Chapter 24

The rest of the Holidays went by quietly for both the Jareau and the Rossi family. JJ enjoyed the time together with her parents very much. It was nice being taken care of for a few days without having to worry about anything, and Dave's daily phone calls were just the icing on the cake, even though she still had a hard time to admit it. However, she felt her resistance resolve with every call, which was something even Rossi couldn't miss when he talked to her.

The team had stretched staying out of the office until the new year, but Dave made sure to call JJ at least once or twice a day. Every once in a while she would also let him speak with Henry, and hearing the little boy's happy squeals through the phone melted Dave's heart every time. He wished he could be there with them, and almost asked JJ once if he could come over, but then his mother had demanded his attention with some repairing in her house, and he had to delay it.

JJ also spoke with Mrs. Rossi a few times, and the older woman had invited her, Henry, and her parents over for a New Year's brunch, but then Henry got sick with an ear infection and it had to be canceled as well. As much as she realized that she and Dave began to grow together again, JJ was secretly relieved about that. She simply didn't know if she could cope with a confrontation between her parents and Rossi yet in her very pregnant condition, as she was sure she'd have to serve as a mediator between them. Especially since she was not certain at all if Gracia Rossi would actually take her son's side, she did not want to be the only one defending him, which she knew she would feel obligated to do in front of her parents. She was already doing it anyway, making him appear in a better light, so that their eventual meeting would hopefully take place in a civilized manner.

Therefore, it wasn't until the first Monday in January that JJ and Rossi saw each other again in the office.

JJ's parents had gone back home, very reluctantly at first when Henry had gotten sick, but JJ had assured them that she and her son and the baby would be fine. The baby wasn't due until the end of January, and she wanted to make the most of the remaining time without having to focus on her parents as well. She still needed to find a replacement for herself on the team for the time of her maternity leave, and this time she wanted to catch up with all of her paperwork before she was gone.

Walking into the bullpen this morning, JJ hoped that she would get a fill-in as soon as possible, as she would still need to instruct him or her with the team's work. She had asked Agent Todd again, who would have been happy to help her out if she hadn't been posted at the other side of the country for a few months. It would have been easier for the team as well, getting someone who they already knew and who they had previously worked well with, but she couldn't help it. Now she needed to find someone as adept as Jordan Todd, who would make the time until her return pass faster.

As soon as she had come out of the elevator, Dave had spotted her. He had fixed himself some coffee and was on his way back to his office, when she came in, carrying a thickly wrapped Henry in her arms. He went over to her immediately.

"Good morning, Jennifer, hey little man," he greeted them, stroking a gentle finger over Henry's cheeks, and taking JJ's huge bag out of her hand.

"Morning, Dave," JJ pressed out. Her little boy was getting quite big and heavy.

"Why did you bring Henry?" Dave wanted to know.

"I have a doctor's appointment with him in two hours," JJ explained. Looking into a concerned face, she quickly added: "He's fine. It's just another checkup after his infection. I thought I'd bring him right with me, so that I don't have to pick him up after my meeting with a few potential replacements for myself in twenty minutes. Now I just have to find someone to watch him until my meeting's over."

"I can do it," Rossi offered right away.

"Dave, you don't have to-," JJ started to object, but was interrupted by him at once.

"Jennifer, please! I want to do it. I want to spend some time with him again, not just hear him over the phone." Seeing her doubting look, he continued: "I'm going to take good care of him for the next two hours, I promise." And in Henry's direction, he said: "We're going to have some great fun, don't we, little man?" He nudged the boy's hand and let him wrap it around his index finger. Henry gleefully squealed "Da-da" again, and JJ knew in this moment that she couldn't say no anymore. Every time she heard her son refer to Dave as "Da-da", she wondered if trusting his instincts was exactly what she needed to do. She had previously tried to make Henry say "Uncle Dave" instead of "Da-da", but her son steadily refused to listen to her.

"Fine," she smiled then, letting Dave take the boy out of her arms. "But no strenuous games, Dave. Henry's still not a hundred percent back on track. And you deal with Garcia when she hears that her godson was in the office and she wasn't the one to babysit him!"

"I'll deal with everything and everyone if I have to," Rossi replied a little absently, focusing totally on making funny faces for Henry rather than to listening to what she told him.

"All right then, let me just have my Blackberry from the bag and I'll be gone. There are diapers and some toys for Henry in the bag if you need them, and I've also prepared a bottle with some tea for him that you might need to heat up a bit. If there's anything wrong with him, I want you to call me immediately!"

"We got it all covered, JJ. Now go, before you're too late for your meeting."

"I mean it, Dave. You call me as soon as he has the slightest coughs, you hear me?"

"I will! And we'll be fine! I promise!" Dave assured her.

JJ bent over and kissed Henry gently goodbye, and before she knew what she was doing, she also gave David a quick peck on the cheek. When she realized it, she blushed deeply and walked away with a simple "Thanks, Dave."

Rossi looked after her with a wide grin on his face. "Well, munchkin, your Mama and I are definitely in the same boat again. Oh yes," he muttered contently, walking up to his office with Henry.