AN/The warning is the same--beware of Cookies :) Thanks for all of the reviews and to those who have alerted--we love feedback, so any reviews you give are super helpful!

PART 2

Sleep came fitfully for Aaron Hotchner, his mind still full of the surprising words that had been said earlier.

"I wasn't really in love with him" Her beautiful voice seemed to reverberate in his mind. She wasn't in love with Will, never had been. Could it possibly be that he still had a chance with her? Did she want there to be something between them? Did he?

He rolled over in the darkness, trying to get the image of her on his doorstep out of his mind. He knew it wouldn't do any good to hope, since hope often led to disappointment. But something inside of him would not squelch his growing excitement. His biggest road block had been that JJ was in a happy relationship, with that out of the way all he had to deal with was the fact that he did not know if she cared for him the way he did for her. This brought new insecurities, because any potential relationship he could ever have with JJ would have to begin with her liking him back.

"Ugh! Get a grip!" He groaned to himself, smashing the pillow over his face. There would be more cases to solve tomorrow, and he needed sleep now...And he wouldn't get any if he kept on profiling the situation that had happened hours ago. Glancing briefly at the clock on the nightstand he noticed it was not almost one in the morning--if he lasted two more hours like this he might as well just get up and make the coffee, and pray Jordan didn't bring them a case.

JJ had always been able to sleep anywhere at anytime and in any place. Caffeine barely even did anything to her when she was really tired, like she was now---so why was she still sitting at her kitchen table drinking hot chocolate and thinking about her visit to Hotch's house earlier?

Sure, his face had been perfectly adorable when he opened the door, surprised to see her on his front porch. The little dimple in his cheek that anyone rarely saw, had show itself when he'd laughed about the BAU only needing one Penelope Garcia. He'd seemed so carefree and relaxed as he teased her while they stood there talking that she almost wondered if he had started dating someone without her knowledge--that thought bringing a slight pit to her stomach. There hadn't been any other cars in his drive way though, so why did she feel like there was something she was missing about why he was suddenly so happy?

Was it possible that the entire unit had changed in the two months she'd been gone on maternity leave?

No. No matter how much she wanted to believe that Aaron Hotchner had changed and had magically become aware of her attraction to him, she had learned better. If she had learned anything in the last two years, it was that men never changed.

Or did they?

By the time his alarm went off at it's usual time-5:30am-Aaron Hotchner had already gone for his morning run, showered, dressed for the day, and had a total of three large cups of coffee.

It wasn't until he was about to leave his home to be at the office ridiculously early when he saw the diaper bag in his entry way. JJ must have put that down, and forgotten about it.He thought with a slight smile, strangely excited at the prospect of seeing JJ twice in as many days. Resolving that 6:00 was too early to wake his blonde friend, he decided that it would be just as easy for him to leave work a little early to drop off her things on the way home--especially considering that she lived almost exactly between his house and Quantico.

The entire day at work seemed to drag on in a way that he hadn't thought possible. No longer were the files offering him solace and a way to bury himself from the realization of how empty his life had become. No, now they seemed to mock him, the sheer magnitude of the pile on his desk a road block from the exciting plans of this evening.

David Rossi enjoyed coming back to work at the BAU. He had enjoyed retirement immensely, and the solitude it provided. But, now in his aging years, he was able to interact with people--able to profile them the way that he had become famous for. He had noticed the way that Prentiss seemed to laugh more every time Derek Morgan was around. He noticed how Derek Morgan seemed to flaunt his skills at the brunette, more than any of the other bimbos he supposedly dated. He definitelyhad noticed how much angry and short tempered his stoic friend had become once the cute blonde went on maternity leave.

But, for all of his profiling, nothing prepared him for the shock of watching Aaron Hotchner leave the office twenty minutes early with JJ's diaper bag firmly in his hand. Early on he had noticed how the man stayed at the office far later than anyone else and likely arrived at ridiculously early hours in the morning. He had to, Dave had returned to the BAU offices late at night--on more than one occasion--when he couldn't sleep to find the always stoic Aaron Hotchner still hard at work. But something was changing, and David Rossi was going to find out exactly what it was--even if he had to enlist the help of Penelope Garcia.

JJ's day had turned out to be anything, but relaxed. Henry had been screaming all day with colic, so much so that JJ almost thought something else might be wrong with him. After a quick trip to the pediatrician the doctor had decided to put Henry on a different type of formula, leaving JJ to have to take her screaming child into the bank where she was almost certain the manager had almost asked her to leave for making so much noise.

When she returned back to her apartment an hour later and finally got Henry situated, she finally noticed that her diaper bag was missing--and with it, Henry's favorite pacifier. The only pacifier he liked was missing and the thought of the only thing that seemed to calm Henry down these days was missing made her shudder--no way was this little guy going to sleep without his green pacifier, no way.

Finally after hours of trying to rock him, rub his tiny back, sing to him, and even driving him around the block twice in hopes to soothe him, Henry finally feel asleep from pure exhaustion just after two in the afternoon--and JJ wasn't far behind after placing him in his crib. So when someone knocked loudly on her front door just after 5pm she was horrified. Of course the sound had woken Henry. "Just a second!" she called and she went to pick up the screaming baby again. Carrying him with her to answer the door--if this was that crazy salesman again she as going to have a very nice chat with his boss about him.

"Hotch! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to find her boss waiting on her door step.

"You left Henry's bag at my house last night, thought you might need it." He offered, showing her the bag in his hand.

"Oh thank God! I've been looking for that diaper bag all day! Henry's favorite pacifier is in it, and he won't go to sleep without it." she gushed as she let him in her front door. "Come in! You can just sit down anywhere. Thank you so much for bringing it by--I couldn't remember where I'd left it!" JJ scrambled for the bag, handing her son over to Hotch immediately as she knelt down and practically tore the bag apart, looking for the important item.

Snuggling tightly into Hotch's shoulder, Henry quickly began to quiet, causing JJ to look up at them in surprise. "Wow! I didn't even know he could do that." She observed, shocked at Henry's sudden lack of screaming. "I guess he must like you." She said as she found the green pacifier in the bottom of the bag, and placed it firmly in her sons mouth.

"Well, why don't you stay and I can make you dinner? Repayment for saving my sanity." JJ joked.

"I can do one better, let me take you out to dinner." Hotch suggested, feeling his heart soar slightly at the possibility. "Give you a chance to get out of the house."

"I can't say that's a bad idea." JJ laughed, "let me get Henry's coat."

Hotch was trying to fight the smile that was dancing on his lips. While this was the most excited he had been in months, he didn't want JJ to know it...at least not yet. He beat JJ to her car, buckling Henry in his seat and opening the driver's side door for her--taking his car would have been inconvenient and driving JJ's car would have been presumptuous.

"Okay where too?" JJ asked as he climbed in the passenger side and pushed the seat back a little, "Oh sorry! Nobody ever sits over there except Garcia." she apologized when he had to let the seat almost all the way back. Apparently he was taller than she thought.

"It's fine JJ." He dismissed politely, "It's up to you on where we go, I'm not the one with a two month old at home." Though I'm not sure I would mind it.

"Are you sure? I mean I haven't been out to eat other than a drive thru in a long time" she admitted sheepishly, "I don't want to pick somewhere that you'll hate."

"Like that's possible" he thought, and then realized she was waiting for him to answer, "Anywhere is fine with me, I promise."

Thinking for a second, a light bulb went off in her head. Starting the car she grinned, "When was the last time you went to Old Town Alexandria?"

"I can't remember the last time. Why?"

"Because I just thought of the perfect place to go. I hope you like seafood." she added as she pulled out of her driveway.

Thirty minutes later, most of which was spent looking for a parking space, the three of them were seated around a small table in what was possibly JJ's favorite seafood restaurant. The Fish Market had everything from shrimp to crab legs, all pulled right of the the Potomac which the restaurant over looked.

"So what do you think?" JJ asked as she settled Henry's car seat in one of the chairs at their table.

"It's great." Hotch said, trying to contain his excitement over the occasion. "Really, it sounds great."

"You know that you should appreciate the situation you are in, not many guys are lucky enough to have my company over dinner, let alone that you don't only get me, but you get to spend the night with Henry too." JJ teased, taking a sip of water.

"My not appreciating tonight will not be a problem." Hotch said with a gleam in his eye, meaning what he said entirely. He was about to say something else, but was rudely interrupted by his loud cell phone ringing obnoxiously. He was about to let it just go to voice mail, but JJ smiled.

"Answer it. I understand the constant cell phone ringing, it might be a case." JJ told him, tilting her head to the side.

Hotch flipped open his phone and put it to his ear. "Hotchner."

"Hey Aaron. I don't really care but my fiancee's mom is going crazy that you haven't RSVP'd yet. I keep telling her that you'll come, but she is convinced that you are going to back out at the last minute. So, officially RSVP tally, one guest or two? Unless you back out and don't come to your only brother's wedding because you have a case, then in which, dude, you suck." Sean teased.

"Well, I guess just one." Hotch told his brother, "Its a good thing Mom is not around to see me attend your wedding without a date, just think of how she would react." He saw JJ look at him a little funny. "What?"

"If you don't want to go alone, I could go with you. Save you from public humiliation." She told him, trying not to seem too forward.

"JJ, really it's okay." Hotch responded, covering the phone so Sean wouldn't hear her in the background.

"Hotch, only losers attend weddings alone." She said in complete seriousness. He just nodded his head in response.

"Actually Sean, lets make that two." Hotch said, getting back on the phone. He couldn't help but smile at his sudden turn of luck.

"Great. Oh and don't forget about the pre-wedding party on Friday night. Amy and I have decided to make it a 1920s theme. We didn't really want to have one, but again--her parents." Sean added and Hotch could hear him scribbling something down in the background, "But hey listen I've gotta go. I'm taking Amy to dinner so we can hang out before things get all crazy this weekend."

"I understand. Good night Sean." Hotch answered politely as he hung up.

"So...tell me about this wedding that I'm going to this weekend?" JJ as the waitress brought their drinks to the table. "What is Sean's girlfriend like?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." he added sheepishly, "The only thing I know about her is her name--Amy Montenegro."

"The same Montenegro's that own Duvall's restaurant in New York?" JJ asked, surprised that the younger Hotcher was engaged to someone with a society background.

"Maybe. He works there now, has for the past eight months." Hotch answered as he took a sip of the iced tea in front of him, "The wedding is on Martha's Vineyard. It's this weekend."

"Henry is supposed to go to Will's this weekend." JJ informed him, "Just don't let me get on your nerves if I start calling to check on him all the time. It's my first full weekend away from him."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I'll keep you plenty busy." He retorted and immediately cringed at how suggestive his comment sounded.

"I'm sure you will." She said, as though she hadn't noticed how suggestive either of their comments had sounded.

Hotch sat back happily, this experience may not be nearly as uncomfortable as he had thought.