A/N: I'm getting a surfboard for Christmas!
Kleenex warning!
Disclaimer: I don't own CM.
The sun was just starting to peak above the horizon when Sandy pulled herself out of bed and into the kitchen to make something to eat. As she walked into the hallway, she noticed Henry coming out of the bedroom.
"Hey buddy...you ok?" she asked, noting his puffy eyes and tear streaked face. She knew he wasn't, but it was a habit question that she'd always asked her kids as they grew up.
"Daddy went to Heaven," he explained sadly. Sandy knelt down, pulling her grandson into a tight hug, tears pricking her eyes as she took in her grandson's pain. When she pulled back, she tucked his hair out of the way, taking his little hands in hers.
"Henry, you know how your daddy was very sick? And that the sickness made him hurt all the time?" she asked. Henry nodded, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt.
"Well, in Heaven, he's not sick anymore. And he doesn't hurt," Sandy said gently.
"He got better?" Henry asked. Sandy nodded. "Can he come back now?"
Sandy shook her head sadly. "If he comes back, he'll get sick again. He's up there with your grandad. They're watching over you, protecting you"
"And Mommy?"
"And Mommy," Sandy assured. Henry seemed satisfied with the explanation, but that didn't stop him from missing his daddy.
"Did you give your daddy a kiss goodbye?" Sandy asked gently. Henry shook his head, clutching tightly to his panda.
"How about you go and give Daddy a kiss goodbye?" she suggested softly. Taking Henry's hand, she led him to the door, waiting in the hall as he slipped inside. Through the gap in the door, she could see from the waist down, Will's lifeless form, and JJ curled up beside him. She watched as Henry climbed back onto the bed, disappearing from sight for a moment. A few seconds passed, and then Henry returned to Sandy's side, slipping his hand into hers.
Garcia watched from where she was perched on Reid's desk as Hotch ended a phone call, closing his eyes and hanging his head as he put the phone back down on his desk.
"Something bad's happened," she informed the two men sitting behind her as she stood up.
"What's happened?" Rossi asked as he walked past them on the way to his office.
"Something bad," Garcia repeated as Hotch exited his office and nodded towards the conference room.
"What do you think it is?" Reid asked as he sidled up beside Morgan. Morgan shrugged, stepping through the door to the conference room and taking a seat.
"We got a case?" Rossi asked once everyone was sitting down. Hotch shook his head, leaning on the back of the chair in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he looked up, glancing around at the group.
"I just spoke to JJ's mom...Will passed away last night," he said softly. Garcia's eyes filled with tears as her hand automatically found Morgan's. Reid looked lost for words, while Rossi's eyes were awfully bright. They sat in silence for what felt like eternity, coming to grips with the reality that Will was gone. They'd lost one of their own...
"How's JJ?" Morgan asked, his voice barely a whisper as he broke the silence. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain and loss JJ had to be feeling. Sure, he'd lost his dad, but the love that JJ and Will had shared...you don't find it twice.
"I don't know...but from experience...she's probably feeling lost. She won't really know what to do with herself for a while," Hotch said gently. The others looked up in slight surprise.
It was the first time Hotch had ever mentioned his feelings towards Haley's death.
JJ was fighting exhaustion as she lay curled against Will's lifeless body. It had probably been about five hours since he had passed, but JJ couldn't bring herself to leave him just yet.
Reaching up, she tucked a stray bit of hair out of his face, her fingers lingering on his skin. He looked so peaceful now. He wasn't fighting his losing battle anymore.
Now, he could rest. Truly rest.
JJ kissed the back of his hand, which was still loosely entwined with hers. "You were the first man that I knew I'd fallen in love with...and the first man to ever love me back," she said softly, a faint smile shining through her tears as she remembered the butterflies she used to get whenever she thought about him.
Heck, she still got those butterflies sometimes.
"You helped me realise that I didn't need to run away, that I wasn't going to get hurt...you showed me what true love is," she whispered. Carefully, she began to pull her hand away, but felt her fingers glide over metal.
Taking the gold band between her fingers, she gently slipped it off, clutching it tightly to her chest as she lay her head down against his shoulder.
Within seconds, she gave in to exhaustion, and for the last time, fell asleep curled up by Will's side.
JJ woke up alone and cold, curled up in a ball on top of the crumpled sheets. For a moment, she just stared at the space where Will had last lain, and upon realising that he was no longer there, fresh tears began to fall.
He really was gone. The time she'd had with him after he'd passed, it felt like at any moment, he could wake up.
Now it was real.
Pushing herself up, her head spun from lying down so long, from shedding so many tears. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her nose was running. She felt like a complete wreck.
Dragging herself into the bathroom, she set Will's wedding ring, which was still in her hand, down on the counter. Stripping away her pyjamas, she tossed them in the hamper, before turning the shower on scalding hot and stepping in. As the water pounded against her skin, so did the memories.
"I'm gonna do somethin' adventurous," Will growled in JJ's ear as he pushed her up against the wall of the shower. She gasped as the freezing cold ceramics came in contact with her skin. She barely had time to register the cold before Will had kissed her deeply, but at the same time, teasingly dipped his fingers between her legs.
"God, Will!" she exclaimed as he teased her intimates.
"I bet you've never had shower sex before," Will said playfully, grinning at her in that way that she loved.
"Can't...say I have," JJ choked out in reply as his other hand teased her nipples.
"Well then...let me show you just how much fun it can be," Will promised, stopping the teasing as he lifted her up and pressed her against the wall again, capturing her lips in a deep kiss.
Exiting the shower, JJ realised she was crying again.
Somehow, she managed to find some fresh pyjamas before she fell into bed, burying herself under the covers completely. She took a deep breath as she felt the weight on her entire body, the comfort the blankets offered.
It reminded her of those nights when, after making love countless times, JJ would lie, spent, in Will's arms, feeling protected and safe as he ran his fingers through her hair and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
She wanted that back.
After someone from the funeral home had come and taken Will away, Henry had fallen asleep on the couch. Sandy was heartbroken when he started having bad dreams, calling out for Will, crying for his daddy.
Having soothed him into a somewhat restful sleep, Sandy moved towards the back of the house, and slipped into the master bedroom. The room was dark, despite the fact that it was mid afternoon. The curtains were drawn and the lights were out.
JJ lay on her side, facing away from Sandy, but her body was shaking with soft sobs.
Sandy climbed up behind JJ, laying down behind her and pulling her grieving daughter into her arms.
"Mommy?" a little voice whispered, cutting through the darkness and silence of the house. Sandy forced her eyes open, turning her head slightly towards the alarm clock. 1:00am.
A flash of lightning shot through the window, lighting up the room momentarily. It was closely followed by a loud crack of thunder as rain hammered down on the roof.
"Mommy," the voice whimpered again. This time, Sandy managed to identify it as her little four year old, Jennifer.
"Jen, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, knowing full well what was wrong.
"I'm scared," JJ whispered, her voice laced with tears. "Can I stay with you?"
Sandy said nothing, just lifted the covers, allowing JJ to scoot in. Dropping the covers back down, she tucked JJ in, pulling her back against her and holding her tight. A shock of cold on her knees made her gasp.
"Jennifer Alana Jareau, your feet are freezing!" she hissed, making JJ giggle. Smiling, she kissed her youngest daughter's temple as she wrapped her arms around her, protecting her from the storm.
"It's going to be ok," Sandy whispered softly, repeating herself every now and then as she loosely played with the ends of JJ's golden hair.
"I already miss him so much," JJ choked out.
"I know...I know...I promise that one day, the pain will go away. But for now, you just have to stay strong and fight through it all. You have me, you have Henry, you have your team. You will get through this," Sandy assured, pulling JJ closer. JJ turned over to face Sandy, burying her face in against her mother's shoulder, the way she always had when she was a little girl.
Because no matter what, her mother was always her biggest protector.