Wheels Up

Wasn't Expecting That

The visitor sat up. "Wow, I'm finally meeting you."

The visitor was a teenage girl, somewhere between 14 and 16 JJ reckoned, with blonde hair and blue eyes that felt like looking at a younger her.

"Um, hi? I'm sorry, do I know you?" JJ asked, also sitting on the sofa.

"Um no, no I don't think so. I think you know my mum, though. I hope so, anyway. That's why I'm here." She said. "I'm Lexie, by the way."

"Who is your mum, then?" JJ asked, still trying to figure out why she recognised her, because although yes she did look similar to a younger JJ, that wasn't what it was.

"Well uh, I think... I think she's your sister." Lexie replied.

JJ stared at her, trying to understand. "My sister doesn't have a child." She finally managed to say.

"Well uh, my presence here rather contradicts that." Lexie said with a small laugh.

JJ looked at her for a moment, then shook her head and quickly left the room.

It was still early, so nobody else had entered the office. Hotch was upstairs, in a meeting, so she had the floor to herself as she paced round, running the last year of her sister's life through her head, trying to do the maths.

She remembered flashes of images, her sister constantly wearing baggy clothes, and the night they'd rushed her to the hospital without explaining why. Could she really have had a daughter?

She took another calming breath, and returned to the office, because whatever the truth was, there was a teenager in there.

She walked back in, and Lexie was still sat on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" Lexie began.

JJ cut her off. "No no, don't worry. I was just shocked is all." She paused. "So, my sister. What do you want to know?"

"Do you think... do you think she'd have any interesting in meeting me?" Lexie asked, averting eye contact.

"Oh sweetheart..." JJ tailed off.

"Oh no it's okay if not, I was just wondering, I'm sorry-" Lexie said anxiously.

"No no, it's not that. It's um... she uh, she died, Lexie. A long time ago." JJ said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh." Was all Lexie managed to say.

"I'm sorry." JJ replied.

"No no, it's okay. I'm sorry if I brought up painful memories or anything." Lexie replied. "How uh, how did she die?" She asked quietly.

JJ hesitated.

"It's okay, I can take it." Lexie said.

"She... she committed suicide." JJ said finally.

Lexie exhaled slowly. "Well, I mean I came looking for answers and I uh... I sure got them."

JJ gave her a sympathetic smile.

Lexie struggled to find the words for her next question.

"Was it... did she... did she uh... do it because of.. of me?" She asked, staring out the window, not looking at JJ.

"Oh no honey no. I promise. Ros was... struggling. Her mental health got real bad, and things weren't easy with my parents, and it just kept getting worse. But you? She loved you. She drank a lot, when things were bad, but for 9 months? She didn't. I thought she was getting better, but she wasn't. She was doing it for you. She wanted you to be okay. She did things for me too, sometimes. She tried to protect us both in the best way she knew how, even if it wasn't perfect." JJ said.