An/ This, at one point was a short little oneshot, it, however, grew. So now you can enjoy 5000 words of it. Congrats! As always, let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds...how sad, I know :)
"Mommy, Daddy, will you tell me a story?" A four-year-old Marin Hotchner asked as her parents tucked her in for the night. Normally, she would have asked her big brothers Henry and Jack to tell her one, because they told better stories than anyone, but tonight, Jack went with his mom on vacation and Henry was at his dad for the weekend. Poor Marin had no other choice, it had been a while since she asked her parents to tell her one, but she needed her story or she wouldn't be able to sleep.
"Sweetie, its pretty late, I don't know…" JJ began worriedly.
"Sure." Hotch said excitedly, plopping down on his young daughter's bed. JJ smiled to herself at her husband's anticipation. Nothing seemed to make Hotch happier than spending time with their children. He soaked up every moment he got to be home with her and the children, and that made JJ happier than anything else. "Which story do you want me to tell?"
"Make one up." Cheered the young girl who championed creativity. It was already showing that Marin was to be the free spirit of their family. She definitely had taken some tips from her Auntie Penelope.
"Make one up?" Hotch smiled, his fingers strumming on his chin. "Alright, once upon a time in a far away land of DC, there lived a beautiful, blonde, FBI agent…"
"Oh no. Here we go again." JJ smirked. "Aaron, you try to tell this story all the time, and every time I tell you that its not exactly ideal for the audience you telling it to."
"She's a big girl." Hotch defended and Marin nodded, wanting to hear the story so much more.
"Not that big." JJ retorted.
"I promise to edit all unbecoming details." Hotch promised as JJ rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I give. But if this goes badly, never again!" JJ relented.
"Alright so…" Hotch began
Once upon a time in the far of land of Washington DC, there lived a woman. One of the most beautiful in all the land, but she wasn't recognized for her beauty. She worked all day long, sometimes with long hours into the night as she tried to help the king's officers find all of the bad guys in the land. Her name was Cinder-JJ.
"That's original" JJ scoffed, earning a death glare from her young daughter. Holding up her hands in surrender, she chuckled, "Sorry." Turning to her husband, she smiled, "Please. Continue."
Cinder-JJ was not just any woman, she was a woman who had been through the worst night of her life. It began when she walked in on her boyfriend lying in their bed, only to discover that he wasn't alone. There was a woman with him, a hussy if you will, who had ensnared him with empty promises, and meaningless coitus. Leaving our blonde heroine alone and sad.
"Honey, you are officially 45 seconds into the story and I already think you've told her too much." JJ interrupted.
"Its not like she knows what it means." Hotch whispered.
"I still don't have a good feeling about this." JJ said stubbornly.
"Please Mommy!" Marin begged, using the puppy eyes she learned from her mother. They always seemed to work on her dad.
"Fine." JJ conceded, folding her arms to her chest. "But just know that Daddy very well may be sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Don't listen to her peanut." Hotch said to his youngest child, putting his hand over his mouth as if he were speaking conspiratorially. "Her bark is much worse than her bite."
"I heard that." JJ spat.
"You were meant to." Hotch countered, causing his daughter to smile broadly. "Alright so…
Cinder-JJ, a lover of practicality and hater of displayed emotions, did the only thing that made sense to her. She went to work. She knew that at nine at night, even The Stoic Prince would be gone.
"The Stoic Prince?" JJ laughed, still rooted to the doorway as she listened intently for every opportunity to censor her husband's story. "Someone has a high opinion of themselves."
Ignoring her outburst, Hotch simply continued.
For while the stoic Prince spent his life hiding behind his busy business schedule, they all knew the truth, he was still reeling from the loss of his marriage. Our heroine decided that once and for all, she was cursing love to the abyss, and moving on with her life. She was a modern woman, a woman independent of any southern dirt bag who did her wrong.
She easily let herself into the castle's court where she worked every day in an office with papers flying all around…"
"Like Mommy's office?" Marin asked.
"Exactly like Mommy's office." Hotch smiled, winking at JJ who scoffed in mock offense. "Anyway.."
Once inside, she decided to hide in her office for a while, hoping that she wouldn't have to deal with the fall out of this latest crisis. Though she meant to be, she wasn't alone for long, The Stoic Prince soon noticed the light in her office and came to check out what was there.
"Cinder-JJ." He muttered in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I left some files." She lied. "I thought I'd come get them." She wiped one last involuntary tear from her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't notice.
"Are you alright?" He whispered, his voice full of concern. The Stoic Prince was so used to strong Cinder-JJ, that he didn't recognize the woman in front of him.
"I just---" Cinder-JJ lied, before breaking. "No."
The Stoic Prince stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Luckily for him, Cinder-JJ didn't need any further prodding to rush into his semi-open arms and wrap him in a bone crushing hug.
"Thanks The Stoic Prince." She whimpered.
"I did not whimper." JJ said, shaking her head, attempting to keep from laughing. While the content of the story had been fairly accurate, his impersonation of her was way off. There was no way her voice was that high. "Nor did I do that whole 'bone crushing hug' thing."
"You're the one who didn't want to tell the story. This is now all subject to events as I remember them and you did whimper." Hotch defended.
"Fine." JJ said, breaking slightly with a giggle. She sat down on the bed, curious of how her spouse was planning on sugar coating the rest of it. Cuddling up next to her daughter, she got situated and prepared herself for the gross exaggeration that her husband had prepared.
"Where did we stop?" Hotch said to himself. "Oh yes…So,…"
"No problem." The devilishly handsome and emotionally reserved prince said, though he had no idea whether he was helping or not. "Do you want to--"
"Devilishly Handsome and—" JJ began.
"Hush." Hotch interrupted her mockery before it could begin. "Can't you tell, I'm telling my daughter a story." He said with mock seriousness that was lost on their young daughter.
"Yeah, Mommy. It's Daddy's story. Shhhhhhhhhhh" Marin put her finger over her mouth in such a commanding and serious way, that JJ struggled to keep her composure.
"Sorry." She smiled, as Hotch continued.
"He slept with his secretary!" She bawled, staining his shirt with saline and sadness. "His secretary."
"I'm so sorry." The kind and wise Prince whispered, pulling Cinder-JJ in tighter. He had to bite back the smile that threatened; he was enjoying this hug more than he should. He was enjoying being so close to her that he could smell her honey and rose shampoo. "I am so sorry Cinder-JJ."
"You wouldn't do that, why did he?" Cinder-JJ begged. If she was going to break, she decided that she could break big, tears streaming down her face like rain during monsoon season.
"He's a jerk." The prince said, trying to hide the disgust in his voice. "That's why." Truly, he didn't understand what moron would cheat on Cinder-JJ. She was the prettiest, nicest, most amazing woman he had ever gotten the pleasure of knowing, and Will had thrown that all away.
"Isn't Will Henry's daddy's name?" Marin asked, causing both parents to look at her in horror.
"Yes." JJ said carefully. "But this is a made up story." She added quickly.
"Daddy just said the name, but let's call him something else. Like why don't we call him the evil wizard?" Hotch suggested, not for the first time cursing his daughters quick deductive skills.
"Why don't we have Daddy keep going with the story before Mommy really decides it's a bad idea." JJ suggested, shooting Hotch one last reminder with a warning look in her eyes.
Hotch quickly nodded and continued his tale.
"But I love him." Cinder-JJ moaned, feeling as though she fell off her wagon hard. She hadn't cried in years and down she was down pouring on her handsome but stoic Prince. "I am so stupid; I really thought things were going to be better after the baby!" She and the evil wizard had been together for two years, and he had placed a magical enchantment to make her have his son.
"Its alright Cinder-JJ." The Stoic Prince soothed softly, trying to remember that it was his job to comfort her. But all in all, being there for Cinder-JJ felt good, it felt--right. But good or right, it wasn't his job. He couldn't get attached. "You're not stupid."
"I'm not?" She quivered softly.
"No." The Stoic Prince said again, looking into her watery blue eyes for the first time.
"I just really wanted it to work." She whispered softly.
"Crying? Quivering? Were you even there?" JJ said in disbelief. "I did not quiver!"
"Mommy, it's a made up story. Its not about you." Marin said rolling her eyes. "Duh."
"Marin, don't talk to your mother like that." Hotch chastised softly as he turned to JJ. "See, I stick up for you."
"Thanks." JJ said shyly. "You can continue."
"Alright." He said, wondering if he would in fact get interrupted every five seconds in this story.
The Stoic Prince nodded, trying to get himself out of this situation. CINDER-JJ was trying him. He was far too tempted to say something he shouldn't, and the only way to stop him was to get out of here. "Cinder-JJ."
She looked up with her watery blue eyes and he lost all resolve to leave her. He knew that she probably could have gotten through this without him, but he wanted to be there. He wanted to be the one who helped her in her time of need.
"What?" Her voice quivered.
"Do you want to get drinks?" He said in a voice foreign for him. It was the voice of action, one he kept at work but in his free time—fell far away from him.
"I shouldn't." Cinder-JJ dismissed. "My lady-in-waiting is now watching the young prince and I probably should get home…"
"Come on." The Stoic Prince urged, not knowing why he cared so much if she came with him.
She thought of the thousands of reasons why she shouldn't, but they were all over powered by the one voice inside of her that told her to go, it was softer than the others, never really yelling as other parts of her did. But it was the same one that had nagging doubts about the evil wizard the entire time. It was the voice that had been right and she hadn't listened to. So she tuned the other parts of her out, for once giving into what she really wanted. "Alright."
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"One, two, three, SHOOT." The Stoic Prince said, downing his first shot of tequila. Cinder-JJ followed suit, easily tilting her head back and receiving the liquid courage into her system.
"What's tequila?" Marin asked, confused. "Is it like lemonade?"
"Yes, just like lemonade." Hotch lied. "Only, its not as good so you don't want any okay?"
"Okay." Marin said, allowing her dad to continue.
"Holy." Cinder-JJ sniffed, wiping her mouth thoroughly with her arm. "It burns."
The Stoic Prince nodded solemnly, feeling the distinct effects of the alcohol begin to rush through him. "That was something."
"Something they call fiery beverage of death." Cinder-JJ clarified.
"Who in the world calls it that?" The Stoic Prince chuckled, not able to contain himself. He was feeling free around Cinder-JJ, something that he hadn't felt around anyone in a long time.
"The duchess de Prentiss." The blonde liaison said pertly, knowing that he would understand. He was after all, there for the case in Vegas where the duchess got a little too loose with her alcohol. The king's advisor, Reginald Rossi even had the pictures to prove it.
"Now that makes sense." The Stoic Prince snorted, fully enjoying himself. It came as no surprise to him; Cinder-JJ had always been someone he could see himself getting along with. But this was different, for the first time, The Stoic Prince felt like more than just her prince. Even more than just her friend, The Stoic Prince felt like he really was something more to her.
"I could go for a second one." CINDER-JJ whispered tight lipped and giggly, suddenly reminding The Stoic Prince why she had the reputation as the "The kings court lightweight" when it came to drinking games. The jester, Reid could beat her and that was saying something.
"Alright." He responded, putting a protective arm around her as a pair of men began to stare at her like she was going to be their prey. As he did the motion, he suddenly became worried at how she would react to it, but was pleasantly surprised when she didn't shake off his arm. Rather, she leaned closer to it.
"Thanks for everything." She said with a wistful smile, causing him to realize what he might have been missing. "I really appreciate it."
"Don't thank me." The Stoic Prince deflected. "We're just having a good time."
"A good time after a not so fun breakup." Cinder-JJ corrected slowly.
"That bad?" He asked protectively, knowing that he very well maybe making the evil wizard a very special visit.
"We made the battle of Normandy look tame." Cinder-JJ teased. "I don't think I've sworn that much in my life."
"I'm not so sure about that. I still remember that time you stubbed your toe in Arizona land." The Stoic Prince said, not admitting that he remembered almost everything she did.
"Woah? The princess swears? But Daddy, you told me people don't do that." Marin said in confusion.
"Well, Sweetheart, the princess had a very bad night." JJ defended. "She's allowed one bad night."
"Fine. Just go on Daddy." Marin commanded, allowing Hotch to continue.
"Well, other than that." As she smiled broadly at him, she lost her balance and tipped gracefully from her chair, landing with a humph.
"Woah Drunkie, you might not want to do that." The Stoic Prince said, helping her to her feet. He picked her up easily, and in an attempt to steady her, pulled her closer to him. He heard as her breath began to patter in anticipation.
"Yeah..erm…" Cinder-JJ muttered, unsure of what the moment held. Even drunk Cinder-JJ couldn't help but go through the possibilities, if she stood on her tip toes and leaned forward, that could change everything.
They stood there for an eternity, staring and not acting. Cinder-JJ wasn't sure what to do. While moments ago she had felt completely inebriated, everything was clear now. There was no confusion, there wasn't any fog, but clarity brought something else…Fear. She had only broken up with the evil wizard hours earlier and now…Now she was seriously contemplating being in love with The Stoic Prince. She was sure life couldn't get any stranger.
"Um…" The Stoic Prince sputtered, still holding Cinder-JJ in place. Neither one of them really noticed that his hands were still around her waist, but both were uncomfortably close to falling in love, something that they just didn't do. So still staring, the pair listened as the clock struck twelve.
"I should go." Cinder-JJ said immediately. "Its erm…really late."
"Don't you want that other drink, its just…" The Stoic Prince began, removing his arms as Cinder-JJ shrugged away.
"No, I really shouldn't. I really, really shouldn't." Cinder-JJ reaffirmed. "Bye Prince."
"You probably shouldn't be driving your chariot…" The Stoic Prince began but she was three steps ahead of him.
"I'll take the caravan bus. They have one around here at 23rd in about twenty minutes so I should get going." She said firmly, grabbing the bag that had been on the floor near the barstool.
"I can't let you take the caravan…" The Stoic Prince said, but was too late. Cinder-JJ had run out of the bar faster than he would have ever expected from the drunk woman. "Cinder-JJ, wait."
But she was gone, he ran out of the bar looking for her, but he didn't see her anywhere. Defeated, our hero walked back into the bar to grab his wallet.
"Sir." The bartender said tentatively, wondering if he really dared to approach him.
"Yeah?" The Stoic Prince asked halfheartedly.
"Your lady friend forgot her shoe." The man said, pointing to the ground as a black flip-flop lie pathetically on the floor.
"Lost shoe." The prince muttered to himself, grabbing the shoe and running out of the bar. He had a plan to win over the princess, and he was sure that it was going to work.
---------------------------------------
"So, you drank and then…" The lady-in-waiting pressed as Cinder-JJ recounted every last detail of the night she had. The two of them were sitting at the lady's kitchen table with an open bucket of ice cream. Talking to the lady –in- waiting about the night she had—from the beginning with the evil wizard to the parts she shared with The Stoic Prince was slightly fulfilling. She could always trust her best friend to gasp, jeer and cheer at all the necessary parts.
Cinder-JJ bit her lip, trying to decide whether she wanted to divulge the fullness of the situation.
"Oh come on Barbie-bear, I watched your son all night, you owe me." The lady-in-waiting insisted, feeling as though she had been reading a Nicholas Sparks' novel. It was all the effort she could muster to not begin to cry at the beauty of it.
"You know how I'm a clumsy drunk?" Cinder-JJ asked, beginning her story with a question to help the lady to understand.
"Well yeah but what does that have to do with anything?" The lady asked in confusion.
"Wait, you know about the conversation that night?" JJ asked in horror, her eyes widening. "But—"
"Garcia recounted the entire thing to me one day." Hotch smiled in triumph.
"What does Auntie Penelope have to do anything with this story?" Marin asked out of confusion.
"Lets just continue on." Hotch said enthusiastically.
"I don't know. Its late and—" JJ began to make excuses.
"No. No quit. I want to hear how the story ends." Marin demanded fitfully.
"The princess has spoken." Hotch insisted, continuing on.
"So, I erm…fell off of the bar stool." Cinder-JJ explained. "But then the Stoic Prince was there to catch me and then…"
"And then…" The lady-in-waiting prodded, always looking for a scandal.
"We just stood there." Cinder-JJ said wistfully.
"Stood there?" The lady-in-waiting questioned. "Alright, well, that's…nice"
"I've just never felt like that before." Cinder-JJ admitted, smiling to herself. "He's just so amazing. And attractive."
"And this all lead to you leaving your shoe at a bar?" The woman asked skeptically/
"Hold it right there." JJ commanded teasingly. "I did not say attractive."
"Direct quote from Garcia." Hotch reasoned, winking at her.
"Garcia is known for embellishing the truth." She countered.
"Would you just let me finish the story?" Hotch chastised.
"Yeah Mommy, let him finish." Marin said, turning to her mother.
"Alright. Fine. Go ahead." JJ allowed.
"Thank you." Hotch smiled. "So…"
"You feel this way about the Stoic Prince? The same Stoic Prince that we work with every day?" The lady-in-waiting said in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
Cinder-JJ nodded in affirmation. "I think I might love him Pens."
"I…" JJ interrupted.
"Just let me finish." Hotch commanded, wondering if he would ever get through five minutes of this story without her interruptions.
"No, I can't let you tell our daughter lies." JJ laughed, swatting Hotch lightly.
"Oh, I'll show you lies." Hotch growled, grabbing his wife's foot and beginning to tickle it wickedly.
"Stop it. Stop it." JJ pleaded through her giggles.
"You going to let me continue?" Hotch asked, continuing to tickle.
"Yes. Uncle. You can finish." JJ said, surrendering.
"Good." Hotch said, putting the foot down lightly and smiling at his triumph.
Marin rolled her eyes slightly; her parents could be so strange. "Daddy, are you going to start?"
"Sorry, Marin." Hotch panted, having exerted enough energy for the moment. "So, we were at the part where Cinder-JJ and her lady-in-waiting were talking about the stoic prince."
Marin nodded excitedly.
"Love him? Cinder-JJ, you just broke up with the evil wizard a few hours ago, are you sure that you aren't just looking to rebound?" The lady-in-waiting asked incredulously. She was all for love, but this was a bit soon.
"I don't know." Cinder-JJ shrugged. "I'm just…confused. I mean, I think one thing but I feel another and really, it's a mess."
"Oh heavens!" The lady-in-waiting gasped. "You do love him."
"I know." Cinder-JJ said pathetically, her head collapsing into her arms.
"What are we going to do about this?" Her friend screeched.
"I don't know." Cinder-JJ whimpered as a knock came on the door.
"Who's at my house at this hour?" The lady-in-waiting cried, going to open the door. To her surprise, she saw the familiar face of the Stoic Prince holding a worn, black flip flop delicately in his hand.
"Prince?" The lady-in-waiting stammered as Cinder-JJ gasped in fright.
"Is Cinder-JJ here?" The prince said out of concern. "I have…erm…her shoe."
In the background, Cinder-JJ foolishly hid under the table, hoping her friend would lie to the prince. Cinder-JJ just didn't know what she wanted yet.
"Yeah, she is." The lady-in-waiting smiled, letting him in. "Um… Cinder-JJ, can you erm…get out from under the table?"
"She probably wasn't hiding." JJ defended. "She probably lost a dime or something and was looking for it."
"No mama, she was hiding." Marin said decisively. "Princess's don't lose things…'cept shoes."
"You hear that? Princesses don't lose things." Hotch chuckled as he continued on.
"I just erm…lost my dime." Cinder-JJ lied pathetically, peering up from the floor.
"Sure you did Sugar cakes." The lady-in-waiting scoffed. "I'll give you two crazy kids a minute alone." She left to go sit in the spare bedroom where Cinder-JJ's little son was sleeping peacefully.
"You erm…forgot your shoe." The prince said eloquently, causing the princess to go weak in the knees.
"Are you…" JJ began before being sharply hushed by her little daughter.
"Mommy, we are never going to finish the story if you don't stop interrupting Daddy." Marin reasoned.
"Sorry." JJ said bashfully. "Go on."
"Oh, thanks." Cinder-JJ said shyly. "I would have missed that."
"So…" The stoic prince said quietly, looking for any topic to say. He had become infatuated with Cinder-JJ and every moment with her felt better than anything else. "You left quick."
"I really needed to get home." Cinder-JJ reasoned. "The little prince would have begun to miss me and…"
Her excuses were cut off by the bold moves of the Stoic Prince who came and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her, making up for the time they had lost. And for Cinder-JJ's part, she kissed him back, glad to be in the midst of a real man.
As they broke apart, Cinder-JJ groaned, unsure of what to do.
"What's the matter?" The Stoic Prince asked, having nothing more important in his life than Cinder-JJ.
"I just broke up hours ago. Its so soon." She said sadly, giving the Stoic Prince a wry smile. "Its too soon."
The Stoic Prince took her hand, and smiled back, gazing into her captivating blue eyes. "Then I can wait until it isn't too soon."
"You'd wait?" Cinder-JJ sniffed.
"I would do anything for you." The Stoic Prince admitted, allowing himself to vulnerable.
And so he waited, it took two months, but on the night that Cinder-JJ arrived on the doorstep, he had gotten his princess. They married a few months later and had a little princess of their own. And they lived happily ever after. The end.
"That was a good story." Marin said happily, smiling at her Daddy. "You even beat Jack!"
"It was a good story." JJ said quietly, smiling to herself as she remembered the story. As she got up from her sitting place, she grabbed her husband's hand. "Maybe you can sleep in the bed after all."
"I just love happily ever afters." The little girl mused as she kissed her parents good night.
"Me too." Hotch whispered, turning off his daughter's light and looked at the happily ever after he and JJ had made for themselves. "Me too."
"Come on Mr. Stoic Prince, I think Cinder-JJ has a few corrections to the story that need to be made." JJ teased, pulling him into the bedroom they shared. She kissed him quickly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I would hate for our daughter to think her mother rebounds fast."
"Jayje, it's a fairytale." Hotch shrugged, closing the door. He was grateful for his happy ending. Because to him, there was no story quite like that of the Stoic and his Cinder-JJ.
The End