Happy (but very, very chilly) New Year to you all!
Still don't own it - I think Santa is keeping it for himself... that's what I think.
Happy reading and enjoy :D
"Hello Jennifer," Sandy said with a smile as she and Pete stepped into the house. She stepped forward and hugged JJ and then kissed her on the cheek, "now where's this grandson of mine?" she asked as she pulled off her coat.
JJ couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh at her mother's anxiousness to meet Henry. "He's sleeping right now, but he should be waking up soon."
"Hello Sparkplug," Pete Jareau said with a smile on his face as he took in his daughter and how happy she looked. He stepped forward and pulled her into a bear hug, kissing the top of her head as he did so.
Spencer caught the affectionate greetings from the corner of his eye as he closed the door behind him after helping Pete carry in the luggage. He turned and quietly watched from off to the side, not wanting to intrude.
Sandy caught Spencer standing awkwardly off to side with his hands stuffed in his pockets, as if attempting not to interrupt the greetings. "Hello Spencer dear," she said with a smile attempting to draw him into the conversation.
"Hello… Mom" Spencer replied with smile and a nod. He turned to face Pete and offered his hand, "Dad"
Pete Jareau shook the hand that Spencer offered and then reached out and clapped him on the shoulder with his other hand. "Spencer." He said with a nod of approval at his daughter's boyfriend.
"So we were thinking that maybe…" Spence started to say.
Just then Henry squawked as he woke up from his nap drawing the attention of the grandparents away from JJ and Spencer and towards the newest addition to the family who lay in his bassinet on the far side of the living room.
JJ watched in amusement as Spence stared completely flummoxed after her parents walked away towards Henry in his bassinet. "Get used to it Spence. For next day or so it's going to be all about Henry." JJ said as she turned and wrapped her arms around Spence's waist. She rested her head on his chest while she watched her Mom pick Henry up from his bassinet while her Dad reached out offering his finger to Henry, who latched on showing the strength of his grip.
Spence smiled as he wrapped his arms around JJ, his hand settling on her hips. "So I guess they'll agree to delivery like we were thinking then?"
JJ turned her head away from where her parents sat on the couch holding Henry and talking to him and rested her chin in the middle of Spence's chest as she looked up at him. "I don't think that will be a problem at all."
Spence smiled and leaned down to kiss JJ, taking advantage of their position and Henry being entertained by his grandparents.
Sandy smiled at the sight of Jennifer and Spencer as she caught sight of them over Henry's tiny little head. She nudged Pete and nodded towards the doorway where their daughter and her boyfriend stood in each other's arms.
Pete grinned, happy to see how happy and in love his Sparkplug was. "Looks like you have a pretty good chance at being a big brother someday Henry." He whispered softly so only the baby and Sandy could hear.
Sandy laughed and slapped her husband's shoulder.
"Hey," JJ whispered as she felt Spence crawl into bed next to her, "how was the case?" she asked rolling onto her side to face him as she woke up from her nap.
"Exhausting and disturbing. The unsub went from being in a fight club and killing someone who'd repeatedly beaten him there to killing a gang member to killing police officers." Spencer whispered in reply as he wrapped his arms around JJ and buried his face in JJ's neck.
JJ nodded in understanding as she wrapped her arms around Spence. It was always a terrible thing when an officer or agent died in the line of duty… but to be specifically targeted because of being a law enforcement officer was beyond the pale. "Are you okay?" she whispered in concern knowing how they'd all been affected by cases over the years.
Spence nodded, "I'm fine. I think this case got to Morgan the most. One of the officers killed after we got there left behind a young son…"
JJ winced, knowing how close to home that must have hit for Morgan.
"… but that also got me thinking… this case, officers being shot because they were doing their jobs… I mean I know there are never any guarantees… I know we picked Garcia and Will to be Henry's Godparents… but I think we also need to put together a will clearly spelling out what happens to Henry if anything happens to us…" he continued as he pulled back and leaned his forehead against JJ's as he took a deep heavy breath.
JJ nodded in understanding and agreement. "I know. I've been thinking about it too. We can take care of it after the holidays… but you know that my parents… and Will and Penelope and the rest of the team… all of them would be there for Henry if anything happened... but nothing is going to happen to us." She said in a determined voice as she reached up and running her fingers along his jaw and then through his hair. "Your hair's damp." She said in confusion.
Spence grinned. "Your Mom made me eat and then told me to go take a shower and a nap. She and your Dad are on baby duty for the afternoon apparently?"
JJ smiled fondly at her Mom mothering Spence. "Yeah she made me eat and sent me to take a nap too once Henry was down for his. I wouldn't have fought getting sent to take a nap so much if I knew she was going to send my boyfriend to take a nap with me later though." She said shifting to rest her head on Spence's chest. Then they dozed off together.
"What are you working on?" JJ asked as she sat down next to her Mom on the couch, watching in amazed fascination as the knitting needles gracefully moved in her mother's hands working back and forth, back and forth unwinding and shrinking the ball of yarn while the size of what her mother was working on grew.
Sandy smiled as she glanced up at Jennifer. "Booties for Henry for Christmas, I wanted to wait until I saw what you'd done for the nursery before I made them." She said pausing to hold up the finished bootie alongside the partially finished bootie.
JJ smiled as she rocked Henry in her arms. "They're beautiful Mom."
Sandy smiled. "Well then beautiful booties for a beautiful boy. I think he gets it from his parents."
"You alright?" Morgan asked Jordan as the team exited the elevator on the sixth floor for the BAU.
Jordan turned to look over her shoulder at Morgan as she walked off the elevator. "I will be."
"Hey, you guys ever notice how the trip home seems to go so much faster?" Emily asked as she walked alongside Morgan and Reid.
"That's cause the tailwinds are in our favor." Reid responded.
"No, I meant cause…." Emily said trailing off as she gestured with her hands and turned to face Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch, "Anybody want to get something to eat?"
"Not really," Morgan replied.
"You?" Rossi asked.
"Well, not really," Emily replied.
"There's someone in the BAU room guys." Reid said as he noticed the back of a very familiar blonde head through the window.
"What are you doin' here?" Spence asked as he entered the conference room and saw JJ standing and swaying with their son in her arms.
JJ opened her mouth to explain to Spence that she'd been thinking it might be a good time to tell the team about them, but paused as Emily followed almost immediately through the doorway after Spence.
"JJ!" Emily exclaimed in happy excitement as she set her bag off to the side.
"Garcia said you guys were on your way back tonight. Thought you could use the surprise." She replied as she held Henry up so that the team could easily see his face.
"Hi, hi," Emily cooed as she made faces at Henry.
Spence took an enamored glance at his son, watching his face from where he stood to see his reaction to Emily's cooing.
"I thought I gave you strict orders to get this place out of your head for a while?" Hotch asked as he stood at the back of the group, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.
"My bad, I couldn't help myself," Garcia explained as she entered the room, weaving her way through the room with a baby bottle in her hand. "Here, I heated it up. Room temp, right?" she asked as she came to a stop next to JJ.
"I just realized with all that we do and see in this room, it never smiles. I wanted at least one good memory to hold onto." She explained as she continued to sway with Henry in her arms.
"Excuse me kid," Morgan spoke softly as he reached out with his hand to brush Reid back out of his way and step in front of JJ. "Uh, JJ, uh… can I?" he asked as he gestured towards Henry.
"Eee, of course," JJ replied with a degree of surprise and gently handed Henry off to Morgan.
"Okay, you gotta hold his head up." Emily replied, bouncing in place as she followed Henry's path from JJ's arms to Morgan's. "Okay, careful, careful."
"I got it, I got it." Morgan murmured as he looked down at the small boy in his arms.
"No you don't got it. You're smothering him." Penelope said in a concerned tone as she watched Morgan hold her Godson.
"Look it, look it, what's he doin? What's he doin'? He is smilin' at Derek Morgan." Morgan said as he spun in a circle so the team could see the baby smiling.
Emily and Penelope simultaneously made faces and looked at each other. "Gas" they responded in unison.
After bouncing for a moment with Henry in his arms, Morgan paused and looked at Garcia. "Gimme that." he said, reaching out and taking Henry's bottle from her and began to feed the baby.
JJ smiled as she watched Morgan feed Henry. She slipped around to stand next to Hotch, hoping to snag a moment of his time so that she and Spence could share the long overdue news of their relationship and Spence being Henry's father with him as a first step to telling the team.
JJ turned to look at Hotch. "You're smiling."
"Gas" replied Hotch, allowing his seldom seem sense of humor to shine through. "We miss you," he added glancing away from watching Morgan bounce Henry in his arms for just a moment.
JJ glanced up at Hotch, knowing how seldom moments like this were for the team and then down and away as she attempted to find the best way to bring up the subject.
"There you are," Kevin said as he poked his head into the open door of the round table room, "ready to go dumpling? We have to get going if we're going to make it on time."
Penelope pouted as she looked back and forth between Morgan holding Henry and the doorway where her boyfriend stood.
Kevin raised his eyebrows and pushed his glasses up on his nose while he stood in the doorway waiting patiently for Penelope.
"Okay, I have to leave peaches, but we'll get together for lunch or something soon?" she asked as she made her way over to JJ.
"Sure. Call me and let me know when works for you." JJ replied.
Emily glanced at her watch, "Oh I've got to get going too. I'm having dinner with the Ambassador while she's in town." She explained with a grimace as she slipped behind JJ and Hotch to pick her bag back up. "It was good to see you and Henry, JJ." Emily said with a smile.
Emily needing to leave for dinner prompted Hotch to look at his watch. "I'm spending time with Jack tonight. I meant what I said JJ. We miss you, but enjoy your time off and get this place out of your head for a little while." He said as he turned and headed out of the room for his office.
"Congratulazioni bella," Rossi murmured to JJ. "I have a meeting with my agent about my upcoming book tour, so I have to bid you farewell as well."
"Guess that just leaves us kid. Come on, I'll give you a ride home." Morgan said as he handed Henry back to JJ.
"Actually, I have my car here today." Reid replied as he met JJ's wide eyes, sensing that whatever she'd had planned had just fallen apart with the team all having plans.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow man." He said and then turned to JJ, "It was good seein' you JJ. Take care of shorty here and we'll see you soon." He said before heading out and leaving JJ and Reid standing alone in the round table room except for Henry.
JJ let out a heavy sigh.
"So I take it that didn't go how you had planned?" Spence asked as he stepped closer and reached out taking Henry from her.
JJ shook her head as she settled Henry in his Daddy's arms. "No. I was thinking we'd have an opportunity to talk to Hotch and hopefully the team would be here for a while and we'd be able to tell Hotch and then the rest of the team about us and Henry… I was trying to figure out the best way to bring the subject up with Hotch when Kevin poked his head in looking for Garcia."
Spence nodded in understanding. "We'll figure it out. Seventy five percent of people are amenable to co-workers becoming romantically involved, so when we are ready to tell them, the odds are in our favor."
JJ grinned. "Do I want to know how much time you spent researching office romances and the best way to let your co-workers and friends in on the secret?" She asked quirking her eyebrow as she looked up at him.
Spence smiled, "It's easy to do the research when you can read 20,000 words per minute and are able to remember what was said verbatim. How about I walk you and Henry to your care and I meet you at home?" he asked changing the subject.
"Actually, I had my Mom drop us off when Garcia told me you were on your way home. We put Henry's car seat in your car already. I thought it would be nice to head home together." JJ replied as she looked up at Spence.
"Okay, do you have everything?" Spence asked as he looked around the room and grabbed Henry's diaper bag off of the table and slinging it over his shoulder while holding Henry in the crook of his arm.
JJ smiled and grabbed her purse off of the table. "Yes, that's everything." She said stepped close to Spence, making sure that Henry's blanket was still tucked around him snuggly before they went outside.
"So Will, who are you cheering for today?" Pete asked, looking over his beer bottle at his daughter and might as well be son-in-law's friend as he took a sip from his beer as they sat in the living room watching the Sunday pre-game show.
"Well I'm hoping that the Carolina Panthers can manage to eek out a win over the Giants." Will said as he juggled the soft plush football rattle in his hand as he entertained Henry. "I know it might take a miracle, but I can always hope… and it is the season for miracles… football or otherwise."
"I didn't know you were a Panthers fan." Spencer replied in confusion as he reflected back on all of the times in the last few months that he, Will, and JJ had watched football together.
Will laughed. "I'm not, but if New York loses, it shortens the gap between them and everyone else in the division. And in some strange twist of fate I'm actually gonna be cheerin' for the Redskins today seein' as if they beat the Eagles then the Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins will all be tied for second place in the division." He explained.
"Oh." Spencer replied, understanding how statics, wins and losses, and records in general worked in theory, but having missed the impact of said statistics on which team someone would chose to cheer for.
Pete chuckled softly at Spencer's confusion. "Don't worry Spencer, this time of year it can get pretty crazy trying to keep track of who everyone's cheering for what with the regular season winding down and playoff spots and wild cards up for grabs."
"Is that everything Jennifer?" Sandy asked as she pulled a tray out of the oven and began arranging appetizers on a serving platter after setting the oven mitts off to the side.
"Yes." JJ replied as she looked at the bowl of chips, the bowl of dip, and the platter of appetizers her mother held. She picked up the chips and dip and they headed for the living room.
"Hey, what are you boys talking about out here?" JJ asked as she sat the chips and dip down on the coffee table and took a seat next to Spence.
"Will was just telling us how he'll be cheering for the Redskins today." Pete said with a smile at his daughter as he rested his arm around his wife as she sat next to him.
"Finally saw the light hmm?" JJ teased.
"Nah, your Redskins beatin' the Eagles just means my Cowboys are that much closer to the wild card spot." Will teased back.
"Not if my Redskins earn it instead." JJ replied, fire in her eyes at the thought of the Cowboys or Eagles beating out the Redskins for the wild card spot in the playoffs.
Spence watched in amusement as JJ and Will bantered back and forth about who was better the Redskins or the Cowboys.
"So Spencer," Sandy began, "Jennifer tells me that your first date was when you took her to a Redskins game."
Spence smiled fondly at the memory. "It was… although I think JJ spent more time trying to fill me in on what was happening than anything… we were just friends at the time, even though I wanted us to be more… I was just too nervous to ask her on a second date… but I still had a good time."
JJ smiled at the memory of their first date that hadn't been much of a date at all. "And it only took me a year and a half to ask you out again."
"After a lot of prodding from a good friend I might add." Will chimed in with a smile.
"And the rest is history…" Pete said with a smile and a nod at Henry who lay sounds asleep in his Godfather's arms.
JJ smiled as she thought of everything that had happened during the last year and a half and then turned to look at her Mom. "So what time are Chris, Kari, and the girls plan on leaving?"
"The girls have a half day of school on Tuesday, so your brother and Kari are packing up in the morning and heading out right after picking the girls up." Sandy replied.
Pete nodded. "Your brother thought that would give them an early enough start to beat traffic."
JJ nodded, more than a little familiar with the drive to Chris and Kari's house after many trips to visit after moving to the DC area. "Okay. We should get everything ready for them tomorrow." She said, the liaison in her taking over and planning three steps ahead.
Spence nodded and leaned down kissing her on the cheek. "We will, but for now just relax and enjoy watching football." He said, massaging her shoulder where his hand rested.
JJ rested her head on Spence's shoulder and relaxed against him as they watched and listened to Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, and company discuss the interesting matchups of the day, their predictions on winners, as well as the teams in have to win situations… all in all, with snacks on the table, beverages in hand, and the games about to begin, a perfect relaxing football Sunday just before Christmas.