Disclaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: This is sort of my let's-give-JJ-a-break chapter.

…

Welcome to East Allegheny, JJ thought as she saw the woods up ahead.

The woods.

She really hated them.

The secrets they hid.

No.

More like the bodies they hid.

Her sister's body.

JJ shuddered and sped through the trees.

…

"Hey."

JJ turned around to see her brother approaching.

"Hey," she replied, shivering slightly. Evening had come, and she hadn't thought to bring a jacket when she left for her run.

Robert Jareau took his suit jacket off and wrapped it around his baby sister.

"Did my team call you or did someone in town alert you to my presence?"

"Both," he answered sitting next to her. "Your team's worried about you."

"Did they say why?" JJ asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "No."

He thought he saw a flicker of relief in her eyes, so he asked, "You ok?"

"No," JJ said simply but didn't elaborate.

Robbie wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "Want to talk about it?"

She rested her head on his shoulder. "No."

"Jenny," Robbie pleaded. "Talk to me."

JJ knew she was crumbling on the inside, knew she needed to let out the poison circling in her veins, knew that she really didn't want to shoulder all the stress alone. But she couldn't bear to tell Robbie because she knew he'd feel it too: the crumbling, the poison, the stress. And she couldn't bring herself to do that to him, especially after Downes mentioned Robbie's daughter.

"I can't. Ongoing investigation and whatnot. You know how it goes."

"Does it have anything to do with Annie? I mean it doesn't take a profiler to notice that you came to her grave."

JJ didn't answer the question and instead opted to stare more intently at their sister's gravestone.

"Jen, does it? Cause if does then, we deserve to know."

"Robbie, please."

And then because she looked just a little too sad and lost, he said jokingly, "I'll tickle the truth out of you, Jenny. Don't think I won't." To reinforce his words, his hands started to lower towards her abdomen.

She quickly jerked away from him, memories of her "evil" older siblings tickling her child-self flooding her brain.

"Not if I can outrun you," she said backing away from him.

"Oh, baby J, don't you remember?" He began walking towards her, hands innocently clasped behind his back. "You can't outrun the tickle monster. He still has longer legs than you."

They grinned at each other.

Then simultaneously, they began to run.

…

They ended up at their childhood home where their parents still lived.

Robbie playfully tackled JJ on the front lawn, careful not to hurt her. She squirmed in his arms, and he complained, "Baby J, if you keep struggling, how am I supposed to tickle you?"

"You don't," JJ gasped. She managed to continue her squirming despite being tired from the run.

"Doesn't mean I can't." Neither Robbie nor JJ had noticed their father approach.

"No, Daddy, no!" JJ shrieked as their father's fingers began tickling her sides.

Robbie laughed triumphantly, and their father cooed, "Aww, who's still my ticklish little baby?"

They were interrupted by a voice in the doorway. "What on Earth is this ruckus?"

The trio stopped and looked towards the house.

"Mommy," JJ whined. "Daddy's tickling me."

"No, I'm not," JJ's father protested. "Look, my hands aren't moving."

JJ's mother rolled her eyes at their antics. "I don't care what you aren't or weren't doing. Just go get cleaned up and help me set the table for dinner."

…

Laughter rang out around the dinner table.

Blushing, JJ tried to defend herself. "I was four! How was I supposed to know you were joking?"

"That much sugar to cure the hiccups? Really?" Robbie tried to reason.

"I was four!" JJ reiterated.

Still chuckling, their father said, "We laugh about it now, but at the time, you were a nightmare."

Their mother shook her head at the memory of it. "You bouncing off the walls, the kitchen a mess…"

"You better hope Henry never tries it," Robbie laughed.

JJ eyed Robbie suspiciously. "And how would Henry ever get such an idea?"

"I have no idea," Robbie said innocently. "That's a good question."

JJ rolled her eyes at him and snuck a glance at the kitchen clock. Robbie had assured her that she needn't worry about getting back to her team for the rest of the day, but she still felt weird about having a family dinner in the middle of a case. She turned her attention back to the conversation flowing around her.

"Tame? The house was practically destroyed, not unlike the time Robbie and Annie…" their mother trailed off. Annie tended to be a sore subject when talking with Jenny, and JJ's mother could certainly understand why. She and her husband didn't deal with Annie's death very well, and their baby often got the worst of it.

Remembering what she said to Hotch – "…one day,you'll remember her, and it won't hurt.You'll be happy." – JJ smiled reassuringly and asked, "Are you talking about the time Robbie and Annie decided to play softball inthe house or …"

…

"Well, I should head out now if I want to tuck the kids in for the night," Robbie said, standing up from the couch he had been lounging on.

The family had been sitting around the living room, continuing to reminisce about old times.

JJ stood up as well. "Can you drop me off in Valencia? It only took me a few hours to run here, so the drive shouldn't be –"

JJ's father cut her off, "You're staying in your old room tonight, kiddo."

"What?"

"I prepared it before you came to the house," JJ's mother explained.

"I'll drive you there tomorrow morning before I head to work," Robbie added.

JJ looked at her family in confusion

"I'll walk you to your car," JJ said as Robbie exchanged "good night"s with their father and hugged their mother good-bye.

"This was nice," Robbie said once the two of them were outside. "I've missed having time with just us, no in-laws, no kids."

"Yeah, it was." JJ smiled, but then her smile faded and she asked, "So what's going on?"

"Hmm?"

"I feel like everyone but me knows what's going on."

"Your team, Mom, and Dad all called me when I was at work – your team to inquire if I knew where you were, and Mom and Dad to ask if I knew why you were here. I told Mom and Dad to leave you alone, and I told your team that you would go back to them tomorrow. Your Agent Hotchner readily agreed that it was a good idea."

"He's not my Agent Hotchner."

"Whatever," Robbie said. "So I told you what happened on my end. Care to share what's going on with you?"

"Robbie, please, let it drop."

"I just don't like it when my baby sister shows up in town with the pout of an abused puppy and then won't talk to me about it. You know I'll ask around the DA's office if you don't tell me. I'm sure someone I know has connections in Valencia."

"No," JJ said firmly. "If you're going to hear about it from anyone, it'll be me. It's just not the right time, Robbie."

Robbie's blue eyes met JJ's, and he decided to take her resolve as a good sign.

"Ok," Robbie conceded and stepped closer to pull her into a hug. "I'll pick you up in the morning."

…

JJ whimpered in her sleep.

"Really, Jenny?" Annie mocked her. She eyed her little sister and toyed with the knife in her hands. "You could have saved me, and then none of this would've happened. This was all your fault."

JJ's eyes were locked on the knife.

"Maybe I should have killed you." Annie pulled the knife across one of her wrists. "Then you would know what it feels like."

JJ whimpered again.

JJ's mother entered the room and took JJ in her arms.

"I got you, baby," their mother whispered soothingly. "You're ok."

"Of course," Annie sneered. "Mommy to the rescue. Mommy's always there for the adorable little baby."

Bolstered by their mother's presence, JJ stuck her tongue out at Annie.

"I am adorable," JJ muttered in her sleep.

JJ's mother smiled to herself and pulled JJ even closer to her. "Yes, you are, baby. Yes, you are."

…

A/N: In my head, Robbie is an ADA, having started off in the military, then JAG before switching to civilian law. He's also about ten years older than JJ.