Jemily One Shots

Birthday

JJ's POV

It is a cold morning, the windows still fogged from the frost, and the floor still freezing. JJ rolls over in bed to cuddle into what seems like the only warmth in the room. Emily. But Emily isn't there. Realizing what day it is today, JJ wishes she could go back to sleep and never wake up. It was JJ's birthday. She never liked her birthday, it was always cold and reminded her of how little people thought of her.

JJ's 7th birthday - Parents completely forgot about her birthday because they were still mourning her sisters suicide.

JJ's 8th birthday - Parents fought the whole time.

JJ's 9th birthday - No friends to invite the her party - she blew out her candles alone in the dark.

JJ's 10th birthday - Uncle get arrested for assaulting someone.

You get the idea, JJ stopped celebrating her birthday when she was 11. She saw no point in hurting herself even more than she already had. The BAU never understood why she wouldn't allow them to celebrate her birthday, but they never questioned it. JJ knew Emily would do something this year to celebrate, especially now that Henry is old enough to understand that today is his mommy's special day. She finally decides to accept the fact that her bedroom door is going to burst open any second with an extra excited Henry and his mama. She decides that she should at least brush her teeth and get somewhat ready for the torture she will endure today.

Emily's POV

I never understood why Jennifer wouldn't celebrate her birthday. I've only been with the BAU for 3 of her birthdays, and anytime I would propose we do something I was immediately shut down with no explanation. However, this birthday is the first one I have had with her since we've lived together. I don't plan on going all out, just in case there is a horrible explanation behind this. I slip out of bed at the butt crack of dawn, I want to clean the apartment and make her breakfast before she wakes up. I also thought it would be cute if I made Henry make her a card or something to express how much he cares for her.

As I'm cutting up some fruit I hear the pitter patter of little feet running in the kitchen. Henry runs in with his planet jammies and a small blanket I gifted him when he was just a baby.
"Good morning bubs, how did you sleep?" Henry rubs his eyes and lifts his arms up for me to pick him up.
"Good morning mama, I sleep good" He still seems pretty tired so I gently rock back and forth with him in my arms as I'm flipping pancakes.
"Guess what today is bub"
"Is it Christmas!" I chuckle knowing this kid could unwrap gifts upon gifts for hours, even if they weren't for him. The feeling of ripping a mysterious box open just excites this kid to pieces.
"Not yet a monkey. It's mommy's birthday" The look on his face is confusing, please tell me this kid knows what a birthday is?
"Mommy has a birthday? I don't remember her having one before? And I always remember mine"

I guess she never did anything for her birthday so she never told Henry she had one. To be fair, I had to bribe JJ to give me the date. It took 3 party sized bags of Cheetos and a new pair of shoes to get her to tell me.

"How about you make mommy a card for her birthday, I think she will love that"

I finish up breakfast and collect Henry's masterpiece of a card, just as we were about to walk the food into the bedroom JJ walks into the kitchen with a 'wtf I want to kill you' look.
"Look before you go bananas on me for even acknowledging it's your birthday, I only made you breakfast and bought you 2 gifts, and Henry made you a card."
"What is the purpose of all this, I don't like my birthday and never will" I can tell she's starting to accept me doing the bare minimum when she starts eating the breakfast I made her. Which by the way, I only burned 3 pancakes before making a good one, a new record if you ask me.

"Prentiss I will kill you if you have anything more planned, that is a promise" JJ states as she points her fork at me.
"Yes ma'am"

After breakfast Henry gives his card to Jennifer and goes to his room to play. I can tell JJ felt a little bad when Henry showed his card off to his mommy because she had been a little harsh when she first walked in. I pulled JJ onto the couch, hopeful she would open up about her past birthday experiences and give me some sort of explanation, not that I deserve one though, just curious I guess.

"You want me to tell you why I resent my birthday, Im guessing?" She starts picking at her nails, I grab her hands and place them in my lap.
" I guess I just never had any good experiences with them, I never got to enjoy it. So I stopped trying and left it behind"
"JJ nobody should have to feel like that about their birthday, it is meant to be a day of celebration and joy. Not sorrow and regret, I'm sorry you felt like that on your special day" Now I feel like a jackass, but I want her to be able to have at least one good birthday, so I guess it was worth it.
"Its ok you didn't know, this was probably the best birthday i've had since I was 4 to be completely honest"

I can tell she's starting to lighten up so I move onto another topic.
"So will you still let me give you your gifts?" A grin appears on her face.
"Only because I know you will keep bugging me about them"
"Ok stay here. And close your eyes!" I got up and to get her gifts, I didn't want to overdo it this time so I did actually only get her 2 gifts, although they were very sentimental.

"Ok hold out your hands, here is the first one. Ok open" JJ opens her eyes and starts tearing up immediately, It's a necklace with Henry's birthstone on it.
"Oh my god babe it's beautiful. I love it" she hugs me and I hand her a bag with her final gift in it. She opens the bag and immediately gives it back.
"I can't have this Em, it's an iPhone, that's too expensive. I can't take it" I place the phone back in her lap.
"You were the one who said I would keep begging you to take them. This isn't some 'please love me, heres my money' This is because of all your hard work and all that you have been through. Plus you totally need a new one, your phone is probably from the stone age" she laughs and accepts the phone with a smile on her face.
"Now come on I promised Henry that we would go to the park for a while"

JJ's POV

I should have seen this coming earlier, I knew Emily would find some way to make me feel special on the worst day of the year.

Maybe I can give birthdays another try.