Chapter 2
JJ opened the door, allowing Prentiss to walk in before following behind her, shutting and locking the door. “Michael, Henry” she called out “I'm home.”
Prentiss starred down the hall, expecting to see both the boys but only Henry came out, walking over and giving Prentiss a tight hug. “Hey Em.”
Prentiss smiled and hugged him back “hey, how’s my favourite boy?”
Henry smiled as he pulled away “I’m good, just in the middle of a game.”
“Well thank you for coming out, but you better get back to it” she said, shooing him down the hall “and you better win” she called out, Henry laughing as he went back into his room.
When Michael didn’t come out, she turned back to JJ. “Maybe he didn’t hear you?”
JJ looked at Prentiss “Michael got a new toy, and he is very invested in it” she said. “Watch this” her gaze turned back down the hallway “Michael, someone is here to see you.”
“Is it Emmy?” Michael shouted back.
“You’ll have to come find out.”
Both girls laughed when they saw Michael's head pop out from his room “Emmy!” he yelled as he ran down the hall, jumping up at Prentiss.
Prentiss laughed as she picked Michael up, holding him tightly “Hey little man, how are you?”
Michael smiled “I'm good, are you staying for pizza and movie night?”
“I sure am” Prentiss replied.
“Good” Michael said as he wiggled his way out of her arms and ran back down the hall. “Grandma, Henry” he shouted, “Emmy is staying for pizza.”
JJ chuckled as she set her bag on the table before heading into the kitchen “sorry about that, he just really loves his Emmy.”
Prentiss followed JJ and sat on one of the bench stools “it’s okay, I love when he gets super excited, and I love both those boys.”
JJ’s mother walked down the hall “I promise I didn’t fill that boy with candy” she said, setting her purse on the counter.
JJ laughed as she filled the kettle with water, beginning to boil it “I know mom, he just gets naturally excited.”
Sandy turned to Prentiss “hello Agent Prentiss, it’s lovely to see you again.”
Prentiss smiled “Please Mrs. Jareau, you can call me Emily, and it is lovely to see you as well.”
Sandy smiled “then like I've said, please call me Sandy” she said before turning to JJ “are you going to be okay tonight dear?”
“Yes mom, Emily is going to stay for pizza and a movie. We will be fine, please enjoy your night. After everything you have done you deserve a break” JJ said as she walked over to her mom, hugging her tightly.
Sandy hugged her back before pulling away “alright, I will see you later” she smiled as she picked up her purse, heading out the door.
Once she was gone JJ turned around, Prentiss was no longer sitting on the stool and instead was in the kitchen making the two coffees. JJ slid into the stool next to the one Prentiss had been in, watching the woman in her kitchen, her mind beginning to wander. When Prentiss use to come by and help, JJ use to imagine what her life would be like if the woman never left, and she found herself wondering once again as she watched Prentiss move so naturally around her kitchen. She liked the idea of waking up in the morning, walking down the hallway, seeing Emily in the kitchen with two coffee cups in hand, handing JJ one before giving her a soft kiss. JJ shook her head. A kiss? No. She couldn’t be thinking this way. Emily was her best friend, nothing more.
“Hello? Earth to JJ” Prentiss said softly, pulling JJ out of her daydream. She slid one of the coffee cups to her “what’s got you so lost in thought?”
“Hmm?” JJ said, taking a quick sip of her drink “oh, nothing” she said, chuckling nervously.
Prentiss raised her eyebrow “nothing hmm? Why do I feel it is something?”
Before JJ could say anything, Michael had raced back down the hall, running into the kitchen has he wrapped his arms around Prentiss’s leg. “Phew, I thought you left” he said softly.
Prentiss bent down and picked Michael up, sitting him on the bench “leaving without saying goodbye to my favourite little guy?” she asked, rustling his hair “I would never” she said before taking a sip of her coffee.
Michael looked at her and smiled “can I have a sip please?”
JJ laughed “no way buddy” she said, moving to the fridge and taking out a juice box “you can have this instead.”
Michael took the juice box from JJ “thank you mumma” he said, holding the juicebox to Prentiss.
Prentiss set her coffee mug down on the bench, taking the juice box from Michael. She unwrapped the straw and pierced it through, handing it back to Michael. JJ couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two, always enjoying how happy he was with Emily and how she knew what he wanted and needed even if he didn’t say the words.
“Thank you, Emmy,” he said, grabbing the juice box and taking a sip.
~
After the four of them had finished their pizza and the movie they were watching, JJ sent the boys up to brush their teeth. “I will be back shortly” she said to Prentiss, following the boys down the hallway. Henry brushed his teeth and hopped into bed without any protest, but Michael was putting on a fight, one that JJ was not winning. Prentiss was sitting out on the couch, smiling at herself as she could here JJ and Michael going back and forth.
JJ came back out, rolled her eyes when she saw Prentiss and walked into the kitchen to get Michael the cup of water he desperately needed.
“How’s it going?” Prentiss asked, getting off the couch and heading into the kitchen.
“Henry is in his bed, reading a book. Michael on the other hand is thinking of every excuse in the book as to why he can’t go to bed yet.”
“I don’t want to overstep, but is there anything I can do?”
JJ smiled “you aren’t overstepping” she said. She handed Prentiss the cup of water “go knock yourself out, I'm getting a glass of wine.”
Prentiss laughed as she took the cup, walking down the hall. When she entered Michael’s room, she saw him lying on the floor. “Michael Lamontagne, you get your butt in bed this instant” she said, causing Michael to quickly jump up off the floor into bed. “What is going on with you tonight Mr.?”
“If I go to sleep, the next day will come” he said quietly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But if the next day comes, you won’t be here anymore, and the last time I saw you was a very very very long time ago” he exaggerated. “I don’t want to wait a long time again.”
“Michael, you saw me two weekends ago, that wasn’t very long ago” Prentiss said, setting the cup on the side table before sitting down next to him as she ran her fingers through his hair. “It won’t be long before I see you again.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, and you know you can always ask you mom to call me if you want to see me. If I am not already doing something we can do something together.”
Michael smiled as Prentiss leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Okay” he said softly.
“Now can I send mummy in here to read you your bedtime story?” Prentiss asked and Michael nodded his head. “You promise you will be good?”
“I promise” he said.
Prentiss got up and headed back to the lounge room “Michael is ready for his bedtime story.”
JJ shook her head as she stood up, walking over to Prentiss. “I can’t believe he listened to you.” They both laughed as they walked down the hall together, JJ heading into Michael’s room to read him his story, and Prentiss heading into Henry’s so he could practice his French some more.
~
Once both boys had fallen asleep, Prentiss had JJ had made their way back to the couch, wine glass in hand. “Thank you for staying for pizza and movie night, I’m sure you have better things to be doing but the boys love having you.”
Prentiss shook her head “you three are so important to me, there is nothing else I would rather be doing on a Saturday night” she said, taking a sip of her wine.
JJ smiled “not even going out for girls night?”
“That’s reserved for Friday nights, I need two days to recover.”
JJ laughed “when did you become such an old lady who can’t party on a Saturday?”
Prentiss smiled “alright, you go out with Garcia on Saturday and show me how it’s done.”
JJ scrunched her nose “can I have Monday off then?”
Prentiss smiled and shook her head, she never knew why but the little face JJ made when she would scrunch her nose always made Prentiss’s stomach flutter. “See, not so tough, are we?”
“Okay okay” JJ said defensively, “but Garcia and Lewis can go crazy” she said, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. “Movie?” she asked, setting her glass down and picking up the remote.
Prentiss nodded her head “yeah, your pick though.”
JJ turned on the tv and flicked through the movies, landing on Last Christmas. “This one?”
Prentiss furrowed her brows as she looked at the description of the movie before glancing over at JJ, seeing her pleading with her big blue eyes. Whenever JJ looked at her like this, she could never say no. “Okay fine, we can watch it.”
“You’ll love it” JJ said, clicking on the movie.
“And if I don’t?”
“You will” JJ said, settling into the couch as she pressed play, Prentiss admiring the confidence. Towards the end of the movie the tears began running down JJ’s cheeks. Prentiss looked over at her and lifted her arm up. JJ scooted down, and Prentiss gently placed her arm over JJ’s shoulders.
“Does this movie always get you this upset?”
“How can you not be crying?” JJ said between sobs.
“Well, I mean, I kind of sensed it was going to happen” she used her free hand to wipe JJ’s tears. “Why do you watch it if it makes you this sad?”
“Because it’s a beautiful movie.”
Prentiss focused her attention back on the film as JJ rested her head into Prentiss’s side, watching as Prentiss’s fingertips drew circled on her shoulder, trying not to think much of it as they were only best friends, right?
Prentiss looked down at the blonde, smiling to herself as JJ rested her head on her. No matter how many movie nights the pair have, how many times they sit closely as they watch the film, the butterflies that form in Prentiss’s stomach never seem to settle. She thought she had pushed away these feelings years ago, but they had resurfaced. She knew she couldn’t be feeling this, and she knew she needed to push them away again, she was good at masking her feelings, shoving them away inside a box. But sometimes she wondered if she didn’t want to. It didn’t matter what she wanted, she had to do right by JJ. They were best friends after all, she wasn’t going to ruin it because of some little feelings she has, especially because JJ didn’t feel the same.
Once the movie was finished Prentiss looked at the time “I should head off, are you going to be okay?”
JJ sat up and smiled “yea I will be fine. Thank you for coming.” The two off them stood up, heading towards the door and giving each other a quick hug.
“Call me if you need anything” Prentiss said, opening the door and stepping out.
“I will” JJ said, closing and locking the door once Prentiss was in her car.