CHAPTER 26

"Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over." ~Nicole Sobon

She found herself standing on a single step overlooking a beautifully decorated patio. She stared in wonderment at the scene that unfolded before her. Golden lights glittered in the twilight, intricately layered between the branches and leaves of every tree that surrounded the reserved space. The cool breeze was flavored a lavender vanilla, courtesy of Garcia's scented candles and the freshly blooming flowers. She was left utterly speechless.

I never thought I'd be here right now.

Tears in her eyes, she looked down at her team. Aaron stood to the side, his arms wrapped tightly around his son, whose wide eyes were fixated on the 9-tiered wedding style cake that she assumed Garcia had gone to great lengths to procure. She smiled to herself, enjoying the simple innocence the child had in that moment. Jack caught her eye and flushed, smiling sheepishly before burying his head into his father's side. Rossi noticed the boy's reaction and chuckled. He gave JJ a wink and smiled when she grinned in response.

Emily was next. The brunette hadn't taken her eyes off of her friend from the moment the younger agent had stepped outside. She had noticed the lighter coloring of the bruises that covered JJ's face, the way the blonde agent was positioned against Morgan's body so that she could stand more comfortably. She had also noticed how JJ winced every time she took a breath and the way she held herself so as not to aggravate her injuries further. JJ tried to ignore the prying gaze as best she could, but when Emily's eyes met her own, she couldn't resist giving her signature glare. Emily held back a snort of laughter, relieved that JJ had recovered enough of her spirited self to risk giving her one of those looks. She rolled her eyes at the blonde agent, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Struggling to maintain the fierce gaze she had on Emily, JJ turned to the person standing next to the brunette agent.

This man said no words. He simply walked across the courtyard, his pace even and deliberate. Without any hesitation, he stepped up the stairs into her arms, burrowing his face in her neck, wrapping his arms around her body in a protective embrace. She held him there for what seemed like a lifetime, unable to let go. Spence. The two of them had been through so much over the past years. She'd left him once and he'd gotten kidnapped and tortured at the hands of Tobias Hankel. He'd left her once and she'd been attacked by a deranged pack of feral dogs. And that was just that one time. They'd gone to hell and back for this job. But what happened these last few weeks had pushed the bar too high. Neither of them would have come back from that if things hadn't gone so well considering what could have happened. She would've been dead. And he would've wished he was too.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and reached her arms around to push him gently back. He stared into her watery eyes, tears streaming down his face. "JJ?"

"We're gonna be okay." She gripped his arms tightly, her voice breaking as she struggled to hold whatever composure she had left. "Spence, do you hear me? We're gonna be okay."

He grinned through his tears. "If you had told me that a week ago, I wouldn't believe you."

She lost it, crying harder now, covering her face with her trembling hands. Laughing, he grabbed her and pulled her shaking form against his body, holding her as she sobbed against his chest. "You dumbass," she growled through her tears, sniffling and laughing and crying.

He kissed the top of her head, still laughing. "No, you."

She pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "Now I look insane." She laughed. "Look at what you did to me, Spence."

He chuckled. "You look fine. Besides, I'm sure no one here cares how badly your makeup is smudged. We're all just happy you're alive."

"What? It's smudged?" She frantically rubbed under her eyes. Groaning, she gave up. Aw, hell with it. She met Reid's amused grin with a short smile before turning over to look at Morgan who had stepped back to give the two agents the space they needed. "I heard there was cake?"

Derek grinned at the two of them, and then moved to his left to reveal an absolutely glowing Penelope Garcia. The eccentric tech-wiz squealed, running over to give her best friend a hug. JJ laughed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh god, I swear I've never cried so much in my life until right now." Garcia let go of her friend and cupped the blonde agent's face in her hands. "No tears. This is a celebration of your life and I will not have tears ruining that."

"Even if they're happy tears?"

Garcia winked and nodded. "Even if they're happy tears."

JJ closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing away the tears. "Got it."

When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to find that her team had gathered around her. Rossi and Hotch and Jack. Emily and Garcia. Spence and Morgan. She smiled shyly, unsure of what to say to them. But the looks on their faces said enough. She didn't have to say anything at all because she'd already given them what they wanted: herself, alive and well and back in action.

Suddenly, she felt something behind her. Startled, she whipped around. "Will!" She leaped into her lover's arms, catching him by surprise. "Well, hey there, pretty lady!" He laughed with her, spinning her around with gentle ease until she protested.

"Will, I love you, but my ribs don't right now."

He quickly set her down. "Oh, sorry."

Smiling, she gave him a reassuring kiss. "It was worth it."

He chuckled. "Yeah, and I've got something worth more."

He motioned over at Emily, who had picked up and was now holding a squirming Henry.

Without a second thought, JJ rushed to Emily, who gently placed the little boy in her waiting arms. Rocking him back and forth, she held her son close to her heart, relishing in the warmth of his soft skin. She looked down at Henry who met her eyes with a wide grin.

"I made this for you, Mommy."

He held out a drawing. "See? It's you and me and Daddy. And we're all together and happy."

She smiled at him. "Yes we are."

She kissed the top of his blonde head, and then looked back up at her family.

"Yes we are."

Each of them had given so much of themselves for her to be here. They'd gone through her hell with her and had carried her with them and out the other side to a more peaceful end. To a new beginning, one that she would cherish forever. She'd like to say she'd never given up on the people she loved. She'd like to say that she'd come out of the whole ordeal with the same strength she'd had in her before. But she hadn't. And it made her realize that she was indeed stronger than she'd imagined. To put herself through such a traumatic experience and still manage to hold onto the parts of herself she'd let go of in that basement dungeon? And not only to do that, but to also use the weaknesses she'd felt to build herself into a stronger person instead of letting them break her down? That was impressive. And she had the people standing in front of her right now to thank for that. They never let her go. Even when she gave up on herself, they refused to abandon her. She owed them everything.

It was Garcia who broke the pleasurable silence. First, she handed out glasses of champagne to the adults in the room. Then, she offered Henry and Jack cups of grape juice which they eagerly accepted. Once she was sure everyone each held a (very) full glass, she cleared her throat. "I propose a toast."

Derek and Emily yelled, "Hear, hear!" with Reid standing awkwardly between them. JJ snorted in laughter at the sight, although she kept half of her attention on Henry who was close to spilling his half cup of juice on her shirt. Rossi whispered in her ear, "Be nice, it's a growing experience for him." That comment caused her to snort even louder, jostling Henry around. "No, stop, you'll make him spill all over me."

Will leaned over. "You know, I can take him for you." She gave him a warm smile. "Thanks, but I think the spill would be worth it. It's been too long since I've held him like this." He responded by carefully hugging them both, not willing to test her brave words.

"Ehem!" Garcia shot them each a glare, waiting for them to quiet down. Once it was completely silent, she began to speak, raising her glass in the air.

"I won't talk about the horrible past because we've done enough of that for a lifetime. I won't mention what we do every day because it's a difficult job that costs more lives than it saves and we don't always beat the bad guys. But I will mention the fact that we make a difference in the world. There are those wonderful days when we don't get there too late, we do get the bad guy, and we are the heroes. And I know that we all live for those days because they make the rest of our job worth it. I wanted to make this toast out to JJ for obvious reasons. She's the strongest, bravest, most beautiful and daring woman I know, and I need her to know that she is loved and cherished by each and every one of us. We need you, Jayje. But after the last few weeks, I think she's already come to realize that. So I decided to make this toast to family. To beating the odds. To finding the light at the end of the tunnel when everything else has gone dark. To the people we all have in our lives who make us better for just knowing them and what they have to offer us. We are a family, and we are those people. And I couldn't have wished for a better life than the one I have with you guys. Thank you."

They raised their glasses in succession, taking in the words that had just been spoken. JJ looked over at all the people she knew she had, and she realized the full truth of Garcia's words. "To family," she offered, her voice loud and strong.

"To family," they answered in whole.

And in that moment, they realized they were satisfied enough with the simple truth that they would continue their lives knowing that it would never be like it was before.

THE END.

"Every ending is also a beginning; we just don't know it at the time. I'd like to believe that's true." ~SSA Emily Prentiss

A/N: So that's it, gentle viewers. THE END. I'm sad to see it end, and I think that's why it took me so long to post this final chapter. Thank you all so much for being a part of this journey with me. I've finally completed this story, and while it took me longer than I hoped to finish it, I hope you understand how much it means to me. I wish you all the best. - Selfless-Touched-Storyteller