-01-
-JJ’s place, Sunday december first.-
The snowflakes were falling down the sky, landing on the window and sticking to the glass. Jennifer Jareau used to love the snow, she used to love playing in the snow and making the biggest snowman she could ever make. Normally she would dress up Henry in his little cute winter overall that Penelope got him and she would take him outside to play. Now, now she was laying curled up in bed, her body wrapped up in blankets as she just stared into space.
Aaron had given JJ some time off, ‘until you are ready’ he had told her when he called her into his office and told her the news. That talk, the talk she had been dreading was now a month ago. She had been home for a month, following therapy and trying to get at least a couple hours of sleep.
A knock on the door, a pause followed by the door opening pulled JJ out of her thoughts though she didn’t look up from the little spot of blue ink that was on the white wall. She could hear the footsteps coming closer and she already knew who was coming inside the bedroom.
‘’You look disgusting,’’ Penelope said as she placed the basket she was holding on the ground before crossing her arms in front of her chest. ‘So? It is not that I have to help the bau or anything! Will took Henry and I am not getting him back until my therapist says that I am okay enough! and most of all, I don’t have the energy to get out of bed and-,’’ JJ sighed as she was cut off by Penelope letting out a sigh. ‘’Oh my dear injured unicorn kitty, all your magic has disappeared into the black hole,’’’ Penelope sighed as she walked closer to JJ, kneeling down in front of her as she looked into the eyes of her best friend.
‘’You ready to let me help you? I got your favourite Cheetos,’’ Penelope whispered as she placed a hand on JJ’s face, stroking the woman’s cheek with her thumb.
JJ tried to focus on Penelope, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slowly started to break. ‘’I don’t know if I can do this any longer Pen,’’ JJ whispered as Penelope’s heart broke, it shattered into a thousand pieces when she heard the words, those words coming out of her best friends mouth. ‘’Okay, can I tell you my plan?”’ Penelope asked as JJ slowly nodded, the tears falling down and staining the mattress cover.
‘’Okay, my dear unicorn kitten, we are gonna start with getting you out of this bed and into a shower, while you are enjoying the warmth of the shower I will freshen up this bed with my own unicorn scented wash soap. Okay it is maybe not unicorn scented but I imagine unicorns dancing through the fields when I smell it!’’’ Penelope said as she could see the tiniest hint of amusement forming on JJ’s face. ‘’Okay so after you showered we are gonna sit on the couch and we are gonna eat cookies and cupcakes, which I made myself and we will watch Disney movies!’’ Penelope smiled as she clapped her hands.
‘’I know, the cupcakes and Disney movies make my plan the best plan ever!”’ Penelope smiled as she stacked out her hand, her fingers brushing against JJ’s. ‘’Come on, you will feel a little better after you showered,’’ Penelope smiled as a bright smile formed on her face when she looked at JJ pushing herself up. ‘’Do you bring the unicorn shampoo? You know the one I like?’’ JJ said, her voice almost a whisper as Penelope nodded. ‘’I knew you loved that one so I got it for you! Want me to do your hair or can you do that yourself,’’ Penelope asked as JJ closed her eyes, she wanted to be strong and independent, she didn’t want to be weak or be a burden to Penelope but she knew that she just hadn’t the energy to do it herself. ‘’Can, can you please help me?”’ JJ whispered, her voice so soft that Penelope almost didn’t catch it.
‘’Yes, Jayje, I am gonna help you! I am here for you all day okay? You are not alone anymore,’’ Penelope whispered as she carefully wiped away a tear that had escaped JJ’s eyes. ‘’Come on, let's get you showered,’’ Penelope whispered as she gave JJ an encouraging smile.
Penelope turned on the shower, checking if the temperature was right, not to cold but also not to hot. ‘’Okay unicorn, your shower is ready!”’ Penelope smiled as she looked at JJ staring at the electrical burn on her stomach, her fingers tracing the skin around the wound. ‘’Do you want me to cover it?’’ Penelope asked as JJ looked up, her ocean blue eyes glassy and unfocused as she nodded. ‘Okay I will be quick! Just put your feet in the bathtub so you can get used to the temperature,’’ Penelope smiled as she made her way out of the bathroom.
JJ was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her feet covered by the warm water. ‘’Okay I am back!’’ Penelope smiled as she was holding a fresh and clean dressing in her hands. ‘’Let me put this on so you can enjoy the bath,’’ Penelope whispered as she got everything ready.
JJ flinched the moment Penelope put the dressing on her stomach. ‘’You know sometimes I just like to think that those dressings have unicorn kisses inside of them, it makes it less hospital-like you know?”’ Penelope asked as JJ nodded.
She didn’t know why but hearing Penelope talk about unicorns made her forget the things that happened. Even though she was thirty-three, hearing her best friend talk about unicorns made her feel better, or at least a little.
Penelope was careful as she helped JJ, she listened to JJ and made sure she wasn’t overstepping any of JJ’s boundaries.
She covered JJ’s blonde hair with shampoo before rinsing it out and doing it for the second time. ‘’You know the conditioner smells like blueberries! And it has like this blue kinda purple colour so it fits perfectly!’’ Penelope smiled as she squeezed the bottle and put it in JJ’s hair. ‘’We are almost done Jayje,’’ Penelope smiled softly as JJ raised her hand, reaching for Penelope’s hand before holding it.
’Thankyou Penny, thank you for helping me,’’ JJ whispered as Penelope nodded, quickly blinking away her own tears that were threatening to fall. ‘’You are my best friend Jay, of course I am gonna help you, I am here for you, no matter what,’’ Penelope whispered as her voice cracked.
It took a few minutes before they finished showering, at the end Penelope was soaking wet, the wet blond locks sticking to her forehead as Penelope let out a sigh. ‘’At least you are way easier then Sergio when he has to go in bath!’’ Penelope laughed as a small smile tugged at the corners of JJ’s mouth. ‘’He hates baths so much doesn’t he?”’ JJ asked as Penelope nodded. ‘’Look, you don’t scratch me when I am washing your hair! Sergio is fighting his way out of the bathtub everytime I try to give him a spa day!’ Penelope laughed as she placed a hand on JJ’s shoulder. ‘’Come on, let’s get you changed into some fresh pyjamas and I will put your sheets in the washing machine!”’ Penelope smiled as she gently squeezed JJ’s shoulder.
After JJ was changed into her fresh and clean fluffy pyjamas Penelope had given JJ the remote. ‘’’I somehow have always a fight with your tv so just put on Disney and put on our favourite movie!”’ Penelope smiled as she gestured to the flatscreen tv that was hanging on the wall. ‘’The fact that you, a tech wizard who works for the fbi fights with my tv is still kinda funny!’ JJ whispered as Penelope let out a dramatic sigh, ‘’I tried to give the tv love okay? I tried everything but that thing hates me!”’ Penelope smiled as JJ shook her head. ‘’I will just put on our favourite Disney movie!’ JJ said softly as she watched Penelope leave.
Ten minutes later, Penelope came back, a tray of cupcakes in her hands as she was holding a bag of homemade cookies in the other. ‘’I got the food! Now a movie night can start!”’ Penelope smiled as she looked at JJ laying curled up on the couch, her eyes focused on the start screen of their favourite Disney movie.
’’Come here,’’ Penelope smiled as she carefully sat down and moved JJ’s head in her lap. ‘’A Disney movie will cheer you up, it will remind you of when we were watching Disney movies with our girls nights!”’ Penelope smiled as she pressed play on the movie.
It was a Disney movie later when JJ looked up, her eyes watery and tear marks staining her cheeks. ‘’I thought I was winning the crying contest this time but I guess you won,’’’ Penelope joked as JJ sniffled. ‘’I miss her, I miss her so much,’’’ JJ sighed as Penelope looked at her best friend, her mind trying to figure out who the person was. ‘’Who do you miss Jenni?’’ Penelope asked as JJ inhaled shakily. ‘’Riley, I miss Riley and I know that she is safe, probably fighting for our safety but I miss her, I miss her so much,’’ JJ whispered as she felt Penelope’s arm being wrapped around her body. ‘’Wanna talk about her?’’ Penelope whispered as JJ nodded. ‘’Please,’’ she whispered as she pushed herself up.
‘’JJ why did you never tell me how amazing Riley is?’’ Penelope asked after JJ told her another story about her and Riley. ‘’Because I don’t know when she will come back and if she still wants to be friends with me,’’ JJ sighed as Penelope let out a small gasp. ‘’What do you mean you don’t know if she wants to be friends with me? You are like the greatest person to be around!” Penelope exclaimed as JJ shuggered her shoulders. ‘’At first we tried to video call a lot but the last few years, when I was in Afghanistan the video calls turned into letters and letters turned into short birthday messages,’’ JJ whispered as Penelope let out a small sigh. ‘’Oh Jayje, you two will be okay, she probably misses you a lot too,’’ penelope whispered as JJ looked up. ‘I just wish she was here, and I wouldn’t have to worry so much,’’ JJ whispered as Penelope nodded. ‘’When is the last time you saw her?’’’ Penelope asked a few minutes later. ‘’In person you mean?’’ JJ asked as Penelope nodded her head.
JJ placed her fingers against her chin, slightly tilting her head to the right side as she tried to remember. ‘’Years ago, she never moved away from where we lived so whenever she came back she just stayed with friends,’’ JJ sighed as she looked at Penelope. ‘’We tried to meet up but everytime a case came in between and she never stayed long, she lived for what she was doing so most of the times she was deployed before we could plan a visit,’’ JJ whispered as Penelope nodded.
‘’I am sure she misses you, I am sure she is really sad that your schedules don’t match up when she was home between employment,’’ Penelope sighed as JJ nodded, slowly wiping her tears with the back of her hand. ‘’I told her about you, I told her about you and how amazing you were,’’ JJ whispered, a small smile forming on her face. ‘Wait! You told Riley about me? You told your childhood best friend about me?’’ Penelope asked as she jumped off the couch and clapped her hands, danced around the room, giggling.
‘’Yes, I told Riley about how you are there for me and how you became my favourite friend and how much she was gonna love you when she got her ass back stateside,’’ JJ smiled as Garcia couldn’t stop smiling. ‘’Oh my god! Riley and me are gonna be best friends forever!”’ Penelope smiled as JJ shook her head, trying her hardest to not burst out in laughter. ‘’Maybe I can use this to get her to come home and stay home,’’ JJ smiled, for the first time in weeks she felt lighter, she started seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel by just thinking of her two favourite people in the whole world becoming best friends.
‘’I love both of you so much,’’ JJ whispered as she watched Garcia pacing back and forth, rambling about things she would show Riley when they met.
Garcia couldn’t stop talking about things she was gonna ask Riley. ‘’Can I ask her if she has gossip about when you were a teenager?’’ Penelope asked as a small gasp
escaped from JJ’s lips. ‘’You are absolutely not asking her that!’’ JJ said as Penelope smirked, ‘’What if I ask her something else and she starts giving me gossip?”’ Penelope asked as JJ pointed her finger. ‘’Don’t you dare! Don’t encourage her because she will do it!’’ JJ said, her voice firm but with small cracks in it.
From that moment, Penelope was determined to find out as much as she could about Riley.
It was two hours later, two hours of Penelope and JJ watching Disney movies and eating Penelope’s cupcakes.
‘’I am sleeping over by the way! No discussion! You can talk to the unicorns if you don’t agree with me,’’ Penelope said, her voice firm as she looked at JJ and the blueberry cupcake in her hand. ‘’You don’t have to babysit me Garcia,’’ JJ sighed as Penelope nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ‘’I know, I know you don’t need a babysitter but I also know that you are not fine and I just like to be close,’’ Penelope said as JJ tipped her head back, letting out a sigh as she looked back at Penelope. ‘’Did Aaron put you up to this?’’ JJ asked as Penelope shook her head. ‘’No he didn’t, this is just your best friend and not biological sister being worried about you and the state you are in!”’ Penelope said as JJ’s eyes softened. ‘’Fine, you can sleepover because to be honest it would be really nice to have you over,’’ JJ smiled as Penelope fist bumped the air. ‘’Jarcia sleepover!’’ Penelope beamed as she carefully pulled JJ into a hug, JJ finally relaxed in her best friend's arms. ‘’Thankyou for being here Penny,’’ JJ whispered as she felt Penelope’s hands rubbing her back. ‘’Always JJ, I will always be there for you. Always and forever.’’