Haley (Criminal Minds fanfic/Spinoff in the Boss's Niece series)

Advice From Cousin Jack

I started to regret my decision, but Martin was already gone and I was standing on the doorstep. I didn't know who else to turn to. My parents, maybe, but I felt like this was a problem I had to talk about with someone closer to my age. And since Olivia was gone back to school...

I knocked at the door and waited. I was only there a moment when the door opened and there stood my cousin, Jack. He didn't seem tired, so maybe he hadn't been asleep.

"Haley?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I need help," I told him. "I didn't know where is to turn to."

"Are Mel and Spencer okay?"

"Oh yeah, mom and dad are fine. It isn't a work problem or anything. It's...it's sort of a...social problem I guess." Jack nodded and stepped aside, letting me in. "I didn't wake Aaron, did I?"

Jack chuckled. "Please, he could sleep through the worst earthquake the world has ever known. And don't worry about Michelle, she's awake."

"She can hear you," called Jack's wife, Michelle, from the other room. "Come see me my cousin-in-law!"

Michelle and I were really close. Besides Olivia, Michelle was one of my only female friends before joining the BAU. Whenever I had girl problems, I'd end up running to Olivia or Michelle; Michelle, being older, was usually my first choice. I guess even though I was running to Jack, subconsciously I was running to Michelle.

I entered the living room where Michelle sat in a pair of what looked like Jack's PJ bottoms and a take top. She was holding a glass of wine, but put it down quickly to jump up from the couch and rush over to hug me. I giggled as I hugged her back. Michelle moved away for a moment and looked at me.

"You smell like a bar," she observes. "Are you drunk?"

"No!" I said. "I took like one sip of my drink. But that's sort of the reason why I'm here. Can we...sit, maybe?"

Jack and Michelle sat on the couch and I sat by them. I told them the whole story, starting with that first kiss with Jake and ending with the fight and the realization about Henry liking me. They listened closely as I told them everything and asked what I should do.

They were both silent for a moment and in that one moment, I felt so stupid. I was in my early 20s and I couldn't figure out what to do about two boys liking me. I didn't even know that they both liked me until Jake kissed me and until Martin really made me think about Henry. Are most 20 year old girls like this? Or is it just me?

"Well, what do you feel about Jake?" Michelle asked first.

"That's the thing," I said. "I have no idea. I mean, he kisses me and I don't feel like...wow. I feel like...like I don't want to kiss him anymore. I feel like I'm forcing myself to kiss him lately. I...I definitely do not love him. I know that."

"And what about Henry?"

I had to think about that. What did I feel about Henry?

He had been my best friend since childhood. Mom once told me how he took to me so quickly after I was born. He always asked Aunt JJ if mom and dad could come over so he could see me. He loved holding me. A few of my earliest memories are of me and Henry running around in my backyard.

But romantically, how did I feel?

If I looked at my relationship with Jake, I never thought I liked him until I realized he liked me. Then he kissed me and I felt something for him that I had never felt before with anyone. But now...it was like that was gone. I couldn't let that happen with me and Henry. I didn't want to lose our friendship. But...if I broke his heart...

Jack made the sound of a buzzer, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Time's up. You think too much, Hails."

"Look who my parents are," I joked. "Well, my dad at least."

"When it comes to stuff like this," Michelle jumped in. "it should be simple." She snapped her fingers for effect. "Just like that, you know the answer. I know this is the first time you're in this situation, so it's all a bit confusing, but love is simple."

I nodded to what they were saying, but I wasn't sure how much I believed them. Love always seemed hard. People love other people and the other person doesn't love them back or cheats or dies or moves away. What then? Is love still simple then?

"Mind if I give you some advice?" Jack asked. "Since you technically came to me."

I shrugged in response and nodded for Jack to continue.

"Well, we've already established that this whole relationship with Jake is one sided. So the only logical thing to do is to break up with him. Tell him how you feel. It's going to be hard, I know, considering you two work together, but you're adults. If he keeps a grudge like a child and makes it effect your work, he's obviously not cut out to be on the BAU."

That was a good idea. While I was worried about what Jake would say or do if I broke up with him, Jack had a point. We were both adults, both on the FBI. Jake couldn't hate me for long before he had to let it all go. If not for me, then for the sake of the team.

"As for Henry," Jack continued. "don't over think things between the two of you. You don't have to figure it all out yet. But you should talk to him about all of this. And about that thing with your teammate. If what Jake thinks is true, it's not right for him to be using your teammate in this way."

I nodded before getting up and hugging Jack. "Thank you so much big cousin." I turned to Michelle and hugged her as well. "And cousin-in-law."

The two smiled and Jack showed me out. I realized I had no way of getting home, but believe it or not, I was there for nearly an hour and a half. I didn't want to keep Jack and Michelle up anymore, so I decided to walk home.

I thought over everything they said and realized they had a point. The first thing I had to do the next day (if Jake and/or Henry came in at all) was to talk to both of them; break up with Jake and confront Henry about the whole Crew thing. Hunting down serial killers was stressful enough, I didn't need relationship drama on top of it all.

I had to straighten everything out for the sake of the team and my sanity.