After four years, Will still could not get over JJ. They had been dating for almost a year and out of nowhere, she broke up with him. No note or message explaining why she had left. Over the course of the four years following their breakup, he had his fair share of women but none could have ever compared to her. She was the one. He knew it the second he met her at the crime scene in New Orleans. He still loved her after all this time and that was what pushed him into making the impromptu move to DC. He gave up his shield in New Orleans and found a one-bedroom that was in his price range. He practiced for two weeks what he was going to say to win her back before he stood right in front of her apartment at 8am.
JJ was still in shock after seeing someone who she had not seen in five years. She noticed how his skin was a shade darker, probably from spending too much time in the hot Louisiana sun. She glanced at the dark bags underneath his eyes and stubble growing on the bottom half of his face. He looked like he had not slept in awhile. After snapping back into reality, her mind immediately raced to the question as to why he was here. If Henry was placed next to Will, everyone would have known that he was the father. She had never told anyone who the father was and while the team suspected Will, they never asked her, but remain supportive of her role as a single parent. Reid would offer to watch Henry while JJ, Emily, and Garcia would have a girls' night out.
"Will. What are you doing here?" she asked.
Will noticed the boy standing next to her and the packed bags. He cleared his throat before replying, "I, uhh, just moved to DC and I wanted to see if we could catch up over a cup of coffee or maybe something stronger."
Henry was tugging at her pants and she realized that they would have to leave right now if they were going to catch their flight. "I'm really sorry, but we have a flight to catch. We can talk when I get back."
JJ grabbed Henry's hand and quickly walked past him. They stepped onto the elevator and left for the airport, leaving Will dumbfounded as to what just happened. He was hoping that their conversation would end with the possibility with them becoming friends and then gradually moving into a relationship, not her walking away, much less with a kid. Speaking of which, the boy looked like he couldn't have looked much older than four or five years old. And if he did the math correctly, he could have been Will's son. But JJ wouldn't do that to him, would she? Not being a part of his son's life would have been unforgivable.
During the entire flight to Florida, all JJ could think about was Will. Why now? Why wait five years to come back into her life, just when things were finally stable and good for her and Henry? Of course, she still had feelings for him, but if he were to ever know the truth then who knows what would have happened? She was afraid of telling him at the time because she didn't know how he really felt about her. And adding a baby into the mix would have made him stay with her out of obligation and she didn't want that. She looked over at Henry, who fell asleep after playing with his toys and eating his snacks that she had packed for him. The guilt she felt as Henry got older and started to ask more questions about his father built up over the years. It was hard to explain to a four-year-old why he didn't have a dad but so many uncles.
Nevertheless, she tried her best to put this aside until they came back. Right now, she needed to enjoy the quality time she had with her son. So for the next two days, she had to smile through multiple Disney characters and go on the kiddy rides with her son. Each night would end the same way, with her carrying her exhausted son to their hotel room after a day of sugar and excitement. JJ hoped to have more of these vacations where it was just the two of them, but it was contingent on her job.
"Did you have fun, Henry?"
"Yes! Can we go again?"
JJ laughed before replying, "Soon, okay buddy? Mommy has to go back to work and you have to go back to school."
"Aww."
"Don't worry. I promise we'll go again soon."
They headed back home where JJ dreaded her possibly life or death conversation with Will. He had texted her the night before.
'Hey, when will you be back?'
'Tomorrow morning.'
'Need a ride home?'
'No, it's alright. We'll take a cab home.'
She was not ready to see him again. She had only saw him for three minutes before she freaked out and left him standing in front of her door.
Will could not wait any longer. He needed to know if he had a son. He texted her but didn't want to scare her away about his potential son. Will didn't even know his name. So, the night after JJ came back from her trip, he walked to her doorstep again and knocked on her door.
"Will. You're here," she said taken aback.
"Yeah, I hope this is a good time."
She wanted to say no, but instead she said, "Come on in. Would you like some coffee or a water?"
"No, I'm good."
They sat on her couch in awkward silence before Will started the conversation, "So you have a son?"
"Yeah, Henry. He's such a great kid," she said with admiration of her son. Will smiled, learning the boy's name. His grandfather's name was also Henry.
"That's great. So it's just the two of you?"
"Yep, just us two. But we manage with the help of his nanny, Natalie."
"Oh. Is he in preschool right now?"
"Yep."
"Oh wow. One more question, okay? Is Henry my son?"
