A/N Just some JJ/Hotch loving for all of you :)

"Morgan told me what she said to you." JJ admitted as she and Hotch watched as the ME's assitant's loaded Megan Kane's body into their van to be transported to the morgue.

"JJ, it was just the poison talking--she had no idea what she was saying." Hotch dismissed quietly.

"Still, she wasn't wrong."

"Excuse me?" Hotch asked quickly.

"When I look at all of the men in my life, my dad, Will, any boss I've ever had, Morgan, you, Reid, Dave," She listed off important men in her life and turned to look at him squarely, "You're the only one who never let me down either." With that, she turned and walked away and left a dumbstruck Hotch in her wake.

Hours later found him pacing relentlessly in his hotel room. You're the only one who never let me down either. The words resounded in his head. What had JJ meant by that? Will had let her down? When? And what about the other memebers of the team? When had they let her down?

He hadn't realized he had even left his room until he was knocking on the door of the familiar blonde agent. She opened the door, seemingly unsurprised to see him and ushered him inside without a word.

"I--" He stopped, unsure of what to even say. "I don't--"

"You want to know who let me down." JJ said, smiling softly. Although Aaron Hotchner could be called emotionless and unresponsive, she could read him like a book.

He nodded. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but that was a good start. "Your dad?" He questioned, knowing that it explained a lot about JJ if she developed security issues stemming from her father.

"He was a drunk. Completely faithful to my mother, but a drunk all the same. Anytime I thought he was going to surprise me by being a real father, I'd find him on the couch passed out with a beer in his hand. He missed every game, every graduation, every date, all because he was a worthless drunk." JJ admitted, unsure of why she was suddenly willing to bear her soul to Hotch, but unwilling to hide any of this any longer.

"Will?"

"Started drinking heavily...just like my dad." JJ said. "I told him I couldn't be with someone who was going to turn out just like my dad--I didn't want to have a relationship like my parents--so he moved in with his sister that lives in Norfolk, her husband is in the Navy and they live on the base there."

"Reid?" He questioned, unsure of how the team could have failed their friend so badly.

"We were friends, possibly even more than that at one time, but he couldn't even confide in me as he almost let drugs take over his life." She said sadly, opening the minibar in her room and offering him a drink.

"Morgan?"

"Didn't even show up when I had my first child." JJ explained. "Morgan and I have been close since we went through the academy together, and to be honest it hurt when he didn't even stop by my hospital room after I had Henry."

"Dave?"

"When he took the last shred of hope Brooke Lombardini's mom had that she was alive somewhere from her. I understood why he has such a problem with psychics, but letting the mother have a little hope until we knew Brooke was dead wasn't going to hurt anyone." JJ admitted.

"JJ, I--"

"No, Hotch. You're a great friend, and you are someone that a woman can depend on." She smiled sadly, and stood, ushering him back out of her room. "You're a great father too, don't let the job get in the way of that." She advised as she shut the door behind him.

Laying in bed later that night, Hotch could not stop his mind from racing at everything JJ had told him--especially the part about Will. Deciding to at least try and get some sleep since Jack would be coming over as soon as he got back, Hotch closed his eyes and prayed for the clairty that he usually had when he was around Jack--clarity he desperatly needed after hearing both JJ and Megan Kane's confessions in one night.


"Look Dad!" Jack yelled happily, riding his back back and forth in front of the bench his dad was sitting on, "Aunt Jessica taught me how when Mom was at work last week."

"That's great buddy!" Hotch smiled, though it didn't really reach his eyes--he wanted to be the one teaching Jack to ride his bike, not Hailey's sister.

"So I guess the rumors were true, you can ride a bike." JJ spoke up from where she and Henry stood behind the bench Hotch was still sitting on.

"JJ!" Jack yelled, running to hug her tightly, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Jack." JJ smiled, hugging him back carefully to avoid squshing her five month old son that was still perched on her hip.

"Why don't you show JJ how well you can ride a bike?" Hotch advised his son, giving the blonde an opportunity for extraction.

"Okay!" Jack said happily as JJ walked around the bench to sit next to him. He wasn't sure why he felt strangely excited at the prospect of sitting beside her when it was something that they did on a regular basis. But things had changed, and Aaron Hotchner wasn't exactly sure when.

Watching his young son ride up and down the walkway, Hotch suddenly came to a decision. He was going to act on his feelings and if he got shot down, then that was a risk he had to take.

"JJ?" He interrupted the silence.

"Yeah?" She asked, prodding him to continue though the words felt dry in his mouth.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go get coffee. With me. Sometime." He said, cursing his stupidity at how lame the invitation sounded.

JJ simply smiled and after a moment admitted, "Yeah, I'd like that."

THE END