Chapter 34

JJ and Hannah had to stay in the hospital for one week.

Sitting by her side and keeping her company were her parents and Rossi, of course, who had taken leave of absence for that week to be with her and his daughter. Dave's mother paid them a visit every other day, and the team also showed up once before they had to fly out on a case in Arizona.

It had turned out that JJ's parents and Dave's mother liked each other instantly. After only a few minutes of talking to each other, Gracia Rossi and Mary-Ann Jareau had already started to trade recipes and planned family gatherings for various holidays, and JJ and Dave had the sinking feeling that their mothers would be able to overthrow a country when they joined forces.

Robert Jareau had pulled Dave aside for a very serious talk, in which he had made it very clear that Dave would not get away unharmed a second time, should he ever put his daughter through any pain again. Dave had apologized to both him and his wife, and assured them that he had learned his lesson, and that his top priority from now on was to make Jennifer and their children – and he had specifically referred to both Hannah and Henry as his – happy. After a few more well-placed threats, Robert Jareau had accepted Dave's apology and the two men had shaken hands.

Over the course of the week, JJ's parents had slowly gotten used to Dave, although his age was still something they couldn't quite wrap their minds around. But after JJ had asked them again to let go of that topic, they obliged to her request and hoped that with time they would not have to think about it anymore. After all, all that mattered at the moment was that Dave was a good father, which he had proven to them over the week, and they realized that they didn't have to worry about that.

They stayed with Henry at JJ's place every night, while Dave had insisted on being at the hospital with JJ and Hannah at first. But after a little argument with JJ, and his mother taking JJ's side and telling him that he needed some rest, too, which he wouldn't be able to get in a plastic chair in a hospital room, he agreed on staying at his mother's house, as his own place in Little Creek was too far away. Every morning, though, he was the first one to be back at JJ's side, being content with holding Hannah and playing with Henry all day long.

*********

After a week, JJ was released form the hospital. Her parents and Dave's mother had prepared a little brunch for them and the team at her house, and helped JJ and Hannah settle back in. It also served as a little farewell gathering for Robert and Mary-Ann, because they had to go back to their grocery store in JJ's hometown in Pennsylvania.

Finally alone, JJ and Dave sat down to have the talk they'd been pushing off for so long, but now couldn't avoid anymore. This time, Dave did not hesitate and made his intentions very clear: "I want you in my life, Jennifer. You, Hannah, and Henry. I want us all to be together, I want us to be a family."

JJ sighed deeply. She'd known before in the hospital that this was what he wanted, but she didn't know if she wanted it as well. She loved having their friendship back, and there was no doubt that she was very happy that he turned out to be such a good father to Henry and Hannah, but being in a relationship with him was too big a step for her to take just yet. The pain he had caused her was too deeply engrained in her heart to just make it disappear and give in to him, and even though he had apologized to her numerous times and vowed that nothing like that would ever happen again, she remained hesitant.

"Dave, I know you want all that. You've made it very clear, but can we focus on being parents for now, please? I have to get used to taking care of two babies now and this is really enough for me for the moment." JJ knew she was using this as an excuse, but she couldn't help it. She also knew that at some point in the future she would have to give him a definite answer, a clear yes or no to a relationship with him, but right now she didn't feel ready for that.

So she quickly changed the subject and focused on another topic she knew he wouldn't be too happy about.

"I know you would like for Hannah to have your name, Dave, but I decided that I want her last name to be Jareau." When Dave wanted to argue about it, she quickly explained: " I've already filled out the sheet for the birth certificate, and for the moment, I don't want to change that, okay? Henry's name is Jareau as well, as you know, and I want the children to have the same last name. I hope you can understand that."

Seeing Dave nod in defeat, and with obvious disappointment in his eyes, she added: "That does not make you any less her father, Dave. I want us both to have the same rights as parents."

Deep down, he knew she had a point, he understood her argumentation, but for some reason it hurt him pretty much that JJ would make such a decision without asking him about it before. He didn't want to argue at the moment, but he secretly swore to himself to make her his wife and Henry his son as soon as possible, so they could all live together with the same name.

*********

Over the following weeks of JJ's maternity leave, Dave stayed with her and the kids every night, when they were not away on a case. And when they were, he made sure to call her at least twice a day to hear how they were doing, to hear JJ's and Henry's voices and Hannah's cries. He'd never thought that these simple things wold make him happier than he'd ever been in his life, but there he was, enjoying every minute of being able to be with his children and Jennifer, or hearing them over the phone, and feeling empty and lonely when he wasn't with them.

When they were at home, he and JJ usually brought the kids to bed together after dinner and then talked for another few hours or watched TV together. The couch in her living room was his bed during the week and on the weekends he took them out to his house in Little Creek, where they would take long walks in the countryside or simply enjoying the peace and quiet it had to offer. On the Sundays they usually were either at his mother's place for brunch or Gracia was with them at Little Creek.

There was no doubt that they were growing together as a family, and no one who saw them would have guessed that they were anything else than happy parents of two young children.

Dave, of course, tried on several occasions to get JJ to make a decision concerning their relationship. But every time he asked her out on a real date between only the two of them, she'd brushed him off, saying that she still needed time.

"How much time, JJ?" Dave burst out a little annoyed one day, knowing that he was being impatient, but couldn't help it.

"I don't know, Dave! Why can't we just keep things as they are now? I mean, we're doing a good job of taking care of our children together, and we're having our wonderful friendship again, and I don't want anything to destroy what we have right now!" JJ pleaded.

It didn't go unnoticed by Dave that she referred to both kids as 'their' children, something she had never done before, but he didn't call her on it right now. Not knowing if she had noticed it as well, if it was just a slip or if she'd said it on purpose, he decided to take it as a good sign, and to slowly keep pushing her until he would finally get a definite answer out of her.