Sweet Disposition

Rating: T

Pairing: JJ/Hotch

Song: Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

Author's Note: Yes, I am named after this song. This particular chapter is going to be a much different format than the rest of the stories. I started the shuffle with this song, which is probably cheating, but I don't really care. I wanted to start with this song. Hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to R&R!

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and the characters from the show…do not belong to me….as painful as that is.

A MOMENT

JJ rubbed her eyes for the umpteenth time in the last hour before glancing at her wristwatch, groaning as she realized the time. 9:42. JJ hated staying so incredibly late at the office, but it was a necessity of the job at times. Looking over at the enormous mountain of case files and paper work she had successfully completed during her overtime crammed into her tiny little office, she decided she had earned the right to shut everything down for the rest of the night and head home.

As JJ moved out into the bullpen area of the BAU, she sighed and rolled her eyes as she saw the light in Hotch's office still on, the door closed but his form visible at his desk through the blinds. JJ, like every other member of her team, couldn't understand how their very capable unit chief ever managed to function; no one could honestly remember staying later than him in the evenings or arriving before him in the mornings. When he slept, God only knew.

JJ squared her shoulders and sauntered up the stairs before knocking once on the door. She walked in as soon as Hotch granted her entrance into his office, standing in front of his desk with her hands on her hips as she stared down at him. "Hotch, it's almost 10:00."

Hotch, pen still in his hand, looked at his media liaison in confusion. "I'm aware."

JJ sighed and shook her head, her hands still planted on her hips as a very serious look overtook her face. "Go home. I know you could keep working for God knows how many more hours, but it's late. Go home and relax for the night."

Hotch's eyebrows shot up. "JJ, I appreciate-"

JJ walked over and pulled the pen out of his hands, closing the file in front of him before resuming her stance, hands on her hips as her eyes bore down on him, right next to his desk. "Oh I wasn't asking Hotch. For once you're getting ordered around. I know how late you were here last night, the night before, and every night since we got back from Idaho. Grab your stuff and walk me down to my car."

No other member of his team – or member of the Bureau for that matter – would speak to Hotch in such a manner; JJ was one of a kind. Hotch never argued with JJ in such an instance, simply because she had never been wrong in all the years he had known her. No one took care of the team…of him…like JJ did, and Hotch was too grateful and happy to have JJ looking after him to ever disrespect her requests.

Only slightly put off by her demand that he leave the office earlier than he planned, he grudgingly grabbed his briefcase and suit jacket, following her out of the office before locking up behind him and joining her in the elevator. "You do realize you're the only person who is ever allowed to order me to leave my own office, correct?"

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "Of course I do sir."

Hotch chuckled and made small talk as he walked his agent to her car. He bid her a good night before heading to his own car, his mind still stuck on the blonde agent that he had tried and failed to suppress feelings for; he'd been crazy about JJ for years now, but had always refused to act on his desires. She had become one of the more important people in his life as she stood beside him day after day. Next to Dave, whom had been friends with him for so many years now, JJ was the one member of the team Hotch considered himself close to; he could rely on her for anything, at any time, just as she could on him.

They had an unexplainable connection that always seemed to bring them together. During cases, Hotch noticed how he always assigned JJ to stay with him while the others were teamed up together. At the office, he noticed how many times JJ came into the office with a simple question and staying much longer as the two passed time simply talking. Even after the work day ended for both of them, phone calls were passed between the two more frequently than was normal for two co-workers. It was as if they couldn't be away from each other.

Hotch was not an impulsive person. Every decision he made was controlled, analyzed, calculated, thought-out, and weighed; no decision was made without complete and total consideration of every possible outcome and alternative course of action. But as Hotch thought of nothing but JJ, he quickly grabbed his cell phone and impulsively hit the 1 button before holding the phone to his ear.

"Agent Jareau."

"JJ would you consider having dinner with me Friday night?"

There was an intake of breath on the other line followed by a brief pause. "Are you asking me out Hotch?"

Hotch took his own deep breath before answering as quickly as he could. "Yes, I am. Can I take you out to dinner on Friday?"

Even though it was impossible, Hotch swore he could hear her smile on the other end. "Absolutely." He was pretty sure his smile was just as big as hers.

A LOVE

Aaron's head whipped around at the sound of gunshots; he didn't even glance at Prentiss as he bolted, running faster than he ever had in the opposite direction, oblivious to Prentiss's footsteps behind him. Morgan had gone off to the left; he was safe. Reid and Rossi had stayed at the police station with the victims; they were both safe. His legs pumped harder as he ran in the direction where the two police officers had headed in the hopes of catching their UNSUB off guard…the same direction JJ had headed.

The warehouse seemed impossibly big, almost as though the corridors would never end, as though he would never reach her. They were both FBI agents. They were both trained to handle the worst mankind could throw at them. They were both prepared to face whatever lay ahead of them at any given time. They had both sworn to each other that their personal relationship would never interfere with their professional relationship. But as soon as the gunshots sounded in Aaron's ears, he hated himself for not keeping her by his side.

He didn't care if he wasn't supposed to play favorites; JJ was his favorite and the whole team knew and accepted that. He didn't care that they were both trained agents; he wanted to protect her himself. He didn't care if he couldn't let their personal relationship affect their professional relationship; JJ was everything to him, and if he ever lost her, he couldn't continue on with his professional, let alone personal, life.

He finally saw the crowd of police, barely noticing Morgan standing off to the side as he examined their now dead UNSUB as he broke through the mass of people. He finally stopped and took his first breath since the gunshots as he saw JJ, her eyes slightly glazed as they always got each time she had to fire her weapon but otherwise fine. Their eyes locked as Aaron made his way to her, JJ offering him a small smile as he stood before her. "I'm ok Hotch."

It would go down in the books as the most unprofessional move he had ever made in the field, but Aaron didn't care as he bent down, wrapping his arms tightly around the woman standing before him; he had to hold her in his arms, had to verify for himself that she was indeed safe and unharmed. JJ, tensing instinctively at Aaron's bold move, realized she needed to be in his arms just as much as he needed to hold her and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly against her, resting her cheek against his so she could whisper in his ear. "I'm fine Aaron."

Aaron breathed her scent in, letting it wash over him as he began to calm down. He held her tighter to him as his lips moved to her ear in response. "I love you JJ."

JJ's entire face broke into a huge smile as Aaron's words made her heart explode with happiness; she had wanted this moment more than she had ever wanted anything in her entire life. Being loved by Aaron Hotchner was more than she could ever have dreamed for, but it was now a true reality. "I love you Aaron."

The two held each other close for a moment longer before pulling away, sharing a brief smile as they turned back to assess the scene at hand.

A DREAM

"I want to marry you some day." JJ's eyes bugged open from her position on Aaron's chest where she had been drifting off to sleep before Aaron's confession reached her ears. She bolted upright, turning to look at the man lying beside her.

"You…you want to marry me?"

Aaron nodded, a small smile on his face as he sat up and held one her hands in his own. "Some day."

JJ realized how utterly ridiculous she sounded the moment her next words left her mouth. "But why?" She began to panic as she imagined Aaron growing angry or upset at her words, leaving the bed they shared and walking away from her. Instead of getting out of bed, Aaron laughed at her silly response.

"Because I love you." He looked down at their intertwined hands. "When Haley and I decided to get married I was still in law school. We'd been together for years but I don't think either of us realized what we were doing. We were so young and we hadn't truly experienced the world yet. We had no idea who we were and I think that's at least part of the reason we failed in the end."

He looked into JJ's eyes for a moment, pausing to lean over and kiss her forehead. JJ sighed as Aaron's lips touched her forehead; after goodness knows how many kisses, each one still stole her breath, regardless of length or location. Instead of looking at their hands, he looked into her eyes after pulling away. "I can't imagine loving anyone the way I love you. You're amazing with Jack and I'm fairly certain he would never allow me to date another woman after having you in his life." JJ chuckled, admitting to herself that Aaron was probably right. She and Jack were absolutely taken with each other. "One day, I want you to be my wife."

JJ smiled and leaned forward, her lips connecting with Aaron's in a loving kiss as she counted her blessings for having this man in her life.

"Just so you know…" She kissed him again. "…when you ask me to marry you…" Another kiss. "…there's a good chance I'll say yes." Aaron laughed as she kissed him again.

"Should I ask Reid to get me a statistic on the likelihood?" Instead of a kiss, he was met with a pillow to the face.

ALOUD

"Hotch isn't in his office yet."

Dave's head snapped up from the newspaper he had been reading as he entered the bullpen. Usually he would mock Morgan for such a random start to the day, but even he appreciated the anomaly that was Aaron Hotchner's late arrival to work.

"He's not in yet?"

Morgan shook his head, as did Reid, Prentiss, and Garcia; all four were assembled in the bullpen, almost anxious at arriving to work before their boss. Prentiss glanced up at his office before turning to Dave. "We were all trying to remember when the last time this actually happened was."

Dave joined the group, glancing into Hotch's office himself. Sure enough, the office was completely empty. "Honestly, even when Hotch first started at the BAU he'd always be in before everyone else. And he was just a subordinate."

The five agents were so wrapped up in their discussion of their missing boss that they all failed to notice the lack of media liaison in the office. As Reid spouted off the statistical likelihood that Hotch had gotten into a car accident that had not severely injured him but had hindered him from arriving at work on time, the elevator dinged and five jaws dropped as the doors to the BAU opened.

Hotch reached forward and held the door open as JJ stepped through, a blissful smile on both of their faces, their hands held tightly in each other's as JJ first stepped through the glass doors, followed immediately by Hotch. Both agents glanced at their team members' shocked faces before Hotch leaned down slightly to whisper something in JJ's ear, causing the blonde agent to burst into laughter. Hotch chuckled with her, making the team's jaws drop even further to the ground.

As the pair passed the bullpen, hands still held tightly together, they both gave their five coworkers a brief nod before turning back to each other. Upon reaching the staircase that would lead to Hotch's office, the pair stopped and faced each other, quiet words passing between the two. JJ squeezed Hotch's hand before turning to head to her own office, but Hotch turned her back around to place a quick but loving kiss on her lips before finally allowing her to head to her office as he ascended the stairs to his own.

The five BAU members continued to stare at each other, Hotch's office, and the hallway leading to JJ's office, not a word passing between any of them. After several minutes, Hotch reappeared at the doorway of his office, staring down at his subordinates who hadn't moved since he had entered the office with JJ.

"Don't you guys have work to do?" The five agents blinked and looked at each other, quickly scurrying in different directions. Hotch smiled at his flustered coworkers, who currently looked more like chickens with their heads cut off than professional and competent FBI agents, before heading back into his office to get his own work started.

A KISS

Aaron looked down, noticing his girlfriend had stopped paying attention to the romance movie she had picked out for the evening. He squeezed the hand that was held in his own, planting a kiss on the top of JJ's head as she rested against him. "What are you thinking about?"

JJ smiled, curling herself tighter against Aaron. "Our first kiss." Aaron laughed and planted another kiss on JJ's head, the memory now consuming all of his attention.

After their third official date at JJ's favorite French restaurant in the D.C. area, she found herself sitting on Aaron's couch, waiting patiently as he brought her a glass of wine from the kitchen. Looking up, she smiled as Aaron walked into the living room, a small smile on his face as he maneuvered to the couch, two wine glasses in his hand. He handed JJ's over to her as he sat down, taking a sip of his red wine after getting comfortable.

JJ moved to bring her own glass to her lips but paused as she glanced at the color of wine in her glass, her eyes shooting to Aaron. Aaron, apparently not catching on immediately to JJ's pause, glanced between her and the glass in her hand before a shy smile crossed his lips. "I know you only like white, but I prefer red."

JJ gaped at Aaron as he turned back to his own wine; he seemed embarrassed by his actions. "You…you bought me white wine even though you don't drink it?"

Aaron met her eyes and JJ was taken back by the intensity of his gaze. "Yes I did."

JJ didn't need to be a behavioral analyst to know what Aaron was asking her with his eyes. Aaron wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't going to move without JJ's permission, so she leaned forward slightly, just enough to give Aaron the go-ahead he needed to close the gap between them, their lips touching for the first time in their seven years of knowing each other.

The kiss was simple, sweet, and utterly perfect to both parties. JJ's lips fit perfectly against Aaron's, and if someone put a gun to their heads, both of them would swear that fireworks literally sparked between them. They broke contact briefly to smile at each other before kissing again…

…and again.

…and again.

…and again.

"As incredibly girly as this will definitely sound, that was by far the best first kiss I've ever experienced."

"Mine too." He ran his hair through her hair, loving the feel of the silky strands as they fell easily through his fingertips. "We made out like teenagers on my couch for several hours that night."

One of the throw pillows made contact with Aaron's face before the pair burst out laughing.

A CRY

"Hey honey, sorry that took me so long, but you'll never believe what Penny-"

JJ stopped dead in her living room the moment entered it, her eyes taking in the room before her. There were dozens of candles lit all around, giving the entire room a soft, warm glow. A beautiful votive of white roses sat on the dining room table, yellow roses were on the counter leading to the kitchen, and red roses were placed in a vase on the small table beside the couch. Soft music was playing in the background; not enough to be overwhelming, but still loud enough to provide the room with light ambient noise. The best aspect stood straight and tall in the middle of the room.

Aaron Hotchner stood before her, surprisingly dressed down in a pair of dark jeans and JJ's favorite casual pullover sweatshirt he had. His smile was nervous but still managed to light up his entire face as he watched her make her way to him, stopped only a tiny distance in front of him. "Aaron what-"

Aaron reached out and grabbed one of JJ's hands, looking down at it before interrupting her. "I know I'm not the best at showing you how I feel; I don't make the grand gestures or the romantic clichés that most women want more than anything else. I can't imagine why you've stayed with me all this time or what I ever did to deserve you." He looked up to stare right into her eyes. He smiled as he noticed the tears in her eyes that contradicted the smile on her face. "But for once, I want you to have the grand gesture you deserve."

Even though it shouldn't have been such a surprise, JJ gasped, her free hand moving to her mouth as Aaron lowered himself onto one knee. He held her left hand in his own, but his right hand held a small black box with a beautiful diamond ring in it. "JJ, I love you more than you will ever know. You are simply perfect, and I know with all my heart how blessed and honored I am to have you in my life. I love you with everything inside of me. JJ…will you marry me?"

JJ laughed, tears streaming down her face as she nodded her head as fast as she could. "Yes! Yes of course! Oh my God yes!" She pulled Aaron up and threw herself into his arms, Aaron lifting her off the ground and spinning her around, their laughter echoing throughout the apartment.

OUR RIGHTS

Aaron stood at the end of the aisle, no shuffling or fidgeting overtaking any part of his body. Despite the looks and questions he had been getting the past few hours, he honestly wasn't nervous in the least; he was too damn happy to be nervous, especially as the music cued the entrance of the one person he had been most excited to see.

The huge double doors opened and Aaron couldn't catch his breath. He heard Dave, Derek, and Spencer gasp beside him at the sight of her, as did the rest of the church, but he didn't make a sound. His mind couldn't concentrate on anything – not breathing, not blinking, nothing – except the absolute perfection that was currently walking towards him.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen; her white dress was simple, classic and elegant, her hair was curled and done impeccably, and her make-up only enhanced her natural beauty. It took her a moment to lock eyes with him, but as soon as she did her entire face lit up with the biggest, most brilliant smile he had ever seen grace her face. Her father had to pull her arm back slightly to keep her from running to him, and for the first time in the two years he'd known him, Aaron hated his future father-in-law for preventing her from running directly into his arms.

The aisle seemed to be a mile long and Aaron was fighting as hard as he could to stay planted where he was; he had hunted some of the worst people mankind had ever produced. He had been stabbed, shot at, and blown up. He had experienced loss greater than anyone ever should. Regardless of everything he'd been through, standing there waiting for her to reach him was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he walked forward to take her from her father and led her back up to stand before the man who would bind them forever as man and wife.

Jack beamed up at her from beside his father, his matching tux making him look like an exact miniature of his father. Jack leaned around his dad and tried to whisper to the bride, even though his voice echoed throughout the church for all to hear. "JJ you look so pretty!"

The church, including the bride, chuckled at the adorable boy's outburst; JJ finally broke eye contact with Aaron as she stared down at the little boy who would soon partly belong to her. Aaron's laughed at his son's antics but couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Thanks Jack. You look very handsome!"

Jack smiled and blew her a kiss before resuming his stance beside his dad. JJ locked eyes with Aaron once again, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the love and adoration in his eyes, her own eyes filling with tears as she stared back at him. Aaron smiled even brighter as he realized that as soon as they left this church, she would finally and officially be his wife for the rest of their lives.

OUR WRONGS

He knew he should be resting; his alarm clock would be ringing in six hours. He knew he should be trying to sleep; he had a full day of paperwork waiting at the office that he had to get done. He knew he should be recharging his energy; a case could come up at any moment and he needed to be on top of his game, as always. Regardless of all he knew, Aaron couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful wife as she laid curled against his side. Her face, calm and serene, was inches from his own for his eyes to feast upon.

She had just closed her eyes a few moments ago, which meant she had just started to drift off. He didn't want to wake her, but he couldn't stop his hand as it raised up to caress her face as he whispered her name. "JJ."

Her eyes opened and Aaron momentarily felt bad for waking her; he could see how tired she was now that she was staring back at him. He became lost in her beautiful blue eyes as he always did, and he struggled to remember what he had wanted to say.

JJ, confused as to why her husband wasn't asleep, reached over and ran her hand across his cheek. "Aaron, are you ok?"

He smiled at her sleepy voice, marveling at everything about the woman lying next to him. There was nothing about her that was short of perfection, and he would never in all his life understand what he had done to deserve her. All he could do was treasure her, an honor he was more than happy to do for the rest of their lives together. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I just…I love everything about you." JJ's face lit up, a small smile appearing on her face. He leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers. "I love everything about our life together."

JJ pulled her face away from his, her eyes shining as brightly as the smile on her face. She ran her hand through his hair as he sighed against her touch. He leaned forward, his lips being met by hers at the halfway point. The kiss may have been quick and sweet, but it was just as passionate as any kiss the two had ever shared; even after years of marriage, every kiss shared between the two took their breath away.

JJ broke the kiss to stare at her husband, a sweet chuckle escaping her lips as she placed her hand on his heart. "Despite everything we've ever been through, I don't regret a single moment of my life with you." The two shared a brief smile before their lips met once again. Snuggling into Aaron's body as she got comfortable for the night, she sighed happily as Aaron's arms wrapped securely and tightly around her body. "I love our life together too."

A moment, a love
A dream, aloud
A kiss, a cry
Our rights, our wrongs