JJ woke up feeling safe and warm. Stretching a little, she looked over to see that Erin was still asleep, and she pressed her lips to Erin's shoulder before slipping out of bed and scurrying into the bathroom, taking care of her needs and brushing her teeth before heading back into their room. She went over to the dresser and grabbed out two nighties, pulling one on and bringing the other back to bed with her. "Wake up, Erin. I want to cuddle with you before Henry comes and wakes us up."

"Ten more minutes?" she asked sleepily as she sat up, the sheets pooling around her hips as she blinked blearily at JJ.

"No, darling, it's already close to nine, he's bound to be getting up soon." Erin nodded and got out of bed, taking the nightie with her as she disappeared into the bathroom. JJ made the bed before plumping the pillows and taking a seat as she waited for Erin to return to her. It didn't take long and then she was padding back over to the bed and taking a seat next to JJ, cuddling in close as she wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Last night was lovely. Thank you for loving me so well," she murmured before pressing her lips against JJ's cheek.

"You're worth being loved on, Erin. Now, I have something to ask of you. Something small, but important." JJ felt Erin stiffen in her arms, and she pursed her lips, knowing that this wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting, but still knowing that Erin was skittish in some respects. "It's nothing bad, I promise!"

"Sorry, I think that I'm still a little off kilter from the week I've had. What's this small thing you want to ask?"

JJ reached out and threaded their fingers together as she took a deep breath. "I want to be a little more public about our relationship. We're bound together by the love we share, and that means so much to me. I just don't want you to feel like you have to hide this away. I know that we'll have to work things out with the Director, that there will be hurdles that we have to overcome, but you're here, you've moved in with me, and I want everyone to know that I'm not ashamed that you're my partner."

"Oh," Erin breathed out as she tightened her grip on JJ's hand. "I wasn't expecting that. Are, are you certain that you're all right with the scrutiny that will come as my partner?" JJ nodded. "Okay, before we go the Director Shepperd on Monday, does everyone on Alpha know about us and our relationship?"

JJ bit her lip before shaking her head slowly. "There's still one person left to tell, and it's probably the hardest person."

"Derek?" She nodded. "He will be difficult to tell, yes. But it needs to be done before Monday, as I don't want this to be a surprise to him, as that could lead to a dustup in the bullpen, and I truly do not want that sort of scrutiny. Call him, invite him over for lunch today, and I'll see if Penelope and Aaron have the afternoon free, as well. I'm certain that Henry would love to play with Jack."

JJ nodded as Erin reached over for their phones, handing JJ's over before she unlocked her own device and tapped at the screen. She smiled at her partner before opening her phone and tapping on Derek's name in her call log. It seemed to take forever before he answered, and she tried not to laugh when she heard his tired yawn in her ear. "This had better be good, Jen. It is way too early on a Saturday for you to call."

"I was thinking about having a little lunch with you and Hotch and Garcia. And my girlfriend. It's time that you met her."

There was a long pause before Derek answered. "I knew that you were seeing someone, I just didn't realise it would be a her. I take it that Hotch and Garcia have already met her?"

JJ smiled at Erin and rubbed her thigh, trying not to pay attention to the conversation she was having with Penelope. "They have, because I'd have them take Henry when we went on dates. I, I'd really like you to meet her?"

Another long pause before Derek answered. "I guess I have nothing better to do today," he said teasingly. "What time should I come over?"

"Would one be all right?" she asked, looking at Erin, who nodded.

"That works for me. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Drinks? And maybe dessert?" Erin shook her head, pointing at her phone. JJ nodded. "No, never mind, Garcia's bringing dessert. Just drinks."

"Soda, alcohol, or both?"

"Both, please. We'll see you in a few hours. Thanks, Derek."

"Anything for you, Jen. See you soon."

Derek ended the call and she set her phone aside as Erin finished up her call with Garcia. "All right, we'll see you around one. Thanks for agreeing to this on such short notice. Love you, too."

JJ was surprised to hear how easily those words slipped from Erin's lips, frowning a little as she watched Erin drop the phone onto the nightstand. "How can you tell her that so easily when it took you forever to say it to me?"

"What? That I love her?" JJ nodded, feeling small for her jealousy. "Because she's my friend, and the love that I have for her is very different from the love that I have for you. I was scared to tell you those words because I knew how it would change the dynamics of our relationship. The last time I told a partner that I loved them was Victor, and look at how that turned out. But you've proven your heart to me over and over, no matter how awful I've been, and I love you." Erin leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before slipping out of bed. "Now, if they're going to be here at one, we have less than four hours to get ready. I'm going to dress and fix breakfast for us, you can see if Henry's up?"

JJ nodded before kissing Erin once more, pushing her back onto the mattress as she deepened the kiss. Erin laughed against her lips, but still closed her arms around JJ's waist. "I know, we have to get up, but I love moments like these," she murmured gently as she reached up to stroke Erin's hair. "If they weren't coming over, I'd take you right now."

A rich laugh spilled from Erin's lips as she nodded. "I'd let you, if they weren't on their way. Tonight, though, I might need comforting, if things go badly with Derek?"

"I like the way your brain thinks." JJ gave her another kiss before rolling off her and getting to her feet. "Wear something a little sexy?"

"The children will be here, Jennifer."

JJ gave her a small wink. "That doesn't mean you can't wear a slightly lowcut blouse and a pair of just too tight jeans?"

Erin shook her head as she slipped out of bed and padded over to the closet. JJ watched her pull out a white button up that was hers before going to their dresser and taking out a white tank top and a pair of overalls. The grin that spread across JJ's lips only grew when she noticed that Erin pulled out a matching set of underwear before she disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. JJ traipsed over to the closet and pulled out a button up shirt to match Erin's, before pulling out a pair of jeans and fresh underwear. It didn't take too long to change, and then she was heading into the bathroom so that she could run a brush through her hair and pull it into a ponytail.

"Is this good enough, darling?"

She looked up at Erin in the mirror and felt her jaw slacken a little. Erin had teased her hair a little, and she only had one of the overall straps fastened, and she looked so effortlessly sexy that JJ wanted to pull her back to bed and love on her. "Y-yes, that's more than good enough," she finally stammered, watching Erin give her a sultry grin before finishing her makeup. "I'll go check on Henry now."

"You do that, Jenny," she replied with a wink, and JJ swallowed hard as she left the bathroom and went across the hall to Henry's room. Opening the door, she found his bed empty and his pyjamas on the mattress, which told her he was already awake and most likely downstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, she went into the kitchen first, knowing that he probably would have tried to make himself breakfast.

"Morning, Mama! You and Mama Win were sleeping when I woke up, so I got dressed and played my game until I got too hungry. I was careful, I promise!"

JJ reached out and ruffled his hair as she nodded. "I trust that you were, Hen. And I'm sorry that we weren't awake for you to ask. Are you okay with Pop-Tarts? Even if they're cold?"

"Yeah. But I'd like some apple juice, please."

She gave him a small smile as she went over to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of juice, pouring them each a glass before she took a seat across from him and watched him eat. Erin joined them a few moments later, and she copied JJ's motion by ruffling his hair as she went over to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, pouring a glass before sitting next to JJ. "I don't think that I could eat anything until lunch. Did you tell Henry about this afternoon?"

"Mama?"

"We're having visitors. Uncle Hotch, Aunt Penny, and Jack will be stopping by with Mister Derek, and we're going to have lunch together. Does that sound good?" Henry nodded as he finished off his food, and then he wiggled off his chair and brought plate and cup to the sink.

"I'm gonna play outside until they get here!" he said before running from the room.

"Are you nervous?" JJ asked once she had heard the door to the backyard slam.

Erin nodded. "I know that his reaction won't affect the status of our relationship, but I know how close you are to him, that he taught you how to better defend yourself. So his opinion of me, of us, matters to me. Is that silly?"

"No, it's thoroughly you. Now, do you want to go out and play with Henry for a while?" Erin nodded before pushing away from the table and following after Henry. JJ let out a soft laugh before putting their glasses in the fridge to finish later before going to join her family in the yard while they waited for the friends to arrive.

A few hours later, JJ heard someone knocking on their door, and she pressed her lips against Henry's and Erin's heads before jogging through the house and opening the front door to reveal Penelope and Hotch. "Gumdrop! Where are they?"

"In the backyard. The pizza should be here in ten minutes. Did you see Derek on the way?"

Jack pushed past them to head out back, and she laughed as she let Hotch and Penelope in. "He could be running late."

"Yeah, I got caught up in traffic, Jayje." Derek bounded up the walk to enter the house, and she laughed a little at the way he held up the bags that held their beverages. "Put these in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, and you can put the dessert there, too, PG. Like I was saying, the pizza will be here shortly, and then we can all eat. If you'd like, I can do introductions while we're waiting."

Penelope gave her a look, but she shook her head a little, knowing that it would be better to get everything over with sooner rather than later. "I'll wait for the delivery driver, Jayje. Honey?" Hotch nodded before kissing Penelope's temple and following them out into the backyard. JJ smiled to see that Jack and Henry had managed to convince Erin to play soccer with them, and she found that she couldn't take her eyes off her partner's ass in those overalls.

"So, where's your girlfriend, and why is Strauss playing with the kids?" Derek asked as he stopped suddenly. "Jen? What's going on?"

JJ took a deep breath as Erin's head turned their way, an open smile on her lips as she lifted her hand and waved at them before going back to her game with the boys. "Derek, that is my girlfriend."

She watched his body stiffen and pull away from her as he narrowed his eyes. "This is ridiculous. I get that Strauss has changed quite a bit recently, Emily said that she'd helped you get Henry back from Will, but the idea of you sleeping with the enemy? No, you're either lying or joking, and I'm not certain which I want it to be."

"She's not lying, Morgan. They've been together for almost a year now. Really, it should have been obvious to everyone in the bullpen when Kacey came to visit that JJ and Erin were together. I still don't know how that passed over your head, or Emily's."

Derek frowned and shook his head. "I can't believe this is true."

"Can't or won't?" JJ asked as she took a step towards the two people who made up her whole world. "Because we're going to the Director on Monday and making our relationship more official than it already is. We're in this for the long haul, and our next step is bringing Kacey home for good. We're going to need the support of everyone on the team for that fight."

She watched Derek look over at Hotch before back at Erin, shaking his head a little. "You know that there's bad blood between us."

"Yes, but that's more on your end than hers. She was the one that wanted today, because she knows how important it is that all my friends know about our relationship. So, I ask you again, Derek. Would you like to meet my girlfriend?"

JJ didn't look to see his answer as she continued over to where the boys were playing, hooking her arm around Erin's waist and pulling her close for a kiss. "Did it go well?" Erin whispered as JJ led them over to the lone tree that was in her backyard, and JJ shrugged. "Well, he hasn't left, so there's that?"

JJ glanced over to see that Hotch and Derek were talking together, and nodded as she leaned her head against Erin's, watching as the two men ambled over to their sides. "So, after we eat, Derek and I think that we need to play a little three on three, with Penny being the referee."

"And how would that work?" JJ asked as she pulled Erin closer to her side.

"You, Jack, and me against Hotch, Strauss, and Henry. We both thought that it would be best if parents weren't on the same side as their kid."

Erin fairly melted into JJ as she nodded. "I'm in."

"Good." Derek gave her a small smile before nodding. "So, you've been with her since August?"

"Yes. We started out as reluctant friends, since Henry latched on to me. From there, things progressed to love. And I don't want to hide that feeling away from the world any longer. If she thinks that I'm worthy enough to love, and fight for, well, why would we hide that away. There are going to be rough patches, especially when we see Director Shepperd on Monday. And before you ask, Jenny made the first move, I would have been content to remain her friend for the rest of my life."

"Jenny?" Derek teased, and JJ watched Erin blush deeply before turning her face into JJ's shoulder.

"Yes, and she is the only person allowed to call me that. Clear?" He nodded, though from the twinkle in his eye, JJ knew that she would hear no end of it from him when out in the field.

"Hey! Pizza is here!" Garcia called out, and JJ was grateful for the distraction. "Come get it while it's hot!"

The boys took off for the house, Hotch following them, which left Derek standing by them alone. "Are you really happy with her, JJ?"

"Yes. She makes my life complete in a way that I didn't think I would feel after Will tried to destroy me. I love her, and I will fight tooth and nail to have Kacey here again, living with us, and making our little family complete. Hotch said that there's no way for that to legally happen until Victor's new wife fucks up and hurts her again, so badly that it leaves marks Kacey can document. I can't wish that that happens, because it would devastate Erin. So, we're stuck in this awful limbo. We should be a family of five, but our family of four won't be complete until Kacey is here. So, am I happy with Erin? Yes. But we're not as happy as we could be, with part of our hearts wandering around in Germany, unable to come home."

"Oh, Jenny," Erin breathed out as she turned into JJ and hugged her tightly, her shoulders shaking with her crying. Tenderly, she rubbed Erin's back as the storm passed, only to bump into another hand resting on Erin's shoulder. Looking up, she saw Derek had moved closer to them, a sad look on his face. "Derek?"

"I didn't know everything, and I guess that I'm still judging you based on past actions, not on who you are now. I'm sorry that you can't be with your whole family. And that your daughter is being abused. No kid should go through that hell." Erin nodded slowly before burrowing closer to JJ, as if she wanted to shut out the world in that moment. "I'll head inside and tell the others that you'll be in shortly."

"Thanks, Der," JJ whispered before he moved away and turned to go to the house. JJ could tell by the way that Erin breathed that she was trying to get control of her emotions. "Hey, that went better than we thought, yes?"

"Yes," Erin whispered back before pulling away from JJ and looking up into her eyes. "I do love you and your ferocity about our family."

"Family means everything to me, and I'm gonna tell you this again. Until Kacey is how with us, we are not a whole family. And I love you and your tender heart that you don't show to just everybody. Now, I find myself starving. How about we go in and get food before it's all gone?"

"Sounds good, Jenny." Erin breathed in deeply before pulling out of JJ's embrace and taking firm hold of her hand, threading their fingers together as they made their way into their home. This had gone much better than anticipated, and she hoped that that would bode well for their future together.