A/N: Man, the weather has just been mental in this past week. So, I got some inspiration from various places.
Disclaimer: I don't own CM.
Henry couldn't have been smiling bigger as he sat in Will's arms, watching the fireworks that were erupting into the sky over his head. JJ was standing on Will's other side, leaning into his side a little as she also watched the fireworks. Will had his free arm around her waist, and a smile that mirrored Henry's on his face.
The fireworks erupted into thousands of colours, lighting up the Fourth of July summer sky. Henry gasped in amazement as a big Mickey Mouse shaped firecracker exploded.
As a large heart shaped firecracker boomed into existence, sending a flash of pink over the watching crowd, JJ cupped Will's jaw in her hands and kissed him square on the lips. Henry giggled as he watched his parents from Daddy's arms. The kiss deepened a little as Will pulled JJ closer to him.
Pulling back, somewhat breathlessly, JJ smiled at him, tears evident in her eyes. "I love you"
Will broke into his handsome smile, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you too, JayJay"
Will glanced back over his shoulder into the backseat, where Henry was sound asleep, worn out from the night's activities. The glare from the street lights passed over the little boy's sleeping face as they sped towards home.
"JJ...you know that the lucid moments like this are gonna get further and further apart as...as the time gets closer," Will said softly, breaking the gentle silence. JJ took a deep breath, keeping her eyes fixated on the road in front of her.
"I know," she whispered. She didn't want to cry. Not again. But inevitably, a single tear slipped out, leaving a glistening trail down her cheek, and she had to pull over before she completely lost it.
"JayJay-"
"I just need a minute-"
"Listen to me...I know that this is breakin' your heart, JJ, and I really hate that I'm the cause of all your pain. But we can keep makin' memories like these. Memories that will last forever, and hopefully give yourself and Henry some good times to hold onto before I get much worse. I promise that we are gonna make the most of the time I have left with you," Will explained, reaching out and wiping away the tears running down JJ's face with the pad of his thumb. JJ leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. For just a split second, it felt like everything would be ok. It felt like nothing was wrong. As she breathed out, exhaling a heavy breath, she also got rid of that false perception.
"I have thousands of memories with you. And I want to make thousands more before you have to go," she whispered, lifting her gaze to meet his worried blue eyes.
"I promise to make that happen," Will replied, promising his words with all of his heart. And he knew that this was a promise he could keep.
JJ sat beside Will's bed, flipping through a magazine. He was undergoing his twice weekly dialysis, and they were into the third week. On JJ's count, despite the fact that Will was in good spirits, and felt pretty good considering his condition, he only had 17 weeks or so left.
Will sighed, dropping his head back to the pillow to count the bubbles in the ceiling paint again. Reaching twenty, he gave up, sighing again as he looked around the room. JJ cleared her throat, a hint that he was getting on her nerves. Looking down at his hands, he tapped the tips of his fingers together...and without even realising it, sighed again.
"Keep it up and I'll save you from your boredom by beating you to death with this magazine," JJ muttered darkly, making him laugh.
"I'm bored...and hungry," Will laughed. JJ looked at him in disbelief.
"I know you're bored, I got the hint an hour ago. But you can't be hungry again! You had Jell-O twenty minutes ago!" JJ exclaimed. Will grinned.
"I'm a guy, JJ"
JJ smirked at him. "I know that, I have seen a certain part of your anatomy on plenty of occasions"
At that moment, Henry returned to the room with the day nurse. Every single one of the nurses who had been caring for Will at some point had taken a strong liking to Henry. If Will was in the hospital, and one of the nurses was off duty, he or she would take Henry to the kid's playroom on the paediatric floor for a little while.
"Mommy, look what 'Tefanie 'n I made!" Henry exclaimed, running across the room to where Mommy was sitting. Holding out a small handful of homemade badges, he beamed proudly as Stephanie stepped up behind him.
"Wow, buddy, look at those! They're great!" JJ gushed, picking up Henry and seating him in her lap before covering him in kisses. Stephanie moved around the bed to check Will's dialyser as Henry giggled and squirmed in Mommy's lap.
"Mommy...gwoss, stop dat!" Henry giggled, trying to push JJ's face away from him with his little hands. JJ grinned, giving in to Henry's request. Stephanie smiled as she walked back to the door and left the room.
"Mommy, I sit with Daddy?" Henry asked happily, looking up at Mommy. JJ nodded, lifting him up onto Will's lap.
"Whatcha got there, buddy?" Will asked, taking one of the badges from Henry's hand.
"Badges!" Henry exclaimed proudly, thrusting the rest of the badges out towards Will.
JJ watched with a smile on her face as Henry explained what each badge was. The little things like this...they were the things that counted.
JJ rested against Will's chest as they lounged with the rest of the team in Morgan's backyard. The two boys were running around happily on the lawn while the adults enjoyed some downtime from a hard week at work. At that moment in time, they were teasing Reid about not knowing what The Hunger Games was.
"Are you serious man? It's been all anyone's talked about since it came out!" Morgan explained, in utter disbelief of the fact that even he knew what it was, but Reid didn't.
"It makes no sense. What kind of game is a 'hunger' game?" Reid countered, making them all laugh. Hotch and Rossi were shaking their heads at the oblivious genius.
"The event that the book details is called The Hunger Games, Spence," JJ laughed. "I can't believe you haven't read them. Katniss could certainly teach you a thing or two about nature," she teased.
"Katniss? What's that?" Reid asked, making them laugh again.
"The main character is called Katniss Everdeen. You really need to catch up on what's new," Garcia explained. Reaching into her bag, she tossed him her copy of The Hunger Games. "Read up"
As Reid reached out to catch the flying book, a little voice slipped into the conversation, floating over from where the owner of that voice was standing on the other side of the garden.
"My Daddy's going to heaven"
JJ's eyes widened as she turned to look at Will. She knew everyone else had heard, because they'd all frozen and were now staring in shock at the couple. In all the drama with Will's condition, the thought that Henry might accidentally let something slip at a gathering had never crossed JJ's mind. And by the look on Will's face, it had never occurred to him either.
"JJ?" Morgan asked softly, as he was sitting closest to the married couple. JJ slowly turned back to look at the group, not quite sure what to say. Hot tears stung her eyes, signalling an approaching breakdown. Pulling out of Will's hold, she quickly made her way to the back door, disappearing inside the house. Garcia got up to follow her, her main mission being to comfort JJ.
"Will...what's going on?" Rossi cut in, breaking the silence. Will looked up at the FBI agents he'd come to call his friends and family. Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath.
"I was diagnosed with leukaemia...just over three months ago. End stage. I have just over four months left," he explained gently. Looking around, he took in the expressions that encircled the group. Morgan looked shocked, but at the same time, his eyes were filled with a disbelieving sadness. Hotch had already known, but still looked incredibly sympathetic. Rossi just looked shell shocked, while Reid didn't really know what to feel. Beth had her hand over her heart, and her eyes were glistening. She'd come to know Will quite well in the past year, and had developed a strong liking for the quirky Southerner.
"You're joking...," Morgan finally said, his voice quiet and filled with utter disbelief. However, his words were more a statement of denial than a question.
"I wish I was," Will said regretfully. Pulling himself to his feet, he stood for a moment, his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna go check on JJ"
The others watched his retreating back as he disappeared inside the house. Henry dropped the ball he and Jack were playing with, and ran after his Daddy, just slipping inside the door before Will closed it.
Will entered the bedroom from which Garcia's voice was floating. Without another word, he crossed the room and pulled JJ into his arms, allowing her to break down on his shoulder.
"I'll give you guys some space...Will, I'm so sorry," Garcia said softly, tears filling her eyes. Will nodded slightly, watching as the colourful woman left the room. As he gently rocked back and forth, placing light kisses just behind JJ's ear and on her temple, Henry climbed up on the bed, and wrapped his arms around his mother as high as he could reach.
"Mommy, no sad," he insisted.
"I never wanted them to find out like this," JJ choked out, lifting her tear streaked face from Will's shoulder.
"Neither did I, cher, but what's done is done. It's not Henry's fault that it came out today. They know now. They'll understand. And now you can have the support you need as well," Will said gently.
"I bad?" Henry chimed in. JJ turned around, breaking Will's hold on her as she swept Henry up into her embrace.
"No, baby boy, you're not bad," she murmured against his blonde hair. Will put his arms around the two of them, relishing the feel of his family in his arms. Even though the team finding out had upset JJ...he felt a massive relief from knowing they didn't have to hide his illness anymore.
Will pulled Henry's covers up over the little boy's body, leaning down and kissing his forehead. "Good night. Sleep tight. Don' let the bed bugs bite. I love you"
Henry giggled as he snuggled under the covers. He lay there for a moment, watching as his daddy left the room, flicking the nightlight on as he did. He listened as Daddy's footsteps got further and further away before he called out.
"Daddy?" he called in his small voice.
Will turned on his heel, heading back down the hall to his son's bedroom. Leaning around the doorframe, he looked at Henry's angelic face. "Yeah, buddy?"
"When you go to heaven, is you gonna be a guarj'an angel?" Henry asked sweetly. The innocence of the question was evident. Will exhaled heavily as he stepped into the room. Slipping his shoes off, he slid in beside Henry, pulling the youngster into his arms.
"I'm gonna be your guardian angel. I'll always be watchin' you and your momma, because I love you so much," he said softly, pressing a kiss to Henry's soft blonde head.
"I yuv you too," Henry whispered, snuggling into the curve of Will's neck.
Together, father and son, they fell asleep, Henry curled up in Will's protective embrace. And that was how JJ found them an hour later. With a smile on her tired face, she pulled the door closed behind her as she too, headed for bed.