Chapter 7

JJ's parents came to visit her daughter about six months into her pregnancy.

JJ had already told them on the phone that they were going to be grandparents again, but they couldn't make it earlier as they had to take care of their little grocery store in the small town of East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

When they heard the news of another grandchild so soon after their first, they were shocked, no doubt. Especially as their daughter had informed them that the baby was the product of a one-night stand. They were still not entirely happy with the fact that JJ hadn't married Will, Henry's father, and it surely didn't sit well with their conservative lifestyle that their Jennifer was now expecting the second baby from the second man. But after they had overcome the initial shock, they wanted to do everything within their power to support her.

JJ really appreciated her parents' aid, but also fully understood that they could only make it to D.C every so often, so when they announced their visit for a weekend in October, she initially tried to talk them out of it, knowing that they had to leave a lot of work at home in Pennsylvania. Secretly, she was quite happy that her parents were coming, because she could actually use her father's help with a second crib and a little redecorating in Henry's nursery.

Mary-Ann and Robert Jareau arrived around lunchtime on Saturday, and had insisted on taking a cab from the airport to Jennifer's house.

"You really shouldn't be driving, Jennifer," her mother had said in her usual overprotective way, causing her daughter to roll her eyes at the phone.

"Mom, I'm pregnant, not sick. I drive to work every day."

"Still. We're perfectly fine with taking a taxi." Mary-Ann left no room for debate, and in the end JJ was actually happy about it, because it left her more time to prepare some lunch for them, and to feed Henry before they arrived.

***

"Oh my God, Jennifer, Sweetheart, what's wrong with you?" Mary-Ann Jareau exclaimed as she saw her daughter once she had opened the door.

With her tired eyes, the dark circles underneath them, and the pale face, JJ was really looking more like a ghost than like a healthy and pregnant young woman.

"Mom, I'm fine! Why don't you come in first?" JJ sighed, hugging her mother tightly before turning to her father.

"Hi, Daddy!" She greeted him, as he pulled her into an even tighter embrace.

"Jenny, Sweetheart," he said, giving her a kiss on the head. "Your mother's right."

"Daddy, please, why don't you get in and get comfortable first, before you start with your questions?"

Inside, her mother went straight for Henry, who was sitting in his highchair at the kitchen table. "Oh, you're getting so big!" Mary-Ann cooed at the little boy.

"Mom, Dad, let me have your coats. Sit down, lunch is almost ready."

They ate lunch in silence for a few minutes, before JJ's mother started her interrogation.

"Jennifer, are you all right? You seriously don't look like it."

"Mom, I'm okay. I've had a rough couple of months at work, that's all."

"Maybe you shouldn't be working then anymore." Robert Jareau threw in.

"Dad, I like my job, and it's nothing I can't handle, so don't worry." JJ tried to explain.

"But what are you going to do when the baby's here? You'll have two of them then, and with your type of work, and all...," her mother continued.

"I'm sure I can work something out for the time after my maternity leave."

"Jenny, what about the baby's father?"

"Forget it, Daddy, he's not in the picture." JJ saw her parents exchange a look and went on. "Look, Mom, Dad, I know you don't approve of the way I've chosen to live my life, but I'm not sure if I can handle your reproaches right now."

"Jennifer, we're not accusing you of anything, it's just that we didn't expect all of this from you. It's not how we raised you."

"Mom, please. If you like it or not, you can't change it anymore. And believe me, I surely didn't plan all this."

Robert Jareau laid a soothing hand on his wife's arm and then said. "Jenny, it's okay. We may not agree on your lifestyle, but we're still your parents and we will give you all the help you need. It's just that I can't really believe this one-night stand with a stranger story. This is nothing like you. I'm sure there is more to the story, is there?"

Sighing deeply, JJ turned her gaze away from her parents and began to stroke Henry's little fingers, absorbed in thought.

"Who is the baby's father? Is it that LaMontagne guy again?" Her father asked.

"No!" JJ blurted out. "No, he's not the father. I haven't seen him ever since he left us and went back to New Orleans."

"So, who is it then?" Her mother kept pushing.

"What does it matter? He's not going to be in the baby's life, so we really don't have to talk it right now." JJ didn't even have to say more, her tortured expression on her face giving away everything.

"But he knows that you're pregnant? What kind of an asshole is he? I'm going to kill this guy for putting you in this situation if I ever find out who he is!"

"That's why I'm not telling you, Daddy."

"Are you actually defending him now?"

"I'm not, but committing murder won't bring us any further, will it? Can we please change the subject now?" She made a promise to herself to never tell her parents about Rossi, for she was sure that if she did, even more reproaches from her parents would follow, starting with "How could you get involved with someone you work with?" to "Jennifer, this man is old enough to be your father!" In fact, JJ realized that her Dad was only four years older than Rossi.

Apart from their constant questions, however, the weekend was a real pleasure. She loved her parents more than anything, even though her opinion on various matters differed vastly from her parents'. She was happy to see them, happy that they got to spend some time with Henry, and she was very thankful for all the help with the nursery and many other things. It was good to know that someone was there to have her back, just in case things would get out of hand.

***

Once she was alone with Henry again, her apartment almost felt empty.

Sitting down on her sofa with her baby in her arms, she felt lonelier than ever. Her mind wandered to Rossi, as it did every time she was alone, thinking. Before their night together, in the aftermath of her breakup with Will, she would have called him in a situation like that. They would talk on the phone for hours, or he would come over and listen to her ranting about Will's departure, making her forget her lonliness.

And now, he had turned out to be the same asshole as that good-for-nothing cop!

She began to wonder if she did the right thing in not telling her parents about Rossi. Her father would have made a living hell out of Rossi's life, of that she was sure. But there were still those damn feelings she couldn't get over. She knew exactly that his behavior only hurt her as much as it did, because she was still deeply in love with the man. She cursed herself for it, but she couldn't seem to find a way out of it. Sitting at home, alone, with nothing but her thoughts, seriously wasn't helping with that.

Garcia and Prentiss had been pushing her to go out on dates again. JJ had refused so far, thinking that there probably weren't many decent guys out there who would want to be with a pregnant woman that already had another child at home.

"JJ, you don't have to find a guy to marry, just go out and have some fun. It'll do you good." Garcia had said, offering to babysit Henry to emphasize her point.

It didn't sound so far off anymore, as she sat there on the couch, on the verge of crying again. She had to promise her parents to take better care of herself, and this might just be one way of getting better.

"Well, it surely can't hurt any more than it does now. Maybe this is a way to get over Rossi," she thought to herself.