JJ's POV: Takes place after Season 3 episode…2…(The Milaukee Case) I forget the name..something like In Name and Blood... You'll remember as the story goes on. JJ hasn't met Will yet in this story.
I don't own Criminal Minds. If I did it would never end and Paget and AJ would have never left the show…but like I said…I don't. Wish I did…but I don't.
Song: Don't You Wanna Stay- Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
Don't you wanna stay here a little while
don't you wanna hold each other tight
don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight
don't you wanna stay here a little while
we can make forever feel this way
don't you wanna stay
I closed the file slowly, hesitantly. I opened it up again once more.
"Make a decision, Jayje. What does your gut say?" I asked myself aloud. I was alone in the BAU, late at night, like always, going through case files, deciding where the team would go next, and where they wouldn't go. The decisions I've made in this office have been the scariest decisions I've ever made. Never the less, I was, as usual, the only one left in the BAU, or so I thought.
I picked up the stack of files that I had gone through tonight. I stood, and exited my office, walking slowly across the catwalk to Hotch's office, where I always left the files at night, and where he would take them in the morning.
I looked out at the dark and empty bullpen, where during the day, agents, including my friends, the members of this team, would hustle and bustle, getting things done.
As I rounded the corner to Hotch's office, I realized, his light was on. I knocked, and waited, but there was no response. I knocked again, but still no response. After the third time knocking without response, I slowly turned the handle, nervous to what I might find. When I entered his office, he was fine, reading files. He didn't look up at me when I entered, though.
"Hotch," I said quietly. He didn't answer me.
"Hotch," I repeated, a little bit louder this time. Still, he did not answer me.
"Aaron," I said loudly in a normal volumed voice. He looked up slowly.
"Yes JJ?" He asked, as if nothing had happened.
"Did you hear me? Knocking? Saying your name?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.
"No. I'm sorry," He mumbled.
"Are you alright, Hotch?" I asked softly, putting the files on a side table, and walking closer to his desk.
"Fine," He said shrugging.
"You should go home," [with me] I said, careful not to add the 'with me'. "It's late…" I said putting my hand on his desk. He never stayed this late, and when he had his young, adorable son, Jack, and a wife, Haley, waiting for him at home, he shouldn't be staying this late.
"I will, JJ…you should too," He said, "Why are you out so late?"
"Hotch," I said, confused, because he should know this, "I…I'm always here this late," I said shrugging. I, unlike him, did not have anyone to go home to. I was ok with that, I suppose.
"Right…sorry," He mumbled, "Go, JJ, I'll be out of here shortly," he told me, obviously trying to get rid of me now.
"Okay…" I said reluctantly, nodding, "Have a good night," I said quietly. I heard him mumble a 'you too,' and then I shut the door. I quickly walked back to my office, shut the door, and sank into my chair.
I had said, go home, but I wanted to say go home with me. But I couldn't say that. He had a wife and a son, and he loved them and he wouldn't do that to them. Besides, his wife resented this team and his job. Hotch's job, like the rest of the team's, required him to be away a lot. He was with us more than he was with her. What made her even angrier was when she would call, but Hotch wouldn't answer, so she would call me, because she knew, within seconds, I could Hotch on the line.
Hotch and I…we had a relationship. It wasn't sexual, or romantic. It was a pure friendship. Whether he wanted it to be more, or how he felt, I didn't know. I cared about him. I cared deeply. I just wished he understood that more, and would open up to me more.
I collected my things and exited my office, shutting and locking the door. As I walked to my car, I wondered why Hotch was acting so strangely. We had just come back from a tough case. Gideon was missing, no one knew where he was. Emily had resigned from the BAU, because of pressures for the Unit Chief Strauss, who besides pressuring Emily, pressured Hotch. He was suspended for actions she believed to have been the reason for two deaths in a previous case. She also insisted on coming on the case with us, which made it worse. Hotch convinced Emily to come on this case with us, and at the end, she decided to rejoin the BAU.
Maybe he was acting strangely because of all this, and because now he had to run everything by Strauss, who was keeping a watchful eye on the team and especially on Hotch. She really didn't like Hotch. She didn't think he was fit to be in charge of this team.
This seemed like reason enough to be stressed out, for Hotch. I shrugged and opened my car door. I closed it and sat down and decided that as long as I watched out for Hotch, it would be ok. Everything would start to get back to normal.
Boy, was I wrong.
I got home and parked out on the street in front of my apartment. As I got out I thought of Emily…was she ok? She had just gotten hit in the head. I thought of Spence…He was so worried about Gideon. Gideon…where was he? Why was he putting us through this hell? I thought of Derek. He acted tough, and he was, strong and dedicated, but wasn't any of this bugging him? Was it strange that Hotch was my first priority?
I walked up the stairs of the apartment building. I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked in, breathing in the scent of home. I was exhausted and so glad to be home. I yawned as I put my bag down by the door. I quickly locked up and went to bed.
"Everything will be back to normal in the morning, Jayje," I said to myself aloud, and I fell asleep.
