Hotchner ran towards the little girl hurtling across the lawn, ignoring the threat of the shotgun the man at the door was wielding. He covered the little body with his own, drawing his own gun too late as Morgan already neutralized the threat with a shot to the shoulder. He checked the girl for injuries, and miraculously found none.

"She alright," he shouted, waving the other officers to check the house. A few minutes later they returned with a hysterical woman in handcuffs.

"She was the only person inside. No sign of Jake," Morgan sighed.

"He's hiding," came a small voice from Hotchner's shoulder. Jess wriggled to get down and once she was put down, she raced back towards the house, ignoring Morgan handcuffing the man who had wielded the shotgun. Hotchner and Prentiss followed close behind as she made her way through to the back of the house. The two agents watched in disbelief as she pulled open the door to the drier, revealing a petrified looking Jake. "I tolded him to hide in there. No one ever looks inna drier."

Prentiss knelt down in front of the little girl. "And you did really well sweetheart. You want to go and see your mommies now?"

Jess nodded vigorously, letting the woman pick her up and carry her out of the house towards the car.

Meanwhile, back at headquarters, no one was quite sure what to say. They had heard nothing since the gunshots across Morgan's cell. The silence was shattered as a message came over the police radio saying two suspects had been apprehended and one was in need of medical attention, and that ambulance had been called. No other casualties.

"I'm not getting an answer from any of them," sighed Garcia after another round of calling all of the field agent's cells. She glanced round at Erica and Callie, both of whom had gone very white, but remained very quiet.

"Did they say if they were taking any other arresting officers?" Reid asked, feeling uneasy in the silence. "You could contact their radios."

"I got nothing. All I can do it hit redial. Satellites don't update for another three minutes," Garcia replied, hating to be sitting there and be unable to do anything.

Lifting the little girl and taking the boys hand, Morgan led them across the car park towards the police station. Hotchner had gone to the hospital to keep an eye on the man, and Prentiss had stayed with the woman to question her, leaving him with the task of returning two kids to their parents. This was the part of the job he liked, being able to give something back. Stepping into the police station, he set Jess down, pointing in the direction of the tall blonde who had been there for the past forty odd hours. Watching her run towards her moms, he turned to the boy beside him, reassuring him his parents were on their way from the hotel they had stayed in.

"Mom!"

Erica turned in hearing the small voice, and almost collapsed when she saw it actually was her daughter running towards her. Jess threw herself into her arms, Erica hugging her tight and Callie hugging them both.

"Squishy," said Jess, trying to squirm.

"I'll re-inflate your lungs later," Erica smiled, not relinquishing her grip one bit.

"Squishy," repeated Jess, but stopping her attempts at squirming. Instead she tugged the small lion toy from her grasp, her smile matching the blonde's. "I was big and brave lika lion," the little girl told her mommies. "Didn't like being scared."

"You don't need to be scared anymore, sweetie," said Callie in her warm reassuring tones. Still cradled in Erica's arms, the girl reached her tiny arms over to wipe away the tears that ran down Callie's cheeks.

"No cry. Jess no like it when you cry. No be sad," she smiled. "The police gotta bad guys!"

Erica laughed out of sheer relief. She could barely believe she was holding her little girl in her arms again. "They did, honey, they police got the bad guys. You don't need to be scared anymore, cause I am never gonna let you out of my sight again." She wrapped her arms fully around the little girl, smiling a tear filled smile at Callie over her tiny shoulder. The latina smiled back, her hand resting on Erica's, not wanting to crush their little girl any further.

She saw JJ approach cautiously and turned Erica to face the agent, making it known she was welcome to come and talk to them. "Hey," she smiled, taking in the happy smile on the little girls face. "I was just wondering if you would let us ask her a few questions. I know it's still a bit overwhelming, but if we can ask them now, we can leave you alone. We just want to ask what went on. It might be hard to hear, but it can be really helpful if we come across a similar situation again."

Erica just wanted to take her little girl home, but knowing what she had gone through in the past two days, she was willing to help in any way she could to stop it happening to someone else. And if she told the honest truth, Jess seemed to have come out of her ordeal the same optimist she had gone into it. She was quite simply amazing. "Jess, would you mind that? If these people asked you what happened?"

The little girl eyed JJ through narrowed eyes before making her choice. "Okay."

Nodding, JJ led them to where the other agents were, taking a seat against the edge of a desk, and leaving the two vacant seats for Erica and Callie. Erica took Jess up on her lap, keeping her arms loosely wrapped around her little body, not wanting to lose contact even for a second. Callie noticed this, and as much as she wanted to give her little baby a bone crushing hug of her own, she could only imagine what Erica was going through right now. Her emotions would be in overdrive, and Callie suspected Jess would have a hard time getting more than a millimeter from her mother's reach for at least a few days.

"Okay sweetie, now, we just want to ask what happened. If you can, can you tell us from when you were at the zoo," JJ prompted.

Jess looked around at the other agents, some of whom she recognized from the house, and some she didn't know. Garcia watched the little girl's wary gaze travel round the room, and took it upon herself to introduce everyone, and ensure the little girl that these were the good guys, and they were the ones who helped her mommies to find her. Jess looked to Erica and Callie to verify the truth of what she had said, and when they both nodded with smiles, it seemed this was enough to convince her, and she turned back to agent Garcia, smiling at her. "Well if you're the nice people then I suppose I can tell you," she said, settling herself more comfortably on Erica's knee.

"So you were at the zoo," JJ prompted again.

Jess nodded. "At the lions. I wanted to hear them roar! And then a man came and lifted me away. I tried to shout and scream but he was strongerer. I did try mom, I did!" She turned to Erica quickly, making sure her mom knew she had tried to scream for her.

"I know you would have tried, baby," Erica nodded, forcing herself to hold back the tears. She felt Callie's hand slip into hers and held it tightly, drawing comfort from her.

Jess, seeming placated by the fact her mom knew she hadn't gone without a fight, turned back and continued with her version of events. "He put his jacket round me and wouldn't let me scream, and I kickted and I bited, but he wouldn't let go. And he put me inna car that wasn't mom's and he locked alla doors. There was a woman too, she got in and he drove to that house. And they kept telling me it was okay, that mommy didn't mind, but I knewed that they hadn't asked. And I didn't know them. And I was scared." She buried herself into Erica embrace, but kept talking. "They made dinner and they kept trying to play games, and then it was bedtime, and they gave me a drink, and I was really tired, so I slepted on the couch."

Erica visibly stiffened on hearing how after being given a drink Jess was suddenly very tired. The minute they got out of there she was being driven not home, but straight to the hospital so Erica could be sure there was nothing in her system. Glancing up, she met the eyes of JJ, who evidently had similar thoughts.

Callie was also quick to be suspicious of Jess simply nodding off on the couch. "Jess, baby, was it just after the drink you felt really tired?"

Her little girl nodded, and she forced herself to keep a calm outward appearance as she silently checked over her little girls for signs that she had been drugged.

"What happened when you woke up?" It was Garcia who prompted this time, finding it within her to keep a smile on her face as she looked at the little girl.

"The woman said we could go back to the zoo, and mom would be there," Jess said, her little hands holding onto Erica's cardigan as if she was never letting her go again. "And they took the car, and the man took me again, and told me that we were going to get my mom. But he wasn't, and I was crying, cause I just wanted to go home…" She buried her head in Erica's chest for a minute and the blonde quietly reassured her that it was okay, she was safe now, and she would be home soon. "He didn't like me crying and he carried me back to the car, and when he put me in, Jake was there with the woman, and he was crying too, and we were both scared!"

"But you were really brave," JJ told her, and meaning it. She was amazed at how normal the little girl seemed after what she had been through, and at the account she was able to give.

Jess nodded. "Gotta be big and brave lika lion."

Erica couldn't help but smile at the statement her little girl used so often. She and Callie had tried to raise her to be as resilient as they could. They weren't naïve about things. Jess would, at some point face some form of bullying, probably in relation to their lifestyle choice, and they had tried to raise her to know that those people were wrong. That it didn't matter who you loved, it was okay. And that although people might not agree with it, it was what was important to you that mattered, and you had to be big and brave, and stand up for what you believe in.

Breaking the silence again, Jess spoke. "We went back to the house, and the woman was all weirdy happy, like roller doctor," she said, looking at Erica and then Callie, who despite what their little girl was telling them, had to laugh at her comparison. 'Roller doctor' was peds surgeon Arizona Robbins, who's sunny disposition didn't seemed to sit was well with Jess as it did other children. Jess had the tendency to react rather like Erica, usually with a sigh and a rolling of her eyes.

"She's a colleague," Callie explained. "A pediatric surgeon. Goes around on those heely's." Her words, understandably, were met with looks of mild confusion.

"Mom made her run into a trolley," Jess smiled, looking at Erica, who playfully narrowed her eyes at the little girl.

"I didn't make her, I-"

"Forgetted to put it away," Jess finished for her, making a few of the agents laugh as Erica blushed slightly, shaking her head.

"She tends to be overly cheery," Callie tried to explain.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Always too happy smiley."

"Erica and Jess aren't exactly her best friends," smiled Callie, who was then cut off by her daughter.

"Mom isn't either," Jess informed them. "I hearded mom tell her once that if she didn't P-off she was gonna roll her downa stairs!"

"Jess!" squeaked Callie, glancing from the girl to Erica. Blushing heavily, she turned back to face the gathered agents. "I was having a bad day…"

Garcia raised a hand, halting the explanation. "We understand workplace banter, don't worry. We're just lucky that we all get along so well."

"Zona's not bad lika woman was but," added in Jess.

Erica immediately turned her full attention on the little girl in her arms. "Of course she's not baby, she just tries to be happy all the time so the kids she looks after don't too scared."

Callie leaned in, resting her head on Erica's shoulder so she could look her little girl in the eyes. "Because remember, sweetie, not everyone is as brave as you." She glanced up at the agents, who were nodding in agreement. "Now, you gonna tell the nice people about the too happy woman?" Who's neck I want to break…and never fix, she added silently in her mind.

"She tried to play with us but we kept telling her we didn't wanna play, we only wanted to go home, and she got real upset, and said she was going to make dinner. And then she made us sit at the table and eat it all, even though we didn't like it…" She scrunched her face up at the memory. And then she tolded us it was bed time, but that we were 'lowded one more sweetie before bed." She fished in her tiny pockets, pulling out three bright red pills. Erica quickly took them off of her, identifying them.

"Muscle relaxants," she said aloud, handing them over to JJ, who dropped them into an evidence bag.

"I'll go check on Jake, inform his parents they'll need to have time tested," said Morgan, starting to move away from the group.

Callie pushed herself to her feet. "I'll come check him out for now, make sure he's okay for now. Then his parents could maybe just follow us to the hospital when we're ready to go and we'll get him properly tested?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," smiled Morgan, leading Callie over to the little boy in question.

The group silently agreed to halt their talk until it was confirmed that Jake was all right. When Callie returned a few minutes later followed by Morgan, there was a collective sigh of relief. She deposited a further three pills into another evidence bag provided by JJ.

"So Jake tells us you told him to hide the pills under his tongue and pretend to swallow then spit them back out," said Morgan, looking at Jess, who nodded.

She turned and looked up at Erica. "Mommee told me never to take anyfin a docter didn't give to me."

Callie smiled, ruffling her daughter's currently miscoloured hair. "And you did really really well, helping Jake too."

Jess nodded. "The woman thoughted we had swallowed them." She paused. "She got really sad when we kept asking to go home. And then the man got real mad. He kept on shoutin' and shoutin', real loud, asking why she wasn't happy, he had got her what she wanted." Curling further into Erica, she gripped onto her mother tightly. "He looked like he was gonna hit her. She put us uppa stairs inna bedroom then. She kepted coming in but we 'tended to be sleep." She looked over at Callie, seeking confirmation that this was the right thing to have done. When the Latina smiled and nodded at her, she continued. "And then inna morning she took us downa stairs and made us breakfast." She snuck another look at Callie. "It kinda tasted like when you make breakfast."

Callie chuckled, shaking her head. "She means it sucked," she enlightened the agents.

"But we eated it anyways cause we didn't want to make her or the man mad." Again she looked at Callie. "You don't make us eat it when it howible."

Callie smiled at her daughter. "No, I don't sweetie. I put it in the trash and get the cereal out."

"She didn't have no cereal. I asked." Jess shuffled on Erica's lap, her hands still grasping the material of Erica's cardigan. "The woman got sad again that we didn't like her breakfast, and the man started to get mad again. And then he saw the police cars anna people and he tolded her to take us to the back of the house. That was when I told Jake to hide inna dryer cause no one ever looks in the laundry," she looked over at Callie. "'Cept mom, cause she knows it's a good hiding place." She looked up at Erica. "And now you know too, so I is gonna have to find a new place to hide."

"Just don't hide anytime soon, okay?" pleaded Erica.

Jess smiled up at the tearful woman. "No worry mommee, I no wanna hide from you. And even if I did, I know you always find me."

Erica beamed back down at the precious bundle in her arms. "That's right, baby. I'll always find you."

Jess smiled and nodded at this, now ready to continue with her story. "Jake hided inna dryer, but there was only one drier, so I couldn't hide. When the woman came back I tolded her Jake went uppa stairs. The man tolded me to stay where I was or he would kill my mom."

Erica unconsciously tightened her grasp on the little girl, and Callie moved her chair closer, taking her small hand in her own.

"But I tolded him he couldn't because my other mommee would just fix her. He tried to grab me, so I randed out and then there were big bangs. Real loud, and then you got me and I knowed you was police and so you were a good guy." She turned in Erica's arms, wrapping her tiny limbs around Erica's neck. "And you brought me home to my mommees."

The team of assembled agent's could say nothing. Unfortunately, they all too rarely got a victim back alive, and even more rarely did they get one so resilient. For all the little girl had gone through, she didn't seem to be at all badly affected.

Garcia looked at the little girl, her mouth hanging open. "You are amazing. Not even just amazing for a kid, just amazing full stop."

This received nods all round.

"That's cause I got 'mazing moms," grinned Jess.

Grinning at her daughter's words, Erica turned to the agent's. "Not that I don't appreciate everything you've done, but can we get out of here now? I'd kinda like to get her tested and home."

JJ stood. "Of course you would. We didn't mean to keep you longer than necessary. If you could send us a quick message with the results of the tests it would be great," smiled the smaller blonde.

"Of course we will," said Callie, helping Erica to her feet, Jess cradled on her hip. "And Jake's. I'll run the tests myself."

JJ smiled. "That would be great. You've all been amazing."

"Can we call dunkle Mark?"

Callie grinned. "Of course we can. In fact." She fished out her cell phone, pushing a few buttons. "Why don't you phone him on the way out to the car and tell him we'll meet him at the hospital."

"Hopital?" frowned Jess. "You have to work?"

"No sweetie," smiled Erica. "We don't. But we wanna make sure that that you're really okay." At her daughter's eye roll she spoke again. "If you let mommee run the tests we can wait till Zona's in surgery and hide her heely's?"

Jess grinned. "And see dunkle?"

"And see dunkle," confirmed Erica, moving for the door.

Callie turned to the bemused blonde agent. "Mark, the guy you met earlier. He's her biological father. He still plays quite an active role in her life, and she knows who and what he is. She decided since she already had two moms that it would be weird to have a dad too, so she decided he was sort of like a cross between a dad and an uncle, hence…"

"Dunkle," smiled JJ. "That's sweet."

Callie shrugged. "We've tried moving her off of it to an actual word, but she refuses. She says he's kinda her dad, but more fun like an uncle, so it sticks." She turned back to where all of the agents were still assembled. "Thank you. All of you. You brought my little girl back, and stopped my losing my wife and my mind. I really can't thank you enough, or repay you."

Garcia approached the woman. "You don't have to. You helped us bring her back in one piece, that's the reward for us. That's what keeps us in this job. Now go get your little girl."

Callie launched herself at the other woman, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much." Releasing her grip, she smiled. "So so much!" she said, finally heading for the door. To her little girl, and her gorgeous wife; her family.