(Sorry for the delay! Here's chapter four!)

A week later, after Henry waking up several mornings in a row with a cough and a runny nose, I decided to take him into to see a pediatrician. Americana, of course, was too small to have anything more than a medical clinic, so I booked an appointment in Wichita. Will said that the clinic was used to seeing all ages and that it was a waste of a trip, but I felt like it was better safe than sorry. Plus, I was anxious to get out of the small town.

Being back in a city felt comforting and borderline luxurious. I couldn't help dragging out Henry and I's trip for much longer than necessary, getting coffee from Starbucks, having lunch at a restaurant that provided Wi-Fi, stopping in at Target. There were so many things that I had simply taken for granted when we were in DC, and now I missed them sorely.

But all good things had to come to an end, and we were almost back to Americana. I hummed along to the radio as we drove.

"Momma?"

"Yeah sweetie?"

"I love Moo. Can I pet when we get back?"

I laughed. "I don't know buddy. That's probably something you'll have to ask Moo."

"I miss Em'ly," he said suddenly, his face falling.

I felt a pang in my chest. "I… yeah. Me too, buddy. I miss her too."

"And Penny."

"And Penelope, yeah. And Spencer, and Derek, and…" I sighed. "Everyone. I miss everyone.

I glanced at him through the rear view mirror and spotted flashing blue and red lights behind us. "Shit," I muttered beneath my breath. I pulled onto the shoulder and put the SUV in park. I grabbed my license from my purse and the registration from my glove box. There was a rap on my window.

I looked the officer over as I rolled down the window. He was young, only in his early to mid twenties. His blonde hair was cropped short and his eyes were hidden by his sunglasses. The badge on his shirt read Brooks. "License and registration, please." I handed them over and he inspected them. "Virginia?"

"I just moved here. I haven't had the chance to change it over yet."

"I see. Do you know why I pulled you over today?"

"No, I don't."

"You were speeding. The posted speed limit is 65."

I lifted my hands, chuckling slightly. "I'm sorry. Like I said, I'm brand new to the area. I'm still getting acquainted-"

"That doesn't mean you get free license to break the law."

"I wasn't implying that I could-"

"Where are you headed?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that nothing would be resolved by snapping at him. "I'm coming home from Wichita. I had to take my son to the pediatrician."

He lifted his glasses and peered into the backseat. "I see." He looked back at me. His eyes moved slowly up and down my body, and I had to fight not to grimace at his leering. "You're in awful good shape for someone who's had a baby."

I ignored him. "Are you going to give me a ticket?"

He rested an arm on my window. "Well I don't know yet. I'm sure we could work something out and send you on your way with a warning."

I didn't miss his insinuation. Even though I hated it, I figured now would be as good of a time as any to bring up Will and his job.

"Perhaps you'd be better off working something out with my husband."

"And who's that?"

"Captain LaMontagne."

He paused for just a second, cornered. Then he walked back to his truck and came back with his pad. He handed me back my license.

"Haven't changed the name on your license yet?"

"There's no need."

He snorted and put a hand against the roof of my SUV. "Oh I see. You're one of those women." His voice was dripping with condescension.

I could feel the anger beginning to rise. "And what kind of woman is that?"

"One of those uppity northern women who refuse to take their husband's last name. Won't let him feel like a man and mark you as his own."

My hands tightened into fists in my lap. "My husband doesn't think of me as his property," I spluttered.

"Well maybe that's his first mistake."

I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me?"

He leaned just slightly closer, his eyes meeting mine directly. "Maybe you need to be put in your place."

I wanted nothing more than to put him in his place, preferrably bu shoving my foot up his ass, but a small voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I was not a federal agent. As far as the law was concerned, I was just an ordinary citizen. "Are you threatening me, Officer Brooks?"

He straightened up, giving me a sardonic smile. "Of course not, Mrs. LaMontagne." He finished scribbling on the pad and handed me my ticket. "I'm sure your husband can tell you where to pay it. That is if you can lower yourself long enough to ask him. Keep your speed down." He walked back to his cruiser.

I sat there, clutching the ticket. The entire exchange had been so inappropriate, I couldn't believe it had actually happened.

"Momma?" Henry called.

I glanced at him in the rear view mirror and then turned and forced a smile. "Everything's alright buddy. We're going to head home now, okay?" I reached back and took hold of his hand. He offered me a small smile and I turned back to the road, putting the SUV in drive and starting towards the house.

X

I was in the middle of putting away away a pan from dinner when I heard Will come in the kitchen. I straightened up and faced him.

"You will never believe my day."

He took his phone from his pocket and placed it on the counter in front of him. "Oh I bet I will." He turned and unholstered his gun, locking it in the gun cabinet behind him.

"I got pulled over for speeding-"

"And tried to get out of it by mentioning you were my wife?"

I looked at him in shock. "What?"

"Yeah. Brooks told Chief Bray. I got yanked into his office, he chewed my ass up one side and down the other."

"That's not what happened at all!"

"So you didn't get pulled over?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"And then you told him to take it up with me?"

"After he propositioned me, yeah! I thought it might be a good time to mention that we were married."

"He... what?"

I crossed my arms. "Oh did he forget to mention that to Captain Bray?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What did he do?"

"He was being inappropriate, complimenting my body, and when I asked him to give me my ticket and send me along, he told me we could work something out. Just half a mile from our house, with your son in the backseat!"

He gave his head a slight shake. "Well... that's not how he told it to Chief Bray."

"Gee, I wonder why," I bit back.

He sighed. "Jayje... I understand why you're upset, but you can't go popping off like that-"

"Popping- Will! He was being unethical. And furthermore, I'm your wife! I would've thought you'd be a lot more upset about how he treated me!"

"Oh so now you're my wife? What happened to not being my property?" I snorted, unable to believe what he was saying. "Yeah, I heard about that part too."

"He was being an absolute pig," I defended.

"JJ... we're not in DC anymore! You're not an FBI agent!"

"What? So men can just treat me however they want?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying-"

"What are you saying?"

"You're not even trying, JJ!"

My mouth dropped open, staring at him in outrage. How could he possibly say that? "Not- Will I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere, where I have no friends, no family, no job or life at all. Not trying? I'm here, aren't I? You don't understand what this has been like!"

"Are you kidding me? Of course I know what it's like to leave everything. Or did you maybe forget about me moving from New Orleans to DC so I could be with you? Did I start picking fights with the people you worked with? No." He slammed open the fridge and pulled out a beer. "I kept my mouth shut and was supportive, something you seem to find impossible."

I was so mad I could barely see straight. "You want me to keep my mouth shut? You want me to just fade into the background, meekly cooking you dinner and agreeing to whatever you say? If that's what you wanted then you should have married someone else." Tears rushed at my eyes and I tried desperately to push them away.

His face softened slightly, taking a step towards me as he set the bottle down. "C'mon JJ, don't be stupid. Of course that's not what I want."

"Are you sure?" I hated how shaky my voice sounded.

"Jayje..." He reached out and took my hand, gently rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. "Of course I'm sure. I married you because I love you, and because I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

I cleared my throat and wiped under my eyes. "I just feel like all of the things I used to know about myself, my job, my independence, my ideals... They're all gone or changing. I feel like I'm losing myself."

He pulled me in for a hug. "You're not lost, JJ. You're right here. I've got you."

I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble at work. I wasn't trying to get out of a ticket. In fact I told him to just give it to me so I could go."

He ran his hand up the back of my arm. "I know. And I should have gotten your side of the story before I jumped all over you, I'm sorry."

"I'm really trying, Will."

"I know you are, I shouldn't have said that. I'm just… tired. And stressed out, and worried that I'm not doing a good job on the force."

I pulled back to look at him. "You're a great police officer, Will. They are so lucky to have you. Especially with assholes like Brooks on the force." I stretched up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "We're okay?"

He gave me a small smile and kissed me again. "We're fine, Jayje."