Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.

A/N: This is a last minute two part Christmas story written by KDZL and myself. This is the prequel to another multi-chapter fic we're starting together centered around JJ/Morgan and we're still debating on adding another ship to the multi chapter one. We were thinking of Emily/Rossi, but if any of you have a couple you'd like to see let us know in a review and we'll consider that one as well. :) Merry Christmas and thanks for reading! please let us know what you think of this!

Part One

"Now, baby boy, when are you going to get me some grand-babies?" Fran Morgan asked her son as they all crowded around the kitchen table for lunch.

Derek groaned loudly "Come on, Mama--I just haven't found the right girl yet." As much as he hated this inevitable conversation with his mother, he was more than happy that his mother and sisters could come to DC for Christmas this year.

"Well, are there any girls that you like?" His mother asked, prying. Derek pondered the question, a petite media liaison immediately coming to his mind. Instead, he decided to deflect, as JJ had never shown any real interest in him anyway.

"No girls worth mentioning. But, you should be bugging Sarah about grandkids--she's older than I am." Derek said with a twinkle in his eye.

"And she's actually dating someone." Desiree teased her brother. "Now hand over those mashed potatoes, little brother."

"Yea, and that's why she can't even get off the phone long enough to have lunch with her family on Christmas Eve." Derek quipped. Sarah hadn't put down her blackberry since she'd arrived except to sleep and shower. "What's this guy's name anyways?"

"Derek" Fran sighed, "I've told you his name is Robert at least five times today. What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing mama, promise. Can we just talk about something else?" he asked politely as he passed the potatoes to a waiting Desiree.

"Sure little brother" Sarah answered as she finally slipped into her seat around Derek's small table, "Like why don't we talk about Peter. Desiree you know Peter don't you..."

"Peter? Who's this Peter? Desiree what aren't you telling your baby brother?" Derek questioned quickly. Alarm bells always went off for him when Desiree started seeing anyone, each and every boyfriend she'd had since high school had been one loser after another. Why do women always think they can change the bad boy?

"Sarah! I can't believe you!" Desiree yelled, but was cut off by her mother. "Desiree, honey, don't yell at the table. Besides it's not like I didn't already know."

"You knew?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course I knew. Did you actually think you could hide this from me baby girl?" Fran asked as she casually spread some butter on her roll.

"Excuse me!" Derek said butting in, "I think someone needs to fill me in on who this Peter is."

"He's just a guy Desiree is dating, Derek. He's a teacher with her down at the elementary school." Fran answered for her daughter, and was about to speak again when a knock was heard at the door. "Now who could that be?"

"I don't know Mama." Derek answered as he rose swiftly to answer the door, his mother and sisters protectively behind him--they remembered all too well a similar time when their family time had been intruded on.

"JJ?" He asked surprised at seeing the blonde woman holding a wailing baby in front of his door. She looked up quickly as though she hadn't heard him come to the door. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, he had seen the look that she held once before--but it was when she had almost been ravished by dogs. Though her eyes were dry, he could tell by her puffy cheeks that she had been crying. His mother and sisters, seeing that Derek was in no imminent danger, walked slowly back into Derek's apartment and settled into the living room.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here." JJ quickly said as she jostled Henry lightly in an attempt to comfort him, as she began to move away from his apartment.

"JJ, wait!" Morgan commanded perplexed. "Why don't you come in?"

"I'll just go. You're family's here." She rationalized.

"You are family too." Morgan said quietly. "Now come on and Henry's Uncle Mo-Mo will find out what's wrong."

"I don't want to intrude. We won't stay very long." JJ said softly as she almost ran in the front door. Something had scared her, immensely, and he was just about to ask what it was when Henry launched himself out of her arms and into his. "Mo-Mo!" the little boy wailed.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" Derek asked as he soothingly rubbed Henry back.

"Da-Da owie!" Henry cried again.

"JJ, what is he talking about? Is everything okay?" Derek added as she took her scarf off and it was then that he noticed the hand shaped bruises around her neck.

"JJ did Will do this to you?" Derek asked angrily as he grabbed her hand to pull her closer so he could see her neck, but stopped when she winced. "What's wrong with you wrist?"

"Nothing" she said, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

"Damn it JJ! Let me see your wrist." He yelled and immediately regretted it when Henry cried louder and she tried to pull away from him. Trying to relax his voice he tried again, "JJ, baby girl, I need to see your wrist. I need to check if it's broken."

"Okay" she whispered as she shrugged off her coat and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal an already purplish bruise along her left wrist.

Trying his best to be gentle, but not really succeeding, he pushed down a little on the area of her tiny wrist that would allow him to tell if it was broken. When she hissed and bit her lip he pulled his hand back, "I don't think it's broken baby girl, but can my mom look at it? She's a nurse, she'll be able to tell better than I can."

Before JJ could answer, Fran came into the room. "Did you just ask for me?" Seeing her son and a blonde woman that she faintly remembered holding her wrist gingerly, Fran immediately switched into nurse mode. "Let me see that." She moved around the couch to where they were still standing in the entryway and ushered the young woman to the black leather sofa.

"Derek, give that beautiful baby boy to one of your sisters and get me your first aid kit." Fran instructed in a firm voice.

"Honey, it doesn't look broken but I can't tell without an X-ray. It can wait until after the holidays, but not any longer--do I make myself clear?" Fran leveled a look at JJ that left little to debate.

"Yes ma'am." JJ replied, not able to meet the caring eyes of Fran Morgan.

Derek quickly returned with the first aid kit, and his mother began immobilizing JJ's small wrist.

"Ok, girl. Now what happened?" Derek asked kindly.

"I don't know." JJ sighed, her voice slightly cracking. "I mean, sometimes he get's on edge, but normally....normally it's not like this. I never thought he would..." She left her statement hanging, lost in her own thoughts.

"So Will did this?" Derek asked coldly. "Did he hit Henry?"

Fran may not have known the name of the man, but it didn't take a profiler to discover what had happened. Seeing the young mother shake her head, both Morgans blew out a sigh of relief.

"Honey, are you hurt anywhere else?" Fran asked delicately.

JJ paused before answering. It wouldn't do any good for her to lie about her injuries, but she hated admitting her own weaknesses. "Erm...yeah." She said, blushing slightly. That was all the confirmation Fran needed.

"Derek, get out." she said plainly in her no nonsense tone, and waited until she heard his shoes on the tile kitchen floor before she continued, "Okay baby, where are you hurt?"

"I think I may have a cracked rib." JJ admitted. Fran instructed her to lift her shirt, revealing large red patches that were quickly turning purple located just underneath her bra all the way to her belly button.

"Oh, my!" Fran gasped. "Well, there's not much we can do for a cracked rib, but you are breathing ok?" JJ nodded, fighting the lump in her throat at the caring nature of this woman.

"Now, honey. Tell me exactly what happened while my baby boy is far enough away not to hear and go kill the man that did this to you." Fran leveled the tone that told JJ not to argue.

She cringed as the door to their apartment slammed, alerting her to his presence. It was never a good sign when the door slammed, it meant he had likely been drinking. She heard the TV blare, and Henry begin to cry at being woken up by such loud noises.

"Shut up!" Will screamed at the little boy who before Will's arrival had been sleeping peacefully in his room.

"Don't raise your voice at him. He is just tired." JJ warned, coming out of their small kitchen to soothe her son.

"Don't tell me what to do, woman!" Will yelled indignantly as he stopped her. She attempted to maneuver around him, but he grabbed her wrist forcefully and threw her to the ground.

"What are you doing?" JJ asked shocked as she stood and held her wrist gingerly.

"You and that baby ruined my life!" Will said angrily. "You're a lousy mother, and I'm glad I never married you because you would have been a lousy wife."

"Oh! So that's why you sleep around with any woman you meet!" JJ spat out. She had known that Will was 'Stepping Out' of their relationship since Henry was born. A year and a half she had spent with this man and his constant belittling her. Everything from her job to her family wasn't good enough in his eyes.

"Well maybe if you weren't so fat, or if you were ever around, then I wouldn't have to satisfy myself with other women. Plus, it's not like you're even good in bed." Will called.

"So tell me again why we couldn't go to Christmas at my family's. OH! That's right, because you said we could have a quiet weekend alone. And let me tell you, you're not that good in bed either." JJ retorted, immediately regretting it as she saw him come at her. The punch was almost in slow motion, but she couldn't move fast enough--his fist connecting with her stomach and abdomen like a punching bag. She fell backwards, shocked at the violent display.

"You jerk!" JJ cried. "We are over! You are never going to see your son again!"

"No! You will not take my boy away from me." Will practically screamed as he barreled towards her. She didn't have time to react, and found his hands against her neck, squashing her air supply. She sat dazed for a moment, vaguely hearing Henry still screaming in the backdrop. Finally snapping out of her stupor, her years as a soccer player payed off as she kneed Will in the groin with impressive force. Effectively immobilizing him, she ran to Henry's room and grabbed the bawling boy. Thinking quickly, she only grabbed his coat and warm clothes, nabbing her own before running out the door.

"I drove around for maybe two hours after that. I thought about driving to my parents in Pennsylvania, but I didn't want them to see me covered in bruises. I just started driving after a while, if I felt like going down a certain street I did, and some how I ended up here." JJ admitted as she finished her story. This woman made her feel like she was almost talking to her own mother. "Oh no!" she gasped as a new realization hit her.

"What is it baby girl?" Fran asked softly as she helped JJ sit down on the comfortable sofa without hurting her rib. "Tell Mama Morgan what is it."

"It's just...I left all of Henry's presents from Santa at my apartment. What am I going to do in the morning? He's going to think Santa's mad at him for something that isn't his fault." JJ sobbed with a fresh bought of tears falling down her cheeks. "But I can't go back there. Not until I know Will's gone, and I don't want Derek going over there either."

"Wait right here, I'll be right back." Fran said thoughtfully, and quickly left the room and made her way into the kitchen to find Sarah and Desiree grilling their brother about what was going on. "Stop it! Don't yell around the baby." Fran said angrily, but not loud enough for JJ to hear in the other room.

"Sorry Mama." Desiree said sheepishly, "But Henry fell asleep as soon as Derek took him from me."

"Did he now?" Fran asked and looked to her son for confirmation. When he showed her the now coat free toddler sleeping is his arms she had to smile. "Well will you look at that. Listen baby boy do you think Henry will be okay if we watch him for a few hours while you and your friend run an errand?"

"Mama are you telling me that I need to take JJ to the ER?" Derek asked seriously, his anger boiling again.

"No baby. She needs to go out and get Henry some gifts from Santa because she left all his other ones at home. So either you're going with her or I am. That girl doesn't need to go out alone tonight, especially with her injuries."

"I'll take her Mama." Morgan said, his jaw tightening--How could a man do this to a woman and baby?

"You be good to that girl, she's been through a lot." Fran instructed as Morgan grabbed his coat.

*******

Christmas Eve at Wal-mart was a disaster zone. JJ half-heartily walked up and down the aisles, pointing at various toys that remained on the sparse shelves. They had spent a good part of the evening in silence, Morgan knowing that JJ needed to sort out a lot of the events from earlier by herself.

Once their cart was mostly full, they attempted to avoid the stampede but ended up waiting in a long line for check stand seven.

"Thanks for doing this, Morgan." JJ said softly finally breaking the silence that had befallen the pair.

"Anytime, JJ." Morgan assured as he started placing the toys on the register for the young cashier to ring up.