Chapter Text
The doorbell rang as JJ put Henry’s sippy cup on the table of his high chair.
“Momma, me!” He babbled, already running out of the kitchen as fast as his little wobbly legs could carry him, leaving JJ with his bib in hand. She trailed after him, knowing who’d be at the door. She watched him clumsily turn the lock as he pulled the door open.
“Hey monkey!” Emily smiled, as he launched at her legs. She put her bag down under the coat rack and lifted him into her arms. He squealed, wrapping his chubby arms around her neck. JJ pulled back into the kitchen, letting the boy think he was on his own with his task. She poured coffee into Emily’s favorite cat mug, before the dark haired woman even entered the room. The older woman patted into the kitchen on socked feet with the little boy still on her hip.
“I have a hungry monkey stuck to me, help, help, help!” She joked, leaning into JJ for a kiss. “Hey you.” JJ accepted the kiss with a blissful smile.
“Hey.” She reached out her hand, to softly stroke a lock of dark hair from the other woman’s face. She skillfully attached Henry’s bib around his neck. “Lunch is ready for that hungry little boy. Just put him in his chair.” She followed Emily and Henry to the table with the cat mug in hand. Emily wrestled the boy into his chair, succeeding in not kicking his lunch off the table. She took her seat next to JJ and leaned back. Henry grabbed his fork and dug into his half portion of spaghetti. “How was breakfast with you mother?” Emily let her head fall back.
“Uh!” She groaned, reaching out for JJ. “Absolutely exhausting.” The blonde smiled, taking her hand as she watched Henry struggle to get food into his mouth.
“I’m glad you guys are trying though.” Another huff from Emily.
“Psychiatrist says I have to.” JJ giggled as she helped Henry get some actual pasta into his mouth.
“She’s right.” The blonde confirmed, handing Henry back his utensil.
“Why did I have to die though? So much to clean up after.” The other agent whined. JJ laughed out loud this time.
“Emmi.” Henry pulled her out of her grumpy state.
“Yes, monkey?” All of her attention was suddenly on the littlest Jareau. He held out his fork to her. “For me? Why thank you so much!” She leaned over the table to take a little bite. “I feel so much better now. Hmmm.” JJ helped him gather the rest of the food on his plate, as she took a look at the raven-haired woman next to her.
“Is it really horrible, or are you a little glad to be reconciling with her?” She asked, leaning her chin on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Emily shrugged a little, trying to not bump the blonde’s chin. She looked at her fingers, which wrapped around her coffee mug instantly to give her something to ground herself. JJ smirked knowingly. The older woman was too stubborn to admit it, but this was a good thing.
Her phone chimed for the third time in the last few minutes. Emily knew she was late, but didn’t want to touch her phone with Henry in the back seat. JJ had urged her many times to not drive like she was chasing someone with her son in the car.
“Emmi, ping!” She heard from the back seat. Looking in her backseat mirror, she saw Henry wave his favorite giraffe.
“Yeah I know! It’s my mother. She’s telling us we’re late.” She explained to him.
“Oh no!” He huffed, dropping the stuffed animal onto the floor. “Emmi!” The alarm in his voice made her smile.
“It’s alright.” She stopped at a traffic light and picked up his stuffy first, before grabbing her phone, typing a quick message. ‘Almost there. Sorry!’ It’s not how she would normally talk to her mother, but she wanted to throw her phone back onto the console before the light turned green again.
“Okay Henry, my mother is going to join us soon. Is that okay?” He hugged his giraffe and nodded.
“Nice?” He asked with furrowed brows. Emily laughed, pulling up to the French Embassy.
“Well… I like your mommy better.” She tried to answer honestly, not wanting to tell him, probably not as nice as he was expecting. She rolled down the windows in the front seats and waved at the ambassador, who was waiting in front with a slightly sour face. “Buckle up.” She muttered to herself, before the other woman entered the car.
“Emily…” Elizabeth Prentiss started agitated, before Emily started apologizing.
“I am so sorry mother. We had a little bit of a hick-up this morning. But I didn’t forget.” Her mother closed the door behind her as Emily pushed the button to close their windows again. “Did you have to wait long?” She asked, as she turned fully towards her.
“No, no it is fine.” The ambassador softened, her eyes landing on Henry in the back seat.
“Oh!” Emily shifted nervously in her seat. “This is Henry. Henry, this is Elizabeth.” She looked at Henry with a loving smile. The boy gave a small smile as he hid behind his stuffed animal.
“Emmi…?” He whispered, pulling his legs into himself as he shifted in his car seat.
“It’s okay, monkey.” She said in a calming voice, reaching her hand around the seat to touch his knee in reassurance. “It’s my mother. Remember, I told you?” He nodded, dropping his feet again as he relaxed a bit.
“Izzbit?” The boy tried, making Emily suppress a giggle.
“Elizabeth.” The older woman corrected gently, bending over to him. “Hello.” Henry murmured her name to himself a few times, not getting it right.
“How about Liz?” Emily tried to help. Henry’s ears perked up. Her mother’s eyebrows shot up, apparently not enjoying her daughter’s choice of nickname.
“Liss.” He repeated proudly. Well, too late to change that now.
“Yes. Good job, Henry!” The raven-haired woman cheered him on. Henry happily babbled on in the back as she turned to her mother again. “This is Agent Jareau’s son. She got called in early this morning and Henry’s dad was still at work. So I offered to drive him over to the police station, where he works.” Emily explained, picking her cuticles nervously. “I hope it’s okay we drop him off before we have coffee.”
“Yes, I suppose that will be alright.” The ambassador said, a little stiffly. Emily knew it was because she felt out of her debt. She pulled into traffic again, checking Henry in the backseat mirror.
“I thought maybe we could get a coffee and take a walk together.” She tried to take her mother’s mind off the toddler in the back. “I do not think we ever did that. I thought it would be nice.” Emily proposed, trying not to pick at her fingers while driving.
“I suppose that will be nice.” Her mother nodded, looking at Henry again.
“How was your meeting at the embassy?” Emily tried to strike up a conversation, as she navigated the car through traffic in a way JJ would have not appreciated. She was grateful as her mother took the bait and started telling her about her work.
Her mind drifted to the last 9 months with JJ. She’d been back at work for 10 months. It only took a month for them to revive what happened in their Paris days. She had been grateful the online scrabble days came to an end and she could wrap the blonde up in her arms again. JJ had been separated from Will since before Henry was born and Emily was more than thankful she wasn’t a factor in that decision. It would have definitely prevented her from having the relationship she now had with Henry and Will. It was all still kind of fresh between her and the blonde. They were trying to navigate a serious relationship between two adults that had been through a lot. Emily had walls that couldn’t be penetrated with a battering ram and JJ had a little boy to worry about before anything else. Although Henry had been the part of their relationship that had been effortless. The little boy and Emily had taken to each other immediately. The FBI agent had never overstepped any boundaries and left all the decisions to his mom and dad until her opinion was welcomed. She stepped up any time they let her; babysitting, taking him to school, play dates, potty training, reading, bed routine. Anything. She really loved being in his life as much as she loved being in JJ’s. She enjoyed having her quiet moments with her girlfriend, but she knew JJ was a package deal and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She never imagined having a family. Her life after her death was truly like being reborn. That is why she was reluctant to let anyone in on their little bubble.
“So I believe it was a successful meeting.” Her mother concluded the story. She realized she hadn’t heard any of it, wondering if she could fake her way through anyway,
“Emmi!” An alarming scream came from the backseat again. One look at his face and she knew he’d flung his giraffe out of reach again.
“Oh! I’m sorry, I can’t reach over right now. But we’re almost there. Hold on.” She tried to console him. She was strapping that damn giraffe to his chair next time.
“Liss!” The little boy tried a second lifeline.
“Yes Henry?” Her mother asked uncharacteristically soft. The telltale signs of a tantrum were written on the two-year-old’s face. Emily put her foot down on the gas a little harder to reduce the chance of screams.
“It’s his stuffy. He can’t reach it.” Emily explained, as she pulled into the street of their destination. She watched as ambassador Prentiss reached over to carefully hand him his stuffed toy.
“Thank you.” The boy said, flashing her a radiant smile. She watched her mother’s face break out in an honest smile. It caught her off guard.
“You’re very welcome, Henry.” Elizabeth reciprocated, touching his tiny foot, before she turned towards the road again. Emily parked in front of the station, figuring her FBI badge would cover for the ‘no parking’ sign. She shot a quick text to Will before turning to Henry.
“Who’s coming to get you now?” She asked the boy with a smile.
“Daddy!” He giggled, throwing his hands up.
“Yes, daddy! Let’s get ready. Say bye to Liz?” Emily was going to milk that nickname for as long as she could. He waved a little wave. “I’ll be right back.” Emily promised her mom, as she moved around the car to get Henry and his backpack out. She freed the boy from his car seat and shifted him to her hip. They walked up to the doors of the station as Will came to greet them.
“Hey little man!” He exclaimed excitedly, taking Henry from her immediately.
“Hi daddy!” The boy giggled, wrapping his arms around his dad’s neck.
“I missed you!” Will said, peppering his face with kisses. Emily handed him the bag, as she smiled. She loved how the kid got that happy glint in his eyes. “Hey Em, you wanna come in for a moment? We have bad coffee in here.” He offered in his thick accent. Emily touched Henry’s back, feeling regret that she had to say no.
“Sorry. I have my mother waiting for me in the car. Coffee date.” She explained with a shrug.
“Oh! Alright.” He put Henry down on his feet, so he could give her a half hug. “Well good luck with your mom. JJ said she is intense.” Emily rolled her eyes in confirmation.
“You two have a good time. If nothing comes up, JJ is picking him up again this weekend, right?” She always did her best to keep up with their schedule. Will nodded, patting Henry’s head lovingly.
“Say bye to Emmy now. She has to go.” He urged the boy.
“Bye monkey.” Emily said, crouching down. She always tried to let the boy initiate any hugs or kisses, always trying to stay well within her boundaries. The boy didn’t hesitate though, as he flung himself at her. She laughed, hugging him to her. He pulled back to give her a sloppy kiss on her mouth. Will had to laugh at that.
“The best sticky kisses!” He joked, taking his son’s hand. “Bye Em! Thanks again for bringing him over.”
“No problem.” She gave a little wave at Henry as she watched them enter the station. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders again, she walked back to the car. Her mother eyed her up with a frown.
“Sorry about that again. I know time is a scarce in both of our schedules.” She apologized again.
“It is quite alright. Henry seems like a very nice boy.” Emily had to hold back physically from smiling a proud smile, that would definitely give her away.
“He is.” She simply stated.
“Are you sure you don’t just want to tell her?” JJ asked, playing with the raven hair in her lap.
“No! Absolutely not.” Emily answered right away, waving her hands in frustration. JJ had paused the movie they were watching as Emily had frenzied into a fit about her mother. The dark haired woman had been lying with her head in JJ’s lap. It was 3 in the morning, after a case, which had rattled Emily. An estranged mother had shown up, not knowing if the dead body they found was her daughter, because they lost contact. The blonde had sensed Emily wanted to vent and turned on the TV. From there she just waited for the other woman’s emotions to boil over. It took 15 minutes before Emily started to ramble. JJ softly touched her cheek.
“Your mother is making an effort.” The blonde gently tried. “You guys may never fully see eye to eye, but it’s better than before right?” Emily shrugged, stubbornly.
“Well apparently I had to die for that to happen!” Emily rolled off of her lap, sitting up. “How come I had to die for us to start trying?” JJ smiled, reaching for her hand.
“Em, we got together after you died.” She rolled her eyes at JJ. “It’s true. It is a wake-up call.” The blonde leaned into Emily to give her a soft kiss. The dark haired woman grumbled again, sagging against her girlfriend. JJ wrapped an arm around her.
“I just… I had…” Emily took a deep breath. “I had kind of a shitty childhood if it came to my mom. I did my very best to spite her on every occasion I had. And she forgot every birthday, every play, every important test, every dance recital, because it wasn’t important to her.” She instantly sat up again, turning towards the other woman. “I don’t get it. I can’t imagine not being interested in…” She cut herself off instantly.
“In Henry?” JJ pried gently. Emily looked at her hands again, not wanting to answer in case she overstepped a boundary. “I love every little thing that boy does. I can’t imagine what your childhood was like, not having that. You deserved more.” She simply stated. Soft fingers caressed Emily’s side. The dark haired swallowed hard at the simple statement.
“He can never feel like that, okay Jayje?” She sat up again in frenzy. “You have to be at every science fair, every graduation and you have to remember all the important days!” She almost yelled at the other woman. JJ touched her cheek to calm her down a bit.
“I don’t even know how I could forget.” She reassured her. “That’s why you don’t want to tell your mom about us?” The blonde pushed, looping back to the beginning of their conversation. Emily took a deep breath.
“I don’t want her near Henry.” She confessed. “She always picks and picks and picks at things. I was never good enough and Henry is way better than good.” JJ smiled a sad smile. “She can’t pick at our relationship.”
“Em… are you afraid she’d going to do something to make me leave?” Emily opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again. Her brow furrowed, analyzing what her girlfriend just asked. She looked down at her hands again. JJ might not be wrong.
“Okay, I am not going to leave because of your mother. I love our life together, I love how you treat Henry. You are the exact opposite of your mother.” JJ said slowly and clearly.
“You don’t know her…” Emily huffed, not convinced.
“Hey, look at me.” JJ reached for her jaw, slowly pulling Emily to face her. “I love you. I’m not leaving.” Emily felt her eyes water at that. She breathed in sharply.
“I love you too.” She admitted. JJ pulled her in for a kiss, pouring her feelings into it, as she tried to make her statement even clearer.
“Okay?” The blonde asked, as they pulled apart. Emily smirked.
“I’m not sure you made your point like crystal clear.” She bit her lip. “Maybe we need to kiss more, you know just to emphasize…” JJ rolled her eyes.
“You’re such a dummy.” She tried to sound even a little convincing, but couldn’t hide her smile. Emily laughed, untangling herself from the blonde.
“Come on.” She said, getting up.
“Bed time?” JJ asked, turning off the TV, as she let the other woman pull her to her feet.
“I was thinking more in the lines of horizontal kissing.” Emily proposed, wrapping an arm around her waist. JJ pecked her lips again.
“You have great ideas.” She praised her girlfriend.
“Good job!” Emily praised the little boy, as they managed to crack the last egg over the bowl of flower and sugar together. “Want to put in the milk too?” Henry nodded enthusiastically as he grabbed at the measuring cup filled with milk. “Careful. Let me help.” Emily said, preventing the cup from falling over.
JJ was putting the paper baking molds on a baking tray as she watched the pair have a go at the batter. They looked blissfully happy together as they made a mess of the kitchen and frankly themselves. Henry had streaks of flower across his face and Emily’s raven hair almost looked gray because of it. The milk splashed over the bowl and Henry squealed with laughter. “Okay now get your hands in there! We have to mix.” JJ instinctively took a step back; this was going to be even worse. Flower shot up from the bowl as their hands roughly punched at the ingredients. Emily smirked as she got a face full, but didn’t let it stop her as she wrestled with Henry’s little hands for dominance.
“Emmi!” He giggled, trying to push her away as her hands buried his under a layer of batter. He pulled his hands from the bowl to protect them instinctively. Emily saw it coming just a little too late, as he turned on his kitchen stool, that helped him reach the counter and planted his sticky hands onto her shirt, trying to push her away. She let out a yelp, but didn’t actually step away to shield his little body from falling down the stool. JJ let out a bark of laughter. One little hand had landed a little under her shoulder and the other was square on her boob. Emily looked down at the two handprints in confusion before she burst out laughing.
“Hey!” She protested as serious as she could muster. “Hands stay in the bowl!” The little boy looked up at her face with a toothy grin.
“I win!” He proudly proclaimed. She pushed her nose against his.
“Alright rascal, you win. You mix. But batter stays in the bowl.” He nodded and pushed his hands into the bowl again. JJ winced a little, but remembered the oven was hot enough to probably kill any bacteria stuck to his hands. Emily threw her a big smile, as she held the little boy in place by putting her sticky hands on the counter. JJ walked over to them, placing a kiss on Emily’s lips.
“Let me see, baby. Is it mixed well?” She asked, taking Emily’s place behind her son as she motioned for Emily to go wash her hands. Before the other woman could even put her hands underneath the water, the doorbell rang, surprising both of them.
“Momma, me!” Henry babbled, trying to step off his stool to get the door.
“No, baby. We’re at Emily’s apartment, so Emmy has to get the door.” The blonde explained, holding the little boy in place. He let out a huff, but remained where he was. The dark haired woman smiled, grabbing a towel before walking towards the door. She opened the door with the towel over her shoulder and the grin still in place. Her face dropped immediately as she saw her mother on the other side of the door.
“Hello Emily.” The woman said with a tight smile, as she eyed Emily’s shirt with a frown.
“H…Hi.” She stuttered, fruitlessly wiping her hands on the towel again. “Hi!” She just stared at her mother for a moment. “I… what… Are you alright?” The raven-haired woman asked, just feeling really overwhelmed. To her ease, her mother looked just as out of her depth as she felt.
“I’m alright. I… I saw this at the fine wine market… and I thought of you.” Her mother handed her a bottle. She accepted the bottle, looking at her mother’s face. The whole action was obviously not planned, nor was it typical for her mother to just show up at her apartment. Her vision shifted to the bottle, reading ‘Recioto di Soave’. She swallowed, remembering how she used to love that wine. She must have been about 14, right before everything went extremely bad in Italy. She remembered sitting on the terrace of their rented country house near Verona, drinking wine with her mother. Her mother loved to serve wine with their meals and this was the first one Emily actually liked. She had gotten a really small glass, as they sat in the sun. She looked up at her mother with a smile, doing her best not to tear up.
“You want to come in? We can open this together, if you feel like it.” Her mother hesitated on the doorstep.
“I don’t want to impose.” Emily opened the door further, walking back towards the kitchen.
“Don’t be silly. You can help us bake muffins.” She smiled, walking back into the kitchen, leaving her mother in the hallway to decide. She tried very hard not to dwell on the absurdity of asking her mother to help them actually bake something.
JJ looked at her questioningly as she entered the kitchen again. She smiled reassuringly, as she watched the pair trying to put the batter into the paper baking molds with two spoons. Henry’s coordination was definitely not up to this yet, but he was really trying.
“We have a visitor.” She announced, looking at the doorway as her mother entered hesitantly. “Mother, you remember JJ and Henry.” She reintroduced them as she put the wine in the fridge.
“Hi Liss!” Henry chirped, waving sticky hands at her. JJ put the spoons down and carefully held his upper arms.
“Hello ambassador Prentiss.” She said with a smile.
“Help, Liss?” The boy asked with a smile, reaching for the spoons. Emily snickered, trying to hide the smile behind her hand. Emily’s mother looked at her in a little panic.
“If you want to, I have an apron to keep you clean.” The dark haired woman offered. “We’ll wait until the muffins are done and drink a glass of wine together. And…” She looked at JJ with a smile. “You can meet my girlfriend.” JJ gasped slightly, holding onto Henry tighter. Elizabeth blinked a few times.
“Oh. Well that sounds very nice, dear.” She answered after a moment and gave a polite smile. Emily let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. JJ glanced at Emily, trying to determent if this was an okay reaction.
“My mother brought my favorite wine, from when I was little.” Emily gently explained, taking a seat at the counter. Henry was clinking the spoons together as he looked up to his mother.
“Momma…?” The blonde took his hands again, resuming their batter placement as she listened to Emily. Elizabeth seemed happy to be freed from the task, as she sat next to her daughter at the end of the kitchen island.
“During the weekend we rented a summer house near Verona, so I could see Juliet’s balcony. And my mother wanted to see some vineyards to find fancy new wine.” Emily started telling. Ambassador Prentiss produced a small half-smile.
“Emily didn’t drink wine back then. Which was very unusual in Italy.” She added to the story tentatively.
“And this is like the sweetest dessert wine. It tasted a little like honey and a bit fruity… like…” She hesitated. Her face scrunched up a bit in thought.
“Apricots.” Her mother helped her find the words.
“Yes.” Emily smiled gratefully. JJ smirked, seeing a flash of an actual mother/daughter relationship was a bit shocking.
“Emmi… done!” Henry clapped his tiny sticky hands above their hard work. Emily walked over to them.
“Oh! They look perfect. Which one is your favorite?” She asked, bending down to Henry’s level. JJ took a step back, knowing Emily had it covered. The blonde washed her hands, overseeing how Emily put the muffins in the oven under Henry’s watchful eye.
“Eat.” He said, looking at Emily expectantly.
“Not yet.” She explained. “You can have them when the timer goes of. After you’ve build a big block tower, probably.” She tried to put the time into perspective for the little boy.
“Ambassador, would you like a something to drink while we wait?” JJ asked politely, while Emily got Henry settled on his play mat with his bucket of wooden blocks.
“I would take a glass of water.” Elizabeth Prentiss nodded, while taking her daughter and the little boy in. “How long have you been together, miss Jareau?” She asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep the fragile ceasefire they’d reached.
“9 months.” The blonde volunteered the information, while setting a glass in front of the older woman. “She’s been happy.” She added, looking at Emily, who caressed Henry’s blonde locks from his face as he gave her a toothy grin. “We’ve all been happy.”
“I’m glad.” Elizabeth said with a nod. “I think she’s always wanted this.” She added with a stiff smile.
“A family?” JJ asked, regretting her words instantly. She didn’t mean to insinuate the other woman wasn’t family. She didn’t seem to take it as criticism though.
“A home.” The ambassador said in a soft tone, as she let her eyes wander the apartment. It was littered in children’s toys and the corners of the coffee table were covered in baby corner protection. A sippy cup was standing on the table, next to a green pacifier. Her eyes trailed over the pictures, which covered the wall next to the doorway. They were mainly Henry and JJ, but Elizabeth also recognized her team at the BAU as well as some pictures she remembered from Emily’s childhood.
“Are you alright, mother?” Emily asked with a hand on her wrist. She snapped out of her musings and smiled at the daughter.
“Yes, dear.” She nodded, looking between the other women in the kitchen.
“How offended would you be if we defile the first glass of wine with some ice cubes?” Emily asked, breaking the awkward silence. The ambassador cocked her head, but gave her daughter a small smile.
“Just this once then.” She gave in. Emily grinned, getting up to prepare it, but JJ winked at her and motioned for her to stay seated.
“I got it.” She whispered, overtaking Emily’s task at hand.
“You seem very settled.” Her mother concluded quietly. The raven-haired woman shrugged unceremoniously. “You have a lovely family. I am pleased to meet them.” Emily swallowed. It was stiff and awkward, but it was a compliment nonetheless.
“Thank you.” She whispered.
“I…” Elizabeth Prentiss started, but halted her sentence to weigh her words carefully. “I was never any good at being a mother or a wife. But I’m very pleased that you seem to be.” She nodded. JJ’s shoulders tensed at the admission, knowing this was probably as open as her girlfriend’s mother was going to get. She shot a look at Emily over her shoulder. The other woman was staring at her mother in disbelieve.
“Tha..thank you.” She stammered, blinking rapidly. JJ knew it was to fight back some unwanted tears. “And… I’m glad we’re trying to be in each other’s lives more.” She awkwardly tried to bounce back the compliment as best as she could in her state of shock.
“Emmi!” Henry called, patting over to where they were sitting, absolutely oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Yes, monkey?” Emily asked, turning around to him, as he wobbled towards them.
“Play blocks?” He asked, pointing at his mat. The dark-haired woman took a breath to send him back by himself, as her mother jumped in.
“Would it be okay, if I…? She questioned, looking from Emily to JJ. The blonde nodded, as she halted her fight with the ice cube tray. Emily watched her mother take Henry’s little hand and walk over to the play mat, where she sat down uneasily. Emily got up from her seat, but JJ was already on her way to wrap her girlfriend up in an embrace. JJ kissed the top of her head, holding Emily to her. The other woman pulled back, swallowing to bring her emotions under control. JJ stroked her cheek for a short moment, before turning her around so she could watch her mother uncomfortably build a tower with the little blonde boy. Emily held onto the steady arms around her waist, as a hopeful little smile made its way onto her lips.