Hello out there in the Criminal Minds Fandom. This is just a short little one-shot that was bouncing around my head. I've decided to do my part in filling the void in JJ and Will fics out there. I know this isn't very long but I typed this up on my blackberry while waiting at the doctor's office. I hope you enjoy
JJ scrambled around the kitchen, trying to tidy everything from breakfast quickly before they left for the day. Satisfied with the sight before her she headed to her bedroom to change. She slipped into jeans, a white long sleeve shirt and then reached for her jersey. Will groaned behind her "So beautiful, and then you go an' ruin it with that stupid thing."
"Right back at you handsome" JJ joked indicating towards the sweatshirt he was wearing. Her mind flashed back to 15 years previous.
It was only her 3rd or 4th trip to New Orleans to be with Will. They had gone to a sports bar that had eventually become a regular haunt for them. JJ sat at a booth looking around while Will went to get drinks. He'd come back, setting 2 beers on the table and JJ smiled appreciatively taking a sip. "They're about to put the game on" he said, sitting. "Sweet" JJ grinned. Will took his sweatshirt off in the heat of the bar and JJ saw his t-shirt for the first time. She gaped. "What are you wearing!" She pointed. Will looked down to his shirt and smirked "These are the Dallas Cowboys cher. The greatest professional football team in history."
"You're not a Saints fan?" JJ asked.
"Nope. Well not really. I mean, they're okay, and I'll cheer for 'em if they're playing any team other than Dallas. But I don't follow them. I didn't really get into football until college" Will offered and JJ remembered Will telling her he had played baseball at SMU, in Dallas. JJ was still staring at Will, making him somewhat uncomfortable so he said "You follow football?" JJ shook herself. "Ya"
"You an Eagles fan?" He asked.
"Nope" she shook her head and horror spread across Will's face.
"Please don't tell me you're a Redskins fan"
"You bet your ass I am" JJ answered with a grin.
"But you're from Pennsylvania." Will countered almost half heatedly.
"Ya, but my Dad is a huge Skins fan so I grew up with them."
Will shook his head, "You can't be a Skins fan"
"Sorry pal" JJ laughed and Will looked up at her
"But how will we raise the children?" He asked with a smirk.
Their love of rival football teams was never an obstacle in their relationship though. They watched games together, Will cheering for his beloved Cowboys and JJ rooting for whomever they were playing against. Will doing the same whenever the Redskins took the field.
They hit their first football related glitch when JJ was pregnant with Henry. They had been seated side by side on the couch, watching Dallas play the Packers. The game was close and Will was muttering under his breath much to JJ's amusement. Dallas was trailing and on a second down. Will reached over and rubbed JJ's baby bump and muttered "C'mon". When Dallas completed a 20 yard pass Will cheered and jumped off the couch. On the next play the Dallas quarterback was sacked on the first down and Will swore loudly. He again reached over to rub JJ's stomach and watched as Dallas completed a rushing play for another first down. As Dallas set up, Will reached again for JJ's stomach.
"What do you think you're doing?" JJ asked suddenly, turning her body so that the baby was out of Will's reach.
"I'm-"
"I know exactly what you're doing" JJ cut him off. "You're rubbing my stomach for good luck"
"Yeah and it's workin' " His attention flitted back to the television as Dallas threw an incomplete. "Jayje, c'mon"
"No way. He would be appalled to one day find out he helped the Cowboys win a game."
"What are you talkin' about? He'll be thrilled."
"And why would a Redskins fan be happy about helping Dallas win?"
"They wouldn't be. But as our son is going to be a Cowboys fan..."
"Over my dead body."
"C'mon Jayje you can't actually think he'd be a Skins fan?"
"We live in Quantico, Virginia Will. Of course he'll love the Skins"
"You're from Philly and you're not an Eagles fan. You love the Skins because your Daddy loves 'em. You see where I'm go in' with this." Will smirked.
"Yes but my mother has no interest in football. If she'd been an Eagles fan who knows what would've happened." Will huffed as Dallas threw a second incomplete, which caused JJ great pleasure. She smirked at him and he replied with,
"All right. We'll make a deal that he can choose to support whoever he wants. You can go on supportin' the Skins. I will continue to love the Cowboys. He can make up his own mind."
"Sounds fair." JJ consented.
"Right then," Will said reaching over to rub JJ's belly before the 3rd down. She jerked away from him again.
"I don't think so" she said. Dallas failed to achieve a 1st down on a rushing play, and Will swore as the kicker took the field.
"I thought we just agreed that the baby was neutral."
"He is. But as long as you have to go through me to get to him," JJ said gesturing to her stomach, "I will have nothing to do with helping Dallas towards a win." Will grumbled but consented. JJ had, after all, delivered a long rant just the night before about stranger's sudden urge to fondle her stomach. As far as she was concerned, being pregnant was no excuse for people to forget about boundaries and personal space.
Both JJ and Will had stuck to their agreement, both continuing to religiously watch football and supporting their respective teams but never telling Henry who to support himself. When JJ had given birth to twins Luke and Julia, she and Will had arranged the same deal. JJ was fairly confident that she had 3 future Skins fans in the bag. Once they were older and they could all go to games together, she knew her kids would fall in love with the Redskins.
But fate intervened when Henry was 6 and the twins were 3. The Skins had a mediocre season but Dallas was on fire. They went all the way to win the Superbowl that year and Henry became swept up in the excitement. He watched the games with Will and by the time Dallas was holding the Superbowl Henry was a full-blown Cowboys fan. It broke JJ's heart, not only because she had lost Henry to the dark side, but because she now knew that Luke was a lost cause because he would do whatever his big brother did.
Her silver lining came when Luke and Julia were 5 and Henry was 8. The Redskins were in Dallas and JJ and Will were already gathered around the television watching the pre game show. Henry and Luke (who was already a bona fide Cowboys fan) came in as the game was starting and plopped themselves on the floor. A few minutes later Julia came in as well. She walked past her brothers and crawled into JJ's lap on the couch. JJ smoothed her hand over Julia's hair as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder while shooting a look at her brothers. Earlier that day Henry and Luke had built a fort in Luke's room and declared it the headquarters of their Boys Only club. JJ had told them to let Julia play, but she had indignantly declared that she didn't want to play with them anyways. JJ easily saw through her daughter's words and knew that her feelings had been hurt. She knew Julia hadn't quite gotten over it, as she clearly wanted to snuggle on the couch – but obviously JJ didn't mind.
Dallas scored the first touchdown of the game and Will, Henry and Luke erupted into cheers while JJ groaned.
"Mommy?" Julia questioned, turning in JJ's lap to face her.
"Yeah Jules." JJ looked down at her daughter.
"You like the Red Skins right?" she asked, distinctly separating the name of the team.
"I sure do" JJ smiled
"I like the Red Skins too." Julia declared, shooting another look at her brothers. This did not go unnoticed by JJ but she was too elated to care that Julia was swearing allegiance to her beloved Skins in an effort to distance herself from her brothers. She was too thrilled to finally have some support in the house.
"Yes!" JJ squealed throwing her arms around Julia and pulling her into a big hug. "I knew you'd be Mommy's girl!" JJ cried, releasing Julia to find a huge grin plastered on her daughter's face.
"Jules? The Skins?" Will asked, dismayed. "Why don't you want to cheer for the Cowboys?"
"I want to be on Mommy's team." Julia answered simply. JJ squeezed her again.
"My girl." She smiled.
The Redskins went on to beat Dallas for the first time in two years that day. JJ swore that Julia's sudden allegiance to the team caused the turn around.
JJ snapped out of her memories as she heard banter coming from her kids, now aged 10 and 13, in the hall.
"We're 10 and 2 this year. You're 4 and 7." Julia taunted.
"We'll bounce back." Henry countered.
"We haven't lost to Dallas at home in 2 years." Julia continued. "It is not gonna start today."
"Yeah, we'll see Jules" Will said as he and JJ emerged from their bedroom. Julia smirked at him and Will laughed.
"You got the tickets?" he asked JJ who nodded. They left the house, and as the kids loaded into the car JJ locked the door. They made an odd group, sitting at games together. Sometimes JJ and Julia would go alone, and other times the boys would come along and cheer for whomever the Skins were playing. JJ realized that as much as she had loved football before, she loved it even more now. She loved the special days she shared alone with Julia, and she'd never imagined how much fun a game could be with 3 die-hard Cowboys fans. They needn't have worried how to raise the children with regards to football. As far as JJ was concerned, everything had turned out perfectly.
Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Your reviews are always appreciated. Cheers.