Chapter Text
“Though my soul may be set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.” —Sarah Williams
After spending her entire adult life in the FBI, Jennifer Alexandra Jareau LaMontagne was no longer the shy girl she had been while growing up in East Allegheny, Pennsylvania. She was older. She was wiser. She was stronger. Overall... JJ was much better than she had been, back then.
She was proud of herself on this account. JJ also felt proud of her family. She'd fought for them in so many ways throughout her life. Will. Henry. Michael. She was grateful to be able to come home to everyone.
They had changed her life in so many ways that she couldn’t begin to count. So she elected not to try. Her family was very beautiful. And so the same could be said of her life.
But ever since JJ and her mother had been able to have a proper heart-to-heart chat during her most recent visit... it was as if a fog had been lifted from her eyes. Truly. And hearing Sandy say, “I'm proud of you,” had also helped. That... and the road trip to get lobster. JJ was now seeing life in a new way. And... JJ loved it. Very much.
Will felt the same way. Plus, his wife’s new outlook even inspired him to also want to be a better person.
JJ was the greatest love of his life. And he knew he was the same for her, that way. Neither half of the couple would even change a thing about how they’d met because they would not be anywhere close to where they were today.
And so… It wasn’t long after Sandy’s visit that he and JJ sat down to examine their lives. Everything was perfect.
Henry was remarkably bright and excelling in his gifted program at school. He was also very popular in the student body. Michael, meanwhile, was presently obsessed with anything related to soccer. He also happened to be a sucker for cuddling whenever the opportunity arose. But at least once a day, he and Henry could be spotted hanging out together. Just enjoying each other’s company. The LaMontagne brothers were perfect, in their parents' eyes.
But... JJ would be remiss to leave Will or herself out of the list of achievers in the family. Both had been promoted at work. He was now a sergeant, and she was officially Emily’s partner. Both were in leadership roles. Both were the happiest they'd ever been at their jobs. The lives of the LaMontagnes were perfect.
But JJ and Will both felt something was missing. Or someone.
JJ and Will decided to try for one last baby to round things out after a long discussion. If it didn’t work, then that would be that. But they were choosing to remain positive. All they wanted was one last piece to make their family whole.
Yes, everything was perfect for JJ. How could she know that one conversation was going to turn it all upside down?
In the present…
Emily sat at her office desk. Different case files were open across it because she and JJ were about to discuss the last legs of paperwork in regard to the team’s most recent case, concerning a long distance serial killer in California. Her tablet was also on with its kickstand open and keyboard at the ready: she had been trying to read a report while she waited for JJ. But... Her focus? Gone.
Coincidentally, it was because of JJ.
Something was off-kilter about her. This was her first day back after being knocked out of commission because the kids had gotten her sick, but JJ was just... different. Emily couldn't figure it out. And that bothered her. Some profiler she was.
An incoming video call on her tablet jolted her back to reality.
The surprise of it turned to massive confusion when she was greeted by a photographic indication of Will. Just the sight of him this way made Emily sigh. A long day was ahead.
But she still accepted the call, asking when Will came into sight, “Hey! Uh… Is everything alright, Will? Are you hurt?”
He shook his head before saying, “We’re friends. Right? And not just because you treat my family like your own blood?”
Visited by old memories of saving JJ and Will from certain death before, Emily said, “I should hope so at this point. Why? Do you need help? Just say the word and I’ve got your back.”
Will gave a nervous laugh. “I have a case right up the BAU’s alley.”
Emily sat straighter at her desk. “How’s that?”
“What I’m going to say now is that I’m heading the investigation on this end. My boss just gave me the go-ahead to invite whomever I’d like for help.” said Will. “Your team was my immediate thought.”
“Color me humbled.” Emily told him. “We’re also available.”
“Good.” Will said in relief.
“But seriously: are you also approaching me first instead of JJ because I outrank her, and she’s my partner?” asked Emily.
“I also don’t want her to kick my butt.” Will confessed after a pause.
Feeling perplexed at once, Emily started, “I beg your p…”
She was kept from finishing by JJ finally arriving and closing the door behind her as she said, “Who are you talking to?”
Emily answered, “Your husband.”
Very startled by this, JJ immediately hurried to stand beside her. Will and Emily were friends. But neither ever called the other during work hours. Ever.
“Babe,” JJ told her husband as they connected onscreen. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.” Will promised. “But I was just informing Emily that we have a case here at MPD that we need the team’s help on.”
JJ asked Emily, “Has he officially invited us?”
Emily said, “Yes. But you showed up just before he could start giving details out.”
JJ redirected her attention to Will. “Okay. Then what’s up? Really.”
Finally feeling absurd, Will began, “My team and I were just handed The Yarn Children Case. Literally.”
JJ and Emily both stared. Neither of them had been expecting that. But no would.
In recent times, a curious number of ‘incidents’ had been reported of small children being taken from crowded places. A crime ring was at work but no one had any clue about it.
Some children were brought back after the first twenty-four hours but bearing a length of craft yarn tied around the left wrist. And they were always brought to a location where it was legally safe to surrender a child. People took this to mean that someone up the long ladder had something of a conscience.
The families of the returned children had also closed ranks because they wanted their children to have some peace. But the investigators understood and had backed off. But for all that… There still remained a small handful of children that had yet to be located at all. The authorities were aware of the quiet disaster. But they had all been sidelined because the case had gone cold. Until now.
JJ finally said, “But how did you get this case?”
Will answered blandly, “I think both of you are going to want to sit down.”
JJ and Emily sat side-by-side in chairs across the table. They even moved the tablet to where they could both see it. Everything else could wait now.
After being assured they were more comfortable, Will said to Emily, “My team was handed this case and its information because one of the Yarn Children showed up here about an hour ago.”
“What?!” Emily said in surprise.
“Where is this child?!” asked JJ.
Will moved his own tablet back to reveal a small toddler girl cuddled up to him. She was fast asleep and covering her face with one hand, in an attempt to protect herself. Something had happened to her.
JJ said cautiously, “What color is her yarn?”
“Purple. And it’s on her left wrist. I would show it to you,” answered Will. “But she’s got that whole arm tucked in between us. And waking her up feels mean.”
“Yeah.” JJ sighed. “I understand.”
Emily chimed in, “Hey. I’m not discounting that this little girl has a connection to the broader canvas…”
“But…?” Will prompted.
“I’m just going to remind both of you that every kid who has been returned has yellow-colored yarn, on the right-hand wrist.”
JJ nodded in agreement as details of the case she’d heard around came flooding back.
Will spoke again. “You aren’t wrong, Emily. I think she has purple yarn because she’s in some way more significant than all the other children who have resurfaced. But that’s just a theory.”
Emily promised, “I understand.”
Satisfied, Will moved his attention back to JJ. “Cher… I know who this kid is.”
“Excuse me?” JJ spoke with genuine surprise.
“Cher…” said Will. “This is our darling Lennox.”
JJ held a hand to her heart, repeating, “Excuse me?”
Will nodded. “Talk it out.”
JJ sighed. “But this means…”
Will gave another nod. “Yep.”
JJ resigned herself to the facts. “And with her here… They’ll turn up.”
“Right again.” said Will. “That’s two for two.”
Willing herself to not bottom out altogether, JJ said to her husband, “William. Tell me the truth. Who brought her in?”
Immediately pulling himself together because using each other’s formal names wasn’t an everyday thing, Will said very clearly, “It was your mother.”
JJ complained in actual confusion, “What?!”
Swooping in before JJ could enter a tailspin, Emily asked Will, “She’s in D.C.?”
“Yes.” Will said. “No real idea why.”
Emily asked, “But did she give even a smidgeon about why she was in the neighborhood?”
Will answered, “Okay. She did mention that since she was running a quick errand at the end of the station block, she decided to surprise me.”
“Okay.” Emily reflected. “I guess that’s really to the point.”
JJ rubbed her temples. “And, what? My mom ‘bumped’ into Jo on the way in?”
“I promise you that that’s it.” Will answered.
Groaning, JJ asked, “Then does she know who her mother is?”
But Will finally shook his head. “No.”
Panic flooded JJ again. “You and I both know that my mom is her own kind of private eye...”
Well aware of Emily still watching them, Will said, “Yep. She’s definitely going to put two and two together about Lennox.”
“Yep. And things are going to turn haywire when they come to a head.” JJ replied. “What now?”
But Will murmured, “Batten down the hatches…”
Understanding this and not liking it, JJ barked, “William Ira Opal: you can’t be serious! Hell no!”
“I am sorry to say that this isn’t a dream.” Will said sympathetically. “We’re all wide awake.”
JJ heard him. But she removed herself away from the conversation by moving on to the floor to block her husband out.
Finally taking her tablet for herself so she could see her friend better, Emily asked Will, “What is going on?”
“Just settle her and call me back. It’s okay.” answered Will. “She can tell you.”
“Okay. I trust you.” Emily told him. “But look after yourself and after Lennox.”
Will promised he would and signed off.
Ending the call on her end, Emily sat tablet back on her desk and had a momentary pause. Some kind of turning point was occurring in JJ’s life. Now she was part of it. And she was confused. While it humbled her that JJ and Will trusted her, watching her best friend come unglued over the course of a video call was brand-new. Now JJ was curled up on her office floor. More than ten years of a close friend had never prepared Emily for something like this.
But she spoke softly as she sat with her. “Jaje, do you want to talk about it?”
Her answer came out muffled. “No.”
“Fine. But I insist that you breathe.” Emily sat a box of tissues before her. “On top of that? I’m sure you’d like to clean up your face.”
Now JJ grew quiet. Emily was on the verge of learning about one of her biggest-ever closet skeletons. And she deserved to keep her life separate from what was coming because it would otherwise pull her under. However… She’d heard too much now. Even if it had been in fragments. Emily was also right about tidying up. JJ also realized that if she and Will had been successful in making their sons a playmate, she owed it to her smallest to pull herself together. Properly.
When she’d sat up and cleaned herself up, Emily said, “What was all that even about? I’ve seen you innumerable wild things over the last decade. But… I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before.”
“Because you haven’t.” JJ answered haltingly.
“Then who on Earth could have that much power over your emotions,” pressed Emily. “After everything you’ve been through?”
“My father.” JJ answered.
Her answer gave Emily a deep turn of surprise.
Up until the events of the case that had brought them to East Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Emily had never once heard a word about JJ’s father before. The man was a sore subject. Emily also had a start as she realized that they had never learned what had become of him. JJ hadn’t even had his name, only referring to him as, “My dad.” Was he even alive?
Emily’s heart filled with even more sympathy when she looked at JJ again. She was regarding her with an expression she’d never directed at her. It was childlike. Soft. Her partner was even waiting for her to speak.
Emily said, “Your… father…?”
JJ nodded. “That miserable man is the only person left in the world who has this kind of power over me. But… My poor mom…”
“I like her,” said Emily. “But what is she going to do if they see each other?”
“My mom is liable to reach ‘nuclear meltdown’ levels.” JJ told Emily. “Please don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Deal. But… You’re a child of divorce.” Emily said. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes. Except for babyhood, I can’t remember a time during their marriage when I was unaware of them fighting about something.” JJ replied.
“Then what was your sister’s death for them?” asked Emily. “The final straw?”
JJ nodded. “Then one day… I woke up to find my mom sobbing in the kitchen.”
Emily said softly, “Did your father injure her?”
This time, JJ shook her head. “Mm-mm. Not physically. My dad had a real temper and a way with his words. But he would never lift a hand to anyone. Ever.”
“Good.” Emily answered in relief. “What’s his name?”
JJ said, “Howard.”
“Okay.” said Emily, committing the name to memory. “Where was he on that last day when you found your mom? Still in the house?”
JJ shook her head. “No. Technically. Uh… I ran out of the house to find him packing his car in the driveway.”
Emily arched her eyebrows. “And B was very surprised to see you. Wasn’t he?”
JJ said, “Yes. Uh… Howard had been trying to leave without a word to me.”
Emily’s heart sank with sorrow. “JJ…”
“That man told me that the divorce wasn’t my family and that I had to look after my mom.” JJ told Emily. “Then he just… left.”
Emily asked JJ, “Did Howard say “I love you,” or even hug you?”
“No. And I haven’t seen or heard from him since.” JJ sneered. “My mom raised me as a single parent after that because she never had interest in marrying again.”
“Okay. Then how’d you get out of Pennsylvania? Wasn’t there something about a scholarship?” asked Emily.
“Bullseye. It was for soccer because I was always a school athlete.” JJ told her. “But I never set foot back in East Allegheny again until this job took us there.”
Emily said, “I am humbled that you’d share this much with me. Thank you. Is there anything else to say before we have to go back to reality?”
JJ didn’t waste any time. “I have a baby sister.”
Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “You do?”
“Yes. They named her Margaret. Everyone calls her Greta because that’s what she prefers.” said JJ. “Are you mad I’ve never mentioned her before?”
Emily shook her head. “No. Greta has been your business. How long have you known about her?”
“Since 2013. That was the summer Greta turned eighteen and was finally a legal adult. I think she was born about a year or so after the divorce.” JJ said. “All I know is that dad met my stepmother and married her within a year after. It was a whirlwind romance. My sister is probably a honeymoon child.”
“Okay,” said Emily. “But what’s the catch? Did Howard call your mom about Greta to say that you weren’t to be told about her until she was an adult?”
“Yes. I can only hope she knows about Roslyn. But,” JJ shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Did your mom feel guilty about honoring the request?” Emily asked.
“Yes. But she was just so torn up about it when she finally told me that I didn’t have it in me to be mad at her. Only my dad.” JJ sighed heavily. “And now my mom really has no idea what’s coming because she just picked the wrong day to surprise us.”
In an effort at keeping things cheerful, Emily said, “Have you ever met Greta in person before?”
“Yeah. I have.” JJ said. “She loves a good adventure. Which is good.”
Emily asked, “Why?”
“Greta is a Marine wife. Her husband’s name is Ashley. But…” JJ gathered herself. “There was a roadside bomb last month. Right after he returned to Kabul for duty last month. Everyone is presumed to be dead.”
“JJ,” said Emily. “I am so sorry. Although…”
JJ guessed, “You noticed the part where I said ‘presumed’?”
“Yep. Does Greta think Ashley is alive?” asked Emily.
“Uh-huh.” said JJ. “But Greta has only ever said this to Will and I before. Can you keep it to yourself?”
“Yes.” Emily promised her. “Do Greta and Ashley have any more kids other than Lennox?”
“No. She’s an only child.” JJ told Emily.
“Okay. Then what’s your stepmother’s name?” asked Emily. “Have you met her?”
JJ shook her head. “No. But my sister told me that her name is Kelly.”
“Okay. Then where have she and Howard been all this time?” asked Emily. “New York? Philly?”
JJ answered with a renewed sneer. “They’ve only been an hour away in Baltimore this whole time.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “What? And hasn’t The District been your home since you joined the FBI?”
JJ said, “Yes. And my sister is a Baltimore native. When she laid these facts out, I did everything I could to not freak.”
“Emotional self-control is definitely one of your best assets. What happened when you told Will?” asked Emily. “Did the floodgates open?”
“You bet they did. All the Jareau family drama is on the table today. But the only normal adult everyone’s going to meet is my sister.” now JJ sighed shakily. “I’m seriously freaked out about everything. And not just because of my parents reuniting. Or meeting my stepmother for the first time.”
“It’s also because you’re trying to figure out how Margaret and Lennox got separated in the first place.” Emily realized.
“Yes. Exactly.” confirmed JJ. “What now?”
“No idea. But I have a feeling that we’re going to find out over the course of the case.” Emily stood and pulled JJ to her feet. “Why don’t we call your husband back?”
JJ began, “O…”
She was interrupted by a knock on the door. And when Emily gave the new visitor permission to enter, the door opened to reveal Rossi.
But Emily greeted her friend, asking, “What’s up?”
Surveying the scene, he said, “Is there anything you two need to share…?”
JJ nodded as Rossi entered the room at Emily's invitation. “Yes. But you look like you’re in the same boat.”
“What is on your mind?” Emily asked as closed the door behind Rossi.
“Please go first.” Rossi told them. “I’m curious.”
Together, JJ and Emily tag-teamed in telling their friend everything. Rossi was at a loss for words. While these two in particular had always kept him on his toes over the years, everything they’d just shared was brand-new. And a ton to digest.
Emily still put her hands on her hips when she realized what Rossi’s train of thought was. “Come on. That’s your “Shoot: I have to choose my words carefully!” look. What is it?”
“Will called me. He said that called you. And maybe you’ve just missed him?” (Here, Emily rushed to charge her phone when she realized it was dead.) “Will also told me that he can’t say why just yet, but his captain is asking for us to go to their HQ… and that the two you’d fill us in on the details.”
JJ groaned again. “This is just great. Now everyone will be learning about how kooky my family is.”
Emily said, “I’d like to think I know you enough by now that you can stay objective here.”
“I’m with her.” said Rossi. “Just try to not overdo it when your parents show up.”
Emily nodded. “Yeah. And not just because this is your first day back from getting over that godawful cold you caught from the kids.”
“Ugh. That was hell,” JJ said as Rossi opened the door for her. “But message received. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Emily and Rossi stepped onto the catwalk to watch her head in the direction of the facilities. There was a closer set than the ones located off the elevator lobby. But Emily didn’t even have to look at her mentor to know he was amused about something. Or that JJ had been walking with a slight but more supportive gait.
Still addressing herself to Rossi as she turned about face, Emily said, “Okay. Have you also noticed anything different about her?”
“It really has been a spell since you’ve been with your sharpshooter because her kids did get her sick,” the amusement was clear in Rossi’s voice. “But are you sure that it isn’t just your brain getting used to her company again?”
Emily shrugged. “I do know her like the back of my hand, but I’ve been stumped ever since my first conversation with her today. And it’s bothering me.”
“Well… This is between us,” Rossi told her. “But the last time I saw JJ carrying herself the way she is now… she was carrying Michael. Chew on that.”
Emily’s heart promptly turned cartwheels as she remembered back to JJ’s first pregnancy. “Oh, my God…”
“Uh-huh. There we are.” said Rossi. “But come on. I’ll gather the others. You can prep the round table room. JJ will come back to us when she’s ready.”
After departing Emily’s office, JJ locked herself in one of the single-unit restrooms at the end of the walkway. Seeing her family all in one place wasn’t something she’d ever bargained for in her life. And what were the out-of-towners even doing around the area? She couldn’t understand it.
JJ also found herself wondering about her stepmother. Kelly. JJ had no idea what she looked like because Margaret hadn’t elaborated over the course of their one-time visit. All the same… JJ had always had the impression that Kelly fit the trope of ‘younger second wife.’ She also wondered what Will would make of everything when it happened. Or what the rest of the team would think.
Emily greeted JJ brightly when she entered the full meeting room. “Hey. I caught them in a broader sense. And they know that we’re all going to hit the road. But you’re just in time.”
JJ took her customary seat next to partner. But she could tell from the over-kind expressions of everyone else at the table that Emily had left something out.
So JJ prompted her, “But…?”
“I didn’t name names,” Emily responded. “But they have a general idea that we’re going to be looking into your life again.”
JJ gave a nod of understanding before looking around at Spencer, Penelope, Tara, Luke, and Matt. The ones who didn’t know. Everyone was curious. And waiting.
“Okay. I’m a child of divorce and I haven’t seen my dad since I was eleven. But,” began JJ. “I’m not sure how much I can remember about him anymore.”
“Why?” Tara said softly.
“Because that was when he stopped talking to me altogether.” JJ said.
“I’m sorry.” sympathized Tara. “Not a word? Really?”
“None.” JJ confirmed. “But his name is Howard.”
“Did he marry again?” asked Spencer.
“Yes.” JJ said. “I don’t know the exact dates because I’ve never actually asked, but my money says they met and married within a year of the divorce.”
Matt asked, “What’s your stepmother’s name?”
“Kelly Jareau. I think she’s from the Manhattan Upper East Side.” said JJ. “Never met her parents. But I’ve heard they’re loaded.”
Taking this in stride, Matt asked JJ, “Okay. Is there anything else about your family that we should know?”
“Yep. The only reason I’ve ever wondered about dates before is because I didn’t find out until 2013 that I have a twenty-five year old sister named Margaret Irene. Everyone calls her Greta.” said JJ. “I’ve met her a few times. She is as kind as can be.”
Luke lifted one eyebrow. “But what’s the missing step?”
“She’s a Marine wife. But her husband Ashley just isn’t here.” said JJ.
“Have you met him before?” asked Penelope.
Nodding, JJ said, “Mhm. And so has Will. The three of us went to dinner when we invited them. But they haven’t met our kids. Yet.”
“Baby steps?” Matt guessed.
“Mhm.” JJ looked around at the group. “Did Emily tell you all about Will calling? And what he said?”
Tara said, “Yes. She also mentioned that the latest ‘Yarn Child’ was brought in by a witness… and… have we just arrived at the part concerning withheld names?”
JJ nodded. “We have. The Yarn Child we’re discussing is my niece. Her name is Lennox.”
“And your sister is her mother.” Tara posited.
“Yes.” JJ said.
“Knew it. What’s the last part of the loop?” asked Tara. “You know the person who found her?”
“Literally.” said JJ. “Uh… The responsible adult we’re talking about is my mother.”
“Woah. But the odds on that have to be astronomical.” remarked Tara.
Having already calculated it, Spencer said, “They are.”
Matt asked, “But how…?”
Knowing he was being rhetorical, Tara spoke to JJ again. “Emily told us about the video call. And the color of your niece's yarn. But really. Is there one last chunk of information you’re bursting to share?”
JJ said, “Yes.”
“Then I’m saying this as your friend,” advised Tara. “But pace yourself.”
JJ made a show of exhaling before beginning. “My mom is at the station where Will works because she’s in town for a visit. I’ll bet she was going to surprise me but accidentally found him first. She was on that block because she entered a business there for an errand.”
“Okay. Then we’ll probably get the rest of the details when we get there.” said Tara. “What are the chances?”
“One hundred percent. She knows to be cooperative,” JJ answered. “But she’s where my thoroughness comes from.”
“Good. Then there won’t be any issues.” approved Tara. “Do you have any current scoop on your sister?”
“No.” said JJ. “Which is what has me so concerned.”
“But,” Spencer said carefully. “Now you’re positive that we’re about to see your parents and your stepmother in the same place?”
“It’ll also be the first time that my parents will have been under the same roof since I was eleven. That gives us World War Three because I’m just worried about how my parents will behave.” JJ lamented. “But it also leaves me wondering if Kelly is the type to stir the pot.”
“Hm.” said Spencer. “That’s a fair concern.”
“Thank you.” JJ offered him a small smile and looked around at everyone again. “Does anyone have any last questions?”
“Yeah.” said Matt. “Where have they been this whole time?”
JJ groused, “Baltimore. And I’ve been in D.C. for my entire FBI career.”
Matt lifted his eyebrows. “But your dad never said a word?”
JJ cried, “Not once!”
Matt rose from the table and approached his friend. He could see that she was fighting every instinct to not get as worked up as she wanted.
“We’re all sorry that your old man has put you through it like this.” Matt told her. “But we also know that you’re indestructible because you always get to the bottom of things. Every time. We have your back as long as it takes because we are family. And you’re the glue that keeps us together.”
In spite of herself, JJ was able to simmer down enough to hug Matt as she said, “Thanks. All of that was incredibly sweet.”
He gave her arms a gentle squeeze. “Feel better now?”
JJ let go of him. “Yeah. I do.”
While JJ settled herself, Emily stood and moved along the table to Penelope. “How fast can you pack a technology bag?”
Penelope gathered her things as she also stood. “I can be ready in ten minutes. Five, if I have help.”
“Okay. Then off we go.” Emily made a herding motion towards the door. “I have a special mission for you.”
JJ and Spencer ended up waiting for everyone by the elevators first. In-town cases meant traveling lightly. But they also rode the elevator to the building lobby so they could begin the process of requisitioning cars.
Spencer spoke gently to his friend. “I’m sure people are going to be asking you a lot, but how are you doing? Be honest.”
JJ sighed, “I keep waiting for this to all be a fever dream so I can get back to how things were. You know… normal.”
“Absolutely not a bit of your extraordinary life,” said Spencer. “Has ever been close to normal.”
JJ laughed. “I guess that’s true. But it also is a relief that all of you now know about my family.”
Spencer nodded. “Yes. I’ve always wondered.”
JJ said curiously, “Then why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“Life.” Spencer shrugged as they stepped out of the elevator and headed to the area of the building they’d need. “But what can I do for you right now?”
“Same as you’ve done for every day since I’ve known you: just be my friend.” JJ told him. “I really need that.”
“Okay.” Spencer said brightly. “How are my godsons right now? Is Michael still tripping over his feet when he tries to kick a soccer ball?”
“No, thank heavens.” JJ laughed. “He has the coordination down. But… There’s a new problem.”
Spencer winced. “Like what?”
“My baby boy doesn’t understand that the goal matters. Now Michael just cries if I try to give him any direction while he has the ball.” sighed JJ.
“What do Will and Henry think?” Spencer laughed.
“They think it’s hilarious.” JJ rolled her eyes now. “Me? I’m just stuck on a hamster wheel with my son.”
“Things will even out,” Spencer said confidently. “Because both of your sons are super bright.”
JJ perked up. “Hey. Speaking of bright, Henry is going to take an advanced placement test at school.”
Spencer said, “For math?”
JJ nodded. “He has been skating circles around everyone in his math class because it isn’t challenging to him.”
“All those years of tutoring and indulgence are paying off.” Spencer said coolly.
“They actually are.” JJ agreed. “Remember the time that Henry dressed up as you for Halloween?”
“Mhm. I do.” Spencer smiled at the memory. “When’s the test?”
JJ answered, “In two days. He will be moving from sixth grade math two eight grade advanced algebra if he passes. But we have complete faith in Henry.”
“Same.” decided Spencer. “In a little more time, Henry could probably even do high school math and then just be done before he even gets to ninth grade.”
“Especially,” JJ said in a half-pleading tone if his godfather comes around to help him out. Please?”
“Oh, boy.” remarked Spencer. “Is he nervous?”
“Quite. We’re good at math, but we are so out of our depth when our boy starts rambling.about Einstein’s theory of relativity.” JJ sighed. “I even saw him reading The Word As I See It yesterday.”
“Hm. That’s my favorite Einstein book.” said Spencer.
“I think Henry actually remembered that and was trying to psych himself up. And what’s more shocking,” said JJ. “Is that he was reading it to Michael because he wanted to see what he was doing.”
“Did he listen?” asked Spencer.
“Yes. And he seemed invested.” JJ absently ran her hands through her hair. “Do you think I have two kid geniuses on my hands?”
“Yeah. I think you just might.” Spencer said seriously. “Are they into anything else unusual for their ages?
JJ said, “Michael actually solved Henry’s Rubik’s Cube this morning. Twice.”
“Woah. Really?” Spencer said in surprise. “Where did he get it from?”
“No idea.” JJ shook her head in wonder. “But I bet Michael would be dazzled if he could show Uncle Spencer his new trick.”
“Then I have to see it when I come over to help Henry for his test.” Spencer said. “But… Last time I came over, that particular son of yours fell asleep in my arms after five minutes.”
JJ winked. “Because he loves you.”
Taking this into condensation, Spencer asked, “How do you think Michael would be if I started introducing him to geometry.”
“Easy, killer.” said JJ. “My son still falls asleep at the dining table if he’s had a full day.”
“Actually, Jennifer, that field manifests in ways that Michael could get the hang of right now.” Spencer informed her. “He’s on the right track with his brother’s Rubik’s Cube.”
JJ looked up at him. “Oh, really? Will you please tell me more?”
Spencer spoke with enthusiasm. “Certainly!”
The man only ever called JJ by her formal name when he was extremely excited (or very concerned), so she could only smile more as her friend began a rambling but fact-laden lecture about the benefits of math and its related cognitive development in small children. Reminding him that mathematics had been one of her school majors could wait. For now, Spencer was just being her friend. Which JJ deeply appreciated.