A/N: Hey all! New JJ/Hotch one-shot, an idea I got while listening to Adele's Set Fire to The Rain (mostly the chorus). I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or the song.
Set Fire to the Rain:
But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it Pour as I touched your face,
Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!
JJ stared out the dining room window at the expansive grounds of the Apple Tree Inn. The place was gorgeous, with their hundreds of blossoming apple trees. A pink and white blanket of flowers is what she looked down on at the moment.
Even though the place was beautiful, she had no idea what she was doing there. Hotch had booked the trip for his team; the excuse, a team-building retreat. Never mind the fact that they'd been a team for the last seven years, what more could they learn from each other? No, JJ knew what this trip was all about. It was his attempt at getting her alone.
She'd been avoiding him for the past week or so and now she did not appreciate his hi-jacking attempt. She continued to avoid him, not participating in any of the 'team-building exercises,' feigning sick to get out of it.
Why was she avoiding him? She was angry at the man. He'd led her on, made her believe there was something between them. He'd even kissed her in the most devastating way. And then she'd fallen for him only to meet someone named Beth.
She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how devastated she felt. She would not allow him the chance to say sorry and hey it was all in your head. Because she knew it hadn't been. All those long nights she'd spent at his side, alone in his office, talking, she knew he'd felt something between them. It made it all the worse when she thought back on those nights. It made her question herself, made her think, why Beth? Why not her?
JJ rubbed a hand over her face; she would not cry over him, she just wouldn't. She promised herself that she'd cried her tears the night she went home after 'meeting' Beth.
"JJ, hun," she heard from behind her.
She turned around to see her best friend had joined her in the dining room. She looked anxious.
"What is it?" JJ asked concernedly.
"It's Hotch," Garcia informed apologetically. "He's looking for you; he's angry and said something about being tired of you running away."
JJ suddenly felt alarmed. "Did you tell him I was sick?"
"He doesn't believe me. I think he might have followed me…" Garcia explained.
JJ sighed, nodding. She was so glad she'd confided in Garcia. Without her she wouldn't have gone this long without successfully avoiding the man.
Briefly she wondered where she'd run to, but then she heard, "Yeah, Hotch, I saw her go into the dining room."
Damn it, Morgan, she thought tersely. Thanks a lot!
"Go," Garcia urged.
Without thinking, JJ opened up one of the French doors and ran outside only realizing too late that it was raining.
Hotch walked into the dining room purposefully, looking around. All he found there was Garcia.
Damn it, she'd run again.
"Where is she, Garcia?" he demanded.
Garcia gave him an uncharacteristic grimace. "Sir," she started formally. "That's JJ's business."
He was sick of this. He'd made a mistake, a terrible one, but he wanted the chance to atone for it. JJ just wouldn't give him that.
"Garcia, please," he began practically begging. It wasn't working, she was shaking her head. He let out a sigh. "I love her," he added softly.
He watched Garcia stop mid-shake, slowly she turned to face him, giving him a shrewd look. "Then why Beth?"
"That's what I need to tell JJ. It was a mistake. One that I've corrected, but I need to tell her why I made the mistake in the first place."
He gave her a plaintive look, feeling just then that he was at the mercy of his technical analyst. One word from her seemed like it would make or break his future with JJ.
"She went outside," Garcia said after what felt like a lifetime of waiting.
"It's pouring," he observed skeptically.
She nodded. "It is."
He searched her face for something that would give her away; she wasn't bluffing. JJ had gone out in this to get away from him. God, he had some explaining to do.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the French door and said, "Wish me luck!"
And then he plunged out into the pouring rain.
JJ had made her way down into the orchard. She hadn't been thinking straight when she'd charged out into the pouring rain clad only in a very thin, sleeveless summer dress. Luckily, she'd found the path down to the orchard and the thick canopy of the trees spared her the brunt of the downpour.
She let out a sigh as she shivered in the darkness. The sun had begun to set, taking with it what little warmth it had left to offer. God, what was she doing? Why couldn't she just let Hotch speak to her?
Because, then, a sad voice replied in her head, It will be all over and your hopes would be for nothing.
Yeah, but she couldn't keep on like this. For one thing, she'd catch her death if she kept running out into rainstorms in nothing more than a slip of a dress. No, it was time to face the music.
Head hanging low, she turned back on the path, ready to go back inside. And almost immediately did she bump into him.
"JJ?" he said in surprise, as if he hadn't been searching for her.
Despite what she'd just thought, her first instinct was to run. She tried to push past him, but he took hold of her shoulders firmly, not letting her go.
"JJ, please," he pleaded, voice hoarse from emotion that took her by surprise.
Immediately, she felt that heat that she always felt when he touched her. She could not think rationally when that warmth spread through her body.
"Let go of me," she said tersely, wrenching herself from his grasp. "Don't you dare touch me!"
Her tone must have been vehement. She watched him take a step back. "JJ, I need to—"
"Leave me alone, Hotch," she shouted at him angrily. "Just… please… haven't you hurt me enough?"
She took in the look on his face. He looked so broken and for a second JJ was taken aback. What did he have to look so sad about? She had been the one to be left in the dust, not him.
She shook her head in disgust and started to walk past him. He didn't stop her this time. But after a few moments she heard him rushing to catch up with her. He stayed a few steps behind her. A good idea, she was mad enough to tear into him.
"JJ, I want to explain," he tried again.
She whirled around on him, unexpectedly. "What's there to explain?" she yelled, blinking through the rain drops that were pounding down on them. They were now out in the open, having come out of the orchard. "You found someone else, I get it."
"JJ," he shook his head, he took hold of her shoulders giving her a bit of a shake, "No."
She looked at his hands on her bare shoulders. His touch burned, scalded her. "I told you not to touch me," she said, voice barely a whisper.
He shook his head. "I didn't find someone else," he added, ignoring her comment.
She laughed. "So, it was just my imagination when I saw you and her together at that restaurant? It was just my imagination seeing how cozy you looked next to her? I was daydreaming when I saw you two kissing?"
Her voice had risen with each painful statement. There it was. If they were supposed to be together, why had she seen him kissing another woman?
"No," he said, voice full of remorse. "It wasn't."
She couldn't stop the tears that started then. It had nearly killed her, witnessing that scene. She, Emily, and Penelope had decided to go out to dinner together. Only their pleasant girl's night out, had turned heartbreaking. The man she'd been ready to commit to was at another table with another woman.
"What do you want from me, Hotch?" she said dejectedly.
His grasp on her shoulders loosened, he looked at her, and she could finally see realization in his eyes. He finally knew what this had done to her.
"I want you," he said simply, letting go of her.
She gave him a mirthless laugh, turning around so that she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. "Well you can't have me. You've got Beth."
He let out a sigh. For a few moments he didn't say anything. And then he was behind her, gently touching her shoulder, silently urging her to turn around. She didn't know why, but she obliged. There was a look of such anguish on his face, she had to look away.
"I don't have Beth," he replied. "She was supposed to be Jack's nanny, that's all. Dave warned me that she was getting too attached to me. I didn't see it until it was too late. We were having dinner that night because we were discussing plans for Jack's birthday party. I didn't know why we were really there, though. She kissed me, JJ. I know it sounds cliché, lame even. But, before I knew what was going on, you came upon us. I was so mortified."
JJ shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "She kissed you?"
He nodded his head emphatically. "Yes, I fired her right away. I've been trying to tell you since, but you wouldn't accept a word I had to say to you. I've been going out of my mind, trying to think of a way to make it all up to you. I thought a weekend trip away would be a good start."
"Why?" she replied, dazed.
"Why what?" he asked confused.
"Why would you go to all this trouble for me?"
He took a step towards her. He reached a hand out through the rain and touched her face, gently caressing the smooth skin of her cheek. "Because I love you," he informed her gravely. "I've loved you for a long time, now. And I couldn't go on without telling you that, without you knowing how much you mean to me."
And that's when it all changed. That's when it suddenly felt like every drop that hit her skin was a small fire burning her to the core. She felt so warm, so hot, she was ready to burst.
She was frozen to the spot as he slowly leaned towards her; his lips were mere millimeters from hers when she whispered to him ever so urgently, "I love you, too."
And that's when his lips pressed to hers sending a myriad of feelings and sensations through her body. It seemed like every single one of her nerves was on alert now. She could feel every single drop of rain that hit her skin, as if each one were a needle piercing her skin. She could smell the fragrance of the apple blossoms in the trees and littering the ground around her. She could feel how tightly Hotch held her to him, as if he would never ever let her go. She could taste Hotch's essence that now belonged to her. And she could hear his words echoing in her ears, "Because, I love you…"
When they pulled apart from the kiss, they stayed bundled up together, using each other for heat to protect them from the chill of the spring night air. All that could be heard was the rain drops hitting the leaves and ground around them combined with the panting of their breaths.
"What can I do, JJ?" he said urgently, kissing her forehead. "What can I do to make this up to you?"
She grasped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer if possible, she didn't let go, as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Don't," she replied heatedly, "Don't ever let me go!"
He nodded his head in agreement as he didn't wait to kiss her again. He kissed her over and over again, not stopping until well after the rain had gone.
Well that's it. Let me know what you think. It was a quickly written one-shot from an idea I got while driving to and from work, I hope you all enjoyed!