Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the dvds. I don't own anything mentioned inside of here either.
Author's Note: This was written for the CCOAC Halloween Challenge. My pairing was JJ/Hotch and my chosen book was Stephen King's "The Stand."
I'd like to dedicate this to the wonderful people at the JJ-Hotch Safe Haven FaceBook group.
Making His Stand
He hadn't wanted to come.
He wanted to be at home with Jack or by himself, but Garcia had arranged it with Jessica to take both Jack and Henry for a Halloween sleepover so that their parents could come to her party without excuses. Hotch sighed as he took a sip of the, much to Rossi's disappointment, non-alcoholic punch. More than those, if he was truthful, he wanted to be exactly where he was two Saturdays ago: curled up on his couch with JJ by his side.
Hotch sighed again. Of course, that's where all this trouble started. He had been an idiot. She had been stubborn. Now, he was here in the corner of Garcia's living room, watching as costumed man after costumed man hit on his- well, he didn't know what to call her now.
"So, I was thinking," JJ said, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the table.
"That can only mean trouble," he commented, groaning when she brushed his thigh as she settled against him once again.
JJ frowned. "I was thinking that we could go to Garcia's party together."
Hotch stiffened. They hadn't made anyone aware that they had been seeing each for the past few months, though he was certain that the team had noticed the lingering looks and touches. Not even the boys knew there was anything more to their relationship than friendship. They had a strict no-sleepover policy when either of the boys was with them. Still, he was enjoying the time he had with JJ in their own private world and was hesitant to bring the reality into it.
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked.
"If you're worried about the team, they know that we've been spending time together outside of work," JJ explained.
Hotch frowned. "They do?"
She nodded. "As friends. It's hard to tell a four-year-old not to tell his godparents about all the time he's spent with his Jackie and his Hotch." She smiled, thinking of how possessive Henry had become of Hotch and Jack. "They think we're just two single parents, spending time together with our kids. They wouldn't be surprised to see us show up together."
"I just don't want to feed any rumors. It's one thing if they think we're doing things with the boys, but if they think we're doing things alone," he ignored her raised eyebrows, "we'll never here the end of the comments and innuendos."
"Hotch, are you ashamed to be seen with me?" JJ asked, schooling her face in mock confusion. She knew that he wasn't embarrassed by her, just cautious about their relationship after Haley and Beth, but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun with him.
Hotch pursed his lips. "You know that's not true."
She shifted away from him. "Do I? I mean, let's think about this. We never go out anywhere, even to places that no one we know would go to, unless it's with the boys. You haven't introduced me to any of your friends. The last time your brother called, you told him I was at your house because I still needed help building profiles and that's why I was here."
"You don't understand my brother. If he knew about the two of us, he'd start calling everyone on the team to get answers," Hotch defended.
"There are guys that find me attractive," JJ told him.
"I find you attractive," he muttered.
JJ continued as if she hadn't heard him. "In fact, I bet the men at Garcia's party would appreciate me, not try to hide me from everyone they know."
Hotch clenched his jaw. "I am not trying to hide you."
"I think," she said, putting her hand on his knee to push herself up, "that I'm going to head home. I'm going to spend my time the next to weeks mentally preparing myself to find a new guy at Garcia's party. I'll see you at work on Monday."
"Hold on!" Hotch barked. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down to the couch. He leaned over her entire body, boxing her in. "You're not going anywhere tonight. This is our first night alone together in almost two months."
JJ giggled when he suckled her neck. "Okay, I'll stay, but only because I put my fancy underwear on. But you're just asking for it at Garcia's party."
Hotch's only response was to kiss her.
He hadn't budged on taking her to the party, even as friends, when she asked again the next morning. She kept the same light tone in her voice as the night before, but he saw pain flash through her eyes briefly before she was able to cover. Still, he hadn't relented and they had been bogged down with work since then, making talking to her nearly impossible.
JJ was already at the party by the time Hotch arrived. Someone mentioned that she had been there most of the day helping Garcia set up. Hotch's heart sunk. He had been hoping to talk with her alone before the party really got going. Instead, she walked over with Reid and said a brief hello to him before making rounds at the party. Hotch had sequestered himself in the corner and proceeded to follow her every movement.
She was currently standing next to the window, engaged in what appeared to be a highly amusing conversation based on the amount of laughter floating across the room from both JJ and Prentiss. There were three men standing around them. The man dressed as a pirate touched the sleeve of JJ's nurse's costume and whispered into her ear.
"That's enough! It's time for me to make my stand," Hotch barked from across the living room. He stalked over to JJ, pushing between her and the pirate trying to hit on her. Hotch looked into her amused eyes. "You win. I can't watch this anymore." With that, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"Hotch, what are you doing?" JJ screeched, struggling to keep her skirt down over her butt.
Hotch kept walking until he reached the front door. He turned around and waved dramatically with his free hand. "Good night, everybody! Have a happy Halloween!"
JJ waved good-bye to the party with a big grin on her face. She blew Garcia a kiss right before the door closed. It took a moment before the party moved back into full swing.
"Well, that was an interesting turn of events," Prentiss commented, as the BAU team merged together.
"You didn't know?" Rossi asked her, surprised.
Prentiss glanced around, confirming that the others were as surprised as she was. "Not a clue. Did you?"
Rossi shook his head. "Not one bit."
"Does that mean that they're getting better at hiding things or we're getting worse at profiling?" Morgan asked.
"Oh, we're going to need more jello shots," Garcia announce before bouncing off.
Outside, Hotch carried JJ down the deserted street to his SUV. He set her down in front of the passenger front door. He fanned his cape out to hide her from the view of anyone that should happen to walk by.
JJ shivered at both the cold metal against her back and the feel of this chest under her hands as she ran them up his blue shirt and hung them off his collar. "What are you suppose to be anyway?"
"Lando Calrissian," he replied with a slight tone of disbelief. "He's-"
"From Star Wars, I know," JJ finished. She put her finger on his lips. "And, no, I don't need to know his whole history. Sometimes, you're as bad as Spence."
Hotch frowned, muttering, "I'm not that bad." He kissed her fiercely to take the smirk that was forming off her face. He broke the kiss to take in her outfit. "I thought you were coming as Cleopatra?"
She nodded. "I was, but I saw this costume while I was picking up a few extra things for the party and couldn't resist."
"You are pretty irresistible," he growled, capturing her mouth once again. Hotch moved his hands down her back to the helm of her costume. He slid his fingers under the skirt to cradle her ass. He gasped when he found only skin there. "You're not wearing any underwear?"
"You didn't notice that I didn't sit down all night?" JJ teased, rocking her hips against him. She grinned when he hardened. "I thought I should be ready if we should happen to meet up in the kitchen or a bedroom or -"
She was cut off when Hotch lifted her off the ground and kissed her hard. He forced his tongue into her mouth, taking control of the kiss and leaving her overwhelmed as he fumbled in his pocket for the key. Finally opening the door, he deposited her on the back seat. Hotch climbed in after, kneeling on the floor, and closed the door behind him.
JJ looked at him curiously when he put one of her legs on the seat and the other on the floor, leaving her fully on display. "You know we're on a public street, right?"
Hotch ran his fingers up and down her thighs. "There's almost no one here and the windows are tinted." He leaned down and kissed her knee. Hotch raised his eyes to meet hers, placing both of his hands at the top of her thighs. "Do you want me to stop?"
"No," she breathed out as he kissed her center. (See full story at Archive of Our Own) "So, I guess this was you taking a stand, huh?"
Hotch chuckled, kissing her lightly. "I guess you could say that."
She pulled away from him a bit. "What do you say we go to my place and I show you how I make my stand?"
END
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