Author's Note: I had a lot of people asking about expanding Little Secret into a series/more stories. While a series may not happen, I'm definitely going to be writing one-shots whenever inspiration strikes. Enjoy!
JJ sat on the couch opposite Emily. Elena and Henry were fast asleep in her room, which left the two of them alone to talk. She crossed her arms, looking over at Emily.
"Who knew a six year old and a four year old could wipe you out so much?"
Emily laughed softly. "Tell me about it. She's usually her own firecracker, but apparently if you add Henry into the mix? She all but multiplies into several Elenas."
JJ smirked. "At least we finally got them together for a play date. I can't say how many times Henry asked me for it."
"Oh, I got it from Elena too. Trust me, you weren't alone. 'Mommy, can I see Henry?' 'Momma, you know who I miss? Henry.' 'Mommy, Henry should come over.' 'Mommy, did JJ say if Henry could come and play?'. I don't think I could take another one." Emily poured herself a glass of wine, holding one out to JJ. "I can't remember the last time I actually got some alone time with another adult that didn't involve talking about an unsub or something involving a case."
"What, not even a date?"
"You think I can leave the house for anything without getting the third degree from my little ladybug? Besides, with what time could I date? If I'm not on a case, I'm playing dress-up or board games or watching Disney movies."
JJ rolled her eyes, sipping her wine. "I need to get you a date before you come into work humming Hakuna Matata again."
Emily gasped. "I didn't."
"Last Wednesday."
After several more stories and laughs, JJ shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Hey, Em, can I ask you something?"
Emily shrugged. "Go for it."
She cleared her throat. "I know it's none of my business, but… is Matthew Benton her father? If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. Like I said, it's none of my business. I just know he meant a lot to you, he was an old friend, and you knew him back then."
Emily froze, sighing and setting down her wine glass, all of it coming back to her. "Yeah. I was helping him get clean, and after I did, one thing led to another. We weren't safe, and by the time I found out I was pregnant with Elena, he'd relapsed. I didn't want her to have to go through that, because no child deserves to see their parent in that state."
"So, what did you do?"
She sighed again. "What any concerned parent would do. I told him that he had to make a choice. It was either continue taking the drugs, or be involved with his daughter." She shrugged slightly. "Unfortunately, the meth won, and I rarely heard from him until I heard from John that he'd died."
JJ moved closer. "I'm sorry… was he ever involved?"
"He tried. He actually really tried in the beginning. So hard. He'd stop by with presents and gifts for her, and spend time with her after she was born. He stayed clean most of my pregnancy, and then until she was around… eight months? Eventually, his cravings got too strong and I had to keep her away from him." She closed her eyes, shaking her head.
"I'm so sorry, Em."
She shook her head again, exhaling. "She actually has a piece of him with her every day. My mother wanted me to give her the middle name 'Bea', and I told her that was happening over my dead body. I wanted Matthew to feel included, even if he wasn't actually around. Her middle name is actually 'Benton'. She's never asked me about it, and she seems to like it, because it's not 'dumb and girly' like everyone else's. Her words, not mine."
JJ laughed softly. "Oh, she's a feisty one."
Emily smiled slightly, nodding. "He actually left her a few things when he died, and I plan to give them to her one day. My mother always talks about him with disgust and hatred, but I don't want her to see her father that way. He may no longer be here, but he's still her father, and I want her to have her own impression. There's letters he'd written to her, pictures of them two of them together, some toys, and details for a college fund he'd started with his parents' money. It's just… I'm not sure she's ready for it now."
"I'm sure the time will come," JJ said, patting her arm. "It's definitely a lot for her to take, and when you're ready for her to get it, she'll be ready to understand." She paused, something clicking in her head. "The security blanket Elena has in all of her pictures?"
She smirked. "That's from Matthew. The first gift he ever gave her, though she doesn't know it. It's actually embroidered with her initials and everything. She loves it more than anything."
"What about his parents? Have they-"
She shook her head. "Matthew's parents never liked me to begin with, dating back to when Matthew and I were teenagers. They found out I was pregnant and immediately started passing judgment on me. They wanted to do a paternity test, to prove that she was even his. It doesn't matter to them that she's the last living piece of their son. They'll never accept her because she's also my daughter."
"Well, that's definitely a dick move on their part." JJ took another sip of her wine. "Definitely their loss."
Emily looked at her. "You really think so?"
"Definitely. Not to mention that she is, by far, the coolest six year old girl on the planet."
Emily smirked. "She's definitely a character."
"And if they want to be a pair of close-minded assholes and not get to know their granddaughter? They're even worse than I thought." She reached over, rubbing Emily's arm. "You did great with her, you know. She's happy, she's healthy, well-mannered, respectful, cheerful… she's sort of perfect, Em."
Emily peeked into the bedroom from the couch and saw her fast asleep, security blanket under her arm. "They don't know what they're missing."
JJ shook her head. "Definitely not." She reached over, wrapping her arms around Emily and pulling her into a hug and patting her back. "You win, they suck, end of story."
Emily smiled, shaking her head. "Do you want to stay on the couch tonight, head home with the little guy in the morning?"
"Sounds great. Should I move him, or-"
She shook her head. "They look comfortable, I don't see a reason to separate them."
"You do realize if we tell Garcia about this, we need to provide photographic evidence?"
Emily groaned, reaching over for her phone. "If they wake up, they're being shipped to her house for the rest of the weekend with a bag of candy and container of sugar. Each."