Disclaimer: I own nothing but the dvds. I don't own "The Rising of the Moon" either.

Author's note: This is was spurn from a conversation on Facebook initiated by ilovetvalot. Special thanks to hxchick for use of her hangover cure. "The Rising of the Moon" is our favorite song to listen to on St Patrick's Day in my family. Hope you enjoy!

The Rising of the Moon

He was dreaming of work. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, though his work dreams didn't usually center on him sitting in his office doing paperwork. The odd thing, he noticed even fast asleep, was that he kept seeing hearts everywhere, some big and some small. They were pink, hot pink, red, and blue. They appeared on his papers, his desk, his photos, the door, and random places in the air.

A shrill noise cut through his dream, bringing him into consciousness. Hotch rubbed his face as he reached for his phone. "Hello?"

"Hotch!" Garcia shouted, her voice slightly slurred.

"Garcia?" He sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was 12:21am. He could hear cars, music, and people in the background as well as Prentiss talking to someone.

Garcia giggled. "Yep."

"Is everything okay?" He struggled to recall where they were before remembering that the three women had made plans to celebrate St Patrick's Day out on the town.

"No. Yes. Sorta," she replied, giggling a second time.

Hotch swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was starting to get annoyed now that he was relatively certain it wasn't an emergency. "Which is it?"

"We need you to come get JJ," she told him. He could tell she was struggling to remain serious.

"Why?" he sighed.

Garcia hesitated. He heard her cover the phone and speak with someone he assumed was Prentiss. She sounded resigned when she got back on the phone. "Look, JJ's really drunk and she's sitting on the sidewalk outside of Mulligan's, refusing to move until you come and get her. Would you please come get her?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Garcia answered, impatiently. "And before you ask, I don't know why. But she's been talking about you all night and now she refuses to move unless you come get her. So, will you please come pick her up?"

Hotch was already pulling on a pair of jeans. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"She's going to kill us tomorrow for this," Prentiss told Garcia as Garcia put her phone away. Garcia looked from Prentiss to JJ. JJ was sitting on the ground, her back against the building, with her legs folded under her. Her head was on her hands as she watched the people walking by. She wore a pair of jeans, a green t-shirt that read "Kiss Me, I'm Irish," and shamrocks in her ears.

"Probably, but unless you can lift her and get her in the car, what choice do we have?" Garcia countered. She herself was wearing a green mini-skirt, green and white stripped leggings, a t-shirt that read "Stop Staring At My Shamrocks," a green boa, and a shamrock tiara on her head.

Prentiss absently rubbed her arm where JJ had bit her a few minutes ago when they grabbed her phone to prevent her from calling Hotch herself. "No, you're right."

They both knelt down beside JJ. She looked at Garcia and then at Prentiss with eyes barely open. "Well?"

"He's on his way," Garcia confirmed.

"Yay!" JJ clapped, perking up. She began to bob her head back and forth in rhythm to the music coming from inside of the bar. Soon, she was pounding her fist on the sidewalk to the beat, singing, "By the rising of the moon! By the rising of the moon!"

Prentiss grabbed her hand to stop her. "JJ, you're going to hurt your hand."

JJ pouted. "But that's how you're suppose to listen to that song!"

"Yes, but you don't want to hurt your hand before Hotch gets here, do you?" Garcia reasoned.

"Is he really coming?" she questioned. Her eyes were wide with wonder.

Garcia nodded. "He should be here soon. JJ, why did you want us to call Hotch?"

"I can't tell you," she snickered. "It's a secret."

"We're your best friends," Prentiss assured her, shooting Garcia a mischievous glance. "You can tell us anything."

JJ motioned for them to come closer. "I'm going to get me a kiss."

"From Hotch?" they both said.

She nodded. "Yep. He's been haunting my dreams for over seven years and tonight I'm gonna kiss 'im." She laughed to herself. "I may even squeeze his butt."

"JJ!" Prentiss exclaimed.

"Hello, ladies," Hotch said, walking up to the group, startling them. His eyes grew as he took in their outfits.

"Hotch!" JJ shouted. She leapt from her position on the ground into his arms with a spryness that took them all by surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps to accommodate her weight.

Hotch smiled at her. "Hi."

"Hi!" She hugged him, nuzzling his neck. "Thank you for coming."

"Anytime," he whispered, before remembering that Prentiss and Garcia were standing there. He gently put JJ on the ground, but kept an arm around her back to steady her. He blushed slightly at their grins. "Are you ladies going to be okay?"

Garcia and Prentiss glanced at each other before chuckling. Prentiss waved him off. "We're fine. We still have drinking left to do and we have a ride home later."

"Okay." Hotch gave them one last assessing look before leading JJ to his car, reassuring himself that they were okay. He smiled when she grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers. This free playfulness was a side of JJ that he had never seen before even in the few times he'd seen her drunk in the past. He had to admit to himself that he liked it.

"Hotch?" JJ asked when they got into his car. "Are you taking me to your home?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Do you want me to take you to my home?"

She nodded. "I don't wanna go home."

"Well, I have a spare room that you can use," Hotch agreed, setting a course for his house. She wrinkled her nose, but smiled, grabbing his hand once again. She was quiet as they pulled up in front of his house.

"Hey, Hotch?" she called out as she got out of the car. "Where's Jack?"

He walked around the car to her. "He's spending the weekend with Jessica at his grandparents."

"Cool." She smiled evilly before jumping on his back. "Piggy back ride!"

"How much have you had to drink?" Hotch asked her as he walked towards the house.

She held on tighter, squishing her breasts against his back. "Enough."

He paused to unlock the door. "Enough for what?"

"You'll see," she replied mysteriously. JJ jumped down from his back once they got inside the house. She glanced around the living room. It was warm and a little formal. Jack's toys, books, and dvds were interspersed everywhere. "Do you have any Irish music?"

"No." His eyes held a hint of amusement.

She looked around again. "What about whiskey?"

"Don't you think you had enough to drink?" he asked her.

"Not for me, silly. For you."

Hotch cocked his head to the side. "You think I need a drink?"

JJ reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder. "That depends. Will you dance with me?"

"You want me to dance with you?" She nodded, silently. He walked over to his CD player and turned it on, stretching his hand out to her in uncharacteristic ease. "May I have this dance?"

JJ took his hand, putting her other hand around his neck while he put his around her waist and drew her close. Hotch closed his eyes as she nestled against him. He breathed her scent in deeply, feeling his body start to react to having her so close.

"Hotch," JJ mumbled, looking up at him.

He zeroed in on her lips, so plump and smooth, just begging for him to kiss them. Reason rushed into his brain when he realized that he was dancing in his living room with one of his subordinates. Gently, he pushed her away.

"We, uh, should probably get you to bed," he told her. Disappointed, she nodded. "I have a cure for a hangover if you'd like to try it."

"Sure." She tried to reply with the same perkiness as before, but didn't quite muster it.

Hotch led her to the kitchen where he handed her two ibuprofen, two pieces of bread, one of Jack's chewable children's vitamins, and a bottle of water. He waited until she had consumed all of it before taking her upstairs and showing her the guest bedroom. Hotch left her alone briefly, returning with one of his t-shirts, a towel, and a spare toothbrush.

"If you need anything, I'm right down the hall," he told her. Hotch sighed as he entered his own bedroom. He silently cursed himself as he got into bed that he wasn't able to let loose and flirt back with JJ as he was certain she'd been flirting with him. But, no, he was too much a stickler of rules. Hotch punched his pillow as he turned on his side, willing his brain to shut off. She probably wouldn't remember much of this in the morning anyway.

"Hotch?" JJ whispered into his room, drawing him from his thoughts.

"Everything okay?" he asked, raising his head.

She nodded, walking into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, near him. "I- I just realized that I didn't do want I came her to do."

"And what did you come here to do?" Hotch was watching her curiously.

"This." She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled back to look at his eyes, seeing only eagerness there. She kissed his lips a second time, lingering. He followed her when she began to to pull away. JJ ran her tongue along the seam of his mouth and he opened right away to her.

JJ stroked her tongue against his slowly, causing him to shiver. She felt her own nipples grow tight. Hotch twined one hand into her hair and put the other on her back, urging her to lay down beside him. It wasn't long before he had taken control of the kiss, searching her mouth for every last hint of whiskey. JJ ran her hand down his face and over his shoulder. She used his nails to scratch lightly down back before resting on his behind. When she squeezed it, he let out an involuntary squeak, causing them both to laugh.

"Is that really what you came here to do?" Hotch asked her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She nodded. "Why?"

"Because I've been dreaming about doing that since the first day I met you and I'm tired of waiting for you to notice me."

He laid his hand on her shoulder. "I've always noticed you."

"Can I stay in here with you?" Her voice was low, unsure.

"Yeah," he agreed, fighting his instinct to send her away. He knew now that he tasted her, he wouldn't be able to let her go. He didn't know how they were going to work everything out, but he'd worry about that tomorrow. All he cared about was that he had her in his arms tonight.

They awoke mid-morning, legs tangled with each other. Hotch was on his back, his arms tightly wound around JJ as she lay nearly completely on him, one hand hanging off his neck. They pulled each other closer as they woke.

"Morning," Hotch breathed. "How's the hangover?"

"I feel wonderful," she replied, a smile on her lips. "But I think I should stay in bed all day just to make sure it doesn't sneak up on me."

Hotch grinned widely. "I think that sounds like an excellent plan. You know, I happen to have a very comfortable bed right here that you can use."

She moved closer to him. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea." She kissed his cheek. "You know, we have a lot to talk about."

"Tomorrow, after work. Let's just enjoy today." Hotch ran his thumb over her cheek before capturing her lips. "I think that St. Patrick's Day just became my favorite holiday."

"Mmhm," she hummed, kissing down his jaw. "Mine, too."

THE END

A/N2: For anyone who's curious, whenever the song comes on, we all pound on the table during the chorus. The whole house shakes! Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!