Chapter Twenty-Three: Keepers of the House

"Every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It may not seem that way sometimes, but it's true." -Andy Weir

November turned into December and everything had gone back to normal in the LaMontagne home. Tate had started going back to her appointments with Abby, Will was back at work full time, and JJ would head off on cases with the BAU. The team had just returned from a missing person case in Maryland when JJ was informed she was being forced to take the position the State Department had been offering her.

After the twins had been put to bed, and Tate was up in her room doing homework, JJ decided it was time to tell Will. He was sitting down at the kitchen counter, looking over a file from work, when she approached him.

"They're making me take the State Department job," she told him.

Will would be lying if he said he wasn't just a tiny bit glad about it. He knew JJ loved her job, and her team, but the State Department job would be better for them as a family. It'd be more reliable hours, so she could be here for the kids more.

"I'm sorry, cher," he said, standing up to kiss her.

"I just don't want to leave the team,".

"I know, but this could be good for us. You'll be home more often, and you can spend more time with the kids," he reminded her.

JJ knew Will was right. As the boys were getting older, they had started to actually notice she was gone. And it'd be better for Tate if she could be home more often. Everyone would benefit from it, but she couldn't help but want to stay with the team. It made her feel horrible like she was a terrible mother to want a job that would take her away from her family. But she couldn't help but feel that way.

Tate, Ellie, Carter, and Noah walked down the street, stopping at every couple of stores and looking inside. With only two weeks left until Christmas, they had decided to go shopping together, hoping they would be able to help each other think of ideas for their families.

"I can't believe Mr. Donovan's giving us a test the last day before break," Carter complained.

"Yeah, well, everyone knows he's a hard-ass, you should've expected it," Noah said.

Despite the fact that Noah and Carter were juniors now, Tate and Ellie were in a history class with them, since they were AP classes that were open to multiple grades. And, despite the fact that she was a grade below them, Tate ended up helping them study most of the time. She'd heard Will and JJ talk about moving her up another grade, but they hadn't talked to her about it, so she figured they were still deciding. It wouldn't really bother her if she had to move up a grade since she'd still be in classes with her friends either way.

"Look, what about that for Patrick?" Tate asked Carter, pointing out a toy she thought his eight-year-old brother might like.

"Yeah, that'll work," he said, popping into the store.

Noah followed him into the store to look for something for his younger brother as well, while Ellie and Tate stayed on the sidewalk. They sat down on a bench outside the store, and Tate looked through the stuff she'd already gotten, checking items off her list. She'd already gotten presents for JJ, Will, and the twins, something for Beck and Amelia, and a few video games for Asher and Ezra to share.

"So, what'd you say?" Ellie asked her.

"Huh?" Tate said, pausing from rifling through the bags.

"To Carter, when he asked you out," Ellie said impatiently.

"I told him not now," Tate told Ellie as she sighed.

Carter had asked her out a week prior, and as much as Tate hated it, she turned him down. She didn't like seeing the disappointment on his face, but she just didn't want to date anyone right now.

"That's the second time he's asked you," Ellie reminded her.

"Yeah, I know,".

"He's not gonna wait around forever,".

"I didn't ask him to," Tate replied.

"Look, I'm not trying to push you, I just think you'd be good together," Ellie said gently.

Tate was about to tell Ellie she just didn't want to right now, when the boys came back out of the shop, each holding a bag.

"Ready?" Carter asked, and the girls nodded and stood up.

The next week, Will, Tate, and the twins flew down to New Orleans. JJ had gotten held up at work, but she would fly down two days after them. JJ and Tate had been getting much closer in the past few weeks, which probably had to do with the fact that JJ had been home more often. When Will and Tate had moved to DC, Will hadn't had the heart to sell his family home, so they had kept it, and used it during the holidays and when they visited in the summer. Most of the time though, they either spent the entire day at Beck and Amelia's house, or their family spent the entire day at their house, only separating at night to go home and sleep.

That morning, Will and Amelia had decided to take Asher, Ezra, Kit, and Henry into town to see a kid's show at the theater, leaving just Tate and Beck home. Beck had mostly been doing some work from home the past few days, finishing up his last few cases so he could enjoy the holiday. Tate was in the middle of wrapping presents when she ran out of wrapping paper and decided to go ask Beck if they had any more. When she got to the top of the stairs, Beck and Amelia's bedroom door was already open, and Beck was standing in front of a mirror, fixing his tie.

Beck was wearing a black suit and tie, with a black overcoat, which was unusual for him. He rarely wore all black, preferring charcoal or navy suits to go to the office or court in.

"Where are you going?" Tate asked him.

Beck looked up, slightly startled at her presence. He thought Tate had gone into town with Beck and Amelia, meaning he'd be able to get out of the house without anyone noticing.

"Just into the office for a little while, I'll be back in a few hours," he told his niece.

"But Amelia said your office was closed for Christmas," Tate said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Beck sighed, knowing there was no way he could get out of this. Tate was too smart, too observant, for him to get away with lying right now.

"I'm going to a funeral," he replied.

Tate froze for a moment, slightly confused. Beck and Amelia hadn't mentioned anyone dying recently, and it was rather strange that Amelia wasn't also going to the funeral. The only person Tate could think of that might have died was Harlan, but they'd just visited him the other day, and there was no way Will would skip the funeral if he was dead.

"For who?" she asked

"Just a friend's,".

"Then why doesn't Amelia know you're going?".

Beck frowned slightly as he finished doing his tie. He should have known telling Tate it was for a friend wouldn't work. He had hoped he wouldn't have to tell anyone that he could just sneak out while they were gone, but apparently, fate wasn't on his side today.

"It's my father's funeral," he told Tate quietly.

For a minute, Tate thought Beck was going crazy. His father was already dead and had been for years. But then she remembered, Bill wasn't Beck's father, not biologically. Truth be told, she forgot about it most of the time. Will and Beck were still brothers and acted the exact same around each other as they always had. She hadn't even known that Beck had found his biological father.

"You met him?".

"No, Harlan told me his name and I saw his obituary in the paper," he explained.

"Oh," was all Tate could say in response.

"I don't even know why I'm going, to be honest with you. Maybe I should just stay home,".

"You should go, you'll regret it if you don't," Tate told him.

Tate hadn't been able to go to her parents' funeral, and it still bothered her to this day. A funeral was a chance for people to say goodbye to their loved ones and to share their favorite memories of them. Instead, she and Theo had sat in a social worker's office while she called foster parents all day, trying to find somewhere for them to stay. She knew if Beck didn't go, he'd regret it down the line.

"Yeah, I guess," Beck said, putting on his coat.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tate asked suddenly.

She didn't know why she had offered. After all, Beck clearly hadn't wanted anyone to know he was going, so why would he want someone to come with him? And if he had wanted someone to come, then he would have asked Amelia or Will. But all Tate could think as she watched him get ready was that she wouldn't want to go to her parent's funeral alone, and be all by herself as they lowered the body into the ground.

"You don't have to, squirt," Beck assured her.

"I don't mind," she promised.

Beck gave her a soft smile, constantly amazed by his niece. He was pretty sure Tate was the only 14-year-old in the world that would give up her Saturday to go to the funeral of a man she'd never met, hell, a man Beck hadn't even met.

"You got anything to wear?" Beck asked her.

Tate nodded, and Beck sighed. He knew he probably shouldn't be doing this, especially since Will didn't know. And frankly, Tate had been exposed to enough death in her young life as it was. But he hadn't wanted to tell Will and Amelia about the death of his father. They'd asked too many questions, and then they'd be walking on pins and needles around him for the entire week. He just wanted Christmas to be normal, so although he didn't want to go alone, he hadn't told them. However, Tate coming might be nice, so he caved.

"Alright, we can stop at the house on the way," Beck told her.

They stood near the back of the crowd, so as not to be noticed. Tate was wearing a black dress that she'd pack to wear to church on Christmas Eve, so neither of them stood out in the sea of black that surrounded the coffin. A priest had completed the service, before inviting a young woman up to give the eulogy. A woman that Beck soon realized was his sister. He'd read in the obituary that his father had two other children, but he hadn't fully acknowledged it until now.

Tate stood silently beside Beck as the woman giving the eulogy finished. She had been able to figure out that Beck's father had been named Andrew Deveraux, but that was about it. The eulogy was nice, and Beck's father sounded like a good man, but then again, it was a eulogy. It's not like Beck's sister could go on a rant about how awful of a person their father had been, if that was the case. About halfway through the eulogy, Tate had noticed the woman glancing over at Beck every few seconds, and Beck had noticed as well. The second the crowd began to part, Beck put his hand on Tate's shoulder.

"Cmon, we should go," he said.

Tate and Beck began walking down the hill of the cemetery but had only made it about halfway to where the car was parked when they heard someone call out from behind them.

"Excuse me!".

Beck sighed as he stopped and turned around to look up the hill. His sister was coming towards them. Despite his attempts not to be noticed, she had clearly spotted him and wanted to talk to him. It was under his impression that she would have no clue of his existence, so maybe she just wanted to know what a stranger was doing at her father's funeral.

"Yes?" Beck asked, forcing a polite smile onto his face.

"So it's true then, huh?" she asked, seeming rather pissed.

"What?".

"There were always rumors he cheated on my mother, and I guess you're the proof," she told a confused Beck.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. We should be going," he told the woman as he and Tate tried to make their escape.

"No, wait, I'm sorry. You have a right to be here, I'm just pissed at him," she explained.

"It's okay," Beck assured her.

"I'm Collins," she said, sticking out her hand.

"Beck, Beck LaMontagne," he replied, shaking her hand. "So, I guess I wasn't as discreet as I wanted to be, huh?".

"You look just like he did when he was younger. And you and our brother favor each other pretty well, too. Your daughter must have gotten the Deveraux genes as well, I suppose," Collins said, looking at Tate.

"Oh, yeah, this is Tate, my niece," he corrected.

"Nice to meet you," Tate said politely.

It wasn't the first time someone had assumed she was Beck's daughter. She certainly looked more like him than she ever looked like Thomas. Their hair was almost the same color, with Beck's only being a slightly darker brown that bordered on black. But they both had slight curls in their hair, Beck's looking tighter since his hair was shorter. And they had dark blue eyes, a deep, cobalt blue in contrast to the brighter LaMontagne eyes.

At the word niece, Collins looked slightly startled.

"There aren't more of us, right?".

Beck let out a small laugh as he shook his head.

"Tate's my half-brother's daughter," he informed her.

It was the first time he'd ever referred to Will as his half-brother, and he didn't like it.

"Oh, okay," Collins said, seeming relieved.

"Is our brother around?" Beck asked, craning his head to look at the crowd, trying to spot someone that looked similar to him like Collins had said.

"Charlie's in prison," Collins told him quietly.

"Oh,".

"Murder,".

"I see," Beck said.

A man called out to Collins from the top of the hill. He held a young boy's hand and a little girl sat on his hip.

"That your family?" he asked.

"Yeah, listen, I better go, but can I grab your number?" Collins asked him.

"Yeah, sure," Beck said, grabbing his wallet and handing her one of his business cards.

Beck and Tate said goodbye to Collins, who hurried off to join her family and slowly made their way to the car.

"She seems cool," Tate said.

Beck put his arm around Tate's shoulders as they walked.

"Yeah, I guess she does," he replied.

He was grateful Tate had come. He didn't think he would have been able to last the whole service if he'd come by himself, and if he'd snuck off during the middle of it, then he would have never met Collins.

"Thanks for coming with me, squirt," he told Tate.

"It was no big deal. I'm assuming I'm not supposed to tell anyone?" Tate inquired.

She wasn't exactly looking forward to having to lie to Will and Amelia, but for Beck, she'd do it.

"Just for a little while, I'll tell them tonight," he assured her.

After having dinner at Will's house that night, Beck managed to get him alone out on the porch. They sat there for a few minutes, talking about random things like what they'd gotten the kids for Christmas before Beck cleared his throat.

"I um…I went to my father's funeral today," he told his little brother.

Will looked up at Beck in surprise. He didn't know Beck had found his father or was even looking for him. He had assumed he wasn't going to. And then there was the fact that the man was dead.

"Damn, that's uh…" Will trailed off.

"Yep, and by the way I brought Tate,".

Will wasn't exactly pleased that he had brought Tate to a funeral, but he supposed he couldn't blame him for not wanting to go alone. He was glad Beck had someone there with him, even if it was his 14-year-old.

"Okay," Will replied.

"And I met my sister, and apparently my brother's in jail for murder," Beck quipped as he took a sip of his beer.

"You could've told me," Will said.

"I know, I just…I couldn't, you know? This is something I needed to do on my own I guess,".

"On your own with Tate,".

"She offered to come. She's a good kid like that," Beck told Will.

"Yeah, she is," Will replied quietly.

"So, when are you finally gonna get your head outta your ass?" Beck asked.

Will was so surprised by his brother's random question that he almost choked on his beer.

"What?".

"Willie, when are you gonna adopt the kid? You've had her for over a year now," Beck reminded him.

"I tried to. Last winter, I filled out all the forms and sent them in and they rejected me," he explained.

"I?".

"JJ didn't want any part in it,".

Beck clenched his jaw slightly. How the hell could JJ say no to adopting Tate? Tate was pretty much one of the best kids ever, and JJ just turned her back on her. JJ was the only thing preventing Tate from having a family, from staying with Will forever.

"I see," was all Beck could say unless he wanted to lose his temper.

"CPS has been calling me, they want to do a check-in. I'm worried, Beck. I told them it was gonna be temporary and now they're realizing it's not,".

Will hadn't told anyone about the calls, not even JJ. But the worry had been eating at him for weeks. A social worker could come anytime, and just decide to move Tate somewhere else, and there'd be nothing Will could do to stop it.

"It'll sort itself out," Beck reassured him.

"I hope so," Will said quietly.

"Will, you know Amelia and I would take her in a heartbeat if you needed us to, right?".

Will looked at his brother, slightly surprised. He hadn't known that. Sure, Beck and Amelia loved Tate, but taking her in –adopting her– was a whole different story. However, just one glance at Beck told him that his brother was telling him the truth, which relieved his anxiety slightly. Maybe Tate wouldn't always be able to be with him, but there was no way they'd turn down Amelia and Beck if they applied for adoption. At the very least, Tate would always have a family, one that loved her and kept her safe.

"Thanks, Beck,".

On Christmas morning, just as the last of the presents were being opened, Will brought a large box into the living room. He carried it over to Tate, and set it down at her feet.

"This one's for you," he said.

Tate slowly opened the box and gasped in surprise at what lay inside. A little red golden retriever lay inside, a male, with a white chest and a white stripe down the middle of its face. She quickly pulled the puppy out of the box and cuddled it to her chest.

"You like him?" Will asked, laughing.

Tate nodded and hugged Will before hugging JJ, thanking them. She'd always loved dogs but hadn't had one since she was little. They'd had a labrador named Gunnar, but when her parents died, he'd been sent to the pound.

"What are you gonna name him?" JJ asked her.

Tate thought about it for a minute as she looked down at the small puppy.

"Bean?" she said hesitantly.

"I like it, Bean it is," Will said as he watched his daughter hold the newest member of the family.

"It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time" –Samuel Johnson