(Here it is! The final chapter of Home! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. This has been a pleasure to write. I hope it has been equally as such to read. I mentioned in the last chapter that I plan on posting one shots in this universe. I guess what I really should have said, is that I already have :) My story 'A Little Gift' exists in this same universe, so if you haven't red it, go check it out! There will be more to come though, so I highly recommend subscribing to my author alert so you don't miss out.

I also recently finished 'Sins' and I must say, I think it's some of my best writing that I have published. So check that out, too!

Without further ado, Home Chapter 16.)

"Where thou art, that is home." Emily Dickinson

JJ

This can't be happening. It can't. It's too early. I'm only thirty five weeks along, the baby shouldn't be coming yet. I feel frozen to the spot as Emily grabs her phone from the dining room table and dials the midwife. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, still gripping the counter.

The contraction hurt in a way that I never could have been prepared for. I had felt pain before; I had broken my arm in grade school, I had been taken to the mat countless times during training at the Bureau, hell I had been straight up punched in the face in the field by an unsub. But this was different. It was beyond pain, this felt like I was literally being ripped in half.

"...and I know you said that we should call when the contractions are ten minutes apart, but it just seemed really intense, and she's only thirty five weeks… Yes. Yes, of course. Thank you so much, Karen. Yes, we'll see you in a bit."

Emily hangs up and comes back to stand by me. "Alright I called Karen, she'll be here as soon as possible. She said there's a chance you're not actually in labor. It could just be Braxton Hicks contractions, they're supposed to be mild contractions during the last trimester to help prepare your body for labor. It could just be those," she tells me as she tenderly strokes my hair.

I can't help but turn to her in desperation. "Emily, if what I just felt is something milder than labor then you can just go ahead and count me out. Because that is the worst pain I have ever felt. I don't know if I can do this…" I trail off, returning my head to the counter in front of me, tears collecting in my eyes.

"Hey, hey, none of that. Let's just try to stay calm, alright?"

My breath comes out in a sob. "How can I possibly be calm right now? We both know I'm only thirty five weeks. It's too early. It's too soon and we're going to lose another baby and it's going to be all my fault."

She gently grasps my shoulders and pulls me upright so that she can look me in the eyes.

"JJ. Listen to me. First of all, the miscarriage was in no way your fault. They warned us when we decided to try IVF that it was a possibility. It's just one of those things that happen, okay? And yes, it was awful, but we got through it. We got through it and now we're having a baby. Maybe a bit earlier than anticipated, but it's going to be okay. Alright?"

She pulls me into an embrace and I press my face against her neck. "I'm so scared, Em."

"I know. So am I. But we're just gonna take this one step at a time. Now do you wanna stay here in the kitchen? Or do you wanna go in the living room?"

I take a deep breath and consider the options. "I want to lie down in our room."

"Okay, then that's what we'll do. Let's do that," she says, keeping her voice soothing and low. She takes one of my hands in hers and wraps the other around my back. We slowly make our way across the dining and living rooms, but pause when we come to the foot of the stairs.

"One step at a time, right?" I halfheartedly joke.

She smiles and shakes her hair out of her eyes. "That's right, babe. You ready?"

I nod and steel myself. We slowly make our way up the staircase. Could it really be possible that I had descended these same steps just a couple hours ago? It felt as if I was in an entirely different body now, one that was all at once jelly and tissue paper. Every moment felt precarious and dangerous. I knew of course that this was a silly notion. Women went into labor every day, and they continued doing all sorts of tasks while they waited for the eventual birth. I can't help but remember an old family tale about my grandmother going into labor and my grandfather, in his nerves, tripping and hitting his head on a counter, knocking himself out. Stranded on a farm in the middle of the Pennsylvania countryside, she had determinedly dragged him out of the house, hoisted him into the passenger seat of the car, and driven them both to the nearest hospital, forty five miles away. I send a small prayer of gratitude to the universe that Emily is not freaking out and that she is still fully conscious. We make it up the stairs and into our bedroom. I take a seat on the edge of the bed and lean forward, my hands resting on my knees.

"Do you wanna lay down?" she asks. I nod and she helps me ease down onto my side.

"Come cuddle me?" I request softly.

She gently joins me on the bed, laying with her stomach pressed against my back. Her hands smooth over my belly. She presses a kiss into the side of my neck and I reach back to caress her cheek.

"We'll be okay, right?"

She kisses me again. "We will."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

We lay in silence for a few moments. Then another contraction hits. I curl around my stomach, trying to find a position to help lessen the pain. I grit my teeth, trying to bare through it in relative silence, but I can't quiet the low grunt that seems to resonate from deep within me. Em whispers soothing encouragements into my ear, but I can't comprehend her words. Finally, the pain eases.

"How far apart?" I pant as I try to catch my breath.

"Something like fifteen minutes, I think."

"Do you think you should call Hotch?"

She chuckles, combing my my hair away from my forehead. "Even in the midst of labor, you can still run the team. You are something else, Jennifer Jareau."

She gives me another kiss before peeling away to pull her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. She hits a few buttons and brings the phone to her ear.

"Hey Hotch. So uh… I think JJ's in labor. We don't know for certain yet, the midwife is on her way, but… it's looking that way." She pauses and listens. "Yeah, I just wanted to let you know. Yeah I'll update you when we know one way or another. Thanks, I… Thanks Hotch. Okay. Bye."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he would be thinking about us and to let him know if we need anything."

The doorbell rings downstairs. Em exits the bedroom, returning several moments later with Karen in tow. She sits her bags down on the bench at the end of our bed. "JJ darling, you just couldn't wait another day to see my beautiful face, could you?"

I give a shaky laugh. "You caught me. It's all an elaborate ruse."

She smiles and pats my shoulder. "I thought as much. But since I'm here, how about we take a look at baby, hm?"

I nod and they both help me roll onto my back. While Karen pulls on a pair of rubber gloves, Emily unties the drawstring of my sweats and gently tugs them over my hips, taking my underwear with them. I take a deep breath as Karen goes about the exam. The room is filled with tense silence.

She lets out a deep breath. "Well then. What do you say to meeting your baby?"

My heart leaps into my chest. Even though I had seriously doubted that what I was experiencing was just false labor, part of me had seized onto the hope. But this is really happening. I'm in labor. I'm going to have our baby tonight. Well, maybe not tonight, but certainly soon. I suck in a calming breath and turn to meet Emily's eyes. "I say let's do it."

She face breaks into a wide grin, one that I can't help but return. As frightened and unsure as I am, with Emily by my side I feel like I can do anything.

She helps me raise into a sitting position and I slowly come to standing. "We have all of the stuff you requested. Emily, do you wanna grab the pads and the mattress cover from the hall closet? I'll go ahead and start stripping the bed." Now that Karen has confirmed that I'm in labor, I feel more focused at the task at hand.

Emily gets just a few steps before Karen speaks up. "Jennifer… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're only thirty five weeks."

I tug the duvet off of the bed and haphazardly fold it up. "I know. But from what you said, it's happening, right? The baby's coming?"

"Yes darling, you're already three centimeters dilated. What I mean is, my cut off date for home deliveries is thirty seven weeks. I'm sorry, I know you really wanted the experience of a home birth, but we need to head to the hospital."

The hospital. I can't have the baby at home. She wants me to go to the hospital. I feel like I'm going to be sick. I sit on the edge of the bed, avoiding her gaze.

"JJ? Baby are you okay?"

I avoid Emily's eyes as well. I can't do this. This can't be happening. She sits beside me and tries to hold my hand, but I cross my arms across my chest.

"Karen, I can't… You don't understand, I need to have the baby here. I can't go to the hospital."

"I'm sorry Jennifer, but with the baby coming this early, there's a chance they may need a little help breathing. We need to go to the hospital so that if that's the case the baby can get the necessary medical care."

I eyes well up with tears. My breathing begins to speed up, and I feel completely out of control. I cover my face with my hands, not wanting them to see how overwhelmed I am feeling.

"JJ we need to go."

"I can't."

"Jayje-"

"Emily." I drop my hands and turn to look at her. "I… can't do this. I can't leave. Please don't make me go. Emily, please." The tears are beginning to fall.

She looks at Karen. "Can we have a moment?"

She waits until she leaves before taking my hand. "Listen to me. I know you're scared. I know that you didn't want this to happen. But we're out of options, okay? This is happening. But we can do this. You can do this."

I squeeze my eyes shut. "No, I can't. I need to stay here, in our home. This is the only place I can guarantee I'll be safe-" I am cut off by another contraction. I lean forward, placing my hands on my knees, trying to brace against the pain. Emily rubs my lower back but it feels like my body is on fire. Through the pain, I vaguely register Karen coming back in. She kneels in front of me as I groan through the contraction. When it finally releases she takes my wrist and feels for my pulse. She then grabs a stethoscope from her bag and places it on my belly. She listens for several moments as I try to regain my breath.

"I'm worried what all this stress is doing to the baby. We need to go to the hospital, now." Emily nods and Karen retrieves her bags, taking them downstairs.

I can feel her looking at me, so I shake my head. "No. I can't. I won't."

"JJ, we don't have a choice."

"You promised me that nothing bad would happen!" I cry. "You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me or the baby. I need to stay here!" I suck in a deep breath. "If you love me, you'll let me stay."

"JJ that is-"

"If you love me, you'll let me stay." I repeat.

She slides from the bed and kneels in front of me. She takes my face in both of her hands and forces me to meet her eyes. "Now you listen to me. I love you. I love you and this baby more than anything. And that is why we have to go. The baby is coming early, and they're going to need medical attention, something they can only receive in a hospital. I know that you're just trying to keep them safe, but staying here is not the way to do that. Okay? And you know why else we have to go? Because you need to face this. What happened at the White Collar office was horrible. And the whole point of a terror attack is to strike fear into people's hearts. It's warfare. But you know how we fight back against terror? Bravery. Courage. Something you have more of than you could possibly know. This baby, our family, is something that we have wanted and dreamed about and fought for, and you cannot let them take this from you. You have to fight back."

She smooths a strand of hair away from my face and continues in a comforting, but strong voice. "I will be with you, every step of the way. Every moment. And I will protect you from anything I can. But I need you to trust me, okay? I need you to understand that this is what is best for the baby. Can you do that?"

I look into her eyes and I see nothing but love and compassion. I understand what she is saying, I know she's right, but I'm still overwhelmed with fear.

"I'm scared." I finally whisper.

"I know, baby. And I'm scared to. This is a scary thing. But we can do it. You can do it. Because you're Jennifer Jareau and I know that you can do anything."

I lean forward and press my lips against hers. I bring one of my hands to the back of her neck and slide it into her hair. When we finally break away, I rest my forehead against hers. "You'll be with me the whole time?"

"I promise." I nod slightly and she stands, helping me to my feet. She wraps her arm around my back again and we make the slow descent down the stairs. We find Karen in the living room.

"Are we ready to go?" she softly asks.

I meet Emily's eyes and tighten my grip on her hand. "Yes. Let's go."

I am helped into a coat and Emily grabs our purses and her keys. Karen leads the way and holds the front door open. I come to a stop at the threshold. The evening has darkened into night while we weren't paying attention. The sky outside is an inky blue and the slight breeze has an edge that makes me shiver. Emily leans in, bringing her lips to my ear. "I'm right here beside you. Always." I nod and take a deep breath.

Then I take a step outside, into the unknown, into the future.