Jennifer's Daughter

Birdie

(Season 1, sometime after Episode 14, September 2005)

TW: Systematic child abuse and neglect, usual cannon violence, trafficking of minors referenced briefly.

The first time the team became aware of her existence was when she was 6 years old. It had been a long grueling case involving a man and a woman that were trafficking young girls to and from preferential offenders. Most of them were aged 10-16, so the team was surprised when they burst into the couple's house and found a roughly six year old girl and a two month old baby.

Hotch signaled to Morgan and Elle to check around the back, as he and Gideon worked their way through the house silently, guns drawn. JJ and Reid approached the boy and girl, JJ whispering to them quietly and calmly, "You're okay now, were here to help, lets take you outside, okay?" The little girl, who was holding the baby in her lap, reluctantly let go of her brother as JJ picked him up out of her arms.

Once JJ had the baby, Reid picked up the little girl under the arms and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him and let him carry her out. As they walked out of the house she laid her chin down on Reid's shoulder and stared at the house as they walked through the front yard.

JJ smiled and her heart melted a bit when she saw the little girl so relaxed in Reid's arms, but it also made her a little nervous that she was so okay with strangers... and why were both kids so quiet and calm? They all got on the other side of the cop cars, in case of gunfire inside the house.

JJ smirked a little when she saw how awkward Spencer looked holding the child. He was holding her right, he just didn't seem to natural at it. She cradled the baby in her arms and bounced him a little as he started to fuss.

At least the kids were calm, but how had they ended up in that house? The team hadn't profiled the couple as being parents, and both the baby and the girl were way to young for the Unsubs' victim type. As the baby began to fuss, the little girl lifted her head towards JJ and said calmly and in a matter-of fact tone, "He's hungry." Reid looked at this girl in his arms, wondering at her calm demeanor.

Not wanting her to worry, JJ looked kindly at her and said, "We'll get him a bottle very soon, okay?"

"Okay." She said, and she laid her chin back down on Reid's shoulder, staring at nothing in particular.

A short while later there was a loud ring of gunfire from the house. It startled the baby and he started crying. The little girl sat up straight in Reid's arms and looked at the house with concern, and worry, but not fear.

JJ comforted the baby and bounced him as she walked further away from the scene. Reid tried to distract the girl in his arms and keep her calm, "Let's walk over here with JJ and the baby, okay?" The girl nodded and they followed after JJ. She didn't relax in his arms, but she didn't fight being taken further away from the house either.

Most of the police on the scene had run into the house at the sound of gunfire, and minutes later paramedics were arriving. The rest of the team came around the line of cars soon after that.

JJ and Reid looked to Hotch as they stood there with the kids.

"They didn't give us an option." Hotch said sighing heavily.

"Suicide by cop, what a way to go in the end." Morgan said under his breath as he walked up to lean on the car and took off his vest.

"What about the babies?" Elle asked.

"We take them to the station and Child Services will handle it from there." Gideon said, looking sympathetically at the very quiet little girl, now somewhat relaxed in Reid's arms.