A/N: So this chapter turned out to be longer than I thought. Please note, not all the chapters will be this long. I just needed to set up Jessie's life as an adult. This is a sequel to two stories, Fighter and (You want to make) a Memory. The key story is Fighter. If you haven't read that, then this story won't really make sense. But please enjoy this first chapter! A/N

Chapter One:

I had settled into life as an adult well, I thought. I was twenty-three, Momma to a beautiful one-year old girl and with the love of my life. I also was doing a job I loved. I worked as a victim support counselor, using my experience to help others in a similar situation. It was something that I loved and something that really suited me. I was able to work from home most of the time. I communicated with the women in my group online for the initial weeks of contact and then we would meet face to face. I also hosted weekly group meetings at the offices where I was based for women who had moved out of abusive relationships and were stable and comfortable enough in their new life. It also helped them to meet new people and establish friendship groups.

Being at home was a real help. Heidi was a handful and with your partner jetting off to every corner of the U.S. every couple of weeks, it was hard being on your own. But Jack and I had settled into a routine of things and were getting used to being parents and full-time workers. Mom and Dad were great. Mom was working more from home these days; things hadn't been quite right with her since the whole Replicator incident. Dad was still travelling with the BAU which made me feel better cause I knew he would be looking out for Jack. Aaron was also helpful. He was working as a consulting lawyer now, falling back on his days as a prosecutor. He worked from home too and was often round to lend a hand with Heidi.

It was a sunny Wednesday in April and it was my day in the office for my group therapy sessions. Heidi had me up at six that morning, so it was downstairs for cartoons and coffee. Jack was in Miami with the team. I settled Heidi in front of the TV and made a pot of coffee. I grabbed my phone from the side and decided to facetime Jack. With any luck he would be awake, if he wasn't, he soon would be. The phone connected and I blinked in surprise. It wasn't Jack on the end of the phone it was…

"Luke? What? Why have you got Jack's phone?" I asked

"He left it on the table. Him and Dave stepped out to get coffee for the team. We had a bit of an early call." He yawned

"What kind of early call?" I asked, making my way over to the couch.

"Body in a river at five this morning."

"That is an early start." I commented.

"Dada?" Heidi had toddled over and was looking at the screen.

"If that's your Dada we got a problem!" I said, scooping her up and putting her on my lap. "Say hi Uncle Luke!"

"Lu-Lu!" Heidi squealed trying to grab the phone.

"Lu-Lu?" Luke replied, pulling a face, "Really?"

"Hey, she's one!"

"Lu-Lu play?"

"Uncle Luke can't play, baby girl, he's working with Dada."

"Well, working's a bit of a strong word." Said JJ, coming into view on the camera.

"JJ!" squealed Heidi as she recognised another face.

"Hey sweet girl!" she smiled.

"I know I'm sweet, JJ, you don't have to tell everyone!"

"Morning Tara!" I smiled.

"Morning Jess. You phoning Jack?"

"I was but he's gone for a walk and left his phone behind."

"Who left there phone behind?"

"Pency, Pency!" Heidi called, bouncing up and down now. There was no doubt that Spencer, her godfather, my surrogate brother was Heidi's favourite member of the team other than her Dad and Grandpa.

"See, everyone else gets a normal name apart from me!" Luke protested.

I heard everyone chucked and then Jack's voice came over the speaker "What's so funny?"

"Dada!" called Heidi.

"Ah, family!" said Jack, taking the phone from Luke.

"Bye Unca Lu-Lu!" Heidi said down the phone, waving. Jack took us to another room cause everyone was laughing and teasing Luke.

"Sorry Jess. Dave and I went for coffee, it was an early start!"

"I heard. Making any progress?"

"Some. We plan to release the profile today, which should be some help. What about you? Are you in work today?"

I nodded, taking a sip from my coffee. "Going to take Heidi to Grandma's and then head to the office."

"Are you going to see Grandma today, H?" Jack asked his daughter.

Heidi nodded, "Cookies?"

Jack laughed, "Grandma may have cookies, H, but you gonna play in Grandpa Dave's garden with the swing?"

"Mudgie!" she smiled, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, I'm sure Mudgie will be there too!"

I couldn't help but laugh. For our one year old, going to Grandma's didn't mean seeing Grandma, it meant cookies and playing with Mudgie.

"What time are you taking her over?" he asked, yawning slightly. I had to laugh..

"Taking her over at ten this morning. That way I can spend some time with Mom before heading in."

"Sounds like a plan!" Jack said yawning again.

"What time did you guys go to bed last night?" I asked, smiling.

"It's not what you think…" Jack said sheepishly, "It was for the case. We believe the UnSub is targeting the student bars and so Emily had Matt, Luke and I canvas some of them. We maybe went a bit too far. I think I crashed in my hotel room at half three."

I shook my head smiling. "We'll let you get on so you can have a nap or finish the case and come home!"

Jack smiled. "I love you."

"Love you too. Heidi, come say goodbye to Dada!"

Heidi toddled over, "Buh bye Dada." She said, blowing him a kiss.

"Bye baby girl. Dada loves you."

"Buh bye Pency, buh bye Emmy, buh bye JJ, buh bye Lu-Lu, buh bye Tat, buh bye RaRa, and buh bye Gwandpa!" she rattled off, blowing a kiss after everyone.

Jack smiled, "I'll tell the team you said goodbye."

"Buh bye Dada, I wove you!" and she toddled off back to watch the cartoons.

"Bye Jack, I love you too!" I blew him a kiss down the phone, "Stay safe and come home soon!"

"I will and I'll try too!"

I hung up the phone and rubbed my face sighing. I looked down at Heidi who was giggling at the TV. She looked so much like Jack did when he was a baby but with a little bit of Italian thrown in too! I just sat and watched her for a few minutes. This last year had flown by all too quickly and I knew it was only going to get worse. She was my baby and as much as I wanted her to stay that way, I knew she wouldn't. But she would always be my baby. Shaking my head, I brought myself back to the present. I sent a photo of Heidi to Aaron saying "Good morning Grandpa! I miss you!" and one to my mom saying, "See you soon Grandma!"

"How about pancakes for breakfast, Heidi?" I asked picking her up and throwing her in the air, "Would you like pancakes for breakfast?"

I didn't get an answer because she was laughing too hard but I put her in her high chair and made pancakes anyway. We had banana as I had some that really needed using up and Heidi loved banana pancakes, just like her Dad.

After breakfast, it was time to get washed and dressed. I put Heidi in her walker in the bathroom so I could have a shower and brush my teeth. I then got Heidi dressed in a cute little summer dress and leggings combo, packing some extra outfits for her changing bag for Mom. I didn't expect to pick her up in what I had put her in. I then got dressed and dried my hair before heading back downstairs. I put Heidi on her mat and sorted out my files for work. We then played in the backyard for a bit before I started to get ready to leave. I put some lunch and an empty travel mug in my bag (I would fill it up at Mom's), along with my files, made sure that Heidi's bag was packed with everything she would need and tidied up the house. I got Heidi and our things in the car and drove off to Mom's. It was a forty odd minute drive to Mom and Dad's from ours and we listened to Disney the whole way down.

We rolled onto Mom's drive just before ten. She had obviously heard the car as she was out on the drive to meet us.

"Hey Mom!" I smiled as I got out the car.

"There's my sweet girl!" she ran over and hugged me, "How you doing?"

"I'm fine, Mom." I said shielding my eyes against the sun, "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright. Missing you of course and Dad, but the garden keeps me busy and the paperwork Emily sends over."

I chuckled, "Working from home suits you, Mom, you're looking really good!"

"Thanks Jess. Where's my granddaughter?"

I laughed, "Woah Mom, took you a whole two minutes. I think that might be a record!" I said, opening the back door and getting Heidi out.

"Gan Gan!" she said when she saw her grandma.

"Hey baby girl. You ready to have some fun?"

"Mudgie?" she asked, looking for her canine friend.

"She's been asking for him all morning." I said, looking at mom apologetically as we walked into the house.

"He's in the garden, baby." Mom said, putting her down. Heidi toddled off into the garden looking for Mudgie.

"You staying?" asked Mom, heading for the coffee pot.

"I've got time for a coffee." I smiled.

I stayed with Mom for another hour before heading off to work. I worked for an organisation called DC Safe which was based in the Capitol. It was another forty minute drive from Mom's which is why I liked stopping off there on my way in. I headed up to my office and settled down for the day. I checked my phone and I had a photo from Mom of Heidi and Mudgie curled up in the sun in the backyard. I smiled and sent it onto Jack. No doubt Mom had sent it to Dad. Their phone were full of pictures of Heidi.

I had a quiet morning. I spoke to a new woman called Cleo. We made arrangements for her to come and join a group in the next couple of weeks. I then checked in on some of the women I was helping in halfway houses, making sure they were settled. Some of them had children so I was working with some family therapists to make sure the kids were coming out of these relationships ok. I then looked at the clock and realised it was one in the afternoon. I left to go and have lunch in one of the parks. I phone Mom and Jack, making sure Mom was coping and that Jack was still awake. Then it was time to head back to work.

I held my groups in the afternoon. This allowed the women I helped time to sort out their mornings, establish a routine for the day and not feel pressured to come in straight away. The women I was helping today were Amelia Torres, Jodie Green, Samantha Wickers, Giovanna Gardener, Deborah Lackberg and Joanna Marina. I loved all of them. They were all so strong and full of courage. I loved hearing about their hopes and dreams and plans that they had now that they were free. They had come from all over the country and had different backgrounds and stories.

Joanna was the first here. She had an eleven-year-old daughter called Tamara and a son called George. She was about thirty-five and had left an abusive partner. She was from Oregon originally but was now working as an elementary school teacher in the capitol. Jodie and Amelia arrived next. They were a similar age to me and were from Baltimore. Both had wanted to stay close enough to their parents but needed new lives away from partners who had tried to kill them. Sam, Giovanna and Deborah were the last to arrive. Like Joanna, they had children of varying ages. Sam and Deb had been married but Giovanna had been in a long-term relationship.

We sat down in a circle and spent a couple of minutes talking about our children for those of us who had children and just general gossip.

"Um… I got some good news this week!" Jodie said with a smile on her face.

"Want to share, Jodie?" I asked.

She nodded, beaming from ear to ear. "I got accepted to Georgetown to study Law!"

"That's fantastic news Jodie! Well done!" I knew how hard Jodie had been working on her academic life and how much she wanted to succeed in life. "I know an old prosecutor, he's actually my partner's Dad. He might be able to get you in touch with some people, give you some books, that kind of thing?"

Jodie smiled, "Thanks Jess. That would mean a lot!"

I smiled back, then looked at the group as a whole, "Anyone else got anything they want to share?"

"My youngest turned sixteen the other day and I made a cake!" Samantha said, "I've never baked in my life. My ex would splurge on expensive, shop-bought professional cakes. He said I was…" she coughed, "he said I was never good enough to make a cake, that because I worked, I wasn't a real Mom." She sighed, "I asked Billie what kind of cake she wanted, and she asked if I would make it. I can't tell you how happy that made me feel." Her face broke into a wide smile.

I reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm proud of you!" I told her, "The one thing to remember is that we shouldn't be defined by who we were. We have the chance to be someone better than who these men made us into. Whether that means starting higher education…" I smiled at Jodie, "…making a cake for your daughter…" I smiled at Giovanna, "… or using your personal experience to help others like you."

"I actually went to the store to do my grocery shopping." Said Deb. She was the quietest of my group, still very insecure, still very affected by her experiences. She was the newest to the city, having recently left Nashville, Tennessee. "I, um, used to do it all online, or send my eldest, Katie. But, um, it was just me in the house and we needed some things, so I had to do it. I had to go."

"How did you find it?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Real good." She replied, "I walked there and back. It was nice being out in the fresh air for a bit as well."

"Do you think you'll do it again?" I asked.

She nodded, "For sure." And she smiled.

We chatted for the remainder of the hour. There were a couple of concerns that we got smoothed over and we ended with a dance it out session. It's not normal therapy practice I know, but when I was a kid, I would dance it out in my bedroom and everything would seem so much better. This week Amelia chose the song and it was "Heroes" by David Bowie. I smiled the whole way through as it reminded me of weekends I would spend with Penelope if both my parents were working. She was obsessed with the song.

I then said goodbye to the group, finished up some paperwork in the office and checked the time. It was four in the afternoon. I had time to run to the store on the way to Mom and Dad's. I checked my phone. There was a text from Jack.

Heading home. Case closed. Dave has invited me and you and H for dinner. I said it was okay. I'll see you later.

I smiled. Looks like we were having dinner with Mom and Dad.

An hour later, I rolled into the drive at Dad's house. A black SUV was already in the driveway which meant Jack and Dad were home. I switched off the engine and went into the house. The house was silent so I figured everyone was in the garden and I was right. Mom was sat on the patio and Jack and Dad were chasing Heidi round the garden with Mudgie barking like a crazy dog! I stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, watching as Dad scooped up Heidi and chucked her up in the air, catching her again and blowing raspberries on her tummy. From the grin on her face, she was having a ball. Jack took her off Dad and put her on his shoulders and ran round the garden as Dad caught his breath. He turned to look at Mom but saw me in the kitchen.

"Bambina!" he said with his arms open.

"Hey Dad!" I smiled going over to him. "How was the case?"

"Eh. You think you get used to what humanity is capable of but you never do."

"That bad?" I asked

He shrugged, "That is neither here nor there. How was work?"

I smiled "Really good. Some of my ladies are making real progress. I need to phone Aaron later and have a chat with him."

"I see how it is…" Dad said, pretending to be upset.

I laughed, "Sorry Dad, but Aaron has a specific skill set I need. When one of my ladies wants to write true crime novels or join the FBI, I'll send them to you!"

Dad laughed and led me into the garden. I gave Jack a kiss and a hug and then Heidi toddled over and said, "Mommy, mommy!"

"Hey baby girl!" I said, picking her up and kissing her on the cheek. "Have you been a good girl for Grandma?"

"She's been an angel!" Mom smiled, "Just like her Momma was when she was a baby!"

"Meaning she'll be a little horror tonight when its just Dada and Mommy!" Jack laughed.

"Mudgie, mudgie!" Heidi squirmed, trying to get out of my arms.

"Don't you think you've wound that dog up enough today?" I asked her, tickling her so that she giggled. She then wrapped her arms round my neck and held me tight.

Jack placed his arm round my waist and gave me a kiss.

"Oh, Luke said you need to teach Heidi how to say Luke. He said he could manage being called newbie by Penelope, but Lu-Lu is the last straw."

"Noo-be!" said Heidi, "Unca Lu noo-be!"

I had to laugh, that was going to stick. We had carbonara a la Rossi for dinner and then it was time to head home. I was tired, Jack was dead on his feet and Heidi needed bath, milk and bed. We waved goodbye to Mom and Dad and headed home. Jack ran the bath while I chased Heidi round the house, trying to undress her. We bathed her together and she sat in my lap while Jack read her a bedtime story. He then took her to bed while I attempted to tidy up downstairs. I was just putting Heidi's things back in the toy box when Jack came up behind me.

"Bed, Miss Rossi. You've had a long day."

"So have you." I replied

"I know. C'mon. We'll send Heidi to Dad's in the morning and have a proper tidy up while she's gone."

I gave him a look that told him I knew he had other things planned. But I was too tired to protest. I followed him up and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

Yep.

Being an adult was pretty good.

Little did I know that this was all about to change.