Monday morning JJ gets back from a budget justification meeting to find the nameplate on her door reads "Stinkerbell."
"MORGAN!" she hollers.
Emily and Reid crack up as the African American agent looks for his best escape route. But he's too late. Emily and Reid hide their laughter as JJ storms into the bullpen, marches up to his desk and leans down on it.
"Remember this when you see your inbox after lunch. And remember this when we have our hand-to-hand training tonight."
She turns and marches back out. As soon as she clears the room the three agents burst into laughter.
"I warned you, Morgan," Emily reminds him. "She's going to make you pay at work and at play."
He grins. "Probably. But it was SO worth it!"
They all laugh and get back to work. True to her word, when Morgan got back from lunch he had 52 case files on his desk. The note from JJ read simply: "Need these back tomorrow. Good luck."
Morgan shakes his head. "Blondie, you are a vindictive woman," he mutters as he opens the first file.
Emily chuckles. "Derek, you have no idea."
He just grins as Emily comes over and slides a few folders off his desk with a wink. He raises an eyebrow at her.
"You're working with her this afternoon. Don't want you to get a paper cut or something and be less than your best."
He grins and nods. "Thanks, Em."
That evening it feels as weird to Emily to be driving home alone as it did to drive in separately that morning. But she knows the extra training JJ insists on will help her mentally and physically improve as an agent.
When she walks into the house she hears Henry crying in the playroom. She drops her briefcase and tosses her coat over the banister of the stairwell as she heads for the sounds. She pokes her head in.
"Francesca? What's wrong?"
The nanny looks up from where she is rocking him in her arms. "He was pulling himself up. He fell and bumped his nose on his new truck. He will be fine, cara. Just has to cry it out."
Emily squats down beside him. "You okay, Champ? Did that mean old truck bite my boy?"
He reaches out towards her. "MA!" he blurts.
Emily's eyes widen. "Did…did you just say…"
"MA! MAMA!" he hollers.
Emily takes him and hugs him close, looking at Francesca. "Did he just say…"
Francesca chuckles. "Si, cara, he called you Mama."
Emily kisses Henry's head. "Oh, my sweet boy. Oh, Henry." She doesn't even try to stop the tears that flow down her cheeks. Francesca kisses them both and heads out of the room. Emily eases Henry back and looks into his eyes.
"Do you really know me? Do you really know what you're saying? Who am I, Henry?"
He smiles at her and pats her face. "Mama."
She laughs through her happy tears. "Yes! Yes, Henry, I'm Mama. Oh, yes sweet boy."
She hugs him close again, feeling like her heart may burst. She pulls out her cell phone and calls JJ. It goes to voicemail after three rings.
"Jen, listen to this. Henry, who am I?"
"Mama!" he says.
"Yes! Yes, I'm Mama, Champ. Jen, did you hear? God, my heart is about to explode. I love you, baby. See you when you get home."
Emily sits there with Henry for the next hour, talking to him and playing with him, her heart jumping every time he calls her Mama.
JJ and Morgan head towards their gym bags. Both are sweaty, breathing hard and happy.
"Damn good job, JJ. You know what you're doing it's just been a while since you've had to. You proved with Lucerne the skills are there. We're just knocking the rust off. And maybe I'll teach you a few new moves when you're ready."
"Derek, thank you so much for this. It's really helping my mental state; I feel like I'll be less of a detriment in the field with this extra training under my belt. We can do it again Thursday, right?"
"Yep. As long as a case doesn't come up…and as long as my desk doesn't get buried again."
She grins at him. "You so totally deserved that."
He laughs. "Maybe. Hotch is trying to get a training session scheduled in Hogan's Alley for the whole team. I think he's waiting for the results of Emily's pregnancy test to—oh, shit…"
JJ glares at him. "Did she tell you?"
Morgan chuckles and shakes his head. "No, JJ, she didn't. As far as I know neither of you have told anyone. But we're profilers, Jayje. We're just respecting that you will tell us what we need to know when we need to know it. What I said just…just slipped out."
JJ relaxes. "I should have known we couldn't keep it a secret. Especially after we told you all the reason we were cross-training our jobs. Thanks, Derek."
"Any time, Jennifer."
She wipes the sweat of her face and pulls on a sweatshirt. When she sees she missed a call from Emily she quickly hits voicemail, hoping everything is okay. Tears spring up in her eyes and she gasps. Morgan's head snaps around in concern.
"Jayje, what's wrong?" he asks worriedly.
JJ can't even speak. She puts the phone on speaker and replays the message. His concern turns to excitement as he hears Henry calling Emily Mama. JJ leaps into his arms.
"God, Morgan! He's calling her Mama!"
He gives her a big hug. "Something tells me you need to hurry home before Emily gets him tired of this new trick."
JJ laughs. "Yeah. Oh, wow. He loves her so much, Morgan. And she loves him. And I love them both and…geez, I'm babbling, aren't I."
He nods. "Yes, but I think you're entitled. Come on."
They walk out together. Morgan knows JJ will ride her cruise control all the way home lest her excitement make her speed. When JJ gets parked in the garage, the door to the house opens, framing Emily and Henry in the light. JJ smiles.
"Hey, Little Man! Who's that holding you?"
"Mama!"
"Yes! Yes, that's Mama! And who am I?" He babbles incoherently. She shakes her head. "Ouch, Henry. Let's go back to the other question. Who's that?" she points at Emily.
"Mama!"
"Good boy!" She takes him from Emily and hugs him close as they walk inside. She looks at her wife. "Thank you for that voicemail. It was awesome. Even Morgan was choked up a bit."
"Well, I admit I was a blubbering mess. And now that we know he's starting to speak, time for you to start watching your language, young lady."
JJ chuckles. "Okay, okay, I'll try to stop it with the 'f' word around him. And I won't laugh at you anymore when you catch yourself…no matter how cute it is to watch you stumble over your words."
"Gee, thanks, Jen." Emily leans forward and gives her a kiss. "By the way, welcome home. Did you have a good workout?"
JJ nods. "Yeah, I really did. This is more to boost my confidence a bit. And Morgan said Hotch is trying to get us into Hogan's Alley soon." She chuckles. "Morgan also said you may be exempt if you're pregnant. They know. All of them know, Em."
Emily laughs. "Did you really think we'd be able to keep it a secret? They're pretty good profilers. I mean, they're aren't me and you but they hold their own."
JJ chuckles. "Yeah, they manage. They are giving us the respect of telling them when we want them to know. He just sort of slipped up tonight and was kicking himself for it."
"Well, in one week we'll have an idea of when we may tell them officially. And I seriously don't know how the hell I'm going to make it through this next week."
"Me, neither. But let's start with me taking a shower before dinner."
"Good idea." Emily looks at Henry. "Mommy's stinky, isn't she?" He laughs and covers his nose as if in agreement. Emily bursts out laughing as JJ just glares at her son.
"Thanks, Henry. Glad I could give you life so you can pick on me." He smiles and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "You little charmer. You're as dangerous as your Mama."
"Mama!" he says happily.
JJ chuckles and hands him back to Emily. "Be back in a few, sweetheart."
Emily nods and heads for the kitchen to start getting Henry fed so she can then eat with her wife.
The next few days at work go without any major cases popping up. But on Thursday morning JJ hurries towards Hotch's office.
"Uh, oh," Reid says.
"Oh, no," Emily mutters. "No, no, no, no…the test is Monday. Where are we going? What if we're not done by Monday? Fuck, fuck, fuck," she thinks to herself.
In the conference room they learn about a man who has kidnapped his children after losing a custody battle. The team is being called in to help the police figure out how much of a danger the man is and where he may have taken them. It's somewhat local and soon they are driving up to Frederick, MD.
Emily sits in the back of the SUV driven by Hotch. He looks at her in the rearview mirror. "I know the police spokesman in Frederick. He's not into sensationalism and he's good at keeping the media in check. He's a good one to watch and learn from, Prentiss."
Emily nods, appreciating the chance to learn more about the job she is slowly stepping into. Hotch glances at JJ.
"When are you supposed to take your next test?"
"I have it scheduled for Saturday morning."
"Good. This case should be done by then. If not, get to that test and then rejoin us." She nods in agreement. He looks at Emily again. "And you're appointment is Monday?"
"Yes, sir," she acknowledges.
"Same goes. If we're not done, get your butt there anyway and then rejoin us if you can."
He doesn't mention that the "if you can" refers to the fact that she could be too upset by the results to join them. She just forces a smile and nods, appreciating the out he's given her if needed.
At 3:30 in the morning on Friday, Morgan and JJ approach the front door of a house in Mt. Airy, MD. The man's aunt had left him the house the previous year and it has been vacant since the woman's death. Reid and Rossi are in the back. Morgan keys his mike.
"Reid, Rossi, you set?"
"Copy," Rossi acknowledges.
Morgan nods at JJ and she tries the front door. It's not locked. She eases it open and steps inside, gun up and ready. She walks through the front room, clearing it as she goes. Morgan nods to the two police officers beside him and they slowly follow JJ. The hope is a female will be less threatening to the children so she is well ahead of them all.
She hears what sounds like a Disney movie playing in one room. She gestures to the door and Morgan nods. She carefully opens the door, seeing the little boy and girl on the floor in front of a TV. She opens it further, seeing they are alone in the room, which has no closet to conceal anyone.
"JJ, get in there, keep them calm," Morgan orders.
JJ nods and heads into the room, closing the door behind her. She holsters her gun. "Hi," she says quietly. The children jump. "Don't say anything. My name is Jennifer and I'm a police officer. Are you two okay?"
"Yes. But we can't talk to strangers," the little girl says.
JJ smiles. "I know. And as a police officer I think that's a good rule. Do you know where your daddy is?"
"He went into the basement. He says he had to get a tool to help show Mommy he means business."
JJ eyes widen. "I see. Thank you."
She steps away from them and keys her mike. "Morgan, he was going to the basement to get some sort of tool to use to show his ex he means business."
"Shit. Stay with the kids, JJ. Barricade the door if you can."
"Copy."
JJ looks around the room. "What the hell do I barricade it with? There's nothing in here but a couple of boxes," she thinks to herself.
A quick check shows there is nothing in the boxes that would help keep the door closed. JJ thinks a second but she hears screams and running. Without thinking about it, she throws her body against the door, bracing her boots on the floor and praying they don't slip. A body crashes into the other side of the door. The door handle rattles but the lock holds. A body slams into the door twice but her body weight and strength help it hold. She hears Morgan tackle someone to the ground and suddenly the door is left alone. She maintains her position until there is a calm knock on the door.
"JJ? You okay in there?" Rossi asks.
JJ lets out a sigh of relief and opens the door. "We're okay. Suspect?"
"In custody and outside. Hotch and Emily are on their way with the mother."
JJ smiles. "Good." She goes back to the kids. "Hi again. I have good news: your Mommy is on her way. How about we just stay here and watch the movie until she gets here."
The little girl nods. JJ sits down with them. After a minute, the little boy climbs into her lap. "I miss my Mommy."
She hugs him. "I know, honey. She'll be here soon. I promise."
When Emily enters with the children's mother, her heart swells with pride and love. The little boy is still snuggled in JJ's lap. The little girl lies with her head on JJ's knee and the agent is stroking a hand through her hair. The scene only lasts a split second as the mother screams for her children and they run to her, happy to be back in her arms. JJ climbs to her feet and heads for the door.
"Agent Jareau?" JJ turns back to the woman. "Thank you so much for sitting with them and protecting them."
JJ smiles and nods. "My pleasure. They're great kids."
Rossi pats her on the back as she walks out. Emily takes her hand and gives it a quick squeeze before they head out into the circus of police and media gathered outside.
It is nearly 7 a.m. before the team gets back to Quantico. Hotch tells them as soon as they write up their reports they are done for the weekend. He gets no arguments. JJ knows she's got a long night of studying ahead of her and looks forward to getting some sleep before starting.
Emily finishes her write up and prints it out. As she stands by the printer it suddenly hits her…this time Monday she will know if her egg has taken. She rubs her stomach absent-mindedly. Reid walks up to get his report. He smiles.
"Good luck on Monday, Emily."
She smiles. "Thanks, Reid."
She takes her write up to JJ's office. "You ready?"
"I think so. Let me make sure I have all my study materials. I had them here yesterday to work on through lunch." She grins. "Best laid plans, right?"
Emily smiles. "Of course. Let's get home, get some sleep and then I can help you study if you'd like."
"I may take you up on that offer."
They drop their reports off with Hotch and head out. Emily drives and JJ is asleep before they get out of the gates of Quantico.