AN: This is my first Criminal Minds story. This is the first time I write fanfiction in over 5 years, so please bear with me.

I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters

"No more lies," JJ said, burying her face into Hotch's chest. He kissed the top of her head, and drew her closer to him.

Once JJ had made sure Cruz was well taken care of, and successfully convinced the paramedics that she was fine, the team had driven to the bar to celebrate. Everyone needed a drink; they had rescued their friends, and Emily was in town as a bonus.

They cheered and drank, laughed and talked, taking comfort in knowing that once again their family was safe.

As the adrenaline wore off, JJ started shivering. The events of the past 48 hours took a toll on her body. Her left side was starting to hurt when she laughed or breathed too deeply, and her cheek was stinging. JJ sipped her second drink, barely listening to the conversations. She looked up at Hotchner who was talking to Derek.

"Hey Hotch, would you mind if we leave now?" she interrupted. "I'm getting tired." She smiled apologetically at Morgan who smiled right back at her.

JJ hugged everyone and said goodnight. Garcia held onto her longer than anyone else had, and told her she loved her. JJ made Emily promise to call her soon; it had been way too long since their last phone call.

On the way home, she fell asleep in the car, she was exhausted. Hotch parked their SUV in the driveway, unbuckled her seatbelt, and shook her shoulder gently.

She raised her head, and looked around. She was surprised she had fallen asleep. "Where are Henry and Jack?" she asked him. She bit her lip feeling guilty. She should have asked about them sooner.

"They're with my mother," Hotch said. "Don't worry about Henry. She said she'll keep them with her all week. Jack hadn't seen my parents in over a month. It'll be good for him, for both of them, to spend time in Florida, and that way you can rest."

They walked up to the door hand in hand. He unlocked it, and they both got inside. The house was dark and quiet. A shiver went down her spine, and she reached for the light switch quickly. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the light flooded the hallway and their living room.

"I'm gonna take a shower real quick," JJ told him. Emily had given her make-up removing cloths in the car so she could clean the dirt and blood off her face and arms before going to the bar, but now she was desperate for a hot shower.

Hotchner nodded, and he followed her to their room. JJ walked to the dresser, grabbed an old t-shirt and clean underwear before walking to the bathroom. Hotch just sat on their bed, looking at the closed door. JJ seemed okay, but was she really? He knew her, and he knew she hated showing any sign of weakness. He waited until he heard the water running to get undressed, and get under the covers.

JJ turned on the hot water, slipped out of her pants, and winced when she pulled her shirt over her head. She looked down at her side; there was definitely a bruise appearing on her left side. She probably had a couple of bruised ribs. She'd live, she had gone through worse. JJ got in the shower and undid her hair. The water felt good, cleansing. She put her head under the water, and closed her eyes.

Hastings' face appeared in her mind. She gasped, opened her eyes, and instinctively took a step back. "It's over," she told herself. There was no way she was going to let him break her. "Did he break me?" He was not going to invade her thoughts like that. She washed her hair, and scrubbed her body before rinsing herself quickly.

By the time she got out of the bathroom, Hotch was in bed, checking his emails on his phone. The cat was curled up at his feet, and she was snoring. "Typical," she thought. "See, nothing has changed," she reassured herself. JJ slipped in next to him, and grabbed her iPad on the nightstand. Hotch looked up from his phone.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked quietly.

"There's nothing to talk about," she replied. "I'm okay."

"Maybe I should have insisted more on you going to the hospital," he added. "Just to be safe."

"I'm fine, Hotch. Really." Wanting to put an end to the conversation, JJ put her iPad back on the nightstand, turned off her light and lied down. "We need new pillows."

"New pillows?" Hotch asked, taken aback by the casualness of her comment.

"Yes, new pillows. These are getting flat, don't you think? I noticed it last week, but I forgot to mention it. We were so busy with a case, and then Jack got sick. Spencer told me you are supposed to change them every 6 months. You wouldn't believe how much dust and dead skin a pillow accumulates in half a year…"

"I see…" Hotch said, uncertain. "Well, we can get new pillows tomorrow, or this weekend. Whenever you feel like it." He was definitely getting concerned about JJ. She wasn't facing whatever had happened in that building.

"Tomorrow sounds good," she replied. JJ turned to face him, and slipped her arm around his waist. As soon as her head hit his chest, she was out.

Hotchner pulled the blankets tightly around them. He rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms wrapped around her, and waited. He knew from experience that JJ had trouble sleeping after horrible cases. She would trash and kick, and sometimes she'd cry. He expected tonight to be particularly difficult, and he didn't want to sleep. He thought maybe if he stayed awake and hold her tight enough, he could protect her from horrific dreams.

TBC...

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