omelettes and trust.
breakfast is lively, but good.
emily is at the stove, wrapped in a plush robe, her damp hair tied back in a loose bun. the coffee pot gurgles steadily, filling the kitchen with its rich, familiar warmth. aria is wide awake now, strapped into her high chair, her tiny feet kicking lightly beneath the tray, her fingers smacking against the plastic in a pleased, rhythmic tap tap tap.
jj sits across from her, a fresh cup of coffee in hand, but she’s barely touched it yet—because aria? aria is entertained. and jj? jj is currently engaged in the most important game of the morning.
“alright, you,” jj says, shuffling through the stack of animal flashcards in her hand. “let’s see if you know this one.”
she holds up a card with a bright yellow duck, its little beak wide open in an exaggerated quack. aria blinks at it, tilting her head slightly, her lips parting in concentration. jj watches, waiting patiently. and then—
“meow.”
jj snorts, glancing toward emily at the stove.
“emily, we’ve got an anarchist over here.”
emily chuckles as she cracks an egg into a bowl, glancing over her shoulder.
“oh, trust me, she knows what a duck is,” emily muses. “she just thinks she’s being funny.”
jj raises an eyebrow, looking back at aria.
“are you messing with me, kid?”
aria smiles, that mischievous, dimpled grin, her fingers drumming a little faster on the tray now, her little secret revealed.
“meow,” she says again, a little softer this time, like she’s testing jj’s reaction.
jj gasps dramatically, clutching her chest, before flipping to another card. “okay, what about this one?”
she holds up a big brown bear, standing tall, its paws extended. aria tilts her head again, her brows furrowing slightly before she scrunched her nose up and clawed her hands up.
“grrrrrrr.”
jj beams, nodding.
“now that was a good one!”
aria claps excitedly, her little hands smacking together, clearly pleased with herself.
“you approve of that one, huh?” jj teases, flipping through the stack again.
emily turns back toward the stove, reaching for the whisk, smiling to herself as she listens.
“breakfast might be…interesting this morning,” she warns, lifting a brow.
jj hums, intrigued.
“oh?”
emily sighs, whisking the eggs together with practiced ease.
“i’m trying to avoid giving her applesauce for breakfast,” she admits, pouring the eggs into the pan.
jj looks back at aria, who is now fully immersed in watching jj shuffle the flashcards like they hold the answers to the universe.
“she always wants applesauce, huh?” jj asks.
emily lets out a long sigh, shaking her head.
“jen, if she could survive solely on applesauce, fruit or toast, she would.”
jj laughs, shaking her head.
“so we’re going to battle this morning?”
emily nods, flipping the first omelet.
“i’ve been trying to introduce her to more foods, and weekends are the best time to do it. less pressure if she completely refuses to eat anything but fruit and toast.”
jj grins, reaching for her coffee. “and what’s the plan?”
emily gestures toward the pan. “omelets.”
jj raises her brows in approval. “solid choice.”
emily exhales, resting a hand on her hip.
“yeah, we’ll see. she likes eggs, but only sometimes. and if she even senses applesauce is an option, she will go to battle over it.”
jj chuckles, watching as emily plates the omelet and moves back toward the counter. she notices something as she switched her glance back towards aria. just past the edge of the living room, neatly stacked next to the morning newspaper, are a few worn-in books. books jj recognizes them, they’re parenting books. not just books tossed there for show—these have been used. dog-eared, marked, tabbed. emily has been studying them. reading them in between newspaper articles and bau case files, trying to make sense of all of it, making sure she’s doing everything she possibly can.
jj doesn’t say anything, but god, she wants to. because there is so much love in that, so much effort - and jj wants to tell her she sees it. that she sees how much emily wants to be the best for aria. that she already is. but instead she flips to another card, holding it up for aria.
“okay, last one before breakfast.”
aria blinks, looking at it carefully.
a bright, golden retriever, its tongue hanging out, grinning like it’s in on the joke. aria studies it. then looks up at jj, then over to emily who is now looking. and then, with pure confidence—
“meow.”
jj snorts, and emily groans dramatically from across the kitchen.
“aria, c’mon.”
aria giggles, kicking her feet excitedly before she speaks again. “woof woof.”
“thank you!” emily says exasperated. “alright, bug, let’s get you your actual breakfast.”
emily walks over, setting aria’s plate down, tilting her head.
“which does not include applesauce,” she warns.
aria stares down at the omelet on her tray like it’s the most bizarre thing she’s ever seen. her little brows furrow, her head tilting slightly, lips parting like she’s about to voice her confusion, but all that comes out is an audible breath and a tiny, bewildered coo. it’s the exact noise one might make if they were torn between saying, “emmy, what the fuck is this?” and just genuinely trying to figure out why there’s a foreign object in front of them. jj watches, biting back a grin, as aria’s small finger pokes at the omelet, hesitantly pressing into the fluffy egg, like she’s testing the structural integrity of it.
emily sits down, setting her own plate on the table, a small laugh escaping her.
“it’s not a trap, bug,” she assures, picking up her fork. “it’s food.”
jj picks up her own fork, glancing at aria, who has now poked the omelet twice and looks absolutely unconvinced.
“you’d think she was inspecting it for evidence,” jj muses, sipping her coffee.
emily grins, shaking her head. “i told you. it’s always a battle.”
jj watches as aria’s little tongue pokes out slightly in deep concentration before she finally looks up at emily, tilting her head. emily tilts her head right back, mimicking her, eyebrows raised slightly in silent challenge. jj laughs softly, nudging her plate closer.
“alright, kid. here’s the deal,” she says, leaning forward. “we’ll all take a bite together.”
emily picks up her fork. jj picks up hers. aria stares.
“c’mon, baby,” emily coaxes, tapping her fork against her own omelet. “you like eggs, remember?”
aria still doesn’t move, her little fingers curling around the edge of her tray like she’s debating her life choices. jj watches as emily takes a bite, chewing dramatically, raising her brows as if to convince aria through enthusiasm alone.
“mmm. sooo good,” emily mocks delight, smirking slightly.
jj catches on immediately, taking a bite herself and exaggerating her reaction.
“wow, emily,” jj gasps, eyes widening. “this is so good.”
emily snorts, shaking her head.
“right? you’re telling me you don’t want a bite of this, aria?”
aria looks between them, eyes flickering from emily to jj to emily again. slowly, hesitantly, she reaches out, pinching a tiny piece between her fingers, lifting it to her mouth. jj freezes, emily freezes, aria chews. there’s a moment of silence. then a tiny, thoughtful hum. jj watches as aria nods to herself, as if she has just decided this is acceptable after all, and takes another piece. emily exhales dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest.
“oh my god, we did it,” she whispers, eyes wide with mock relief.
jj grins, nudging emily’s foot under the table.
“mission accomplished,” jj smirks.
aria picks up another bite—thoughtfully, her little brows lifting as she swallows. then, her big brown eyes immediately flicker to jj, waiting. jj catches on instantly, letting out a soft gasp, clapping her hands together.
“ohhh, that was a big bite, aria!” she coos, reaching out to squeeze aria’s tiny foot where it keeps swinging happily beneath the high chair.
aria beams, clearly thrilled by the praise, wiggling her toes before reaching for another piece. emily chuckles, shaking her head as she sips her coffee.
“maybe you just need to be at every meal,” she muses, watching aria eat another bite with zero resistance. “this was way more simple than it usually is.”
jj just smiles, squeezing aria’s foot again, the toddler’s soft socked heel pressed against her palm. she would be there for every meal. that sounds like bliss to her. but before she can say anything, before she can sit in that thought too long, emily’s phone rings.
a sharp vibration against the kitchen counter, cutting through the calm warmth of the morning. aria’s little head pops up, her brows pulling together at the sound, her fingers still gripping a piece of egg mid-air. emily glances at the screen, her expression immediately shifting, her shoulders tensing as she wipes her hands and picks up her phone. she sighs when she sees the caller id. jj recognizes the shift before emily even speaks. it’s her work voice.
“this is prentiss.”
jj knows that voice. the voice that is poised, direct, no-nonsense. it’s the voice emily only uses when something at work has gone sideways. aria seems to recognize it too because she immediately quiets, waiting for her moment to make noise again. not in a bad way. not in a fearful way. just in a way that says she knows her emmy is busy now. jj watches as emily’s face continues to fall, her free hand lifting to cover her face as she responds short every time.
“yup.”
“yeah.”
“yes, i know.”
“i understand that, but have you tried—”
“okay, yeah.”
“understood.”
“i’ll be there soon.”
emily hangs up, immediately texting away, her fingers moving fast over the screen.
“i’ve got to see if her sitter is even available, i have to go in. there’s something new in the davis case and it apparently can’t wait.”
she exhales sharply, running a hand through her hair.
“fuck—” she gestures toward aria, eyes wide—“do not repeat that.”
jj smirks, but stays quiet, watching emily, waiting for her moment to slide in. emily keeps typing, muttering under her breath.
“her sitter is out of town, now that i look at the calendar. i don’t understand why they have to—”
jj doesn’t let her finish.
“emily,” jj interrupts, firm but soft, already reaching for her coffee again.
emily pauses, blinking up at her. jj just shrugs.
“i can watch her for a few hours. it’s fine.”
emily stares like jj just offered to hold the sun in her hands for her.
jj can tell emily is mulling on the idea, so she nods, offering emily a small, reassuring smile.
“i’m not busy,” she says, her voice even, easy. “i have brunch with a friend at eleven, but she can come. it’s right down the street—walking distance.”
emily bites her lip, hesitating. she doesn’t want to intrude. doesn’t want to ask too much, but she needs this. she needs someone she trusts, someone aria adores, and she knows jj is the best possible person for this moment.
“you’re sure?” emily asks, her voice quieter now.
jj doesn’t even blink.
“yes.”
simple. certain. emily exhales, running a hand through her hair, and nods, relief settling into her bones.
“okay,” she murmurs.
jj just smiles, nudging aria’s foot lightly, watching the toddler beam up at her, completely oblivious to the exchange above her.
“we’ll have fun, won’t we, bug?” jj says, grinning.
aria kicks her legs excitedly, clapping her hands.
“jayjeeee!”
emily chuckles, shaking her head. she doesn’t know why she even hesitated, because if there’s anyone she trusts—it’s jj.