JJ sighed. She was hopeless on her feet, even Morgan said so, and he was the one who was supposed to be training her to kick criminal ass. She looked around at the happy couples dancing, well, more like bouncing, to the beat of the music and shook her head. This was going to be a long, arduous, process and one she did not look forward to.
"What's wrong, cher?" Will slipped an arm around her waist as she took the flute of champagne from his hand.
"I have to make a New Year's resolution in about thirty seconds, and I have no idea what I want to promise to do in the coming year."
"Well, you certainly don't need to lose weight, or stop cursing. Maybe we could resolve to get married?"
"Uh, no, Will. I like how our relationship is just the way it is. I don't want to rock the boat." He nodded and kissed her and she turned back to look at the others. "I wonder if dancing would give me better coordination."
"Do not ask me to be your partner, Jen. I have two left feet." She grinned and smacked him across the chest. "Ouch! Is Derek turning my girlfriend into a partner beater?"
She laughed lowly and sipped at the bubbly. "No, he's not. I suck at kicking butt." They turned their attention to the television screen and watched the countdown. Once the ball had dropped, she kissed Will softly, cupping his face in her hand. "Happy New Year, Will."
He cupped her face as well, smiling widely. "Go, ask your trainer to be your partner. I'd pay good money to watch him dance."
"Oh, you are so on!" She grinned and sauntered over to where Morgan was slow dancing with Emily. "Derek, could I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course, Jen." They moved away from the group and went into the adjoining library. She breathed in the scent of old books and cigars that reminded her so of Rossi. He had been so generous in letting them use his house for the party. "So, what do you want to talk about, Jen?"
"My resolution for this year. I need to get better on my feet if I'm going to take down unsubs like you guys do all the time."
"You don't have to be exactly like us, princess. I mean, you are a crack shot – remember Battle?" She shuddered and nodded. "But if you want to get better at your footwork, what do you want to do?"
"I want us to take salsa dancing classes. You have to be light on your feet to do that, as well as keeping your upper body still and controlled. And I can't do it alone, I need a partner."
"Oh, no, Jen. No. There is no way on God's green earth that I am going to take dancing lessons just because you want to be light on your feet. Can't Will do this with you?"
"He's already chickened out. I suppose I could bother Hotch with this little request, but you know what pressure he's under, having to do Strauss's job, his job, and train for the triathlon. But if it comes down to that…"
She listened to him sigh and knew she had him hooked. "Fine. When do you want to start?"
"As soon as I find out where we can take lessons. And just think, Emily will thank you." She smiled winningly at him and he just shook his head. Somehow, this was going to work out perfectly for her.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCM
"All right, class, let's take a ten minute break."
JJ let out a short breath, thankful that they were finally stopping. This was so much more exhausting than she had ever planned on it being. "Water, Jen?"
She looked up at Morgan and nodded, taking the bottle from his hands. "Oh, god, why did I ever suggest this as a good idea to become lighter on my feet? I think Tae Bo would be less demanding than this, this, hell."
"I'm actually having fun. And we've only been doing this for two weeks. You can't expect to get in perfect shape in that little of time. It takes time to notice the changes." He grinned and she shook her head, swatting at his chest.
"Will thinks I'm crazy, you know. But I want to get better."
"And you will, Jennifer. You and Derek are making phenomenal progress. I can tell you've been working on the steps at home." Their teacher came up to their sides, smiling. "Now, I know you guys are going to be missing some classes, but if you want to make them up, just contact me, okay?"
JJ nodded and stretched, watching the lithe woman seemingly float away to other couples in the room. From the corner of the room, she heard her cellphone go off and she groaned. "That's us, Morgan. Wonder what case we're going on now?"
"Must be pretty bad if they're calling us in this late at night." She nodded and they went over to their belongings, scooping them up as they took off out of the room. As they drove back to Quantico, she wondered what was going on that would send them out so late. The alert had been from Hotch, since Strauss had gone MIA in the last few weeks, and she knew this hectic pace was killing him by inches.
She rushed into the bullpen and saw the others already up in the war room. Taking the stairs two at a time, she burst into the room, trying not to breathe heavily. "Hey everyone, what's up?"
"We're getting called out to Utah. There's been a rash of kidnappings there recently, culminating with the last three victims being brutally raped. The latest victim is on life support as we speak. The police have no leads and are asking for our help before this turns into an all-out murder spree."
She nodded at Hotch, and looked over at Morgan. He looked as sick as she felt and she sighed deeply. This was not going to be a good night. "So, when are we heading out?"
"Wheel's up in thirty."
Nodding again, she stood and fished her cellphone out of her purse, quickly calling home. "Hey, Will."
"Jen, what's wrong?"
"We have to head out to Utah tonight, honey. It is a really bad case. I'm sorry that I won't be home tonight."
"It's all right, I know how it is with your job. How did class go tonight?"
"Leaving was probably the best part. I'm just not any more coordinated, Will. And before you say it, I know that two classes are not going to make that big a difference. I ain't got rhythm."
Will chuckled and she smiled gently. "You just have to channel the natural rhythm you have, cher. Now, get going. I'll see you when you get home."
"Of course, Will. I love you."
"Love you, too, Jen."
They hung up and she went to grab her go-bag from under her desk. She met up with the others out in the hall as they waited. "So, how's training with Morgan going, JJ?"
She looked at Emily and grimaced. "It is going. Ask me more about it in a few months." Emily nodded and laid her hand on her shoulder. "With the rate I'm going, though, I should have everything down by the time Henry gets married…for the second time."
They all laughed lowly as the doors opened and they entered the elevator, turning their focus onto the case at hand.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCM
"May I have this dance, Jen?"
She looked up from Will's shoulder, smiling at Morgan widely. "Of course, Morgan." As he brought his arm around her waist, the song changed to a familiar beat. "Caravan?"
"What can I say? I have a thing for Duke Ellington ever since we finished our samba class." She just shook her head and felt the familiar steps take hold of her body, dancing to the beat of the song. Looking over, she was surprised to see Dave and Strauss join in seconds later, keeping perfect time with the music. Giggling, she motioned with her head towards the sight and Morgan burst into laughter as well. As he spun her around the dance floor, she felt someone tap on her shoulder and she looked over to see Will holding out a rose to her.
Accepting it, she moved into his arms, dancing with him. "I thought you didn't want to learn how to salsa?"
"I'm from New Orleans, cher, dancing has always been in my blood. But you needed to have the confidence to do this on your own. So, I let you think that taking the classes with Morgan would be the only way you'd learn." He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Jennifer LaMontagne."
"I love you, too, William LaMontagne." They finished out the dance and then moved right into the next one. She knew that she had finally chosen the right man and she hugged him tightly to her, watching the other couples on the terrace. For this brief moment in time, it looked like everyone was happy and that eased her heart as she thought about the future in front of them. Near or far, they were still a family, and that was all that mattered.