I'm back! Sorry it's been so long but work has been crazy this year. I really, really need to win the lotto or a long lost rich relative needs to find me and set up a trust fund for me. :o)

Working on #69 and #70 in the other series as I finish edits on this one. Should at least get y'all through Christmas with stories. I hope.

Enjoy!
AR

JJ can't even speak. Roz chuckles and shakes her head

"You always were such a conversationalist, Jenny."

The older blonde reaches down. JJ lifts a shaking hand and takes the burn- scarred hand. Roz pulls her up and into a hug. JJ clings to her, not even able to cry she is so deeply in shock. After a few minutes JJ eases back and stares into blue eyes she never expected to see again.

"How?"

Roz strokes a hand over JJ's cheek. "I had been on outer border patrol so I was wearing body armor. Bullets that hit me still hurt like hell, though. I saw you, Jenny. I saw your face and…and I swear I tried to let you know I was okay but I just couldn't breathe or move or…I am so sorry." She takes a deep breath and continues. "A couple guys saw me go down and knew I'd be helpless. They dragged me into a nearby house and promised to come get me. Last one out looked back and smiled at me, saying 'See you in a bit, Jareau.' I guess…that's all the assassins heard."

"They thought you were me."

Roz nods. "Yeah, they did."

"And you never said a word, did you? You never told them the truth."

"You're my baby sister, Jenny. Fuck no I didn't tell them the truth. Two assassins died in that house. One was a blonde." Roz takes a deep breath. "I had already joined the resistance. I had seen what Father was doing to this town and I wanted to help stop him. One of the assassins was getting ready to slit my throat and said that now Zeke won't have to worry about his dyke daughter. That's when I punched him in the throat. No one calls my sister a dyke."

JJ manages a grin. "Always standing up for me."

Roz nods. "Always. Anyway, while he was trying to recover I pulled a knife and killed the woman, who was stunned. They assumed I was near death. I killed him while he was still trying to catch his breath. But then I knew I had to make it look like I was dead. Otherwise Father would have more sent after you and he would do something to make sure they succeeded." She looks away. "I disfigured her and…and put my necklace on her. Then I used the stuff they had brought with them to torch the place. I knew the body would be unidentifiable."

"Except for your necklace," JJ concludes. Roz nods. JJ pulls her into another hug. "Thank you. God, Roz, that's not enough I know but thank you. And thank you for being alive. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Jenny." She looks beyond JJ to Emily, who seems wary of this turn of events. "And you must be the infamous Emily Prentiss: bane of my father's existence and one of the two greatest lights in Jenny's eyes."

JJ turns and extends a hand to Emily. Emily takes it and steps closer. "Emily, this is Roz." JJ groans and rolls her eyes. "Gee, that was dumb. You probably already figured that out."

Emily lifts a brow. "I'd suspected."

JJ smiles and turns back to Roz. "Roz, Emily is my fiancé. She is fully in support of the resistance and she has given me a third light in my eye. She has a son and I love him as much as I love Henry."

Roz smiles and it seems to actually touch her eyes for the first time. "Henry. God, I missed that little mud puddle with feet." She looks at Emily. "I guess your son is a dirt monster, too?"

Emily finally grins. A little. "He's learning to be. He was sheltered before he came into my life. Henry is teaching Declan how to be a kid."

"Good." Her face hardens. "Kids deserve to have a childhood full of fun, laughter and mud puddles. My goal is to give that back to our home, regardless of what Father and Mother want."

JJ stiffens. "Oh, God…you don't know…"

Roz frowns. "Don't know what? Did he kill her? Did he fucking kill our mother?"

"Roz, she's here," JJ replies.

Roz looks stunned. Obviously no one had mentioned that to the rogue leader. Emily places a hand on JJ's shoulder.

"She's helping with the injured," the brunette reports.

"She saved our lives. She knew Father was sending people after Reid. Knowing he was attacking Reid she knew it would only be a matter of time before he came for the rest of us. She risked her life to get us that information and then she helped Garcia get the kids to safety. She can't go back to him. Ever."

Roz seems shocked. "Wow. I never thought she'd grow a pair and leave the fucking bastard."

Despite her initial wariness, Emily is starting to believe she could really like this Roz Jareau. Emily takes a deep breath.

"Um, speaking of your father…"

"ROZ! OH MY GOD IT'S TRUE!" a woman screeches.

The three women look down at the base of the hill and see Morgan and Jordan Todd holding Sandy Jareau, whose legs have given way. Roz steps around JJ and Emily and starts down the hill. She pauses just before reaching her mother.

"Did you know about him wanting to kill Jenny?"

Sandy shakes her head. "I'd…suspected. But wasn't sure until last night." She lifts a hand that shakes as much as JJ's had. "Oh, sweet girl, is it really you?"

Roz jumps off the rest of the rise and lands at her mother's feet. She takes the hand in her own.

"Yes, Mom, it's me," she says softly.

Sandy let's out an inhuman wail and pulls her daughter close. The two women cry on each other's shoulders. Emily sees JJ has been brought to tears, too, and pulls her into a hug.

"You three have a lot to talk about," Emily whispers. "Go to them. I'll go check on the boys, okay?"

JJ nods and Emily walks her down to the other 2 Jareau women. Emily leaves them in a group hug. She can tell them about Zeke later. She looks over and sees Morgan holding hands with Jordan. She lifts an eyebrow. Morgan blushes and shrugs. Emily chuckles and looks at Jordan.

"If he gives you any problem, let me know and I'll set him straight."

Jordan grins and nods. "Will do."

"And know if you hurt him I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and gut you before you even know I am there."

Jordan actually chuckles at that. "Noted."

Emily nods and goes off to find her children.

"But, Aunt Penny, why we gotta study if'n we don't have school?" Henry asks.

"Because eventually you will have school again and you don't want to be far behind your schoolmates."

"But if'n they don't gots school they will be behind a'cause me and Declan will be ahead," he points out with logic beyond his years.

Garcia starts to laugh. "You, little one, are nothing but trouble. Sit down and work on your reading while Declan works on his numbers."

Henry lets out a heavy, heartfelt sigh. "Oh, okay, Aunt Penny. But if'n my friends get mad I'm telling them you made me study."

She ruffles his hair. "I'll risk it, Henry."

He sits down and starts to work on filling in the blanks on a worksheet. Declan is working on his adding and subtracting. Garcia rubs her stomach, thinking that, yeah, she could handle having 4 or 5 kids. She's got this parenting thing down pat.

"Hey, kid."

And just like that Garcia's control is gone as Declan and Henry leap up and race towards Emily. The tall woman drops to her knees and opens her arms.

"MAMA!" both boys yell.

Emily pulls them into firm hugs, ignoring the pain it causes her injuries. She kisses both of them on the head and for the moment thinks she may never let them go.

"I love you two boys so much," she chokes out.

"Love you, too, Mama," Declan says.

"Yeah, love you, Mama," Henry agrees.

After a second Emily eases back and smiles at both boys, running her hands through two sets of blonde locks.

"Mama?" she questions.

Declan nods. "We figured you can be Mama and Mommy can be Mommy. Is that okay?" he asks nervously.

Emily smiles and kisses both boys on the cheeks. "I think it's perfect, kid." She looks at the blanket they had been sitting on. "So are you doing your homework?"

"Yes, Mama," Declan answers.

"But we can quit if you want us to. I mean, if you need us or something," Henry offers.

Emily chuckles and looks up to see Garcia rolling her eyes. She looks back at Henry. "How about you guys keep working a little while. I need to clean up a bit and maybe get a bite to eat. Then maybe later we can read or something if I don't have to work."

The boys agree and go back to their studies. Emily watches them a moment then stands and approaches Garcia. The spritely blonde gives her an enthusiastic hug.

"So glad you're okay, Em!"

Emily nods. "Mostly. But you're squeezing my stitches," she grunts out.

Garcia quickly releases her. "Oh! Oops. Sorry. Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, did you all get clothes for me? I'm not sure where my bag got to with all this confusion."

"We brought some for you but your bag was also delivered to me."

"Good. Good. Um, did Jennifer…uh, grab…how much…never mind."

Garcia places a hand on Emily's arm as the brunette looks down, tears in her eyes. "Hold on a second, honey." Garcia goes over to JJ's backpack and digs into it. "All she would tell me is she had to make sure nothing happened to this."

Emily's tears finally break free as she sees her Rose's tin. She takes it and walks into the little tent that would be home for the family for the foreseeable future. She squats down and slowly opens the box up. She runs her hands over the trinkets inside. She lifts up the picture of her parents, trying to remember more about them. She traces her finger over her mother's face, ignoring the blood caked around her nails.

"I remember more and more about you every day, Mother. You wanted me to live in a world of peace once more. I'm trying, Mother. I swear I am trying to make that happen for your grandsons." She kisses the photo. "I love you."

She slips it back into the box and lifts the vial containing the dark lock of hair. "I love you, too, son. Declan and Henry don't change my love for you. I swear. I will always love you, Evan."

She kisses the vial and places it back in again. She sits for a moment, holding the box to her chest. This was her past. The past is what our lives are built on. Outside the tent are her present and her future. The past has made her strong. The present has given her a reason to live. And her future gives her a reason to fight. She grabs her backpack and walks out of the tent. She gives the box back to Garcia.

"Protect it for me? Please? There was a time I thought only 'now' matters. This box and those boys reminded me I was wrong."

Garcia smiles and nods. "Of course, Emster. Go clean up at the river. You can follow the smell of soup cooking to a semi-decent meal. Then get back here and I'll check your wounds for you."

Emily nods. "Okay. Thanks."

Emily walks off, her mind turning from her past to what has to be done to protect her fiancé, her children and their family.

Two hours after Emily had wandered off, JJ walks into the little area designated for her family. She sees the boys are napping and Garcia is knitting.

"Jayje? You okay?"

JJ kneels down beside her best friend. "Did Emily tell you?"

"That she got hurt?"

JJ shakes her head and smiles. "No. I mean, yes, she did but that's not what…Pen, Roz is alive."

The knitting falls from Garcia's hand. JJ tells her best friend what her sister had done. When the story ends, Garcia pulls JJ into a hug.

"I soooo have to do something awesome for her! I'm not sure what but I'm going to," Garcia vows.

JJ chuckles. "Good idea." JJ takes a deep breath. "I feel like…like…like my life is spinning out of control, Pen. My partner murdered, my best friend nearly murdered, my sister alive because assassins my father hired failed. It's like I don't know who or what I am anymore."

Garcia places her hands on JJ's shoulders. "You are Jennifer Jareau, mother of Henry and Declan, fiancé of Emily Prentiss, godmother-to-be of my little nugget, and a fierce defender of justice. Get a bite to eat, spend a little time with your kids, and maybe find a way to shag your hot fiancé." JJ chuckles and rolls her eyes. "Then get with Roz and the other resistance leaders and figure out a way to get our home back. Or to at least, you know, secure the electric plant."

JJ suddenly realizes she is being an ass. "Oh, Pen…I didn't…I'm having a pity party and Reid is- -"

"He's fine until I hear otherwise. And even then he is fine until I have proof otherwise. We'll hold the plant and from there take back the town. I have to believe that." She takes a deep breath. "I have to."

JJ nods. "We'll do it, Pen. I know we will."

JJ walks over and kisses both boys on the head then goes off to clean up and track down her fiancé. "Fiancé nothing," JJ mumbles to herself. "Time to find a priest or something and get married. We aren't going into the next battle unmarried if I can help it."