A/N1: I don't own Criminal Minds; that joy belongs to Erica Messer, CBS/ABC, Mark Gordon.
A/N2: I own, er, nothing, except the plot.
A/N3: Cross posted on my AO3 account.
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The light from the corner office was shining through the small hole between the door and the floor as he was walking up the stairs to his middle office. Aaron puts his hand on the doorknob and cracks it open just to peek on Jennifer. The blonde's head whips up and he sees his frazzled media liaison knee deep in case files, literally.
"I thought you had a Halloween party to go to," he inquires with giving her the infamous Hotchner stare. "Where's your costume?"
"Where's yours?" She retorts, opening another two files in front of her.
"Dave's party doesn't start until nine." He said walking over to the red cushioned couch under her window and making himself comfortable. "I've got plenty of time." Looking at his watch, Aaron realizes he doesn't have all that much time, it was reaching 7 p.m. He just came back to the office to pick up his extra grocery bag of candy and get back to his apartment. Being the gentleman he is and realizing how comfortable her couch actually was, he decided leaving Jennifer here when she isn't telling him to go, would be not in his best interest.
"I didn't buy candy, did you?" She asks him, fluttering her eyes through long lashes.
"Why should you? You were going to be out." Aaron reminds her tapping his wrist.
"Yeah, I really didn't have anywhere to go." She blushed as she admits she just didn't want to go to Dave's party.
"You're here, aren't you?" Aaron deadpans. "Come on." He stretches a moment before striding to her and offering her his hand.
"I'm not going to your party," she correct. "To Dave's party."
Aaron winks at her over his shoulder. "Oh, Jennifer. You don't think there is enough candy around there?" He points to the bullpen and looks at the desks of his Alpha team. They had a FBI trick or treat for those in the daycare on the ground floor. It was mandated by their section chiefs, that each bull pen and office was to have candy on hand so when the tots came through they'd each get a fair share of candy. Since Halloween was on a Tuesday this year, and the director had two grandchildren in the daycare, everyone knew there was an ulterior motive: a safe Halloween. After snagging his "I love daddy" mug from Jack and a generic FBI mug from his next door office, Aaron leads JJ around the bull pen.
The first desk is the good Doctor's desk first. "Trick or treat, smell JJ's feet," he says as he grabs two rolls of Smarties candy and puts one in her mug and one in his. Their mugs are full by the time they've worked their way around the inter bull pen and around to the doors of the tech analysts. The only one he doesn't go into is Garcia's because her door was shut, and he respects his team.
Back at JJ's office, her mood is suddenly lighter. Her cheeks are flushed as she unwraps and holds a green apple Airhead, in her teeth, for him to bite into. Suddenly a growl comes from his throat as he lunges to the other half. Slowly they nibble the treat until their lips hook together.
JJ broke apart first, her need for air and to finish chewing the candy too great. But it took milliseconds before she was on the couch and he was next to her, guiding her head on his shoulder; his warm, calloused hands running through her silky, long blonde hair.
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Sunlight peaks through the windows early Wednesday, Nov. 1, as Dave walks through the bullpen to the stairs and finally to the catwalk past JJ and Aaron's offices to his office. He knew he saw JJ's Ford Escape in the parking lot and come to think of it, Aaron's bureau SUV was parked in the lot too. Peeking out around his office, he sees Aaron's door open with the lights off, only the sun's rays peeking in. He spies an Airhead wrapper outside JJ's office.
Then he hears a small snore and the creek of the couch in JJ's office. The door open very little, Dave opens it wider, silently praising maintenance for not letting it be creaky. What he sees puts a smile on his face.
On the couch, across the room, Aaron sleeps on the couch, with his long legs hanging over the couch. A blazer off, shirt opened, heels off, JJ is curled warmly half on top of Aaron, half in between Aaron and the couch. Aaron's two hands have encompassed JJ's body, securing their bodies. JJ's head lay on Aaron's shirtless chest. Around the pair are candy wrappers from Airheads to Tootsie Rolls to butterscotch candies.
Dave tiptoes through the room, shuts the blinds in JJ's office and turns to bid them adieu. It was still only 7:30 a.m. He notes that the light snores come from JJ. Considering how long these two have been dancing around each other, they deserve their privacy for as long as they can keep it, Dave mused. Through the door, he hears a lapse in the snoring followed by JJ's contented sigh and Aaron's small moan.
Privacy in the BAU won't last for long, if Garcia caught last night's tapes.
Back in his office, he makes a call to security, small talks to night watch guard and has his reloop the fourth floor tapes to delete any evidence of JJ and Aaron's late night tryst. He wordlessly prayed the two of them have their go-bags near and at the ready so the team doesn't notice the lack of clothing change. Now, if only they'd wake up before the team arrived.
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A/N4: I wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, fun Halloween.