A/N: I AM SO SORRY! With the holidays and family being in town and graduate school starting, I've been swamped. But here is the final installment. I hope you enjoy!
-TCE-
As the two women finally neared the house, JJ could no longer contain her excitement as she ran forward and burst through the back door. Emily chuckled to herself as she slowly trudged through the thick snow. She could faintly hear the blonde yell in the house, "Jase! Jules! Where are you?" But as the brunette neared the back door herself, she saw JJ mournfully return to the open doorway muttering a dejected, "Everyone's gone."
Not liking that JJ was upset about being unable to tell her family the good news, Emily quickly strode up to place herself firmly in front of the blonde. Reaching out to rest her hands on JJ's waist, Emily looked down into blue eyes and responded, "I don't exactly see that as a bad thing."
JJ realized what Emily meant by the comment as the brunette leaned forward and began kissing a trail from her jaw to her collarbone. Straining against the welcome contact, JJ decided to play along, "And why is that?"
Taking a few seconds to tease the sensitive skin just below JJ's ear, Emily finally managed to mumble, "Because…now we can celebrate our engagement in an empty house. You won't have to hold back like you normally do." Emily smirked as she moved to the other side of JJ's neck to trail more kisses from jaw line to collarbone. Emily and been delighted to find that JJ was very vocal in the bedroom. But normally, she had to fight to keep her moans and cries contained because Henry was just down the hall. On the rare occasion that the small boy was at his Aunt Penny's house when Garcia volunteered to babysit him, JJ let lose. Had they been living in an apartment or Emily's old condo, there would have definitely been noise complaints filed.
Closing her eyes at the sensation of Emily's lips traveling the full expanse of her neck, JJ found it increasingly difficult to play along, "Are you trying to seduce me, Emily Prentiss?"
"That depends. Is it working?" Emily had her answer as she felt the blonde's fingers run desperately through her brown hair as JJ craned her neck further back to allow more access. Before she allowed their actions to venture any further, Emily abruptly pulled away from JJ and took a full step back from the blonde. With a moan of protest, it was a few delayed moments before JJ was finally able to open her blue eyes and find Emily's brown ones. With a questioning look, JJ didn't have to say a word to convey what she was asking. The two women had developed an unspoken language that involved simply looks made between the two. Answering in a husky voice, Emily reached out and grabbed JJ's smaller hand in her own while shutting the door and leading the two of them up the stairs, "I don't want to give the entire neighborhood a show. We're going to your room."
The blonde only nodded her head as she allowed herself to be drug to her room. When the two entered the room, JJ watched in amusement as Emily shut the door and deliberately locked it. Before the brunette fully turned back around, JJ said, "Baby, I don't think Jason is going to be interrupting us."
"Well, with your brother's ability to barge in at the most inopportune moments, I don't think I'll take any chances," Emily explained as she turned to face JJ. The blonde was still donned from head to toe in her winter gear. Her cheeks were a rosy red from the frigid air and her hair fell in a cascade of loose blonde locks from her grey and pink cap. But what captivated Emily the most were JJ's eyes. Her blue eyes were shining more vividly than normal. The color, normally a light blue like the sky, were darkening in their lust and turning to vibrant cobalt, sparkling with desire. Mesmerized by the sight before her, Emily blindly walked forward until she held JJ's face tenderly in her hands. She placed a gentle kiss to each eyelid before kissing the tip of JJ's nose and finally arriving at the blonde's mouth.
The kiss started out soft. Emily trying to convey everything she felt in that tender touch. She wasn't a woman of many words by nature, so she often allowed her actions to speak for her. And JJ felt the love that the brunette put behind the soft kiss. But the emotions JJ was felling only proved to fuel her desire further. Eventually, she deepened the kiss to one with more passion, more desire, more unadulterated need. JJ spun the two around as she slowly walked their heated bodies back towards her bed. On the way, the two shed clothes with every step. By the time they reached the bed, Emily stood panting in her boy shorts and sports bra while JJ stood before her in a black lace thong and bra, both trimmed in hot pink.
When the two broke apart for necessary air, Emily marveled at the difference between them. The black lace and hot pink combination was so utterly JJ that it struck a chord deep within the brunette. This women, this beautiful, sexy, frilly woman, was going to be her wife. They were going to raise a family together and grow old together. With that thought resounding in her mind, Emily surged forward and captured JJ's lips in a kiss of passionate need.
Though the kiss was rough in its intensity, Emily was gentle in removing the two remaining garments from JJ's toned body. While Emily was blessed with a naturally slim physique, JJ worked hard for hers. And the brunette showed appreciation for the blonde's efforts when she pushed JJ onto the mattress and quickly covered the smaller woman's body with her own. Normally, JJ would fight Emily for control. But right now, JJ sensed that the brunette needed the power in order to convey the love that she couldn't always put into words. She sensed this in the urgency and force that her lover was using. Normally Emily took her time and was slow and languid in her lovemaking. But JJ had never seen Emily so blinded by desire and need before. So the blonde laid back and enjoyed the sensations as she allowed the profiler to have her way.
Without waiting a moment, Emily began to trail hot kisses down JJ's slender neck and to her prominent collarbone. Moving on, Emily bent her head to take JJ's hardened nipple into her mouth. With a flick of her tongue, Emily heard JJ moan loudly above her. Bracing herself with her left hand, Emily brought her right one up to tweak the nipple of JJ's other breast. Emily felt JJ writhe beneath her as she changed positions and reversed the roles of her mouth and hand. After a few minutes of hearing JJ's moans of approval, Emily left JJ's breast to harden even more when the cold air of the room hit the wet flesh.
Slowly, Emily made her way down JJ's flexing stomach. The blonde woman was panting heavily beneath her teasing kisses causing the toned abs to become defined with each heaving breath. Emily traced the deep lines as she gazed up lovingly to JJ's face only to find her blue eyes closed against her passion. Continuing down, Emily trailed hot, wet kisses down to the very top of JJ's center, only to veer off and kiss the inside of the blonde's thighs. The brunette heard JJ moan in protest as she reached down and tangled her frantic hands in dark brown locks. "Please Em, stop teasing. I need you.," JJ finished in a desperate whisper as her hips bucked up in anticipation.
Not one to deny her lover anything, Emily quickly obliged the blonde and kissed her way slowly back to JJ's center. Truth be told, Emily needed to satisfy JJ just a badly as the blonde needed to be satisfied. So without hesitation, Emily shot her tongue out and flicked JJ's clit. When she felt JJ's fingers tighten in her hair and the blonde's hips shoot up while she started chanting, "Fuck. Right there baby," Emily knew that her lover wouldn't last much longer. They had both been deprived of sexual contact for over a week. It was the longest they had gone without each other's touch since they had gotten together.
Not wanting to draw out the torture much longer considering she wasn't sure when everyone would be home, Emily removed her mouth from JJ's clit and slowly slid back up the blonde's tight body. When she finally reached JJ's mouth, she kissed the blonde passionately while sliding two fingers inside of her already wet center. JJ moaned as she tasted herself on Emily's lips. Combined with the slow pulses of her lover's fingers, the blonde was quickly coming undone.
"Oh God, Emily. Fuck…I'm so close baby," JJ gasped into Emily's ear. And right then, Emily could feel JJ's walls clench down on her pumping fingers. Wanting to provide her lover with a quick release, Emily slid in a third finger, stretching JJ further. With a few rough flicks of her thumb, Emily felt JJ's body tense beneath her. The blonde's arms came up with one hand getting lost in Emily's dark hair and the other leaving a trail of scratches down her smooth back. The brunette woman welcomed the faintly throbbing pain, knowing it meant she had brought JJ to the edge of her passion.
With her hips rocking to the quick rhythm of Emily's pumping fingers, JJ felt her orgasm ripping through her body. And in a way that only Emily could make her do, JJ arched off the mattress, arms still wrapped around her lover, and screamed Emily's name almost incoherently while moaning in pleasure. Tightening her grip on her lover's back, JJ felt herself slowly coming down from her high. She was vaguely aware of Emily showering kissed all over her face and neck, but she could only focus on how powerful her orgasm had been and how weak she now felt.
But determined not to be outdone, JJ forcefully tried to flip the two of them over so that she could return the favor to her fiancé. Already expecting the movement, Emily held firm as she prevented the blonde from switching their positions. Instead, the brunette leaned over and captured JJ's lips in a slow, unhurried kiss that last several minutes. Finally breaking apart, Emily looked deeply into JJ's blue eyes and spoke for the first time, "Not today Jen. Today was about me showing you how much I love you. It was about me making you my fiancé."
JJ nodded in understanding as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emily's neck and pulled the brunette closer to her. She noticed, quite regretfully, that Emily was still in her underwear and bra. Regardless, the blonde pulled her lover closer to her body until the brunette's head was resting softly on her chest. She could feel the cool air of her lover's breathing every time Emily exhaled brushing across her collarbone. The two didn't need to say anything in the silence of the room with their bodies still recovering as their legs tangled together on top of the sheets. Emily simply lay there drawling lazy circles on JJ's toned stomach while JJ threaded her fingers slowly through Emily's soft brown locks.
Suddenly, Emily reached over to the other side of JJ's body and grabbed her left hand and brought it to the blonde's stomach to rest. They both sat and admired the sparkling diamond ring as it captured the little bit of light that filtered through the blinds. After a few minutes of the two of them looking at the ring, hands and fingers intertwined, JJ broke the silence, "I had no idea, Em. You completely took me by surprise."
JJ felt Emily smirk that half smile she loved so much before responding, "That's kind of the point of an engagement, Jen."
"I know that! I'm only saying we haven't even really talked about it before. We had a brief discussion about it a few months ago, but Henry interrupted us for one reason or another. I can't remember now. But we never revisited the topic so I simply thought it wasn't on the table yet," JJ confessed as she twirled the diamond, still not taking her eyes off of it.
"That conversation was more telling than you realize. I found out what kind of ring you wanted and that you were interested in marriage with me. That's all I needed to know. I didn't bring it back up because I wanted to surprise you. Mission accomplished," Emily finished with a soft chuckle. She wasn't about to admit that she had been terrified that the blonde would say no to her because they hadn't talk more about it. But that was neither here nor there because JJ had accepted.
"Have you given any thought to it yet?"
Emily was jostled out of her thoughts by the soft voice above her. "Thought to what?"
JJ rolled her eyes at how dense Emily could be sometimes, "The wedding. Do you have any ideas?"
"Oh. Uhm, no. Not really. As long as you become my wife, I couldn't care less about how it happens. I only ask one thing," Emily stated as she wrapped JJ's hand tighter around her own.
"What's that?" JJ questioned.
"I want to pick the date."
"Okay, did you already have one in mind?" JJ asked eager to know when she would be able to get married.
"June 21st. I want to get married on June 21st," Emily said with certainty in her voice.
Trying to think hard if there was something special on June 21st, JJ came up short. It wasn't a special day for them and she couldn't think of any reason why Emily would want to be married on that specific date. Finally not being able to think of anything, JJ asked, "Why June 21st?"
Emily turned her head up and looked deeply into JJ's clear blue eyes before responding, "I already checked and it falls on a Saturday next year. June 21st is the Summer Solstice. That means it's the longest day of the year. The day that you become my wife, and you and Henry become my family, will be the happiest day of my life. I will want that day to last forever. The Summer Solstice is the closest I'll be able to come."
JJ felt tears swell in her eyes. She often complained about Emily's inability to express her emotions properly. But when she heard the brunette say things like what she said during the proposal and what she said just now, it made up for all the other times she never said enough. "June 21st sounds perfect, Em," JJ finally responded as she leant forward to give Emily a lingering kiss. She could still taste herself on her lover's swollen lips.
Before either woman could make another move or say another word, they heard a voice race up the stairs and through the door, "Hey Jenny! Stop doing the dirty up there with your woman and get down here to exchange presents!"
JJ rolled her eyes while Emily groaned anxiously and buried her face in the blonde's neck. Leave it to Jason to ruin their moment. But after a moment of pouting, JJ quickly jumped up and started putting her discarded clothes back on. Looking at Emily still sprawled on the bed, JJ tossed some pants and a shirt at the brunette before saying, "Hurry up Em! I want to tell them the news!"
Emily wanted to stay in bed with JJ all day. But as she watched her fiancé excitedly dance around the room looking for different articles of clothing that had been thrown about, she couldn't help but smile broadly and get dressed herself. After the two were fully clothed and ready, JJ bounded out of the room and disappeared down the stairs. The blonde woman was excited about telling everyone that she was engaged. The brunette woman was dreading the possibility that the announcement wasn't going to be as widely accepted as JJ was anticipating.
Swallowing her nervousness, Emily forced her legs forward as she followed JJ downstairs. When she finally entered the living room where everyone was gathered around the large Christmas tree that had presents stacked in piles around it, the brunette found JJ standing before the other couples. Julie and Matt were seated on the sofa while Jason and Liz occupied the floor in front of the crackling fireplace.
With a hesitant walk, Emily finally made her way to stand supportively beside JJ as she placed a reassuring arm around the blonde's slim waist. Tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear, Emily then put her free hand in the back pocket of her jeans. Her presence, while reassuring to JJ, conveyed apprehension to the other occupants of the room. Clenching her jaw tightly, Emily constricted her hold on JJ's waist and waited for the blonde to have her moment.
With the two women standing before them, one in obvious elation and one in clear uneasiness, Jason sat up a little straighter and looked questionably at his younger sister. He saw the way Emily was holding herself without her usual natural confidence, but the way JJ was beaming and glowing, he knew nothing bad had happened. Nevertheless, his overprotective nature took over as he asked, "Everything alright Jenny?"
At the question, JJ's large smile grew wider as she couldn't contain her excitement another moment. Turning to look at Emily one last time, JJ placed a quick kiss to the brunette's blushing cheek and turned back to her family. Drawing a deep breath, JJ looked at her sister, then made eye contact with her brother and said, "Everything's fine Jase. Emily already gave me my Christmas present. I'm just excited is all."
"That's great Jenny, but why does Emily look like she's about to upchuck all over her shoes?" Jason queried not so eloquently.
"Because she's easily embarrassed," JJ responded as she laced her right arm through Emily's and around the brunette's waist.
"Ooooookay…but why would she be embarrassed? Am I missing something here?" he asked while looking around at everyone else. Seeing the equally confused faces on his wife, sister, and brother-in-law, Jason knew he wasn't the only one.
After waiting a few seconds to build the suspense, JJ finally jumped up and down in excitement as she squealed, "Because she proposed! We're getting married!" With the declaration JJ stuck her left hand out in the universal sign for showing off her newly acquired diamond engagement ring.
It took a few moments for the statement to sink in, but after the stunned silence, Julie and Liz jumped from their seats and shot forward to engulf JJ in a bone crushing hug. The three women proceeded to jump up and down and go in a circle while still in each other's arms. Finally, the screeching stopped at the women pulled apart and eagerly grabbed JJ's left hand to examine the ring. Julie was the first to speak a coherent sentence as she exclaimed, "OH MY GOD JJ! THAT ROCK IS HUGE!"
With the commotion still going on, Matt and Jason rose from their places and walked over to congratulate Emily, since JJ's attention was otherwise occupied. Matt wrapped Emily in a one armed hug as he said, with a broad smile on his face, "It's about time Liz and I got another ally in this family."
Jason was the last to make his way over. Simply offering a shake of the hand, Jason mumbled a forced, "Congratulations," before retreating back to his seat in front of the fire.
Emily did her best not to profile the people in her personal life. That included JJ and her family. But at a moment this monumental, she couldn't turn it off. So she caught on to the fact that Jason was obviously not happy by the announcement. This is the reaction she had been anticipating, but hoping with all her might that wouldn't come to pass. Julie, Liz, and even Matt seemed genuinely excited. But Jason, and Emily suspected Richard Jareau was going to be the same, was having a harder time adjusting. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was because she had just claimed the 'baby' of the family as her own. To Jason, JJ would always be his kid sister that followed him around and idolized everything he did. Now she was an adult and making a life for herself, and he was having a hard time acclimating to that.
Before Emily could think any further on the issue, she turned towards the kitchen as she heard the door that lead out to the garage open with a bang. Immediately afterward, Emily watched as Henry ran through the door and sprint towards her with open arms. Feeling the first genuine smile cross her face since she and JJ made love, Emily bent down to grab the small boy as he flew through the air. "Emmy! Can I have my surpwise now? I was a weally good boy all day! Ask Gwandma and Gwandpa!"
Emily marveled at the way Henry was able to remember that he was supposed to get a surprise. But she figured most kids were like that when it came to potentially getting a new toy or something along those lines. She laughed easily as she shifted Henry to her hip and responded, "Yeah Champ. Let's wait until everyone gets in here though, okay?"
Nodding eagerly, excited that everyone would get to see his surprise, Henry agreed, "Otay!"
Eventually, Lisa and Richard Jareau trudged through the door with two sleeping children in their arms and two more scampering around their feet. As the two adults walked in, they went about the task of setting the two sleeping children down to sleep before turning around and facing the room. Without taking in the atmosphere, Lisa exclaimed, "Emily dear, you wouldn't believe how much that boy went on and on about you and whatever surprise you have in store for him. But I will say, it's the most well behaved he's been in quite some time," she finished while making her way over to stand in Richard's strong arms.
Emily simply placed a soft kiss to the boy's temple as she rubbed her hand up and down his back. She could tell Henry was tired because he had laid his head down on her shoulder and his breathing was starting to even out. But in true Henry fashion, the boy was stubbornly awaiting his surprise before he fell asleep for his daily nap.
With the Richard and Lisa wrapped in each other's arms, the mother finally looked at everyone in the room. She took in JJ's ecstatic smile, Liz and Julie's smirks, Matt's avoidance of eye contact, and Jason's hunched form. Finally returning her eyes to Emily, she could see the brunette was struggling to maintain a relaxed front, but with one look into her brown eyes, Lisa could see that the younger woman was a bundle of nerves. "Alright, spill. What's going on?"
Emily turned to looked questionably at JJ. She knew the blonde was excited about giving the good news, but she also knew it would probably sound better coming from herself. So with that single, silent look, Emily received a slight nod from the blonde indicating that it was alright for her to be the one to tell her parents. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself for what was to come, Emily finally looked toward Lisa and Richard while she responded, "Well, that's actually part of Henry's surprise."
Henry's little head snapped up, his attention peaked at the mentioning of his surprise, "Weally? What is it? Can I have it now?"
Setting the small boy on the ground, Emily followed him to his level as she bent to her knees to kneel before him. She looked up one last time to JJ's mother and father before returning her eyes to Henry's expectant blue ones. "Well, it's not really something I can give to you. I asked your mother to marry me today, Champ, and she said yes! We're going to be a family!" Emily finished excitedly. Aside from actually asking JJ to marry her, this was the happiest she had felt. She was so excited to tell Henry and to see his reaction to the fact that they were all going to be a real family now.
But the reaction she received wasn't what she had been expecting. Henry's eyes began to fill rapidly with tears. He whirled around and faced Cassie, Julie and Matt's eight year old daughter who was sitting happily in her father's lap, and yelled, "It's not true!" before running upstairs. Emily sat stunned, staring at the empty space Henry had just vacated before turning her own teary gaze up towards JJ's worried one. The brunette flinched as she heard a distance door upstairs slam shut with the angered force of a four year old.
JJ looked brokenly at her parents. She wanted so badly to celebrate this good news with them. As she looked in her mother's eyes, she saw the restrained excitement and the obvious concern battling in the older woman's blue eyes. After a moment's hesitation, the older woman gave a slight nod to her daughter indicating they would talk about everything after they dealt with Henry. With the silent command, JJ placed a hand on Emily's shoulder and knelt down in front of the brunette. "Come on Sweetheart. Let's go talk to him."
Chocking back a sob, Emily looked desperately into JJ's blue eyes, seeking the comfort she always found there. "He obviously doesn't want to see me right now, JJ. You should go alone." Emily hated how she was acting right now. She had worked so hard to portray a sense of confidence and strength to the Jareau's. And with Henry's rejection of her and JJ's engagement, that façade came crashing down.
JJ gently placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and leaned in for a soft kiss. Neither cared that JJ's entire family was in the same room. The two of them needed the calm that came from being close. "We're a family Emily. Even right now, before we make it official, we're a family. We're both going to talk to our son to see what's going on."
Emily briefly rested her forehead against JJ's before she nodded softly and rose with the blonde. Looking at the family she was about to join, Emily saw that everyone was looking at the two with worried and sympathetic gazes. Apparently a glutton for punishment, Emily allowed her gaze to travel to Jason, the one person she knew would be having the hardest time with her marrying the 'baby.' But as her profiling skills came to the surface, she noticed that Jason had snapped out of his pouting phase and was the one that seemed most hurt by Henry's rejection. Richard a frown upon his face, seemingly upset at the scene that had just unfolded before him. When Emily made eye contact with the older man, he offered a soft smile in silent support.
The two women, hand in hand, trudged back up the stairs in search of Henry. They didn't have to go far because the only closed door in the hallway was the door leading to JJ's childhood bedroom. Before entering the room, JJ leaned up and gave Emily a reassuring kiss and a heartfelt smile. Having offered all the reassurances she could, JJ opened the door and walked into her messy room. Some things never changed, and her propensity to allow her room to clutter was one of them. Looking around, they immediately saw Henry hunched on the bed, holding on tightly to a teddy bear that had belonged to JJ when she was a child.
Not wanting to scare Henry, Emily hung back a little bit and allowed JJ to approach the bed while whispering, "Hey Buddy. What's wrong?"
"Nofing…" the two heard him murmur as he dug his head deeper into the teddy bear in his arms.
When JJ finally reached the bed, she sat on the edge as she reached over to run her fingers through Henry's blonde locks. It was left a little long, allowing the ends to curl up. When she looked up, JJ saw Emily still standing by the closed door, hovering awkwardly as though ready to dash from the room at Henry's first request. To prevent that from happening, JJ motioned for Emily to join her side. When the brunette neared, the blonde slipped her free hand into one of Emily's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Eventually turning back towards her son, JJ continued, "It doesn't seem like nothing. Come on Henry, sit up and talk to us."
"But I don't wanna talk wif Emmy," Henry replied petulantly into the teddy bear.
JJ could feel the shudder of despair that rippled through Emily's body because it rippled through hers as well. This was not how everything was supposed to work out. With that thought in mind, JJ's anger briefly made an appearance as she snapped, "Well too bad. Henry Michael Jareau, you sit up this instance and behave like a big boy."
Hearing the threatening tone in his mother's voice, Henry scrambled to comply. JJ rarely raised her voice at him because he was normally a very well behaved boy. So in the few instances that she did grow upset with him, he knew she meant business. Finally sitting with his back to the wall and his legs crossed Indian style, Henry looked meekly from under his dropped brow and into his mother's mad blue eyes. "Yes ma'am," he offered as he hugged the teddy bear tighter to his chest.
"That's better. Now, would you like to explain to me what just happened?" JJ asked deciding to get to the heart of the matter as opposed to beating around the bush. She knew that Emily was emotionally hanging on by a thread, so she didn't want to cause the brunette any further discomfort.
"Not weally," was Henry's short, muffled reply. Clearly the boy, who was usually so verbose, was hiding something. This only served to upset the mother even further.
"Henry…" she began in a warning tone. "Why did you run away when Emily told you about her surprise for you?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Mommy. Pwease don't make me," Henry pleaded as he gazed beseechingly into his mother's eyes.
Emily watched the interaction with her hand still firmly grasped in JJ's tight grip. Her heart was shattered and the only thing holding her together right now was the physical comfort JJ was providing in their simple touch. As she looked down at Henry's pleading eyes, she knew that she would have already caved and given up. But JJ was different, stronger, than her when it came to Henry. So Emily wasn't surprised when JJ pushed the boy, "Does this have anything to do with what you yelled at Cassie? Do I need to call her in here, too?" JJ threatened and she began to rise from the bed.
Hearing the warning in his mother's voice, Henry leapt to his knees and reached out to grab JJ's arm as he breathlessly said, "No! Pwease don't do that Mommy! I'll tell you, just pwease don't call Cassie in here!"
"Okay Buddy. I won't call her in here, but you've got to spill. What's going on?" JJ reassured as she settle back onto the bed. She was never going to actually call Cassie into the room, but luckily Henry was still too young to read a bluff.
Henry sighed in relief as he collapsed back against the wall. In his moment of panic, the teddy bear and been thrown off the edge of the bed, so now he nervously played with his hands while not looking either JJ or Emily in the eyes. Taking an audibly deep breath, Henry said in a rush of words, "Cassie said that when you and Emmy get mawwied that you are going to have babies and send me away because you won't want me anymore."
JJ sat in shocked silence for a moment before she could even fathom a response. But before she utter a single word of reassurance, she watched as Emily rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the now crying boy. The brunette gathered Henry into her arms and placed him on her lap. As though it was an automatic response, Henry lifted his arms and wrapped them tightly around Emily's neck. The blonde boy placed his small head on Emily's strong shoulder and buried his face in her neck, taking in her comforting scent.
The three of them sat there for some time, JJ watching as Emily held Henry, until the quiet became too much. Surprisingly, Emily was the one to break the silence, "Henry, I want you to listen to me, okay?" Emily pulled back from Henry and forced the boy's blue eyes to meet her brown ones. She knew he was too young to understand the love that she knew could be found in her eyes. So instead, she forced herself to find the words to explain what she knew the four year old needed to hear, "I love you, Henry. I know I don't say it a lot, but I want you to know that. I love you more than you can understand. I also love your mother very much. You and your mother are my world. I would be lost without the two of you.
"So by asking JJ to marry me, I'm also asking if you want to be my son, too. Because that's what you are to me now. You are my son. I would never, ever, send you away. And I will fight anyone who tries to take you away from your mother and me. If JJ and I have other children, it will be because we want you to have a brother or sister, not because we want to replace you." Looking deep into Henry's blue eyes, Emily could see comprehension forming behind the tears. Pulling the blonde boy forward into an embrace once again, Emily asked, "Do you understand Henry? Do you understand that I love and nothing will ever change that?"
Feeling Henry give a vigorous nod, Emily closed her eyes against the torrent of emotions flowing through her. She placed a soft kiss to the top of his blonde head before looking back up to see JJ wiping tears away from her cheeks. Emily reached one hand out to cup JJ's redden cheek and wipe away the few tears that were continuing to fall. JJ couldn't resist the pull any longer. Hearing Emily speak so openly to her son had brought forward a huge wave of gratitude and love. So leaning forward, she captured Emily's lips in a slow kiss. A kiss that conveyed the three of them were a family and would always remain as such.
As the two women pulled apart, Henry pulled out of Emily's arms and looked up at JJ while turning to rest his back against Emily's chest. Once he was situated, he asked, "Mommy, why would Cassie say that?"
JJ wanted to give Henry a good answer, but she didn't have one. Cassie was the spitting image of her mother, in physicality and in personality. Julie and her friends had often played cruel tricks on Jason and JJ when they were all younger. But JJ knew she couldn't tell Henry that, so instead, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Because she's a girl and girls are mean, Buddy," the excuse, she knew, would sound logical to a four year old boy.
Henry nodded his head as he agreed with the simple statement. But as he rose his head to look at Emily's smirking face and then back to his mother's, he observed, "But you and Emmy are girls and you guys aren't mean…"
JJ looked towards Emily for help, but the brunette sat there not knowing how to respond. So JJ looked down at Henry and offered the lame excuse, "That's because we're different. I'm your mom and Emmy is going to be your other mom soon. Mommies aren't mean."
As though that made the most sense in the world, Henry replied, "Otay!" as he jumped from Emily's arms and made his way towards the bedroom door. Turning around to look at the two women, he said, "Come on! Let's go watch Percy Jackson's Wightning!" JJ only chuckled as she threw a playful glare at the brunette. Emily raised her hands in defense as the two of them crawled off the bed. JJ and Emily had watched Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief probably a hundred times. Henry had become addicted to all things to do with Roman and Greek history, especially mythology, when he found one of Emily's mythological books lying around. JJ blamed Emily for their daily torture of being subjected to watch the Percy Jackson movie.
As the trio left the room, JJ linked hands with Emily as she leaned into the brunette's side. Emily sighed happily as she rested her head on the blonde's. She was glad that everything was sorted out with Henry, but she knew that now she would have to face the rest of the family. They had assumedly all had time to gather their thoughts.
When they all entered the living room once more, Emily wasn't surprised to see Henry already setting the movie up with his cousins. And she certainly wasn't surprised when Lisa ran over and engulfed her in a giant hug. What did surprise her is what Lisa whispered into her ear, "It's about damn time Emily Prentiss. We've all known you two were made for each other since they day we met you." Emily returned the hug until the older woman pulled away. As the brunette looked to her right, she saw JJ wrapped in her father's arms. The older man had tears glistening in his hazel eyes.
As the two parted, Lisa swooped in and ushered JJ into the kitchen, the two followed swiftly by Julie and Liz. Emily could hear them faintly talking about the wedding. She had just proposed a few hours ago and now the women were already starting to plan. But she suspected that they had already secretly talked about wedding topics before today.
Emily gulped as she turned back towards Richard. Realizing she was now alone with JJ's father, Emily was terrified. The brunette's father hadn't been the most attentive father in the world. But when he was around, he was condescending, unloving, and barely tolerated her presence. So to be alone with JJ's father put Emily close to panicking. But as she looked up into the man's compassionate hazel eyes, she knew she had nothing to fear.
Richard knew and understood Emily's general distrust of parental figures. So he allowed his face to spread into a wide smile as he placed a large, weathered hand on her shoulder, and said, "Welcome to the family, Emily." With a fatherly kiss to her forehead, the same as the ones he had given to JJ over the years, Richard left Emily to her thoughts. The patriarch of the family made his way to sit on the couch to watch the movie with the children.
Emily watched as Richard Jareau sat down and Henry climbed into his waiting lap. The brunette woman stood silently in the foyer, just taking in her surroundings. She could still faintly hear JJ, Julie, Liz, and Lisa chatting in the kitchen about different wedding ideas. If she really concentrated, she could smell the coffee they had just brewed. Emily looked in at the scene in the living room. Henry resting contentedly in his grandfather's lap while the rest of his cousins, all now awake, spread lazily on the floor or on the couch. Matt and Jason were standing by the fire, talking animatedly about some college football game that was coming up soon. University of Pittsburg versus Ohio State in some bowl game.
Taking in all of these surroundings, Emily felt an involuntary smile spreading across her face. This was what a real family felt like. This is where she was meant to be. Emily basked in the love that she felt flowing through her body. She rubbed her thumb against her left ring finger absentmindedly. She didn't have an engagement ring, but soon she'd have a wedding band adorning that spot. That thought alone was enough to bring her an untold amount of happiness. Emily Prentiss had finally found her spot in the world. She belonged with the Jareau's. She belonged in this moment, with these people, who loved her unconditionally.
With that thought at the forefront of her mind, Emily finally made her way into the living room. She sat next to Richard, with her smile still in place, and settled in to watch the movie with him and the kids. Not too long after she sat down, Henry crawled from his grandfather's lap to nestle himself into Emily's embrace. In their typical fashion, Henry sat with his back to Emily's front while the brunette ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Feeling the little boy shift slightly, Emily looked down to see what Henry needed.
As Emily looked down, Henry reached up and placed a quick kiss on the brunette's cheek and whispered, "I wove you so much Emmy." After the whispered confession, Henry turned back around and placed his full attention on the movie.
"I love you too, Champ," Emily whispered back as she placed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. Leaning back and resting her head on sofa, Emily thought vaguely to herself, "This is where I belong."
Fin.
-TCE-
A/N: DONE! YAY! Thank you so much for reading! I kind of left it open so that maybe I'll come back and do a sequel one day. What do you think? Sequel or not?
A/N: For those of you who read my Intensely Fierce story, I'm working on the next chapter. I wanted to finish this one before I got further into that one. Should be up soon!