"Jennifer, I need you to promise me something."

JJ and Emily were still in Emily's office.

"Of course." JJ said. "What do you need?"

Emily spoke seriously. "You're the only one on the team who knows I was in a relationship. I don't mind if Will or your mother find out who my kid's father is, but I would prefer it if the rest of the family and the team not know. Can keep that secret for me? Please?"

JJ was a champion at keeping secrets. She knew secrets of everyone else on the team because they trusted her. Taking on another one where Emily was concerned was not insurmountable.

"Yes, Emelise," JJ promised. "I will keep your secret."

"Thank you so much." Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "My parents are also in the know, but I don't want to spend the next few years telling other people why I'm not with the father, especially when it isn't their business. It'll already be hard enough when I have to sit my kid down for that conversation."

JJ reiterated her promise. "You have my word, Emelise."

"Thank you."

Emily exhaled and centered herself. They needed to move on for the moment.

"I do need to discuss an important item with you before we gather in the briefing room with everyone else." she said at length.

"Like what?" JJ wanted to know.

"I bumped into the director in the lobby, and he has a task for the team."

"What, an undercover assignment?"

Emily could see her partner tense up with apprehension. It was clear that she didn't want to deal with another case, but would take it if it was asked of her.

"Nothing like that." Emily soothed. "Actually, the director has noticed that the BAU has had rather a strong and heavy caseload, as of late."

JJ cringed. "Because I was ill at home?"

Emily chose her words carefully. "The cases were also actually hard. It behooves me to say it, but we're being benched for the next two weeks."

"Pardon? Are we being punished for something?"

"No—not in the least."

"I'm listening…" JJ said warily.

"The director just wants us to catch up on case reports, and catch just our breaths. The pay is time-and-a-half, and we get to leave at four."

JJ finally relaxed. "Well, I am all for that."

"Excellent." Emily stood and framed her middle. "Do you think I should tell everyone about jellybean?"

"You're asking me?" JJ laughed softly. "I'm your partner—not your wife."

Emily countered this quickly. "You're also my only parent friend around here who is a woman."

"Gotcha." JJ studied Emily's middle for a brief moment and looked up at her. "How far along are you?"

"Eleven weeks."

"Just like I am. We always waited until twelve weeks to tell the people we work with, and we're going to do it again." JJ showed Emily her own cute bump. "I'm just glad I can still hide it right now—I've always carried ridiculously huge, so I shudder to think what two kids will do to my body. Good thing these ones are definitely the last."

JJ's words ended in an over-exaggerated groan.

Emily laughed. "I'm not in the business of hedging my bets anymore, so I'll take a page out of your book."

"Good. By the way, once Michael realizes you're pregnant, he'll probably treat you the same way he treated me." JJ said in a tone of note. "He would knead your middle if he was a kitten."

Emily opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw who had come calling.

"Dave!" Emily stepped aside to let him enter. "Come in!"

The old man entered the room and looked from JJ still at Emily's desk, to Emily herself, who was closing the door. Something was afoot. Again.

"Well, I'm having some serious déja vù from twenty-four hours ago." Rossi quipped. "What's wrong?"

"We have it handled." Emily told him. "I promise."

JJ nodded. "Can we help you with something?"

Rossi showed his friends a pair of gift boxes he had with him. "I found some things that I know both of you are going to love."

Emily sat on the edge of her desk, facing him. "Like what?"

Rossi handed her the smaller of the two boxes. "I know you collect USMC memorabilia, Emily, and this caught my attention when I stopped by the trading convention after work yesterday."

"I can't wait to see what you found."

Emily opened the box to find a very handsome and newly-polished USMC challenge coin. The front side featured a depiction of the United States Marine Corps insignia against a red background. The name of the organization could even be seen in tiny letters on the top of it coin. On the opposite side, three service ribbons could be seen with 'VIETNAM VETERAN' arching overhead. It was very neat.

"Do you have a Vietnam coin already?" Rossi asked.

"I don't." Emily stood and hugged him. "Thank you, so much."

Rossi hugged Emily in return. "You're very welcome."

They both turned to JJ, who hadn't said anything yet. She was lost on Memory Lane with her gift. It was a framed photograph. Rossi was in the picture, but what threw JJ was that she recognized herself as the image's other occupant. She was also much younger. The event in the picture was a book signing. One of Rossi's. What was happening?

JJ looked at Rossi in amazement. "How…?"

"My publicist found a slew of old photos from yesteryear, so she had them developed and sent to me because she thought I'd like them." Rossi pointed to the frame in JJ's hands. "That picture was the first one on the stack."

"Oh, my God." JJ rose to her feet and handed the frame to Emily so she could see it. "That's amazing."

"How old were you in this picture, JJ?" Rossi asked her.

She recalled the memory very easily. "I was twenty-two, and wondering what I was going to do with my foreign language skills, and my double majors of mathematics and business administration."

"Then what? This book signing was at a D.C. bookstore."

"I went into the bookstore to escape a downpour, and I was already in town to sightsee. There was a sign saying that you would be there the next day. I got curious because it was one of the first things I saw." JJ's cheeks were burning at this point. "I found the book immediately and started reading. I couldn't put it down."

Rossi was hanging on to every word. He knew things about JJ, but not so much from her life before working for the government.

"I read the book in one sitting that night in my hotel room because I just couldn't get enough. That copy is on my bookshelf at home, where I keep all my favorite books. I left the event at the bookstore know what that because of you, Dave, I wanted to join the FBI. My application was even in the mail on my birthday because I was eligible."

Rossi felt very humbled. "Amazing. I'm so glad that I could help you decide what to do with your life. Look at all the good that's come from that choice to seek shelter in a bookstore on a rainy day."

"The last fifteen years of my life…"

"I remember that day, meeting you."

JJ looked at him in awe. "Really?"

"Mhm—you were wide-eyed in fascination the whole time. I always remember those ones."

"Why haven't you said anything, all these years?"

"I didn't want to freak you out, and I've been hoping for some sort of proof. Now I have it. No one deserves that picture in a frame on their desk more than you."

JJ hugged him. "Thank you, Dave."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you love the gift."

By the time he left the room, JJ and Emily were both feeling very loved.

Their visit from Rossi was just another reason why they loved their jobs.

For all the good and wonderful moments, just like this one.

JJ checked her watch. "Em, it's almost ten o'clock."

The woman in question looked up at the sound of her name. She had been daydreaming about spending time with Michael and Henry.

"Hm?" she said. "What about ten o'clock?"

"That's when we brief new cases with the team, remember? We have a lot to tell them this morning." JJ rapped her knuckles on the desk. "You really need to focus. There's fifteen minutes until the top of the hour."

Emily handed the photograph back to JJ. "Perfect. I'm going to go freshen up."

"Then I'll call Will." JJ picked up the envelope containing the severance papers. "Have these been signed?"

"Yes. All Andrew has to do is file it. Why?"

"I'm going to get one of the guys in the mail room to retrieve it." JJ explained. "We can still make the same-day mail cut off."

"Thanks, JJ." Emily said sincerely. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

"Let's pray we never have to find out what that's like. You're stuck with me for life."

Once JJ had seen to it that her present from Rossi was displayed on her desk, and that the custody papers were in the hands of a clerk from the mail room, she stepped into her old office. Privacy was needed now.

Will was relieved to talk to his wife—the pace at his office was mind-numbingly dull. "Hey, cher. Where you calling from? The jet galley?"

"Shockingly, no. I'm in my old office."

"Must be important." Will observed.

"According to Emily, the director says that the BAU is benched for the next two weeks because we have to 'catch our breath,' as it was put. We are being compensated."

"How so?"

"Extra pay. We even get out at four." JJ sighed. "Will, are you sitting down?"

Pause. "I am now. Are you in a bind?"

"Not me. Emily is."

JJ told Will about their friend's housing predicament.

"She's really having a rough time, isn't she? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you offered her the spare bedroom at the house."

"I did." JJ said. "There's one more thing—Will, Emily just found out that she's pregnant."

"Woah."

"The father is a man called Andrew, and we met him on the job awhile back." JJ touched a hand to the swell in her middle. "Things didn't go that well when they talked last night. At all. Emily even rejected a marriage proposal. She isn't doing well, but she's keeping it together."

Will felt the gears turning in his brain. "Sounds like she do with seeing Henry and Michael tonight."

"About that…"

JJ laughed and told Will about the dinner invitation.

"Well, that's that, isn't it?" Will said when she finished.

"Yep. What time are you done, since it's housekeeping?"

"Four-thirty." Will eyed the stack of papers on his desk. "Tell Emily to call me when she can—I'll help her move whatever she needs today."

"You are a gentleman, William. I'll make sure she knows."

"Okay, cher. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They hung up.

JJ arrived to the conference room as the others filed in. She and Emily were amused when Rossi, Tara, Spencer, Matt, and Luke looked to Penelope. This was the part of the morning where she started telling them about where they had to be.

Penelope had been drinking coffee from her beloved octopus mug and was very surprised when she became the center of attention.

"What?" she said in surprise. "I don't have anything about a case."

Luke lifted an eyebrow. "No?"

Emily cleared her throat. "Over here, if you please."

Everyone looked over to her.

"Garcia doesn't have anything about case because there isn't one to begin with." she said.

"And there won't be any for the next two weeks." added JJ. "We have some things to discuss with you all. It's nothing to worry about, though."

JJ and Emily tag-teamed in telling them about the director's directive. Everyone was very surprised, but by the time everything had been laid out, they were all the same page. And excited.

"There's also one last thing that we wanted to discuss with you all." JJ called over her colleagues' excited chatter. "It's a lot more fun."

All side-talk ceased immediately.

"Emily's parents know about everything that happened yesterday. As a way to help us take a load off, they've invited us all over to their house for dinner."

"When?" Tara asked curiously.

"Tonight. My family and I will be there early, and so will Emily, because it's her parents' house." JJ told her. "Her father has requested that everyone else please arrive at seven."

Emily chimed in, "And JJ's Baltimore kin was invited, so they might show also come, but… her mother will also be there tonight, too."

"What?" Tara, Luke, Matt, Spencer, Penelope, and Rossi said as one.

"My parents were actually on the train that JJ's mother was on when she was traveling here from Pennsylvania. They've bonded. A lot."

"It turns out that they were even going to the same convention." JJ elaborated. "I wouldn't be surprised if my mom is hanging out at the Prentiss house as we speak."

Rossi looked across the table to Emily. "Where do your parents live?"

"West Priors Place, at house number two."

"Got it. Should we bring anything?"

"Totally not necessary, but mother loves flowers of all sorts, and my father loves to cook. He's even really good at baking." Emily said thoughtfully. "Bringing presents or anything like that is not necessary, since this gathering is last-minute, but they wouldn't be unwelcome."

She looked at her partner. "Am I missing anything?"

"Nope. All of the boxes have been checked off."

"Perfect." Emily surveyed the others. "JJ and I will be in my office, reviewing case files, but I strongly urge the rest of you to go put a dent in your case reports. Dismissed."

The team recognized Emily's words as a thinly-veiled threat, so they were quick to disperse.

JJ called out, "Spence! Hang on a second!"

He stayed back and approached his friends, watching them as they got to their feet.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"Remember how I told you that Henry has a placement test coming?"

"Yes! How are his nerves?"

JJ sighed in exasperation. "Henry fell asleep with his glasses on last night, and holding his math primer."

"Because he'd been studying until he fell asleep." Spencer mused.

"I also informed Henry of you tutoring him, and he was overjoyed."

"That is very nice to hear about my godson. Has tutoring been relocated to Emily's parents' place?"

"Yes." Emily confirmed. "The LaMontagnes will be there at five-thirty, so that's when you should come, too."

"I understand."

Emily gave an approving nod. "And Spencer, I'm sure you've realized in the past twenty-four hours that the BAU world is shrinking."

"Yes. I'm still crunching the numbers on that."

"Of course you are..." JJ muttered.

Emily cleared her throat to keep her comrades from spiraling into silliness. "Be prepared for things to get smaller. We made the arrangements for dinner in a conference call with my father, and he knows you in a way."

Spencer was a published and well-respected author in the academic world, so these kinds of connections happened all the time. It had just never occurred with any of his friends' parents before.

So he was extremely curious. "What way is that?"

"He said he's been reading your work for years. My father is a well-read retired psychology professor who has always worshipped philosophy, in addition to the things he taught."

Spencer had a 'mind-blown' look on his face. "But psychology and philosophy are opposites. How does that work?"

"My father never does anything small—ever. He also called you 'the wunderkind' when I asked if he'd heard of you." Emily gave Spencer a pat on the shoulder. "And mother has a memory like an elephant, so I know she'll remember you. Even if the only time she rolled through here was in 2007."

Spencer's wonder continued. "Wow…"

Emily gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Now please go back to your desk."

"Okay…"

He departed the conference room at the same time JJ's phone dinged with a new text.

"Who's that?" Emily asked curiously.

JJ grinned and showed her a picture a selfie of Katherine and Olivia. They were enjoying themselves. Happy. Carefree. Katherine had even caught Olivia in the middle of a giggle. The White House could be seen behind them. It did Emily's heart well to see that they could do something as normal as going to see the sights.

"They both look like they're doing way better, JJ." she said.

"They are. Most of it was thanks to a night of good sleep after such a long day; Kit's been texting me to let me know how things are going." JJ checked the message under the picture. "She wants to know if they can come for a visit because she's itching to meet Henry and Michael."

Emily just thought it was cute that JJ was comfortable enough with her sister to call her by a nickname.

"I think we both know the answer to your sister's inquest." Emily said knowingly. "Go ahead and call the Baltimore family about dinner, okay? Come find me when you're done."

"Okay, Em." JJ agreed. "See you in a few minutes."