Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 49

I don't have access to a printer at the moment, so I did all of my editing via word. I apologize for any typos/errors that may be in this chapter.


The ride to Little Creek was a silent one as all of the occupants of the SUV were lost in their own thoughts. Dave was feeling hopeful, hopeful that his two girls would give him another chance. He was buoyed by Abby's sleepy admission that she didn't hate him and he was encouraged by the fact that JJ seemed to be warming back up to him. He also thought the fresh air and open spaces on the property would help all of them relax and de-stress. Plus, since their family had pretty much started at the cabin three months ago and they'd had good memories there since then, he hoped it would put them in a better frame of mind to give him a second chance

As they pulled onto the gravel road that led to the cabin, JJ began to remember the good times that had taken place at the cabin over the past three months. She remembered Abby's first driving lesson from Dave; Abby in the driver's seat looking ecstatic and Dave in the passenger seat looking absolutely terrified. She remembered pulling up to the cabin for Abby's surprise party and the fun they had that night and how happy Dave had been to finally meet all of her friends. She thought back to all of the lazy weekends spent there, where they began to feel like a complete family for the first time. She had loved watching Abby become happier than she had ever seen her and she had felt her love for Dave grow stronger each day as he blossomed as a father.

When she thought about it, deep down JJ knew Dave had a point; he had forgiven her for many things that should have been unforgivable. She knew she would most likely be able to forgive him, but she wasn't sure about Abby's willingness to give him another chance, and if she wasn't willing to give it another shot, then it was a deal breaker, she wouldn't force a relationship with Dave upon her. She couldn't force her daughter to open herself up to a possible rejection again.

Once her dad stopped the car in front of the cabin, like her mom, Abby was thinking back to the good times they'd had there, but she was also sad to be back as it reminded her of the dream life she had been close to having, the dream life that had been yanked away from her by the man who had promised to protect her from the bad things in life. Funny, when he promised her that, she never thought he would become one of the bad things in her life, she never thought he would be one of the people who hurt her the most.

Part of her felt like she was coming home; the cabin had quickly become one of her favorite places in the world. It was peaceful and secluded, which meant she didn't have to fall asleep to the city noise that was ever-present in DC, it was luxurious and it was filled with pleasant memories. As her father opened her car door for her, she vowed not to become attached to this place again; it would hurt too badly if things didn't work out.

Dave opened his daughter's car door and helped her step out. He wanted to carry her into the house to prevent her from falling and injuring herself further, but as he reached for her she pulled away from him and shrank into her mother's side. JJ looked at Dave over their daughter's head and shook her own; she would help Abby into the house. Dave almost fought both of them on that, especially when Abby faltered on the porch steps, but she made it into the house without injury. Once inside, she let JJ lead her to one of the sofas in the great room. JJ wanted her to change into her pajamas so she could relax better and sleep and Abby was too tired to fight her, so Dave left the room to fix supper while JJ helped Abby change.

He wanted to get back on his daughter's good side and he wanted her to be able to relax here, so he fixed her some of her favorite comfort foods: grilled cheese with tomato soup and a bowl of applesauce. He figured if she ever needed help in feeling comfortable, now was one of those times. While the soup was heating up, he called Hotch.

"Hotchner," he answered.

"Hotch, it's Dave."

"Dave, how's Abby?" Hotch asked.

"She's still dizzy and kind of out of it, but we have her back home, so that's something. Look, I'm calling because JJ and I are going to need the next week off. Abby can't be left alone and I'm not going to leave JJ to take care of her by herself." Dave told him.

"I thought you would both want time off, so I already put in the paperwork. Both of you are on leave until after the Fourth of July holiday." Hotch said.

"Thanks Hotch, I really appreciate it."

"You can make it up to me by fixing things with Abby and JJ."

Dave sighed, "I'm trying Hotch, believe me, I'm trying."

"Try harder, they need you in their lives and you need them." Hotch ordered.

"Hotch, if I have to get down on my knees and beg, I will," he promised and then ended the call.

He finished fixing Abby's supper, put it on a tray and then went back into the great room. Abby was in her pajamas and was sitting on the couch with her head at one end and her feet at the other. JJ had tucked her in with one of the quilts from the cedar chest in the corner of the room and Abby looked comfortable. Dave set the tray down in front of her, "Bon appétit," he said.

Abby stared at the tray of food, a small part of her was touched that he fixed her some of her favorite "sick" foods, but she had little appetite.

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry right now," she said, pushing the tray away.

Dave's brow furrowed in concern, "You have to eat honey, your body needs the food so it can recover from the injuries," he said as he sat down at the other end of the couch.

Abby sighed, a little annoyed, "I know dad, I'm just not hungry right now, I'll eat later."

Dave pushed the back at her, "No, you'll eat now," he said, more forcefully. "You've already lost too much weight."

"Well excuse the hell out of me for not being hungry for the last few weeks!" She snapped, "I guess I've had a few other things on my mind other than when and what to eat!"

Dave glanced at JJ, who had taken one of the easy chairs next to Abby, but she kept quiet. She knew Abby and Dave needed to work things out for themselves and she couldn't interfere with that. "I know you've had a rough couple of weeks because of me, Abby," he said, "and we will talk about it when you're feeling better, but you need to eat now, if only to take your pain pill."

That got Abby's attention, as she still had a killer headache and was looking forward to something that would take the pain away. "Fine," she sighed as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She wanted to show her father that he hadn't completely won by not finishing all of the food on the tray, but she was hungry and the food was so good that she scarfed it all down in record time.

As he collected her tray he tried hard not to smile, he knew he had won this battle but he also knew that the war with his daughter would rage on.

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Nearly four hours later, JJ awoke and was a little disoriented as she realized she was not in her apartment. She sat up, shook off the sleep that was fogging her brain and then remembered they were at Dave's cabin. She glanced at the couch to check on her daughter and was surprised and worried to see she was not there. She looked at Dave, who was snoring away in his recliner, and decided to let him keep sleeping. She got up, checked around the first floor and finally found Abby in the kitchen.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked sharply.

Abby turned away from the sink and faced her mother, holding a glass of water to her lips. "Is this a trick question?" She asked, taking a drink.

"You heard the doctor; you're not supposed to be left alone!"

Abby set the glass down, "God, I didn't think it meant I had to have company while walking to the kitchen! I'm fine, see?"

"What if you had gotten dizzy on your way here? What if you'd had another one of those horrible seizures? You could have passed out and hit your head and made your concussion worse!" JJ was close to shouting and it woke Dave, who stumbled into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He asked, still sleepy.

"I'll tell you what's going on, mom is being totally unreasonable! All I did is come in here for a glass of water and she's making a federal case out of it!" Abby said, the volume of her own voice hurting her head.

Dave looked from Abby to JJ and then back to Abby again, "You mean you walked to the kitchen by yourself? You're supposed to have one of us with you at all times!"

"Oh my God! I'm fine; I don't need to be watched at all times." Abby reiterated. Unfortunately for her, as soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of dizziness came over her and she had to reach behind her and grab the counter to keep from sinking to the floor. Her parents noticed and rushed over to help her.

"Are you okay honey?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, I think so, I just got really dizzy." Seeing the somewhat smug look on her mother's face, Abby admitted defeat, "Okay, you were right; I shouldn't have walked in here by myself. Obviously I am still dizzy and I need help with things. It's just hard for me because you raised me to be independent."

"I know I did sweetheart, and it isn't going to be this way forever, just until you're better." JJ told her. There was a bit of silence while Abby pondered this. Dave finally broke the silence.

"It's nearly ten o'clock and I don't know about the two of you, but I'm exhausted and could use some sleep. Why don't we all hit the hay?" He suggested and both Abby and JJ nodded their agreement.

"Let me just grab some blankets and I'll crash on the chair in Abby's room," she said, resigned to sleeping in a chair for another night.

Dave shook his head, "Don't be silly, you and Abby can take the king sized bed in the master bedroom and I'll sleep on the couch in there. That way we will both be nearby in case she needs help tonight."

JJ agreed almost instantly. The master bed was so comfy and it would be nice having Dave nearby in case she needed him.

Abby turned and put her glass in the sink and when she turned back to her parents, she found herself being scooped up by her dad. "What are you doing?" She asked, mortified at being carried by her dad as though she was a small child.

"There's no way I'm letting you walk up the stairs, so I'm carrying you," he told her as he started up the stairs.

"Put me down! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Dave snorted, "You would actually have to weigh something for me to hurt myself, honey. You can't weigh much over a hundred pounds right now."

"My weight is none of your concern!" She told him as he reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway with her still in his arms.

"It is my concern when you become dangerously thin. For God sake Abby, I can feel the vertebrae in your back," he said, setting her down gently on the master bed.

"Whatever," she mumbled as she sank into the bed; it was SO much comfier than the hospital bed she had slept in the previous night.

JJ entered the room with their duffel bags and Dave left to change in one of the guest rooms. He also turned out the lights downstairs and locked up the cabin. Once he was finished, he made his way to the master bedroom where he found JJ and Abby already asleep. He just watched them for a few minutes before setting up his bed on the couch. He turned the lights off and stared at them via the moonlight that entered through the slats in the blinds. He stared at them well into the night.

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I knew it was a pipe dream that I wouldn't work on school work during my vacation and I figured since I had my laptop up and running and I had this chapter heavily outlined, I would write it up and post it. This is the last one until at least Sunday.