The Ring
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Monday morning…
Penelope Garcia was delivering files to Hotch's office when she stumbled across the best gossip to hit the BAU in years. She knocked on his doorframe to alert him to her presence and was waved in as he ended his phone call.
"Okay, I'll see you soon. Travel safe. I love you, too."
The endearment had Garcia's eye widening. She glanced briefly at the desk phone, quick enough to spot the 212 area code. Then, there, right beside the device was a small black box. Hotch's hand covered the box but he was so distracted by the person on the other end of the phone he didn't notice that Garcia had already seen the object.
As he hung up the phone he focused on the files scattered over his desk barely acknowledging her presence. "What can I do for you Penelope?"
Still flabbergasted by her discovery she only managed to utter. "Huh?"
Hotch looked up at the TA with a puzzled expression. "What brings you to my office Garcia?"
"Oh, sir, right. The files." She extended her arms holding out the paperwork for him. "These are the files you requested. The Jenkins case."
"Ah." He gave her a slight smile. "Thanks. You pulled these together quickly. I appreciate that." When Garcia just stood there he asked. "Is there anything else, Garcia?"
"No sir." She squeaked.
Hotch watched as she walked out of his office wondering as he frequently did what was going on with her.
Garcia raced from Hotch's office down the corridor and through the bullpen. She spied Emily and JJ sitting at their desks. "OMG. My office. Now." She didn't slow down expecting them to follow without question.
JJ and Emily exchanged a glance with one another and moved to follow her.
"I'm going to go with Anderson servicing Strauss who was dressed as a dominatrix."
"Nice. But she just took files that she pulled for Hotch." Emily glanced up at the offices. "Maybe she caught Hotch playing the skin flute."
JJ snorted. "He wouldn't do that in his office."
"But we both agree that he does do it?" Cosmopolitan had an article in the latest magazine that prompted some interest conversation on the jet late one night.
"I can't say that I've given it much thought." JJ responded.
"Suuure you haven't."
JJ didn't have an opportunity to rebut as they reached Penelope's office and she was pulling them inside and closing the door.
"Oh my god! Hotch is proposing to Beth." She proclaimed the second the door was closed.
Emily shot a concerned glance over at JJ. "Are you sure? I thought the thing with Beth was over?"
Penelope was beyond her normal level of giddiness. "He was talking on the phone, to the 212 area code, which, my pretties is New York City, and told whoever he was speaking to, and who do we know in New York that he knows in New York, that he loved them and would see them soon, and…." She paused dramatically before delivering her coup de grace, "There was a little black box on his desk."
Emily looked at Pen disbelievingly. "Pen, there could have been anything in that black box."
"Yeah, like a big fat engagement ring." She shouted. "I know a ring box when I see a ring box."
"Well good for him." JJ stated. "If Beth makes him happy then we should all be happy for him."
Not registering her friends less than enthusiastic response she continued. "We'll totally have to throw him an engagement party. I am so happy for Boss Man."
"We are too, Pen." Emily agreed, looking worriedly at JJ.
"I am going to throw him the biggest, best party ever." Garcia announced, moving over to her computer.
JJ cautioned her. "Pen, you might want to be less exuberant, you know how private Hotch is. I wouldn't do anything until he announces it to the team."
The keys stopped abruptly. "So are you saying a surprise party is out?"
"Yeah, definitely." She chuckled, lightly, not the least bit surprised by Garcia's overly enthusiastic response.
Garcia sobered and turned back to the two ladies. "I am just so happy for him. It really couldn't happen to a nicer guy, you know?"
Emily nodded, knowing that Garcia was being completely sincere and was genuinely happy for the man that they all admired. "Yeah, we know." She smiled over at the tech. "We need to get back to work. We can talk later, okay? And Pen, you might want to keep this to yourself."
That sage advice would go unheeded.
"You okay?" Emily asked JJ as they walked back to the bullpen.
"What?" JJ asked, lost in thought. "Oh, yeah, I'm good."
The response didn't match the expression on her face and Emily quickly pulled her into the ladies room. Checking to make sure that it was vacant she turned to her friend. "You know, it is okay not to be happy about this."
JJ shook her head. "No, it's not, Em. I don't have any right to be unhappy that he's going to marry her. I don't have any claim on him. In fact, Garcia is right, I should be happy for him. He's a great guy, he deserves the best."
"Sure." Emily agreed. "He does. That doesn't change the fact that you're in love with him."
"And my being in love with him doesn't change the fact that he's going to marry another woman." She smiled sadly. "It's not meant to be, I know that."
"She might say no." Emily offered.
JJ couldn't stop the sob that bubbled up. "Don't be ridiculous, only an idiot would say no to him."
"She moved to New York when he lives in DC, I'm not so sure she's all that smart." Emily felt necessary to point out.
JJ splashed some cold water on her face and wiped any tale tell signs of tears from her face and redness from her eyes. "If he asks you can be sure she'll accept."
"Well if he marries her then he's not so smart either." Emily told her as she slung an arm consolingly across her shoulders. "Personally I don't care for her."
"Did you discover that before or after I admitted that I was in love with him?" JJ asked as they readied to leave the ladies room.
Emily looked over at her. "According to the friend code of conduct that question is totally irrelevant."
JJ bumped shoulders with her and smiled. "Fair enough."
Tuesday afternoon….
"Get out." Morgan hissed at a confidence that Reid was sharing with him. "No way, Hotch? Are you sure man?" He turned his head up to where the man in questions office was. "Where'd you hear it?"
Reid mumbled something too low for JJ to decipher. When Morgan grumbled again she'd had enough. "What are you two yammering about?" They looked up guiltily.
"Nothing." They said in unison.
"Really? Because the two of you have been going at it for the last ten minutes. That's a little long for it to be nothing."
Morgan made a face. "JJ, please, can you phrase that differently? We were having a discussion, not going at it."
"Sorry. You've been arguing for the past ten minutes." She corrected.
"We weren't arguing, per se." Reid disputed.
JJ stood up from her desk beyond frustrated at the pair. "You know what? I don't care. I don't need or want to know what you were discussing.
"Is everything okay?" Hotch asked, walking up to the group.
Both Reid and Morgan clammed up.
JJ shrugged. "I don't know what's going on with Beavis and Butthead. I can only assume that they are having yet another heated conversation in an attempt to determine who was the better Star Fleet commander Jean Luc Piccard or James T. Kirk."
"Actually it is captain, not commander." Reid corrected.
Morgan nodded. "Yeah, and we had that conversation once."
"And the fact that I know both of their names is still one time too many." JJ said, grabbing her coffee mug and stalking off.
Hotch watched her walk away with a frown. "What did you guys do to JJ?"
Emily walked up at that point. "You guys aren't talking about your stupid Star Wars again are you?"
"No." Morgan growled. "You know what I think JJ's problem is?"
"What?" Hotch asked sincerely.
"Oh do not encourage him." Emily warned, fearful of what he would be spewing.
Morgan nodded. "You know I'm right."
"Am I missing something?" Hotch asked looking at the trio.
Emily sighed. "I just want to go on record when JJ shoots Morgan it's going to be justifiable homicide."
"Girl needs laid. She needs to be getting back on the horse if you know what I'm talking about." Morgan said confidently. "She has been really cranky. That's all I'm going to say."
Reid chose that as his queue to add his opinion. "I have to agree that I think it would be healthy if she started dating again. It's been almost a year since her and Will split."
Neither had noticed the blonde within hearing distance. "Thank you Spence, you usually give the exact day of the split when you agree with your pal Morgan here that I need to get laid." JJ growled as she came back to her desk having forgotten her tea bag. "Is that what the two of you were talking about?" She pinned them both with an angry look. "I swear Morgan if you have another one of the guys from your gym or your metrosexual man club call and ask me out I'm going to beat you to death with my stapler."
"You are exceedingly violent for someone so tiny." Morgan told her with a shiver.
Hotch grinned as he looked at the angry blonde. "Morgan you need to keep your nose out of JJ's private life." He looked at the stapler on her desk. "JJ, I have a larger stapler in my office if you need it."
Tuesday evening….
Rossi poked his head in Hotch's office. "Was that humming I heard? From this office?"
The younger man grinned over at his friend as he pulled the scotch from his bottom drawer. "Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again." He poured each of them two fingers and slid the glass to Rossi.
"You're in a good mood." Rossi said, accepting the drink. "Why?"
Hotch shrugged. "I don't know I'm just happy. And I think I'm about to do something that has the potential of making me even happier."
"Such as?" Rossi prompted.
Hotch shook his head. "I don't want to jinx it."
Rossi was pleased to see the smile on his friend's face. Whatever it was it was obviously a big deal. "You have me intrigued."
"Here's hoping I'll be able to share good news with you soon." Hotch said, clinking his glass with Rossi's.
Wednesday afternoon…
David Rossi was pleased, for once it had been a slow week and they hadn't been required to travel he was whistling as he made his way down the corridor past their TAs lair. He frowned at the raised voices coming from the room.
"Garcia you weren't supposed to tell anyone. You promised JJ that you wouldn't say anything until Hotch made the decision to share it with us."
Garcia looked up at her sheepishly. "Why do you think I told someone?"
Emily glared back. "Anderson told me this morning."
Garcia frowned. "But I didn't tell Anderson I told…"
"A ha! You admit, it, you told someone!" Emily shouted.
"Only Derek. You know I can't keep a secret from my delicious Chocolate Bunny."
"Garcia!" Emily groaned. "He's worse at keeping a secret than you are!" Followed by, "That's what he and Reid were whispering about yesterday!"
Rossi couldn't resist joining the fray. "Ladies." Two set of eyes bored into him, one happy for the interruption one most definitely not. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
He received a mixed chorus of "Yes!" and "No."
"So," he said, advancing in the room, "What's new? Heard anything interesting lately?"
"Hotch is going to propose to Beth!" The words rocketed out of Garcia's mouth.
"Garcia!" Emily growled.
"What!" Rossi said. "What makes you think that? Do you know something I don't, Penny?" He looked in confusion from one bubbly woman to one very angry brunette.
"She doesn't know anything. She overheard a conversation and drew her own conclusions."
"You're forgetting that I saw a little black box in his office, a little black ring box." She told Rossi smugly. "And he was talking to someone in New York and he told that someone I love you and I'll see you soon.
Rossi was thoughtful for a minute then he let out a low whistle as the conversation that he had with Hotch the previous evening came back to him.
He must have done something to give himself away because Prentiss narrowed her eyes. "You know something."
He shrugged. "Not really."
She shook her head. "No, you have something that you're not sharing."
"He was in a good mood last night." He gestured with his hands then he shared the conversation he had with the Hotch. He was more than a little surprised by Emily's reaction. She lost the color in her face and sank down in the spare chair.
"I knew I was right." Garcia crowed.
"Yeah, yippee." Emily replied snidely. "I, uh, need to get back to work. I promised a police station in Wyoming that I would call today to discuss their consult." She glanced at her watch. "They are expecting me." She turned to leave the room.
Rossi waited until he was sure she was gone. In fact, he poked his head out of the office door to be positive then he turned back to Garcia. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" She asked puzzled.
"Prentiss." He was still having difficulty wrapping his brain around her reaction. "I think she might have feelings for Hotch."
Garcia was about to refute the idea when she recalled how passionately her friend had argued when she'd first told her and JJ what she'd both seen and heard. "Oh no." She shared her recently formed conclusion with Rossi. "She must be devastated."
Rossi sighed. "Poor kid."
Thursday morning…
Emily frowned as she looked at the floral bouquet sitting on her desk.
"Nice flowers." JJ stated, coming into the office. "Who are they from?"
Emily scratched her head. "Rossi."
JJ giggled. "No way. Is there something you would like to share with me Emily? I mean, you know all my deep, dark secrets, I think it's only fair that I know yours."
"Well I didn't sleep with him if that's what you're implying."
"Well sure, obviously I'd expect something way bigger with a much bolder statement, roses and calla lilies, maybe something exotic." JJ told her, looking at the arrangement of happy blooms with a smiley faced balloon.
Emily grinned. "Thank you, I think."
"So…" JJ prompted, "Why is David Rossi sending you flowers?" Emily dropped the card on JJ's desk. "Hang in there, kiddo" JJ read; she frowned over at her friend curiously.
Emily shrugged. "Yeah, not a clue."
Just then the man himself sauntered into the office. "Ah good, you got the flowers." He griped Emily's shoulder in a show of support. "I had no idea you felt that way and I'm sorry you're going through this." He told her cryptically. "If you need anything, you just let me know. I'm here for you, Emily."
"Thank you?" She stared at the man in bewilderment but he seemed to read something else as he nodded curtly and made his way to his office. "I am so confused."
JJ smirked. "I just want you to know, I'm here for you, too."
"Hey." Hotch made his way across the bullpen. "Nice flowers. What's the occasion?"
"I have no idea." Emily said caustically.
Hotch looked up from the flowers. "I'm sorry, I was being nosey, you don't have to tell me what they're for."
"No, Hotch, seriously, I don't know what they are for." Emily responded.
"Do you know who they're from?" He switched into protective mode.
JJ snorted, taking amusement in the situation.
Hotch looked at her in question while Emily snapped at her to 'Shut up' before turning to Hotch. "Yes, I know who they're from I just don't understand why he's sending them to me and why he seems to think I needed them."
Hotch shook his head, glad he had an office and didn't need to be bothered with the daily struggle of the cube farm. "Well, at least they're pretty." He offered before hurriedly moving away.
Thursday afternoon….
If one more person looked at her cross eyed she was going to scream. Emily thought, stalking to the bathroom. She barely left her desk when Morgan hissed over to JJ.
"Why didn't we know that Prentiss had a thing for Hotch?"
JJ looked up from the file she'd been preparing. "What?"
"Apparently Emily is all torn up over Hotch proposing to Beth." He glanced at the flowers on Emily's desk.
"Is that why Rossi sent her flowers?" JJ asked with a grin.
Morgan frowned. "You didn't know?"
JJ shook her head. "No, I had no clue why Rossi sent her flowers. I thought he'd reached his eccentric stage of life."
Morgan waved his hand at her. "No, you had no idea that Prentiss had the hots for Hotch?"
JJ laughed. "No she doesn't."
"No, seriously, she does." Morgan quarreled. "Even Garcia said she should have seen it when she told you both about Hotch. Her reaction was…"
"Oh my God, Morgan, I'm telling you with absolute certainty Emily does not have the hots for Hotch."
Reid had been refilling his coffee and was on his way back to his desk when he overheard the conversation. "Are you sure? Because according to Garcia…"
"GARCIA!" JJ stood up and shouted so loudly that the entire bullpen stopped. Hotch and Rossi stepped out of their respective offices.
"What is going on?" Hotch asked as the blonde flounced off in the direction of the TAs office."
Both Morgan and Reid gave a shrug. "Maybe it's that time of the month." Morgan suggested helpfully.
Emily slipped back into the office unaware of all the craziness that was going on. She'd gone to the cafeteria and treated herself to a cup of Starbucks not quite ready to sit at her desk with the beacon flowers that were getting her sympathetic glances she headed to Garcia's lair. She wasn't sure why she assumed that would be an escape.
"Oh, Emily, why didn't you tell me?" Garcia cried as she engulfed her in a tight hug. "You let me ramble on and on."
Garcia rambling was kind of a common occurrence so Emily still wasn't sure what she was talking about. "Tell you what, Pen?"
They both jumped when the heard JJ bellow.
"Is that my Peaches?"
"What did you do?" Emily asked. "I don't think I've ever heard JJ that angry before."
Garcia looked at her shocked. "Nothing, I didn't do…"
"Penelope Marie Garcia." JJ stepped through the open door. "What did you do?"
"Do?" Garcia shrieked.
JJ looked at Emily. "Do you want to know why Rossi sent you flowers?"
"He sent flowers? That is so considerate." Garcia gushed.
"Why did he send me flowers?" Emily asked JJ with a sense of foreboding.
"He understands how upset you are that Hotch is asking Beth to marry him on account of your feelings for Hotch."
"My feelings for Hotch?" Emily repeated horrified.
"I just don't understand why you didn't tell us you were in love with him." Garcia said softly as she rubbed her arm consolingly.
"Me?" Emily screeched. "What?" She looked to JJ for assistance. "Pen, I do not love Hotch."
"You're out of control." JJ told the TA. "First you start a rumor about Hotch getting married, then you tell everyone that Emily has feelings for Hotch."
"Which I don't! Oh, god, is that why everyone is looking at me like I had a death in the family? Ah, man." She looked over at Garcia. "Didn't we tell you to keep it quiet?"
Garcia looked at the pair baffled. "Wait, so you don't like Hotch?"
"I like the man well enough, but I have no desire to see him naked."
"Then why were you so hesitant to accept what I overheard in Hotch's office?"
"Because it was all circumstantial, you don't know who he was on the phone with nor do you know what was in the box. All you have is conjecture." JJ growled.
Garcia pouted. "I just don't understand why you're so angry at…" She stared at JJ for a minute. "Oh, Peaches. Oh." She slapped a hand over her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. "I should have known." She gave a slight whimper as JJ turned on her heel and exited the office.
"Let her go, Pen." Emily cautioned when Garcia made a move to follow. "You're only going to make matters worse."
"What can I do?" Garcia wailed.
"Nothing." Emily said sadly. "There's nothing to do. But while you're doing nothing, please don't spread anymore rumors. She doesn't know what Rossi told us last night about Hotch. I don't want to hurt her feelings."
"Rossi." Garcia said softly. "He was the one that determined you must have feelings for Hotch and when I added what he interpreted from your reaction from the other day…"
"You came to the conclusion that I was in love with Hotch. Great." Emily groaned. "This is why we don't stick our noses in other people's business." She scolded her friend.
Penelope gazed out the door. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Eventually."
Friday morning….
"Hi, I was wondering if you could…" JJ looked up to see a familiar looking face staring down at her. She thought she recognized him but she couldn't quite place him.
"Sean!" Hotch leaned over the railing. "I wasn't expecting you so early!"
"Never mind." The man told her hurriedly moving in the direction where he spotted his brother. "I made good time." The brothers embraced and disappeared into Hotch's office.
"Please tell me that's the one?" Sean asked his brother the minute the door was closed.
Hotch rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, so is Jack."
"Yeah, yeah." His brother laughed. "You told me that just the other day, I assumed nothing had changed. So," He repeated, "Is that the one?"
Hotch smiled. "Yeah, that's the one."
Sean gave an appreciative whistle. "Nice."
Hotch nodded. "I think so."
"And you're going to buck the rules and ask her out?" Sean grinned. "I have to admit, I'm more than a little shocked and proud." He pretended to wipe a tear.
"Kiss my ass."
"You know I'm just playing with you. This is a good thing. You should be dating, and it should be a woman that understands your job and your family." Sean had the pleasure of meeting Beth once. To say that he wasn't a fan was putting it mildly.
Hotch nodded. "She might say no."
Sean was walking around his office and turned to look at his brother. "She doesn't strike me as being stupid."
Hotch raised a brow. "You made that assessment just from looking at her?"
"I made that assessment based on the fact that you wouldn't be interested in her if she was stupid." He grinned at his older brother. "So, when are you planning on asking her out?"
"I don't know you know a week ago I was so sure that she was feeling the same thing I was but lately it's like something happened. Everything was fine over the weekend but she's been distant all week." He confessed worriedly to his brother. "Maybe I misread her?"
"Maybe she's getting tired of waiting for you already?" Sean commented as he spied on the team in the bullpen.
Hotch scrubbed a hand over his face. "Christ, I don't know. Now I'm second guessing everything."
"That sounds just like you."
Hotch sighed. "Thanks."
Sean looked at his watch. "Crap. I have to leave or I'll never make it back in time for dinner. But I want you to promise me, no matter what, you'll at least ask her out. If she blows you off, which I don't think she'll do, it's her loss. But I want you to promise me that you'll at least try."
"Sean."
"I'm serious Aaron you have never broken a promise you made to me. I want to hear you tell me that you'll at least ask."
"I'm not so sure why this is so important to you?" Hotch grumbled.
Sean looked at his brother. "It's not important to me for any other reason than it's important to you."
"Fine." He huffed as he rose from the chair. "You think maybe sometime you can visit when you can actually stay longer than thirty minutes. I'm pretty sure that Jack would like to see his Uncle Sean."
"Yeah, yeah." He gathered his brother in a tight hug. "And maybe you can visit me some day. Introduce me to your new gal." He winked and left the office.
Hotch sunk down at his desk for half a second before he was on his feet scurrying out the door. "SEAN!"
His brother was on his way back through the bullpen when he stopped and turned back at his brother's yell. The rest of the activity in the bullpen came to a halt as well.
"Hey." Hotch laughed. "You almost forgot the whole reason you made this trip." He held up his hand in which he held a small black ring box.
Sean blanched. "I would have missed it at dinner."
"You kind of need it for the proposal." Hotch told him and tossed the box to his brother. "I'd tell you good luck but I'm sure you won't need it." He winked at him.
"Thanks. And thanks for getting this for me." He held up the box he easily caught.
"Mom would have loved Lynn." He informed his younger brother as he looked at the ring that had been their mothers.
"Thanks." Sean said, swallowing emotion. "I love you."
Grinning down at him Hotch responded, "Drive safe. I love you, too." He watched as his brother made his way out of the office before turning to return to his own.
He completely missed the unfolding drama within his own team. Five sets of eyes turned to Garcia the minute Hotch closed his door.
"Anyone could have made the same mistake." She pleaded. While the five of them bickered amongst themselves JJ stood and made her way up to Hotch's office.
"Hey." He smiled and gestured for her to enter.
"So, your brother is getting married."
Hotch shrugged. "He's getting engaged. It will probably take a couple of years for them to get married. He's been dating her for the last three. Sean isn't one to rush into anything." He confided with a smile.
JJ blew out a breath and spit out the reason she'd been drawn to his office. "You know, there's been a rumor going around the office that you were getting ready to propose to Beth?" Some part of her needed to hear him deny the possibility.
"Really? " He sighed. "I guess that explains all the weird congratulations. How in the world would anyone have come to that conclusion? I haven't even talked to Beth in months." He looked over at JJ then stood abruptly and walked around his desk. "Is that why you've been aloof?"
"Aloof?" She squeaked.
"You've been avoiding me for days." He knew that he was on to something when her eyes shifted downward.
"I haven't…" She started to deny when he interrupted her.
"Yes, you have. I couldn't figure out why, it was driving me nuts." He reached out for her as she was attempting to back away. "Where are you going?"
"I, uh, need, I have work that I need to do." She finished lamely.
"I'm sure your boss will understand." He informed her as he shut the door and led her further into his office. "I wasn't sure if I did something to offend you."
"No." She answered quickly and he grinned.
"Then I thought maybe I just misread you." He moved quickly snapping the blinds in his office closed.
"What are you doing?" JJ demanded to know.
He continued as if she hadn't said anything. "I was pretty confident all through Tuesday but by Wednesday I was certain that something had changed, I just didn't know what it could be." He walked over and stopped in front of her. "I haven't dated Beth in a long time. I haven't had any contact with her."
"Okay." She said softly unsure of what was happening.
"Were you upset by the thought of me proposing to Beth?"
She lifted a slim shoulder in response. "I just want for you to be happy." She mumbled almost incoherently as she stared at the floor.
"You want me to be happy?" He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him.
"Of course I want you to be happy." She answered honestly. Her eyes fluttered shut as his head descended towards hers. "Hotch?"
"Shhh." He whispered against her lips. "Help me be happy." Then his mouth was gliding over hers.
Friday evening….
Morgan leaned back in his chair and closed the last file on his desk. "I hate to say this but I hope we get a case next week. I hate consults."
Emily sighed. "Much as I hate to admit it, I agree."
Dancing into the bullpen in an outfit that shouted party, Garcia asked, "Who is ready to get Happy Hour started?"
Reid smiled as he looked at her. "Count me in."
"Baby Girl, you know you can always count on me." Morgan added.
"It wouldn't be considered happy without you." She looked over at her girlfriends.
Emily closed the file she'd been working on. "I want a cold beer and a hot man."
Rossi held his arms out wide. "You rang?" The man had an innate sense when it came to partying. They all stood and prepared to leave.
Garcia looked over at JJ and frowned. "You're not coming, Peaches?"
JJ shook her head. "I, uh, have other plans."
"Is someone going to ask Hotch?" Reid asked.
Morgan chuckled and slung his arm over Reid's shoulders. He'd seen where the blonde had disappeared to earlier in the day. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that's what JJ's other plans are."
JJ blushed as everyone looked to her for confirmation. She was saved from answering as Hotch joined the team. "Ready?" He asked her. He waited until she gathered her purse and stood before placing his hand intimately on the small of her back. "I assume this will prevent any unnecessary speculation?"
Rossi snorted. "Don't count on it."
The bar revelers turned to leave when Hotch called out. "By the way, Garcia, next time you see a ring box on my desk ask me about it before you decide to spread any rumors."
"Yes Sir." She grinned at him widely.
JJ watched as the group shuffled off before looking up at Hotch. "You know, you probably should have used the word if instead of saying the next time."
"Does that worry you?" He asked as he led her out of the office.
"No," JJ laughed, "It should worry you. Don't be surprised if you start getting emails with pictures of engagement rings. Bridal magazines left on your desk. Appointments with wedding planners. Hotch," She cautioned him, "This is Garcia we're talking about."
He just smiled as he led her out of the building. "I should probably warn you that I don't move as slowly as my brother."
JJ blinked up at him. "O-kay."
He opened the passenger side of his Tahoe and helped her in. "Just so you know I'm pretty sure that you're essential to my happiness."
JJ couldn't help but smile at him. "Good. That's good."
Unable to resist Hotch leaned in and pressed a kiss against her pretty mouth. "And JJ?" He waited until her eyes opened. "I always choose my words wisely."
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.