It was a day later when Emily finally arrived. It turns out all the flights had been cancelled and delayed because of storms. JJ and her parents were still grieving over the loss of their son and brother and as soon as JJ saw the cab pull up from her bedroom window, she was out in the street hugging Emily as if there was no tomorrow. The blonde had eventually pulled away hesitantly offering Emily a sad but welcoming smile. The eyes that usually had a bright spark behind them had been extinguished and it was not the younger agent that Emily knew and loved. Red puffy eyes with bags under them, hair messily tied up and a jumper a few sizes too big was not the best look for JJ, even though she was mourning. Emily pulled JJ closer, placing a kiss on her temple, before being led into the house with their fingers intertwined.
"Where's your stuff?" asked JJ, opening the front door and noticing Emily's lack of bags.
"At a hotel just down the road. I wasn't sure about where to go, so I just got a room. Figured you would all be grieving as a family so I didn't really want to get in the way," rambled Emily.
"I told you I needed you here. I want you here. God knows we could use some life-." JJ had been about to say 'life around here' but stopped at the irony of her comment. Emily's fingers slid from hers to land around her shoulders and give them a gentle squeeze.
"It's okay. I know what you mean," whispered Emily, removing her arm after a moment too long, seeing out of the corner of her eye, a man who she automatically connected to JJ, her father.
"John Jareau," he said, holding out is hand to shake.
"Emily Prentiss," she replied softly. Continuing with all the sincerity she could muster, "I am sorry for your loss."
"It's appreciated. I hope you can be there for J," he said, pointing to JJ, whose hands had slid into the back pockets of her jeans.
"Always," whispered Emily.
"Where'd mum go?" asked JJ, no longer nervous.
"A walk with Charlie, wanted to clear her head. Are you sure that you want to help me plan his funeral?" asked John, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "We have to talk to his lawyer to, about what he gave you. I'll call him soon."
"Yeah. We're just gonna go upstairs," said JJ, dragging Emily to the foot of the stairs.
"Play nice, girls," he said, playfully, trying to lift his daughters spirits. John was the man of the house and now that Sam had passed, his wife and daughter needed him more than ever.
"Sure, dad," said JJ, smiling lightly, the gesture dropping from her face after seconds. Emily followed the blonde upstairs past frames and frames of photos covering the walls. She stopped at one that was recent. A young man with sandy hair, a woman with light brown hair and newborn baby yawning.
"Is this Sam?" asked Emily, pointing at the picture.
"Yeah. It was taken the day Molly had Charlie," she said sadly, remembering the email she received hours after her nephew had been born with the dozens of photos of the hours-old child.
"He's gorgeous," commented Emily, looking to JJ with her head tilted.
"CJ or Sam?" replied JJ.
"Well, both. But CJ looks adorable there," she answered. "Have you slept at all?"
"No. I just couldn't last night. Sam...kept going in and out of my head and Charlie was crying. So I survived on coffee last night," explained JJ.
Emily's hands both went to cup the exhausted blondes face, thumbs skimming the skin under her eyes gently. "Come on. How about a nap? I didn't sleep last night either. Stupid airport."
"Ok," answered JJ, a moment's hesitation stopping her.
The room was small, but had enough room to put a small coffee table between the bed and the walls. JJ's things were spread out in the corner and the walls were decorated with framed paintings that JJ and Sam had done as kids. Emily mentally reminded herself to look at the photos and pictures more closely later on. The bed covers were lightly rumpled, and there was a blanket and small toy giraffe on the end. There were no windows, but a sliding door which led out to a balcony connected to the other two rooms at the back of the house
Emily settled herself onto the middle of the bed, leaning against the headboard and as JJ climbed tiredly onto the wooden bed, she pulled the younger agent into her arms. With her arms hanging loosely but firmly around JJ's shoulders, she could hear the even breathes coming from JJ, several minutes later, telling Emily that the girl was asleep. Hoping she would stay that way for a while, the older woman drifted off into darkness with the girl of her dreams asleep in her arms.
Several hours later, it was dark outside, snow was piling up on the balcony and Emily woke up spooning JJ. The blonde was awake and a small baby boy was greedily accepting the warm milk she was feeding him. Emily squeezed the arm she had around JJ, letting her know that she was awake.
"Hey," she whispered, shivering gently.
"Hey," replied JJ, turning her head to meet Emily's eyes. To JJ, the perfect loving, caring and tender kiss was placed on her lips, which she smiled into. The blonde pulled back, only to press her own lips to Emily's cheek. It was the first kiss they'd had since Emily arrived. "Meet little Charlie Jareau."
"Hey, little guy," said Emily, the backs of her knuckles rubbing his small tummy. "Here, your arm is probably killing you."
JJ willingly let Emily take the bottle as she traced the little boy's hairline. Together they were slowly sending him off into a peaceful slumber, until he would wake in three or four hours later.
"Dad said before when I got Charlie, that we're seeing Molly and Sam's lawyer on Tuesday," said JJ, facing Emily again. "We have to see what they wanted to happed to Charlie. Where he's gonna go."
"Whatever happens, everything will be fine. I promise," reassured Emily, once again connecting her lips to some part of JJ, and removing the bottle from the now sleeping child.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to make promises you can't keep?" asked JJ.
"Have you ever heard the words 'I told ya so'?" replied Emily
A light knock on the door, disrupted them but thankfully not Charlie. John poked his head in through the gap he created between the door and the frame. "There is some dinner in the fridge if you're hungry and some more bottles if Charlie wakes up. G'night."
"Night," said Emily and JJ, simultaneously.
"I'm going to put him into his crib," announced JJ, cautiously getting off the bed, trying not to wake Charlie as Emily smiled at the way she took care of the three-week-old. JJ was a natural.
Taking her chance, Emily pushed herself from the bed and up to the pictures of her lover as a child and various drawings she had done in school. As the blonde got older and into more advanced classes at school, her drawings became more detailed, showing the smallest features to the darkest shadows.
As JJ returned to her door, down the hall she could hear sobbing. Peaking through the gap, feeling like an eavesdropping teenager again, she could see her mother in tears with her father trying unsuccessfully to comfort her. It brought tears to her own eyes, knowing why her mother was crying and slid her covered feet across the polished hardwood floor to her room. All she wanted was for everything to be normal again, but that wasn't going to happen, so JJ would have to make her own 'normal' that included Emily and little Charlie and her parents and her family back in Washington.
Over the next day and a half, until they had to meet the lawyer in charge of the will, JJ and Emily got into a routine with Charlie, feeding him, changing him and playing with him, the brunette finally got to meet Sandra. Emily would watch over JJ night and day, making sure she slept enough and ate properly. It was now half past eleven on Tuesday. Time to meet Brad Winters, Sam's lawyer. His office was a modern, slightly posh but warm room, with large windows on the second floor of a small building in the middle of town. Emily had suggested that she and Charlie wait in the waiting area, seeing as it was a family meeting and she didn't want to intrude. If one of the three remaining Jareau's were to collapse, having a baby in there with them would only add to the tension.
JJ took her seat in an arm chair, her parent to her right, Brad's desk to her left and the man himself across the small table from her.
"I am sorry and about Sam and Molly. Just after CJ was born, they both came to me to confirm the contents of their will. It involves their money, who will take care of Charlie, what is to happen to their possessions and extra information about any debts that might need to be paid off. Are you all okay to start?" he explained, slowly as if the three of them had no clue what he was saying. They all nodded so he continued.
"All of their money is going to a trust fund account that is set up for Charlie and will keep claiming interest over the years. He can't touch it until his eighteenth birthday. The account will be under the control of whomever it is that is going to take him in," he said, before JJ cut into his little speech.
"Who is going to take care of him?" she asked, that being the only real thing she was concerned about.
Brad started flicking through some of the pages he had in his lap and on the table in front of him, before exclaiming, "Aha! I found it." Brad then began to recite the lines of what had been typed up and signed by the late Mr and Mrs Sam Jareau. "We want our son to have a good childhood and to grow up healthy. We, Molly and I, would like my sister, Jennifer Jareau, to take him in if anything were to happen to us. We have complete faith that she will raise him right."
"Me? They want me to take him in?" she stuttered, her mind racing a mile a minute. 'What about work? What about me and Emily? How will I juggle one family while trying to juggle another and a full time-job?' thought JJ.
"Yes. It was signed by them. If you do agree, standard checks will be done and you would formally adopt him," said Brad.
"What about their house and such?" asked John. Sandra was yet again crying, reaching for JJ's hand, who took it firmly.
"The house goes to the two of you. They say here, 'you can do whatever you please, but it you sell the house, put some of the money into Charlies account,'" answered Mr Big-Shot.
JJ had been stunned into silence for remainder of the meeting, only hearing things when her name popped up. By the time they were to leave, JJ already agreed to take Charlie back to D.C. with her. She could make it work. JJ was given a card with a social-workers number on the back for her to ring about adopting Charlie.
Emily looked at them expectantly as they walked sadly out of the office and into the street, the brunette still holding the baby.
There was a salad shop across the road so they went for lunch.
"Do you know what you're going to do Jen?" asked her father.
"About?" she replied, knowing what was coming.
"Charlie," whispered Emily. She hadn't even been in the meeting, but she had a good idea about what was going on. Profilers
"I'm taking him," she said. "I'm going to ring up this social worker after the funeral and talk to her about everything. But I need to go home before I take him with me."
"Why?" asked Sandra.
"Because my place is not set up for a child," answered JJ. "He can stay with you until I get everything sorted out. It's not like you'll never see him again."
"I know. I want weekly phone calls and photos all the time," said Sandra, feeding a fussing child in the pram.
"Sure, mum. Dad we have to go. Funeral home," said JJ, uncertainty becoming evident in her voice. Emil must have heard it because she gave JJ's have a squeeze under the table.
Emily's cell had decided to go off at the right moment, breaking the sad tension filled atmosphere at their table.
"Excuse me. It's my mother," she said, walking away. JJ cringed when she heard that and Charlie started fuss more.
"Don't worry buddy. I don't really like her mother either," said JJ, leaning across Emily's now vacant chair to rub his tummy. He almost immediately stilled and looked at her with wide brown eyes.