A/N: Yes. I fail. I've neglected my responsibility as a writer on this wonderful site. But, hopefully this ending makes up for it. This was a hard chapter to write, in all honesty. There were so many different characters involved, some I'm not used to writing about. Anyways, I hope this ending doesn't let anyone down! I'm not entirely sure if this ending is 100% work yet, but I fear for my life unless I post this now! (I really do feel bad for being negligent.)
I hope to hear what you think about how I ended this story; it is probably one of my favorites out of all the stories I've written. It's my baby
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Jake's Series Epilogue
I see the door open and JJ, Henry, Jack and Hotch walk into Jake's at last! Oh my goodness they look like the perfect, most deliciously marvelous family to have ever existed. Seriously.
Immediately cat calls and cheers erupt, including my own, which is the loudest thank-you-very-much. I let out a nervous giggle at the look on Hotch's face; he doesn't do well with surprises. But that's too bad. JJ slipped and told me their plans for the day, which meant this impromptu celebration was inevitable. So Hotch can blame JJ. Not that he ever will.
I see JJ giving me the eye but I pretend I don't see it. I look around at all of us gathered here in this random, yet cozy, pub. Who knew a place that's "hoppin'", per Derek Morgan, on the weekends could be so low key. I turn back to the VIPs of the day and I see JJ smiling at Hotch. He glances at her and a slow grin appears on his face. Oh! It is just so endearing! Those two are so in love that the stars are for sure aligned in their favor. Like Jupiter and Mars leveling with Saturn in their favor. Like Gemini meets Libra favor. Like—
"Aunt Pen!" shout two little princes. I turn around and kneel down to greet my cuties.
"Oh! I'm so glad to see you!" I hold out my arms. "Hugs!" They immediately comply and I jokingly tickle their sides with my fingers.
"Aunt Pen we's went to the fair!" Henry tells me.
"You did?" I ask. My godson nods enthusiastically. "Was it fun?"
Jack answers me. "It was! We got to go on the Farris wheel! I went so high!"
I smile at the blonde boy in front of me. "Did you like it?"
"Yeah!" the boys exclaim. Their eyes are big and bright with excitement and they can barely stand still. They are just too cute!
"Hey now, don't forget Uncle Morgan!" Derek says from behind me. The boys immediately run around me and to my chocolate god.
I stand back up and see Hotch and JJ approach me. I force myself to look indifferent and avoid cringing at Hotch's face. He can't be mad, can he? Oh no! What if he is mad?
That's okay, I'll just blame it on Derek. Yeah, I can do that.
"You've outdone yourself this time, Garcia," Hotch tells me. Or is it a reprimand? Oh dear!
"You're mad? Don't be mad!" I blurt. JJ chuckles and Hotch gives me a small, tiny smile. JJ tucks her hand in his and Hotch looks at her, his smile growing bigger.
"Did I say I was?"
Oops. I've always been told to not make assumptions. "No," I mumble. But my embarrassment quickly evaporates at Hotch's laugh. JJ looks at him and her face is glowing with affection for the boss-man.
I let out a squeal because I'm nothing but absitively, posolutely, happy.
/XXX/
I hate to say it but Garcia has done the impossible once again. Based on Hotch's face, Pen managed to surprise him and still remain on his good side. She even has him laughing. Hotch. Laughing. Our stoic, drill sergeant of a boss is capable of laughing.
You learn something new everyday.
"Who knew one person could change another so much."
I glance over my shoulder and look at Rossi. "Huh?"
He nods towards JJ and Hotch. "How many times have you seen him laugh?"
"About as many times as I've heard you say you love Strauss," I answer. "Never." I turn back to where JJ and Hotch are talking with Pen and Reid. He has her tucked into his side and pulls her in to give her a kiss.
My mouth nearly hits the floor. "Did you…" I pause, still shocked. I point in their direction and look back over to Rossi. "Did you just see that?"
"Are you that surprised? They are engaged, you know," he teases.
I tilt my head. "Engaged or not, you and I both know Hotch was never like that with—" Crap! I cut myself off and look down, a little ashamed. I have no business talking about Hotch and Haley. I peek back up at Rossi and he has an expectant look on his face. "Well, you know..."
He nods his head once. "I know," he says softly. I know he and Hotch go way back but I'm not sure how well he knew Haley. I feel like a jerk comparing her to JJ. Tact hasn't exactly been my forte as of late.
My guilt evaporates when I see Hotch whisper something into JJ's ear as they watch the boys interact with Morgan. A slow smile appears on her face and I swear, Hotch nuzzled her before pulling back. "Aahhh this is too weird," I start. "The normal Hotch wouldn't be so…be so…" I circle my hand in the air, mentally searching for the right word.
"PDA inclined?"
Yes! Of course Rossi would get it. "Exactly!"
He shrugs and I'm annoyed he is so smooth about the whole thing. This is JJ and Hotch, here. Serious, egotistical Hotch and sweet JJ. The man that walked in ten minutes ago is not the same man in charge at Quantico. The difference unnerves me.
"Like I said, it is amazing how much people can change when they are in love."
What, can Rossi read minds now? I roll my eyes at the thought.
"Careful or your eyes are going to start getting a permanent, nervous, rolling tick."
Ugh. That man…I don't say anything and instead try and fix him with my poor excuse of a Hotch glare. He is unfazed by it, of course.
"Emily, look at him, he's happy. I know you see it," he admonishes me. I immediately soften my gaze before turning back towards the couple.
"It's great, isn't it?" I sigh. "I just don't know how to react to all this change. Which is ironic, considering." I'm referring to my stint in witness protection. The whole unit went through some rough changes because of me.
Rossi surprises me when he begins to chuckle. "What?"
"Better get used to this side of Aaron, you're one of JJ's best friends and I don't think he's going anywhere."
Ha! I know I've been staring at Hotch and Jayje for a while now. I'm captivated by their behavior.
At my silence Dave continues. "It's nothing new, Emily. Remember when we all got together at my place a few weeks ago? He was just like this. Why is it so surprising now?"
"I don't know. It is just…I guess I'm not used to it yet? I mean, we're in a restaurant, not your house—"
"Mansion. I have a mansion."
I barely resist rolling my eyes again. Forget Hotch, Mr. Egotistical is right in front of me. "Sorry, mansion!"
"Thank you."
Well at least Mr. Egotistical has manners. I jokingly shove his shoulder and let out a laugh at his fake, pained expression.
I turn back to Hotch and JJ who are still standing down at the other end of the long table talking with Garcia as Reid idles by, unable to get a word in. Henry is tugging on Hotch's leg and motioning to be picked up. With a laugh Hotch complies and lifts him, tossing him into the air like all fathers do. The little boy giggles and Hotch's face breaks out into a huge smile. It was just…easy with them. It was special.
"I guess this new Hotch isn't so bad," I concede.
/XXX/
"Derek! Where's the cake?!"
I watch as Henry and Jack run up to Rossi and Prentiss and snigger. Emily has never been comfortable with kids and her eyes are wide and, dare I say it, slightly frightened.
"Derek!" Penelope demands. I turn towards her and begin to chuckle at her panicked expression.
"The cake, Derek? Where is it? You better have it!"
"Baby girl I got it covered." She narrows her eyes at me as if I'm not telling her the truth. I do love her but the woman is paranoid. "Penelope it is in the back," I reassure her. "We need to do food and drinks first."
I take a moment to search the bar…restaurant…place. Whatever Penelope is calling it. Where is that cutie of a waitress? Abby, I think?
I hear Garcia scoff so I look back at her.
"Excuse me but I am the official party planner, not you."
She points her finger at my chest and sneers at me. I know she is joking. I think. Man, why do women get so worked up over little things?
"And drinks? As in plural? This is not one of your weekend—"
I raise my eyebrows at her suggestion which immediately silence her. She steps back and uncrosses her arms.
"I'm sorry. I just want this to be perfect. JJ deserves it. Hotch deserves it."
"Penelope," I begin as I wrap an arm around her. I turn us around and steer her towards Rossi where the boys are begging for something filled with sugar, I am sure. "Hotch and JJ won't notice if anything goes wrong. They won't even care," I tell her. She immediately goes wide eyed. Man, that was a rookie mistake on my part. "Not that anything will go wrong. I got it, all right Baby Girl?"
She pouts. I don't think she realizes how cute she is when she pouts. God help Kevin Lynch.
"Well thank you for your faith in things but I'd prefer to oversee my uber-awesome plans myself."
"You can't be serious! I can order a cake!" I say, shaking my head. This is typical Penelope behavior; she's stressing out for no reason.
"I didn't say you couldn't, I am just checking on it."
I watch her stalk off towards what I only assume is the kitchen and sigh. I want a beer. Where is that waitress?
"I've learned a lot of things in my time as unit chief and one of them was never to cross Penelope Garcia."
Hotch and JJ walk up to me and I'm glad my boss decided to bring along his sense of humor. Otherwise Garcia would have been sorting through old files in the backroom for a whole week at the BAU.
"Yeah well you know me; I have to shake things up." I smile and shake Hotch's hand. "Glad you two lovebirds are finally making things official!"
JJ rolls her eyes while Hotch's grin widens. "I still can't believe she said 'yes'," he says.
He wraps his arm around JJ and pulls her close. He kisses her forehead and I'm instantly reminded of the first time I saw them here together.
"You didn't think she would? Hotch, man, your profiling skills need some sharpening. The first time I saw you two together I knew this thing was here to stay," I tell him.
"This thing?" JJ says. She raises an eyebrow as Hotch mutters a warning to me.
I really need a beer.
"Hey, hey, hey! Who kept your secret?" JJ frowns. "Yeah, that's right. Mr. Derek Morgan," I nod. "Now I know you aren't going to make me remind you how difficult that was, right?"
She remains silent with a petulant look on her face that makes me laugh. My reaction only irritates her further.
"Hotch! Looks what Uncle Dave gots me!" Henry scrambles up to him and holds up a cup with a lid and straw. "Cokes!"
Hotch and JJ share a look and sigh. He releases her and picks up Henry. "I see that. Is it good?" Henry responds by taking a big sip. "I'll take that as a yes," Hotch nods. "Let's go have a talk with Uncle Dave."
Hotch walks away with Henry in his arms and JJ looks after them with a content smile on her face. I grasp her elbow to get her attention before pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations, Jayje."
/XXX/
JJ's getting married.
Statistically speaking, the majority of marriages between people over 35 are somewhat successful. They have a lower divorce rate than marriages between those ranging in the ages of 21 through 29 though technically—
"Uncle Spence?"
Henry is the only one who calls me "Uncle Spence" but it isn't his voice I hear. Jack is on his knees on the chair next to me, leaning on the table.
"Yes, Jack?" I ask once I recover. He's never called me that before. I think I like it, though.
"You're smart, right?"
Classifiably a genius, actually. "Yes," I tell him.
He nods and seems to be speculating something. He remains quiet, tapping his finger against his chin.
I shift in my seat and face Jack full on. "Why?"
The boy takes a breath before he speaks. "Daddy and JJ said you know everything. Do you really know everything?"
"It is impossible to know everything." Jack looks disappointed so I attempt to appease him. "Yes, I know a lot."
"Do you know anything about dinosaurs?"
"65 million years ago they went extinct and the cause of that is not known. A common misconception is that a meteor or a comet 'killed' the dinosaurs when it collided with the earth but there is evidence from a deep sea core drilled off the coast of Florida proving that while an asteroid did hit the earth, it did so towards the end of the Jurassic period, which is only the second of the three eras. So essentially dinosaurs were still around after impact but just in a steep decline...basically the asteroid was simply the straw that broke the camel's, or dinosaur's, back, so to speak."
I stop and laugh at my joke. I bet Jack enjoyed it. But based on the blank look on his face I'd say this is one of my, as JJ calls them, "rein it in moments".
"Uhm…do you like dinosaurs?" I try.
He shrugs, seemingly indifferent. "They're okay. I'm learning about them in science right now but I don't think my teacher knows everything like you do. Do you know how big the earth is?"
"It has a surface area of 510.1 million kilometers squared."
He looks at me as if I have two heads. I try again.
"196.9 million square miles."
Nope. That wasn't going to work either.
"It's really, really big," I say. I breathe out a small sigh of relief when Jack nods with approval.
I'm smart, but not with kids. Kids should be designated as a different species. JJ thinks that sentiment is over dramatic. I don't.
"What about the sun?" Jack asks.
"It's bigger than the earth."
"I know. But how big?" Jack prods.
"It has a diameter of—" Emily coughs as she sits down at the table, getting my attention. She discreetly shakes her head and I'm reminded I'm talking to an 8 year old.
"It is 108 times bigger than the earth."
"So 108 Earths make up the sun?"
"You are right."
"Cool." Jack pauses and thinks of, I'm positive, another question in which I will have an answer for but not a presentation strategy. This could be a long lunch.
"Do you like soccer? I play it. And JJ used to play it."
No, I don't. I'm not into….sports. I mold my answer into one Jack would approve of. "I know you do. And I hear you're quite good."
"Really?"
"Yes. JJ told me herself." I say and glance towards the woman of discussion at the other side of the table. Garcia is on her left and Emily's at her right and she is glowing. The ring she wears on her finger is sparkling just as much as her eyes.
"She did?" Jack asks me, pulling my attention back to him.
"Yes. On April 16th." I remember the day because I remember, well, everything.
"Oh wow!" Jack raises his voice and calls to JJ, asking her for verification.
I take the moment to sit back and watch the two of them. I'm not all that surprised that they are already situated in their roles as mother and son. The sight comforts me and for a moment I disregard the statistics running throughout my mind.
/XXX/
"Coke, Dave? He's four," Aaron admonishes me.
Henry just wondered back down the table, immediately bypassing his mother and heading straight to Morgan. The two of them were seated, Henry on his lap, eating. Talk about a picture I've never thought I'd see in a million years.
"Eh, it's a celebration!" I insist.
"Speaking of…" Aaron taps his finger on the table next to the sheet cake Penelope brought from the kitchen. Everyone is seated further down the table, completely oblivious to us.
Aaron sighs and offers me a small smile. "Did you know about this?"
I let out a chuckle; a stalling tactic which I'm sure he sees right through. "Only when it was too late to do anything about it," I assure him. His smile grows a little and he looks down in an attempt to hide it.
I hand him the beer I ordered for him. "Hey it's not like I let her decorate your office with 'congratulations' banners and confetti."
"Mmm Garcia is…enthusiastic…but I think she knows to steer clear of my office," Aaron says. A beat passes where neither of us says anything. "Yeah, thanks for keeping her away from my office," he acquiesces.
"You're welcome." I roll on the balls of my feet and glance at him. "Feeling a bit overwhelmed?" I ask as I motion towards everyone. Yes, it is just the BAU family, but Aaron hates attention being focused on him if it isn't work related.
"A bit," Aaron answers. He's uneasy. He's never liked surprises, but I'll give him credit; the man's taking it all in stride.
"This is more JJ's forte."
I chuckle at Aaron's frank admittance. "I know."
"She's better at this kind of thing," he clarifies.
I remain silent and the two of us watch the party in front of us. Reid is talking to Jack, and I wonder what on earth those two would have to talk about. The boy turns to JJ, calling her name from across the table to tell her something. She laughs and gives Jack a high-five. I think it is instinct when she begins to search for Aaron. Their eyes meet and she gives him a small wave. Aaron smiles and waves back. Too bad Emily hasn't noticed the exchange; she would have fallen over at Aaron's continuing atypical Hotch behavior.
"Big step, huh? Tying the knot?"
Aaron eyes me. "No, not that big. We've been a family for so long I…" At my raised eyebrows he angles his body in JJ's direction. "You know we bought a dog? We'd been meeting here for drinks regularly in an effort to stay in touch after," Aaron pauses and I know he is thinking of the night JJ was taken from us by the State Department. He clears his throat and continues, "Well, not even four months into our meeting here we went out and bought Boo."
"Henry's Boo?"
"And Jack's. And JJ's."
"Not yours?"
He smiles at me. "Mine too."
I digest this information. Buying a dog. Together. Interesting.
Where's Emily? This is gotta tell her!
"Tell Emily what?" Hotch asks me with a puzzled look on his face.
I said that out loud. Right.
"Nothing," I wave it off. "So what you're saying is that since you have a dog, marriage isn't a big deal?"
"Dave! Of course it is!"
I chuckle at his protest. "I know, I know."
"It's just, after everything we've been through and—"
"Buying a dog?" I interrupt with a smirk. Aaron sighs and pays me no mind.
"Asking her to marry me was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made," he finishes.
His eyes are on JJ and no one else. The love there is obvious and my smirk grows. Aaron would never believe it, but I saw that look in his eyes last year when he brought JJ and Henry to Jack's soccer game. At my silence, he glances in my direction and takes a sip of his beer.
"And the actual act of asking her?" I pry, even though I know the answer. I know Aaron, after all.
He scoffs and shakes his head. "Yeah, that wasn't as easy. I was terrified," he confesses.
I pat his shoulder. "You did something right. She said yes, after all."
He shifts his weight before meeting my eyes with a humongous grin on his face. "Yeah, she did."
I watch as Aaron turns to look at JJ once more. He is transfixed; absolutely incapable of anything but admiration of the blond woman seated down the table.
Yes, this is all going to work out as it should.
/XXX/
I suppose that hunk of a man is officially off the market. Not that he was ever on the market. The very first time I waited on him and JJ I knew he was hers and hers alone, even if they didn't know it yet.
It has been over a year since they first came to Jake's. My awesome, self-designated patrons were always a pair I looked forward to seeing since. They are always respectful and easy going, two great qualities when it comes to customers. I've served them almost every time they've come here; it was a front row seat to their evolving relationship.
Matt tells me I am a hopeless romantic and that I need to get a life. He says it out of affection, I know, but I can't help but admire Aaron and JJ's thing. Granted, I'm just their waitress, but I get snippets of how they are with each other. When I approach their table and she is talking, he is giving her his full, dedicated attention. He watches her while he listens and it is as if he is memorizing every inch of her face. His dark eyes will smile before his lips do and his deep voice is commanding yet tender at the same time. And she is, well, the luckiest woman on the planet. And sweet, and kind and the type of girl you want as a best friend. They really are two great people and excellent tippers!
I have never let on how closely I pay attention to them, otherwise it'd come across as stalker-ish, and I'm not a stalker! Merely a fan. No, that doesn't sound right. An admirer? No, those tend to be stalkers. I swear I'm just a normal girl making her way through school by waitressing who is fed up with guys breaking their dates or just trying to get laid. So, when I see a perfect man and gorgeous woman fall in love right in front of my eyes, I'm gonna pay attention!
They have no idea how much I admire them, or how hot I think he is, because I hide it so well. The trick is to be casual about it. To act clueless. Besides, it isn't as if they know me know me so it isn't that hard to disguise my behavior. They can't read me like an open book if I keep it closed, is what I'm saying.
But still, how awesome is their story? Two "friends", good looking friends, becoming lovers? So hot. So real. So classic.
Matt usually rolls his eyes in response and tells me it is weird I care but hello! I've been waiting on them at the same booth, serving the same drinks and exchanging harmless banter for over a year.
And when I found out they were engaged it was really hard not to be smug. I remember when the two of them came in on a rather dull day and I noticed the ring on her finger. I squealed, jumped up and down a little bit and clapped my hands. After asking for the details and leaving for whatever-they-wanted-it-is-on-the-house-whether-Jake-wants-it-to-be-or-not, I heard Aaron refer to me as "Garcia's twin", not sure why. But I think she is here. The bubbly blonde with loud clothing. I don't know what Aaron was smoking; she and I look nothing alike.
Anyways, I'm convinced that romance and chivalry is still out there. Aaron and JJ have officially proven that.
Ugh, screw finishing school, I'll just write a book about them. It'd be a New York Times bestseller, I'm sure of it.
THE END
