Author's Note: This was written for Leila Grant, who was having a rough day and requested a Jack/Henry story to cheer her up. I hope you approve, Leila!

A Brother's Work Is Never Done

"Jacky! Jacky, wake up!" Five-year-old Henry shouted, roughly shaking his step-brother's arm.

Jack opened his eyes with a groan. "What is it, Henry?"

Henry jumped up onto the bed, knocking Jack around. "Today's the day!"

"What day?" the eight-year-old questioned, his brain not firing on all cylinders just yet.

"The first day of school!" Henry squealed, flopping down next to Jack and kicking his feet excitedly against the bed.

Jack looked over at the window. "It's still dark. It's not time to get ready for school yet."

Jack tucked Henry under his blanket, ignoring Henry's whining. Henry laid his head on Jack's shoulder and sucked on his own ring and pinky fingers. He reached up to play with Jack's hair, lulling Jack back to sleep.

"Jacky?" Henry asked around his fingers.

"Yeah?" Jack mumbled.

Henry hesitated. "Are they going to like me at school?"

Jack rolled his eyes, but replied, "Of course! You're the bestest five-year-old in the world."

"But what happens when I turn six?"

Jack smiled. "Then, you'll be the bestest six-year-old in the world."

"Jacky?" Henry asked after a few minutes.

"Henry, go to sleep!" Jack ordered.

"But, Jacky-"

"What?" Jack shouted in a hushed tone.

Henry rolled over and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Jacky."

Jack chuckled. "I love you, too. Now, go to sleep."

"Jack. Jack," a sweet voice called out waking him from his slumber a couple of hours later. "Jacky-boy, it's time to get up."

Jack opened his eyes to see his step-mom leaning over him. She was gently stroking his hair to bring him further into wakefulness. "Morning, JJ. Where's Henry?"

"Right here!" Henry popped his head around his mother, grinning at Jack. He was already dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a bright orange shirt with a dump truck on it. "Mama said it's time to get ready for school. School! School! I love school!"

JJ smirked at her son's antics. "Henry, why don't you go see if Daddy Aaron's done making breakfast?"

"Yay!" he cheered, skipping out of the room.

"So, when did Henry sneak in here? JJ asked Jack, sitting on his bed.

Jack shrugged. "It was still dark out, but I could hear the birds."

She reached over and hugged him tight. "You are such a good big brother. Do you need anything before I go downstairs?"

Jack shook his head. He smiled at the kiss to his forehead that she gave him. Jack leapt out of bed when JJ closed the door, quickly dressing in shorts and a blue t-shirt. Jack headed to the kitchen to find JJ and Henry sitting at the table while his dad was putting the last pancake on the plate, humming while he did so. His dad was always humming or singing or laughing lately.

"Can I wear my blue shirt like Jacky's?" Henry asked as Jack sat down.

JJ frowned, not wanting to make Jack feel uncomfortable. "Wouldn't you rather wear the shirt that you have on? You love trucks."

"I wanna look like Jacky!" Henry protested.

"I'll help you find your shirt after breakfast, Henry," Jack assured him. His face turned red when JJ beamed at him and Hotch kissed the top of his head.

Breakfast passed by quickly and uneventfully as Henry's incessant chattering filled up the kitchen. JJ cleared the dishes while Jack took Henry upstairs to change shirts and brush their teeth. Hotch grabbed backpacks and shoes. They all met at the front door to put on the final touches before hoping in the SUV for school.

"Jacky?" Henry asked, quietly, from his booster seat. He eyed his parents in the front to make sure they weren't listening. Jack turned to face him. "What if the other kids won't play with me?"

"Then, we'll play together whenever we see each other," Jack replied, patiently.

"But, what if they're mean to me?"

"Then, you tell them who your big brother is and if they're mean, they're gonna have to answer to me." In the front seat, Hotch and JJ exchanged amused glances at Rossi's influence over their oldest son.

Henry frowned. "What if the teacher is mean?"

"Then you come find me and we'll call Mama and Daddy to come talk to her."

"We're here," Hotch announced, pulling into the parking lot. He lifted Henry from his booster seat and put him on the ground. Hotch grabbed Henry's shoulder and pointed. "Look, Henry! Who's that?"

Henry's face lit up when he saw Will standing about ten feet away on the sidewalk. He ran into Will's arms, yelling, "Daddy!"

"Hey, slugger," Will replied. "Are you ready for your first day?"

Henry nodded. "Me and Jacky have it all planned out. If the teacher's mean to me, Jacky's going to bear her up and Mama's gonna arrest her."

"Is that so?" Will laughed as Henry nodded again and Jack shook his head. Will greeted the rest of the family warmly. "Are you ready to go inside?"

"Meet you out here?" Hotch muttered to JJ, who agreed. Hotch touched Jack's shoulder, intending to lead him to his classroom.

"Wait!" Henry called out. "Jacky has to walk me to my classroom or no one's gonna know who my big brother is!"

Jack simply held out his hand to Henry while the adults sputtered out excuses for him not to. He walked Henry proudly into the school followed by Will, JJ, and Hotch. Jack ignored the teasing from the other kids over holding hands with a "baby" as they went.

"Hello, Mrs. Bridges," Jack said, politely, walking up to the teacher. He had had her a few years earlier. "This is my brother, Henry. Henry, this is your teacher, Mrs. Bridges.

The teacher crouched down next to Henry. "Hello, Henry. It's wonderful to meet you. You have a great big brother." Henry grinned widely ay Jack. Mrs. Bridges took Henry's hand. "I think, though, that we have to let Jack get to his classroom now."

"Bye, Henry." Jack waved, keeping his voice cheerful. "Don't forget. Aunt Jessica is picking us up after school. We'll come get you from here."

"I won't forget," Henry affirmed. "Bye, Jacky."

Jack and Henry left the kindergarten classroom to head to his own third grade classroom. Jack hugged his father good-by before walking inside. He introduced himself to his teacher, making sure she knew that he had a younger brother who might be looking for him later, just in case. Hotch returned outside to wait for JJ, his heart bursting with pride over the son he had raised.

"So, how was the first day of school, guys?" Hotch asked as they all say down to dinner.

"It was awesome!" Henry exclaimed. "We got to color and read a story! I didn't like naptime, but we got to play outside and I got to see Jacky. But there were some kids that laughed at me when I hugged Jacky. Jacky told them to stop being mean and hugged me back. The kids were mean to Jacky, but he didn't care."

Jack shrugged when Hotch and JJ looked at him. "It wasn't a big deal. Oh, my teacher has some papers for you to sign. They're in my backpack."

"We can do that after dinner," JJ told him.

"Jacky, you wanna play cars after dinner?" Henry begged.

Jack nodded. "Sure."

"Only for a little while. It's late and you guys have to get baths and get to bed," Hotch said. "Tomorrow's another school day."

Henry cheered. "School day! School day!"

"So, did school really go okay?" JJ asked Jack as she ticked him into bed. "Do I need to talk to someone about teasing?"

Jack shook his head. "It really wasn't a big deal. I promise."

"Henry's asking for you," Hotch said, walking into the room.

JJ nodded. She kissed Jack's forehead and hugged him. "I really am so proud of you."

"Thanks, JJ. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Jack waited until JJ left and Hotch took her place on his bed. He eyed Hotch suspiciously. "Dad, are you sure that the baby JJ's going to have is a girl?"

"We're sure," Hotch affirmed, thinking of the tests they had run.

"Oh, good," Jack breathed out. "I don't think I can be a big brother to another boy. I'm exhausted."

Hotch laughed as he tucked Jack in and kissed him good night. His only thought as he turned out Jack's light was "Yeah, just wait until she's a teenager, buddy."

THE END