A/N: Hey all! Here's a new Hotch/JJ/Will (kind-of) fic. Living Vicariously requested a story based on the song by Gary Allan called Man to Man (check it out, the lyrics are perfect). And, I was elected by Jekkah to write it (Thanks! :) ). So, hope you enjoy, and as always I hope you'll let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Prologue:

Hotch stared down the length of his black, dress-shirt covered arm to where his fingers were intertwined so thoroughly with the long, slender fingers of his girlfriend's smaller hand. The tips of her fingers were painted a cheery sky-blue; they fascinated him because they were a strange sight, especially at the office. Not the nail polish itself, but the fact that most women he encountered chose some shade of red—save Garcia, who was a quirk in and of herself. Still, he liked it; the blue was the exact shade of her eyes when she was at her happiest.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked; he could hear the laughter in her voice.

Hotch looked straight into those eyes. Sky-blue. Happy, like she was now.

"Your nail polish, actually," he answered in complete deadpan.

JJ laughed disbelievingly. "My nail polish?" She looked at her free hand, perplexed; attempting to see what was so fascinating about said nail polish. She shook her head, giving up, only to gaze back at him with those eyes he loved. "Just when I thought I had you all figured out…"

He turned his head towards hers, giving her a kiss. "I'm just full of surprises…" he murmured against her lips.

She pulled back slightly, a pink flush on her face. "That you are." She looked around the room they sat in. Kevin and Gina's living room to be precise.

For a moment, Hotch had forgotten that they were at Kevin and CSU Tech Gina Sharp's housewarming party. He'd also forgotten that their friends were on a constant lookout for any sign of PDA between himself and JJ to, of course, tease them about it.

Hotch gave the room a once over as well; he found Rossi, standing clear across the room, in the middle of a conversation with Cruz. But, there was no doubt about it; the smirk on his face said it all. He'd be getting an earful later on, for sure. 'None of your business' was not a concept any of his friends were particularly familiar with.

He was just about to focus his attention back on his girlfriend when he felt another pair of eyes on him. Hotch gave the room another more discrete sweep, finding Will, alone, in the corner, openly glaring their way. Hotch mentally sighed. It was apparent in the hard glint in the other man's eye: they were going to do this. Now. Frankly, Hotch was surprised that it had actually taken Will this long to confront him.

"I'm going to find Garcia. I know this—" JJ swept her hand in the air around the room. "—is killing her. She probably needs some company and comfort. Will you be all right on your own for a bit?"

JJ hadn't noticed Will. Thank God. As far as Hotch was concerned, he'd caused enough misery for his girlfriend. The last thing she needed on this day of celebration was a glimpse of her ex-husband.

He patted her leg comfortingly. "I'll be fine," he assured.

As JJ stood up to go, Hotch saw Will begin to move from the corner of his eye. He tilted his head towards him and gave a surreptitious shake of his head. If the man had any sense, he'd wait to confront him when JJ was out of sight. Because there would be no way in hell he'd engage in any sort of confrontation with JJ present. She'd been through enough because of Will.

The conversation was obviously a necessary one. Hotch had had no contact with Will ever since his split from JJ. He could understand why he'd want to speak. They needed to set the record straight. And if doing so would also alleviate JJ's Will-stress, then that was an added bonus too.

Hotch watched as JJ disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen. She was well out of ear-shot, Hotch was sure, when Will, suddenly before him, blurted out, "You son of a bitch, you stole JJ from me!"

With a comment like that, Hotch's first instinct was to punch this guy out. He didn't, of course. Though, several people would have called it justified if he had.

Instead, Hotch got to his feet while taking a deep, calming breath. Then, for good measure, he took a few more. Looking around the room, quite a few party guests' eyes were on them.

"Not here," he said tersely as he moved towards the French doors that led to the new couple's backyard patio.

Hotch didn't have to look back to know that Will followed. This was the other man's fight, not his. Will would not pass up this opportunity. Hotch also knew that the detective would be extra miffed that he'd taken away his audience. A man like Will thrived on that sort of thing. Too bad for him. If they were going to do this, they'd do it man to man.

He exited the home then turned to wait for Will to join him. He stepped out on the patio reluctantly, slowly, giving Hotch a chance to really look at the police detective.

Will looked a mess. It wasn't the disheveled clothes or the unshaven face and bloodshot eyes that threw Hotch, though, those didn't help. It was Will's overall demeanor; it gave off a vibe that clearly said his life was in shambles.

"Close the door," Hotch ordered when it was apparent Will wasn't about to do so willingly.

The younger man huffed, but did as told.

Of course he had sympathy for Will. He had sympathy for any person who was too stupid to realize how good they had had it, not until it was gone. Cause of course that's what happened to Will. JJ was the best thing that ever happened to him. But because he'd taken her for granted on numerous occasions and his overall neglectful attitude, he'd lost her.

Hotch was sure never going to make those mistakes.

"JJ's my wife!" Will started.

Sighing, he answered, "Will, the divorce went through three months ago. She's not your wife anymore."

"And I suppose that means you'll be asking her to marry you any day now. Didn't even wait until the ink was dry, huh, Hotch? God, I used to think you had integrity."

Hotch crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the railing. So, round one: attack his character. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Will. The truth is you've been divorced for three months and before that you were legally separated for three more. You and JJ have been over for a long time. And, frankly, what JJ and I do next is only your business as far as it concerns Henry, that's all."

That's it, Hotch, remain calm and in control.

"Who are you kidding, Hotch, you've wanted JJ ever since you first met her. I'm only surprised it took this long for you to act. But, I guess you had some obstacles you needed to get around first."

He raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you saying?" He wouldn't go there, would he? The Will he knew wouldn't.

"Hailey, Hotch. First you divorce her, and then you get her killed."

Hotch's fist shot out involuntarily. Will flinched backwards, but Hotch was able to stop himself just short of Will's nose. He dropped his hand, stepping away, taking a deep breath.

It didn't take Will long to recover from looking scared witless to wearing a smug smile instead. It was that smile that egged him on further.

No, he wouldn't punch him—he wouldn't give Will the satisfaction of wearing one of his mistakes on display—but he would put the little shit in his place.

"You want to know why your marriage fell apart, Will?" The man opened his mouth to speak, but he would not let him. "It wasn't because of the BAU or my feelings for JJ. It sure wasn't because of the sordid affair you imagined we were having. It wasn't because of any one thing that I or JJ had done. It was all you, Will. JJ fell out of love with you because you just weren't man enough for her!"

That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I intend for this one to be a 5-shot so hope to update soon!

Let me know what you think. Thanks!