"Do you think that I look all right?" JJ asked as she smoothed her skirt down her thighs.
"You look beautiful," Erin replied as she snaked her arms around her waist and pulled her back against her. "And your outfit will be fine for a high school play. Most people show up in jeans and t-shirts. I might be the one who is overdressed here."
"Nah, you look perfect, too. This blouse is also perfect, because it hints at all the sweet delights that I have access to." JJ turned her head and pressed an open mouthed kiss against Erin's neck. "And we can enjoy this tonight?"
"As soon as we get Henry to sleep, yes. Kacey will be out with her friends until late."
JJ nodded as Erin stepped away from her. "She has a house key, right?"
"Yes. And I told her she could call if she felt she had to. But I'm really hoping she doesn't have to, because I want to be wrapped up in you all night."
She giggled as she stepped away from the mirror and went over to their vanity, picking up her brush and running it through her hair before spritzing on perfume. "And I want to be wrapped up in you, too. All right, are you ready?"
Erin nodded and held out her hand. JJ took hold of it and allowed herself to be led out of their bedroom and down to the garage. After slipping into the passenger seat, JJ turned her body so that she could watch Erin as she drove. "I have an odd question for you," she said once they were underway.
"Oh?"
She gave Erin a small nod. "I know that you told me how difficult intimacy was with Victor. And I know how easy it's been with us, since we took that next step in our relationship. Do you really want to have sex every time I initiate? Or are you humouring me?"
"Oh, my sweet Jenny, if I didn't want to make love with you, I'd let you know. But the taste of your lips, the way you ensure my pleasure, the way you listen to me and my desires, that is everything I was ever looking for in a partner. And I think that I'm starting to initiate sex with you more and more. Aren't I?"
"Yeah," she replied with a soft smile. "And I do like it when you wake me up with kisses."
Erin gave her a small wink as she turned onto the next street. "I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow morning, then. Because I have the feeling that Kacey will still be sleeping, and Henry can take care of himself until we're ready for breakfast."
"I like the sound of that," JJ murmured as she settled back in her seat and smiled as she watched the scenery pass by. It didn't take long to reach the high school, and Erin found a spot close to the doors. They walked in together, hand in hand, and JJ felt so comfortable with her that she really wished it would never end. After finding their seats, JJ went out into the hall to wait for Garcia and Hotch. They weren't too much behind her family, and she smiled as she waved to them and her son. "Did you have a good time with Jack this afternoon?"
"Yeah! We had the best time playing soccer, and his coach said that I could play on their team next season, if it's okay with you and Mama Win. It would be nice to be on the same team as Jack."
Henry looked at her with a little pout, and JJ smiled as she glanced over at Jack to see that he had the same little pout on his lips. "Well, I can't make any promises without talking to Erin, but we'll see if we can make it work, all right?"
He nodded and grabbed hold of Jack's hand, tugging him into the auditorium, Hotch following hot at their heels. "That would be adorable, if we could get them on the same team. And between the four of us, someone would always be at their games."
"A great point. Now, are you ready to head in? Erin got tickets for us almost at the front, so we should be able to see everything." Garcia nodded, and JJ slung her arm around her waist and started for the doors once more, only to be stopped by a familiar voice.
"Hey! I'm so glad that I made it in time to catch you!"
She turned to watch Blake jog up to them, an open smile on her face. "I'm glad that you were able to get away. Erin will be so happy that you made it! But no James?"
"He's still overseas. I'm hoping he'll be home in time for Christmas, though." They nodded and JJ led them down to their row.
Henry was sitting next to Jack, which left a spot for her between Henry and Erin. Garcia squeezed past her to take her seat between Jack and Hotch, while Blake sat on the end. It felt right to have these people here, as it truly felt like this was their extended family. Family. "Fuck," she whispered, then hoped Henry hadn't overheard. A quick glance over at him told her that she was safe, and she let out a sigh of relief before pulling out her phone. After making certain it was on silent, she hurriedly texted Garcia.
I totally forgot to tell my mother about so much. What do I do now? Invite her to the wedding and surprise her by marrying Erin and not Will?
A few seconds later, she got her reply. I haven't met Aaron's mom yet, and I'm not certain if she knows about me. So, I guess we're both in the same boat? But you should probably talk about this with her. I mean, I think her parents are still alive, too. So, maybe you could have a meet the parents weekend?
She looked over at Penelope and gave her a small nod as the lights went down in the auditorium. JJ turned all her attention to the stage, fighting the urge to applaud the moment she spotted Kacey on stage. The play went by so quickly, and JJ found herself enthralled with the production. All too soon, they were applauding the students, and she beamed with pride when Kacey looked their way. Their girl grinned back as she stepped forward and took her bow before rejoining the rest of the cast as the curtain closed.
"Wasn't my baby girl amazing?" Erin asked, swiping away a few tears. JJ nodded as she leaned over and hugged Erin tightly. "And now we head out in the hall and wait for her to come out. I would have brought flowers, but since she'll be out with her friends, there won't be a place to keep them."
"We'll do something special for her next weekend," JJ said as they slowly made their way out to the hall. Blake managed to find them an open spot near the windows, and they all chatted about the play as they waited for Kacey to come over.
"Your daughter has an amazing talent," Blake said as she smiled at Erin. "Thank you for inviting me this evening."
"I remembered that you liked watching plays, so it felt natural." Erin gave her a smile in return before resting her head on JJ's chest as they waited. "And do let us know when James is home. I'd love to have you both over for dinner."
"I'd like that."
She looked like she wanted to say more when Kacey bounced over to their group. "Thank you all for coming to see me! Did I do well?" she asked as she hugged Erin tightly before leaning over and kissing JJ's cheek.
"You were amazing, dear. Now, do you need any extra money for tonight? You mentioned going out with your friends to the diner?"
Kacey nodded. "Yeah, we're going to close the place down, and then I'll be home. And I'm fine on cash. Seems like Dad's been guilted into being a good dad, and he deposited a thousand into my account yesterday. Since he can't get away to see me on stage. Only thing is, I never told him about the play." Kacey glanced over at Garcia, who tried to look innocent, but there was a pleased smile on her lips. "Now, I hate to hug and run, but I want to take my makeup off before we head out."
"Sounds good, honey." Erin kissed the top of Kacey's head before letting go of her, and the girl hugged them all in turn before jogging over to a trio of girls waiting for her. They all waved to them before disappearing down the hallway, and JJ smiled as she remembered her own high school days. "All right, Penny. What did you do?"
"What makes you think that I did anything, Erin?"
Her partner arched an eyebrow upwards. "That tells me everything I need to know. Now spill."
"I may have anonymously emailed him with the details of this run, and told him that since he's been such a jackass lately, the least he could do would be something nice for his daughter. I didn't think that he would be that generous."
Erin burst into a fit of giggles as she shook her head. "I know that I should probably be angry with you for doing that, but…thank you. I don't want him to not be a part of her life, but I do want him to realise that he screwed up by trying to take her away from us. And maybe one day, they'll find a way back to each other. I mean, that's what I'm hoping for with our other two children."
"And we will do anything we can to facilitate that reunion, Erin," Blake said as she stepped in front of Erin and gave her a quick hug. "I should get running, though. I have an early morning call with James. It's hard to find time to talk with him when his lunch is six in the morning for me. It was good to see you all again."
She gave them a small wave before heading to the door, leaving them alone with Hotch and Garcia. "It's time that Jack went to bed, too," he said as he held out his hand. Erin shook it firmly before hugging Jack and Garcia in turn, and JJ followed suit before pulling Henry against her legs as she watched their friends leave.
"Well, that leaves just us. Did you want to run to Sonic and get a sundae, Hen?"
"Oh, please, can we?"
She looked to Erin and watched her partner nod. "I think that would be fun. We deserve a treat to end a wonderful day." Erin held out her hand to JJ, and she clasped it firmly as they headed outside and over to their car. Erin helped Henry into his car seat while JJ slipped behind the wheel, and then they were off for the drive in.
After ordering, JJ let out a long breath and looked over at Erin. "You know, there is one major thing we both forgot about as we entered this little love affair of ours."
"Oh?" Erin asked, looking worried.
"Yeah. Our parents. I mean, there's just my mom, but I know that your parents are alive. And we've never discussed them. Or how they might feel about our relationship. Or if they heard about Will and how he took Henry and Kacey. I've allowed myself to become so wrapped up in you that I totally forgot about Mom."
Erin let out a little chuckle as she shrugged. "I've actually been talking to Mum and Dad recently. I needed to decompress with my Mummy, and she was able to be there for me. And, well, I suppose that I was waiting for a good opening to invite them here. This might be it?"
"Yes! As soon as we narrow down on a date good for them, we can then call my mom and tell her the date. Since she's retired, she can come at any time. And it might be nice to get to know her better, now that I'm in a stable relationship." She glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Henry, seeing that he was fast asleep. "There are a few things that I haven't spoken about with you. And not because I don't love you enough or trust you enough. It's just a time in my life that I don't talk about. Ever. But if you can wait until we get home, and I can get Henry into bed, we can talk?"
"Of course, Jenny. And if it gets too difficult, we can cuddle and I'll tell you happy stories about my kids, to try and lift the mood a little." She reached across the space between them and slipped her hand into the crook of JJ's elbow before starting to hum along with the radio.
The drive home seemed to take forever, now that she had to talk about something important with Erin. Finally, though, she pulled into their drive, and after turning the car off, JJ let out a soft sigh of pleasure at the way Erin squeezed her arm before she got out and made her way into the house. JJ smiled after her before opening the back door of the car and picked Henry up, cradling him close to her heart as she carefully brought him inside. Erin closed the door behind them, and she nodded as she slipped past and went to the stairs.
"I'll be right behind you, Jenny," Erin said as she followed them. They parted ways at the top of the stairs, and JJ hummed quietly when Henry began to stir a little in her arms. It took so long to get him changed into pyjamas, but once she had him tucked into bed, he curled up as if he hadn't even noticed.
"Sleep well, my little star," she whispered before kissing his forehead and tucking him in. JJ ran her hands down her thighs as she went over to their bedroom. She didn't particularly want to lay bare these particular scars to Erin, but she knew that it had to be done. Not even Will had known about her sister. Letting out a long breath, she opened their bedroom door and found Erin just stretching out on the mattress. "You look lovely."
"If you have something pretty to look at, it might be easier to tell me what's hidden deep in your heart."
JJ nodded as she hurriedly stripped off her clothes and changed into a pair of short shorts and a tank top. "I, I didn't even tell Will about this, I always thought there'd be time when it felt safe to do so. Hell, even the team only knows drips and drabs, not the whole story."
Erin nodded as she held out her arm to JJ. She hurried over to the bed and laid down next to Erin, welcoming the heavy weight of her arm around her waist. "I am all ears and all yours, Jenny."
She gave Erin a small smile before snuggling in close and resting her head on her partner's chest. "I had an older sister, her name was Roslyn. When I was about eleven, she took her own life. I didn't realise why until I was much older. She gave me her necklace before she…before the end, and for the longest time I thought it was my fault that she did what she did. Mom didn't help out much there, since she had to focus on trying to keep us together and on an even keel, since Dad checked out of our family as soon as he could. It's hard to grieve the death of your child, the loss of your marriage, and raising two little kids."
"You have another sibling?" Erin asked as she reached out and stroked JJ's hair delicately.
"I do, he lives in Pennsylvania, close to Mom. We don't talk much, because I got out of that Podunk little town as soon as I possibly could, and he didn't understand that. Mom didn't either, but at least Mike still talked to me when I moved. It became easier to forget that I had a family, as I made a family out of the BAU. When Henry came along, it was almost perfect. And then you and Kacey entered my life and I learned what perfect truly was. Because even though we argue, we make up and we push each other to be better people."
"Oh, my sweet sunshine, I am so glad that you've finally felt able to tell me this about your family. And my heart aches that you went through that alone for so long. But we have each other, and now that we know the secrets of our hearts, we'll have a stronger foundation. I love you."
"I love you, too." JJ gave her a crooked smile before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. "I was the one who found Ros."
Erin nodded and gave her a sad look as she stroked her hair once more. "I can only imagine how that must have haunted you. And why you called Aaron so quickly when Kacey mentioned that she was close to taking that step. Another puzzle piece has been placed, and it binds us closer together." Erin kissed her softly. "And as much as I would love to love on you, I think that we should just sleep. I hope you don't mind."
"I will never mind getting to cuddle with you." JJ gave her a crooked smile before kissing her again. "But I do hope you know that cuddling also includes stealing kisses until we fall asleep?"
Erin chuckled as she nodded. "I would expect nothing less from you, my brilliant sunshine. As long as I get to steal a few in return." JJ nodded, relishing the feel of Erin's lips pressing softly against hers. "We are going to be stronger for this. Come closer." She nodded and scooted forward until their foreheads were pressed together and she could feel Erin's breaths fan out against her skin. In that moment, she felt free enough to let herself cry, knowing that Erin would comfort her and hold her throughout the night, offering the comfort that only a lover could.