Borealis [ Jennifer Jareau x Reader ]

Miracles Can Happen

*FIVE MONTHS LATER*

Ever since we had figured out what was going on, we were able to help Esme more. Thankfully, we got her started with a tutor instead of putting her in the classroom right away and explained to the school everything that happened, and asked if there was a way we could slowly integrate her into the classroom. Thankfully, they had a very supportive staff, and we were able to take her after school to meet all of her teachers and let her get acquainted with her classroom. We made sure that she knew Henry was going to be at school with her, but he'd be in a different classroom. She was a bit weary about it, but we were going to try and get her to go for half days on Tuesday and Thursday to start in hopes that it would help her get used to it.

She seemed to have fun with her teacher, walking around with her while JJ and I stood off to the side. We wanted her to be as independent as possible, since we had started exposure therapy with Tara about four months ago at this point. It was going to be a long road ahead of us, but by identifying her triggers now we would be able to help her in the future. Tara had also recommended we start her on medication eventually, but not yet since she was still so young. Our hope was the exposure therapy would help us learn how to help her when she had attacks, which in turn would help us learn how to identify them as her schooling started. We had come to the conclusion that most of her triggers had to do with the adults around her in a school setting, so we were making sure to meet with all of her teachers and support staff before she started with them so she knew they weren't going to hurt her.

Garcia had gone a step above and beyond and ran background checks on everyone, assuring us that nobody had any sort of sketchy past and that Esme should be okay. She also got into the school's security system and started watching the cameras on one of her many monitors, promising to keep a close eye on her during the day while we couldn't be there for her. On the days that Esme would be going to school, I was going to go to Quantico for those mornings, staying back to help Garcia from here until we felt comfortable with both JJ and I going. Hotch was super understanding about our fears, and was able to work everything out with the Bureau so I could split my time working from home and the Quantico office.

Henry was also a big help, and made sure that when we couldn't be in the room with Esme, that he was in the room. He knew that Esme was going through some rough times, and wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as she could be while she was at home. It took a couple of days to get used to the new schedule, but we had started getting things going smoothly. On days that Esme didn't go to school, we had a tutor come to the house, and I would be working in the makeshift home office that we had put together in the living room while Esme and the tutor sat in the kitchen. It was different, working from home half of the week, but it was worth it if it meant Esme would be able to slowly become more independent.

JJ and I had a couple of talks as well, mostly about her past with the State Department, and what it meant for our future. She told me all about her time over there, and how she found out that there was a mole in their unit. How she was able to get to the bottom of it, but was caught in a humvee explosion. How she had almost lost everything she ever cared for, and how it messed her up for the longest time. But coming home to me, that was the one thing she was looking forward to. We both had strange feelings about that time, considering during that time I had lost two of the most important people in my life, and she was stationed overseas trying to find a traitor. It was a hard time for both of us, and we knew that our lives would be forever changed when JJ gave us the news that she was coming back to the BAU.

My life had changed drastically, and it wasn't just because of JJ. In the timespan of a little over five months, I found myself with a foster daughter and an almost-fiancée. It was absolutely crazy to me, that everything changed so quickly. And I was absolutely happy about all of it. Who knew that little old me, the girl with family issues galore, could find herself in a situation where she herself was in a happy family? I bit my lip slightly as I thought about it, a smile forming as I realized how amazing my life was now.

"What's got you so happy?" Garcia set a mug of tea in front of me, sitting down in her chair.

"Oh nothing, just thinking about how wild my life has been over the past five months."

"A good wild or a bad wild?"

I took a sip of my tea. "Oh, for sure a good wild. It's only gone up since Boston. Can you believe that?" I sighed. "You know, I thought miracles weren't real, but then I figured out they were. And my miracle was JJ."

"You guys are literally the cutest couple ever. If you don't get married, I will murder you."

I chuckled. "You'll be the first to know if anything happens, okay?"

"I better be."

We continued to work in silence, Garcia's typing filling up the room. I turned back to the file I was looking at on my iPad and bit the edge of my Apple Pencil. Maybe what JJ said, about us getting married was right. We had been through so much, and it would be a matter of time before one of us had to call it. Why should we wait any longer?

"Earth to Y/N!"

"Hm? Sorry." I shook my head. "What's up?"

"Can you look and see if that search I ran is done?"

"Yeah of course."

I turned back to the monitor Garcia was running a search on, realizing that it was beeping. "Pen, who's Mark Rickles?"

"Oh! Oh! That's who everyone is looking for!" she pressed a button on her phone, waiting for the team to answer. "Morgan, no time for pleasantries. I have the name of our scummy little nobody. His name is Mark Rickles."

"All around he's not a good guy," I butted in. "Multiple misdemeanors to his name, petty theft, but it seems to have escalated into much worse."

"Hey pretty lady- JJ what are you-"

"Hi babe." I chuckled as JJ took the phone from Morgan. "Desperate to talk to your two favorite ladies?"

"What did you say his name was?"

"Mark Rickles?"

"Mark Rickles. Hotch-" the line went silent for a second. "Baby I love you but we gotta go."

"I- okay, love you-" I paused as I was met with the dial tone. "-too."

We watched on the screen as we tracked their location, seeing that Rossi and Emily were already at Mark's place. No wonder they left in a hurry. It took about an hour, but we finally got the okay that everyone was safe and they made their way back to Quantico, since it was a relatively close case. Garcia and I met everyone in the round table room for the debrief, and thankfully we finished about an hour before I had to pick Esme up from school.

"Hey, so, I know we said I was going to come with you to get Esme if we ended early but this paperwork isn't going to do itself and I want to get it done before I leave."

"You're fine, bubs." I smiled, squeezing her hand lightly under the table. "Take as much time as you need on the paperwork, okay? I got Esme."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I understand. Do you need us to pick anything up on the way home?"

"Hm, maybe some popcorn and soda? We're running low."

"Okay, we'll grab some." I smiled at her as everyone left. "I love you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I do." she placed a quick peck on my lips. "I'll see you tonight."

"I'll see you tonight."