Chapter 10
National Mall
Washington DC
Saturday, September 17, 2005
JJ
"I have to go back." Will said when he hung up the phone and slid it back in his pocket.
"I know." JJ sighed. She looped an arm around his waist as they went back to walking. She could feel how badly he was dreading his return. But she could also feel the honor, the pride, the loyalty in him that would not allow him to do anything else. "Charlie's going back too?"
"Yeah. He's family is staying in Austin though, his wife has family there." He smiled at her. "I don't have to tell you."
"No." She understood what it was like to be a cop, to be part of what they called the thin blue line. She knew how strong those bonds went. She would go back. "How long do they think it will take?"
"Right now they don't even know if there's going to be a city there anymore. The water's still coming in. But either way, you know. I've either got to help put her back together or put her to rest. I can't do anything less. If nothing else my daddy would expect it from me."
His father. She could feel the rawness of that wound still. "Are you planning a funeral for him?"
"Memorial, once the city's back together enough." He said. She sighed as she felt his pain deepen. "We don't have a body to bury. We weren't able to retrieve it in time, they're going to have to cremate and dispose for the health hazard."
Oh that wasn't fair. "Will..."
"I know chère. He'd understand. We'll give him a proper send off regardless, once we can get a band together."
"I'll come down for it."
"I'd appreciate that." Now he looked at her. "Your life is not always this quiet, is it?"
JJ smiled. "No, I've been burning off leave time for a few weeks now."
"I can't talk you into doing something quieter, can I?"
"About as well as I could talk you into staying in DC."
"Oh, I'm thinking about moving here." He replied, with a lazy smile as he felt her surprise.
"Moving here?" Did she want him to move here? JJ thought about what she had learned about him in the short time they had spent together. She knew he was a hard-working man, dedicated to the force and to serving in law enforcement, one who didn't shirk any duty but always did his best and always saw the job through. She knew he was a smart man, if not matching Hotch's intuition or Reid's brilliance, and despite that slow, easy drawl and folksy manner, he could easily match Morgan for intelligence and good common sense. She knew he was a healthy man, he was active in his personal life, played softball, worked out, had no major vices. Sure he liked a few beers with the football game, but then so did she, and he did love his rich, native cuisine enough to perhaps add an inch or two to his waist, but she couldn't hold that against him. But perhaps most of all she knew he was a loyal man, he was quite the flirt but his entire time here that attention had been focused on her in a way that felt like he was never going to turn to anyone else. "I wouldn't mind it if you moved here. I'll have to get a bigger apartment though."
"You might want to do that." He leaned in to her shoulder, sending warm breath over the sensitive nerves in her neck. "Because I wouldn't mind staying there next time I come to visit."
And the hell of it was he had to feel exactly what that did to her. "I think we can manage that." Being at Spencer's had put a brake on anything more than getting to know each other, even if they had been sharing a bed. But now that she knew him next time they would likely not leave her apartment.
"Something to look forward to then." They walked along a little further. "So how are we going to know when it's just work or when something's wrong?"
Work or something wrong. When that rush of adrenaline tinged with fear hit. "Do they have cell phone service back up yet?"
"Just. In some places." She felt his grief once more. "Hopefully they'll get it all back soon."
She pulled the arm wrapped around his waist tighter. "That will have to do."
Open country
Outside El Paso, TX
Thursday September 22, 2005
Another week, another case. And with Will back home there was no reason for JJ to remain on leave.
Her emotions were the usual ones. The focus of work, the concern for the victims and their families, the professional anger against the Unsub, some frustration with the local LEOS. Nothing strong enough to really spike the meter.
And his were similar. Focus, frustration, some anger, some happiness. In his case under it all still the ebb and flow of grief, but he was handling that as well as could be expected. Again, nothing spiked the meter, but JJ was glad for what she felt. She could feel him there, part of her life, part of her, an unexpected comfort all around.
Until she spiked the meter, with the adrenaline rush of the final take down, the fear that maybe they hadn't gotten to the victim in time, the rush of relief when she realized they had. She was just stepping back, letting the EMT's get in there, when her phone chimed an incoming text from Will. Did you get him?
JJ smiled. He understood. They could make this work after all. Yeah, we did.