AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is totally AU. I know J.J.'s not from Georgia but she seems like she could be to her. The first time I heard 'American Honey' I actually thought of her. This is my first story but I'm already working on others so if you like it you might soon have more and if you don't, well not like I really care much then. I'm planning this to be the first of many short stories with hopefully a full length-one to come soon.

DISCLAIMER: Criminal Minds & all characters belong to CBS. 'American Honey' belongs to the band Lady Antebellum.

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime
And American honey

J.J. tapped a pencil against her desk restlessly. She was ready to leave. More than ready. Work was always tiring, but today, she just wanted to get out. Her co-workers and teammates walked by her, laughing. They had finished their paperwork and were cleared to go. The small, mix-matched group stopped in mid stride where she sat. Spencer Reid broke away and approached her, waving the others on as he leaned in for a word with the blue eyed, blonde haired woman.

"Aren't you ready for a night out J.J.? You look tired." Reid pushed his hair out of his face uselessly as it flopped back down. His eyes showed concern for his friend, and an eagerness to be out of the bullpen.

"Ah, actually Spence, I think I'm just gonna finish up here and run. I need some down time ya know? But thanks for the offer."

Reid frowned. She was always up for a night out with the team.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." She nodded and smiled at her adorkable friend. "Spence, I'm fine. I just don't feel like going out tonight. You go. Y'all have fun and don't worry about me."

Spencer Reid raised an eyebrow slightly at her usage of the word "y'all". Of her slip in her accent.

"Your roots are showing." Reid smiled.

"Oops!" She laughed and covered her mouth jokingly. "Excuse meah sirrah." She said, exaggerating her accent. Reid laughed and shook his head, walking out with a wave. J.J. threw herself back into the paper before her. Filing and writing mechanicaly, her mind winding away to a sunnier time and place. Her senior supervisor, Aaron Hotchner, approached her silently.

"J.J."

Her head shot up and she smothered a shriek.

"Hotch! You, you scared me."

"My apologies J.J. I'm sorry for interrupting your singing."

"I was singing?" She blushed. "I didn't even realize I was. I'm sorry if I disturbed you." She smiled bashfully and looked up at Hotch through her hair.

"No. It sounded nice. But I didn't realize you liked country."

"Oh yeah um, Reid says I'm showing my roots tonight."

"Yes you are. Not that it's a bad thing. Your roots are charming. But I didn't come here to comment on that. I came to tell you to leave. Let the work alone for tonight and go home. I know you're tired. And if I can leave early, you certaintly can Miss Jaraeu." Hotch took J.J. by her elbow, and, gathering up her stuff, led her to the door. Ignoring her half-hearted protests, Hotch ushered her out to her truck. J.J. watched Hotch's tall, dark form walk away into the darkness. Finally she was alone.

She grew up on a side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American honey

Driving down the darklit highway, J.J. let her mind wander with the music streaming from the radio. A country song she knew came on and she felt herself singing words she'd thought long-forgotten. Bringing back rushing memories of her past.

Her home was a white house. A porch, a swing, some trees, a fence. Nothing out of the ordinary for her town in Georgia. Grass grew as high as she was at eight. Tree tops seemed a part of the sky back then. And a creek was all that she needed to have a good day. Every Sunday her family went to church. They sat in the same pew week after week. She watched her parents all the time. J.J. compared all her boyfriends to how she saw her dad treated her mom. That was one reason why she didn't date much.

Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get goin'
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey

She would rather hang out with her friends, driving around, swimming, going to dances in groups. Or even by herself. She lived the quiet life. The good life. But she knew she eventually wanted more. So she kissed her parents and small-town Georgia goodbye and headed off to college.

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime
And American honey

College was trying. Exhausting. Running from one class to another. FInding and then keeping a job. Being far away from her home, her parents, her friends. But as always, J.J. had more friends than she could count and boys calling her every night.

Media Liaisons strive to have no determined accent and to be a blank canvas for what they have to tell. Her accent sweet accent was trained out of her. She learned to fit in effortlessly. The country music was put in a back closet. The daisy dukes were thrown away. She stopped curling her hair. She often left without makeup. J.J. learned to hide her Southern roots. She worked. She studied. And she decided to join the FBI.

Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Tryin' to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time
To American honey, yea

"Aaron Hotchner, this will be your media liaison. Jennifer Jareau, meet your supervisor, Aaron Hotchner."

Her first day on the job, so many years ago. Joining the Behavioral Analysis Unit's newest made team. Meeting Hotch, Elle, Morgan, Gideon, Penelope, Reid and then Rossi and Emily. People that she would come to trust with her life and friendship. Her closest friends.

But the companionship she shared with her co-workers did little to help her stress over the new job. Or to fight the darkness she took home with her every night. The wondering if she had made the right decisions on what case to take every night as she lay in bed. Often times, her last thought before she drifted away was of the backwoods creek, the dirt roads, the church bells calling her home.

Gone for so long now
I gotta get back to her somehow
To American honey

J.J. pulled into the driveway of her condo. It was dark, quiet, cool even though summer was moving in. She walked up the steps, locked the door, double checked it. Threw her briefcase down in the hallway. Sat on her bed all alone in the place. Grabbed an old CD with a thin layer of dust on it. Placed it in the radio and let the music continue.

I'm so tired of this.

She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Hotch? It's J.J. I need to ask you about something."

Ooh There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American honey
And American honey

Two days later a white pickup truck pulled into the driveway. She opened the door and swung out. The screen door opened and a familiar old, beloved woman stepped out, squinting against the hot summer sun.

"Hey mom. I'm home."