Written for the Fanfiction Challenge Round THREE

Prompts: JJ/Rossi; first-edition book, glass pitcher, the local park.

A/N: This is set roughly after season 5.
This isn't my usual and isn't, strictly-speaking, a JJ/Rossi story but they both play big parts in it.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

-x-x-x-x-

The team had gathered at the local park that afternoon; the sun was high in the sky and the air was still and filled with laughter and the sound of happy people finally being able to relax after a completely hellish week.

They had been on one of the worst cases they had had in a long time; the UnSub had always seemed to be one step ahead of them as he upped his kills to multiple in a day. It had frustrated and even angered them all with each kill and each lost lead. They had eventually caught the S.O.B but that would never bring back all those people he had killed purely to try to prove that he was better than the authorities, better than them. It had struck to the core of each member of the team and, as JJ looked around at her friends she could see just how much this break in the sunshine was needed to cleanse each and every one of them.

Garcia, dressed in her ever colourful attire, was talking animatedly with Reid and Morgan, her usually rosy complexion was slightly paler than usual and her eyes still held traces of the horrors she had witnessed, JJ understood that although the physical signs may fade in time the horrors would never really leave her red headed friend. Reid was spouting facts from his lips almost as an automatic response to people's words, but JJ could see the slight tension just below the surface of his brown eyes; it would take time for him to believe that there had been nothing more they could have done, nothing more he could have done in the time, no matter what facts he had come up with at the time. Guilt was a fickle thing. Morgan had his walls up, that was for sure, she could see it from there, although they did lower somewhat when Garcia turned her attention back to him, but from the slight slumping of his posture she knew that he definitely was carrying the burden just like the rest of them. JJ wondered if his faith would hold strong after this one or if he would be left doubting once more. Rossi was yet to turn up, but JJ knew that when he did he would hide his inner turmoil like a champ; he had had more practice than the rest of them after all. Hotch was as stoic as ever, not a single emotion concerning the case fleeting across his features, but there was that soft smile that graced his lips as he watched Jack playing, running around in happy circles on the grass next to the picnic mat with his red toy airplane zooming and whooshing around above his head that told JJ everything she needed to know.

His son was his remedy, his elixir of life so to speak, and as JJ looked down at Henry banging happily at his toy xylophone with a toothy grin stretched across his face she realised that Henry was hers as well. He was the light in her life, especially now that Will had dropped his bomb on her and tried to wash it away with promises and apologies in his southern drawl:

"I slept with her." He had finally admitted. "I'm sorry Jen, it didn't mean anything! It was only the once and it'll never happen again!" He had promised. "She doesn't mean anything, I love you and I love our son. I want us to be a family like always. I love you." He had pleaded with her, his sad eyes not doing anything to appease her broken heart when he had spoken the words she had dreaded to hear the second she questioned the relationship between him and his temporary partner. He had broken down and admitted it all then and there, beneath her hard stare before her eyes welled with tears and she had kicked his sorry ass out of the house. Sometimes, and then had definitely been one of those times, she really did wish she had never picked anything up from her profiler friends.

Now, her little boy was all she had of her broken marriage; him and the memories that were now tarnished by her ass of a husband and his inability to keep it in his pants.

JJ sighed loudly as her mind dwelled on these thoughts, plaguing her with worries, inadequacies, and generally too much thinking for her already taxed brain to handle. It distracted her from the horrors of the case but JJ knew that it wasn't a helpful distraction, it was a hurtful one. And definitely not one that she wanted to dwell on either. In order to distract herself from both things, JJ looked back down at her son with his cherubic face and his toothy smile as he made 'music' for them all to listen to. She couldn't help but smile back at him. He was the antidote to her wallowing.

-x-x-x-x-

"I don't want to alarm you, chicken," Garcia said, taking a seat next to JJ, giving her arm a soft squeeze. "But your no good ex is heading this way, and he looks a little bit worse for wear."

JJ looked up at her friend's words; taking in Will's dishevelled appearance and his meandering walk as he made his way towards their picnic mat. It was as he drew nearer and nearer, her name falling from his lips in slurs that she noticed the stares and whispers of those other park dwellers around them and her cheeks began to flame. This was her personal life on show for them all to see, and to hear, as Will had now begun to screech his apologies in her general direction as he continued on his stumbling path towards them.

Seeing the team snap high alert, each of them ready to jump up and stop him from coming any closer, JJ stood up shakily, passing Henry to Garcia as she straightened her back, pushed her shoulders back and walked with her head held high towards an obviously very drunk Will, ready to smooth the situation over and send him packing once more. She blocked off her emotions and walked forward with a determined stride, pretending she was on a case and dealing with obnoxious reports rather than her intoxicated ex.

"Will." She said loudly as she approached him with an air of authority about her. "You need to be quiet and leave. There are children and families here. Now is not the time."

"So when is the time Jennifer?" He demanded; his blood shot eyes boring in to hers. "You don't want to know and I just want to tell you how sorry I am, how much I love you, I want you to come home Jen. Please, you have to!" He said somewhat desperately. "I need you to come home! Henry needs a family; we need to be together, for our son. I love you."

"Not here Will." She said calmly, not letting his words get to her, not letting them snake around her heart traitorously. "I'll talk to you tomorrow when you've had a chance to sober up and I've had a chance to wind down, it's been a hellish week as it is without-"

"It's always that! 'It's been a bad week.'; 'It's been a bad case, I'm not in the mood.' You drove me to it! If you hadn't been so caught up in work and –"

THWACK. He stumbled back, almost falling over his own feet at the impact of JJ's hand against his cheek.

Will's eyes were wide as he clutched at his face in shock, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to form his next argument.

He was interrupted when a gruff voice spoke to his right hand side: "That's enough, son." Came none other than David Rossi's deep voice. "It's time for you to leave."

"But I'm not done explaining, Dave! I need to tell her-"

"You've said enough, and you're in no state to be saying a thing. You'll only regret it in the morning." Rossi said calmly but forcefully. "Come with me, you need to sober up." He said, broking no arguements and leading the younger man away from the group, sending a small smile over his shoulder at JJ he mouthed: "I'll make sure he sobers up."

Nodding gratefully at Rossi she turned back towards her team, ignoring the stares from those around them, and reclaiming her seat in the sun. She took Henry from Garcia's outstretched arms and hugged him to her body, breathing in the smell of his baby shampoo as she nuzzled his soft hair.

"You alright Jayje?" Emily asked, handing her a napkin to wipe the tears she hadn't even realised were falling.

"No, I'm not. But I will be, in time." She said, wiping the tears away and letting a wriggling Henry down to play once more. She didn't look up at her companions on the grassy lawn, instead focusing on her son, her antidote and her light at the end of the tunnel.

-x-x-x-x-

"Drink up, son." Rossi said; pouring Will some water from the glass pitcher the pretty waitress had brought over to the table from them upon Rossi's request as he pushed his drunk 'companion' into a booth.

Rossi had brought him to the diner across the street intending to give the younger man some well placed advice and something to think about. So, when he polished off the first glass of water, Rossi poured him another before sitting back in his seat and beginning to talk quietly.

"You screwed up." He said simply. "You really screwed up. It's not up to any of us; it's up to JJ alone, but, just so you know...if it were up to Morgan your neck would be snapped already." He said matter-of-factly and watched as Will gulped. "If it were up to Garcia you'd be simply erased; if it were up to Hotch you'd never get another job in your life; if it were up to Prentiss you'd be castrated and if was up to me you wouldn't have been so idiotic to have done it in the first place." Rossi finished with a sad sigh and a shake of his head at Will's stupidity. "You had a family; a gorgeous wife, a fantastic son and a wonderful home but you threw it all away for what? A quick lay?" Rossi snorted. "Was it worth it?" He asked before answering himself: "Course it wasn't." Will sensed that the man across from him was talking from experience and his protests died before they even reached his lips.

"You need to get your act together, stop grovelling. She's not going to forgive you in a day, a week or a month. Give her time. Write her a letter that she can open whenever she is ready, right now it is all too raw and everything is too much for her pretty little blonde head to deal with. Tell her all you're feeling, apologise once more and with feeling. But do not make excuses for it, she deserves better than that."

"Tell her that you still want to see your son, tell her that you respect her decision but you would like to remain a part of your son's life. Keep in there, be there for her, and, if I know Jennifer Jareau, eventually she will find it in her heart to forgive you, maybe not completely but enough to grant you that much. She will not forget, she will not trust you with her heart for a long time and nothing will be the same but it can be made to work, for the sake of your son."

"You sound like you're talking from experience." Will comments, Rossi's every word now etched into his brain.

"I am." Rossi replies simply, refilling Will's glass before getting up to leave, "Maybe you won't screw it up like I did though." He comments over his shoulder leaving Will to mull over his words. Rossi just hoped that he would take his advice.

-x-x-x-x-

8 Months Later

JJ jumped slightly when the car horn sounded announcing Will's arrival even though she had been expecting him any minute now. Jumping up eagerly and heading for the door JJ couldn't help but smile as she saw Will holding Henry's hand as her son toddled towards her on his own two feet. It certainly was a heart warming sight. No matter what had happened between them she still loved Will for giving him her wonderful son and these wonderful moments, and she knew that in her heart of hearts she would always love Will just for being him. However, that didn't mean that she was ready to allow her heart to love him completely once again.

Smiling and cooing her greetings to her son as he was led to her arms by Will she knew that no matter what had happened this moment was perfect, absolutely perfect.

"He's getting more confident with it now." Will said proudly with his half smile that she had always found so endearing, and if she was honest still did.

"Are you walking yourself now slugger? Can you walk to momma?" She asked, crouching down in front of him, her face lighting up with surprise and happiness as Will let go of his hand and he began making his way towards her on slightly unsteady feet.

When he reached her she lifted him into her arms and heard him giggle as her hair tickled his face. Oh how she had missed him. It was the same every time he was staying with Will, the pang of loneliness when she woke up in their empty house, the longing for him to come home so that she could hug him, kiss him, even just make him breakfast.

"Mom missed you, sweetie." She whispered into his ear before standing back up with him in her arms to say goodbye to Will for another week.

"Same times next weekend?" Will asked, trying not to stare at her; in the twilight she looked gorgeous, her pale skin translucent and her blonde hair shimmering in the last light. He really missed her, he found himself still thinking about her all the time, what she was doing, what she was thinking, if she was happy. Sometimes, late at night when he was lying trying to get to sleep or randomly when he was standing in the queue at the store he would be remember his and Rossi's chat and he would wonder if she had read his letter yet, if she had opened the envelope and read the paper on to which he had poured his heart. He assumed she had, and yet she hadn't mentioned it.

"Yeah." She said softly. "Thanks for taking such good care of him, and for keeping me updated." She said referring to his regular texts to tell her how Henry was doing at that he was missing his mommy. It was like he knew that she would miss him so much, and that those little updates would keep her going. She shouldn't have been surprised, Will still knew her; he had been her longest and most serious relationship after all. She had thought he would be her last. She sighed somewhat sadly as she watched him turn and head back to his car. It was when her son made a noise of protest at his father's retreating back that JJ called out on impulse:

"Will," she called across the drive. "Why don't you come in for a cup of tea? It seems Henry'd like you to stay a little longer." She said with a chuckle. He accepted gladly and followed through what had once been their house but no longer was. It caused his heart to pang at the thought. He had been so idiotic, and if he could do it over he never would have done it in the first place: Rossi had been right; it had not been worth it. However, he had known that since the second his lips had touched Harriet's and it hadn't stopped him then. He just wished he could go back and tell himself not to do it, not to be so foolish. But he couldn't, he had to live with the consequences of his actions. Right now, however, sitting in his old kitchen chatting to JJ as if no time had passed and there was no bad blood between them while their son played on the floor at their feet Will thought that it was pretty much perfect.

An hour or so later as JJ was walking him to the door, a sleeping Henry cradled in her arms he couldn't help but ask softly: "Did you ever read it Jayje?"

She didn't even need to ask what, she knew instinctively. "I did." She replied, equally softly. "I know you still love me Will, and I know I still love you, but I can't trust you with my heart right now. I don't know if I ever will be able to, but we work like this, and I am grateful to whatever god is out there that we are making this work."

"I can understand that." He said sadly, his eyes showing just how deep that sadness ran as he looked back at her. "Tell Rossi thank you from me will you Jayje? He'll know what for. Tell him that I'm not going to screw it up."

She nodded, indicating that she would do that, while somewhat confused as to why she was telling Rossi anything from Will. She remembered the second the door clicked shut behind him that Rossi had been the one to take him away to sober up after the park incident, and after working with some of the best agents in their field she was more than qualified to put two and two together. It was David Rossi she should be thanking for giving Will a push in the right direction and for getting them to this point not whatever deity there was out there.

Tucking Henry in to bed a few minutes later she resolved to send him something as a thank you for getting them to where they were now: to the point where they were working as perfectly as they could to give their son the love and care he deserved and to the point that she could feel a shift occurring in their relationship; what it was she wasn't quite sure yet, but she knew that in time they would figure it out.

-x-x-x-x-

Sitting down at his desk, David Rossi eyed the brown paper wrapped parcel sitting square in the middle of the desk and the familiar cursive of JJ's handwriting on the front: Dave. He picked it up, his fingers un-sticking the sticky tape she had used to wrap it up. It was a book, that he was almost positive of, but the question of why plagued his mind. She had answered that inside. On top of an almost mint condition Catcher in the Rye sat a piece of card with more of her familiar handwriting standing out from its white background:

Thank you for whatever you said to him back then, Dave. You've done more than you know.

Jennifer x