Disclaimer: I own nothing with Criminal Minds except for my dvds. I don't own Toy Story or The National Zoo.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in an update. Work has blown-up horribly and my adorable nephew came to stay with me for a few days.
Of Days with Reid and Zoos
"Thanks for doing this again," Will said, standing with Anna on the porch of Hotch's house. He had just dropped Henry off for the evening. "We're really close to ending this case and everyone's being called to work overtime."
"It's not a problem," Anna assured him, bouncing Henry on her hip. She lovingly ruffled Jack's hair. "We love having Henry here. Right, Jack?"
"Yep-yep!" He danced around on one leg. "Can we watch Toy Story? Please?"
"Sure. Why don't you go get it out for me?" Anna and Will laughed as Jack eagerly skipped off to the living room.
"Well, JJ knows to pick him up here. I didn't want her to have to cancel her night with the girls. She shouldn't be too late, though."
"Really, Will, it's fine. Jack and I were just hanging out. We're taking a break from the pool. My skin's getting a bit too red." Anna placed her hand on his upper arm. "How'd the date with Sheila go?"
"Good." Will blushed slightly. In the two months since Anna had dropped off toys for Henry, she had become a bit of confidant for him. He had few friends here in Virginia and he worked with nearly all of them. He shuddered to think what the boys at the precinct would say if they learned about his and JJ's arrangement. Anna was one of the few people who knew the situation and by default became someone Will could talk to. "I think we might go out again next week."
"Sweet!"
Will ducked his head. "I should go."
"Go. Catch the bad guy. Say, 'bye, Henry."
"Bye-bye," Henry said, obediently. He sucked on his thumb while he waved good-bye.
Will chuckled, turning to leave the porch and running into Hotch. "Hello, Agent Hotchner."
"Just Hotch, please," Hotch insisted, shaking his hand. "How are you?"
"Can't complain. I'll, uh, see you all later." Will hurriedly walked to the car.
"You intimidate him," Anna told Hotch, following him into the house.
"I do?" Hotch looked at the small child in Anna's arms. "Hiya, Henry."
"Hi, Motch," Henry replied, his version of "Mr. Hotch." Henry squirmed until Anna put him down. He toddled off to find Jack.
Hotch draped his suit jacket over the couch and put his briefcase on the coffee table. He pulled at his tie, lost in thought. "I don't know why he'd be intimidated by me."
"O-kay," Anna giggled. "Hey, why are you home so early, anyway?"
"JJ and I have to review some cases and she felt bad about you watching Henry so we decided to just do it here where we could keep an eye on both boys."
"I thought she was having a girls' night with Emily and Penelope?" Anna dashed suddenly to the other side of the room, grabbing Henry. "No, stairs, Henry! Jack! Where did you go?"
"She didn't mention anything to me."
Anna looked over at Hotch, who's face was scrunched in thought. "Uh-huh."
"The movie was in Daddy's room," Jack explained, coming down the stairs. His face lit up when he saw Hotch. "Daddy!"
"Hey, buddy!" Hotch hugged him tightly as Anna went to open the door.
"Hey, Anna. Hi, Monkey!" JJ exclaimed as Anna let her inside. Henry leapt from Anna's arms into JJ's with an excited. "Momma!"
"Miss JJ!" Jack flung himself onto her legs. JJ leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on Henry. I promise we'll be out of your hair shortly," JJ told Anna.
"Henry only just got here. It's not a problem. Now, let me get the boys out of your hair and you guys can get to work." Anna took Henry back from JJ and grabbed Jack's hand.
"But we're supposed to watch a movie!" Jack protested.
"We can watch it my room."
Jack happily agreed to go. He wasn't often allowed into Anna's room. Hotch and JJ sat down on the couch, sprawling case files out on the coffee table.
"Sorry about all the chaos," Hotch apologized. He was sitting with his knee just a few inches from JJ's.
"Chaos? This is a normal day for us," JJ joked. She reached down and grabbed the first file. They reviewed files for nearly thirty minutes with multiple interruptions from Jack, who wanted a drink, then a snack, then his dump truck. They had only managed to get through one file thus far.
Hotch sighed in frustration as the door rang just as they got Jack back upstairs for the fourth time. JJ chuckled at him, placing a hand on his knee to calm him. Hotch found himself staring at her hand, feeling a tingle from the heat. He hadn't felt that way since she touched him at the picnic over a month ago.
"I got it!" Anna exclaimed, rushing from her room and down the stairs. She flung the door open to see Reid standing on the other side. "Dr. Spencer Reid!"
"Hi," he replied with a half-grin. He held up a stack of books. "I brought those books for you."
"Sweet! Come in. Let me grab you the ones I finished." Anna ushered him inside.
He glanced around the living room. "Hi, JJ. Hi, Hotch."
Hotch and JJ gave their hellos before glancing at each other.
Anna stopped halfway across the room and turned back towards Reid. "How would you like to go with the boys and me for pizza?"
"Sure," Reid shrugged. Anna playfully ruffled his hair as she had done to Jack earlier. She looked at Hotch and JJ. "Hey, I'm taking your kids out for pizza. There's leftover lasagna for you in the fridge."
Hotch and JJ glanced at each other again, smirks on both their faces. They abandoned their paperwork to focus on Reid, who was beaming, sheepishly.
"What was that all about, Spence?" JJ asked him.
"She, uh, calls me her 'little brother,'" Reid told her, his blush growing more pronounced. "She's been taking me out with her friends; told me I needed to experience life outside of academia."
"She's not wrong."
"Uncle Spencer!" Jack shouted, running down the stairs. "Anna said we're going to get pizza!"
"We are!" Reid agreed, enthusiastically.
"Uncle Spencer?" JJ whispered to Hotch, who shook his head saying, "That's a new one to me."
"We'll be back in a couple of hours. Don't spend your whole time working, kids," Anna said, hurrying Reid, Jack, and Henry out the door.
"Hey, do you need Henry's car seat?" JJ called out.
Anna stuck her head back into the door. "Nope. I keep one in my car for him."
"How much time does he spend with you?" JJ asked, perplexed, trying to remember if Will had mentioned needing a baby-sitter more often lately.
"She probably bought it the first time you guys asked her to baby-sit," Hotch told her.
Anna shrugged, sheepishly. "Henry's only been here a couple of times and it wasn't for long. See ya!"
"What's with the looks?" JJ asked Hotch when the door closed behind Anna.
"What looks?"
"You scowled when Reid said Anna calls him her 'little brother' and when Jack called him 'Uncle Spencer.' It was just a little one and you covered it, but I saw it."
"You sure you don't want to be a profiler?" Hotch sighed when JJ just looked at him, patiently waiting for an answer. "Anna is... a fixer."
"What does that mean?"
"She sees a problem, real or imaginary, and she wants to solve that. Henry could come over at some point so she buys a car seat. She thinks Reid doesn't have any family so she makes him her little brother and he becomes Uncle Spencer."
"That doesn't sound so bad." JJ hit him playfully with her shoulder.
"Until it's your life she's interfering with."
She stilled. "Good point."
"And she does it most when she's avoiding something in her own life."
"Are you sure she's not your sister?"
Hotch chuckled. "Come on. Let's get through a few more of these cases and take a break to eat. Anna orders a mean lasagna from Donatelli's."
JJ sat back on the couch, taking a sip of wine as she contemplated Hotch's question. Was she still sure that her break-up with Will was the right thing? JJ toed her shoes off and brought one leg onto the couch. She stared at Hotch's chest, lost in thought.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Hotch said, misunderstanding her delay tactic. He wasn't sure just what had possessed him to ask her the question. Maybe it was the half a glass of wine that he had drunken or the relaxed, joyful dinner they had just finished or that he was simply having an adult conversation that didn't involve work or Anna. Or maybe it was the small voice in the back of his head demanding analysis over his body's reactions to JJ's touches.
"You're not!" JJ reassured him, quickly. "I'm just trying to figure out how to answer that and still come off as a good mom."
Hotch looked at her for a beat before they both burst out laughing.
"Seriously, though, I liked Will. I even loved him, but if I hadn't gotten pregnant, I would have let our relationship fizzle out at some point. I wouldn't have let him move up here if not for Henry and I sure as hell wouldn't move to Louisiana." JJ groaned. "That really makes me sound like a bitch."
"No, it makes you sound honest."
"I regret that, at some point, Henry is going to have to split his time between two houses. I regret that Will gave up his life in New Orleans that he loved for a life in Virginia that he's okay with. I regret that it feels at times that we could have spent the last three years happy instead of trying to be happy, but I do not regret ending things with Will."
Silence descended over them as they were each lost in thought.
"Will started dating someone," JJ said, softly, after a few minutes of quiet. "He met her at a coffee shop. It was only one date, but he's... lighter somehow since he went on it."
"And you're jealous."
"If I'm not working, I'm spending all my time with Henry. I guess I just wish I had the time to get a chance at that same happiness."
Hotch opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted.
"Daddy!" Jack shouted, flinging the front door open. He caused both adults to jump. "Guess what?"
"You guys are back early," Hotch said to Anna as she walked into the house. She carried Henry in her arms. His head was resting sleepily on her shoulder.
Anna gave him a funny look. "We've been gone almost three hours."
"Really?" JJ said, surprised.
"Did you get your work done?"
"We did," Hotch told her. He looked at Jack, who was dancing on one foot in front of him. "What is it, Jack?"
"Anna got us tickets to the zoo tomorrow!"
"The zoo's free," Hotch countered to Anna.
Anna handed Henry off to JJ. "True, but the tickets I got are for a special behind the scenes tour. I have a friend who works there."
"Of course."
"You never think I have any friends," Anna sighed. She reached into her pocket and hand him a stack of tickets.
"There's four tickets here. Is your 'friend' going along with us?"
"Oh, I'm not going. I've got plans with Spencer. Those are for you, JJ, and the boys." Anna grinned to herself as she breezed into the kitchen.
"Can we go, Daddy? Can we?" Jack begged. "Henry wants to go. Right, Henry?"
"Go. Go," Henry agreed, snuggling against his mom.
"Please?" Jack turned his attention to JJ when he saw his father stalling. "Miss JJ, you want to go, don't you?"
JJ looked at Hotch, who had a strained expression on his face. She fought the urge to laugh at his seriousness over facing plans he didn't make. She suspected Anna did that to him a lot to knock him off his game. "We don't have any plans and going behind the cages seems fun."
"Great. It's all set. Hotch will pick you guys up at 8:30," Anna said, walking back into the living room.
Hotch sighed, but didn't protest. "I guess I'll pick you up at 8:30."
"Come on, HJ. Time to take a bath. Say good night to your JJ." Anna waited for Jack to say good-bye to JJ and Henry before grabbing his hand to lead him upstairs. "Oh, before I forget: I got a new phone and number. I'm keeping the old one, too, but only for emergencies."
"What was that all about?" JJ asked Hotch after Anna and Jack went upstairs. She gathered files with one hand, using the other to keep Henry on her lap.
"I'm not exactly sure." Hotch stood up and folded his arms. "You know, I don't want you to feel obligated to go just because Anna forced your hand."
"She didn't," JJ assured him, a bit confused by his reaction. "We'd love to go. We love spending time with you and Jack. Plus, this sounds like tons of fun."
Hotch grinned, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. "Okay, then. Jack and I will pick you up at 8:30 sharp."
"Good. Now, I should get this little guy to bed. He's got a big day ahead of him."
CMCMCMCMCMCM
"Daddy, do we have to go?" Jack whined as he, Hotch, JJ, and Henry made their way from the zoo to the parking lot.
"No go!" Henry agreed from his stroller. "Motch! No go!"
"See, Henry doesn't want to go."
JJ and Hotch exchanged amused glances before Hotch said, "I know, buddy, but we've been at the zoo for most of the day. We have seen everything that there is to see. We even got to see things that most people don't get to see."
"How would you like to go get Chinese for dinner?" JJ asked Jack to distract his next round of protests.
"Can we? Can we? Can we?" Jack hopped around.
"I can't believe you're using my son to feed your Chinese food addiction," Hotch muttered to JJ, who shrugged, delightedly. "Sure, Jack, we can go."
Hotch was quiet in the car ride from the restaurant, but no one seemed to notice. JJ was busy listening to Jack retell the adventures of the day with occasional help from Henry. Hotch was free to get lost in his thoughts and his thoughts were resting squarely on JJ. He found himself standing closer to her today than he normally would, noticing the shine of her hair, her eyes, her smile as he had done at the barbeque. She had brushed up against him a few times and it caused his whole body to shiver each time.
They had been mistaken for a family several times, though neither had bothered to correct the assumption. Hotch supposed it was because there really wasn't any point; they weren't going to see any of those people again. At least, that was what he assumed was JJ's reasoning. He found himself buying into the fantasy as the day went on. He imagined what it was like if they were married and had taken their sons to the zoo for the day. They would go out to dinner much as they had this evening, then home to put the kids in bed. Afterward, they claim to be exhausted, but would fall into bed with giggles and kisses that would soon become moans and strokes.
Hotch shifted uncomfortably when his body began to react to the fantasy in his head.
Wow. He really was attracted to her. Hotch gasped aloud slightly. He glanced at JJ, but it appeared to have gone unnoticed. That simply wouldn't do. She was a member of his team. It was inappropriate. She was his friend. He didn't have very many. She was Jack's JJ. One of the few people Jack depended upon. He had to push that attraction down before anyone noticed. Well, anyone other than Anna. It was clear that she realized his attraction for the blond sitting next to him long before he did. Hotch could only hope that she hadn't shared her thoughts with anyone else.
"Hotch? Hotch?"
Hotch looked over to see JJ staring at him, an amused look on her face. "Huh?"
"We've been sitting in my driveway for the last few minutes and you haven't said a word."
"Oh! Sorry."
JJ chuckled. "That must be one heck of a daydream you have running in your head."
"Just lost in thought," Hotch responded. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.
"Well, we had a great time. Right, Henry?"
"Right!" he agreed, though he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Please thank Anna for the tickets again."
"Of course," Hotch assured her. "We had a great time, too."
"Miss JJ, do you have to go?" Jack whined.
"Sadly, we do, my Jack. It's almost Henry's bedtime. But I'll tell you what, we will plan something real soon." JJ turned to Hotch, lowering her voice so Jack couldn't hear her. "There's a children's festival that I was planning on taking Henry to next Saturday if we don't have to work. Would you and Jack like to come?"
"Sure. It sounds like fun." Hotch felt warring emotions: happiness over spending more outside time with JJ, misery at being tested to remain only her friend, and determination to make that happen.
"Cool." JJ hopped out of the car. She gathered Henry and his stuff.
"Mama, Motch," Henry said, pointing to Hotch. Hotch rolled down the window after seeing Henry point. Henry leaned down and gave Hotch a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Bye-bye, Motch."
"Bye-bye, Henry." Hotch waited until they were safely in the house before driving away. Jack fell asleep on the way home. Hotch made his way slowly to the door, juggling Jack and his souvenirs. He opened the door to the sound of Morgan shouting in bemused disgust, "This is so cheesy!"
Hotch walked into the living room with an eyebrow raised. Morgan and Prentiss were sitting on the couch with Reid and Anna on the floor in front of them. They were watching what appeared to be giant fish attacking buildings on the television.
"How many times do we have to go over this, Derek?" Anna said, defensively. "It's not cheesy. It's craptastic."
"Oh, it's crap, all right," Prentiss muttered, causing Morgan to chuckle and Anna to roll her eyes. Reid looked torn between the two. Hotch cleared his throat to get there attention. He pursed his lips to hide the smile at Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid's frozen reactions.
"Hey, Hotch," they muttered.
"How was the zoo?" Anna asked.
"It was tons of fun. Thank you for the tickets." Hotch moved towards the stairs.
"Do you need some help putting him to bed?"
"I think I got it." Hotch smirked at her. "Go back to enjoying your mutant fish."
When he returned nearly fifteen minutes later, he found Anna alone in the living room. She was cleaning up glasses and plates while keeping one eye on the television. Hotch flopped down on the now vacated couch.
"I didn't mean to run everyone off," He told her.
"I know," Anna looked at him with a glean in her eye, "but you enjoy that power all the same."
Hotch grinned. "Maybe a little. So, how exactly did Morgan and Prentiss end up here?"
"Spencer needed a ride so he asked Emily because he thought she'd enjoy the movies and Derek was dropping off papers when he decided to join us."
"He likes you, you know." He continued when she gave him a skeptical look, "What? I know things."
Anna shrugged. "So, how was the zoo? Really?"
"It was fun. I don't think there's an inch of that zoo we didn't visit. Oh, Jack has a present for you. He and Henry picked it out." Hotch leaned his head against the back of the couch. "The four of us might go to a children's festival next weekend."
Anna studied him for a bit before slowly asking, "Did someone happen today?"
"What?" Hotch lifted his head up, suddenly. "No. I told you: we had a nice time. I'm glad JJ and I can be friends outside of work."
"Yeah, it's good that you have friends with kids." Anna moved towards the kitchen. "I'm going to put these in the dishwasher."
Hotch watched her leave before laying his head back down. He was perplexed by Anna's sudden quietness, but was too whipped to worry about it. Any energy he had left was going to keeping his mind off of JJ.
He just wasn't sure how to go about doing that.