This one shot is set three months after 200. I couldn't take this idea out of my head so I wrote it. Hope you like it.
English is not my first language, so forgive me any mistakes.
I don't own Criminal Minds.
"Chief Cruz?" Roberta opened the glass door of his boss' office, waiting for his answer. It was already 6 pm; time to go home. But one last thing had to be done.
"Yes?" Cruz raised his head from a file he was reading. He knew it was already late and time for Roberta to go, so he imagined she was just there to say goodbye. He, in other hand, had a lot more things to do, three months of late work that he had to catch up on, so his time to go home was very far.
"William LaMontagne is outside and he wants to speak with you. I know he doesn't have an appointment scheduled but." Cruz didn't even wait for his secretary to finish her sentence. He knew who LaMontagne was, JJ's husband. He knew who he was but they had never talked properly, they had just exchanged a few words the day after his and JJ's kidnap, when the blonde made sure to visit her friend at the hospital. Her husband, of course, went along, wishing for him to get better as well.
"Let him come in." Cruz replied to Roberta, closing the file at his desk.
"I will." The brunette skinny woman replied to her boss, her purse already in her shoulder. "And I'm already going home." She made a sign with her hand.
"See you tomorrow, Roberta." He smiled.
"You too." The woman smiled and closed the door behind her. Cruz could see her talking with someone outside. And a few seconds later, as Roberta left her room, William LaMontagne entered Cruz's office, one of his hands opening the door and the other one in his jacket's pocket.
"Mr. LaMontagne." Cruz got up from his seat and extended his hand to the man in front of him. Will took his hand off his jacket's pocket and shook the hand of his wife's boss and friend.
"Chief Cruz. Please call me Will." Will put his hands back at his pockets as Cruz walked from behind his desk, addressing himself to the sofa set in his office.
"And you can call me Matt." Cruz said as he sat in one of the sofas and motioned for Will to sit in the other one in front of him. Will nodded and sat in front of the man. "Is everything ok? Is there somehow I can help you?" Cruz asked a little bit worried. He had seen JJ earlier at the office, she seemed fine to him and it was at least what she had told him. But now her husband was in his room talking to him and he couldn't help but wonder if there was something happening that he wasn't aware.
"Oh, no, everything is fine." Will shook his head, leaning himself forward and supporting his elbows at his legs. "JJ got back at work today, I don't know if you saw her. She's getting better, she's seeing a therapist and she's now able to sleep a whole night without waking up with nightmares, so we're improving." Cruz nodded, a smile appearing in his face.
"Yes, I saw Jennifer this morning and she really seemed better. I'm glad that she's recovering, not that I ever doubted of that, she's a though woman." Will let out a little laugh, nodding.
"That she is." The southern man smiled, starring down the floor for a second.
"So?" Cruz asked, not sure of where the conversation was leading.
"JJ told me everything that happened. In Afghanistan and when you were kidnapped." Cruz nodded at the man's words, waiting for him to continue. "She told me that you were the only one who knew about our baby back then and how you supported her overseas when she lost it. She also told me how Hastings was close to, you know." Will swallowed hard, these were though topics for him too but he needed to that. "How Hastings was close to rape her but you didn't allow it, giving him the code." Cruz nodded, giving him a half smile.
"My wife is a pretty strong woman. She mourned quietly and alone for 3 years the loss of our baby and I watched how everything changed her. I can't even imagine half of the pain that she had been through in Afghanistan or in Askari's and Hastings' hands. But I know that if that man had gone any further, she could never be the same woman anymore." Will took a deep breath.
"Well, I'm not here to brag myself about her or make you relive that moment that I have no doubt, it was difficult to you too. I just came here to thank you." Matt stared at the man in front of him, the man that was clearly in love for the woman who he talked about and whose voice was failing just with the thought of another man touching her.
"You are thanking me?" Matt let those words sink, words about the woman he admired for her strength and determination.
"You were there for her when I couldn't." Will explained. "You were the first one who knew about the baby and the one who told her that she had lost. She told me how you asked a million of times if she needed to talk about that and how she was stubborn as always, declining the offers. You had her back in Afghanistan against the prejudice of all the men that were against the beautiful blonde of the FBI that in their minds was not capable of working on the Middle East. And you kept having her back when you two were in the hands of those men. You didn't let her be raped and well, you took care of her." Will finished speaking, taking a deep breath.
"It was my job to have her back, Will." Cruz gave him a smile. "But I won't deny that we developed a relationship stronger than boss and employee. We had each other's back and I felt responsible for her, especially after what happened involving the baby." Will nodded, smiling. "But I will tell you the same thing I told her. I had her back. I did what I had to do and I would do all those things all over again and you don't have to thank me."
"I'll anyway, man." Will shook his head. Cruz could consider his actions a simple act of protection and care for his friend and co worker. But for Will, those actions would always be a water division. Cruz would never understand how he had saved Will's life by saving JJ's. Will didn't know what he would do without the woman he loved. He didn't know how to live without her legs kicking his while sleeping or the smell of her lotion filling their bedroom every time she left the shower. He didn't know how to live without the warmness of her body near his or her horrible voice while singing. But worse than anything, he had no idea how he would raise their little man without her. What was he supposed to tell Henry? How was he supposed to tell the five year old that the mother he loved and adored wouldn't be able to see him on his soccer games anymore? Or take him to school or read him a bed time story? Cruz had saved JJ's life. But he had saved Will's too.
"You saved the life of the woman I love and the mother of my child. You were there for her when I couldn't and I'll be forever thankful to you. I owe you."
"You're very welcome, Will." Cruz smiled. "But you know what, just take care of her. Jennifer is a very special woman and I care a lot about her, with all the respect." Will shook his head. "Just stay by her side and take care of her. Your debt will be paid with honors." Will laughed and Cruz ended up laughing too. Will smiled and looked at his watch, noticing that it was already late.
"Time to go?" Cruz asked.
"Yeah, JJ is taking some medicines so I'll be picking her up for the next few weeks till she is allowed to drive again." Will explained as he got up from the sofa. "And speaking about medicines, your stab?" Will motioned to Cruz's abdomen.
"It's healing." Cruz nodded. "The pain is gone but the mark is still there." The Unit Chief replied, getting up from the sofa as well.
"Are you leaving too?" Will asked.
"No, I still have a lot of work to do." Cruz shook his head and Will sighed.
"Go home." The younger man told the older one. "I'll tell you the same thing I tell Jay, paperwork will wait, your child, no." Cruz let out a little laugh and smiled.
"I think you're totally right." Cruz nodded as he went to his desk and gathered some of his belongings, putting in his briefcase. Will waited for the man, watching as he left the file at the desk, not taking anything home.
"So, I told him that if he ever said that to me ever again, I would simply ignore him forever." Penelope said to JJ and the blonde laughed. The two men could see the two women heading to the elevator. "Everything ok, buttercup?" Penelope noticed how JJ typed worried at her cell phone.
"Will is going to pick me up. He said he would call me around 6, which was 25 minutes ago, but he didn't." JJ put the cell phone in her ear as Penelope noticed how worried she was. It was probably a sequel from the kidnap. She could see the fear in her friend's eyes as she didn't know about her husband and the tech was thankful for finding the man even before her friend.
"Buttercup." Penelope motioned to behind JJ, where Will and Cruz were coming from the Unit Chief's office. JJ turned around and a sigh of relief left her mouth, as her cell phone went back to her purse.
"I couldn't reach you." JJ quickly said to Will, her eyes big.
"I'm here, Cher." Will smiled, noticing how tense she was. He put one of his arms around her waist, bringing her small frame to him. Will could feel her body relaxing as they got closer, and she sighed in relief as he kissed her forehead.
"What you two were doing together?" JJ asked, taking her head off of Will's chest, but keeping their bodies close. The blonde looked at Matt, who kept starring at the pushed button of the elevator and then turned to her husband, who couldn't ignore her.
"I went to the bathroom and then I found Matt on the hallway." Will quickly explained.
"First, the bathroom is to the other side." JJ raised her eyebrow and Penelope laughed. "And second, you two now talk to each other by first name?" Matt quickly looked at Will, who did the same. Will turned back down to JJ and buried his face into her hair, kissing her head.
"Don't worry. Everything is fine." Will whispered as the elevator beeped. Cruz kept the door opened so Penelope and the couple could enter. As they entered, JJ glared at Matt, who shook his head. He knew how stubborn she was and for sure she was going to make Will speak.
/-/
"Are you going to tell me what you and Matt were talking about?" JJ looked up at Will. They were cuddled up in their couch, JJ in Will's arms and Henry in JJ's, the little boy sleeping as his mother caressed his blonde hair.
"Nothing that you have to worry about." Will smiled and leaned to kiss JJ. But the blonde was quicker and put her free hand in her husband's mouth, stopping him.
"You're not getting anything until you tell me." Will laughed and shook his head, knowing how stubborn and determined she was.
"I was just thanking him." Will said as he put JJ head in his chest and caressed her hair
"For what?" JJ asked as she took in his scent.
"For saving me." Will simply replied and JJ looked up at him, not taking her head from his chest. "He took care of you when I wasn't there and he saved you from Hastings. He saved me when he saved you." JJ smiled, kissing his chest and leaning back at his body.
"I don't know what I would do without you." She whispered, looking down at the little boy in her arms. He was sleeping soundly in his train's pajamas, his fluffy orange blanket covering his body. JJ was thankful for moments like these, with her husband and her son. On the terrible hours she spent on that basement, all she wanted was to be held by her husband one more time and hold her baby boy while caressing his blonde hair. And now she had those moments back, as Will had said, thanks to Matt.
"You're totally self sustainable. I'm the dependent one in this relationship." JJ laughed a little raising her head. Will understood her sign and leaned down, their lips sweetly touching.
"I love you." JJ whispered, a smiled forming in Will's mouth.
"I love you too." The man replied as JJ felt something moving in her legs.
"I love you three." Henry said, groggy, as he rubbed his eyes. JJ and Will both laughed, as JJ got up with the boy in her arms, his face in the crock of her neck.
"Let's go." She motioned her head to the stairs as Will got up from the couch, turning the TV off and grabbing her hand.
"Let's go."
Hope you enjoyed and tell me what you think! :)