There was a ringing silence as Emily processed JJ's words.
She had never even heard her mention her father until the case that had brought the team to East Allegheny. Her mother, plenty of times, but never her father. Emily had never asked about the man, so it was on her for not knowing, but she'd always assumed that the Jareau patriarch was a sore subject. The events of the last fifteen minutes had confirmed this.
What startled Emily the most was that even though they had learned about JJ's dad when they'd gone to Pennsylvania, they had never learned what had become of him. Was he dead or was he alive? JJ hadn't even said his name. She had always just referred to him as, "my dad." How badly had he messed her up? Where did he live now?
Emily looked to JJ, and promptly felt her heart melt. Her partner was regarding her with an expression she had never seen of her before. At t least directed towards her.
It was gentle. Soft.
Childlike.
JJ was waiting for her to speak.
"Your dad?" Emily finally said.
"Yes." JJ confirmed as her voice wavered. "He's the only person left in the world who has this power over me—to make me bottom out in the blink of an eye—although my poor mom is liable to reach 'nuclear meltdown' levels when they see each other."
Something clocked into place for Emily as she caught the underlying tone of her friend's tone. "You're a child of divorce, aren't you?"
"Uh-huh, and my parents fought for a few years before my sister died. I guess her death was the last straw." JJ sighed heavily. "I woke up one day to find my mom weeping inconsolably, and my dad… oh…"
JJ shivered as the memories came flooding back. She rubbed at her eyes as tears fell from them, hot and fast. It had been a long time since she'd talked about any of this. Even with Will. The last time they'd addressed it, they ended up making Michael.
Softly, Emily said, "He didn't hurt your mom, did he?"
"Not physically. He had a temper back then, and a way with words, but he would never raise a hand to anyone."
"That's a relief." (Emily had already been trying to imagine being a buffer between JJ's parents) "What's his name?"
"I kid you not, it's Clifford."
"Like the big red dog?"
"Yep. When I was a kid, I used to think that that was cool because I loved those books. I practically worshipped the ground he walked on. He was my daddy, and I was his little girl."
JJ rubbed her eyes again. "He was my hero until that last day."
"What happened?" Emily asked cautiously.
"I ran out of the house to find my dad packing his car. When he saw me, he looked surprised."
"Why?"
"He'd been trying to leave without telling me goodbye."
Emily's heart sank with sorrow. "Oh, JJ…"
She did her best to control her breathing. "He told me that it wasn't my fault, and that I had to look after my mom. Then he just… left. He didn't even hug me."
"Did you ever see him again, or hear from him again after that?"
"No. I've never been able to forgive him on that account."
Emily had a wonderful relationship with her own dad, so she chose her next words carefully. "I'm sorry that he dropped out of your life like that. It was wrong."
JJ nodded in agreement. "My mom raised me as a single mother after that, and I stayed in that house until I earned a soccer scholarship so I could go to college. I never went to East Allegheny again until this job took us there."
"Anything else you want to share?"
The blonde made a 'hmph' sound. "Is there ever. Emily, I have another sister, and a brother."
Emily's heart rose in shock. "Pardon?"
"It's true."
Now Emily was curious. "What are their names?"
"My brother is called August, and my sister is named Katherine. Are you mad that I never mentioned them?"
"No." Emily answered honestly. "August and Katherine have been your secrets to keep. I like their names, though."
"So do I. Besides being a month of the year, August means magnificent, and Katherine means pure."
"How long have you known about them?"
JJ staved off her tears again. "Since 2013—my dad called my mom about a year or so after the divorce to tell her that he and his new wife had had twins. A boy and a girl."
Emily winced. "I can't imagine that pleased Sandy."
"It definitely didn't, but my dad said he was telling her because he wanted me to know. There was just a stipulation to the mix."
"How's that?"
"I wan't to be told about August and Katherine until their eighteenth birthday, which was in 2013. That's when they were told about me because those were the wishes of my dad and his wife. If they know about Roslyn, I imagine that that's when they learned about her.
"I'm sorry." Emily offered.
JJ merely sighed. "My mom was just so guilt-ridden and in tears when she sat me down to tell me everything that I didn't even have it in me to be mad at her."
"Just at your dad?"
"Mhm. Hell would have to freeze over before I come around to forgiving him for abandoning me, and for depriving me of two more siblings for the better part of two decades."
Emily steered her away from getting snarky. "Have you met August and Katherine?"
JJ bobbed her head. "They both visited me separately when they were in their early twenties."
"What are they like?"
"August is very smart, and loves a good adventure." JJ said fondly. "He also hikes out in the desert. For fun."
"Where's a spot he likes best?"
"Joshua Tree, out in California. August also knows everything under the sun about animals—which explains why he grew up to be a zookeeper."
"That's awesome, and not an occupation you hear every day."
"His wife, Aurora, is a zookeeper at the same zoo."
"How long have they been married?"
"Six years now. They have a three-year-old named Lucy, and she's going to be a big sister." JJ said warmly. "Then there's Katherine…"
Just as quickly, her tone changed and became vacant again.
"My sister's husband was in the Marines. He died last month, just after he returned from leave—it was a roadside bomb in Afghanistan."
She shuddered as she remembered her own experience.
"His name was Philemon. They got married after graduation, and lived around the world because of his postings."
"Is Olivia their first child?"
"She's their only child." JJ lamented.
Emily rubbed her friend's shoulder. "Then do you have any idea what would bring Katherine to D.C.?"
"No, and with what's happening, my dad will be on his way here with his wife."
"What's her name?"
"Hannah." said JJ. "I only know that because Katherine told me so when she came to visit."
"I see."
"We were talking about names in general because she was newly pregnant with Olivia. I was pregnant with Michael, but I didn't know yet." JJ's expression became vacant again. "Ask me the question you haven't asked me yet."
Emily jumped. She'd been so reeled in by what JJ was telling her that she'd forgotten about an inquiry she'd been waiting to ask. As always, her partner read her like a book.
"Right." she coughed, centering herself. "Where do the other Jareaus live now?"
"In the heart of Baltimore. They've been there this whole damn time."
"You mean since your dad left?"
"Correct. Baltimore is only an hour away, and D.C. has been my home since I graduated. It was everything I could do to not recoil when Katherine availed me of this, too."
Emily patted JJ's shoulder again. "I'll bet. What happened when you told Will?"
"I wept." JJ pointed to Emily's tablet. "But he's told us that two of our family members are in town. One escaped something, and the other is still gone. Now my mom is here? Dad will show up because he loves Katherine more than me. That's just the way it is. Hannah will come because Katherine is her daughter. This all going to be Armageddon. The only normal ones will be August and Aurora.
JJ practiced her breathing techniques again but they didn't seem to be working.
"Emily," her voice broke down. "I'm seriously freaked out. I don't know what to do."
"Come here, Jayje." Emily pulled her into a hug. "I've got you now, and it's okay to cry if you want. Go ahead."
JJ cried.
Emily consoled her.
They just sat together on the floor. It didn't even matter that they were in the workplace. What mattered was that there was a sad soul in need of a place to land. Emily was the safe haven. That would never change.
When JJ was cried out, Emily stood and pulled her partner to her feet.
"Are you good?" she asked as they straightened themselves out.
"Yeah." JJ blew her nose on a tissue. "Thanks, Em."
"Of course. How about we call your husband back?"
"Okay—"
JJ's full reply became suspended when there was knock at the door. She opened it to reveal Rossi.
"Hey." she greeted her friend. "What's up?"
The old man opened his mouth, but promptly shut it at the sight of JJ's watery eyes and Emily's concerned look. He cared for both women as much as he cared for his own daughter, and whenever he heard about any of the three of them feeling sad, he always moved mountains to make things right. It looked like this was going to be another one those times.
JJ beckoned to him. "Come in."
Emily nodded. "We have some things to share."
"So do I." Rossi replied as he closed the door behind him. "Why don't you two go first?"
They tag-teamed in telling him everything. By the end, Rossi was at a loss for words.
Emily put her hands on her hips when she realized what Rossi's train of thought was. "That's your 'Oh, shoot—I have to choose my words carefully!' look. Talk."
"Will called me. He said he called you, but maybe you missed him?" (Emily gave herself a mental kick when she saw that her phone had cut out, and scrambled to charge it) "He told me that he couldn't say why just yet, but his captain is asking us to go to Capitol Hill. The word also was that the two of you would fill in on the details."
JJ pinched the bridge of her nose. "Great. This means that all of you will be treated to more of my insane family drama."
"I know you well enough to know that you can stay objective, but try not to overdo it when your parents turn up." Emily told her. "And I'm not just saying that because this is your first day back from getting over that terrible cold you caught from the kids."
"Your message is heard and received. I'll be along in a minute."
Emily and Rossi just stared after her as she left to primp herself up again.
Emily didn't even have to look at her mentor immediately to see that he was amused about something.
"You notice anything different about JJ?" Emily asked him.
Rossi's eyes twinkled with laughter. "It has been a spell since you've been with your sharpshooter. Are you sure that it's not just your brain getting used to her company again?"
"I also happen to know her like the back of my hand, but right now, I'm stumped."
"I'm sitting on this until she confirms it somehow, but the last time that our dear JJ was carrying herself the way that she is now, she was carrying Michael."
Emily's heart this time did a cartwheel as she remembered JJ's first pregnancy. She had some rather comical memories of that.
Could it be?
"Oh, my God…" Emily murmured.
"There it is." Rossi chuckled. "Let's go round up the team. JJ will come to us when she's ready."
Agreeing, Emily departed her office with Rossi to collect Penelope, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt. What a day this was going to be.
JJ had locked herself in one the single-unit bathrooms just down the hallway. She was glad of the privacy.
How on earth could her mother and her sister both be in town? Had she missed a memo? She wasn't sure.
At the very least, she was excited to see August again. There was no way that he would stand by while his own twin was in peril. He was going to be showing up before long. Maybe JJ would meet his family this time.
That little glint of hope was still not enough to quash out any hard feelings about her next concern.
From what little JJ could really recall of her father, he had always had a tendency to flock to a loved one in danger. Which meant that he was absolutely on his way, too. Him. His wife. Hannah.
On top of everything else, JJ's own mother was already so far into the equation that she didn't know how to get her out.
Both of her parents were even going to be in the same room together for the first time since that fateful day. Thank heavens the team was going to be there this time.
And Will.
The love of her life.
Her partner.
Her husband.
Her steadfast rock.
They'd been through hell and back together many a time. This would just be one more.
All JJ wanted right then was to forget about the world while she was at home with Will, making love to him. Was that so bad a thing to want?
After what felt like an eternity, JJ took some steadying breaths and washed her face.
"Get it together, Jennifer." she said aloud. "Emily, Dave, Spencer, Penelope, Tara, Luke, and Matt are your family, too. They love you. They'll support you."
With this new self-confidence, JJ finished cleaning herself up and left for the conference room.
"You're just in time." Emily praised her as she took her spot at the table. "I've caught the team up now."
JJ immediately realized from Emily's tone and her colleagues' over-kind looks that she was holding something back.
With a lot of effort, JJ refrained from rolling her eyes. "But…?"
"I didn't name names, but they all have a general idea that we're going to be digging into your life again."
"Okay."
JJ looked around the table. Emily and Rossi already knew the details, but Spencer, Penelope, Tara, Luke, and Matt were watching her expectantly. Curious.
"Where do I start? I'm a child of divorce, and I haven't seen my father since I was eleven—I'm not sure I even remember too much about him anymore because that's also around the time she stopped talking to me altogether." JJ laughed, but only because it would keep from crying. "My father's name is Clifford Jareau, and he has a wife now called Hannah. They met about a year after the divorce, and guess what, everyone? I have a brother and a sister—twins—both of whom I never know about until 2013! Why? Because my dad and Hannah wanted it that way!"
JJ paused to take stock of the others' reactions at this point. They were all staring openly because none of them had ever heard this manic, sarcastic tilt from her before. It was very jarring.
This response encouraged JJ to keep going.
"My brother is called August, and my sister's name is Katherine. They're twenty-five now. A not-so-fun fact is that my poor sister is a war widow."
"Have you met August and Katherine before?" Penelope asked.
"Yes, but not at the same time, and both meetings were brief. They were shy back then. I like them, though, and they like me. We even exchange cards during the holidays."
"That's wonderful progress." Matt offered. "My kids are buddies with each other, and I'm very close with my own brother and sister."
"It's always been enough that I have all of you." Rossi said. "But since we're bearing our souls, this is the part where I say that I'm an only child."
"I'm also an only child." Emily added. "That has, however, never stopped me from thinking of the rest of you as the family I've always wanted."
Spencer chimed in, "That makes me the third only child in this room. On the matter of a family structure, however, that's exactly the relationship that the eight of us have together. Although... Rossi is more like the father figure."
"I can back you on that play." Emily confirmed.
Penelope jumped in before things devolved too fast. "Even with taking in the events of recent times, I will forever be close to all of my stepbrothers."
Tara's tone was also one of reflection. "I've been working on mending my relationship with my brother. We're even friends again."
Luke rounded things out. "I'm the third of seven siblings, but even at that, all of us have been close. Shoot—my favorite sister just moved to town. Her name is Bex."
JJ smiled, in spite of her spitfire-type mood. Her friends were just trying to cheer her up.
"I love my siblings, and they're extremely kind people. All I want to do is hug them both." JJ sighed heavily. "Emily mentioned that the Yarn Child was brought in by a witness, right?"
Penelope, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt nodded.
"The child in question is my precious niece, Olivia. Her mother is Katherine. The witness is my own dear mother."
"What?" Spencer sputtered. "But the odds of that are…"
Penelope picked up where he left off, also surprised. "Astronomical…"
"It's all hands on deck when the Wonder Twins are stumped." Tara quipped to JJ. "Emily also told us about the Skype call, and the color of Olivia's yarn. I'm with you to the end, just like always, and I'm even down for working with Will, but I can hear it in your voice that there's one last piece of information that you're bursting to share. Is that correct?"
JJ nodded. "It is."
"I'm saying this as your friend, but please pace yourself."
In good faith, JJ made a show of exhaling. "My mom is in Capitol Hill because she was going to surprise me and just ended up seeing Will first, Olivia is in Capitol Hill, Katherine is… elsewhere, and we'll be seeing August and his family before the day is out. That's just for starters. Add to the mix my parents being in the same building for the first time since I was eleven, and we have World War Three."
"Because you're worried about them freaking out." Matt sympathized. "Where did your dad go after Pennsylvania? It sounds like they're close by."
JJ sneered, "They've been in Baltimore, and I've been in D.C. for my entire FBI career."
"But your dad never said a word?"
"Not once!"
Matt rose from the table and walked up to his friend. He could see that she was fighting every instinct to not get worked up again, so he spoke very calmly. Having a soothing voice was a handy trait.
"I'm sorry that your old man made those unkind choices. We all are." he told her. "The rest of the team and I know that you're indestructible, and that you always overcome any obstacle thrown at you. We are going to get to the bottom of this, JJ, and we've got your back for as long as it takes because we are a family. You're the glue that keeps us together."
JJ almost burst into tears on the spot because of how kind Matt's words were, but she hugged him.
JJ even looked up at him with the look of an adoring sibling. "Thank you. All of that was incredibly sweet, Matt."
He have her arm a gentle squeeze. "Feel better now?"
"I do."
Nearby, Emily stood, pleased that JJ was no longer weepy.
She moved along the table to Penelope. "How fast can you pack a technology go bag?"
Penelope gathered her things and stood. "I can be ready in ten minutes."
"How many minutes will it take if you have help?"
"Five."
Emily made a herding motion with her arms. "Off we go, Garcia. I have a special mission for you."
The others dispersed after that, to get their jackets. In-town cases meant traveling light.
Spencer caught up with JJ by her desk.
"I'm sure people are going to asking you a lot," he said gently. "But how are you doing?"
The inquiry made JJ feel vulnerable. "I keep wanting this to be a dream so I can go back to how things were yesterday—normal."
"Jennifer, absolutely nothing about your about your extraordinary life has ever been even close to normal."
"That's one way to put it. It's definitely comforting to know that you understand this drama about my mom and dad."
Spencer easily recalled the BAU case that had involved both of his parents—who just so happened to be divorced from each other. "I understand it all too well. What can I do for you?"
"Same as you've done every day for the past fifteen years: just be my brother. I really need that right now."
Spencer grinned at her. "Okay. I can do that."
"Thank you, Spence."
As they had gotten ready before the rest of the team, they boarded the elevator together and left for the area of the building were whatever travel vehicles needed from the motor pool were requisitioned out. Everyone would appreciate the initiative.
Spencer decided to bring up something more cheerful.
"How are my godsons doing?" he wanted to know. "Is Michael still tripping over his feet when he kicks a soccer ball?"
JJ laughed her first true amused laugh for the first time all morning. "No, thank heavens, because that always confused him and made him cry. Michael has the coordination down pat. There's a new problem now."
"Dare I ask what?"
"He doesn't understand what the goal is for. Michael is good at kicking the ball, but that's all he wants to do."
Spencer laughed, too. "Yikes. Do you think he'll ever come around?"
"My fingers are crossed for yes because we're hoping to put him in a league when he's older. Right now, Michael cries if I try to give him any direction when he has the ball."
"Things will even out. Both of your boys are super bright."
JJ perked up at this last word. "Speaking of bright, Henry is going to take an advanced placement test at school."
"Oh, really? For what?"
"Math!" JJ lifted an eyebrow at him. "He's been skating circles around everyone in his class because he finds it all so easy, and it's because of your years of tutoring and indulgence, you know. Remember the time that Henry dressed up as you for Halloween?"
Spencer smiled at the memory. "I could never forget."
"He's loved numbers ever since then."
"When's his test?"
"Two days. If he passes, he's going to be moved from sixth grade math to eighth grade advanced algebra."
"In a little more time," Spencer mused. "Henry could probably even do high school math and be done before he even gets to ninth grade."
"Especially if his godfather comes around to the house to help him out." JJ said in a half-pleading tone. "Please?"
"Oh, boy. Is he nervous?"
"Very. We're good at math, but Will and I find ourselves out of our depth when Henry starts rambling about Einstein's theory of relativity. I saw him reading The World As I See It yesterday."
"Wow." remarked Spencer. "That's my favorite Einstein book."
"I guess Henry remembered that. What's more shocking is that he was reading it aloud to Michael, and he seemed to be listening." JJ ran her fingers through her hair. "Spence, do you think Will and I have two kid geniuses on our hands?"
"I think you just might. Are they into anything else… unusual?"
"Michael solved Henry's Rubik's Cube this morning. Twice."
This really impressed Spencer. "Woah, really?"
"Yep. We're not sure where he got it from, but I bet he'd be dazzled if he could show Uncle Spencer his new trick."
"Then I have to see it. Last time I came over, however, Michael fell asleep in my arms in five minutes."
"Because he loves you." JJ winked.
Spencer made a humming noise. "How do you think Michael would be if I started introducing him to geometry?"
"Easy, killer." JJ straightened out a fold in Spencer's shirt collar. "My baby boy still falls asleep at the dining table if he's had a full day."
"Actually, Jennifer, geometry comes in all kinds of forms that even Michael could get the hang of right now. He's on the right track with the Rubik's Cube."
"Oh, really?" JJ said in interested tone. "Will you tell me more?"
"Certainly!"
Spencer only ever called JJ by her actual name when he was extremely excited, or else concerned about her, so she could only smile more as he gave her a rambling but informative lecture about the benefits of math and cognitive development in small children. Telling him that mathematics had been one of her majors at school could wait.
For now, Spencer was just being her brother.
And she appreciated that.