A/N: Fastest update for me yet! Ok so I battled with myself for days trying to figure out what I should do with this chapter. You; my reader, will either hate my guts for it, or love me unconditionally, either way I think it will get you to come back.
So italics is inside Jess's head, same as with when Jess and JJ were linked, and normal writing is what's happening outside of her head.
I am so not sorry for the amount of hate I'm about to get from some of you for this chapter.
Without further ado I give you Wake Up Wake Up!
Jess
Chapter 7: Wake Up Wake Up
There was an aggravating beeping sound right in my ear.
"I found you. Come on Jess, it's me." That voice was familiar, female, bell like.
Where was that beeping coming from? Someone should shut it off, I was trying to sleep.
"JJ this isn't working she is bleeding way too badly." Another familiar voice, but male and urgent.
I was in so much pain, all over my body, but especially my head. Why was my head pounding? Oh yeah, the beeping.
"I know Hotch, I'm doing what she told me too, but she's too out of it." The female voice responded.
"Lauren, why isn't she waking up?" The same female voice?
"We need to get her down and stop the bleeding." The male voice said, bleeding? Oh did he mean my leg?
"Her body is overcompensating, there was a lot of obsidian in her system. There is still a lot." Lauren replied.
A face appeared in front of mine and hands captured my cheeks, forcing me to look at the person in front of me. A face framed by blonde hair and accentuated by bright blue eyes.
"So how long?" The female voice asked.
"Jess, come on it's me. We found you, I found you." The woman said to me meeting my eyes. Panic rose in my chest and I struggled to get away from the woman.
"I'm not sure, but I'm hoping not long now. The injury to her brain should be mostly healed, meaning the only thing keeping her down now is her psyche. I'm not a psychologist, but she is probably trying to make sense of all that has happened." I heard Lauren reply. All that happened? What?
"What's going on Jayje?" Someone asked, someone new, female. The first woman backed off quickly.
"Oh ok." JJ replied. She sounded so sad and worried, don't worry JJ, I'm working on it. No idea what it is, but I am on it.
"She won't let us near her. I don't want to traumatize her anymore. But we might need to be rough to get her down." The first female replied to the new one.
The pain spiraling around my body was suddenly interrupted by a warmth in my hand, someone had picked up my right hand to hold it.
"Well what would convince her it's us?" The new female asked.
I wanted to squeeze the hand gently to let them know I was ok. But couldn't, I couldn't control my limbs.
"I'm not sure, but I have an idea." The blonde replied.
A new presence was in the room and the beeping was not stopping.
"Do what you have to." The male voice said.
Someone shut off the damn beeping machine!
"Ok." The blonde replied. Then I felt something warm press against my lips, and struggled to get away, being stopped by the pole behind me.
"Any difference?" Lauren asked.
Lips, they were lips pressed against mine. I started to panic before realizing I recognized that feeling. Warm, familiar, soft, JJ!
"No, she hasn't done anything. Why is this taking so long?" JJ asked.
"Jayje." I whispered as the lips pulled away.
"It's probably taking so long because of the illness. Right Lauren?" Joanna was here too?
"Yes, yes it's me, and Emily and Hotch." She replied fingers moving my hair.
"It could be, her symptoms haven't progressed enough though, so I wouldn't know if that's the case or not. It's likely. I'm running blood tests now. But since my former tests were tainted with a large amount of obsidian I couldn't get an accurate result." Lauren replied to my older sister.
"Aria? Is she ok? Where is she?" I asked immediately.
"She will wake up ladies." Lauren said.
"She's fine, she's in the hospital." JJ replied, an expression I couldn't quite process flashing across her eyes.
Everything fell silent then, I couldn't feel or hear anything else except the scene I saw before my eyes.
"And the other girls?" I asked weakly, I felt so worn out, JJ was here it was ok now.
"They are fine too, thanks to you. But you aren't so we need to get you down ok?" JJ said and I nodded. Could I stop now? Stop being scared of Jack walking back through the door?
I felt so weak and weary, I just wanted to sleep. My eyes started to close, but I was quickly jerked back awake by a gentle hand on my cheek.
"Hey, stay with me." JJ said, "Hotch is behind you he's going to release your arms and ankles. Emily is here too, she's going to help me lower you off this thing ok?" She added. I nodded wincing and trying to quell my panic as I felt Hotch's hands near mine. One of his hands slipped into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze before pulling away and releasing the bonds. With my weight no longer being supported by my wrists I slumped forward, my legs gave out as my weight was put on them but arms were around me to keep me up.
"I got you." I heard JJ whisper into my ear as she lowered me gently to the ground with who I can only assume was Emily's help.
I could hear again, and this time move my muscles. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking rapidly to adjust to a brand new, and very bright light. I squeezed the hand in mine gently, alerting them to my now conscious state.
A state that felt like it would be short lived as I was already exhausted just from opening my eyes.
"Hey you. You're awake!" Blonde hair and blue eyes filled my vision as JJ's face came into view. I smiled, or at least tried to, but was stopped by a large tube down my throat. My eyes grew wide as I realized I wasn't breathing on my own. What the hell?
"It's ok. It's just a breathing tube. Lauren said once you woke up she would take it out. Let me go get her, hold on." JJ said before starting to leave, but I tightened my hold on her hand. I didn't want her to leave yet, the idea scared me. Why did that idea scare me?
"Ok. I'm here. Let me press the call button." She said. I did my best to say ok with my eyes, but then decided to just blink once. She reached over me and pressed a red button connected to a cylinder looking thing, triggering some type of ringing noise.
"Everything ok in there?" Someone asked, although I couldn't see anyone.
"She's awake can you send in Dr. Lewis?" JJ called.
"You got it." The unseen voice replied.
"Thank you." JJ called.
"Your welcome." The voice answered before Lauren came into the room.
"Good morning sleepyhead." She said, she was in a lab coat and scrubs. A sight I was not used to. I raised my eyebrows at her then looked down to the tube in my throat.
"Ok, let's get that out." She said nodding and in response I gave her my best "please!" look. She chuckled and washed her hands before pulling on gloves and approaching me.
"Well I'm sure you know the drill, but just because, you will feel discomfort, take a breath as soon as it's out so I know you're alright, etc." Lauren said with a smile down at me as I rolled my eyes. Signaling her to just get on with it.
"Ok, here we go." Lauren said removing the tape securing the tube, and then gripping it tightly, she counted to three then pulled it out. My throat screamed at losing the foreign object that had been stuck in my throat and immediately my throat and mouth became dry as a bone, but I took a breath as directed, wincing when it hurt to do so.
"Jeez… Why does that hurt?" I rasped. My throat not quite ready to talk, but my brain not even remotely caring.
"What breathing?" Lauren asked as she discarded of the tube and moved back over to me. I nodded in confirmation as Lauren pulled back the blanket that had been tucked around me and pulled on her stethoscope to check my lungs. My heart jumped into my throat as she touched me to press the stethoscope to the side of my chest, then slid it behind my back to listen there.
"Because your left lung was partially collapsed. We did surgery and your accelerated healing has kicked in since, but it's slower than normal because of the obsidian. So no yelling, and try to stay as calm as possible so you don't collapse it again while it's healing." Lauren said after removing the stethoscope.
I frowned at this knowledge but nodded.
"Ok, so be calm and let JJ do the yelling." I said throwing a grin at JJ who smiled back at me.
"Pretty much." Lauren replied with a solemn smile.
"Ok, usually my humor gets you to laugh. What's up? Is there more? I feel ok, seriously sore like everywhere but nothing I can't handle. Could probably run a marathon. So what's wrong?" I asked eyebrows raised.
"Well running a marathon is not a good idea. Your right leg is bad off enough, but you're still going to be seriously weak and tired, because you do still have obsidian running through your veins. I've managed to mix amethyst with an antibiotic that is staving it off from expanding until your body naturally flushes it out."
"Or we get a metal manipulator." I said, cracking a joke.
"That too." She said, rewarding me with a chuckle at this.
"But your arm is also in bad shape, and you have about a hundred and fifty stitches across your entire body. It's not pretty, and for a while we were unsure of when you were going to wake up because you had a pretty nasty concussion." Lauren finished.
"So basically nothing new after a fight?" I asked.
"This wasn't a fight Jess." JJ said looking at me with a weird expression.
"It wasn't? What was it then?" I asked now confused.
"You don't remember what happened?" She asked.
"What happened? No, I thought you guys got Aria, and apparently I got away somehow. Although scathed. Just assumed we kicked some ass. Is that not how this happened?" I asked. Then remembered Lauren mentioning Obsidian and came to my own revelation.
"That's not what happened." I answered for them. Suddenly I was extremely uncomfortable in both the physical and mental sense, so I tried to move to sit up and discovered that caused an immense amount of pain to shoot all around my body.
"Ooh Oww." I said squeezing my eyes shut.
"Careful, jeez you would think you have never done this before." Lauren said.
"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked meeting JJ's eyes.
"Two days." Lauren replied.
"Two days? Well looks like I have a new record. How's Aria doing?" I asked again attempting to sit up, this time assisted by JJ's hands on my back and Lauren raising the bed's head. Both woman's faces fell at the mention of my niece and they exchanged a glance.
"What? What is it?" I asked as I studied their expressions.
"Aria, she was. Well she… we got there right after you were taken, and the ambulance was there like right afterwards. But ugh she well her lungs collapsed, and she… they rushed her to surgery… they did everything they could…" JJ started.
"Whoa, what. What are you trying to say?" I asked, my heart suddenly gripped by a huge invisible hand that was squeezing the shit out of it. I couldn't breathe, the hope that what JJ was saying was not what I was thinking she was saying.
"She didn't make it off the table." JJ finished. Guilt and regret instantly washing over her features.
"No… no you guys got to her…" I whispered feeling the wall of emotions I had built back up start to crumble and fall.
"We weren't fast enough." JJ replied a tear falling from her eye to echo the tears now falling from my eyes uncontrollable. I was attempting to not fall into sobs, and failing.
"Jess, I need you to stay calm." Lauren said adamantly, putting a hand on my shoulder, a hand that I shied away from. Why did I shy away from her?
"Calm? Lauren how… how do I stay calm?" I said, fighting to control my emotions, the very emotions that were now ripping out my heart and feeding it to Cerberus.
"I don't know but if you get too worked up you could collapse your lung again." Lauren replied.
"Is Piper here? I need to talk to her." I said latching on to the one thing I could focus on now. My younger sister and consoling her.
"No, Jess, maybe that should wait." JJ said.
"No, it can't… this, she needs me." I whispered, again fighting my emotions, and suddenly growing very dizzy. I shut my eyes squeezing them tight to rid myself of the spout of dizziness.
"Hey, are you in pain? Jess?" Lauren asked the hand on my shoulder tightening gently. I stiffened at the touch, but forced myself to relax.
"No, I just, I'm dizzy." I replied. Still trying to fight my emotions.
"Please I just want to talk to Piper." I whispered, allowing the tears to flow freely now.
"Maybe you should lie back down if you're dizzy." Lauren suggested going to lower the bed.
"No Lauren." I protested.
"Hey Lauren, can we have a second?" JJ asked giving Lauren a look I couldn't quite comprehend.
"Yeah, ok. If you need me I'm right outside." She said nodding at JJ before departing the room.
"Jess, look at me." JJ said, standing from the chair she had been sitting in and perching on the left edge of my bed carefully so as not to jostle me.
I met her eyes tears welling up in mine again as I remember what she had said when they found me.
"You said she was in the hospital and fine." I whispered.
"I did, and I truly thought that. But we weren't told what happened until after we rescued you. At that point you were unconscious and here." She replied finding my left hand and squeezing it gently.
"She can't be gone JJ. She can't. We got there, we got there in time. Gods what am I going to tell Spencer?" I asked tears rolling down my chin, somehow I had managed to keep my breathing even so far, but that was quickly falling as I realized it was becoming hard to breathe through my tears.
"Hey, hey listen to me you need to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." JJ said reaching out her other hand to brush hair away from my face. I stiffened at the contact, just like I had with Lauren, and JJ pulled away quickly. I swallowed and looked down at my hands, no longer able to control the sobs sitting in my chest. But fighting like hell to regain control. I had to find something to focus on.
As if on some kind of cue from me, JJ got up and moved over to a bag on a spare chair. She pulled out a stuffed cat, Tigris's favorite and brought it over to me.
"Tigris told me to bring you his stuffed lion, because it makes him feel better, and so it will make you feel better too. Please Jess, you have to calm down." JJ said after putting the stuffed cat in my lap. I reached my arms up, discovering it was extremely hard to move, but wrapping my arms around it anyway. My left arm was wrapped in a massive amount of bandaging, no doubt due to some type of injury, and my right had an IV attached to it.
I hugged the lion, burying my face in it, I must have looked pitiful and like a child. But the tactic worked and I quickly calmed down. I regained control of my breathing and leaned my head back not letting go of the lion.
"He named him Chase. Chase the lion." I whispered looking at JJ, who was watching me. She looked like the urge to comfort me was overwhelming her, but she was afraid to touch me.
"Really? Henry named his stuffed wolf Chase. That's going to get confusing." JJ replied.
"How did you know that would work?" I asked.
"Well, remember a few weeks ago when I told you about how Henry wouldn't stop crying because of his fever?" I nodded my answer to her.
"Well you mentioned when you were a kid that when you just couldn't calm down that you hugged a stuffed animal half to death. Every time you didn't feel well or ended up with an injury your mom bought you a stuffed animal. Well I bought Henry a stuffed wolf that day, and it worked. He squeezed the crap out of that thing, calmed him right down. So I figured it might work now." She said smiling at me.
"Like mother like son I guess. Works for Tigris too." I replied quietly smoothing the tears away from the lions head.
"Why is that going to get confusing?" I asked, already confused.
"Well I'm staying with you until your better. When I go back to work Penelope is going to rotate with me. But both the boys will either be with us or Joanna. So having two favorites named Chase might get confusing." JJ said.
"I don't need anyone babysitting me Jen. Besides, two toddlers and a crippled Lowell? Sure you're up to that challenge?" I replied attempting to cover my heavy heart with humor and sarcasm, but not succeeding at all.
"Well too bad because I am not going anywhere, and yes. Besides I will not be alone." She replied.
"That's right, because Victor and I are staying upstairs for the time being." My sister said having walked in at some point.
"Oh gods how much of that did you see?" I asked frowning.
"Nothing I haven't seen before." She replied moving further into the room to reveal a very sad and reluctant looking Piper.
"Piper." I said attempting to sit up straighter and wincing as pain shot down my body.
"Whoa, careful. Stop trying to move." JJ said putting a hand on my shoulder. I stiffened at the action, unexplained fear gripping at my heart. What the hell was that? JJ started to pull away but I caught her wrist with my right hand. Holding her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm glad you're ok. I'm going now." Piper said turning to leave.
"Piper wait." I said tears welling up as I saw her own eyes brim over with tears.
"I am so sorry." I said the tears falling. My grip on JJ's wrist tightened gently, a silent beg for her to keep me calm.
"Sorry doesn't bring her back Jess." Piper said, turning back around and meeting my eyes. She sounded so broken. But of course she did, she had just lost her only daughter.
She stood there, just staring at me, while I stared back. Both of us crying silently.
"I know." I finally said, having no idea what else to say. Comforting a grieving mother was not an easy task as it was, but my brain had gone completely fuzzy at this point.
"Why couldn't you have just left us all alone back then?" My younger sister asked.
"I was trying to save you all." I replied immediately.
"Instead you got Prue killed." She snapped, "and then Phoebe and Paige, and now my daughter!"
"This is not the same thing!" I replied.
"Isn't it? Aria was targeted because of who you are. But we were just fine before you showed up!" Piper snapped.
"Piper." Joanna cautioned, the machine hooked to my heart had sped up with my heart beat and tears continued to stream down my face.
"People were dying, children. Our people! What was I supposed to do Piper?" I asked.
"Leave us the hell alone like I asked!" Piper yelled.
"I did! For fifteen years, and she didn't even know who she was!" I yelled back, suddenly spiraling into a coughing fit accompanied by a sudden wave of dizziness. I felt rather than saw the movement on the edge of my bed as JJ stood up and moved to rub my back as I tried to reign my coughing in.
I felt two sets of hands attempting to comfort me, which just caused more panic to jump into my throat and didn't help at all.
"I'm ok." I said sitting back up and leaning back against the bed squeezing my eyes shut after I regained my breath.
"You're bleeding, I'm getting Lauren." JJ said before turning to leave the room. I wasn't sure what she meant by bleeding, as I couldn't see any blood anywhere.
"Your nose." Joanna said stepping to the sink and grabbing two paper towels from the holder there.
"Oh." I replied swallowing as I finally felt the hot blood dripping. Why the hell was my nose bleeding now?
Lauren and JJ walked back in as Joanna pressed the paper towels to my nose.
"Are you lightheaded or dizzy?" Lauren asked stepping over to me.
"Dizzy yeah." I replied looking for Piper, although she seemed to have left. My voice had gone nasally due to the pressure of the towels.
"Ok, just keep that paper towels there." Lauren replied pulling out a syringe.
"Can you go find her and make sure she is ok?" I looked at Joanna as I said this and she relinquished the paper towels as I reached up to take them.
"Ok stop that." Joanna replied.
"What?" I asked.
"Worrying about everybody else, you literally just started coughing up a lung that collapsed not even three days ago. Now you have a nosebleed, so stop it and take care of yourself first." Joanna said.
"She just lost her daughter." I retorted.
"Yeah and you nearly lost your life." Joanna replied.
"Can we not fight right now?" I asked.
"Jo has a point Jess." JJ interjected. I met her gaze and swallowed.
"Ok fine, but you have to promise me you will take care of her. We both know how bad this hurts. I mean it hurts us, but we know how bad losing a child hurts." I said frowning and tearing up as I thought of Astor and the many times Joanna had lost her children to various reason only to lose them again. I went to say more but Joanna stopped me with a hand held up in a peaceful manner.
"I promise Jess." Joanna replied.
"Ok. Thank you." I answered. Joanna turned and walked to the door, stopping just inside it before turning and meeting my eyes.
"I love you. I don't mean to upset you." She replied.
"I love you too Jo. I will be ok I promise." I replied pulling the paper towels from my nose as Lauren moved my head up to make sure my nose had stopped bleeding.
"You better." She replied before finally turning and walking out of the room.
"So this is complications from your, Well I don't have a name for it, but you know what I mean." Lauren said, prompting a frown from me. The doctor let go of my head and I moved my neck around as I realized just how stiff I felt.
"Yeah I know what you mean." I replied with a frown looking at the syringe in her hand as she pressed the tip into the connection of my IV. I swallowed, the lilac colored liquid inside the medical object should not inspire fear, but suddenly my heart beat was speeding up and I was seeing things.
The redheaded man approached like he was stalking me, his prey. He grinned wide and let out a sinister chuckle as I shied away from him, and discovered I could barely move. My limbs all felt like a thousand pounds of metal.
"Jess. What is it?"
"This should help your discomfort Little Lowell." He sneered before pulling my arm straight in its position above my head and jabbing the needle into the main artery there.
I swallowed the instinct to cry out as severe burning pain rushed around my body, making me want to beg for him to stop. I would never utter a word to him.
"Hey, Jess, snap out of it. Look at me! Jessica!" My eyes snapped to meet JJ's and I realized my breathing had become labored, because I was short of breath.
"Ugh, sorry." I said avoiding the two woman's eyes and blinking wildly to drive away new tears.
"What was that?" JJ asked moving my hair back. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath wincing when doing so caused pain.
"Ugh well apparently seeing the syringe triggered a memory. A not so pleasant one." I said swallowing back the pain but keeping my eyes shut.
"So you remembered something?" Lauren asked.
"Yeah. Is that a good thing?" I asked.
"Well yes and no. If that's what is going to happen every time I am impartial to it because it makes you upset and apparently causes your heart to go nuts. But it also means your brain injury is mostly healed." Lauren replied.
I opened my eyes again and looked down at the lion, rubbing the furry head gently to hide my discomfort at the whole thing.
"Do you want to see the team? Emily, and Garcia are in the waiting room." JJ said, probably hoping to get my mind off of everything.
"Ugh yeah I guess." I replied, but thought of something.
"What happened to our Unsubs?" I asked meeting JJ's eyes and trying to hide my disdain for the men that was the cause of both my emotional and physical pain.
"Ugh, I can tell you later. It doesn't matter right now." JJ replied, I didn't say anything back. Just nodded and looked back down at the lion and my hands. That's when I realized my ring wasn't on.
"Did you... do you have my ring?" I asked looking back up at JJ.
"Yeah, it is with your stuff here. One second." JJ said standing up and stepping over to a chair stuffed into the corner of the hospital room.
"While she is doing that I'm going to give you something to help calm you down." Lauren said.
"I'm fine I don't need a sedative Lauren." I replied looking at the doctor.
"Knowing you, you won't sleep at all because you're too strung up on your worry about Piper and all the other emotions rolling around in that head. I'm giving you a sedative to help you sleep. Because trust me that is absolutely the best remedy right now." Lauren replied.
I swallowed at her explanation. She was right of course. She normally was, I just didn't like drugs, and I was already hooked to an IV. But instead of arguing I just nodded.
"I'm going to go tell the girls they can come in here for a little while until you fall asleep. But JJ when she's asleep I just want you in here. I will come back in every two hours to wake her and check on her." Lauren said before heading for the door.
"Ok. Thanks Lauren. Here I got your ring Jess." JJ said picking up my right hand and slipping the tiny amethyst stone bearing ring back onto my hand.
The feel of JJ's fingers on mine at first made panic rise into my throat, apparently contact would be a scary thing for a while, but before she could pull her hand away, I tightened mine around her fingers gently.
"Thank you." I said meeting her eyes and fighting more tears.
"I promised I would help in any way I could." She replied taking a seat on the edge of the bed to my left.
"Yeah I know. But this is a little more than you expected I'm sure." I replied fighting myself to attempt a smile and failing epically.
"Well no. Not really. Expected a mess to help clean up, but not this. Although, no offense but you're a serious hotheaded mess so I probably should have expected something like this." JJ replied earning herself an amused half smile from me.
"Hotheaded mess huh?" I said looking down at the stuffed lion and my ring before looking back up as the door opened to let in Emily and Garcia.
I managed a small smile at my colleagues as Garcia instantly came over and went in for a hug. Before she could get too close though JJ stopped her.
"She's in some pain." JJ explained, silently apologizing to the eccentric women.
"Oh ok. Sorry I just. God we were all so scared for you." Garcia said looking relieved all the same to see me awake.
"I know. I'm sorry for that." I said reaching out my left hand to take the tech analyst's, and tightening my other hand around JJ's, who still hadn't let go.
"Oh Queenie that is not your fault." Garcia replied taking my hand.
"It kind of is. After all I am a hotheaded mess." I said glancing at JJ who gave me a small smile.
"No it's not. This was those damn Blackwells. You didn't do all of this to yourself." Emily said finally saying something. She was angry, not with me, but still angry.
I met Emily's eyes seeing the protective Prentiss anger there that was forever present when someone threatened or hurt her friends or family.
"No I didn't. But I should have waited. I didn't because it involved..." I hesitated. I didn't want to say her name again.
"Gods I don't understand." I whispered looking down at the lion.
"What don't you understand?" Emily asked.
"Why her? I'm trying to wrap my head around how exactly she didn't survive this. She is... was Lowell." I said fresh tears spilling over. I closed my eyes and forced myself to stop crying.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in." I whispered taking my hands away from JJ and Garcia to angrily wipe away the escaped tears.
"Here." JJ leaned over me, careful not to touch me and grabbed a tissue off of the table beside the bed before holding it out to me.
"Thanks." I said taking the soft white square and mopping up my face.
"Anytime." The blonde replied.
"How did she... what was the COD?" I asked attempting to slip back into my professionalism.
"Jess. You don't need to know that right now." JJ said tilting her head to meet my eyes.
"I do. I can't explain it. I just. I need to make sense of it. If I don't I just, I will fall apart." I answered.
"Jess..." JJ started.
"Asphyxiation." Emily interjected.
"So her lungs?" I asked.
"They collapsed. Both of them." Emily replied. I frowned at this news but then met Emily's eyes.
"Thanks." I said, closing my eyes and taking a gentle but deep breath. So it didn't hurt but helped calm me down.
Then I realized I was exhausted. Emotionally and physically.
"So I had Tigris yesterday night and he drew this for you." Emily said causing me to look up as she stepped closer to the bed and held out a piece of paper. I took it and unfolded it, taking a few minutes to really understand what I was looking at.
"Told me I had to give it to you since Lauren didn't want them in here until you were awake and stable enough." Emily said.
I smiled as I realized it was a family portrait that included the big Lowell family and the entire team. We were in rows, with Tigris, Henry, Jack and Wendy's son Samuel in the front. Occupying the second row where the older kids; Jean, Jared, Freya, Ingrid, Chris, Wyatt, Asovia, Dest, Mike, and Aria. The third held me, Joanna, Victor, Wendy, Tommy, Piper, Leo, Guin, Edmund, JJ, Colton, Garcia, Emily, Rossi, Reid, Morgan, Hotch, and Haley. The fourth consisted of my biological mother Kendra, Gideon, the former queen; Penelope, and Stefan Sr. and the very top row had Grams; my grandmother.
The kid was talented for sure.
"Gods he is talented. Kind of scares me." I said with a small sad smile as my eyes drifted to the person resembling Aria.
"He got all of us on there too." JJ said looking down at the picture.
"Yeah he did." I said nodding, "and he's organized, so I feel like Gideon is out of place here." I said pointing at where Gideon was next to Kendra. With my index finger.
"Well he is kind of like a dad to you, and definitely like a grandfather to Tigris considering he sees you guys so much." JJ explained.
"Right yeah, I guess that's fair." I replied blinking away the fact that my eyes where drooping now.
"You ok?" Garcia asked.
"Yeah, just I think the sedative Lauren gave me is kicking in. Kind of drowsy now. Thinking straight is hard." I said with a small smile at her concern.
"Well we can go and let you get some rest." Emily said looking at Garcia.
"Yeah. We can come back later." Garcia replied.
"You guys don't have to go! I can stay awake for a little longer." I replied.
"I think they can come back later Jess. You need rest. Remember what Lauren said." JJ replied. I met her eyes and nodded, knowing mother Jareau was present.
"Yeah I do." I replied glancing apologetically at Emily and then Garcia.
"Hey it's ok. We will just come back later is all." Emily said.
"Ok yeah. Thank you." I said meeting Emily's eyes. The last time we had been in a situation like this it had been reversed roles. At that point I had had to go back to Kikandria because of political reasoning, and after that the contact between us had grown thin. Then Emily had joined the BAU and we had gone right back to being friends.
But I didn't know if she still harbored anger for me leaving like that, if she did at all.
"We will see you later Queenie. Get rest." Garcia said, I nodded and gave her my best smile.
"Pretty sure JJ and Lauren would team up and kick my butt to next week if I didn't." I replied as Garcia reached out and squeezed my hand before turning and leaving the room.
I looked up at Emily and smiled as she seemed to battle with leaving.
"Em its ok. You can stay or go as you please." I said raising an eyebrow at her expression.
"It's not that I just... it's nothing get some rest." All of a sudden Emily leaned in and despite my tensing up at her proximity, pressed a kiss to my forehead. Just like I had to her when she has been in this situation.
I frowned as she straightened and turned, heading for the door.
"Thank you Em." I said.
"Your welcome." She said before leaving, making sure to close the door gently.
I looked down at my hands, head reeling with the panic I had just experienced at another person's closeness and only then realized subconsciously I had let go of Tigris's picture and grabbed JJ's hand.
"Sorry." I mumbled letting go of the blonde's neatly manicured hand, but she didn't move it.
"Your fine. I'm actually kind of honored." She replied with a smile.
"Honored? Jeez don't go all proper on me." I said cracking a tiny smile of my own as she blushed.
"So you should go home and get some rest too. I'm fine and Lauren said she's going to check on me every two hours. Go home to Henry and Will." I said, noticing a change in her expression.
"Ugh oh I know that look. I wore it for a good two years. What happened?" I asked, knowing something was wrong between her and Will immediately.
"It doesn't matter right now. You need to sleep." She said moving to get off the bed.
"Jayje." I started.
"Nope, I will tell you later. For right now you need to rest and know that I'm not going anywhere. I will be sleeping right there until I can bring you home." JJ replied, pointing to the couch against the far wall of the room.
"What about Henry Jayje?" I asked.
"He's with Hotch and Haley tonight. So is Tigris." She answered, stepping to the light switch
"We made a pact to keep them separate Jayje. Keep us separate outside of work." I said frowning.
"Yeah well that was before I realized that I can't deal with the thought of anything happening to you. So you are going to get some rest so you don't unwittingly put me through any additional stress or heartache." JJ said, and instantly I felt guilty and ready to comply. Then I realized what she had just done.
"Jennifer Jareau, how the hell do you know me so well?" I demanded eyes narrowed.
"Oh you know, because I've spent every day of the past three years with you for at least eight hours." She replied, then added "now get some sleep." As she turned down the lights.
She had gotten me there, and so all I could do was comply.
End of Chapter A/N: Don't shoot me I loved Aria too! Don't worry though. That's all I can say, is don't worry. Anyway next chapter we find out some of the horrendous things that Jess gets put through during her time with Jack and Alonon, are you ready for that? I'm not. Lol Thanks for reading and have a super awesome night, day, or afternoon wherever you are!
Cast of Character for Chapter 7: Wake Up Wake Up
Pretty Little Liars:
Aria Montgomery
Ella Montgomery (Piper Halliwell)
Emily Fields
Pam Fields
Veronica Hastings
Spencer Hastings
Criminal Minds:
Jennifer Jareau
Emily Prentiss
Penelope Garcia
Henry Jareau
William Lamontagne
Witches of East End:
Joanna Beauchamp
Victor Beauchamp
Lost Girl:
Doctor Lauren Lewis
Lowell Chronicles: (All rights reserved)
Jessica Lowell
Tigris Lowell