Disclaimer- I don't own Criminal Minds, or any other copyrighted titles in this story, only my own imagination and a love of writing.
A/N- hello, readers! First of all, thank you so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites! They are so encouraging and they inspire me to write more. Also, I am sorry for the long wait- life is hectic but I'm doing my best, and as I said before, I will never abandon any of my stories. Without further ado, here is Chapter 5 of Bonds of Love!
Hotch turned the car around and headed to the BAU, smiling with as much reassurance as he could at the wary-looking children in the backseat. They must have been listening to Aaron's side of the conversation. His frustrated sigh and mention of telling them something had made them nervous.
These kids were observant. They'd had to be, in order to survive whatever it was that they had been through.
Elle and Rossi kept talking and asking questions to distract them, but it wasn't working. Still, they persisted, even though the only responses they got were tense one word answers.
When the car pulled up to the parking garage about twenty minutes later, Aaron parked and turned around to face the kids. "Guys, we are here because I got a call from my friend Jason Gideon. You guys remember Jason, right?" He asked nonchalantly.
"We played chess." Spencer piped up quietly, his nervous eyes avoiding Aaron's.
"Yeah." Aaron smiled at him. "Well, he is hoping we could go talk with him. He's got some questions to ask that will help us put the man who kidnapped you in jail." He didn't mention that the well-intentioned agents would also be pressing for answers concerning the children's entire lives, including the sensitive topic of whoever had hurt them before the UNSUB had came into their lives.
"Okay." Derek said calmly, surprising everyone, including the other children, who looked at him as if he had suddenly lost his marbles.
"Okay?" Emily and J.J chorused in disbelief.
"Yeah. I said okay." Derek looked determined. He opened the car door and stepped out, raising his eyebrow when nobody moved. "Let's go."
Ten minutes later, Elle and Gideon were in Elle's office, taking out items from the Kid Catcher for the children to play with while they waited for their turn to talk. They had decided that the interrogation room wasn't kid-friendly enough.
Aaron and Rossi were sitting in Aaron's office, discussing what was about to happen with the kids. "First of all, it's very important that you are honest with your answers to our questions. Do you understand?" Rossi asked seriously.
Derek and Emily nodded solemnly.
"We will." J.J replied.
"Yes, sir." Spencer said quietly.
"And we don't want to upset you, so if the questions are too much to handle, just let us know and you can take a break." Aaron assured them.
Derek and Emily just nodded again as Spencer and J.J chorused, "Okay."
"Alright then, are you ready, kiddos?" Rossi questioned.
"Yep."
"Let's go then." Aaron forced a smile as he led them to the other room, despite his fear about the information they were about to find out.
When they reached the threshold, Elle smiled warmly and invited the kids into her office. Gideon excused himself, Rossi, and Aaron from the room, assuring the children that they would be back soon.
"So what's our game plan here?" Rossi asked Gideon as the two of the and Aaron walked towards Gideon's office.
"Last night I sent out a request to the Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Washington D.C, and Chicago police departments asking them to mail is any files, photographs, or personal effects collected from the crime scenes. The Pittsburgh police were the only ones to respond so far. This," Gideon pointed to the small box on his desk, "is all they had for J.J. A character witness file, three photographs, and this toy." He lifted out a small stuffed monkey with a flower on its head and pulled its tail. The clear, soothing chords of a lullaby drifted out from the sound box in the toy.
Aaron took the monkey from him, his heart saddened by the sight of it. J.J was only four years old when she'd been abducted, an innocent little girl. And this was all that was left from that past life...three photographs and an old toy.
"Let's go over that character witness file before we talk to J.J." Rossi suggested.
"Sounds good to me."
About a half an hour later, they had found out more of J.J's background. J.J was just over three and a half years old when her older sister, Rosalyn, committed suicide. Rosie, as she was known to her family, was only thirteen. She had cut her wrists in the bathtub one night while babysitting her younger siblings- J.J and her brothers, ten year old Lucas and seven year old James. She left a note saying that she was being bullied in school and she felt that everyone would be better off without her.
That tragedy took place only four months before J.J was abducted and her remaining family members were stabbed to death.
"I have a feeling that there's a connection between Rosalyn's death and J.J's abduction." Aaron stated firmly.
Rossi and Gideon both agreed. "Let's go see what information we can get from J.J." Gideon said.
By the time they returned to the office, Elle and J.J had already set up a dollhouse away from the other children.
"Hey, J.J. Can we play with you?" Aaron asked.
J.J smiled at him and nodded, picking her doll back up.
"Hello, Jennifer. I wanted to-" Gideon started to say.
J.J's entire happy demeanor changed in a second flat. She froze before she stiffened with fury. "My name is J.J." She stated firmly, glaring at Gideon.
"J.J. Short for...Jennifer Jareau, right?" Gideon pushed harder, wanting to see where the six-year-old would take this confrontation.
"My. Name. Is. J.J." She gritted out, clenching her fists in her anger.
Elle opened the file and pulled out one of the three photographs, a picture of J.J months before the abduction. "Who is this little girl, J.J? Do you know her?"
J.J relaxed at the proper use of her nickname and took the photo from her. "That's Jennifer." She told them matter-of-factly.
Aaron and Rossi gave each other a knowing look. This was a classic case of trauma disassociation. J.J. had separated 'Jennifer Jareau', her given name before her abduction and the murder of her family, from 'J.J', the nickname her fellow captives had bestowed upon her.
She thought of the two different experiences as completely separate lives. Which to four year old J.J, it must have seemed to be, Aaron thought. His heart broke for the little girl.
"What can you tell us about her, J.J? What was Jennifer like?" Aaron asked gently.
J.J's face clouded over. "She was a big stupid baby." She told the agents, yanking roughly on the hair of the Barbie doll she was holding. "She never stopped crying. 'I'm hungry, I'm tired, I want my monkey, I want Rosie-'" She cut herself off abruptly, having touched a painful subject.
Rossi hated the idea of causing any kind of pain to a little girl who had already been through so much, but he knew he had to do it. So he took a deep breath and pulled out the second photograph - the school picture of Rosalyn. "Can you tell me more about Rosie?" He asked, showing it to her.
J.J gasped in horror. "No!" She started crying, tears quickly turning to agitated sobs.
Immediately, Emily stood up from where she had been playing in the corner and ran to her, hugging her and stroking her hair gently. Derek and Spencer walked over as well. Derek rubbed her shoulder, obviously lost in his own thoughts, and Spencer held her hand tightly. "S'okay, J.J." He spoke quietly, looking quite sad on her behalf.
Aaron could tell that J.J was overwhelmed. They had challenged her identity and dragged up painful memories of a dead loved one in the span of about two minutes. And she was only six years old. "Let's give her a break, guys."
Gideon shook his head and continued. "What happened to Rosie?" He pushed further.
Aaron felt his protective instincts taking over. "I said, give her a break, Jason." He spoke more firmly, staring his supervisor in the eyes.
They glared stubbornly at each other for a few minutes. The tension in the room was rising, and the J.J, having lived in fear of tense situations for a long time, attempted to placate the adults by speaking up, albeit very quietly. "Rosie went bye. She was hurt and the doctors came and took her to the hos-pit-al but she still went bye."
She took another shaky breath, and continued, "Jennifer was really, really sad, but not as sad as her daddy and mama. Daddy left for a long time every day and he came home all smelly and dizzy, and mama sleep the whole day. All day." She sighed. "Couldn't wake her up. Luke and James went to school but Jennifer stayed home. All alone by herself outside, and when they came home they yelled at her for being a big baby and crying all the time. Stupid baby." She growled, her sadness quickly turning to anger as she started hitting the Barbie doll on its plastic face.
Aaron closed his eyes and sighed, trying to keep his emotions in check. Poor little J.J. She had been nearly four years old, with a big sister she was close to who killed herself. Which caused their father to get drunk and their mother to get so depressed that she locked her remaining daughter outside all day and slept, when said daughter should actually be in Pre-K at that age. Then her brothers yelled at her and called her a baby for crying. And then finally she was abducted by a stranger, her remaining family members were killed, and she was held captive for two and a half years.
That was an awful lot of traumatic experiences.
Dave looked at Gideon, who was finally done questioning J.J, having gotten enough background information on the youngest girl to satisfy Erin Strauss for the moment.
Now he, Aaron, and the children could all take a break for the day, since the Las Vegas, Chicago, and Washington D.C police had yet to send over the files, photos, and personal effects of Spencer, Derek, or Emily.
"Alright, guys," Rossi said, clapping his hands, "we are outta here. We'll come back tomorrow, but the rest of today is ours! How's that sound?" He tried to sound cheery, in order to break the tension and sadness in the air.
Derek and Spencer stood up to leave, but Emily stayed by J.J's side, the younger girl having rested her head on the other girl's shoulder. J.J was still crying softly, and it was breaking Aaron's heart. Especially since she was wiping her tears so roughly, as if she was angry at herself for crying.
He stood up and took the couple steps necessary to kneel in front of her chair. "Hey, J.J?" He whispered. "Can I tell you a little something about crying?"
J.J lifted her head up slightly, but couldn't bring herself to look Aaron in the eyes. "I know, it's a stupid baby thing to do, sir; I'll stop it."
"No, J.J." Aaron murmured, reaching his hand out, very slowly and carefully, to place his hand over J.J's little one. The other kids were concentrating intensely on his hand, Derek and Emily in protective mode and Spencer looking fearful. J.J didn't pull away, although she did look at him with fear in her big blue eyes. He kept his hand very still and ever so slowly, her hand began to relax under his own.
"Crying isn't something bad, it's not wrong to do...Crying is a good thing, because if we're hurting, it means we're alive. And if we can feel very, very sad or angry, than we can also feel very, very happy and glad. Feelings show us that we're living people. And that is a very good thing!" He grinned, and J.J lifted her head to look at him and smiled back.
"I guess you're right." She accepted the box of tissues Elle offered her and proceeded to wipe her eyes.
Aaron pretended to look wounded. "You guess I'm right? I am right about everything!" He protested.
Emily and J.J giggled, and Derek bit back a smile. Spencer, on the other hand, looked very confused. "That is a statistical improbability." He stated, a serious look on his little face.
Aaron and Dave just laughed. Even Gideon cracked a smile.
They all stood up to exit Elle's office. "See you around 11 A.M tomorrow." Gideon reminded them as they walked out of the BAU.
"So why don't we head to the playground? How does that sound to you guys?" Aaron asked the kids.
"Okay." Spencer and J.J chorused. They were so little when they were taken, Aaron thought, did they even remember what a playground was like? But Emily looked cheerful at the prospect of the playground, and even Derek looked as if he were anticipating the visit.
One ten minute drive later, they pulled up to the playground outside Aaron's apartment complex. Just as they had the previous night when they had first passed it, J.J and Spencer looked at it curiously. Emily jumped out of the car first, after letting J.J out of her car seat. J.J trailed behind her slowly, and Spencer clung anxiously to Derek as he unbuckled his car seat and exited the car.
"C'mon, J.J, let's go play!" Emily called over her shoulder, and J.J followed her uncertainly. They headed for the slides. Rossi followed them and stood by the playground equipment as they climbed up.
Derek tried to head towards the monkey bars, but Spencer's tight grip on his leg wouldn't allow him.
He looked down at Spencer and his brow furrowed. "What's up, Pretty Boy? Don't you wanna play?" He asked the younger boy.
"I don't know how." Spencer mumbled, ashamed, looking at the ground.
Aaron frowned. This poor kid, he thought sadly. He was four years old and didn't even know how to play on a playground.
It made sense, though, considering the little boy's past. He was only two years old when he was taken, and he had spent the other two years of his life being held captive by his abductor. And at this point, they didn't know if he had ever been to a playground, even before he was abducted.
The agents did, however, know that he had recently been taken into Las Vegas foster care beforehand. It was quite possible that he had been badly neglected, maybe even abused...perhaps he had actually never been to a playground.
The thought broke Aaron's heart all over again.
He looked at Derek, who seemed to accept Spencer's answer as if it were expected. Derek's own sadness was evident in his brown eyes, so similar to Spencer's own.
Aaron cleared his throat. "Well, you are a very smart boy, Spencer. Would you like to learn how?" He asked gently.
Spencer's eyes got wide and hopeful. He nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay," Aaron grinned. "Let's test out the slide with J.J and Emily."
He, Derek, and Spencer walked over to where Rossi was watching Emily go down the slide with J.J on her lap. " Now you try it by yourself, J.J." Emily coaxed the younger girl.
J.J shook her head, too scared to do it on her own. Emily just sighed.
"Alright kid," Derek lifted Spencer onto the ladder leading up to the slide. "You go up, I'm right behind you." He followed the younger boy up and Spencer crawled onto his lap, burying his face in the older boy's neck.
"3,2,1, Go!" Emily, J.J, Rossi, and Aaron called out.
Spencer squealed loudly as they slid down the slide. At the bottom, he looked up and grinned. "That was fun!" Aaron and Rossi laughed as Emily and J.J clapped happily. Derek ruffled his hair, grinning back at him. "C'mon J.J, do it with me!" Spencer called out, grabbing J.J's hand and pulling her towards the ladder.
J.J. looked nervous, but followed the excited younger boy onto the platform and sat with him. Spencer kept a tight hold on her hand as they pushed off, J.J covering her eyes with the other hand.
"Yeah!" Derek, Emily, Rossi, and Aaron all cheered as the younger kids came to a stop at the bottom.
J.J uncovered her eyes and her eyes widened comically. "I did it!" She yelled victoriously.
"Yeah, you did it! You both did it!" Aaron said, grinning at them. "High five, you guys!" He and Rossi held out their hands for Spencer and J.J to clap. Derek eyed them carefully, but relaxed a little as the younger kids slapped the agents' hands with enthusiasm.
"What should we do next?" Rossi asked them.
"Let's go on the monkey bars now." Emily suggested. J.J looked at her and and smiled, ready to take on the next adventure.
Derek grinned at them, and He reached out and grabbed Spencer's hand. "C'mon, kid, let's go!" He urged.
Aaron smiled warmly at Derek. He was relaxing slightly now, allowing himself to have fun for the present moment, and Aaron couldn't be more proud of him. It took a lot of courage to let down your guard, even for a moment. Aaron knew that better than anybody.
When they got to the monkey bars, Derek climbed up the steps to the platform and reached out to grasp the first bar fearlessly, effortlessly making his way across. The rest of the kids cheered as he dropped to the ground, smirking at them victoriously.
Emily went next, struggling a bit halfway through but finishing out strong. Rossi and Aaron whistled as the rest of the children clapped.
Then it was J.J 's turn. She climbed up and took the first ring with both her hands and took a deep breath, stepping off the platform and trying to swing like she saw the older kids do. She made it two more bars, but missed her grab for the next one. She screamed as her hand slipped, but Rossi and Aaron moved fast, Aaron grabbing her waist and Rossi grabbing ahold of her legs. Then they gently lowered her to the ground.
Derek and Emily raced towards J.J to see if she was okay, Spencer close behind them. When J.J assured them all that she was fine, Emily and Spencer relaxed. Derek, on the other hand, was clearly having mixed feelings about the fall, relieved that J.J wasn't hurt, but upset that the agents grabbed her. He apparently decided that J.J being safe was the most important thing, because he gave the men a slight nod as a thank you.
"Is it my turn now?" Spencer asked excitedly.
Derek took a look at the height of the monkey bars and realized, belatedly, that neither he nor Emily could lift Spencer that high up. His face darkened with regret, and Spencer could see from the older boy's expression that Derek was going to say that he couldn't go on the monkey bars.
He pouted sadly but seemed to accept that Derek had made his decision.
Aaron could apparently read the boys' facial expressions as well, and before Derek could tell Spencer to move on to the next activity, he risked making an offer. "I could pick him up, Derek. I won't hurt him, I promise." He told the boy very solemnly.
"No." Derek said flatly, refusing to entertain the idea for a second.
"Please, Derek?" Emily asked quietly. She hated seeing the disappointment on Spencer's little face.
"Yeah, please?" J.J begged on Spencer's behalf.
Spencer gave the older boy his best pleading look. "Pretty please, Derek?"
Derek sighed in defeat. "Fine." He then stepped to Aaron's side, giving him a glare that clearly said, 'I'm watching you.'
Aaron resolved to be as gentle as possible. He knelt down in front of Spencer with a soft smile. "You ready, Spence?" He asked the little boy, watching his expression.
Spencer was clearly nervous, but trying to be brave so he could play on the monkey bars. He took a deep breath and nodded.
Aaron gently took Spencer in his arms and lifted the boy up in his strong arms. Spencer's eyes were clenched shut tightly, but they opened quickly when Aaron told him to reach out his arm to grab the first bar. "You can do it," he encouraged him.
Spencer hesitantly reached out and held the bar in his little hand. It was sweaty from his nerves, but he held on and reached out for the next one, hoping with all his heart that Aaron wouldn't let him fall. He didn't, and Spencer finished a minute later, grinning triumphantly when he heard Emily, J.J, and Rossi cheering for him. Aaron lowered Spencer down gently, and when he felt his feet hit the ground, Spencer's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Aaron!" He squealed excitedly, taking a hold of and squeezing Aaron's hand in his own little one.
Aaron smiled warmly at the little boy. "Of course, Spencer. I would never let you fall, okay?"
"Okay." Spencer smiled. He then let go of Aaron's hand and proceeded to run into Derek's arms. "Did you see me?! Did you see what I did, Derek?! I did a good job, didn't I?" He chattered happily.
"Yeah, kid. I'm really proud of you!" Derek laughed. He smiled at Aaron. "Good job." He added. And whether it was for Spencer, or Aaron, or both, Aaron appreciated it as he smiled back at him.
It was almost dinner time, so Aaron promised the kids that they could come back soon to test out the swings and the rock wall, and they headed back to the car and got in. Derek and Emily lifted Spencer and J.J into their car seats, but neither of them had quite learned how to buckle the younger kids in yet, though they could unbuckle them easily. After a minute of the older kids struggling, Rossi stepped in to buckle J.J up and Aaron stepped in to buckle Spencer.
They pulled into the nearby parking lot of Aaron's apartment building. Aaron and Rossi stepped out of the car, but let Derek and Emily undo the buckles on Spencer and J.J's car seats. They made their way inside the apartment complex and took the elevator up to Aaron's apartment.
Rossi cooked a spaghetti dinner for them all, letting Aaron know that they needed to go grocery shopping after tomorrow's interview. The kids loved dinner. They all had seconds and told Rossi that the spaghetti was great, much to David Rossi's pleasure.
Aaron set up a movie on his small television in the living room. The children decided on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which Aaron and Rossi said was a funny movie, though none of the kids had seen it before.
A couple hours, two bags of popcorn, and lots of laughs later, Aaron announced it was time for bathtime. Derek took them into the bathroom as they had done yesterday as Aaron and Rossi cleaned up the remnants of dinner in the kitchen and popcorn in the living room.
About a half hour later, the kids were all dressed in their new pajamas- Derek in some red Avengers ones, Emily in purple ones with the Powerpuff Girls on them, J.J in pink Barbie ones, and Spencer in green ones with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Aaron marveled in the fact that the kids looked less like the scared, battered children from just yesterday, and more like well-dressed and happy kids. He couldn't help smiling at the realization.
And as the kids went off to bed, he resolved to keep them safe and happy for as long as he possibly could. Tomorrow might bring hard times, but Aaron was ready and willing to take on the world for these kids.
A/N: here you go, guys! Thanks so much for reading, please review regardless of whether you enjoyed! Constructive Criticism is welcome! Also, I have read each and every review so far, and don't worry, I think your thirst for fluff will be fufilled in this and coming chapters!