Breaking the news…

It wasn't long after Mom and Dad's wedding that I found out that Jack and I were going to be parents. I will admit, it was a bit of a shock. We still had a month of college to go and Jack was yet to secure his place on the FBI cadet intake for the fall- just because he was the son of the former BAU Section Chief did not mean that he had a guaranteed place. We decided to wait until after we had graduated to tell both sets of parents. I was planning to take a year off anyway- I couldn't decide if I wanted to go on and do more studying or look for a theology related job. A voice in the back of my head was telling me that further studying was out of the window, as I couldn't see myself getting anything done with a baby around. Trying to do college work whilst babysitting the LaMontanges or the Simmons was hard enough.

The week before we were due to graduate from Princeton, Jack got a letter in the post. It had the FBI insignia on the front. We knew what the letter would contain. It would tell us whether Jack was an FBI cadet or not.

"Jess!" he shouted as he opened the letter in the kitchen, "Jess, get in here!"

"What?" I called back as I made my way to the kitchen, "What is it?" I looked at the letter in his hand and then up at his face, which had spilt into a wide smile.

"I got in! I'm an FBI cadet!"

I grinned back. This was the news we had been hoping for, "Oh Jack!" I said, kissing him, "That's the best news ever!"

He kissed me back and his hand lowered to my stomach, "And now, we have a little bit of security for when this little one enters the world!"

I smiled, "I love you, Jack."

"I love you more." He replied before kissing me again.

So, all that was left was to tell our parents that they were going to be grandparents. This filled me with more dread than wondering whether Jack was going to make it into the FBI academy. I knew it wouldn't be the news that they wanted to hear, I mean, we were 22 after all and fresh out of college, but I hoped that they would be happy.

Jack and I arranged to tell them after his first day at the academy. We had rented a small apartment on the edges of Quantico. It wasn't much, but it was home. Mom, Dad and Aaron had helped us to move in and then it was just the two of us, on our own. To be honest, it was like college, except that Jack was always there, he didn't have to occasionally pop back to his own dorm.

Anyway, I get sidetracked.

The day that we broke the news to the would-be grandparents came. We had made plans to meet them in D.C for lunch. Mom and Dad would have been at work and Aaron was flying back from visiting his girlfriend in Seattle. Jack and I made our way to the capital and I was amazed that the city managed to take my breath away. I had never lived in the city, whether it was Bethesda or Potomac, I had always lived in the suburbs. I don't think I could handle city life every day. The city was hot (it was the middle of the summer) and Jack held my hand as we made our to Crème Restaurant and Bar. It was small and intimate which is what we needed. When we got there, we were greeted by Aaron Hotchner, who didn't look too bad seeing as he had been on a plane for 4 and a half hours. Jack immediately hugged his dad. They were all each other had since Hayley had been killed by Foyett and their bond was unbreakable. Hotch hugged me next and led us over to the table. We sat down and Jack and I got something to drink.

"How was Seattle, Aaron?" I asked, taking a sip of my lemonade (it was the only thing I trusted myself to drink at the moment).

He smiled, "Not bad thanks. Mer has some time off coming up and we were thinking that she would fly out here. I want you to meet her, Jess, and the others as well."

I smiled, touched that he thought of me first. Jack had already met her, having been on several trips to Seattle with his Dad. In fact, he spent this years Spring Break out there, while I headed to Joy's in California.

"She's a doctor, right?" I asked.

Hotch nodded, "General surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial. It's great because she understands the demands of work and doesn't get annoyed or upset if I can't talk or make a weekend out there. But now that I am no longer an FBI agent, it means I'm a lot freer and I get it if she can't talk or has to cancel a weekend trip."

Jack smiled at his Dad. He knew why his parents had split. It wasn't because they stopped loving each other, the job just got in the way and, as much as Jack loved his mom, she didn't always understand why his dad did what he did.

"How was your first day at the academy?" asked Hotch. He hadn't really approved of Jack joining the bureau but he had learnt to deal with it and accept his son's chosen career path.

Jack swallowed a mouthful of his beer and smiled, "It was great. I've got my classes all sorted and my physical test is in three weeks."

"Are you training?" asked Hotch, looking at his son. He was still very involved with his fitness and still competed in the FBI triathalon every year.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Yeah Dad, I'm training. And when I'm not training, Jess has me building things in the apartment or running errands."

Hotch laughed. "Good for her!" he said.

Jack was about to rebuke him when we were interrupted by the arrival of my parents. Erin and David Rossi strolled in, holding hands and smiling. They were still basking in that newly wed warmth. They hadn't long gotten back from their month long tour of Italy for their honeymoon. I got up and gave them both a hug. I had missed them, in between seeing them when we moved in. I know it hadn't been long, but when one of them travels a lot for work, it can feel like a lifetime in between meetings. Mom and Dad sat down at the table and we were finally able to order some food. I got a waffle with chicken on it and Jack had looked at me incredulously.

"What?" I had asked, "I'm hungry!"

Jack had smiled and placed his hand on my leg under the table.

We sat and ate and caught up with each other. The BAU was currently in a quiet period, with no requests for help on cases coming in. Dad wasn't complaining. He was working on a new book and was wanting to spend more time at home. The biggest news was the Reid and Maeve were getting married. I squealed when I heard and made a mental note to phone Spence that evening.

"But let's not dodge the bullet anymore…" Dad said, placing his knife and fork on an empty plate.

Jack and I looked at each other, "What do you mean, Dad?" I asked.

"What do you want to tell us?" he asked.

I smiled. I should have known that my father would guess there was an ulterior motive for meeting with everyone today.

"Well, we have got some news for you…" I said, smiling.

"And please, don't overreact!" added Jack, squeezing my hand.

"What is it?" asked Mom, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Well…" said Jack, looking at the three of them.

"We're pregnant!" I said, looking at my mom in particular.

There was a slight pause as everyone tried to digest what we had said. Jack placed his arm around my shoulder and squeezed gently. I held my breath, waiting for someone to say something.

"I'm going to be a grandad?" asked Hotch, calmly.

Jack nodded, "We know that we're young and that it's not ideal but we both agreed that we wanted a family and we couldn't wait until we had settled down a bit and…"

Hotch smiled, "It's ok, Jack. It's really good news. Congratulations to you both."

I let go of the breath I had been holding and got up to hug Hotch.

"Thank you!" I whispered into his ear.

I sat back down and looked at mom and dad. Mom was smiling.

"Oh baby!" she said, reaching across the table and taking my hand, "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

I looked at Jack and then looked back at her, smiling, "I have never been surer of anything in my life, Mom."

"Then I wish you every happiness. Oh, Jess!" and tears began to fall down her face. She hastily wiped them with a napkin and looked at Dave. I looked at him too, waiting for him to reply.

"Jess," he said, looking at me, "You let me into your life as a stranger who was dating your mom. Then you found out that I was your father and that opened the door to a whole bunch of new memories and adventures, including the possibility of me being a grandad." He paused and his faced relaxed into a smile, "While I am surprised to be making these memories earlier than I had expected, I am none the less so happy and thrilled for you and Jack!"

I breathed in out a sigh of relief and I felt tears forming in my eyes. Our families were behind us, we had their support and love and somehow, it seemed to make what was coming more bearable than it had been before.