"Finch," JJ whispered, gently handing Reid the baby. "Yes, it's a name from the book."
"To Kill A Mockingbird, that's…that's a nice reference. That book made waves in—" Spencer Reid almost never stopped when he'd started on a particular tangent, but the baby in his arms-sweet little Finch-had made a soft noise and seemed intent on snuggling close to him. He smiled. For some reason, he felt a strong bond to the baby; it was probably his closeness to the mother. Jennifer Jarreau-JJ-was his best friend, after all.
JJ watched Reid cradle Finch and felt her heart swell at the glaringly obvious, instantaneous bond between the two. It made what she was about to do both easier and harder. She glanced at the doorway for a moment, mind flashing back to the conversation she'd had hours before. The goodbye.
Her train of thought would have gone farther, but Reid had finally found his voice again and was holding the baby out to her. "I might break him, he's so tiny!"
It was time. JJ took a deep breath and took the little one in her arms, a tremor going through her. It wasn't lost on Reid.
"Something wrong? Do you want me to get Will?"
The blonde shook her head. "He's…he's not coming," she began, already feeling the tears building. She focused on her breathing, although her breath caught in her throat when Reid instinctively went to settle next to her, an arm around her. She fought to keep it together, keeping Finch closer. "Will…Will left this morning. And he's not coming back."
"What? Why? Where did he go? Is he coming back?" Reid stuttered, wide-eyed. He couldn't imagine anyone leaving JJ, let alone leaving JJ just when they'd had a baby. "Finch…what about Finch? Is he crazy? Did he get cold feet?"
The lanky boy's panic was interrupted when JJ burst into tears, averting her gaze.
"Will left because I told him the truth, Spence," she hiccuped. "I told him the truth about my feelings…I told him the truth about Finch."
Reid's eyes grew wide. "JJ, what…?"
Breathing deeply, the blonde steadied herself, holding little Finch out to Reid again.
"Finch isn't Will's, Spence. He's…he's yours. Ours. Finch is our son."