Disclaimer: I didn't hit the lottery so I still don't own them.

AN: A lot of introspection for JJ here, though not yet any romance for our duo. I did do some research on the family law regulations mentioned here. However, it varies a lot state to state, so I used the most common rules; my apologies for any errors.

As she slowly and somewhat painfully showered and changed, JJ's thoughts were full of what had happened in the last hour or so. She wasn't sorry that she'd ended things with Will but she knew that doing so also opened a whole new can of worms. She also knew there were a couple of options that she could take right away. The simplest would be to simply not put Will on the birth certificate. Sure, she wouldn't get child support but that was the least of her concerns. It wasn't that she wanted him out of Henry's life completely but the point would be that in order to get anything beyond informal visitation, Will would have to put in the effort to actually be a father, initiate the petitions and so forth. Looking back, she finally admitted what she'd been avoiding before: that despite the fact that Will said all the right things regarding her pregnancy; he'd really made little effort to be there, unless they were around the others. Then she and the baby were trophies, a 'look what I've got!' She was still afraid that he'd try to use her schedule against her but she'd be damned if she'd let her son be used as a pawn by his father. If she took that one step now, she might be better off. She'd have to ask Aaron…

Speaking of Aaron….just when had she started calling him, and thinking of him as Aaron instead of Hotch? She could recall one or two instances when she'd called him that in the past, outside of making introductions, and it had only been when she really needed to get his attention. But now she'd been calling him that for hours and he hadn't said a word. Was he just letting her have her way while in labor or did he really not mind? He'd readily admitted that he considered her to be one of his best friends, Rossi being the obvious other one and Lord knew he didn't call anyone 'friend' lightly, let alone best friend. He just didn't trust that easily. She thought back to their conversations from earlier, trying to figure out when she'd begun using his Christian name so comfortably. It had to have been after the second shot; she knew herself well enough that she wouldn't have been so bold without the drugs to loosen her tongue. As she brushed out her hair she finally remembered; she'd been half asleep and had asked him why he'd been so upset in New York. God, how embarrassing! She'd never intended to bring that up again, though she had been curious; he'd looked so upset. Now what had he said? She braided her hair and tried to recall the conversation. Had she fallen asleep again before he could answer? Had he answered at all? She looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head at her reflection, 'Concentrate on one thing at a time Jareau. Deal with the Will situation first and concentrate on Henry. Worry about what Aaron may or may not have said later.'

When she exited the bathroom she saw a woman chatting with Hotch and holding a thick sheaf of papers in her hand. Spotting JJ, the woman introduced herself as a member of the hospital's patient outreach team and handed the papers to JJ. After spending a few minutes flipping through the pile and touching on each set, the woman smiled and left, leaving JJ with a tray table full of papers and a bewildered expression.

"What just happened here?"

Hotch chuckled softly at her expression, trying not to wake the sleeping baby, "I'm not sure but that table looks like a miniature version of your desk at work now."

"Oh you!" She would have tossed a pillow at him in retaliation but he was still holding Henry, "Just you wait Aaron Hotchner! You're the one who has to help Agent Todd deal with that while I'm gone. And my desk isn't that bad?"

"Compared to what?"

"Yours!" The lighthearted teasing, most uncharacteristic of her friend, distracted her from her earlier thoughts until she spotted the birth certificate paperwork in the stack. Aaron, profiler that he was, noticed the change in her expression immediately.

"JJ, what's the matter?"

"Aaron….I need your advice."

"How can I help?"

She sat back in the bed and was grateful when Aaron seemed to read her mind and handed the baby to her. Cradling Henry in one arm, she fingered the paperwork as she explained her thoughts regarding Will and the certificate. She was relieved when he didn't try to say anything but just listened until she was finished, "I know I probably sound like a total bitch to you, especially after what you went through with Jack. But if Will doesn't want to be involved in Henry's life since he's not getting the while 'Leave it to Beaver' picture perfect family with him, I don't want him waltzing in and out of Henry's life on a whim, using the birth certificate as his justification. If he doesn't want to be a father then I'd rather make a clean break now."

Hotch nodded once in understanding, "Your situation is different than mine was JJ. You're trying to protect yourself and your son. But I'm not a family law attorney."

"But you know enough about it to tell me if I'm right about this point, correct?"

"On that, yes, you're right. Here in Virginia if Will's name is not on the birth certificate he would have to petition the court to prove paternity in order to get any formal visitation rights."

"And your personal opinion? Am I being irrational, a complete bitch?"

"I think you're being a mother who's worried about her child and the situation you're in. I don't think you're a bitch JJ. I just want to make sure that you're sure about your decision."

"Aaron, I meant what I said yesterday. I wouldn't have stayed with him this long if it weren't for Henry. This morning was just the last straw; you heard what he said."

"I know JJ and trust me, it took a lot to not react and let you handle it yourself. I'm on your side here." He left it unsaid that in his professional opinion, JJ had done a good thing in getting out now; the detective showed all the signs of being a controlling passive-aggressive abuser when he didn't get his way. But she didn't need to know that right now.

"Do you have a pen handy?" Taking the pen that he fished out of his go-bag she filled out the certificate paperwork and signed the bottom before breathing a sigh of relief, "I still feel a tad guilty but I know it'll be better this way. I'm just a little worried about Will's attitude if he comes back."

Quite frankly, he was too but he kept that to himself, "Do you want me or one of the others to stay with you?"

"You'd do that?"

"JJ, you're family, of course. You just had a baby; you shouldn't need to worry about anything but healing up and taking care of Henry right now. If having one of us here will ease your mind, then of course we'll be here. We can easily rotate between us, if that makes you feel better, at least for a few days until you're settled in at home again. Beyond that, I'm sure I can arrange something if need be."

JJ looked relieved for a moment before something crossed her mind, "Only one problem: visiting hour limitations. They're really strict on that due to security concerns for the babies. Unless you have an ID bracelet, you can't be in the room, but Will might try to use his badge to get in. I passed up the second ID because he wasn't here earlier. Though…I may still be able to get it."

"That would be helpful. Do you want me to ask Prentiss if…" he saw a flicker of unease cross her face, "or would you rather I stayed?"

"You'd do that? I feel like I've asked too much of you already."

"JJ, I told you, you're family. I don't mind, I just thought you'd be more comfortable with Prentiss here, or maybe that you're sick of seeing me."

His self-depreciating tone made her frown momentarily, "I love Prentiss but I'd rather you stayed, if that's ok. If Will tries something in the night, I'd rather it be you here than one of the others. I'm more comfortable with you and he's afraid of you; you intimidate him."

Hotch tried and failed to conceal a satisfied smirk at that observation-it was good to know that his glare still worked. "Why don't you call the nurse and see about getting that bracelet and I'll call the team. While I certainly don't mind staying, they'll shoot me if I try to keep you and Henry all to myself."

JJ laughed at this and pressed the call button for the nurse. When she arrived, JJ explained the situation, in the briefest of terms, and asked for the additional bracelet. When the nurse seemed hesitant, JJ pushed the matter in her best no-nonsense liaison tone, "Ma'am, I'm not trying to be a pain, but this is important. If you need to, check my records; Agent Hotchner is my medical proxy, so that should be enough of a reason. Please." The nurse considered this for a moment before agreeing and left to get the requested item.

For the fourth time in twenty-four hours, Hotch found himself surprised, a normally rare occurrence, "I'm your medical proxy? Why me JJ?"

She bit her lower lip and looked uncertain for a moment, "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not, you just surprised me…again, I might add."

She smiled in relief and explained, "I thought about putting Penelope but let's face it, she wouldn't be able to handle those kinds of decision if need be and as much as I love Spence, he wouldn't either. I don't speak to my family very often. And let's face it, you and I are always on the cases together and if I'm going to need a proxy, that's likely when I'd need it. Not to mention that I trust you. So really, it was a no-brainer." She bit her lip again and looked at Henry, "Do you mind the other surprise? You've been there so many times for me, yesterday most of all. I couldn't think of any other way to show how much that means to me."

"JJ, I'm honored. It was just a surprise."

She smirked at him, "Twice in one day? Is that a record?"

"Yes. And it was four times." The two laughed until the nurse came back with the requested ID band. After checking the information on the band against both JJ's and Henry's she fastened it around Hotch's wrist and reminded to JJ that she and Henry were both due for a vitals check. While that was happening, Hotch stepped out and called Prentiss, asking her to come relieve him temporarily. When she'd agreed he ended the call and reentered the room just as the nurse was finishing Henry's check-up. When she left the room he pulled the chair closer to the bed to update JJ.

"Prentiss is on her way to sit with you for a bit. I'm going to head to the BAU to update the others and arrange a rotation for the next couple of days before I head home and grab a couple of things. Is there anything that you want me to get from your house for you?"

"There's a suitcase in my bedroom closet that I'd packed for the hospital; would you mind grabbing that for me?"

"Not at all. Anything else?"

"Maybe some munchies?" She gave him a pleading look, "I hate hospital food!"

That brought another chuckle from the unit chief as he rummaged through her go bag for her keys, "Suitcase and munchies, got it. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

He really was cute when he was worried, "We'll be fine. Emily'll love the excuse to hog Henry and I'll explain everything to her so that you don't have to go through it all twice. Aaron, I really am sorry for putting you through all this."

"JJ, quit apologizing, it's no trouble. I just want you to concentrate on you and Henry. Try and get some rest while I'm gone."

"Yes sir," her smile negated her sarcastic tone, and the combination made him smile once again.