A/N: Okay, I should just make this clear from the start: I am a huge fan of Will and JJ. I almost cried when they got married, and Hit/Run is rapidly becoming one of my favorite episodes ever. I also love Henry—I think he's adorable and that they're a beautiful little family. And I will maintain to my dying day that Morgan and Prentiss would be a perfect couple who would make beautiful babies. (And yes, the initial pairing in my mind was Prentiss and Hotch, but he's happily with Beth, and they're adorable.) Obviously, I (and I can guarantee that most of you out there do it too) am a little bit too proficient at seeing things that might be misconstrued as couple-hood. For instance, every time I watch the episode where JJ tells the team she's pregnant, I get a very strong "Love That Was/Could Have Been" vibe from JJ and Hotch when he's like, "You could have told me." But anyways, I was curious about Will and Prentiss because remember when Prentiss was trying to get JJ to admit that she and Will were a couple and she was like, "Well, at least we something fun to look at" or whatever? And then there was a little span of time where I was really mad at JJ cuz I didn't think she was treating Will as well as he deserves to be treated, because yes, I love him, and I thought they might break up.
Well anyways, I was reading like, all 3 of the Will/Prentiss stories out there and didn't really think they were fair to either of the characters. Will is truly a great guy—really. And Prentiss is freaking awesome, and portraying them as selfish, miserable, lying backstabbers just didn't sit too well with me. And I got to thinking about what circumstances would make a romance between the two of them believable. And this is what I came up with. It's AU but assume that everything that's happened previous to the beginning of the story (which is not too long after 7x10—The Bittersweet Science) is canon. I will do my darndest to keep the characters real, but let me know if I'm straying too far. Also, there may be some snippets of stuff from the show—Prentiss' house shopping escapades and the Will/bomb thing are what comes to mind at the moment. Plus plus also also, I'm really gonna try hard not to make anyone the "villain" in this story—relationships don't work out sometimes, and making it all one person's fault (in a relationship like Will and JJ's) doesn't solve anything.
Finally, I promise that the rest of my notes will NOT be this long. I just wanted to explain my thought process behind writing this, because I'm not sure how I feel about it and I'm super nervous about putting it up. And if y'all don't like it, I won't even finish it. So there's that. And without further ado… Here. We. Go.
One
Will lets out a frustrated snarl as he hangs up the phone and throws it angrily onto the bed. JJ isn't coming home tonight, like she'd said when she left three nights ago. What a surprise. The case isn't going as well as they'd hoped. They've got a lead, but it's gonna take some time to follow it up. Give Henry a kiss for her and don't forget to read him his story. She'll get home as soon as she can. He's heard it all a million times, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating whenever he hears it again. He takes a few deep breaths, then runs a hand through his hair and heads down the steps. "Hey, buddy. Mamma's not comin' home tonight, but what do you say we go and get some dinner? You want Mickey D's?"
"Chicken Nuggets?" Henry asks, looking up from the blocks he's evidently been spreading all around the living room floor in the five minutes Will was on the phone.
"Sure, buddy. You can get Chicken Nuggets," Will scoops Henry up and carries him to the door, where he quickly helps the little boy shrug on a jacket and his favorite Batman tennis shoes. They head out the door and out to the car. Will straps Henry into his car seat and they drive to the nearest McDonald's, where Will rattles off their order—a four-piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal with Barbeque Sauce, milk and apple slices instead of fries for Henry, and a Big Mac meal for him with a Large Coke and fries. Will hates McDonald's, but Chicken McNuggets are Henry's favorite and Will isn't much of a cook. Ever since JJ rejoined the BAU, there's been a lot of McDonald's around the Jareau-LaMontagne household. That, however, is the least of Will's worries.
"That sounds great, Penelope. Let me talk to Will and let him know."
"You haven't been home in a week, JJ. Are you sure you don't wanna spend it with your family?" Prentiss asks, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she joins the two blondes, as well as Morgan and Reid on their way out to the elevator bay.
"It's just dinner and a few drinks, Emily," JJ replies, checking her watch. "Henry's already in bed by now and Will'll still be up when I get home."
"Alright. I just thought that if I had someone to get home to besides a cat who doesn't actually give a rat's if I'm home or not, that's where I'd be," Prentiss sighs wistfully.
"If you want, I'll go to your apartment and wait for you there, Princess," Morgan smirks.
Prentiss cocks an eyebrow. "Yeah, much as I'd love to give you access to my apartment and watch Sergio scratch your eyes out, I'm gonna have to pass. So where are we going?"
"How about that karaoke bar we went to last month?" Garcia suggests.
Reid frowns. "Guys, I'd really rather not go back there…"
JJ laughs. "That's right… you had an incident, didn't you?" The rest of the team bursts into laughter at the memory of the guy who'd tried to pick Reid up with an ear-bleedingly painful rendition of "Pour Some Sugar on Me."
Reid shudders. "Do I really look gay, guys? Don't answer that, Morgan."
Morgan chuckles, and Garcia replies. "No, you don't. It's just that you're so adorable that everyone wants to take you home with them, stud."
"Yeah, this is the guy who gets the sexy bartender to hit on him," Morgan slings an arm around Reid's shoulder and gives him a shoulder-dislocating slap on the back.
"Okay, no karaoke. How about Indian food?" Reid changes the subject, shifting uncomfortably as they step into the elevator.
"No, God. We go for Indian food all the time," Garcia moans.
"Sushi, then?" Prentiss proposes after a moment's contemplation.
"Ooh, yeah. I could totally go for some uni right now," Garcia grins and rubs her hands together.
Reid shrugs. "That actually doesn't sound too bad."
"Sushi it is," JJ agrees and pulls out her phone as the elevator doors ding open and they spill out into the lobby. "Hey, Will. Listen, we just got in and we're gonna go to dinner. Have you eaten yet, or do you want me to bring something home for you? Sushi. Yeah. Okay. No, I know, but I could pick something else up after we eat. I know. I will. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Henry's asleep? Good. Okay, I'll see you when I get home. Love you too. Bye." She hangs up and gets into her car.
They all arrive at a nearby sushi restaurant ten minutes later and are seated immediately. Garcia wastes no time. "So, Reid, are you still in touch with the aforementioned bartender?"
Reid casts an accusatory glance at Morgan, who shrugs with a wicked grin. "She tricked it outta me. So are you?"
"What was her name, anyhow?" Prentiss finishes writing down her collective sushi order and slides the paper across to Reid with a smirk.
Reid takes the paper and snaps, "Austin. Her name is Austin."
"That's cute," Garcia takes a sip of her water and motions to the waiter that they're ready to order. "Spencer and Austin. Awww. Please tell me you're still in touch with her."
Reid scowls. "We talk every once in a while."
"How often is every once in a while?" JJ asks, cocking an eyebrow. "Like, when's the last time you talked to her?"
Reid scratches at the back of his head. "I don't… remember, exactly…"
"Bullshit, Pretty Boy," Morgan smacks his hand on the table. "You've got an eidetic memory. There's no way you don't remember to the minute how long it's been since you talked to her."
Just then the waiter appears, and the five of them place their drink and dinner orders, then return to staring at Reid expectantly. After a long, uncomfortable pause, Reid finally stammers, "I think it… must have been… maybe… Thursday… I think?"
"Thursday… as in… yesterday?" Prentiss raises her eyebrows suggestively.
"Is today Friday?" Reid grimaces, rubbing his neck. "Well, it could have been… Wednesday."
"Oh, two days ago. That's better," JJ rolls her eyes with a grin. "That's practically an eternity."
Garcia begins drumming her fingers on the table. "And how long was it before that?"
Reid squints up at the ceiling. "See, I'm not actually sure—"
"Would you quit it with that?" Morgan smacks him upside the head.
"Ow! He just hit me!" Reid protests, rubbing his head gingerly.
"Well, he's just trying to jog your memory," JJ reasons. "Don't do anything to provoke him and he won't do it again. So how long was it?"
"I don't know, about a week?" Reid throws his hands up in the air in defeat. "It was a week. We talk on a pretty much weekly basis, alright? Will you leave me alone now?"
"Not a chance, Pretty Boy," Morgan beams, leaning forward. The waiter delivers their food, and as they dig into the food, he asks, "So you talk every week. She probably flirts. You probably don't. What's going on there?"
Reid shakes his head, and as he struggles to pick up a piece of teriyaki chicken with his chopsticks, he replies, "There's no flirting. It's just talking. We're friends. I can have friends outside of the team!"
JJ pats his arm sympathetically. "Of course you can, Spence. Now go ahead and eat." Reid returns to his chicken, and the rest of the group exchanges knowing glances.
It's after eleven when JJ lets herself in to the house that she, Will and Henry share. She runs a tired hand through her hair and hangs her coat up by the door. As she heads for the stairs, she notices Will sleeping in his favorite patriarch chair. He stirs and his eyes flutter open. He notices her standing by the door and smiles sleepily. "Welcome home, Jen." He gets slowly to his feet and moves over to where she's standing, then slips his arms around her and lightly kisses her temple. "I missed you."
She sighs. "Missed you, too." When his hands slide down around her waist to pull her closer, she slips out of his embrace. "Sorry. It's just that I'm really exhausted, and it looks like you are, too. And we both have work tomorrow, and I haven't seen Henry yet. So why don't we just call it a night?"
She heads up the stairs, leaving Will standing alone at the foot of the stairs. He lets out his breath in a whoosh and runs a hand through his hair before trudging up the stairs behind her.
So. Your thoughts?
