Chapter 9 (JJ's dad)

Daniel Jareau couldn't help but be surprised when he saw his daughter for the first time in a few months. JJ used to come home more often, but lately she'd been too busy to leave work. Her phone calls were short and concise, not elaborating on any point. Not that JJ had ever been one to spill her heart and soul over the phone, but she seemed distant. The hollowness in her voice pained him to hear, but he tried to assure his wife along with himself that it was just a rough patch. Life was hard, and he was sure that whatever JJ was going through, she would survive.

But no parent ever wanted anything bad to happen to their children, so it broke his heart that when he saw her for the first time in a while, she looked broken. She sounded like she was getting better little by little, but now it begged the question of how bad was she when she was at her worse? She looked like hell, she had lost weight and her eyes were void of the sparkle that Dan was used to seeing in her, and this was her on the mend. It tore him apart to merely imagine what she might have looked like at the bottom of the pit.

"Hey honey." He hugged her and noticed how she stiffened, but smiled happily regardless--pretending that the woman in front of him was his daughter and not someone void of all life.

"Hey Daddy." JJ smiled. It wasn't her real smile, but it was close. Close enough that while Dan had no idea what happened to his daughter, he was proud at the strides she had made.

"How's my pumpkin and that beautiful little grandbaby?" He asked as he helped her take her luggage out of her car to carry to the house.

"I'm fine." Again smiling close to normal, "Henry seems to like Pennsylvania." She said as she shifted the small boy on her hip while he gurgled happily.

"What's not to like?" Dan said as he lugged his daughter's bags to the front porch.

"You're brother is going to be glad to see you, and we've got a barbecue that your grandmother planned since you and Justin are home. They're both already there."

"A barbecue?" JJ asked so quietly that he could barely hear her.

"Pumpkin, what's wrong?" Dan asked as he took the squirming baby from her arms.

"Daddy," He was surprised to see tears forming in his daughters eyes as she sat down on the porch in front of their home, "I can't go to the barbecue."

Dan was shocked. He had always been proud of how his little girl wasn't one to cry at the drop of a hat, so this had to be something serious, "That's fine. You don't have to go." He assured her.

"Last time I was here, something happened." JJ informed him, he could see in her eyes how badly she wanted to share whatever burden was weighing her down.

"What happened sweetheart?" Dan asked, this couldn't be good, but at least she could talk about it.

"I was," she sighed as though fighting for control, "I was raped."

At that moment, Dan felt his world crashing down. His beautiful little girl had been violated. He sunk down to the porch, sitting next to her.

"Oh, honey." He said, placing his arm around her protectively, not knowing that this was the first time that such an expression hadn't gone unwelcomed by his daughter. Instead, JJ leaned into him, burrying her face in his shoulder as she let out a sob. Dan Jareau didn't know that JJ hadn't cried like this since she was dumped by her high school boyfriend. He didn't know that he was the first person that JJ had confided in that wasn't a professional or a victim herself. But what he did know was that he would kill the man who did this to his little girl.

They sat like that for what felt like hours until the sobs slowly ceased. "I'll go get your mother and Justin and we'll just have a small get together. Just the five of us." He placated, somehow able to push aside the rage that exploded inside of him.

"I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes, "No--I'll be okay, it's just."

"You have nothing to be sorry for Pumpkin." He insisted. "Give me a few minutes, and we'll be right back."

"Where's JJ? I've really missed her since the last party." Anna's brother asked him snidely as Dan looked around for his wife. Although Jareau family barbecues were a family affair, in the small town of East Allegheny and surrounding area, everyone was related. All of the 'family functions' turned into a community affair. Since both Dan and Anna had grown up in the small town, both extended families came to the party.

When Dan looked at the situation, he realized what had happened. It wasn't some monster that had hurt his little girl. Maybe it was a monster, but it was a monster he knew. "Actually, I think she's coming. I bet she's hanging out on the other side of the house, I'll go with you to check." Dan said feigning civility.

As the two men made their way around the house, Dan Jareau turned around suddenly, throwing a punch at Jeff that resounded in loud 'thud' and knocked the younger man to the ground. He had calculated his moves carefully--Jeff had to pay for what he did to JJ.

"What was that for?" Jeff asked, rubbing his bleeding lip.

"MY DAUGHTER JEFF! YOU RAPED MY DAUGHTER!" Dan cried, kicking the man fiercely in the gut.

Jeff couldn't stand for this. He got up and started throwing a few jabs of his own, none making contact. While Jeff was big, Dan was bigger and much stronger. Dan hadn't fought anyone in years, but the aggressive actions came easily to him. He was out for a vengeance.

"Your slut daughter doesn't know what she's talking about. I didn't do anything to her. She probably screwed some guy and is now crying rape. But I didn't do anything with your daughter that she didn't want." Jeff seethed, pushing Dan vigorously.

Dan punched him in the nose. "Slut? You jackass!" Dan's fury was unleashed, "My baby girl is never going to be the same. Do you have any idea what you've done? My daughter! Anna and I trusted you, we---" He fumed viciously as he delivered a right hook to the side of Jeff's face. "We're family---how could you? JJ trusted you!"

"I didn't do anything." Jeff lied, nursing what felt like a bruised rib and dodging Dan's left foot. "I'm going to book you for assault."

"And I'm going to turn you in for rape! Some cop you turned out to be." Dan retorted, shoving the man one last time.

"Do you have any evidence? Because if not, she's got no shot in hell of getting a conviction." He taunted. Dan could feel a new-even more powerful sense of rage pulse through his throbbing veins. The man practically admitted to raping his daughter.

Dan threw the man against the house. Holding him up by his shirt, Dan looked straight into the eyes of what felt like the Satan incarnate. "You listen to me Jeff. You're going to stay as far away from my family as you can. Or so help me I've got a shotgun and an acre behind my house, and no one will ever hear of your sorry, little name ever again. You even speak to her and I will kill you. Got it?"

Jeff nodded gravely. Dan saw his son Justin, who had come up from Wyoming just to visit, walk over. Justin didn't instantly understand why his father had his uncle in a choke-hold, but he knew it had to be for a good reason. He walked over and stood protectively next to his father.

"You've got three seconds to get in your car and get as far away from me as you can before I rip your beady, little eyes out. Go." Dan warned as he threw the man violently against the house one last time. Jeff instinctively grabbed his keys from his pocket and ran to his beat up cop car-the same car that he had used to hurt Dan Jareau's daughter.

As Justin and Dan watched the car squeal and speed away. Justin turned to his father, he had never seen his dad hit another human being in his life, he was sure that whatever Jeff had done-it had to be bad. "What was that all about?"

"That bastard hurt JJ." Dan informed in a pained whisper. He was torn to whether he should tell his son what had happened or not. In the end he decided that Justin loved JJ too, and would help do whatever he could to protect her from the man they used to consider family.

The son let out a small growl. "He's going to get it. I'm calling the cops."

"And say what? That their Police Chief attacked your sister-who happens to be his niece. It would never work. Our community wouldn't turn on him like that."

"But what about JJ? They love JJ. They wouldn't let some guy attack her and get away with it." Justin defended passionately.

"If it'd been anyone else, they'd wring the man's neck." Dan agreed. "But no one wants to think of the chief of police as a rapist. He's got a wife and two kids. They'll stand by him."

"He raped her?" Justin asked disbelievingly, the anger boiling inside of him intensifying exponentially. "Let me at him. I'm going to kill him with my bare hands."

"You and me both." Dan nodded. "I told him if he even looks at her, he will pay."

"Does Mom know?" Justin questioned, wanting to know who was helping his sister through this mess.

Dan shook his head. "I only just found out myself. JJ will tell her--when she's ready." He wouldn't rob his daughter of her right of privacy.

A/N--I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, so let me know what you think. I wanted Uncle Jeff to get what he deserved...but I'm not sure it came out perfectly. Thanks for reading.

A/N 2--Next up: Dr. Spencer Reid