Disclaimer: Not mine. Although I did get an awesome "Team Hotch" hoodie for Christmas!

A/N – Sorry I've taken so long to post this chapter. Typically the end of the year is slow at work. Not so this year! I also wrote and rewrote this chapter a couple of times. It's ending up being more serious than I typically do. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet… On top of that we've been fighting the flu at my house. It's winning.

JJ barely made it out of the room before the tears started falling in earnest. She'd written off Hotch's response when he'd woken up as shock. He had, after all, just woken from a serious fall.

"Oh honey." The door had only just closed when she was swarmed by Garcia, Prentiss, and Haley.

"Come on, Sweetie, let's sit down." Haley had sympathetically taken her hand and led her over to the small waiting room that the team had commandeered while they waited for word on Hotch's recovery.

"He doesn't remember me." She was numb; she'd thought the wait for him to come to had been bad.

"Maybe he just needs hit in the head again." Emily remarked dryly causing both Pen and Haley to chuckle.

JJ sat obediently in the seat that she was lead to and looked up at Haley. "He thought you were dead."

"And here I thought we were getting along so much better." She sat to the left of JJ, still holding her hand she squeezed it gently, worried about the younger woman's pallor. "The doctor is in with him, obviously the hit to the head knocked something loose. They are probably going to need to run some tests and then we'll figure out exactly what's going on."

"I'm having a baby." JJ announced as if they weren't already aware of her condition.

"I know you are sweetie." Haley looked to Emily and Pen for support but they were too caught up in the research that Penelope was conducting. She sent a pleading glance at Reid, the only one of the men that wasn't trying to eavesdrop on the conversation that was taking place in the room that JJ just vacated.

"I'm sure that Hotch is just suffering from short term memory loss." Reid supplied. "He may have some of his memories confused. He might be remembering a plot from a movie or book that he read." He shook his head. "The possibilities are limitless."

JJ, eager to latch on to any theory that explained why her husband no longer had a memory of their time together, looked up at him. "How do we make him better?"

The question startled Reid, he was used to them groaning and asking him to shut up, requests for more information were rare. "JJ, I'm just speculating, I really don't …."

"So my husband may, in fact, have a girlfriend named Beth is what you're saying?" JJ interrupted, angrily.

He was saved from answering by Penelope. "Well, the name is in the AEGIS database but I can't find any 'Beth Clemmons' that Hotch would have interfaced with so I can't imagine where he pulled that name from."

"Maybe it was just someone that he crossed paths with that he found attractive." Rossi bluntly suggested without turning around to the group.

Emily swatted him. "Wow, try not to be so comforting there Dave."

At that he did turn and take in JJ's appearance. She seemed to have shrunken in the last several hours. "Honestly, the thought that Aaron Hotchner would actually go so far as to step out on JJ is ludicrous. Number one, he adores JJ. Number two, he's happier than he's ever been." He looked at Haley. "No offense."

Smirking at the truthful remark, Haley shrugged. "None taken."

Rossi nodded and continued, "Number three, JJ is a hell of a shot and Aaron is not that stupid. On second thought maybe that should be closer to the top of the list."

Morgan chuckled, the comment lighting the mood considerably. "Nah, man, you're right." He slapped Dave on the back as he moved closer to where JJ and the rest of the ladies sat. "We're just all running on emotion and not thinking rationally. There is no way that Hotch would cheat on you." He watched as JJ's lip quivered. "He'll get through this Jay, you might need to lean on the rest of us a little bit longer but that's okay. It'll work itself out and we'll be here for you until it does."

Hotch sighed heavily as the door swung closed behind his exiting wife. Wife. JJ was his wife. He glanced up to notice the doctor studying him. "How is it that a man remembers parts of his life but completely forgets others? How does a man forget he's married to a woman like that?"

The young doctor smiled compassionately. "She is a looker." He chuckled when Hotch raised a brow. "Man, you're wife has been on my ass all week about your care. She's completely devoted to you." He grinned at the Hotch's befuddled expression. "I just thought you might want to know that."

"Why don't I remember her?" He looked back at the door hoping to see it swing back open. As it did he started to smile only to have it drop when he realized it was just the food the doctor had ordered for him.

Dr. Floyd watched him closely. "Go ahead and eat. I just ordered you a light diet. If you get hungry later just alert the nurse and we'll get you another tray." He watched as Hotch went through the motions and picked up the spoon to drink some broth. "I'm going to order some tests and I have reached out to a neurologist that I'd like to do a consult." He paused cautiously, "I also think it would help if you spoke to one of the therapists on staff."

The spoon dropped back into the broth. "I'm not crazy."

"I know you're not crazy, I'm covering all the bases Mr. Hotchner. You've suffered a trauma. Something got jumbled. I want to do my best by you; that means exploring every option."

"You're not really thinking about arguing with the doctor whose job is to get you better?" Neither man had realized Haley had stepped into the room.

"Haley." Hotch laid the spoon down again and held out his hand. He frowned when she placed her hand in his and he noticed that she wore a wedding ring. "You're remarried?"

Haley pulled up a seat beside the bed. Laughing she dropped into it. "You were the best man at the wedding."

He studied her for a moment. "You married Sam?"

Haley's eyes grew wide and she looked excitedly at the doctor.

Hotch just shook his head. "Deductive reasoning." He wiped a hand over eyes that had suddenly misted. "I'm really glad he was able to save you."

"Me too." She squeezed the hand she still held. "We've been talking out in the waiting room and we decided that I would be the best person to come in and talk to you. I'm sure you have questions."

Hotch looked towards the door.

"She's okay; a little sad right now but okay." She smiled as Hotch looked at her questioningly. "You've always had a weak spot for Jennifer Jareau. There is something about her that you Hotchner boys find irresistible. Jack's as nuts for her as you are."

Dr. Floyd laid a hand on Haley shoulders and looked at Hotch. "I'm going to order the tests and both consults." He squeezed Haley's shoulders. "You have an incredible group of people that are here for you. Lean on them and we'll figure this out."

Hotch waited until the doctor left the room. "I can't say I'm really comforted by that." He let out a heavy sigh. "How is JJ, really?"

"She's a little lost, a lot scared. She loves you so much." It was her turn to sigh. "And you love her." Her eyes met his. "I was so convinced that we were soul mates, you know? High school sweethearts, true love, but we changed, grew into different people. You changed."

"Haley, I'm sorry…"

Haley shook her head. "Don't be sorry. You changed for the better. What you do," She sighed. "What you do is horrible. You deal with monsters. You fight monsters." She laughed without any humor. "I didn't understand that until Foyet."

"I thought Foyet killed you." He still couldn't quite wrap his brain around the fact she was sitting in front of him.

"He would have if it hadn't been for Sam." She stated quietly.

"How the hell did he find you?" They'd covered all their bases, hell he sent them away specifically to keep them safe.

"He followed Sam back from a meet with you. He'd been watching you. He employed private eyes to follow everyone on your team. When Sam's picture popped up with you and then again with Prentiss he realized that Sam was important."

"Fuck." Hotch scrubbed a hand over his face."

She shook her head at him and looked embarrassed. "It was my fault. I made a phone call to Jess and to my mom. Sam had to make the meets to discuss moving Jack and me. I disregarded everything because I didn't believe that the threat was as great as you all told me. Sam almost died because of my arrogance."

"Instead he gained a wife." The corner of his mouth lifted.

"You'll have to ask him if it was worth the trade off." But her smile told him that it had been.

"Did I have an affair with JJ?" He blurted, unable to help asking the question that had been eating at him.

This time when she laughed there was real humor behind it. "No. Although JJ did admit to me that the first time the two of you kissed the divorce papers weren't final." She giggled at the surprise in his eyes. "Even more scandalous? It happened in your office."

"No way." He may have forgotten some things but he knew that he was a stickler when it came to his behavior in the office.

"She said if Rossi wouldn't have knocked on the door you two would have consummated your relationship on your desk." Haley confided.

"That doesn't sound like me."

"A lot changed after Foyet." Haley said solemnly. "It made us both realize that life can be too short. It helped me get rid of a lot of my animosity and it helped you let go of your hurt, and gave you the courage to go after what it was that you really wanted."

"My hurt?"

"My abandonment hurt you." She stared down at her hands. "The fact that I had an affair hurt you."

"You had an affair?" He asked, completely stunned by the revelation.

She nodded. "I did. I was stupid and spiteful and I had an affair." She watched the hurt wash over him in much the way she had when she told him the first time. "I really thought, not that it excuses my actions," She stated, "That you were having one of your own. You were so completely devoted to the BAU that I was convinced that there was a reason you were always there that didn't have anything to do with work." She watched as he tried to process the information.

"I have always been attracted to JJ." He admitted, able to understand how she came to that conclusion. He turned to the person that probably knew him better than anyone in the world. "Is it possible that I'm having an affair now?"

"No." Haley didn't hesitate. "Not a chance."

The breath he'd been holding left his body in a rush. "So why do I have memories of another woman?" He asked in genuine confusion.

"That's a really good question."

Both Hotch and Haley turned to the door where JJ stood. It was obvious that she'd been crying but she held her head up proudly.

"Hey." Haley stood from the chair and moved over to JJ quickly. "Come sit down."

"I'm fine, Haley, quit fussing over me." She offered a slight smile to take the bite off her words.

"I'll quit as soon as you sit down." Haley said, smiling back. "I was just about to tell Hotch how the two of you got together."

JJ looked at her husband and ignored Haley's statement. "If you were with some other woman, who was I with in your world?" She'd been unable to resist asking the question that had been bugging her all morning.

The question took him by surprise. "Uh, you married Will." He frowned as he looked at her. "Why didn't you marry Will? Where is Will?"

"New Orleans. He moved here for a while but couldn't get acclimated to the cold and the pace of life here, plus we realized that while we really enjoyed the time we spent together on occasional weekends, we really weren't cut out to be together." Especially when she realized that while she cared deeply for Will she was in love with Aaron Hotchner.

"What about Henry?" He was surprised how strongly he felt about the fact the young boy seemed to have gotten the short end of the arrangement.

"He sees him as much as he can." Which had become increasingly less as he got older but Henry didn't need Will in his life because of the man sitting in front of her.

"Doesn't Henry miss him?" He questioned; a touch angry on his behalf.

JJ shrugged and answered truthfully. "No, not really, he has you."

'He has you.' He looked at the pictures that were all around his room. He'd initially thought the artwork was all from his son Jack but he realized some of the cruder drawings were probably Henry's. The one that was done completely in green caught his eye.

"Green is his favorite color." JJ commented, noticing what he was staring at. "Well, it is this week."

The card was completely in green, it had two stick figures on it. It read, 'I love you daddy. I miss you too.' It was simply signed 'Henry.' He felt a rush of emotion. "He calls me daddy?" The thought pleased more than surprised him.

"You're the only daddy he knows."

He stared at her for so long JJ was starting to feel self-conscious. "I've always been attracted to you."

"I know." JJ replied, a blush bringing much needed color back to her cheeks.

"I thought I hid it pretty well."

"Up until the day you kissed me you did. Once that happened you couldn't help yourself."

"Maybe you need to kiss me now, kind of a reverse Sleeping Beauty." The corner of his mouth twitched awaiting her response.

JJ's mouth dropped open. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Apparently. You are my wife." Hotch grinned at her. "I want my memories back. I want to remember our life together." He looked at her protruding stomach. "It looks like it was pretty good." She just stared back at him in confused silence and he added. "How can it hurt to try?"

Neither paid attention to Haley slipping out of the room.

"Aaron." The name slipped out softly.

"I still feel a powerful attraction to you." It was impossible not to, pregnancy gave her a glow that only enhanced her natural beauty. "What happened to make me brave enough to act on it the first time?"

"The first kiss in your office was bolstered by the power of scotch."

"And even though it was powerful enough to make you consider having sex with me on my desk it wasn't enough to bring us together?" He grinned at the blush that warmed her cheeks.

"No."

"Why not?" He reached down for her hand.

"It may have had to do with the fact that I found out I was pregnant with another man's child." JJ recalled the kiss vividly, it happened shortly after discovering that she was pregnant with Henry. It had been almost a month to the day after she and Will had so long, it's been fun, sex. She'd gone into Hotch's office to leave paperwork and found him disheveled over a bottle a scotch. They commiserated over each other's lousy love life. Then it happened, almost like a scene from a movie. One minute their eyes met and the next they were all over each other. If Rossi hadn't knocked she was pretty sure she would have let him take her on any surface he wanted. Probably more than once. By the time they sat down to analyze what happened she told Will about the baby and they had decided to make another attempt at their relationship.

"Didn't my marriage teach you that babies don't make a relationship work?"

"At that point I didn't really think it was me you wanted."

"I may not remember everything JJ, but I'm pretty sure that I've always wanted you." The heat in his eyes gave credence to his words.

JJ dropped her eyes to her hands. She twisted her wedding rings as she softly commented. "I couldn't find any numbers in your phone that I didn't recognize, and you don't have any weird text messages."

She wouldn't meet his eyes, but he could read the genuine hurt in her tone. "That's good, right?" His hand slid down her arm and captured her hand. He intertwined his fingers with hers. His thumb gently caressed her wrist. "I've never been the type of man that would screw around on his wife. I know that there was some speculation about Kate but I didn't screw around on Haley. I can't explain her but there is no way I would risk what I have with you for another woman."

JJ lifted a shoulder. She knew it was irrational but she'd been hurt more than she believed possible by the fact he didn't remember their life together. Their perfect life. "You can't know that for certain." She didn't resist the tug that brought her out of the chair and to him.

"I think I can." His hand released hers and moved to the small mound where their baby lay nestled.

She flinched as the baby became active, almost as if aware of Hotch's attention. "I swear she's already a daddy's girl."

"She? We're having a girl?"

JJ swallowed at the emotion in his eyes. "Yeah. You cried like a baby at the ultrasound."

"I did not." He smiled as his hand was nudged on more, his gaze completely fixated on her bump. "Did I?" He raised his eyes to her.

"Okay, you got tears in your eyes." She admitted.

"Have we decided on a name? When is the due date?" His questions poured out. "What do the boys think? I bet Henry was bummed."

JJ's eyes flew open wide. "Do you remember that?" Their son had been set on having a baby brother.

Hotch lifted his eyes to hers. Did he remember that? Why would he have assumed that Henry would be disappointed by a JJ having a girl? Was he remembering something? His eyes scrunched up as he tried to remember. He turned to JJ to respond when a pain shot through his head. "Holy shit." He bracketed his face with his hands.

"What's wrong?" JJ moved up closer and laid a hand over one of his. "Honey? Do I need to get the doctor? What can I do?" Her hands massaged his temples, panic evident in her voice.

Just then a technician walked through the door. "I'm here to take Mr. Hotchner down for some tests."

"No, get the doctor. My husband is in pain." JJ demanded.

The tech looked from JJ to Hotch with uncertainty.

The pain was receding no longer the white hot intensity it had been but he was enjoying the attention from his pretty wife. Regardless he finally whispered, "It's fine, Sweetheart," Hotch's hands covered hers. "Let me go with this young man and we can figure out what exactly is going on."

JJ was torn, it was obvious he was in pain, but she didn't want him going anywhere. He was telling her it was better, but she knew by looking at him it wasn't. However, the tests were necessary; they needed them to have some insight into what was going on. She needed her husband back. Giving in she grumbled, "Fine, but I'm come with you."

"Uh, I'm not sure that is a good idea." The tech looked pointedly at her midsection. "You should probably stay away from radiation."

Hotch saw the look of indecision cross her face and acted quickly. "It's okay just promise me you'll be here when I get back." His hand squeezed hers.

"I'm not going anywhere." She glared at technician. Without any thought she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Tears pricked her eyes as Hotch threaded his hand through her hair to the back of her neck. The action was automatic. She sobbed into his mouth.

"Shhh. It's going to be okay." He wiped tears from her face and repeated. "It's going to be okay." He lifted up and captured her lips again. "I love you, JJ." He mumbled against her mouth, knowing without question the words were true. "I'll find a way back to you and our family."

Thanks for reading! Thank you for the reviews and the follows, I really appreciate the support and interest in my story!