Chapter Text
“Emmi nooooo.” Henry whined, letting his arms hang past one side of his high chair. “No yucky!”
“It’s not yucky! I made that spinach just for you.” Emily said, trying her very best to be patient.
“Yucky!” He said, bending over towards her to give his words more kick. Emily rolled her eyes. She was used to time with Henry and he was never really bad. He was clingy and shy, but rarely ever this annoying.
“What’s yucky about it?” She asked. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t try this with JJ, but she was just such a frickin’ softie when it came to her little monkey.
“Green.” He stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Green?” She asked, pulling her eyebrows up. “You eat green gummies.” Emily pointed out, still trying to shove the spoon between his lips. He wouldn’t budge. “Okay. We make it less green.” She stated with a sigh, getting up from her chair and rummaging through the fridge. She dug out a bag of grated cheese. Her gaze traveled from Henry back to the cheese. It could work. “Okay. How about we snow in the green?” He looked at her with hesitance. She took a spoon of spinach and put some cheese on it. “See, no more green, all snowed in under the cheese.” She explained. Henry let out a little giggle. He looked at the spoon from left and right, inspecting it thoroughly.
“Okay.” The boy nodded, opening his mouth. She quickly shoved a spoon full in. “Hmmmm snow nommie!” He instantly judged, opening his mouth again for the next spoon. Emily let out a little breath. She’d outsmarted a two-and-a-half-year-old. Might be the biggest accomplishment of the day.
“So Emmi is a good cook?” She asked, feeding him another big spoon. He nodded with the spoon still in his mouth.
“Yummy now.” He stated as Emily pulled it out, spraying a bit of green on her and the high chair.
“Well good!” She made sure the amount of cheese was less with every spoon. On the counter, her phone started to ring.
“Emmimi ping!” Henry helpfully pointed out. Emily narrowed her eyes. Her name sounded a bit different on his lips. She smiled at him, scooting over to pick up the phone. She sprinkled some cheese on Henry’s food, handing him the spoon, knowing full and well this was an absolute mistake.
“Hello mother.” Emily said, somehow still straitening her spine in reflex.
“Hello Emily dear. How do you do?” The brunette rolled her eyes.
“We talked about this, I’m your daughter. You can be a little less formal with me.” She said, without any venom in her voice. It was just a normal occurrence to remind each other when they did something that screamed old habits.
“Oh yes dear, I’m fine too.” Her mother replied in the same fake cheer.
“Oh! You’re not alone. Right. Tell me what I can do.” Emily answered with a soft smile at Henry.
“Liss?” He asked with his mouth full. Emily nodded, wiping away some food from his nose. “Say hello?” He asked in a whisper.
“Dear, would you and your friend attend a formal party at the mansion this weekend?” Emily’s lips pursed.
“My friend?” She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
“I’d be delighted if you both could come.” Her mother said in a honeysweet voice on the other side of the line.
“I uhm… I’ll ask JJ, but we have Henry for the weekend, Will is out of town. We would bring him. And only pop by for a bit.” Her voice had turned cold, knowing her mother wouldn’t let it go either way.
“Hello Liss!” Henry yelled from his highchair next to her. She smiled a reassuring smile at him.
“Oh hello dear boy. Of course, I’d be delighted to see all three of you.” That was the first sentence that seemed sincere in the entire conversation.
“Alright, mother.” The brunette said with a sigh. “We’ll see you there.”
“Your friend? Your FRIEND? You’re my friend now?” Emily fumed on the couch that evening. JJ almost had to laugh at the offended tone of voice.
“Maybe it was because of who she was with?’ The blonde tried, taking a sip of her wine. Emily really knew her wine, ever since she was with Emily, she could really appreciate a good glass of wine.
“It’ll be the same people who we’ll see on the weekend: narrow-minded assholes with money. God, I hate this. Can you please find a case to work over the weekend?” Emily begged, shaking JJ’s foot, which was resting in her lap. The blonde laughed, bending forward to give her partner a kiss.
“You could have said no.” She pointed out, leaning against the back of the couch with her elbow. Emily huffed.
“Have you met my mother? ‘No’ is not in her vocabulary.” JJ had to laugh at that, knowing very well that Emily was right. But the brunette was just as stubborn as her mother. She could have gotten out of it if she really wanted to.
“Well what do you want to do about it?” JJ asked, playing with Emily’s dark hair. It was so soft, so beautiful. She would always get lost in playing with it, letting the silky strands glide through her fingers.
“We go. And we are the gayest we can be. I’m talking hand holding, kissing, pet names, the whole shebang!” Her girlfriend instantly answered, having put some prior thought into this. JJ burst out in laughed, almost spilled her wine all over Emily.
“Is this a flashback to teenage Emily right here?” She asked, still shaking with laughter. The brunette gave her a toothy grin.
“I would have worn the shortest dress and painted my face like ‘Kiss’.” She shrugged. JJ wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not. She didn’t really want to find out. Her giggles had almost died down as the baby monitor made a static noise.
“Duty calls.” JJ said with a smile, giving Emily a kiss before walking up to Henry’s bedroom. She quickened her step as she could already hear Henry starting to cry from downstairs. By the time she entered his room, he was standing up in his crib wailing like the world was ending. JJ moved in quickly lifting him into her arms.
“Oh baby, what happened?” She asked, giving him kisses in his tousled hair. His little Mickey footsie pajamas stuck to him, indicating how sweaty he was. “Are you feeling sick, little one?” She asked, bouncing him lovingly. His screams only became louder. She opened the zipper on the front of his onesie to give him some air. She felt the back of his neck and his naked belly. They weren’t that warm. “Did you have a bad dream?” She asked, stroking his back. His soft baby hair moved against her cheek as he nodded, still crying bitter tears. She made calming sounds, softly bouncing him again. “Shall momma stay with you until you fall back asleep?” She asked gently.
“Emimimi.” He whined, soundly so deeply sad. The sadness in his voice broke JJ’s heart just a little bit.
“You want Emmi?” She asked, receiving a nod in confirmation. She could already hear the footsteps on the stairs. Of course Emily was listening through the baby monitor. The brunette entered seconds later.
“Hey monkey. Do you need a hug?” She questioned, walking up the pair. His sobs had died down to little sniffles.
“Monsters.” He stated, pointing at his bed. His chubby arms instantly grabbed onto his mother again, wrapping them around her neck. Emily smiled knowingly.
“Ah a monster-check.” She understood, dropping to her belly instantly. JJ could barely hold in a laugh. “No monsters under the bed.” She concluded, before pushed herself up and walked to the closet. She pulled it open in a wild movement. It made Henry giggle a bit. “No monsters in the closet.” She looked at him for direction. He pointed towards the bed. She stripped the blanked. “None here.” Eventually lifting his nightlight. “Nope. I think your room is monster free, monkey.” She gave her final evaluation, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you, Momimimi.” Emily smiled at him, feeling a little flutter in her stomach at his mispronunciation. He must still have been very sleepy.
“You’re welcome, monkey. Sleep well.” Emily exited the room, leaving the door open just a tiny bit. JJ put him back into his crib. They would have to get him a big boy bed soon. But she was pretty sure he would still roll out of it now. He settled down instantly, reaching out for her.
“Momma. Love.” He smiled happily, patting her face in toddler awkwardness. She kissed his little hand and tucked him in, placing his favorite giraffe safely in his arms.
“I love you too, baby. Sweet dreams.”
Emily was shifting uncomfortably in the back of the limousine. They had put Henry down for a long nap in the afternoon so he wouldn’t be grumpy at night. They had wrangled the boy into a little suit after dinner. He looked positively adorable. Both women were sure he’d be the handsomest man at the party. Emily had grabbed a black suit from the closet, paring it up with a dark red blouse and a black tie. She had grinned at herself in the mirror, while putting on black platform pumps. JJ had to do everything in her might not to tackle her onto the bed. She had muttered something under her breath like ‘I’ll show you friend’, which had made JJ giggle. She loved bratty Emily.
Her own dark red velvet dress had long sleeves. The skirts flowed elegantly around her calves, not showing too much leg. The dress had decent cleavage though, which had made Emily grin a wolfish grin. JJ had paired it with golden necklace with citrine, Henry’s birthstone, and matching earrings. Emily had looked at her as if she had fallen from the heavens. She’d enjoyed that look thoroughly.
“Momma big car.” Henry commented again, getting up from the seat. No car seats for limousines.
“You like it, monkey?” Emily asked, nervousness still written on her features. He sat down on the floor, clutching his giraffe under his arm. JJ’s little purse contained her phone and two tiny cars for Henry to play with. Emily had simply put JJ’s house key into her bra. They were spending less and less time in Emily’s apartment and JJ had made a mental note to bring that up to the brunette soon. Maybe she wouldn’t need that apartment for much longer.
“Are you okay, Em?” JJ asked, reaching for her girlfriend. The brunette nodded bravely. “Worried?” She asked gently. Emily shrugged.
“I’m worried this is going to set my relationship with my mother back to square one.” The brunette muttered, grabbing onto JJ’s hand.
“Darling, we can also just be friend for one night. I wouldn’t mind.” The blonde stated, leaning her chin on Emily’s shoulder. The other woman smiled at her.
“You’re cute.” She kissed JJ’s nose for a moment. “But no. You guys are my family and you come first. I don’t care about what some pompous old white men think.” A smile crept onto the younger woman’s face.
“Thank you, Em.” She whispered, giving her girlfriend a soft kiss. The limousine pulled onto the driveway of a large mansion. JJ’s jaw dropped. “This is where your mother lives?” The brunette shrugged with a boyish grin. “Em, this driveway is bigger than our entire house.” She noticed the slip up a little too late, but Emily didn’t seem to pick up on it.
“It’s smoke and mirrors, Jay. Our life is way better.” She stated, getting up and waiting behind the door for the driver to open it. Emily got out first, offering JJ her hand. The blonde took it with pursed lips. Emily was so hot when she was like this. “Let’s go, monkey.” The brunette called into the car and helped Henry out to. The little boy just froze next to the limousine, looking up at the house and the lights. His big eyes reflected the fire from the little torches that were placed up until the main entrance.
“Mommi?” He said in a little voice, holding his arms up to Emily. The brunette froze, looking down at him. JJ’s eyes opened in shock, her eyebrows lifting up. Emily looked at her in hesitation. The blonde’s lips curled into the biggest smile, white teeth reflecting in the glow of the fire. Emily’s mouth hung open as she looked at JJ again. The blonde did her very best not to let the happy tears that gathered behind her eye fall.
“You want momma or mommy to carry you, baby?” She asked gently, getting down to Henry’s level.
“Mommy.” He said again, very clearly, reaching up to Emily. The brunette finally kicked into gear, lifting him onto her hip. JJ smiled at her again, slowly touching her cheek.
“He’s been trying for about a week, I think. It was coming out differently the last few days.” She said, wiping under her eyes quickly.
“He really said that, right?” Emily whispered in disbelieve, brown eyes big in shock.
“Henry, is Emily mommy?” JJ asked again. The boy nodded, looping his little arms around Emily’s neck. “Well alright then.”
“Not that I wanted to cover, but I think our cover for tonight is officially blown now.” Emily joked, but JJ could see the tears in her eyes. She leaned up to kiss her girlfriend.
“I don’t mind at all.” JJ said as the brunette grabbed onto her hand, pulling her up to the door. The inside of the building left JJ gasping. It was grandeur and style all over.
“It doesn’t look like this all the time.” Emil said with a smile, blindly leading them through the large foyer, past two grand staircases and into something that made JJ’s mouth open and close like a fish. “I bet there is an ice sculpture in the sun room with the food.” Emily said, trying not to giggle at her girlfriend. “The woman loves ice sculptures.” JJ turned her head towards the brunette and narrowed her eyes, trying to determent if she was joking. But sure enough her eye landed on two ice doves surrounded by little plates of food. Emily got Henry an orange juice. It amazed JJ how easily she moved in these crowds. There was no denying how she grew up.
“Mommy yummy.” Henry said happily, holding the champagne glass with both hands.
“Good. Now let me tell you the story of how my friend Matthew and I tipped over the ice sculpture once.” Emily grinned cheekily.
“Liss!” The little boy all of a sudden called, trying to wiggle down from Emily’s hold. The woman was in conversation with a man who Emily knew to be a very conservative senator.
“Henry, wait up. Liz is sill talking to someone. We don’t want to be rude.” JJ said, sternly. Emily put the boy down on the floor with one hand as JJ held onto his little fist, so he wouldn’t run away. Elizabeth Prentiss turned their way slightly and Henry squealed in excitement. The older woman waved at him happily, so JJ let him go. He sprinted towards her as fast as his chubby little legs could carry him. She caught him a little awkwardly. She pressed her glass into her conversation partner’s hand to pick him up with the same unease. But JJ found herself endeared either way. They walked up to them slowly, mainly because JJ had the feeling Emily was stalling.
“Hello mother.” Emily greeted her with a tightlipped smile.
“Emily, darling! So nice to see you.” Elizabeth said happily, air-kissing Emily left and right. “Ms. Jareau, how lovely to see you again.” She added, doing the same to JJ.
“Hello ambassador Prentiss.” The blonde politely stated.
“Senator Lincoln, meet my daughter, Emily Prentiss.” The ambassador said, pulling Emily forward a bit. The older white haired gentleman gave her a look, before stretching his arm out to give her a handshake. His pressed suit and expensive cufflinks said enough for Emily to know how nice she was supposed to be. Elizabeth turned around. “And this is Jennifer Jareau.” Emily already opened her mouth to correct the next sentence coming out of her mother’s mouth. “Emily’s life partner.” The brunette quickly closed her mouth, making eye contact with JJ for a moment. The blonde swiftly stepped forward, trying to not let her confusion show. She shook his hand with a fake smile.
“How do you do?” She asked, timidly. The man nodded, seeming slightly uncomfortable.
“And this is their son Henry.” The ambassador said, bouncing Henry a bit to make him giggle. “My, do you look handsome tonight, Henry.” The little boy grinned, pulling his giraffe tighter against him at the compliment.
“Mommy.” He said softly, reaching for Emily. The brunette smiled proudly, taking him from her mother. The older woman politely nodded at her, handing the boy over. Nothing about the new title made her look surprised in any way.
“If you’d excuse us, senator Lincoln.” She said with a swift little nod, leading both women away from the conversation.
“Liss, I suit.” The little boy said proudly, sticking out his belly and fiddling with the buttons of his blouse.
“So handsome, Henry. I’m impressed.” Elizabeth smiled, tickling his tummy.
“Okay mother, what was that? Why did that man look like he was ready to run?” Emily asked with her free hand on her hip. The older Prentiss let out a little smile.
“Whatever do you mean, dear?” She could hardly suppress her grin.
“Mother…” Emily said in a warning tone. JJ’s gaze darted between the two women, wondering who would give in first.
“Well darling I simply don’t know what you’re implying. This is just a little party before the voting tomorrow. There is a little bill on the table that would restrict gay marriage and adoption. I’m just trying to make it crystal clear what my opinion on the subject is.” Ambassador Prentiss said, like she’d just ordered a sandwich. Emily’s mouth fell open. JJ was sure she mirrored the action.
“I can’t wait or them to try the cupcakes. They are rainbow inside.” The older woman giggled. Emily looked at JJ for a moment, before she started to laugh.
“Mother, you had me upset for a bit.” Emily gushed. “Couldn’t you have let me in on that little secret?” The older woman rolled her eyes.
“Well, I like your rebellious suit.” Elizabeth said with a wicked little grin. Emily’s shoulders dropped in understanding. She’d been played. “I would have told you, if you’d told me you were upset.” Her mother added. JJ let out a laugh. “Now let me take this handsome little boy to the kitchen. I have juice and snacks for you.” Henry looked at his mother for permission. JJ nodded with a smile, so Emily let him down. He took Elizabeth’s hand with a grin.
“Nommie?” He asked, excitement red on his little cheeks.
“So good. We have cupcakes and even lollipops!” The older woman spoilered, leading him away from the two women. Emily turned towards JJ, a little speechless.
“Let’s just dance until you can find the words again.” JJ laughed, pulling her girlfriend over to the little area where some people were swaying.
“She fooled me!” Emily huffed, putting her hands on JJ’s hips.
“I do see where you get your rebellious streak.” The blonde laughed, looping her arms around Emily’s neck. The brunette narrowed her eyes playfully. They swayed for a few moments. JJ took a good look at one of the guests, who didn’t expect a rainbow in their cupcake and giggled.
“Hey…” Emily asked softly. “Are you okay with Henry calling me… that?” Nervousness radiated off of her. JJ slowly put her hands on both cheeks, holding her so she couldn’t look away.
“Yes. Very much so. Are you?” She inquired gently. Emily nodded, making her cheeks puff in JJ’s hand. The blonde smiled, pressing a kiss to her lips.
“Momma! Mommy! Look! Lollipop!” Henry called happily from across the room. JJ held her hand in front of her mouth to not laugh at that. He waddled towards them, waving his candy in excitement. Elizabeth Prentiss walked behind him so he wouldn’t fall. The room was in soft whispered a little laughs. Emily didn’t care, she just bent down to examine the lollipop. JJ helped him open it and lifted the boy into her arms again, where he happily munched.
“I think the message was received loud an clear, mother.” Emily snickered, taking a glance around the room.
“Well I think Henry makes every party better.” The older woman smiled, lovingly petting Henry’s puffy cheeks.