criminal minds | one-shots ✓

9. ptc

"you have to let me go." jj says, unimpressed, and the urchin stuck to her leg lets out a whine.

"but mo-om, i don't want you to leave!"

jj exhales, closing her eyes and reminding herself to take a chill pill. it's cool. parent teacher conferences weren't even that big of a deal and if she was a late, it's not like the world would come to end.

and yet, if said urchin was acting this way and she hadn't even gotten her foot out the door, it probably wasn't the best sign.

"henry. buddy. love of my life. please, please let me go." she would promise him ice-cream, but she's not that desperate (yet) and if this meeting does go horribly wrong, she doesn't want to put her foot in her mouth.

"no." he says, his grip around her leg tightening, stubborn as ever, and just like his dad, they'd said, when it was cute, but now it was mostly just infuriating.

"henry." a voice says, and she glances up with a sigh of relief. speak of the devil and she's never been so glad to think that phrase. "let's go read a book or sumthin'. play with your trucks."

henry looks up, eyes twinkling and back straightening already, "my trucks?"

"yeah, come on." he says, and henry peels off her leg and runs down the hall.

definitely a mama's boy, she'd said when he was a baby, but she thinks there's something there now when she comes home from late cases to see them playing trucks together. it was a them thing. jj couldn't even find it within herself to be jealous.

she meets will's eyes with a silent thank you, and slips out the door with a soft smile.

maybe she'd get them both ice-cream.