Archive of Our Own

~*~

When the tears are rolling down
Like a river to the ocean
And there's no one else around
You won't question my devotion
Everybody needs somebody
And you got me

~*~

- Washington D.C., 2014 - 

There were a lot of things to dislike about being a cop, from the crappy work hours to the human disasters one was confronted with on a daily basis. Yet, those he could live with, smile them away and tell himself that he did a good job. A job he could be proud of in a way his old man would take pride in. What he would love to pass up on, though, was the hurt that came with every case involving children. Hours felt like days, his compassion for the parents nothing he could just turn off. This time everything had ended well, a three year old girl being returned to her parents without a scratch and her kidnapper, a neighbour she had trusted, in a cell where he belonged. He’d never forget the girl’s sobs, how her little hands had held onto his shirt and she had asked for her mommy and daddy. A weight had fallen off his shoulders once she was back home safely.Now, feeling as if he had not slept in days, all he wanted was to get home and hug Henry as tight as possible. 

Walking up to their apartment building he saw someone stand on the stairs, leaning against the railing. For just a moment he stopped in his tracks, his brain catching up to his eyes as recognition settled on. Coraline smiled back at him, as she raised her hand in greeting. 

“You were set to arrive in two days weren’t you?” The words had already left his mouth, sounding wrong to his own ears, before he could even think of something better to say. He should have started with hello, but her laughter filled the space between them and him with warmth.

“I’m also happy to finally see you again, William,” she walked down the stairs and towards him, “and yes I was set to arrive in two days but my case wrapped up already and I got to catch a flight today. I thought I’d surprise you.” She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her closer. He wanted to kiss her there and then, more than just happy to see her, but held himself back.

“You managed that… I hope you didn’t wait too long.” 

“I didn’t,” she let go of him and he immediately missed her warmth, “only a few minutes. I was just about to call you to see if you’re home or not.” Only now did he register the scent of cigarette smoke on her, the wasted minutes mostly spent to calm her nerves. He took her hand and she took the suitcase standing on the streets as he led her in and up to his flat. 

The moment he opened the door, Henry darted out of the living room, his sitter on his heels. His son’s arms were wrapped around him before he could even crouch down. A smile crept onto his face as the tight hug took a little more weight from his shoulders. It only took seconds for Henry to make out the new, unfamiliar face right next to him, leading him to let go and look up at Coraline. 

“Is that her, Daddy?” It seemed like they both did skip the welcome today. 

“Yes, that’s Coraline.” This was not at all how he had imagined their first meeting to play out, with Hannah standing in the hallway smiling, waiting for a good moment to say her goodbyes while Henry looked at that unfamiliar woman with wide eyes. Will wondered what his son 

saw when he looked at her. 

“I’ll be leaving then, if you don’t need me any longer, Mister LaMontagne,” Hannah said taking a few steps forward, “Henry was a real angel today, we had dinner about two hours ago and saved you some.” 

“Thank you Hannah, that’s nice of you.” The young woman beamed at him, as she kneeled down and opened her arms for a last embrace of Henry before she left. Hannah had been the boy’s sitter for the last two years, always ready to jump in or stay longer if she was needed, the bond between the two being almost sibling-like. Hannah left them, giving one last bright smile to Henry and a friendly nod to Coraline, then they were alone. It was a strange feeling, somehow resembling the first time he had brought her home to his parents, just far more important. Now with the distraction of Hannah gone and the excitement of his return reducing, Henry’s whole attention was with Coraline. There was a shy curiosity in his son’s eyes, as he took in everything from her black hair, to her tattoos and her red painted nails, the crease between his eyebrows an almost exact copy of Jennifer. 

“Hello Henry, it’s nice meeting you. Your Dad has told me a lot about you already.” Henry tilted his head, probably wondering when Will had even spoken with her so much, in his own way evaluating if the times he had told him about Coraline also equaled “a lot”. There was an unknown tension in Coraline’s shoulder, the stern look of an almost six year old taking its toll on her more than any defense attorney probably ever could. It was almost funny watching how she almost squirmed, waiting for a child’s verdict. Then, Henry smiled at her, showing the gap where he lost a tooth just a few days ago.  

“Dad’s right, you’re pretty.” All tension left Coraline’s body at those words, her lips curling up into a bright smile. She turned towards him, an amused sparkle in her eyes. 

“You think I’m pretty?” He found himself smiling at those words as well, it seemed like a conversation made for people younger than they were.

“I do.” Though pretty was not the right word to use, but how should he describe to a child what seeing her felt like, so telling him she was pretty it was. 

The hours flew by then, Henry asking questions, slowly crawling out of his shy shell, wanting to know everything about Los Angeles, the ocean and if Coraline had ever seen a shark or a dolphin up close. If she could surf, if the city looked like it did on TV, if she knew there was a movie that had the same name as her. She answered all of his questions, asked some of her own about preschool and his friends, both of them slowly getting to know each other, Coraline growing more and more comfortable, sitting on the couch, her legs thrown over the armrest. Henry almost fell asleep curled up on the armchair, words blurring into each other, his eyes growing heavy. Carefully he picked him up, Henry mumbling and squirming before settling into his arms, accepting defeat. Coraline watched the process from the couch, a soft smile on her lips, then trailing behind him, as he made his way to Henry’s bedroom. She stayed in the open doorway, watching them with a certain curiosity. It felt like an intimate moment they shared, Coraline getting a glimpse into his world. He left a nightlight on for Henry, not closing the door completely as he stepped outside. 

They returned to the living room, their steps echoing in the sudden silence. It felt different now than it had in New Orleans, out in the streets or in Mama Patty’s guest room. It felt both real and unreal at the same time. Knowing she was really there, no time difference and miles between them. He’d only have to reach out to touch her now. Within the moment of moving away from Henry’s bedroom and entering the living room, he felt like a teenager again. Some kind of giddy feeling spreading out through his body, the anticipation of the time alone. Coraline let herself fall onto the couch rather ungracefully, a tired smile on her lips. He couldn't help a small chuckle leaving his lips at the picture, garnering her attention. 

“Are ya laughing at me, LaMontagne?” She asked, tone soft and almost teasing. It made his own smile only widen as he sat down next to her, just marginally more graceful in the motion.

“What if I am?” Her only answer was a soft smack against his arm and a fond rolling of her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest, her head leaning against his shoulder. It only took her seconds to settle, making herself comfortable in his arms. In the back of his mind he was faintly aware that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast today and that Hannah had mentioned dinner in the kitchen, but that would mean to let go of Coraline and get up, something he was not yet ready to do. The time with her and Henry had silenced his thoughts, tamed the shadows lurking in the corners. Maybe if she stayed a little longer in his arms, her warmth seeping into him and her scent filling his nose, he’d believe that everything was alright again.

“Ya look better,” Coraline said, tilting her head a little to look up at him.

“Better than when?” 

“Better than when we met outside, don’t get me wrong I always think ya’re handsome, but ya looked like shit.” He hugged her a bit tighter, berating himself for letting her see him like that. He had only sometimes talked about his work, but never the cases that got to him like that, probably in the same way she never talked about the trials that kept her awake at night. 

“Was a hard day in the office,” he just said. 

“Wanna talk about it?” He hesitated at that, not sure how to answer. Did he want to talk? Part of him did, but the other didn’t want to burden her with what was on his mind. She still looked up at him, the position most likely getting more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. He kissed her forehead, then gently nudged her head back into position. 

“Was a missing child,” he said before he even finished thinking about it, “we found her and brought her back home, but…”

“That’s stuff that stays with ya, I know.”

“I always see Henry, gets hard to divide personal life and work at times.” He pulled her closer, holding her tighter, as if that could help hold him together. Her hands were on his upper arms, drawing circles on his skin, her touch keeping his thoughts from starting to run wild again. In this moment she was grounding him in a way he had not known before. It was not that while being with JJ, their shared moments had not calmed him, but with every word he had spoken about his job, he had just felt like burdening her more. He didn’t even want to know what kind of images those words would have conjured for her, cases of missing and dead children, putting Henry in their places just like he did. Once again Coraline tilted her head back to look at him and he wondered what she saw, if the demons were visible to her or if he managed to hide them. From the softness in her eyes he knew that she did. One hand left his arm, her fingers gently cupping his cheek, her thumb caressing his jaw. 

“Tell me about it,” she said, “all about it.” It was an echo of the words he used to say to Jennifer on more evenings than he liked to recall. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, letting the events of the day spill out of him. 

Once he was done talking, having shed tears he didn’t even realize, Coraline was still in his arms, her body pressed against his. She was his lifeline, keeping him afloat. His heart was hammering inside his chest just as much as it did running after the guy, chasing him through the streets until he had finally caught him. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself again, knowing the sudden change in his heartbeat and his breathing could send him into fight or flight mode. Sometimes, when he was out of work, the professional mode turned off, and Henry at his mother’s or sound asleep in his bed, things like that were enough to trigger something he had reluctantly identified as a panic attack. 

Another few deep breaths later he felt calm enough again, heart no longer racing, mind no longer spinning. Coraline had not said a word the whole time, patiently listening, fingers tirelessly dancing over his skin. Even now she didn’t speak, letting the silence settle between them, spread out comfortably once more. Silence was nothing he associated with her, but it was reassuring to know that she could exist in it with him. 

“Days like that suck,” she suddenly said and somehow it was all he needed to hear. Yes, days like that sucked, even if they ended well. He kissed her head, slowly releasing her from his grasp, only softly holding her now. 

~*~

Waking up the next morning, with Coraline curled up to him, her breath tickling his skin, was one of the best things he could imagine. She stirred awake in his arms, pressing her nose into his neck, trying to avoid the sunlight that fell through the window. She mumbled something that almost resembled a good morning and he decided to let her sleep just a little longer, knowing they had no place to be today. At least if no call came in for him. Careful not to disturb her, he slipped out of bed, meeting Henry in the living room, his son already settled on the couch waiting for him to turn on the TV for a new Saturday morning adventure of Spider-Man. They sat on the couch together, Henry curled up against him, a thin blanket wrapped around him as he watched Spider-Man defending New York City from Sandman. There were only few things Will liked more than spending lazy mornings with Henry, both of them not talking much, or at all. The only time Henry’s eyes left the screen was when his bedroom door opened and Coraline walked into the room. She wore a pair of sweatpants, which were way too big on her and one of his shirts, her hair an untamed mess and dark makeup smudges under her eyes. For a moment Henry watched her, then returned his attention back to Spidey and his friends, as Coraline sat down on Will’s other side, resting her head on his shoulder. She kissed his jaw, he kissed her forehead, both of them not yet ready enough to share a real kiss in front of Henry. Their last kiss had been shared in New Orleans, which already felt like an eternity ago, but part of him feared Henry’s judgement, or that his son would think he was about to simply replace his mother. Coraline and him hadn’t talked about that in particular, but apparently she had picked up on his hesitation already. 

They had breakfast on the couch, nothing he usually allowed, but he had let Henry talk him into it this time, all three of them huddled together, a blanket on their laps and each having a bowl of cereal in their hands. He learned that Henry and Coraline favored the same kind of cereals, that pretended to have fruit in it but were nothing but sugar, and they bonded over trading their favorite colors, claiming to actually taste a difference. Will didn’t buy any of it, but there was no point in arguing this case, these two had clearly formed an iron front against him. 

It was nothing short of a miracle that he got Henry out of his PJs by noon and had him out in the park an hour later. Coraline sat next to him on a bench, watching the kids play, a soft smile on her face as she traced Henry. As he both watched her and his kid, Will could feel the eyes of other parents on them. People around here knew each other, some he’d even call his park-buddies, they bumped into each other every other day, and filled the time with usually light conversation. These people knew he was divorced, and yet here he was with another woman, his arm around her waist too low for her to just be a friend. No one approached them, but he caught Carol whispering with Madeleine, and Roger not so subtly checking out Coraline. Luckily Coraline herself seemed blissfully oblivious to the attention they gathered, or she had chosen to ignore it. It was probably the latter, Coraline being way too perceptive to not notice and the way she leaned into him did send a clear message.

On the other side of the park Madeleine tore herself away from Carol, walking over to them with a bright smile on her face. He liked Maddy well enough, far more than her worse half Carol if he was being honest. She was a friendly woman, just a few years younger than himself. Still he wouldn’t call her one of his park-buddies. 

“Hello Will,” she greeted them, “we haven’t seen you around the past few days.”

“Much to do lately,” he answered, not really wanting to go into the details. Also he was pretty sure Maddy had not approached them to investigate his past whereabouts, at least from the way her eyes had already landed on Coraline. 

“Madeleine Ryder, nice meeting you. Please call me Maddy, I’m Parker’s mom,” she introduced herself, then pointing at a redheaded boy who was currently chasing Henry down the slide, both of them laughing. “The boys play in the same basketball team.” 

“Coraline Masters, nice meeting you.” She returned Madeleine’s smile, following her gaze to where the boys were now playing tag. “I’m Will’s girlfriend.” It was the first time one of them said it out loud, and some feeling of satisfaction filled him. They only exchanged pleasantries after that, Maddy obviously having acquired the information she had come for much faster than expected. Coraline watched her as she left, waiting until she was out of earshot. 

“You know that she’s into you, right?” Coraline tilted her head as she looked back at him. 

“She…? Are you sure?” She almost burst out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Yes, I am sure… how can you be so oblivious? The way her face dropped when I said I’m your girlfriend? How did she watch us before? Yes, I’m sure, Baby.” The nickname should sound ridiculous, but something in the way she said it made it sound almost natural. Somehow he liked it. He pulled her a little closer, her head resting against his shoulder. 

“I guess I have to trust you on that, Doll.” Her laughter echoed over the playground as she playfully hit his shoulder. All those years ago, he had started calling her by this nickname as a joke, and it had stuck. Using it again now felt just right. 

“You better do,” she said, looking back to Madeleine and Carol, “she was after you, good I got you before her.” He leaned in to kiss her temple, then deciding otherwise, softly tilting her head up, for a quick kiss on the lips. Just for that moment he didn’t care if Henry saw them, he seemed to like Coraline just fine and he’d not talk their relationship small in front of him, nor did he care for what the other parents might have thought. She smiled into their kiss, then pressed another one to his cheek, most likely leaving a bright red lipstick mark. He couldn’t find himself caring about that much either.

The day passed idly, Coraline almost seamlessly fitting into their routine. She made it seem close to effortless too, handling Henry in a similar way she interacted with her nephew and nieces. Only in the evening did his nervousness return, as Jennifer would soon arrive to pick Henry up to spend the Sunday together. She knew that he was seeing someone new, but part of him was dreading his ex-wife meeting his girlfriend. Henry was oblivious to the tension, but Coraline’s hand found his as they sat on the couch, her thumb rubbing gentle circles onto his palm. 

Jennifer arrived exactly on time, a wide smile on her face as Henry ran towards her to embrace his mom. She lifted their son up, something that became harder and harder with every passing month as Henry grew taller. They greeted each other with a short hug, something that had seemed unthinkable just some months ago, when he had made the decision to get a divorce. Over his shoulder Jennifer spotted Coraline standing behind him, careful not to step into their personal space. 

“You got a guest?” Jennifer asked, letting Henry down. 

“Yes, may I introduce you to Coraline.” He held out his hand for Coraline, drawing her closer, but not too close. 

“It’s nice meeting you, Miss Jareau,” Coraline greeted her, a smile on her face, extending her hand. Jennifer hesitated for a moment, before taking her hand, obviously looking for the right words. Only now did Will realise he should’ve probably warned his ex-wife about the meeting. 

“Nice meeting you as well,” she said then, her eyes conveying the sincerity of her words, “please, call me JJ. Will has already told me a lot about you, good to have a face to the name.” He hadn’t been aware of the fact that he had spoken about her that much already, especially to Jennifer, but that teasing look she gave him told him that he obviously had. 

They found themselves back in the living room, JJ occupying the armchair, himself and Coraline on the couch, Henry had returned to his room to play a little longer, their adult-conversation of no interest for him. Somehow the situation felt less awkward than Will had expected, yet he felt as if JJ was preparing a profile of their relationship in her mind. There was something in the way she looked at them, with the same focus she usually showed when working on cases. 

“So, how long have you and Will known each other? He said you both grew up in New Orleans.” Coraline looked at him, both of them most likely doing the math at the same time. 

“We met around twenty-one years ago, I think… I was fifteen, you sixteen?” Coraline tilted her head as she answered. “But we haven’t seen each other in fifteen years. I moved to Los Angeles to study law at UCLA and we lost contact after a while… wasn’t easy with all those miles and time zones between us, and my family liked the opportunity to come to California, so I didn’t get to visit New Orleans as much as I had originally wanted to.” 

“So you’re a lawyer?” Hadn’t he mentioned that, or was JJ just trying to be nice? 

“A prosecutor, actually. I mostly work with the Homicide Department of the LAPD… Will said you were with the FBI?” 

“I am a profiler at the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, used to be a media liaison before training to become a field agent.” 

“Impressive,” Coraline did in fact sound impressed, but not in any way intimidated, “I had one of your unit’s reports in my hands some years ago. It was fascinating to read, I have to admit that. You’re doing great work there.” Somehow there was something about the thought, that in some way their paths had crossed before. There was some kind of mutual respect between these two women at this moment. 

“Thank you,” the pride in JJ’s eyes was real and so was her smile, “so, how come that you’ve met again?”

“A happy coincidence, really. I was in New Orleans to visit my sister and her family, when a mutual friend told me that Will had just arrived… I still had his number, so I thought why not give him a call. The worst thing he could’ve done was not picking up and blocking my number.” Which was something he hadn’t even thought about. “We met up, had a drink or two… it was a great night.” That night she had been exactly what he had needed, a friend, a distraction, someone who felt like home. She had stayed all those things the weeks after, only that the kind of distraction she posed was different now. 

“I believe that… How long are you going to stay in D.C.?” 

“A week for now. I got some days off, my boss said I need to get rid of all those overtime hours we’ve already accumulated. I thought it would be nice to get to know Henry,” she smiled at that, “you have a really great kid. I probably should’ve started the conversation with that.” JJ actually chuckled at that, the tension finally completely leaving the room. 

“Thank you, he really seems to like you.” And in the end that was all that mattered to both of them. “Talking about Henry, we should probably leave. His bedtime is soon and I promised him we’d watch an episode on one of his Spider-Man dvd’s.” 

Coraline stayed behind in the living room as he accompanied JJ and Henry to the door. He hugged his son goodbye and was about to close the door behind them, when JJ stopped him. 

“She’s a good one, Will,” she said, voice suddenly serious, “I can tell that. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us and I know it’s mainly on me… I… I’m sorry, for making you feel like I didn’t put you first and I get why you didn’t see any other way, and I really want you to be happy. I wished you could’ve been happy with me, but I know that’s not going to happen again. So… I’m glad you found that with her.” A small chuckle escaped her, as if to cover up the tears he could see glistening in her eyes. “Don’t mess this up, I don’t think you’ll get a third chance with her.” For a moment he didn’t know what to say, her words echoing in his ears. Then JJ’s arms were around him in a tight embrace, when she let go she put on a brave smile, taking Henry’s hand and leaving the building. 

When he returned to his living room, he still felt stunned by JJ’s words. He couldn’t say how she had known this was their second chance at romance, then again she was a profiler, so maybe something in Coraline’s words, his earlier statements or their behaviour had tipped her off. The moment he entered the room, Coraline got up from the couch, something almost anxious in the way she looked at him. She had turned on the radio, probably to fill the silence JJ had left behind. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Yes, everything’s fine… sorry that was…” He didn’t even find the right word to describe the past half an hour. 

“Almost awkward? Not as bad as it could’ve been?,” she suggested and he nodded along. 

“Not what I wanted to say but fitting…. She likes you, told me not to mess it up.” The anxiety left her features, being replaced by a soft smile as she approached him, wrapping her arms around him, pulling herself closer. 

“You better listen to her, LaMontagne, because I ain’t planning on letting you go again.” Her lips were on his before he could form an answer, stripping him off all his words. His own tension and confusion was washed away with that, the only thing mattering the woman in his arms, that had turned into the center of his world just like this. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was for her kisses and her touch up until this moment. All day long he had held himself back, the fear of judgement of others lingering in the back of his mind, now that they were no longer in New Orleans. She smiled up at him as their kiss ended and it was as if her smile alone was enough to illuminate the room. 

“I love you.” The words left his mouth without him thinking about it. The first time had been similar, everyone around him talking about grand gestures and romantic moments, right moments, but he had looked at her standing in his father’s kitchen finishing the crossword puzzle in the abandoned two days old newspaper and he had just said it. At least this time it was a little bit more romantic than back then. Coraline looked up at him, the smile still on her face, but probably on the verge of laughing. Maybe the second first I love you was even more important, maybe this one should’ve been accompanied by some big gesture, then again the last romantic comedy he had watched had been fifteen years ago with her and those were no real guidelines. 

“I love you too.” Her voice was soft, the laughter hidden in her words. The song changed, blasting Bon Jovi’s Born to Be My Baby and Coraline’s smile turned into a grin, as her whole body started moving. “They’re playing our song.” 

It wasn’t exactly their song, they didn’t have a song, but she loved that song and something about the lyrics did resonate with him. 

She drew him deeper into the living room, making him move to the music just like she had done in New Orleans, her voice filling the air as she sang the chorus. He twirled her around, stole kisses as if they were young again. The song changed, some upbeat tune of a newer artist, but Coraline didn’t stop dancing and he wondered where she stored all that energy. She only stopped once Ed Sheeran’s Thinking out Loud started and he took her hand in his. The last time he had slow danced was at his wedding, his body still hurting from the wounds inflicted on him by Chris Strutton. Now her hand was in his, his other on her waist and her head was settled against his shoulder as they moved to the music. He smiled at that, breathing in her scent. She was like music, filling and occupying spaces, always changing, she could be soft like a slow song, or energetic and spreading happiness. She sang along the lines, knowing the ones to her and his favorite songs by heart. Now, as her lips formed the lyrics to Thinking out Loud, the softness in her eyes unlike everything he had ever seen on her, Will found himself completely and utterly in love with that woman and from the way she looked at him she knew it. The next song started but they stopped dancing, both just standing there, looking at each other as if nothing else mattered. He leaned down again sealing her lips with his, his hold around her waist growing tighter as she leaned in. 

~*~

They had stumbled into the bedroom way past midnight, filling the hours with chatting and dancing whenever a song came on that put her into movement. She wore his shirt again, stealing it from his closet as if she owned it and he didn’t want it any other way. 

Sunday morning came and went, they attended his church’s noon service together, one of the few things important to both of them. JJ had always rather stayed at home, Henry only accompanying him when he felt like it. Now Coraline stood beside him, as they prayed, listening to the sermon, the priest capturing his audience with the simplicity of his words. Leaving the church, he could feel the other attendants watching them, knowing that some of them regarded him with scornful looks. He and JJ had never been married in the eyes of the church, she had left the church in her early adult years, and he had never minded, not being raised too strictly Christian by his father. He took Coraline’s hand as they walked home, leaving the members of the church’s women’s circle to the inevitable gossip. 

They took a detour through the park, grabbing a coffee at a small café she spotted nestled between two shops. With her next to him he felt elevated, not at all in a hurry to return to the flat but taking his time to walk through D.C.'s streets, going window shopping with her and telling her about the places he knew. He found himself in a museum he had never been in before, wandering the exhibition hand in hand with her, as if it was the most natural thing for them to do. They had dinner in a tiny diner with only ten tables, still in their Sunday's best, her lipstick smudged from a kiss they had shared in front of the museum. 

Once back home she changed back into his shirt and a loose pair of pants and he wasn’t quite sure what he liked her better in. 

“What are you thinking?” She asked from her place on the couch, looking over to where he stood in the doorframe. 

“You’re beautiful.” 

“And you’re a charmer,” she said with a soft smile, “and now come here, don’t keep standing there.” He complied with her demand, sitting down next to her, opening his arms for her. An invitation she took all too happily. He let his fingers run through her hair, passing the time until Henry was brought back with watching TV.

Once Henry was home, the living room was filled with his chatter and stories about all the things he and his mother had done that day and his conversation with his grandmother. Coraline listened attentively, asking questions about all the activities, later watching him once again, as he brought his boy to bed, Henry drifting off to sleep faster than usual. 

~*~

Leaving the house the next day he kissed Coraline goodbye, she would pick Henry up from daycare later and knowing she would be there when he came home made leaving a little easier this time. After two days together, he had already gotten used to her presence in his life and he already dreaded her leaving for Los Angeles at the end of the week. For now he tried to push those thoughts away, concentrating completely on the work day ahead and the evening he would spend with the two most important people in his life. 

“Dad,” Henry said from the backseat of his car, as he pulled into the traffic, “is she going to stay? I really like her” 

“Coraline’s going to stay for a few days,” he answered, looking at his son in the rearview mirror, “then she’ll have to fly back to LA.” 

“But she will come again, right? Mom said she was your girlfriend… Tommy’s dad’s girlfriend lives with them. Will Coraline live with us?” Henry bombarded him with questions, making it obvious that he seemed to like the thought of Coraline living with them. It was something Will himself had not yet dared to think about. He had just gotten used to living on his own with Henry. 

“We’ll surely meet again,” he answered carefully, “but she has a life in Los Angeles and moving in together is a very big step. One day maybe… would you like that?” He hadn’t expected the enthusiastic yes Henry shouted at him, or his idea to visit her in Los Angeles next, to keep it fair (and to see the ocean). Part of him wondered what JJ would say about this, their son taking a liking to his girlfriend so fast, but knowing her, she’d be proud of his open mindedness and so was he. 

He hugged his son goodbye and told his teacher he’d be picked up by someone else. The woman’s smile and curious look didn’t escape his eyes. Leaving the building, his phone rang, a deep sigh escaped his lips as he saw the number on the screen. It seemed as if he could skip the drive to the station, with a new case already waiting. At least he knew that when he got home tonight, he wouldn’t be alone. 

~*~

You know that I know that you know that
I'll be there for the highs and lows
Give you mine if your heart gets broke
By your side, when you're all alone
I will be there

~*~