A/N- I did a thing. This just kind of happened, I never planned to write this one, but I found this story again and it just spilled out. I'm working on Ambassador Prentiss next. Hope you like this, let me know what you thought!
10. JJ's father
JJ was in third grade and still want by 'Jenny' when she came home after school one day with the brightest smile her parents have ever seen on her. Her father was sitting in the front room watching a game, JJ pulled herself into her favorite spot, halfway in her father's lap, sprawled across the couch as much as she possibly can, and tried to figure her way through the game.
"How was school Jen?" He asked, running a hand through her unruly blonde locks, but not taking his eyes off the game.
"It was great! I made a new best friend!"
"What's their name?"
"Anna!" JJ said, practically humming with excitement, "She plays soccer, and draws better than I can, and she's the prettiest girl in the whole school. We're going to be best friends forever."
Finally, he drew his gaze from the screen to look down at his youngest daughter whose eyes were following the football as it got intercepted on the television. He looked down at her skeptically.
"She's the prettiest girl, huh?"
"Mhm." JJ hummed in confirmation, "She's got the prettiest eyes and hair. They're like chocolate."
He focused on the feeling of her silky hair under his fingers, she had the same hair as her mother and as her two older sisters.
But she's different, JJ's hair has been sweat soaked from running around in the backyard throwing the football with him, it's been drenched from capsizing the fishing boat with him, it's been riddled with dirt and sticks from hiking in the woods, she's his little girl.
In seconds, he can see everything he's dreamed of giving her, intimidating boys when they come to take her on dates, walking her down the aisle, holding her hand when she says that he's going to be a grandfather, watching her children so she and her husband can escape for a dinner out. It's all gone. But she's still here with him.
"That's great Jen, you'll have to have her over for dinner one day." He said before going back to the game.
…
He never did forget that moment. He didn't forget it when JJ joined the soccer team, when she showed absolutely no interest in boys until high school when all of her friends got boyfriends.
He didn't forget it when she finally did come home one day with the announcement that she was going to the movies with Aaron Johnson the next night. He watched his older daughter brighten at the announcement, immediately grabbing JJ and dragging her into her bedroom for 'a complete makeover'.
He stared Aaron down when he came to pick her up, and made sure he knew to have her home by ten because it was still a school night.
He pretended not to peek through the curtains with his wife when Aaron walked his baby up to the front porch. He saw how she smiled kindly at the boy, saying she had fun, he watched her give him a hug, and pull away before he could try and plant a kiss on her lips.
…
When JJ was a senior in high school, she was finally going by 'JJ' instead of 'Jenny'. She was the captain of her soccer team, she had a scholarship to college, and she had been dating Aaron Johnson for nearly three years.
JJ's father did not like him.
But JJ's father knew better than to intervene. He knew better than a lot of things. Like the day he came home from work early, his wife was out of business visiting her family so it was just him and JJ, and he had told his daughter that he would be working late that night. He had just popped back to the house to grab some paperwork he had forgotten.
He saw Lily's car out front next to JJ's. Lily was on the soccer team with JJ, and the two were practically inseparable this year, both girl's boyfriends played on the baseball team together.
He thought nothing of it, and was halfway through the house when he realized how quiet it was. He was at the entrance to the living room next to his office when he saw, and it stopped him dead in his tracks.
His baby girl was flat on her back on their couch, Lily straddling her hips, both girls locked together at the lips. He was frozen when he saw one of the brunette's hands groping at his daughter's chest, but was spurred into action when JJ's own hands landed on the other girl's ass squarely.
He backed out of the room as quickly and quietly as possible.
That night at dinner (Lily stayed over for pizza since JJ's mother wasn't there to cook), and he couldn't help but feel himself smiling ridiculously at the large hickey JJ still didn't realize she had peeking out from her collar.
…
He would never forget that first time ever since JJ had moved to DC that she had called home to say she was bringing someone home for Thanksgiving. 'Someone really important to me, so please try to be on your best behavior.' She had said.
The entire family was buzzing with excitement as they waited for the blonde's arrival, guesses were flying as to the mystery guest's identity while her father just smiled to himself and prayed that it was someone who shaved their legs rather than their face. JJ deserved to be happy.
When they heard a car pull into the driveway, everyone abandoned their occupations to crowd around the door, peeking sneakily out of the curtains as they watched JJ emerge from the passenger side of the car. She flipped her blonde hair over a shoulder, and walked around the car to the driver side, opening the door and practically dragging out the occupant.
When the woman shook out her brown hair and handed the keys to JJ to put in her purse, her father couldn't contain his smile.
They walked together up the driveway, their air hanging before them in small puffs of cold air. He watched JJ lose her footing on a patch of ice, and the woman easily pulled JJ into her with an arm around the blonde's waist to prevent her from sliding any more.
JJ smiled widely at the woman, and he knew that smile. He would have to have a serious conversation with this woman.
When they made it up to the porch, and JJ was about to ring the bell, the woman said something the family on the other side of the door couldn't hear. JJ turned around, so they could no longer spy on her face. Rather they watched the expression on the brunette turn from concern to amusement, and finally to a relaxed and open smile when JJ reached up to push a bit of the brunette's hair behind an ear, and followed it with a soft reassuring kiss.
It was approximately two seconds from the time JJ rang the bell until the door was opened.
"Hey Dad," She smiled, "This is Emily."
…
Years later, when things calmed down, when they calmed down, when they were older, and old enough, when they got into a regular schedule of enduring Thanksgiving with Emily's family and Christmas with JJ's on alternating years, Emily cornered JJ's father in the kitchen.
That is more to say she volunteered to help him with dishes the day before Thanksgiving. Her hands were shaking as she loaded the dishwasher after he rinsed the plates. Normally the two of them got along great, talking about everything from sports and cars to guns, she usually kept up better than JJ's older sister's husband.
But this time was different because the ring she bought a month ago has been burning a hole in her wallet for a month now. When the final dish was loaded, JJ's father raised a questioning eyebrow at her, he knew exactly what was coming.
He had been preparing for this conversation since the first time his little girl came home from third grade and told him about her new friend Anna.
He had been preparing for this conversation even when Aaron Johnson came to pick his baby up to take her to prom. For a while he wasn't sure he would ever get to have this conversation with a woman who loved his daughter, but the Supreme Court had made sure he would get to have this conversation, he would get to walk JJ down the aisle, and he would get to get toasted at the reception and give a painfully embarrassing speech.
When Emily ran a hand through her hair, mussing it further rather than helping anything, and spoke to her feet when she said, "Your daughter is the best thing that's ever happened to me…"
He can hardly contain his smile and wait for her to finish her speech before giving his unconditional permission, blessing, endorsement, go-ahead ('Hell, Em, you can have it all!') for Emily to marry his little girl.
A/N- So just a quick sorry it took so long to update this story, hope you enjoyed this, have a wonderful thanksgiving :)