A/N1- Long time no see… lol… I know its been a while since I have posted anything, but I promise I am working on something… However I wrote this quick little on shot as a Birthday Surprise for a friend of mine… She surprised me with a special Tuesday update for 'The Story of Us' a couple weeks ago, so I thought I would return the favor…. HAPPY BIRTHDAY bbd4evr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A/N2- As always I don't own anything….
A/N3- Oh and this is un-beta-ed because will bbd4evr is my beta and I couldn't very well have her beta her own surprise now could I? lol…..
ENJOY!!!
"SURPRISE!!" Everyone yelled as JJ walked into her apartment with Will. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"Oh my god! JJ shouted back as she looked around at all her coworkers, her friends.
"Happy Birthday Sugar Plum." Garcia smiled as she pulled JJ into a hug.
"Thanks." JJ stated back as she made her way around the room, hugging and welcoming her guests. "I can't believe you did all this." JJ said as she turned to Will.
"Don't thank me it was all Emily's idea." Will told JJ. "She planned it and took care of everything."
"Really?" JJ asked as she turned to face everyone, and for the first time noticed that the brunette was not there. JJ suddenly felt saddened at the fact that her friend was not there. "Where is Emily?"
"Something came up with the Ambassador and she couldn't get out of it." Hotch explained. Immediately JJ knew that was a lie. JJ knew for a fact that Ambassador Prentiss was in France was not due back in the states for another three weeks. JJ couldn't understand why Emily would go to all this trouble to throw her a surprise birthday party and not even bother showing up.
"Come on little sister let's cut the cake." Morgan smiled.
The rest of the evening progressed rather uneventful. JJ enjoyed having all of her 'family' over to celebrate her birthday and even Henry who had long be put to bed woke up to greet his mother with a sloppy birthday kiss. JJ smiled as she watched the team joke and laugh as they took the rare occasions to relax and enjoy themselves. However, JJ noticed that Will was abnormally quiet and hadn't really socialized as much with the team as she would have liked. She knew that Will still didn't like that she continued to work after Henry was born but she had thought that for one night he could have put those feelings aside. Apparently that had been too much to hope for. She watched as Will constantly looked as his watch as if he was late for something. For a long time she thought that Will was the one. The man she was going to spend the rest of her life with; but then things changed. After she told Will she was pregnant with Henry he immediately proposed and probably shocking herself more than anyone she said no without even blinking an eye. In that moment something in her gut told her to say no. She used the excuse that things were moving to quickly and that they needed to focus on the baby; but deep down inside JJ knew it was more than that. In that moment with Will kneeling in front of her with a small, but pretty diamond ring she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him. Even though she had come to that conclusion long before Henry was born she had not had the courage to end the relationship. She felt that Henry needed a father and after all Will was a good man, even if she didn't love him.
"Earth to JJ?" Garcia teased as she snapped JJ from her day dream.
"Oh I'm sorry guys." JJ smiled back. "Guess I got lost in my thoughts there for a minute."
"We noticed." Morgan smiled as he wrapped his arm around JJ's shoulder and led her to the couch. "We got you a little something for your birthday."
"Guys you didn't have to do that." JJ blushed.
"But we wanted to." Reid explained. JJ took the present and slowly unwrapped what turned out to be a beautiful Tiffany's picture frame with a picture of the whole team inside. She laughed as she remembered the night they took it. It was a couple days after the Colorado case and the bruises were still barely visible on Emily's face. Emily hated that picture but JJ loved it. Everyone was standing around her with a hand on her belly. It was completely cheesy but JJ loved it.
"It's beautiful guys." JJ said with tears in her eyes. She turned the frame around and showed it to Will who simply nodded his head and offered a half hearted smile.
Not long after the team left, leaving only JJ and Will. Will helped JJ clean up the mess from the party. They worked in uncomfortable silence until JJ couldn't take it any more and broke the silence.
"It's too bad that Emily wasn't here, especially since it was her idea." JJ said as she wiped up the kitchen counter.
"Yeah well I think it was pretty crappy of her. She was the one that wanted the party and then she couldn't even be bothered to show up?" JJ was slightly taken aback by Will's defensive response.
"Everything okay Will, you seem, I don't know a little off tonight?"
"I guess I'm just a little pissed that your 'friend' wanted this damn party so much but then when the time came she was no where to be found." Will snapped using air quotes around the word friend.
"What is with the air quotes; what is that suppose to mean?"
"Oh come on JJ, that woman is head over heels in love with you and I'm starting to wonder if the feelings are mutual." Will huffed.
"WHAT?" JJ all but screamed at Will's remark. "Emily is not in love with me. You're just mad that I wouldn't quit the BAU for you!" JJ spat back, her mind was racing a mile a minute.
"That is not what this is about JJ!" Will defended. "This is about the fact that you won't leave HER!"
"Of for the love of god Will, have you lost your mind? Emily is not in love with me!" Surely Will was wrong, there was no way that Emily was in love with her, right? They were just really good friends. Some might even say best friends but that didn't mean that Emily loved her.
"How is it that every one can see it but you?" Will laughed. "Hell I bet there isn't a person your beloved 'team' that doesn't realize that Emily Prentiss is 100%, totally in love with you. I mean come on JJ the late night phone calls, the very expensive gifts…"
"So Emily has money, that doesn't mean she loves me."
"Yeah well ask yourself when was the last time she gave any of your all other friends a pair of diamond earrings or what about that insanely expensive blanket she bought for Henry? You said yourself that it cost about $400." JJ remained silent as she began to think about all the gifts that she had received from Emily. There had been a lot and she did mean a lot. At least once a week Emily was giving her something; usually she would say that she saw something that JJ just had to have or when she saw it she just knew JJ would love it, but they were just gifts from a friend, right? Although the more she thought about it, she knew Will was right JJ really couldn't remember seeing Emily give any of the other team members expensive gifts like that. Now even JJ was starting to get confused. "Yeah that is what I thought. Look JJ I love you. But if this is going to work it needs to be a two way street. I deserve better than this. I deserve to be with someone that loves me back. I want that person to be you, but so long as you work with her, that isn't going to happen."
"What are you saying Will?" JJ blinked back in confusion.
"It's either me or her." Will stated plainly. "I can't make it any simpler than that." It was in that simple statement that a light bulb went off in JJ's head. She knew exactly what she wanted and how she had missed it all this time she did not know but she damn sure knew that she was going to let it slip through her fingers.
"You are right Will. You deserve to be with someone that loves you and I'm sorry but that's not me." JJ said taking Will's hand. "You will always hold a special place in my heart but I don't love you. I'm truly sorry."
"Me too JJ." Will said as he leaned over and kissed JJ's forehead. "Me too." Will repeated as he made his way to the front door. "I'll be back for my stuff in the morning." And with that JJ watched Will walk out of her life for good. JJ stood there in her kitchen in shock. She couldn't believe what has just happened and what surprised her most of all was the sadness she thought she would feel when this day came wasn't there. It was almost a sense of relief. JJ stood there of a few more minutes before tossing the towel in the sink and heading to Henry's room.
Forty minutes later JJ stood outside Emily's apartment door holding a sleeping Henry in her arms. For the first time in her life JJ was scared at what was going to happen next. What if Will had been wrong? What if Emily didn't love her? Digging up every bit of courage she had, she reached up and knocked on the door. She heard a mumbled groan from the other side and then listened as Emily's footsteps got closer to the door.
"Do you have any idea what time…" Emily ranted as she threw the door open. "JJ! What are you doing her? Is everything ok?" Emily began to panic as she saw JJ standing in front of her.
"Why didn't you come to my party?" JJ asked as she continued to stand in the hallway.
"Something came up with my…"
"Don't lie to me Emily. I know for a fact your mother is in France." JJ stated firmly.
"I'm sorry JJ I didn't mean to hurt you." Emily replied, knowing there was no sense in lying. Emily stepped away from the door and led JJ to the living room. JJ sat on the couch still holding Henry in her arms. Emily took the diaper bag, placed it on the floor and then joined JJ on the couch.
"Will and I broke up." JJ said as soon as Emily sat down. "I thought you should know that." JJ said as she saw the shocked look on Emily's face.
"Why? What happened?"
"I don't love him and he doesn't deserve that." JJ explained.
"So this was your doing?" Emily needed to make sure she was hearing JJ correctly and that the four glasses of wine she had drank earlier weren't playing tricks with her.
"Yes. He is a nice man, but he deserves to be with some that loves him and that is not me."
"Well as long as you are happy." Emily replied, not really sure what to say.
"What about you Emily, are you happy?" JJ asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you happy? It's a pretty simple question Emily." JJ could sense Emily's hesitation, so she decided to switch tactics. It was now or never. "I am going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me." Emily nodded. "Will said something earlier that confused me."
"What?"
"How do you feel about me?" JJ blurted out.
"I …um… I… I'm not sure I understand what you mean." Emily stumbled through her reply.
"Do you love me?"
"Of course I do, you're my best friend."
"No, do you LOVE me?" JJ asked again putting extra emphasis on the word love.
"I… um…. "Before Emily could stumble her way through another clumsy response she felt the softest pair of lips she had ever felt pressed against her own. It only lasted a second but to Emily it might as well have been a lifetime. When Emily opened her eyes, she saw the brightest blue eyes starting back are her. "Um… wow… I don't know… what are you saying JJ?"
"I'm saying that I think somewhere along the line I fell in love with you too."
"What?" Emily asked back once again thinking she was hearing things.
"I love you Emily Prentiss." JJ smiled back. Immediately Emily pulled JJ into another kiss.
"I love you too." Emily said as they broke apart a few minutes later. "I have loved you for so long." JJ leaned in for another kiss when Henry decided that he was tired of being squished between the two women. "Oh I'm sorry little man." Emily smiled as she looked down at the little boy in JJ's arms. "May I?" Emily asked and JJ nodded, carefully handing Emily her son.
"This is a package deal Emily. Henry and I are in this together." JJ said as she watched Emily stare down at her son. She knew in her heart that Emily would be a great mother to her son, but she needed Emily to realize that it was a two for one deal.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Emily smiled looking back up at JJ. "I want you and Henry. I want a family with you." JJ leaned over and kissed Emily again, careful of her son resting peacefully in Emily's arms.
"I'm glad to hear it." JJ smiled as at the woman she loved.
A/N- okay so I hope every one liked it…. And once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!! Please REVIEW!!!