Sorry it's been awhile—I had writer's block!


January faded into Februrary, and a lot of changes happened for JJ and Emily.

The first thing was that JJ and Emily were both at eighteen, almost nineteen weeks pregnant now, and that JJ was completely moved in with Emily, although it was the beginning of their transition period; next up on the master agenda of things to do was look for a good and proper house to buy and live in.

Another thing was that Archer, Cho, and Kaida had also moved from Drexel to their new house in Georgetown recently, and were settling in. Happy to have part of their family nearby, JJ and Emily did their part to welcome them to town, even introducing them to Haley and Jack during a get-together at Rossi's.

Today also happened to be Valentine's Day, and JJ had been excited for ages because after Alabama, she felt like she had gotten a lot off her chest and she felt like she was ready to take the next step in her relationship with Emily. A weekend jaunt to JJ's childhood home in Pennsylvania to see Sandy again also helped.

Today was also the day that that JJ was to get her cast removed.


"I can't believe that six in the morning was the only time that we could book to get the cast taken off." Emily said around a yawn. "I miss coffee."

"So do I."

JJ's tone of response was way too cheerful, and it set off a red flag in Emily's head.

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that, my love."

Before Emily could make a comment about her girlfriend being cheeky with her, the door to the exam room opened to reveal Doctor Singh, the doctor who would be helping them out for the appointment. She had all of the tools with her necessary for taking the cast off, including something that looked like a shop vac with a circular saw attached to the end of a hose.

"Good morning, you two." she greeted them.

Still not completely with the program, Emily just nodded hello as JJ returned the greeting, still—in Emily's opinion—suspiciously cheerful.

"Hello, and please don't mind Emily. She has never been a morning person and since we're both pregnant, she's bumming out about no coffee."

Singh smiled in amusement as she set the equipment up and motioned for JJ and Emily to come sit at a table with her near the window. "I remember those days, and I was pregnant twice in less than three years."

The pregnant couple both winced at the thought of the idea, but they got up and sat on the chairs at the table. Singh pulled up a swivel stool and sat across from them.

"Did my nurse explain the process to you?"

JJ nodded as she took off her coat and handed it to Emily to hold, then rolling up her sleeve to reveal the cast. "You're going to use that saw to cut through the plaster, and those clippers to cut through the rest."

"Precisely." confirmed Singh. "The blade can't hurt you, but I do need you to stay still, alright?"

JJ nodded in understanding this time around and rested her arm on the tabletop and watched as the doctor made quick work of removing her cast.

Everything happened in a heartbeat and before long…

"Oh, my God…"

JJ was looking at her arm now. Though some of her bared skin was peeling on account of being wrapped up for so long, but now everything was completely healed, and after a few reflex tests, JJ was completely cleared.

"JJ," Singh addressed her when it was all over. "Would you like to keep the cast? Some people do, and I thought I'd glue it back together since you have quite a collection of signatures on it."

"I hadn't even considered that…"

On one hand, JJ had gotten the cast because her abuser had gotten the better of her, the plaster was covered with all of the names of the people who had either looked after her or made a huge impression on her in the past eight weeks.

And love conquered hate, any day.

"Sure. I'd like to keep it."

"Alright. Hang on a second."

They watched as Doctor Singh brushed off the excess plaster dust and then glue it back together so neatly that one couldn't even tell that it had ever been sawed apart in the first place. It was even wrapped up to keep getting damaged.

JJ left the office feeling very proud of herself.

In an effort to cheer Emily up about being awake so early, she took her out to breakfast at the local pancake house before work, and they both ate happily together as they discussed their plans for the day.

"Wow, babe." Emily said when they were back in the car and on the way to work. "Thank you for breakfast. That was really nice of you."

"You're very welcome." JJ said as she drove the car along. "What does Baby Bear think?"

Emily gave her middle a rub, grinning at the sensation of the baby's wiggles in response to her touch. It still wasn't big enough to kick her yet, but those movements, not as minute as they had been in recent weeks, were unmistakable.

"Baby Bear is very happy about breakfast. *hic* Oh, *hic* hell no…"

Emily's answer was completely derailed by two loud hiccups, and JJ giggled.

"Baby Bear got the hiccups now?"

"Y— *hic* Yes. *hic* They're b— *hic* becoming *hic* intense."

JJ laughed more. "Sounds like it."

"Don't you *hic* laugh *hic* at me, missy. *hic* You've got *hic* two babies *hic* on the *hic* inside!"

The grin on JJ's face promptly slid off and her only response was to sigh, although the sound was punctuated by a hiccup… leading to a storm of them.

When they got into work, they found themselves arriving at the elevator at the same time as Hotch, Rossi, Penelope, Derek, and Spencer, so they all rode up to the sixth floor together. After everyone said their good mornings to each other, Penelope immediately noticed that JJ and Emily weren't quite their usual selves.

"What's the matter with you two? I know Emily isn't a morning person, but both of you are quiet and that's just creepy." she said. "Cat got your tongue?"

Emily shook her head and pointed to the swell of her middle. "We have h—*hic* hiccups."

JJ pointed to her own middle, adding, "Us, *hic* too."

Penelope laughed sympathetically and framed her baby belly where her own child, nineteen weeks into gestation, was currently wide awake and stretching out; he or she was particularly wiggly in elevators.

"I'm so glad nothing like that has happened to me yet."

Before either JJ or Emily could make a "Just you wait!" remark, Spencer noticed how JJ kept twirling her left wrist.

"JJ, what are you doing?"

JJ rolled back her jacket sleeve and shirt sleeve, showing off her arm.

"Ta-da! We *hic* had to *hic* get up *hic* early to make *hic* the appointment, but *hic* my cast is *hic* off now; I'm *hic* healed up!"

Spencer, Penelope, Derek, Hotch, and Rossi all congratulated her and a few moments later, the elevator doors opened and the team piled out with Emily and guys all heading straight into bullpen as JJ and Penelope headed in the opposite direction, towards their own respective work offices.

As they approached JJ's, she unlocked it and pulled Penelope inside.

"You remember *hic* the plan, *hic* right?" she asked.

Penelope nodded. "Barring a case, Emily is coming with me after work, and then we're going to pick up Haley and then Cho for a girl's night out in the shopping district, but this is mostly happening because your brother told you that Cho is going stir crazy and feels lonely!"

JJ's sister-in-law was now six-and-half months pregnant with twin sons that liked to kick her for sport. She had spent her first few weeks in her new home organizing their house and unpacking from the move—it was full-on nesting, bust she wouldn't admit it—as well as helping Archer get settled in at work and Kaida at her new school. Despite coming from family money, putting others before herself was the way she and her siblings had been raised. She'd gone out with JJ, Emily, Penelope, and Haley once, to be polite, but after that she always made excuses about going out to do something just for herself. With a handful of her favorite people planning to show up on her doorstep, she wouldn't have the willpower to refuse what their invitation for a night out.

"Bingo." JJ praised.

"Emily really has no idea what you've got up your sleeve?"

"N—*hic* no."

A mischievous glint appeared in Penelope's eyes. "This is going to be so much fun."

"The more *hic* distracted, the *hic* the b—*hic* better…"

JJ's words tapered off because she was interrupted with a blast of hiccups.

Taking pity, Penelope queried, "Would you like me to research hiccup cures and help you cure yourself?"

JJ just nodded, still caught up in the hiccups.

She had a long day ahead of her.


Luckily, since it was a kind of housekeeping week, they didn't have to go anywhere, other than to their various modes of transportation back in the parking garage at the end of the day after they all clocked out.

Thanks to Penelope's Valentine-themed outfit and her handing out chocolates to everyone, the holiday was on the forefront of everyone's minds and since Penelope was going to be out with her friends—Haley included—Derek invited Hotch to come to the bar with him. He actually agreed, since Jack was going to be at the baby sitter's, anyway. Rossi also agreed to come when they extended the invitation to him, but when it came to Spencer, they all but forced him into agreeing (with Derek saying that it would 'build character' for him) and frogmarching him into the elevator when he tried to duck out at the last minute.

The highlight of Emily's day was her hiccups dissipating when Strauss bumped into her in the hallway, accidentally scaring her.

Penelope, to her credit, hadn't spoiled JJ's plan at all, even calling Haley at one point to advise her to play along with keeping Emily distracted. Already in on the plan to get Cho to leave her house, Haley happily agreed to that, too.

That meant that at the end of the day, Emily really had no idea what was going on, even when she came to see JJ in her office, dressed in her coat, hat, and gloves with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, Jayje! Are you sure you can't come hang out with me, PG, Cho, and Haley?"

"Yeah, babe, I'm sure." JJ did her best to sound convincing. "I have more files to go through than I thought, and it wouldn't be fun if I put them off."

JJ rounded rounded her desk and, seeing Emily's favorite scarf still in her bag, she pulled it out and wrapped it around her neck to keep her warm. The worst of the winter chill was over, but Emily got cold easily, so she really liked to stay toasty.

Completing the act of domesticity, JJ stood on her tiptoes and kissed Emily soundly on the lips. She loved these little married moments.

"Will that tide you over until you come home to me?"

Of course it would. JJ, as Emily had come to discover, was quite the minx and she had an incredible power of suggestion over her. JJ had just kissed her like her life depended on it, and the magnitude of the kiss had sent Emily's mind cascading into a free fall, where all she could think about was taking JJ in their bed later on.

"Yes." Emily finally managed to answer, and then remembering that Penelope was waiting for her out in the lobby, gave her love a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you later."

Pleased by this, JJ gave her a hug and then steered her out of the door and in the direction of the lobby.

When Emily was out of sight, JJ picked her phone up from her desk and then stretched out on her sofa, even kicking off her shoes and wiggling the toes on her stockinged feet.

She didn't really have any extra files. That had just been a ruse, and Emily had actually fallen for it.

Not bad, Jenny, she told herself. Maybe you'll be a profiler one day.

As she settled in to wait for a text from Penelope saying that Emily was distracted enough, she felt the twins moving around in her womb. It made her smile.

"Hey, in there, Kitty and Ladybug." she looked down at her bump and gave it a few gentle methodical pushes, her smile growing when the babies got even wigglier. "I think that at some point this week, mama and I are going to have to start thinking of names for you two and Baby Bear. What do you think?"

Kitty and Ladybug wiggled.

"Yeah," JJ sighed happily, rubbing her middle. "I think so, too."

This was going to be a fun Valentine's Day.