Emily's hand. The blonde wouldn't admit it to her girlfriend, but she was worried as well.
They rang the doorbell, and a few seconds later, an older looking version of JJ opened the door. JJ's mother squealed and pulled her daughter in a hug. "Jennifer! You're home!"
Emily stood there awkwardly as she watched the mother-daughter reunion. When they let go, the mother turned to Emily.
"Hi, there! Jen, I thought you were bringing your boyfriend over." She said, looking slightly disappointed.
"Mom, this is Emily Prentiss. She's my girlfriend."
The mother looked like she saw a ghost. Emily swallowed and stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Jareau. I'm Emily."
The woman did not shake her hand. Instead, after a few seconds of staring at her, she pulled the brunette into a hug. "Oh, Emily. We hug around here. And don't call Mrs. Jareau, call me Linda. You're practically family if Jenny decides to introduce you to us. Come in, come in! I'm so glad you guys are here!"
When Linda let go of Emily, the brunette turned to JJ who was grinning from ear to ear. They followed Linda inside of the rustic house. After closing the door, they were approached by a very tall man, Emily could only guess being JJ's father.
"Pumpkin!" The man shouted as he wrapped his large arms around the blonde.
"Daddy!" JJ murmured as she pressed her head into his chest, childlike. Emily couldn't help but smile. When they let go, JJ told him, "Daddy, this is my girlfriend Emily."
Emily smiled awkwardly as the man chuckled and hugged Emily. "Nice to meet you, Emily! I'm so glad to meet the girl who took my daughters heart."
"I'm glad to meet you too, Mr. Jareau. Jen has told me all about you both."
"All good things I hope."
"Of course," Emily replied.
"And please call me Jacob. Put your stuff down, girls. I know it has been a long day do you both, but your siblings need help in the kitchen."
Emily chuckled. "I don't know if you want JJ's help. Unless you want everything burnt."
The parents laughed as JJ hit her girlfriend playfully. "Not fair, Em."
"She's right, Pumpkin," Jacob agreed. "You really can't cook."
"Good thing Emily can," JJ told her parents.
"Thank god," Linda replied. "Follow me, girls. Let's get some aprons on and we can get to know Emily." As they followed Linda to the kitchen, she continued. "The kids are outside, playing. Only your brothers are here. I think it will be just us this Thanksgiving."
When they reached the kitchen, three adults cheered as they turned to see the group.
"Kidlet!" The older man greeted as he ran up and picked up JJ.
"Patrick, I'm too old for this!" JJ laughed as her brother twirled her around.
"You're never too old, little bit," Patrick stated matter of factly. When he let go, he turned to Emily. "Who is this?"
"Everyone, this is Emily, my girlfriend," JJ introduced.
Emily waved awkwardly, much like Spencer would. "I'm Emily Prentiss. It's nice to meet you all."
Patrick grinned at her. "Hi, Emily! I'm Patrick. This is my wife Annessa."
Annessa joined them as she hugged JJ and shook Emily's hand. "Welcome to the family," she said sweetly to the brunette.
They all waited for the other brother to reply. He slowly walked up to the group and said, "Wow, Jay. You have good taste in women."
Everyone groaned as JJ hit her brother.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He smiled charismatically at Emily as he reached out his hand. "I'm Stephen. Aka, the best and most beautiful Jareau."
"It's nice to meet you, Stephen."
"All right, introductions over. Let's get cooking. Emily, do you know how to make mash potatoes?" Linda asked Emily.
"Of course!" Emily answered as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Wonderful. There are potatoes on the counter with everything that you should need. Jenny, help your girlfriend. And when I say help, I mean just help her get ingredients."
"You don't mind if it is a little foreign, do you? I know the best recipe from Russia."
"Anything edible is great," Jacob joked. "Have you visited Russia?"
As Emily began to peel the potatoes, she answered, "Actually I lived there for about a year when I was eleven."
"Oh my! I just realized this! I'm so silly! You're the Emily Prentiss! You work with JJ. In the BAU!" Linda shouted excitedly.
"Yes, I'm a profiler," Emily answered sheepishly.
"Ah, Yes. So that's how you met," Jacob inferred. "Jen is never able to meet anyone. She's a workaholic she is."
"Dad!" JJ shouted as if she was offended.
Emily grinned. She had never seen JJ look so… carefree.
"So does that Mr. Hotchner lets you both date?" Linda asked her daughter, curious. "Or does he not know?"
"Hotch knows. The whole team knows," JJ answered. "They are all fine with it. It's the higher boss, Strauss, that we have to be careful about. We are planning on telling her when we return. We don't want Hotch to get into any trouble."
"I'm planning on transferring if they force one of us to," Emily added as she poured her contents into a bowl.
"I hope you guys don't have to do that," Patrick mentioned as he and his wife were making a pie. "It seems overly harsh."
"We hope so too," Emily agreed. "But the job isn't near as important."
After a few seconds of silence, Linda questioned, "So, Emily, were you always planning to be in the BAU?"
"Kind of. I was raised to be a politician, but I never really liked politics. Thought it was crude and awful. Especially growing up in it. I went to Yale though and discovered criminology and psychology. I worked in different places for a while until I got the job in the unit."
"Politics? Are your parents senators or something?" Stephen asked, his attention peaked.
"My mother is an ambassador."
"Ah, so now Russia makes sense." Stephen joined in.
"Well I am glad you joined the BAU," Linda told Emily. "It's nice to know that someone is looking after our little girl."
"Mom…"
"JJ is safe," Emily told everyone. "Everyone in the team looks after her. We look after each other."
"And how is Spencer doing? Is he eating?" Linda asked her daughter.
JJ sighed, "Yes Mom. Spencer is a grown up. He is able to eat on his own."
"That boy was too skinny. He needs someone to take care of him. Like that other boy, Derek. They were quite flirty, weren't they? Or was he into the… tech girl, Penelope?"
JJ's jaw dropped as she turned to Emily who was just as surprised to hear the mother's opinion.
"Mom! How do you know about Derek and Spence?"
Linda snorted, "I'm not blind, Jennifer. I may not be a profiler or work in the BAU, but I know when two people are smitten. Like you both. And how long have you been together?"
JJ scratched behind her ear nervously. She and Emily weren't together when she promised her mother that she would introduce her to her significant other. "Oh," JJ began. "Not too long. Less than six months." It wasn't a lie, it was just very vague.
Linda smiled. "Serious relationship, then. I'm so glad. Everybody needs somebody. I hope you aren't disappointed, Jenny, that none of the other family is coming this year."
"Of course not, Mom. It'll be great. More time to catch up with just us."
"So, Emily, you said you spent a year in Russia, but where did you grow up? What's home for you?" Jacob asked Emily as they carved into the delicate food they spent hours making and eating.
Swallowing all her food, Emily replied, "I never stayed in one place longer than a year, really. I never really considered a place home. But I love DC. And as much as we travel, I love coming back home to the city."
"Where was your favorite place to live?" Annessa questioned.
"That's difficult. I don't remember enough from before I was ten, so maybe Paris when I was thirteen. It was definitely most beautiful. I also loved Scotland when I was seventeen. I only spent a few months there though before I had to leave for college."
Stephen piped up, "You said you went to Yale, right? Did you like it?"
"I loved the learning, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the environment. I prefer getting down and dirty rather than prestige. It didn't help with the last name."
After taking a large sip of wine, Linda questioned, "Are you close with your parents?"
"Not really," Emily admitted. "I was close to my father as a child, but he passed away when I was young. And my mother and I never got along. I think she expected a very different daughter. She wanted me to have the same life as her, and I didn't want that."
"Well then," Linda stated with one of the warmest smiles Emily had ever seen. "I guess we will just have to adopt you, won't we?"
Emily blushed, surprised by the amount of kindness she was experiencing. "Thank you, Linda. That means so much more to me than you could ever know." She turned to JJ, who was grinning at her. Emily's eyes watered, but she was able to hide it fairly well.
There was a sharp high pitched scream coming from the other room and Annessa quickly got up. "I'll see what's going on." She left the dining room to go to the kitchen where the kids were eating.
Emily turned to Patrick and asked him, "Patrick, Jen told me you are a teacher. What kind?"
"I teach Sophomore World History. It's a tough gig, but it's a very rewarding job. It must sound boring compared to what you and Jay do."
Emily shook her head rapidly. "No, actually, I think the opposite. I'm used to the job. Honestly, I'd be more afraid to talk to teens then chase a serial killer."
Light chuckles were shared around the room.
"It's not that bad. Actually, teenagers can be really intelligent and intuitive when they actually pay attention and do the work," Patrick informed Emily.
"Talking about school again?" Annessa joked as she re-entered the dining room. "Don't let him start. He'll go on forever."
"What do you teach, Annessa?"
"AP Lit. Some of my kids are real nerds this year. Two kids wrote me a thirty-page essay on why they think "The Lord of the Rings," should be considered a classic and should be read in class. If I knew better, I would have thought they were talking to our sons."
"I see their point," Emily nodded. "But I think "The Hobbit," is a bit better written and should be considered more of a classic."
The family gaped at the brunette. "Emily is quite the nerd," JJ pointed out happily. "That's probably the hardest thing to adjust to. Watching nerdy sci-fi movies."
Stephen gasped, "Emily! You got Jenny to watch a movie that isn't a rom-com? How is that even possible?"
Emily snorted, "Believe me, it took a long time. But eventually, she agreed to take turns. During Halloween, we had quite the horror movie binge."
"You guys are acting like I never watched a movie other than a rom-com before I met Emily! That is so not true." JJ argued.
"Jenny, your girlfriend is over. We have to make fun of you. This is how it works. Remember when I brought Annessa and mom showed her my birth video?" Patrick pointed out.
"Oh my god. I have never been more horrified. That should have been a sign for me to get out," Annessa muttered jokingly.
"Well, that's how we knew you were perfect for Patrick!" Linda retorted. "If you could handle that, hell, you could handle anything."
Emily frowned. "You're not going to show me JJ's, are you?"
"Oh, honey, no. Don't get me wrong, we would if we had one. But after Patrick, we decided not to do any more filming. We didn't want to remember any of it," Linda told her.
Emily sighed, relieved. "So I don't get any test?"
"Of course you do," Linda corrected. "But Jennifer is the little girl of the family. So I believe Jacob is the one in charge of the grilling, not me."
Emily turned to Jacob, afraid.
"Dad," JJ said. "You don't need to interrogate my girlfriend. There is no need for it."
Jacob shook his head. "Sorry, pumpkin. I have to. It's only tradition."
JJ was about to disagree before Emily interrupted. "It's fine, Jen. I can handle it. I've been through a hell of a lot worse."
Linda decided to change the subject when she turned to her youngest son. "Stephen, are you dating anyone right now? Do you have a new model?"
Stephen rolled his eyes. "I don't only date models. It was just a coincidence that my last two wives were models. But, no, mom. I am not dating anyone right now. I like being a bachelor."
"That's what all lonely single men say, son," Jacob grunted. "You need to find a nice girl like Annessa or Emily. Even someone as busy as Jenny found someone. You can find someone too."
Stephen sighed. "My last marriages didn't work out if you didn't notice. I'm obviously very bad at the dating thing."
"Or you're bad at the staying loyal thing," Patrick muttered under his breath, but everyone heard it.
Stephen's face hardened. "If you have a problem with me, Patrick, say it to my face. Don't be a coward about it."
Anger rose up in Patrick's cheeks. "Fine. You had a great marriage. Remember your first wife, Rebecca? She was wonderful. You guys seemed so perfect for each other. She was kind and intelligent, and she was able to get through to you. But then you got your promotion. We always wondered why you two didn't work out. I bumped into her a few years ago. She said you cheated on her. With your second wife. Your problem isn't dating, Steve. Your problem is that you don't respect your wife enough to stay faithful to her."
Stephen's fists curled up into balls. Linda looked horrified. Annessa and Emily remained quiet and emotionless, not wanting to get into it. JJ looked torn, due to her cheating on Will with Emily.
"Stephen!" Linda shouted. "Is this true?"
"Don't judge me, mom. I'm an adult and I made a decision. It may have been a terrible decision, but it was mine. I wish I ended the relationship before it had gotten to that point, but I didn't. That doesn't make me a terrible person."
"No it doesn't, Stephen." Linda agreed with him. "What made you a terrible person is how you let us all believe that it was that poor girl's fault that the marriage ended. Not yours."
Stephen slammed his fork and knife down on the plate. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going to my room." He got up and walked out of the room.
Linda shook her head, looking extremely disappointed. "I'm sorry, Emily. I wish you hadn't seen that. But it's true to the family. I don't know how I taught him to be so disrespectful."
"Don't worry about it," Emily said honestly.
"I'm sorry, mom," Patrick added. "I didn't mean to get into it with him. You know how we are when we get together. Stephen has changed so much over the years."
"Don't apologize, honey. I guess I lost my appetite too." She got up and headed out of the room as well.
Everyone put their silverware down, everyone tired of eating.
"I'm going to see if the kids need anything," Annessa stated as she got up.
JJ got up as well. "I think I will help you with that."
Jacob sighed as the two women left the room. He got up as well and started to pick up the plates. "I'm going to do the dishes."
"Let me help you, Jacob. It's the least I could do." Emily told him as she also got up.
Emily was washing the dishes as Jacob put them in the dishwasher. They were silently doing this ritual before Jacob cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Emily. That you came here for Thanksgiving, and it was interrupted by an argument. It's embarrassing."
Emily shook her head. "Don't worry about it, sir. Being with any family on Thanksgiving means the world to me."
"Stephen is a good kid, he is. He just gets lost sometimes. Money goes to his head. And I don't know where he learned that from."
"He's an adult, Jacob. He made all of his own decisions. People get lost sometimes. I used to get lost all the time before JJ. I think he just needs to find his own version of stability. But as easy as that sounds, it can be hard for some people."
"Know somebody like Stephen?" Jacob asked her.
"Everyone I used to know before the BAU was like Stephen. My best friend had his own troubles. Instead of his problem with cheating, his problem was with drugs. It happens, and sometimes they can't control it. That doesn't mean that Stephen is a bad person, he just so happens to make bad decisions."
Jacob chuckled. "You are quite wise, Emily Prentiss. I think my daughter found a good match."
"Thank you, sir," Emily whispered, blushing.
"But, I do think I need I need to go over the typical questions. Like, what are your intentions with my daughter?"
"Well," Emily began, a little hesitant. "I intend to make JJ happy. Because she deserves it more than anyone I know. And, I don't know, eventually, if she wants the same, I plan to marry her. Start a family. Give her the life she always wanted."
"I think…" Jacob said gruffly. "That sounds wonderful. I'm glad that Jenny has you. And I'm glad you have her. From what I know about you from the couple of hours that I have known you, you seem to cherish any family time. I know what it is like to not grow up with a family. My parents died when I was eleven and the rest of my family lived in France. I know how lonely it is. And I know how it feels to finally be with a real family on holiday. It was probably how I felt when I spent my first Thanksgiving with Linda's family. Am I close?"
Emily nodded with a smile. "Spot on, really. You know, you probably would have been a good profiler."
"Speaking of, I think you would tell me the truth. Jennifer tells me that she is never really in danger. How true is that?"
Emily was torn. She was loyal to her girlfriend, but she also wanted to stay truthful to Jacob. "JJ is the media liaison, so she isn't in the day to day danger like I am or the rest of the team is. But she sees everything we see. She's familiar with the danger, but she can handle it like nobody else. You have every right to be worried. Hell, we are worried about each other. But I also think that she is as safe as she can be with this job."
Jacob nodded, listening closely. "Thank you, Emily. For telling me the truth. It actually makes me feel a lot better about it. I don't know if she ever told you, but I was pretty adamant about her not being in the FBI. She's my little girl. And after losing her sister-"
"She doesn't blame you, sir. She knows that you only want the best for her."
"I know it has been hard for her to come home. I know that we remind her of her sister. I know how much pain she is in. They were so close and when she died, Jenny was never the same. Every time she would come home, she'd always look so… separated. But now, Emily, she looks truly happy. I haven't seen her look so herself in years."
"I'm glad. But I do want you to know that she loves being with you all. You know, she didn't want to tell you guys over the phone that she was seeing me. She needed to tell you guys in person. She cares about what you guys think. You both are very important to her."
"I hope you know, that I don't mind. You and Jennifer being together. Granted, I was surprised. I never knew that she… well, you know. But I could tell immediately that you two were serious. Love is love, Emily. And if she loves you, then I know your love must be true."
"That means a lot to both of us. I was so worried. That you were going to see me and hate me. I grew up surrounded by homophobia. Before JJ, I only had one relationship with a woman. My mother found out and ended it. I didn't know how accepting a family could be. I didn't give you all enough credit."
"Oh honey, it's alright. It's very understandable. I wish things were different in the world and that you both wouldn't experience any hatred. But I know that isn't likely. If anything, I'm sorry. I never saw myself as homophobic, per say. But for the longest time, I didn't see it as natural either. But now, of course, I know it is. I wish I was more… accepting, when JJ was younger. Maybe she could have come to me-"
"No, sir. I don't want to speak for JJ, but it wasn't that she was afraid to tell you. She just didn't understand her feelings. I mean, I didn't realize until I was in college. And besides, Jen is bisexual. All of her previous relationships, they still were real to her. You did nothing wrong." Emily tried to comfort the sad parent.
"You see? I don't understand it very well. I guess I'm being stereotypical. All I know about gays is from Will and Grace."
Emily laughed gently. "Don't worry about it. I'm always happy to answer questions if you are afraid to ask Jen. But I'm also sure she would be happy to answer any questions you had for her."
"I bet you're right. Thank you, Emily. For helping me see clearly. I'm glad you came. And I am even more glad that you are with Jenny. You are basically apart of the family."
After Dinner, Annessa put her youngest kids to sleep, and only her eldest, Grayson, stayed up with the rest of the family as they began to play poker.
Grayson turned to Emily when they were in the middle of Patrick's turn, who took forever every time they played. "So Emily, you are dating my aunt, right?"
"Yep," Emily answered happily.
"Rad. My best friend is transitioning. We run the GSA club at our school," Grayson informed her happily.
"That's awesome!" Emily told her honestly. "I'm glad teenagers today are more accepting than when we were kids. How's your friend doing? How are their parents taking it?"
Grayson was surprised by how interested Emily seemed to be. "He's doing better. It was rough for both of us last year. He got slammed a lot at school and people took it out with both of us. But after we started the GSA, a lot of people have been coming out and joining us. We have been making a lot of good friends. His parents are… getting better."
"Yeah, parents can be tough sometimes. But, it sounds like you are really making a difference at your school. Ever thought about getting into politics? We need more people like you running our government."
Grayson grinned at her cheerily. "I have been taking a lot of politics classes recently. I love raising awareness. Maybe."
"Well, good. I'd be happy to give my support. You can run for office in 2020. I know some people." Emily smiled at the young teenager, seeing herself in her.
The rest of the Jareau Family was also smiling and looking at each other. That was the moment they were absolutely positive that Emily belonged in their family.
Suddenly, they were all interrupted in their happy moment by Stephen coming into the room, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, everyone. I lashed out on all of you and I'm sorry. I'm especially sorry to you, Emily. You get invited over to Thanksgiving and there's a massive fight. I actually just called my therapist. He... er— helps me with my anger. He helped me realize that I'm not angry with you all, I'm angry with myself and my behavior."
"Oh, Stephen." Linda cried. "It's alright, darling. We are all family here. Come, come. Sit down. You missed Emily giving Grayson her future vote in 2020."
Stephen smiled and took a seat in between Emily and Jacob. "You'd be a hell of a politician. Don't let those republicans get ya down."
Grayson facepalmed and groaned, "Uncle Steve, you're a Republican."
"Yeah, but not at heart."
Happy chuckles we're spreading around the room. Everything felt warm and accepting. Emily thought that she would stay here forever if she could.
JJ crawled into her small twin bed and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "So, Em. How do you feel?"
"I feel… right. Happy. Perfect." Emily leaned and kissed JJ's nose. "I love your family, Jen."
"They love you back. Nothing made me happier than to see you bonding with them. Especially my dad."
"I think your mother is expecting a proposal soon, though."
JJ laughed and muttered, "All in due time. Someday, Emily Prentiss, I will be your wife."
"It would be crazy if we got married now, wouldn't it? I mean, it's only been three months."
"Probably. I say give it three more months. But it would be interesting telling Strauss and being like, 'we're not just dating, we're engaged. And we are going to get married so screw you.'"
Emily snorted, "And they call me the dork."
JJ sighed, "You are a dork. You are my dork. And I love you very much."
"Ditto."
"Hey, Emily! Can you come here for a sec?" Patrick asked as he pushed his youngest son, Joey, on the swing in the backyard.
The brunette was slightly confused, but she left the conversation about baseball happily to go talk to her girlfriend's brother. "Hey, Patrick. What's up?"
"Can I ask you for your opinion? It's a little… embarrassing."
Though she was hesitant, she replied, "Sure! What's up?"
"Well, you heard what Grayson told you about her trans friend?" At Emily's nod, he continued, "She and Aly— Ryan— were best friends even as little kids. So of course, when Ryan was Alyssa, I let him you know, constantly hang out with Grayson. Sleepovers, vacations, sleeping in the same bed. Everything. Anything."
Emily could read in between the lines. "So you are worried that every moment you let them spend together was between a boy and a girl rather than a girl and a girl."
Patrick frowned, looking embarrassed. "Yes. Is it wrong for me to think that way? How do I know that when they hang out for hours, they aren't…"
"Well, honestly, Patrick, friendships that tight don't normally become relationships. And if they are experimental, it's okay. There is nothing wrong with that. But you are Grayson's father. You have every right to talk to her about this. You also have a right to tell Grayson that you aren't comfortable with her sharing a bed and that you want anyone who sleeps over to sleep on the couch."
Patrick nodded but looked solemn. "I'm so sorry for asking you this. I mean you are probably wondering why I am asking you."
Emily shrugged, "You don't want to offend JJ. It's okay, Patrick. I understand. You aren't transphobic, you are just afraid that your daughter is having sex."
Patrick nodded rapidly, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Yes. Is that wrong?"
Emily shook her head. "No. I mean I think any Dad would be worried about their daughters having sleepovers with boys. Just tell her like that. Just tell her that you are afraid of her having sleepovers with boys. She'll understand, and it will make you sound more accepting."
"Thank you, Emily. For helping me. For being there for Jay. I was afraid that she would never let anyone in after Rosaline's death. But I am glad she let you in."
"Me too," Emily agreed. "I do think that she has done just as much good for me though."
Joey squealed as Patrick pushed the swing higher. "Daddy! Too high!" Patrick slowed the swing down. Joey then cried out, "Too low Daddy!"
Patrick groaned. "Ugh, my arms are so tired."
Emily snorted and offered, "Here let me."
Patrick happily let go of the swing and Emily took over. Patrick watched her with a smile. Emily was grinning, watching the little boy squeal. "Aunty Emmy!" Emily laughed as she heard her name shouted by a toddler.
"Do you want kids someday?" Patrick asked his sister's girlfriend with curiosity.
Without any hesitation, Emily nodded, "Definitely. I have always pictured my life having kids in the future. Especially with Jen."
Nothing made Patrick happier. "You guys would be amazing parents. And hurry up. I want nieces and nephews soon."
Emily chuckled, "Patrick I think we have gone over this, buddy. I can't knock your sister up. No matter how much we try."
A short laugh escaped the man's mouth. "You're right. Sorry. I forgot. There are always options, though, right?"
"Yep. And medicine is getting better. Artificial insemination is a possibility. An adoption is always a viable option."
"Thinking about marriage yet?"
Emily sighed, pushing the giggling kid. "Of course. All the time. But we haven't been together for that long. I feel like it's a little too early. Besides, we have to figure out stuff with the bureau and I don't know what will happen from that."
"Are you worried about it at all? How your boss will react and such?"
Emily shrugged somberly. "Of course. But in the long run, transferring won't be a big deal if I have JJ. Nothing else would matter much."
"Annessa was my TA in college for a class. And of course, dating a TA was unprofessional. So after our first date, I gave her a gift, switching classes. Relationships matter. And I for one am glad to see that you understand that."
"Patrick, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course. Ask me anything."
"What exactly happened to Rosaline? I'm afraid to ask Jen. It's basically the only topic from her past that she closes herself off from."
Patrick didn't seem surprised. "Well, Jayje was the youngest of the Jareau clan. She was 11 when Rose died, herself being 15. I was 18, Stephen was 16. I'd like to think that we were all close. But none of us saw it coming. I mean there were a few things, like how she had trouble sleeping, but also had trouble staying awake in classes. She smoked, she sneaked out, she kept a lot of things hidden from us that we didn't know. And I think that was what hurt JJ the most. How she kept her depression to herself. It was hard for everyone. Dad picked the family up. Mom drank for a while. Stephen acted out. Did drugs. Went to parties. I worked harder, drowning myself in work. And Jen, she hid away. Kept everything inside. She tried to be a rock, but she was struggling herself. She lost her best friend. So, I don't know too much more than you. But I'm sure that she isn't trying to hide anything from you. I think over time, she might reveal more."
"I wish it didn't happen," Emily said, mentally cursing herself, embarrassed by her lack of grace.
"Me too. But now I just see it as she was in pain, and then she made it so she wasn't in pain. I don't blame her. I don't blame anyone, really. She made her choice, and I respect it now. Of course, I couldn't imagine what I'd do if any of my kids did it. I was worried Grayson was going down the same road."
"She's a good kid," Emily attempted to comfort him. "She reminds me of a tiny JJ."
"She's a lot like Rosaline. Nessa and I thought about naming her Rosaline, but I thought that Jenny would like to name her daughter after her sister. So when the kids come…"
"I'll remember," Emily promised him.
"I wish you guys didn't live so far away. I miss home. Annessa and I have talked about Virginia a lot recently. The school we work at isn't the greatest anymore. And the pay could be better with five kids."
"Well Virginia always needs more teachers," Emily joked. "Especially when our kids get into the school system."
Patrick smiled and told her, "I'd be so honored to teach a mini you and Jenny."
"EMILY! PATRICK! THE FOOD IS READY!" Called Jacob who was grilling chicken on the other side of the backyard where all the other adults were conversing.
"I think that's our cue," Patrick said as he picked his son out of the swing. "Come on, Joey. We get to eat some of Grandpa's chicken!"
"Yay, chicken!" He cried out as he clapped his hands.
Emily walked alongside the two, enjoying every ounce of her vacation. "I'm going to miss you guys."
"Me too," Patrick agreed. "But there is always Christmas. It's too bad that we all have to leave tomorrow."
Emily was surprised when she actually agreed with him. After spending a few days with the Jareau family, she had already felt like she was home.
Emily didn't want to say goodbye to the family she had just met only a couple of days ago. She wanted to stay at that house forever. Eat Jacob and Linda's food. Play with the little kids. Get into political discussions with Stephen. Laugh with Patrick and Annessa. See JJ happy. It was all so rewarding, and she'd like nothing more than to have a life with the Jareau's forever.
"It was so nice to meet you, Emily," Linda said as she wrapped her arms around the brunette. "Call anytime. Jacob and I will always be there for you girls. Don't work too hard, catch the bad guys."
"Will do, Linda." Emily promised her, hiding the tears in her eyes efficiently. She then turned to Jacob who was done hugging the last grandchild. "Jacob."
Jacob smushed Emily into a bear hug. "Stay safe, Emily. Keep Jenny safe too, while you are at it. Be happy. You are a wonderful person. And in my eyes, daughter. How about we make that official soon, eh?"
Honored, Emily choked out, "Yes, sir."
"Emily Prentiss," Stephen called out arrogantly. Emily turned around to find him with raised eyebrows.
"Stephen Jareau."
"The one and only," Stephen replied smugly.
Emily sniggered, "And that we are all thankful for."
She was more than surprised when the cheeky asshole wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you so much for being there for my sis."
"Of course. Take care of yourself, Stephen. Don't get into any trouble. Remember, I'm always armed."
Stephen rolled his eyes as he let go and moved on to his sister, who also had tears in her eyes.
Emily then hugged Annessa quickly as the woman whispered into Emily's ear, "Now you are really in the family."
"Thank you," Emily whispered back, really feeling as if she were really apart of the family. She then turned to Patrick, who she had become close with on with the small amount of time that they had together. "Patrick…"
"Don't be a stranger," he said when he tackled her with a hug. "Call me or Nessa at any time. We'll be there for you. And if you are in the Boston area, don't be afraid to come hit us up. Even if you are on a case."
"Of course. Thank you for everything, Patrick. I'll see you soon, okay? Christmas, right? I can make hella good chocolate chip cookies."
Patrick chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it. Have a safe trip." He leaned in and whispered, "It's never too early to get married to the person you love."
Emily nodded and took JJ's hand carefully. Neither of them wanted to go, but they had to. Hotch had texted them early this morning telling them that they had to come in Sunday instead of Monday. Apparently, there was a huge case that they all needed to handle as quickly as they could.
"Do you guys have everything?" Jacob asked his daughter and her girlfriend.
"Yep. We should be getting on the road to beat the traffic." JJ muttered solemnly.
"Thank you so much for having me," Emily told everyone. "I had a wonderful time. And it was so nice to finally meet all of you."
"You too, honey. But you girls need to get on the road if you want to make it back before it gets dark." Linda warned them.
The blonde and brunette nodded sadly and they headed towards their car. Getting into the car, they both took a huge breath. Everything was going to go back to normal, they were heading back to their job, where nothing was beautiful like their vacation.
Reluctantly, JJ started the car, and wordlessly, she pulled out of the driveway, watching the whole family wave to them happily. Five minutes after they left the house, tears fell down JJ's cheek. She hadn't let herself go like this in years. She felt so free to be with her girlfriend and family. For once, she didn't feel like the pain was pressing down on her when she was at her childhood home.
Emily rubbed JJ's back soothingly. "Are you okay, baby?"
"Yeah," JJ replied. "I'm just-"
"I know," Emily responded. "I feel it too. Being away from them feels so disconnected. I wish you were able to see 'em more often, Jen. Hell, now I wish I get to see them more often. And I'm not even related to them."
"But you are family. They see you as if you were family. They love you, Em. How does it feel to know that you have family that loves you?"
"It feels wonderful. I feel renewed. Less empty."
"Me too," JJ agreed.
"Thank you for pushing me to come. I know how much it sucks coming home now, but I wouldn't change it for anything."
"I wish we didn't have to leave so soon. But at Christmas, we have a week off. That will be nice."
Emily nodded. "I love them, Jen. All of em."
"Even Stephen?"
A laugh escaped Emily's mouth. "Even Stephen. I think he is actually a teddy bear. But not as much as a teddy bear as Patrick."
"Is he your new best friend?" JJ joked.
Emily shrugged. "You're my best friend, babe, but Patrick and I are friends."
"You should have heard the way they were all talking about you when you would go to the restroom. I think they think that you are absolutely perfect."
"Finally, someone realizes the truth."
"Shut up, Em," JJ said as she rolled her eyes. "I think they were serious about the adoption thing too. Seriously. My mom said that when you told them how much of an asshole your mother is, that she was considering printing off the forms. And of course, you had the talk with my father. Which he wouldn't talk to me about. So it must have been good."
"It was. Never thought that I would ever have to do that though, with anybody. He was really sweet about it, though."
"Yeah, I told him to be nice on you. That I already decided to be with you and that whatever he said didn't matter anyway. He was pissed, but I am glad to hear that it went well. And of course your bonding with Patrick."
Emily laughed. "That brother of yours was quite the nerd. But he's an amazing father. He just asked for advice and all that. I think he was afraid to ask you about your gayness."
"Of course he was!" JJ added, very amused. "So he asked you about being gay?"
"No, he talked to me about Grayson and if he should be worried about her and her trans friend."
"Good thing he asked you, I don't think I would have known what to tell him," JJ admitted, shaking her head. "It was really sweet to see you connect with Grayson. Of course, my mother had to comment about how you would be a wonderful mother."
"Oh, I heard that from so many members of your family. I think they'd be disappointed if we weren't parents by the next Thanksgiving," While it was a joke, both JJ and Emily blushed.
JJ cleared her throat. "Well, I am glad we went. But now we have to get back home and start working. The case must be really bad if our vacation is cut short. I don't remember a time when Thanksgiving weekend was cut off."
Emily nodded. "I hope it's nothing too awful."
I love JJ's supportive family! It was really fun to write this chapter because I think JJ and Em always need more happiness in their life. These next few chapters are going to get a whole lot darker. Thank you so much for reading! XX
