A/N: Hey guys! Hope you're all doing well! Here's the next chapter in Rough Life! Thanks for the reviews, they're greatly appreciated! I wanna give a shout out to CmGleek! I can't thank her enough for her help on this!

Hkl-129 - I agree, it's sad that cases like that fall through the cracks. Hopefully these kids, though, will be saved in time!

Sweetkid45 - Yeah, we'll find out soon! Frank just needs to go away forever. You're absolutely right on that! Prisoners don't do well when they find out a child has been abused in any way, and will seek revenge on the abuser.

Guest - I had to translate lol, yes, Erin is for sure suspicious of the abuse, she doesn't have the proof, and we're hoping that the kids will find the courage to call her, and that she will save them!

Mackiechandler - Thank you! Here's another update!

Dwells1 - Here's the next update, lemme know what you think! I think the kids will be saved soon, hopefully a lot sooner than we think!

Now, I shall let you all continue on with the chapter, and please leave a review at the end!

CriminalMindsFan88

Chapter 9

It was now a few weeks later. They were in mid-October. Only last week was Emily's 11th birthday. Their father hadn't forgotten. The morning of her birthday he handed her a 20 and walked out, not returning for the rest of the day. But it had allowed them to have an okay day. Aaron had saved a little of his money to buy Emily a book, a card and a backpack he had seen her eyeing up when they had gone shopping for groceries earlier in the month. Emily had been so grateful for the few things she had received and with the 20 their father gave her, they ordered a pizza to share, so they could celebrate the day.

After that first Saturday Aaron couldn't stop his anxiety about leaving his sisters. The state they had been in when he saw them after Erin had gone home had been heart-breaking, and every time he left them alone, he feared they were getting beaten just as they had that day. Thankfully it hadn't been a regular thing of their dad hurting them when he wasn't there. Or so he thought anyway. Apart from the crippling anxiety Saturdays were Aaron's favourite day, he got to spend it out of home and with his friend. He earnt money so he and his sisters could eat and then when he came home, he and the girls went to his room, and he told them all about the stuff he had been doing. And they listened intently.

Today at Erin's they had been painting the playset. It needed a touch up so Erin got them in some overalls, handed them the paint and let them go crazy. She told them she wanted it as colorful as possible. So, the teens had painted each section differently. It was blue, pink, green, purple, yellow and red. Every color they had spare to paint it with. Once they were done Dave had gotten out the football and had run a couple of drills with them. He said he was going to help them both so when they went to high school next year, they would be ready for the team.

Erin was now pulling up outside the Hotchner house, ever since she had seen the girls with the bruises, she had been so anxious and on edge being here. She just wanted to get out of her seat and run to the girls and pack their things along with Aaron's getting them in the car and driving them home with her. She was so worried and suspicious of everything and was analysing everything Aaron said. Since that day their dad had been home every time Erin dropped Aaron off, so she had no reason to be going in the house.

"Thanks for the ride Erin, and the job." Aaron smiles, to the mother. He did this every week she dropped him off.

She chuckled. "It's okay. You and Derek are doing a good job." She paused looking at the teen before speaking again. "Do you need anything? Is everything okay?" Erin asked him.

Aaron shrugged. "Yeah, we're fine. Emily's super excited for Halloween in a few weeks, it's her favourite holiday, and JJ's never been trick or treating before we said we were going to take her this year now she's old enough and she's excited about that too. So, things are good." He smiled. He only had to partially lie. It was true Halloween was Emily's favourite holiday and JJ had never been trick or treating before, but no one was happy in the house. Their father said he would be home on Halloween so they would be staying home. Which meant not only would they be getting a beating whenever he wanted to, but he had planned one for in a few weeks' time.

Erin laughed. "That's great. Maybe you can come with us and stay the night?" She suggested.

"Yeah, I'll have to talk to my dad."

"Great. You have my number. Remember to use it. Whenever you need me. No matter what."

The boy nodded. "Thanks. A lot." He smiled and then opened the door so he could get out. "I appreciate everything Erin. I'll see you next week?"

"Yes, see you next week. Be safe."

"Thank you." He stood and waved as Erin backed out the drive. Then watched as she drove away before he let down his guard, he turned to his house looking it up and down sighing. He really hated living here. He slowly walked up to the door and then opened it. Nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen.

As Aaron got through the door to his house, he was expecting to see his father on his chair, beer belly out, TV blaring, beer cans and bottles everywhere, and a beer in his hand. But instead, he saw him towering over JJ and Emily, both who were trembling on the floor as he raised his arm.

For a moment Aaron froze as he saw his fathers arm start to come down, but he quickly jumped over grabbing the elbow of the bigger man. "Dad no." He said, trying to pull him away from the girls on the floor.

Frank growled and shoved Aaron off him. "What do you think you're doing?" He shouted, spitting as he did so.

"You're scaring them." Aaron said, trying not to show fear. Trying to stand up to his father and be strong for his sisters.

"And you're in my way." Frank pulled back his fist punching Aaron in his temple, dazing the boy. The father did it a second time, making the older boy fall to the floor unconscious. He was out of the way and the girls were back to having no protection against their father.

Emily saw their phone on the floor near her dad's chair. They needed help. She remembered Erin saying she would help if she could. That was her only option. If she called the police they would be split up in foster care, but surely if she phoned Erin she could save them or that's what she hoped. But before she could make a run for it her father grabbed her shirt lifting her in the air.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said his face only inches from hers.

"N-n-no w-w-where." She stuttered nervously. She looked down to her sister who was starting to crawl toward the stairs to try to get up the stairs and hide. Emily was glad. Least that would be one less person he would hurt. But his eyes followed hers. He was seeing JJ crawl away and his eyes widened.

Quickly he dropped Emily to the ground sending a fist to her face. It made Emily dizzy. He was happy she was now incapacitated, and he could focus on the child he wanted to hurt the most.

JJ looked to her dad who was turning toward her. He laughed. "You think you can hide from me?" But she didn't wait for a reply. She stood and started to run to the stairs. She made her way halfway up before a hand circled her ankle and pulled her quickly.

She let out a loud scream as she hit the stairs with a hard thud, she'd tried to put her arms out to protect herself. But by the pain she was feeling it wasn't going too well. Now sprawled out on the stairs her father started to climb hovering over her body. He smiled. She screamed.

Erin was driving home; she'd been driving back from the Hotchner's house around 10 to 15 minutes before her phone started to ring. It appeared on her car screen, and she frowned at the unfamiliar number. But she answered it. "Erin Rossi speaking." She said trying to sound cheery, and not anxious. Before anyone replied she could hear screams and cries come from the other side of the phone.

"Aaron, Emily, JJ?" She asked. Worried it was one of them. She pulled over on the side of the road.

"Erin, it's Emily." A shaky whisper came.

Erin's heart dropped to her stomach. She started driving again. Though this time she wasn't heading home. "Emily what's going on?"

"Help please." The girl cried. There was still screaming and shouting in the background. Each scream made Erin press her foot down a little harder to increase her speed.

"Okay, I'm going to help."

There was a sniffle before Emily spoke again. "Aarons got his eyes closed and dads' hurting JJ."

"Sweetie, I need you to go and hide. I need to go call 911. I'm coming back to help you, but I need to hang up to call 911." Erin tried to think what else she could say to Emily. With Aaron unconscious, and she was guessing JJ was the source of the screams, she had to get at least one child to safety. Or attempt too. It was all she could do from her side of the phone.

"Please." Emily begged sobbing.

"I am sweetie. I'm coming as quickly as I can. I'll be there soon." Erin hung up dial 911, explaining the situation while she sped back to the house. Right now, she didn't care if she got a ticket. She would happily take it, if that meant she got back to those children quickly and she was able to save them from their father. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

Back at the house JJ was still lying on the stairs, her father on top of her continuing his assault. Emily was at Aaron's side shaking him to try and wake him up. She couldn't hide. She had to try to help her sister. Luckily Aaron started to stir.

"Aaron please." Emily cried as she continued to shake him. "You have to help JJ." She no longer had the phone and was trying not to look at her sister. The brunette girl knew she wasn't strong enough to help. Not while their dad was on a rage like this, and she had no idea how long until Erin was here.

The dark-haired boy tried to gather his bearings. His head was hurting, and there was a constant screaming making it worse. His vision was blurring, and his limbs shaking. The punch had been very hard to the head, and he still needed to recover. But as he turned to the source of the noise, he didn't give himself enough time to recover. He saw JJ, on the stairs, her pants were… well Aaron couldn't find them. But he could see clearly what his father was doing. With everything he had he stood up, grabbing his fathers' shirt and yanked him backwards and began to punch him.

He kept going. He had to. This was the only way to stop him. He didn't register his sisters' cries. He didn't register his father's yells or hits back. He didn't register the sirens. It wasn't until someone was pulling him off the older man did he calm down.

Aaron turned round and saw Erin with a blanket wrapped round both the girls and they were both in her arms on the sofa sobbing, as they waited for EMT's. He slowly approached, sitting on the floor near them. "I'm so sorry." He said finally letting out the tears. He finally let all his sadness, frustrations, everything. He let it out.

"It's okay." Erin told him as she took one of his hands. "You're going to be safe now. I will make sure you're all safe." She said softly.

The EMT's had come and quickly gotten all the children to hospital. Luckily Aaron hadn't done too much damage to his father, his punches weakened because of the fuzziness in his head. Frank Hotchner had been escorted to hospital in a police car. Erin was relieved. She followed the ambulances to the hospital all while she called her husband who was on his way, the kids having been left with an old friend, and she called her friend and social worker Alex Blake, who had agreed to come to the hospital and take on what would be the Hotchner case.

It has been a few hours now. Alex was keeping Erin and Dave as updated as she could without breaking the Data Protection law. Alex had been in and out of the three rooms, between the three children while they were treated and needed support. After 5 long hours of going back and forth and phone calls, Alex took a seat next to Erin and Dave.

"I made some calls." Alex began taking a coffee from Dave who held it out to her. "The police are coming to take statements soon. But I can't find a home for them all together. I'm going to have to split them up." The CPS worker groaned; Erin looked at Dave biting her lip. They had been talking while Alex was with all the children. She continued. "To make things worse, the little one JJ, she's screaming for her brother and sister. Wherever she goes they'll send her back. I've seen it before."

Erin again looked at Dave, he smiled and nodded. "Well…" Erin started gaining the attention of Alex. "We could take them. We still have our fostering licence, and you know we have 2 extra bedrooms, and a spare office which can be turned into a bedroom." She explained to her friend. Her and Dave had spoken at length while they waited to hear from Alex about the condition of the three children.

They had come to really love Aaron. He was a bright, sensible and funny young boy. The girls they didn't know as much, but they knew they were sweet and if loved they would blossom into amazing children. They couldn't bare to see them taken to another home or be split from one another, especially with how close of a bond they all have.

"We know them too." Dave told their friend. "Aaron comes round on weekends, and the girls have slept over. They already get along amazingly with our children." He explained, showing how they would be great for the three children who were struggling.

Alex looked at Dave and Erin, pursing her lips and she had an internal debate. She sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes." Alex smiled when she saw smiles break out on both her friends' faces. "I'll make the calls to get the paperwork sorted so we can get it signed. It'll be the emergency placement paperwork for tonight and then I'll fax the rest over tomorrow so we can make it a more permanent placement." She stood up pulling out her phone about to make the necessary calls, but she felt two arms wrap around her tightly.

It was Erin. She had leapt from her seat grateful for her friend and the chance she was giving them, to help these children they had grown fond of. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, now let me go get the paperwork and then I can take you back to them." Alex walked off from them, phone to her ear, and the couple looked at each other sighing in relief, finally they were able to take these children away from hell and give them the safe home they deserved.

It took an hour for the paperwork to be faxed and signed. So, before Erin and Dave were taken back to see the new members of their family, they sat down with the doctor who was going to explain everything to them. They needed to be prepared for everything when they entered that room. They sat in the family room as the doctor walked in. She held her hand out greeting both of them with a handshake. "Hi, I'm Dr Bell, I'm the leading physician on the Hotchner case."

"Hi, I'm Dave, this is my wife, Erin." The older man smiled before they all took a seat. Anxious to get this started.

"Shall we jump right to it and then we can get you back to those children?" Dr Bell asked, looking at the couple. She hated cases like this, but she loved seeing when she saw people like the Rossi's who she could tell were going to do everything to care for the abused children.

Erin nodded. "Please."

"With all three of the kids we have done numerous tests and scans because it was evident that the abuse has been going on for a while. After the assault today Aaron has some significant bruising over the left side of his face, and a concussion. His knuckles were a little bruised and cut up, but we've checked them out, there's no breaks. Overall, he's doing okay. There's some old bruising over his back and stomach in various stages of healing and a couple of old welt scars on his back. The scans showed some old fractures in his ribs which are almost healed, they shouldn't be causing too much pain, just a little bit of a twinge every now and then when he moves in a funny way."

"Is all this documented? We'll need it all for the case against their father. He can't go free." Erin asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, we've got it all documented and evidence collected. It's all ready for the police to come and collect it, where it will be entered into the case evidence files." The doctor confirmed.

"Oh, thank you. That's great." Erin replied, feeling relieved that everything will be documented and filed.

"So, both girls seemed to be a little worse off, however JJ was significantly worse. Which we have learnt is because their father blamed her for the death of his wife." Dr. Bell had continued.

"Oh, that's so sad. It happened during childbirth. She didn't kill her mother." Erin replied, feeling bad for the sweet young blonde.

"I know. Don't worry. But their father didn't believe that. Emily has some bruising to her eyes because of the broken nose she has. There's not much we can do about it. We've put a small splint on her nose to keep it aligned while it starts to heal, she also has newly broken ribs, but again like Aaron there are some old fractures to her ribs, it will be painful for a few weeks, but the good thing about kids is they are resilient and heal so much quicker than adults. We noted a lot of bruising over her whole body again at various stages of healing, as well as welts both old and new on her back. We've dressed a few of those wounds as needed. She has a mild concussion too, but she's handling it well." Dr Bell paused seeing Erin wipe a tear off her cheek, all this was getting to them.

It got to anyone when they heard how someone so evil could hurt innocent children. She observed as Dave took Erin's hand in his own, bringing it to his lips kissing it softly on the back. Erin turned and smiled at her husband shuffling closer to him. The doctor thought they were such a sweet couple and was happy to see how they clearly supported one another.

"JJ again just like her brother and sister is covered in bruises old and new, however there's a lot more bruising on JJ, as well as welts old and new, we've dressed the ones that needed it. Her left arm is broken. It was displaced so we gave her some pain killers, set it and have it in a soft cast until she wakes and can pick the color. She had broken ribs too, it seems their fathers' attacks were mostly to their middle, it's where the majority of the bruising and injuries are."

There were a couple moments of silence as the husband and wife took time to process everything they had already heard. Realising how bad the abuse had been for these children, realising how much these children were going to need love and attention to recover from this. "Was there any sexual assault?" Dave asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Emily agreed to an exam once she learnt it will help keep her father in prison, there was evidence of sexual assault, but it seemed to be over three days ago her last attack. JJ still needs her exam, unfortunately she became hysterical, and we gave her some anxiety medication which she is sleeping off. I'm hoping once she's awake and you're in there she might be a little more receptive to the idea."

"What about Aaron?"

"We asked him, and he said he hadn't been sexually assaulted. He said he didn't even know it was happening to his sisters until today, and he wouldn't consent to an exam because he didn't deem it necessary."

"Okay, can we see them?" Erin asked hesitantly.

"Follow me."

On their way to the hospital room Dave and Erin had learnt that by morning all kids would be free to go. It was 9pm and the police still wanted to ask some questions, and JJ still needed proper casting and an exam, so they would all be staying the night. They had also been informed they had managed to room them all together with a bit of shuffling patients round in the paediatric department. Erin opened the door slowly to the kids' room so as not to scare them too much, Dave knew he would be hanging back near the door, after the trauma they had been through, he didn't want to get too close in case he frightened one of them.

When she opened the door, she saw Aaron sitting on a chair between JJ and Emily's bed, he was talking to Emily, who was partially sitting up listening while JJ rested in the bed next to them.

"Hi." Erin whispered, careful not to wake the young girl.

"Hi." Aaron waved.

"Hi Erin." Emily smiled.

"Do you mind if Dave comes in?" She said stepping aside revealing her husband who flashed a quick smile and small wave to Aaron who he'd gotten to know well and Emily, who while he didn't know her too well, he'd come to care for.

"Yeah, that's fine."

Dave didn't move too much past the door, but Erin grabbed a chair sitting down in it at the bottom of Emily's bed so she could talk directly to the both of them and so there was still some distance so as not to scare them. "How are you?"

"We're okay." Aaron replied, keeping his eye on Dave and Erin.

"Good. I came to talk to you about something." Erin had told them.

"What?" Aaron asked, curiously.

"We're going back to dad, right? They don't believe us, right?" Emily had asked, afraid of going back to her fathers house.

"No, Emily I promise everyone believes you. I need to talk to you about where you will be living once you're released from the hospital." Erin reassured the ten-year-old.

"I don't want to be split up." Emily had told her.

"You won't. You'll all actually be coming to live with Dave and myself and the kids." Erin reassured them, making sure they knew that they wouldn't be split up.

"With you?" Aaron asked. skeptically.

"Yeah, would that be, okay?" Erin asked the dark headed teen.

"We don't want to be a bother." Aaron said quickly. He didn't want the Rossi's to come to resent them because they suddenly had to provide for them and care for them, while they were dealing with what had happened to them.

"You won't." Dave said carefully, he tried to alter his voice to be calm, he didn't want to trigger the children. He knew how easily they could be scared after going through a major traumatic incident, he'd seen it before in his own children too. He knew they would have to go slow if he wanted to help the family. "We asked Alex, your social worker, to help get everything sorted so you're allowed to live with us. Is that okay?" He asked

The two siblings looked to one another; Emily shrugged slightly to her brother. She had called Erin to help them because she was the only person Emily knew of that had been kind to them and had cared for them. As much as she was petrified, somewhere inside she trusted the blonde mother. Aaron felt the same, Erin had been nothing but kind to them all. However similar thoughts were going through their heads, there was still chance she could change. But they mentally decided to trust her for now. "Yeah, I guess." Aaron told her.

"Great." Erin smiled. She was happy they had said yes. She knew she was going to do her best to prove she could be trusted. The whole family was.

While they spoke, JJ had quietly been stirring next to them. Waking from a drug induced slumber, and in a different room was massively confusing and scary for anyone, never mind an eight-year-old. So, when she opened her eyes not recognising where she was, the tears came freely.

Aaron was about to move when Erin moved to JJ's side instead. "Hi sweetie." She said running her hand over JJ's hair hoping it would calm the girl. She looked up to see Emily biting her lip as she watched and Aaron sat on the edge of his seat, arms ready and prepared to move in case of attack, his eyes continuously switching between Erin, JJ and Dave who was standing near the door.

"Hey sweetie. It's just Erin, I'm here to keep you safe." She said smoothly, hoping a gentle voice would calm down the girl who was still crying. "Emily is on a bed just to your left, and Aaron is sitting on a chair to your left too. They are both okay."

"I don't like it." JJ sobbed, bringing her good arm to her eyes, rubbing them.

Erin continued to twirl the blonde locks in her fingers, gently not wanting to accidentally pull them. "What don't you like?" She asked, keeping the soft tones in her voice.

"I want Emmy." The blonde tearfully said.

"I know, but Emmy has a bit of a poor tummy like you, so she needs to stay in her bed. But if you like I could sit here and hold your hand?" JJ's cries started to slow as she contemplated the question, she looked at her brother and sister who weren't too far away, then she looked to Erin, a woman who had always seemed kind, and who was helping her relax by playing with her hair. Something both her siblings did because she told them she liked it. "I won't if you don't want me too, but I'm right here if you need me JJ. I promise I won't hurt you."

JJ nodded. "C-cuddles?" She hiccupped as she calmed herself.

Erin smiled, glad she had made some progress with the youngest, hopefully once the older two saw JJ was comfortable, they would make some progress with her too. "Of course." The mother placed half her body on the bed, she rested on her side one arm above JJ's head still twirling the hair, the other resting on her stomach moving slowly up and down. The little blonde girl let out a huff of air as she started to relax more, occasionally hiccupping.

The other two children looked at one another after JJ had settled, having a conversation in their heads. JJ was the most anxious child they knew, and when they had visited, she had practically been mute, but now she was almost sleeping in their friends' mothers' arms. They were happy she was able to settle, if she could settle maybe, they could relax a little. They both sat back their worrying thoughts calming, but they still kept looking to their young sibling to make sure if she was okay. Because the moment she wasn't they would be there. They would protect her, even if it was from Erin, and wouldn't let any harm come to her again.

A little while later, with Erin comforting JJ, Erin looked down at the young girl who looked to be falling back to sleep. Next thing they hear is the door opening to the room, the kids tense up, thinking it may be their father, coming to beat them for turning him in. The nurse walked in, apologized for startling them. The Hotchner kids gave a sigh of relief at seeing the nurse.

"Hey you guys, I'm nurse Carmen, but you can all just call me Angie. I'll be your night nurse as the other nurse had to leave unexpectedly," Nurse Carmen told everyone as she went around to check the children's vitals.

Erin stood up off the bed, making sure JJ would be alright, and she pulled the nurse over to the corner, away from little ears. "Hi, Angie? I'm Erin, I was wondering if there was any way I could have the two oldest kids, Aaron and Emily, maybe go down to the cafeteria for a small bedtime treat? I need to speak with the little one, JJ. She has yet to get an exam done, and I'd like to talk to her privately about that. If you wouldn't mind that is. Or Dave can take them, if you're busy," Erin asks, then points over to where her husband currently is, by the door.

"I don't see why not. Let me get the rest of their vitals checked and any pain meds they may need, and we'll see about letting Aaron and Emily go for a little walk," Angie answered the blonde, giving a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, I do appreciate it," Erin tells her..

Erin walks over to the two oldest children, "Hey guys, I need to talk to you."

Both Aaron and Emily look at one another before looking back at Erin. "What's up?" Aaron asked, leary of what she wanted to talk to them about.

"I need to talk to JJ, it's best if I talk to her privately. I promise nothing bad will happen, the nurse and Dave are going to go with you two to the cafeteria and get a late night snack, and you guys can bring JJ back one too." Erin tells them gently.

"Why do you need to talk to her? We can be right here, maybe we should talk to her," Aaron tells her, not liking the idea of being away from JJ, heck neither of his sisters.

"I just do. The doctor wants to do something, but I need to explain to her about what it is. It'll be easier to talk to her, if it's just a one on one conversation." Erin explains, hoping the young teen understood.

Aaron looks at Emily, which he can see the nervousness in her face, he faces back to Erin, and contemplates what she had told him. A few short minutes later, he finally says, "Okay, just please don't hurt her if she doesn't understand. She's only eight-years-old."

"Sweetheart, I promise your sister will be okay. I won't hurt her, she's in good hands," Erin Promises. "Make sure you bring her a treat back, get you kids anything that you want."

"Okay," Aaron replies, still unsure about leaving his sister.

The nurse comes over to the two kids, and helps them out of their bed. Erin watched the two kids follow the nurse and Dave out of the room, once she knew the kids were a good few feet away from the door, she turned to face JJ. "Hey sweetheart."

JJ just sat there, worried, afraid she may have done something for her siblings to leave, "Where did they go? Did I do something to make them mad?"

"No, no of course not. You didn't do anything. I just wanted them out of the room so I can talk to you. They're going to bring a treat back for you from the cafeteria." Erin reassures the little girl.

"Talk to me about what?" JJ asked, worried clearly written across her little face.

Erin walked over to JJ's bed, and sat down in front of her, she couldn't help but notice the young blonde scoot back towards the headboard. "Well kiddo, the doctor told me that you got scared earlier when she tried to do an exam on you."

"Oh," JJ replies, head bent down. "Is she mad at me cause I wouldn't behave? Am I going to be punished?"

"Oh goodness no, sweetheart. You're not going to be punished," Erin reassured the little girl, heartbreaking at the thought of JJ thinking she was going to be punished for misbehaving. "Hun, I just wanted to talk to you, the doctor wants to try again to do the exam. If you would like, and if it would make you more comfortable, I can be there with you, during the whole thing. They need to do the exam, so they can collect the evidence, to help put your dad away in jail."

"Do I have too?" JJ asked, not liking the thought of having to try to do the exam again.

"I'm afraid so sweetie, but, if you'd like, I can be there with you during the whole thing," Erin told her softly.

"Okay," JJ tells her, contemplating what Erin was telling her. "You'll be there the whole time?"

"I certainly will be. I can even see about her giving you something to help keep you calm and relaxed too," Erin promised the young girl.

"Okay, as long as you're there with me," JJ tells her, making sure that Erin would be with her the entire time of the exam.

"Of course, I will be, during the whole thing," Erin promised.

The nurses and doctor were quick at getting everything they needed, but they tried to keep the amount of them in the room to a minimum, the more in there, the more JJ panicked. Erin never moved from her side. She was told by the doctor completing the exam that she could sit behind JJ while the exam happened and could hold her which would hopefully make her feel more relaxed.

So now Erin was sitting behind JJ, one hand holding her good hand, the other stroking her hair, as a slightly drugged JJ was crying while the doctor was doing the exam.

"I don't like it!" She cried loudly. Her bad arm hung limply at her side, but her good arm squeezed tightly to the hand she was holding. Figuring that squeezing the hand tightly might take away some of her own pain. Her head kept falling side to side, the drugs definitely having taken some effect, but not enough to stop her feeling everything.

Erin tried not to let her own tears fall. She'd never seen a child go through this, and now witnessing it, she didn't want to see a child go through it again. She took a deep breath before putting a gentle kiss on the top of JJ's head. "I know sweetie. I know."

"No more please." JJ begged the doctor.

The doctor looked up to JJ then Erin offered a sympathetic smile. "Just a few more minutes." She looked to the nurse silently asking for something. Now in the room were only two nurses and the doctor, one hovering at the bedside, and another nurse assisting the doctor so they could get what they needed and repair any damage as quickly as possible.

"How about I tell you a story JJ?" Erin asked the little girl, hoping maybe she could distract the girl from what was happening.

"Make it better." JJ whimpered.

The mother nodded. "Okay."

Erin sat and ran her fingers through the young blonde's hair and started, "Once upon a time, there was a prince and a princess, who lived in a huge castle. They had so much love to give, and they weren't able to have any children. So, the prince and the princess agreed to adopt some children; so they went and prepared their home to prepare for little children to come live with them. Once they got their home ready to welcome little kids. They called a trusted friend of theirs and talked to her about adopting kids. Well, they were in luck, she had found a small group of children that were in need of a good home.

So the prince and the princess told their friend that they would take them in and give them all the love that they knew the kids deserved. Then, the next day, the prince and the princess met their friend outside. She had brought the children with her, and the prince and princess welcomed them to their new home with open arms. They took the children indoors and showed them around the castle, and where their new rooms are gonna be. The children all seemed to love their new rooms, and the new place to live.

These children, all came from different backgrounds, some kids, were living in a home where their parents were mean to them, some, they died in a car accident, and another because they weren't fit to take care of them. The kids that were in a really bad home, needed to trust the prince and the princess. Trust that they would take care of them and protect them, like they should have been. The other children were working on building a trust with the prince and the princess.

While some of the kids had already taken to the prince and the princess, the other kids weren't sure if they could trust the prince and the princess. So they watched the other children interact with them. Once they saw that they weren't being hurt, they slowly started to trust the prince and the princess. Which made the prince and the princess very happy that they were starting to open up to them, trusting them. The children eventually came to an understanding that they would be loved, and cared for and knew that they would now have a loving home."

Even though JJ was still crying, she was a little calmer. The exam was almost over. Erin continued to whisper to the little blonde girl, as she knew that in the next couple seconds the doctors were about to inject a very sensitive area so they could put in a couple stitches something the doctor had communicated silently with her.

"Little pinch JJ." The doctor warned JJ who had let out a massive scream.

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In the cafeteria, Angie, Dave, Aaron and Emily all sat at a table in the corner of the room. There weren't many people but there were a few who were working the night shift sat around going over paperwork, eating, and chatting. So, the corner was away from too many people and was quiet. Everyone had gotten a hot chocolate and a muffin; they had gotten JJ a muffin and would grab a hot chocolate when they were on their way back to the room.

"How are you doing?" Dave asked, breaking the silence that had set upon the group.

"Fine." Aaron shrugged, picking at his muffin.

"Emily?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shrugged not really wanting to eat but instead sipping slowly on her drink.

"How is your pain?" Angie asked, looking between both the kids. Emily seemed slightly uncomfortable, possibly because of her ribs, or maybe her nose, but Aaron didn't seem to be in pain, but that could just be him covering it up. "When we get back to the room, I can give you a top up of your medication."

"No, it's fine." Aaron told her.

"Well make sure you let me know if you need anything." The nurse told them gently.

Aaron huffed. "We will."

"Is JJ getting the exam now?" Emily curiously asked.

"I think soon, yeah." Dave told the young girl.

"Can we be with her when she has it?"

Dave looked over to the nurse. She would know what to say better than he would right now. "I wouldn't advise you to. I know as much as you want to be there to hold her hand, it's tough to see someone you love go through that. Especially at your age. Erin is by her side and will look after her. Our doctors and nurses will try to make her comfortable."

Emily looked down. She knew what Angie was saying. She was relieved it was the social worker with her while she had the exam. She didn't want JJ or Aaron to see her in that position, it was humiliating. She couldn't help but let her thoughts wander, so far Erin and Dave had done nothing but try to prove themselves to all of them, and though in the pit of Emily's stomach she was petrified, she had seen Erin with JJ and was slightly more comfortable with her sister being with the woman. She had never seen anyone be this motherly towards her younger sister, so seeing it now, and how JJ seemed to respond, she was okay with it. She was glad that if she couldn't be with JJ through that exam, that Erin would be there with her.

"So, why don't you guys tell me what kind of things you like and don't like, I'm going to head home once you're all in your beds and do a little shopping, so anything you like, anything you need I can get for you." Dave told Emily and Aaron. The siblings looked at one another, they shrugged, what should they tell him they had a limited funds so they ate the same things and hadn't tried many foods, or should they tell him all their clothes at home were full of muck and holes, they were old from charity shops, and getting on the smaller side. They just shrugged.

Dave and Angie looked at one another. "Do you know what size clothes you wear? I can pick you up a few until we can take you shopping."

"We don't need anything. Maybe we could go back to our house and grab some things? Like our schoolwork, clothes, there's some pictures of our mom too." Dave did want to get them some of their own stuff, but he would rather wait for Erin, she would know what to do, and what to get when it came to their own stuff. Plus, if he let Erin do it, it would give the kids time to think of the stuff they wanted from home.

Angie looked at the kids who weren't saying anything more, turning to the foster father. "I'd get Emily an age 9, and Aaron a medium, he's quite tall, and get JJ a 6-7."

"Thank you." Dave nodded to Angie; glad she had told him. He didn't think he would have known what sizes to get if they hadn't told him what to get. He wasn't the best at clothes shopping, usually that was Erin's job, but with her needing to stay close to them, it was up to him to get this stuff as well as try and prepare their rooms, so they had rooms which were more their own.

"Can we go back now?" Emily asked, after a few minutes of sitting there quietly.

"Let's get JJ her hot chocolate then we'll take a walk, so it's cooled down a little by the time we go back?" Dave suggested, standing up from the table.

"Yeah okay."

Of course, as timings had it they reached the room just in time to hear JJ let out a scream. One they had heard many times before. They started to run in the room, but Angie grabbed hold of the handle to the room making both of them pause. "She's still having the exam. Remember what I said to you before?"

"But please. We need to go in there. We need to see her." Aaron pleaded.

Emily looked over Dave, her bottom lip coming out as she begged him. "Dave please."

The older man sighs, waving them over to a couple chairs not far away from the door. "You know you can't. I'm sure she's nearly done. Give them a few more minutes and if they aren't done, we will all go in okay? You have to give them time." The two Hotchners nodded, sitting in the chairs and slumping. They could no longer hear their sister crying which was a relief. They just hoped it would be over for her soon so they could all stick together.

The door to the hospital room opened as the siblings, Dave and the Nurse walked in one by one. They didn't know what state JJ would be in and how scared, so slowly and quietly seemed like the sensible option. Erin was now sitting on a chair at the side of the girl's bed, just keeping an eye on her. "JJ?" Emily said softly as she stood by her sister's bed.

JJ turned her head toward the voice seeing her brother and sister. "Emmy? Aaron?"

Aaron had walked round the other side of the bed, climbing on so he could lay on the edge beside her. "How are you doing?" He asked the little one. She didn't answer, instead leaning her head on Aaron's chest as she sniffled. Least she was calmer than before.

Emily grabbed the now warm drink they had gotten for JJ. She brought it to the bed holding it up. "We got you a drink. It's Hot Chocolate." She said holding it out.

Aaron took the drink holding it close to JJ so she could smell it. Instead, the little girl shook her head not wanting the drink. The older brother and sister looked at each other sadly. This mess had broken them all. Emily climbed on the hospital bed along with her brother and sister. They all curled together, despite the pain, despite their injuries holding each other as they slept. Maybe when they woke tomorrow it would be a better day.

A/N: Well, you've reached the end of the chapter, what do you think? I think the kids are finally safe! Now they all just have a lot of healing to do, and Erin and Dave have a lot of trust building to do with the kids, to help prove that they won't ever be hurt like they were when they were with their father, if you can even call him that.

Please lemme know what you think in a review, they'll be greatly appreciated.

If you suspect child abuse in a child please call this National Child Abuse Hotline:

1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453)

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