Disclosure

Derek Morgan stretched awake in the most luxurious bed he'd ever known. Even though there were blackout curtains in the room, his internal clock told him he'd best be getting up. They had to meet Hotch in a hour... or so.

He loved Las Vegas. Even though the cases that brought them here were some of the worst, he still loved this town. Grown-folks playground, he called it. He wasn't wrong.

This time it was different, though. Convenient that they'd gotten a case here right when she'd agreed... finally made the decision to stop playing and put up or shut up. Derek fingered the gold band on his left third finger and smiled. There really had never been any other choice, and he felt... complete.

He rolled over, wrapping himself around the sleeping woman next to him, her warmth, her smell... all so perfectly familiar, so beautiful. He breathed into his wife's ear, "Baby Girl... wakey wakey, we've gotta go." he rumbled, his velvety voice vibrating against her hair, her ear.

"Mmmm", she said, reaching back a hand to feel his morning... scruff. "Promise me this is how we'll wake up every morning? Minus the 'gotta go' part..." she turned to look her man full in the face, her beautiful, wonderful hero... her Derek... her husband.

He smiled and kissed her, pulling her to him. "Oh, we always 'gotta go' momma..."

Penelope breathed in sharply as his warm, firm lips found her throat... ahh they had so much time to make up for. Now that they were here she couldn't believe it had taken her this long to say 'yes'. How could she ever have thought that there could be anyone else? They had always belonged together, always loved each other above everyone else, and now it was official. At this moment, she knew she was the happiest woman on planet Earth.

They could be a little late... once.

"Hold on, mi amada, there is something I have to tell you," Truan said as Jaye got up from the sofa to check on Willow.

They had been having a sweet night, Jaye's favorite kind, when they just hung out together, just the two of them, playing music, dancing slow, munching, cuddling... but something in his voice stopped her and she sat, looking into his gorgeous, troubled eyes. She hadn't noticed until now, but something was really eating at him. He ran a hand through his thick black hair before continuing. She took his hand and looked at him, listening.

"Jaye, I've been offered a position. A very... prestigious appointment."

"That's great, really great! What's the job?" she asked, beaming her smiling approval at him.

Truan stood up, and started pacing. "Do you know who the King of Spain is?"

She was taken aback, but answered "Juan Carlos?"

"Yes," he replied, quietly. "Jaye, he has appointed me... to... be Head of Nursing..."

Jaye felt cold. She stood up, locking eyes with him. "Where, Truan?"

"Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge. The most prestigious teaching hospital in all of Spain. Jaye... I cannot refuse."

A million different thoughts bounced around her head, all fighting for dominance. She couldn't believe this... to have come this far with him, to have trusted again and now to have it all yanked away... have him taken from her...

She shook her head no, and he was there, holding her by her arms as her knees buckled. He felt her sag and lifted her up in his strong arms. "No, mi amor," he soothed as he kissed her forehead, "just listen to me - you are always so quick to react - Jaye... I want you to come with me."

He set her down on the sofa and sat next to her, holding both her tiny hands in just his huge one. "It's true that I cannot turn this appointment down... but neither can I go if you are not with me. I've thought about it, about little else... and we don't have much time. They need my answer by next week."

Her head was spinning now, running through every scenario, every possibility. She couldn't just up and leave! Her practice, and... and Spencer would never let her take Willow that far, and... and... but oh! What a fantastic opportunity! But no... no... it couldn't happen... could it? No, she wasn't the type to just run off at a moment's notice to Spain! What was he thinking? What was she thinking? She looked into Truan's eyes, her brown searching his deep blue.

"I need to think, Truan." she swallowed and took a deep breath. "There's a lot to consider."

His face fell. "That's not a yes."

"It's not a 'no', either."

"What did you say?" JJ looked up from peanut buttering Henry's toast.

"Willow likes me," the little boy said, moving his toy truck back and forth on the table.

"I'm sure she does, tiger." She set the plate in front of him. "What made you think of that?"

He grabbed a triangle. "She told me. I like her too, she's nice."

JJ lowered herself into the kitchen chair opposite her son very slowly. "But Willow can't talk yet, she's just a baby, not a big boy like you."

"Oh she doesn't use words, mommy. She just talks in my head." He smiled up at his mother, stuffing another bite in his mouth.

"Spencer!" JJ called to him, "Can you come here please?" She smiled quickly at her oblivious son, trying to process what she had just heard.

Spencer came down the hallway, tieing his tie and said "What's up?"

JJ reached for his hand and said to Henry "Can you tell Uncle Spence what you just told me about Willow?" Spencer knelt down next to Henry, all ears.

"She doesn't talk loud, she's just a baby. She likes me," Henry said.

Spencer looked at JJ, then back at Henry. "And how do you know that, little man?"

"She comes in my head. Can I go play now?"

Spencer looked back at JJ, the significance of this not lost on either of them. He reached to put his hands on Henry's shoulders.

"One sec, Henry. Does Willow go in your head all the time, or just when she's here?"

"When she's here... at the park with us too. Can I get down now?"

"Sure... go ahead," JJ said.

Spencer slid into the seat the little boy had just vacated and absently picked up a toast triangle. He looked at JJ who sat back, eyebrows raised.

"How does she reach him?" Spencer wondered out loud. "And... wow."

"Yeah, wow. Spence..." she said, reaching across the table for his hand. "This is really incredible. I mean, it's amazing enough for you to share this with her... but to have this connection with Henry when there's no biological..."

"JJ..." he said, looking into her eyes.

She squeezed his hand, both remembering what they had once chosen to forget.

"Spence...".