Hey, everyone! Quick notes before we officially get to the first chapter. Here is the extended summary and some info about the story:
This is the prequel for "The Treasure of My Heart" and will follow Jennifer from her birth until age 31 months (2 years, 7 months), ending with a huge surprise I don't want to spoil.
This WILL include tons of fluff and family scenes, both with Jennifer's & Emily's families. Things like... family vacations, birthdays, and holidays. I can also do prompts if you would like to see something in particular.
The story will also include lots of family members! It will have siblings, and several other family members.
IMPORTANT:
Trigger Warnings for detailed scenes of lengthy and many, many hospitalizations, surgeries, illnesses, NICU stays, and premature birth. Other TWs will be included in the chapter's Author's Note, so please pay attention to them at the beginning of each chapter.
An overview of what to expect:
Jennifer Jareau's birth
Various hospital chapters
Various milestones
Many, many moments throughout Jenny's life from the time she is born until the age of 2 years (July 1978 to February 1981)
I've been working on it for a very long time. I have collaborated with Kmbryan2015. She has been a tremendous help for about 98% of this story. I really appreciate the help! :)
I hope you enjoy this. It will get to Jennifer & Emily, and their families on holidays, vacations, etc. once I get past the first couple of dozen chapters and on to the happier times.
Please follow and/or favorite this story, if you are interested. And, if you want, you can review prompts you would like to see now or in the future.
Families are as follows…
Grandparents:
Karen + Kenneth Jareau (Michael's parents)
Regina + Fredrick Jones (deceased) – (Sandy's parents)
Penelope & Alden Benson (Elizabeth's parents)
Anna & Angus Prentiss (James's parents)
Parents:
James & Elizabeth:
Tristan – 11 years old
Jacob – 10 years old
Emilia – 8 years old
Amaya & Malachi – 6 years old
2 surprises
Sandy + Michael:
Emma-Jo & Caleb – 11 years old
Elijah – 10 years old
Roslyn & Gabriel – 6 years old
Jennifer + surprise – hasn't been born
** Additional families to be added as story progresses.
Prologue – A Split Second Mistake
Edited: 1/22/2020. Changed Caleb's age in flashback from 11 years old to 10 years old. Changed his age in present time (July 1978) from 12 years old to 11 years old.
Disclaimers: I do not own the rights to the hospital, or any character associated with CM. I do own JJ's siblings, doctor names, and all other OCs.
Spoilers: None
Rating: T for child kidnap scene.
Trigger Warning: Kidnapping. Please read with caution. I will have it marked.
Notes: Here is the prologue to JJ's prequel! We have her big brother, Caleb, and his point of view in it.
Here we go! :)
July 3rd, 1978
*Jareau Residence (Sandy & Michael) – Caleb's point of view*
My name is Caleb Jeremiah Jareau. I am 11 years old.
Right now, I am in my room. I share it with brothers, Elijah and Gabriel, who are 11 and 6 years old.
My twin sister, Emma, also 11, shares a room with Roslyn who is 6 years old, too, because she is Gabriel's twin sister. They also shared a room with Lexie, but Lexie went missing last year.
Tomorrow will be the one-year anniversary, actually.
I know that my mom blames me for what happened.
You see, one year ago tomorrow, I took my little siblings to the park. It was me, Gabriel, and Lexie. They were 5 and 3 years old, respectively.
My other siblings, Elijah, Emma, and Roslyn were at soccer and gymnastics practice, so I decided to take the younger kids, who were not in any sports, to the park.
Everything was going fine. I was pushing Gabe on the swings and Lexie was playing tag with our cousin, who had come to the park, also. His name was Kevin. He was three years old, also, but almost four. I say 'was' because he went missing, as well.
He was there with his little brother, Will. Will was 2 ½ years old. Thankfully, he did not go missing.
Flashback:
Date: Monday, July 4th, 1977 (12:45 p.m.)
Place: East Allegheny, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Point of view: Caleb
I run around with my brother, Gabe. We are playing tag.
"Tag, you it!" Gabe says as he touches me.
"I'm gonna get you!" I yell back, making him scream and giggle. "I'm the 'It' Monster and I am going to get Gabey!"
I stomp around and make Gabriel squeal and run off. Our sister, Lexie, who is 3 years old, comes running over.
"Pease, I pay, too, Bubba!"
"Okay, Lexie. You can play, too." This makes her happy. "You better run!" We all run up the stairs to where our bedrooms are.
Gabriel runs into a bedroom that is on the left. It's the girls' bedroom. My twin sister, Emma, shares with our sisters, Roslyn and Lexie.
Gabriel runs in and jumps on the bed. And I run in after him and jump on top of him.
"I got you, Gabey!" I shout. "Now the 'It' Monster will turn into the "Tickle Monster"!"
"Noooo! Don't!" Gabe laughs and we start wrestling. Lexie climbs on the bed, too.
"Me, too! Me, too!" She jumps on us. We are having so much. Then, we hear,
"Caleb! Gabriel! Lexie! What are you DOING?!" We all freeze. Oh, no. It's Emma.
She stomps over and pushes all of us. We get up.
"You wrecked it!" She tells us. Wrecked what? I turn around. Oh. Her Gymnastics clothes, water bottle, and a book are all over the place on the bed.
"I'm telling mom!" She runs out of the room. Great. Now she is going to be a tattletale. And I am going to get in trouble, just like always.
"Quick!" I say. "Make the bed and fix the stuff. Maybe mom won't be so mad after." Gabriel nods because he understands. He has been on the other end when mom wants to blame us for something.
We put everything on the floor and then make the bed. Gabriel puts the pillows nice and neat and I put Emma's Gymnastics clothes back on it, and Lexie does the water bottle and book.
"All done!" Lexie grins. This is her favorite thing to say. I am about to tell her good job, when we hear mom yelling,
"Gabriel Anthony, Caleb Jeremiah, Alexandria Lynn, get your asses down here right now!" We all look at each other with wide eyes. I pick Lexie up and we go to the kitchen downstairs.
"Five minutes!" Mom says as soon as we enter. Five minutes for what? "All I asked is five minutes without you wrecking your sister's things." Oh, those five minutes. I really thought I was doing ok with entertaining Gabriel.
"Elijah does not do this, and he is younger than you, Caleb," I just stay quiet even though I wish mom would let me say I was sorry, let me tell her it was an accident, that I did not mean to. But she won't believe me. Because I am the oldest. Gabriel is five and Lexie is three, they're just little babies. I am the oldest, so I should know better.
"Emma does an excellent job with entertaining your siblings," Mom continues. "She draws with them or takes them outside. She doesn't run around the house as if she were raised in a barn! Why can't you be more like her? Huh?"
Not even Emma, who is the same age as me, can do wrong. And she is constantly rubbing it in my face. I can't be like Emma, though, because I am a boy, and she is a girl.
I like green and blue and brown, she likes pink, red, and green. I have short hair and boy parts, and she has long hair and girl parts. I use the bathroom standing up, she does it sitting down. She can have a baby when she is older, and I cannot.
So why does mom always want me to be like Emma, if that is impossible to do?
"I am so disappointed in you, Caleb." Of course, you are, I think. When are you not disappointed in me?
"You are supposed to be a role model for your little siblings. You are supposed to show them how to behave. Otherwise, Gabriel, Lexie, and Roslyn will think this is the way you all are supposed to behave."
"Mommy, I jumped on the bed, too," Oh, Gabe, sweet, sweet Gabriel, trying to stick up for me. "It wasn't just Bubba Caleb."
"Yeah, Mamma," Lexie jumps in. "I did it, too." Then she turns to me and tugs on my shirt. I pick her up and she kisses my cheek. "Don't be sad, Bubba Caleb. It is otay."
"You see what you have started?" Now what? I think… How is them sticking up for me, my fault?
"Now you have them trying to take blame for your wrongdoings." Of course, Gabe and Lexie, the babies, they who can do no wrong.
I look at my mom and make sure she can see the hurt I feel on the inside. I make sure to show how much it pains me when she says she is disappointed in me, which is all the time, and tells me all the things I have done wrong.
My eyesight is so blurry because of the tears. My heart hurts. I don't feel playful anymore. I just feel so much hurt. And hatred towards my mom. Why can't she tell me she is proud of me, like she does with my sisters and brothers?
I try so hard in school, but I can only make Cs and sometimes Bs, because it is so hard for me to focus. I get distracted by other kids talking, or the teacher talking, or sounds in hallway, and a million other things, and then I can't focus on what the teacher is explaining, which means I won't know how to do my homework, which ends in me getting a low-B or high-C as a grade.
I also have trouble remembering everything I need to bring to class, or home, or how to do my chores, or which chores I was asked to do, and how to start a project and then finish in time, or what time a project or assignment is due.
I try to tell my mom this, but she won't listen. She asks me why I can't be more like my sister, or Elijah, because they get A's and hardly any B's. You see, Elijah and Emma, they have trouble in school, also.
Elijah has trouble with writing. He says it hurts his hand and he can never get it right. When he has to write essays, he takes three or more hours to get it done because he has to keep stopping once every two to three words. Mom is harsh with him, too. Way harsh, like yells at him to just try harder, how hard is it to write a fucking sentence, Elijah?
And it is the same with Emma. She had a harder time learning to read and is having trouble with learning math.
Mom wants everyone to be perfect. She wants us to all get straight As, never have to have help on homework, never have something we do not understand. And you see, Daddy is the one that gets Elijah and Emma help in their classes. With Emma, he helped her learn to sound out words, to break words up into smaller ones.
He also makes sure the teachers know to give her enough time to do her work. No times math tests, extra days to do her worksheets. He even got her a tutor, for reading and math. For Elijah, Dad tells the teachers to give him a copy of their notes, just in case, because most of the time, Elijah cannot read his own handwriting.
And when he misses a word on his spelling tests, Dad gets really mad, because he can see it is obvious the word is spelled correctly, and only marked wrong because the teacher cannot read Eli's handwriting.
It took a lot work on Daddy's part, to make sure Emma and Elijah get the help they need, that Em gets to see her tutor, and that Elijah is getting his work done.
Mom does not help at all. She does not meet with the teachers, she is not patient with Em or Eli, she does not help them with spelling a word or with a math problem. She just tells them to do it yourself, you're not stupid, and you certainly do not need the help your fucking father thinks you do.
And Mom, well, she tells me to try harder. To focus harder. To work harder. That I can't have TV time if I forget my books or homework one more time; that I have to stay in and write sentences when I forget my work.
She says if I miss any spelling words because I chose not to study, not because I forget to do it, but because I chose not to, then I have to write each word I miss 10 times each.
I don't tell Dad any of this, though. Because he has his hands full with work, Em and Eli, my other siblings.
"Caleb Jeremiah!" Mom suddenly screams at me. I jump and am pulled back to the present. "Have you been listening to word I have been saying, or were you off in that imaginary world of yours again?" She asks this in a mean tone, to show me she is not being playful when she says, "imaginary world." She likes to mock me in a mean way about that.
I sigh. "Yes, ma'am. You were saying you are disappointed in me – again. I should know better – again. I should be a better example, like my sister and Elijah – again. I know, Mom, okay. I know."
My voice breaks and tears start rolling down my face.
"I'm sorry. I am sorry I am such a disappointment. I am sorry that I am not smart like everyone else. I am sorry that you hate ME SO MUCH! I am just SORRY, OKAY?"
My mom is stunned into silence by my yelling. But before I can move away, she raises her hand, and…
And she slaps me in the face. I am used to it, so it does not shock me.
However, Lexie, who I am still holding, and Gabe, who is standing beside me, both yell out in surprise. My face almost hits Lexie's from where it moved to the side with the force of Mom's slap, so she starts crying.
Maybe it would be better if I just disappeared, I think. My mom's life would be so better without me. I look around the kitchen. My dad is not here because he is at work. Usually, he gets in here when she is yelling and stops her. Tells her to take a break before she does something she'll regret.
"You watch your tone with my, Young Man," My mom says in a scary voice. Gabe starts crying now. "Look at what you have done to your brother and sister."Of-fucking-course she would blame me for their crying.
I just step away. I try to put Lexie down, but she won't let me. So instead, I say, "Gabe, come on." And I lead him outside. I sit down and Lexie looks at me.
"I sarwe Mamma hit you, Bubba Caleb," She gently kisses my red cheek and it makes me cry harder. I never wanted my younger siblings to know what mom does to me. I would always try to pay attention and not do anything that would make her hit me in front of them.
They are only 5 and 3 years old. Babies. They should not have seen that. I know sometimes I wish they would get in trouble for the wrong things they do, but at the end of the day, I am their big brother, and I will always try to protect them from the scary stuff, like Mom slapping my face.
"I'm sorry you two had to see that," I tell them. Lexie is sitting with her chest facing mine, one leg on each side of me, and she leans her head against my shoulder. Gabe scoots closer and leans against me as well. I put my arm around him.
Mom opens the door then. Lexie ducks her head into my shoulder and Gabe glares at Mom, although she is not paying him any attention.
"I am taking your siblings to practice. We will be back in three hours." That is one hour for soccer, one hour for gymnastics, and one hour to drive to them and back home. "Try not to cause any more trouble."
"Yes, ma'am," I mutter. I miss the days when she would come over to me and tell me she loved me, even though she has to get on to me sometimes. I miss it because it made me feel as though she was sorry for yelling at me, hitting me, making me cry.
Now, she tells me to "go to your room, I'm tired of looking at you." And that makes my heart feel like someone is reaching into my chest and squeezing it way too tightly.
She closes the door and a few minutes later, we hear the car pulling out of the driveway.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
After a few more minutes of silence, Gabe says, "Pease, we go park, Bubba Caleb?" I say yes and he jumps up. He opens the backdoor and I say,
"Go get the backpack so we can put the things we need in it." He runs inside. I follow but instead of seeing him going upstairs to get my bag, he pushes a chair to the fridge.
I watch him as he opens the freezer door, stands on the chair, and gets something out.
I can't see what it is because I am now too busy getting Lexie's shoes on. She is cooperating when, usually, she will fuss and want to put them on herself. I guess mom scared her into listening.
Gabriel comes over then. He has an icepack in his hand.
"For your cheek, Bubba." He says and I have to bite my tongue to not cry, because then he will think he did something wrong.
God, this kid does not get enough credit for how sweet he is.
"Thank you, sweetheart." I tell him, taking it. I put on my cheek, and it does feel better. "Go get my backpack, ok? And put your shoes on."
"Yes, Bubba." I hate this. I hate that he is listening, because it probably means he is afraid of mom, of her maybe slapping him, too, and so he is behaving, and I hate it so fucking much.
I go to the phone and dial my dad. He is at work and I ask to speak to him. He is a doctor, so they have to page him, and he comes to the phone.
"Hi, Daddy," I say. I'm a boy. 10 years old. And I only call him 'Daddy' when mom has been mean to me.
He sighs because he knows this as well.
"Are you ok, Caleb?"
Hearing her daddy's voice, Lexie perks up in my arms. "Hi, Daddy!" She squeals.
"Hey there, Princess. How are you?"
Then, she says something I wish she would not have. "Daddy, Mamma hit Bubba Caleb in da face!"
I hear my dad take a deep breath in quickly. "Did she now?" He tries to keep his voice light, so as to not scare Lexie by showing he is mad at mom.
"Yeah, she did!"
Gabe comes back down then. He has my bag, his shoes on, my shoes in his hands, and shows me the inside of my backpack. It has some toys for Lexie to play with, his action figures, and a bottle of sunscreen.
I nod to let him know that he did well on getting those things.
"I am sorry that happened to you, Cal," Daddy tells me. "I will talk to mom when I get home. Do I need to come home now, or are you ok?"
"Hi, Daddy!" Gabriel says before I can answer.
Dad then asks who all is home, and if mom is there. I tell him mom has dropped everyone off at their practices, and I was calling to say Gabe and Lexie wanted to go to the park and ask his permission to take them.
Usually we would not need permission, but since Lexie and Gabe are so young, I thought it would be good to get daddy's permission. I tell him this and he says he appreciates how responsible it was that I called. It makes me feel so good inside when says that, all fuzzy, and I can't stop smiling.
I wish mom would do the same.
He says we can go, but to make sure we have bottles of water, money for the payphone, a snack for Lexie, and an extra pair of underwear and pants, in case she has an accident.
Gabe goes to the fridge and gets three bottles of water. I ask Daddy if I need to take Lexie's sippy cup, but Lexie says yes before he can, so I get her a sippy cup and put ice and water in it.
Then I get some snacks, a sandwich for me and Gabe, and goldfish and cheerios for Lexie. Gabe puts everything in the backpack and puts it on. I have to laugh because he looks so tiny with my giant backpack on.
I tell daddy that we have to pick out pants and underwear for Lexie and then we are going to leave. He sternly tells Gabe and Lexie to listen and do everything I say. They both answer back with "yes, Daddy," and then we hang up.
After Lexie picks out some underwear and pants, and a Barbie doll to play with, we put them in the bag, and I tell Gabe and Lexie to "go potty." I then put Gabe's helmet on him and then mine on, so we can ride our bikes to the park.
I take Lexie's little red wagon and put a rope on the handle, then tie the rope to my bike, and put her in it along with my backpack.
"Okay, guys, you ready?" They both nod. We get on our bikes. I do not have training wheels, but Gabe does because he has not learned how to balance without them. We stop at our Aunt Judy and Charlie's house, to see if any of our cousins want to go to the park.
We have a lot of cousins here. This is because Aunt Judy and Uncle Charlie adopt and foster tons of kids. Right now, they have six kids, but they plan to adopt or foster more.
Jessica and Richard, or Jess and Rick, who are 13 and 8, are at soccer practice. Stephanie, who is turning six in a few months, is at swim practice, and Hannah who is only five, is at a friend's house for a sleepover.
That leaves Kevin, who is turning 4 next month, and his brother, Will, who is 2 and a half years old.
"Hey, kids," Aunt Judy says when Gabe knocks on the door. I stay back with Lexie and wave at our aunt. "Are you headed to the park?"
"Yes, Aunt Judy!" Gabe jumps up and down. "Does um,… does Kevie or Will… wanna come?" Aunt Judy goes back inside and then comes out with Kevin and Will.
Kevin is going to ride in the wagon with Lexie. He has some action figures in his hands and puts them and a bottle of water in the backpack.
Then Aunt Judy gets Will's special red wagon. It is special because it looks just like Lexie's, except his has a buckle put in it, so we can buckle Will in, and he won't try to stand up and fall out while riding.
She ties it onto Gabriel's bike so he can pull Will behind him.
"Do you kids have money for the payphone?" Aunt Judy asks. I say 'yes, ma'am,' back. "Ok. If Will gets too fussy, just give me a ring, and I will come pick him up, okay?"
I nod and say ok.
We leave and make our way to the park. We sing songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider and Ten Little Monkeys.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
Once at the park, Gabe and I put our bikes up, we put sunscreen on, and then we run to the playground.
"Pease, sings, Bubba Caleb!" Lexie tells me, pointing to the swings. Will, Kevin, and Gabe run off to the sandboxes, slides, and other parts of the playground.
"Okay, Lexie." I put her in the baby swing, so she won't fall and begin pushing her.
"Higher, Bubba Caleb, go higher!" So, I do it higher. Higher than mom would ever let me do because she says I push it too high. But Lexie giggles the higher I go, so I keep doing it. After a couple of minutes, I get bored. I really want to go run around and I also see one of my friends here. I take Lexie and sit her down.
"Lex, why don't you go play with Kevie, ok?" She nods and runs off towards him. I go to my friend. We play Cops & Robbers. I am the Cop and he is the Robber. He just stole something, and I have to catch him, handcuff him, and put him in jail.
"Freeze, Robber!" I yell. "Put your hands where I can see them." Gabe runs over.
"I wanna play, too, Bubba!"
"Okay, you can be the one who puts the handcuffs on him. After I tackle him first."
"Freeze, Robber!" I yell again and chase my friend, whose name is David. David runs away, yelling, "You'll never get me, Copper!"
"Get back here! Freeze, don't run!" I chase him. "I've almost got you!"
"No, you don't!"
"Oh, yes, I do!" I tackle him to the ground, laughing. "I got you! Now Officer Gabriel will handcuff you and put you in the cop car." Gabe pretends to put handcuffs on him. David hangs his head and sighs.
"Aw, man. You got me!" David says. Gabe takes him to "jail" which is really just a part of the play equipment that has bars on the side.
"You are sentenced to life in jail," Gabriel declares. "You can get out in 40 years." Obviously, he does not understand that life means a lot more than 40 years, but I laugh and stay quiet, anyway, because his face is funny. He is trying so hard to be a tough "Judge" who puts people in jail.
"I will get out one day!" David yells. "You just wait and see; there will be no stopping me then!"
"Not I have anything with it!" I yell back and Gabriel also yells an agreement.
*Meanwhile – normal point of view – with Lexie & Kevin – Will has gone over to Gabe, Caleb, and David*
Kevin is over playing with Lexie. They are making sandcastles and just giggling about the normal little kid stuff.
"Look, Lex," Kevin dumps the bucket upside down.
"Woah!" Lexie is amazed, as the sand mold did not fall apart.
"Daddy showed me how! Now the castles will be perfect!" Kevin giggles. "Do yours, do yours!"
Lexie turns hers upside and it falls apart. Seeing his cousin near tears, Kevin says, "Aw, Lex, its ok!" He gives her a hug, because he knows how disappointing it is for him to have his own castle fall apart.
"I'll show you, okay?' Lexie sniffles and nods her head. "Ok. First, we hafta put the sand in a little bit, and pat it down. See? Pat, pat, pat!" He pretends to play the drums and smiles when it makes Lexie giggle.
"Pat, pat, pat!" Lexie copies him.
"Next, we put more in. Pat, pat, pat. And some more. And more, and more. Pat, pat, pat." It takes two buckets full of trying before they get a sand mold that stays together.
Lexie squeals and giggles, clapping when she dumps it upside down and it doesn't fall apart.
"Now we hafta get flags for our castle!" Keven jumps up, and runs over to the fence, where the trees drop sticks and twigs when the wind blows. He gathers a few up, along with some acorns.
"We can make a circle of dese corns," Lexie tells him. "And da twigs are da flags and dese are da windows."
Kevin giggles as he listens to Lexie and how she speaks. Unlike he and his siblings, Lexie has yet to learn how the properly pronounce the blended sound of 't-h'. So, instead of "these," "the," etc., she says, 'dese', 'da', and so on.
"Yeah, and this can be the castle for the parents, and this one for the Pwince and Pwincess!" Kevin points to each one. "So, this one gets two windows, and this one gets one."
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
*20 minutes later*
"You go hide and I'll count!" Kevin yells to Lexie. The two are now playing hide-'n-seek; Kevin is the counter and Lexie is hiding.
"1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10! Ready or not, here I come!" Kevin runs around, listening for Lexie. She likes to give her hiding spot away by giggling.
He listens as he looks. By the monkey bars, by the slide, until he finally spots her in the playhouse.
"Found you!"
"Aw, man!" Lexie pouts as she climbs out.
"Your turn!" Kevin walks Lexie to the spot where he was counting. "Count to ten, ok?" Lexie nods and closes her eyes, covering them with her hands.
***TW for kidnapping starts here.
She giggles. This is her favorite game.
"1! 2! 3!" She continues until she hears a noise. Being a young child, her attention is immediately drawn from counting and the game.
She turns around. There is a space in the fence behind her. It leads to a path that people take for jogging, biking, or just as a walking trail. She sees Kevin standing there.
Not understanding why her cousin is standing there, where they are not supposed to be, instead of hiding as part of the game, she goes over.
"Kevie! What're you doin'?"
Kevin looks at her. He has to tilt his head down, as he stands a good three inches taller than she does. He doesn't look happy. He doesn't even look scared. Or mad. Or worried.
In fact, he has a blank expression on his face.
"The man said to come with him, or he will hurt our brothers." If Lexie thought about it, then she would think her cousin's voice sounded like a robot. Even, emotionless, and monotoned.
Lexie is very easily persuaded by people. She loves to give out hugs and say hello to everyone she sees. Her mommy and daddy are trying to teach her about Stranger Danger.
Would this count as Stranger Danger?
"What man?" Lexie asks, because even she is weary of the "come with me or your *insert person's name* will be hurt" type of person.
"The one in the woods." Kevin points to the left, off the path and into the trees.
"But Mommy says I shouldn't go wif stwangers, Kevie, 'member? Don't go wif people you don't know." She repeats what Michael and Sandy have told her.
"The man will hurt our brothers if we don't go with him," Kevin repeats, his voice still in a monotone. He takes her hand. "He won't hurt them if we listen to him." Kevin begins leading her away. "Come on, Lexie."
The two walk through the fence, down the path, then veer left towards the woods, all the while Caleb is not paying attention.
You know what they say.
I only turned away for a second.
**End of TW for kidnapping
*Back with Caleb, Gabriel, David, & Will – Caleb's point of view*
"Bubba, do you wanna wrestle?" Gabe asks after we run around on the slides, monkey bars, and I push him on the swings.
I am about to say 'yes' when something stops me.
It's a voice.
Lexie's voice.
It's yelling, "Bubba Caleb, help me! Help, Bubba Caleb, help!" I freeze my whole body and whip around in a circle. I feel like my insides have been soaked with ice water.
Then, David says the question that will stay with me for my entire life, "Hey, Caleb. Didn't you have your sister and little cousin here, too?"
"Yeah." I say.
I look around and cannot see them. I do see Will. He is playing in the sandbox. He wanted to be pushed on the swings but got bored after a few minutes, so I told him to go play in the sand.
I look around. I can't see Kevin. Or Lexie. I start to panic. No, no, no, no, no.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no." I mutter aloud. David seems to realize what is happening because he says to Gabe, "Gabey, go play with Will, ok?" Gabriel nods either ignoring me or not hearing what I am mumbling.
"Caleb, calm down, dude. Maybe they are just playing hide-'n-seek. They're only three, and 3-year-olds love to play hide-'n-seek. Let's go look for them, okay?"
Yes. Yes, Caleb, exactly. 3-year-olds love to play hide-'n-seek. That is probably what is going on. They are just really good at hiding.
David is so smart for his age, at just 7 years old. It is almost like speaking to another 10-year-old. I nod while trying not to cry. But I can't help where my mind goes. This cannot be happening.
This is my fault. Mom will never forgive me. Oh, god, what have I done? I should have watched them better. My stupid, stupid brain. Why can I never remember to focus? To watch them. Why do I always get caught up and forget?
Mom is going to be so angry with me. And dad. And, oh, god, Aunt Judy and Uncle Charlie. They will never forgive me.
I'm pulled to the present by my friend David calling Lexie and Kevin's names. "Lexie! Kevin! Where are you? It's time to come here now!"
I join him, "Lexie! Kevin! Time to go, where are you? Alexandria, Kevin!"
It goes on and on and on.
"Alexandria Lynn and Kevin Edward! This is not funny anymore! Where are you?!"
We look by the swings, the sandboxes, the slides, in the tubes on the play equipment, in the woods. We call their names over and over and over until David notices Gabe and Will crying.
"David," My voice breaks as I look at my friend. I see the tears in his eyes as he realizes just how big this situation is.
We are alone at the park today.
Of all times to not have an adult we can turn to, why the fuck does it have to be today?
"We need to call your mom and dad, Caleb," David tells me as we head over to calm Gabriel and Will down.
I don't want to. I don't want to confess to my mother that, once again, I was in my own world and not paying attention. That it didn't just hurt Lexie and Kevin, but it got them possibly fucking kidnapped.
"Goddammit!" I yell at the top of my lungs. I scare Will and he starts crying louder. I kick the sand toys and I punch the side of the plastic tube slide. My hand starts throbbing, but I don't care.
"This cannot be happening…" I mutter as Gabriel, Will, and David look on. "Please, not today, not them. Please…"
*End of flashback*
I broke this up becuase it was too long. Please do not ask when JJ will appear. I promise it will be soon, so please just be patient, and I hope you enjoy!
So… here are some important details to remember(!):
1. There are not only 3 kids anymore. There are now 5 and will be more – Caleb & Emma are 11, Elijah is 10, Roslyn and her twin brother, Gabriel, are 6.
2. Elijah is now 10 years older than JJ, and 4 years older than Roslyn.
3. Rosalyn's name is now spelled as Roslyn because that is how JJ pronounced it on the show.
4. On July 4 of 1977, one of the Jareau kids, Alexandria, aged 3, and one of their cousins, Kevin, aged 4, were kidnapped from the park. Caleb was watching them along with his little brother, Gabriel, who was 5 at the time (as shown here ^)
5. Alexandria "Lexie" Jareau had a twin sister, Stephanie Marie, who was born sleeping.
Please review and let me know what you thought! I am excited to get this story rolling! :) And please no comments about where JJ is! I promise she will show up in just a few chapters. (less than 6 more chapters)