Sorry about the loooooong delay for posting this chapter. So many things have been happening and to be honest, my ADD has been on overdrive. I promise to make this story a once a week posting…because if I don't, I know that Tracia will hunt me down and beat me with her beloved keyboard!

And for the record, if you thought you hated Will before, you are going to want to throttle him after this chapter!

Believe Again

Of all the things he had been reduced to in his life, being Erin Strauss's "gopher" was the one thing he never expected to be. But there he stood in a long line in the basement cafeteria, patiently waiting his turn while she plotted further ways to humiliate him.

"Two can play this game, Erin," Dave groused under his breath. Usually he could wait in a line and not think anything of it, but not this time. Right now his liaison lay battered and bruised and alone - he should be with her…not fetching coffee like some fucking secretary.

Checking his watch for the hundredth time, he was tempted to throw a couple of bills at the cashier and hurry back to the waiting room. Bet Erin would love to ride your ass for that one! His conscience taunted.

Shifting his weight, he switched the boiling hot coffee to his other hand. It would serve her right not to bring the cream and sugar. "Let her drink it black," he muttered.

A couple minutes later, he made his way to the front of the line and paid for his purchase. Stepping out of the room thru the double doors, he rounded the corner to the elevators.

Hotch turned the corner toward the elevators when he caught a figure moving up the passageway. Pausing, he waited to see which direction they would go in. As the person stopped in front of JJ's room, Hotch felt his senses go on high alert.

Rushing over, he reached out and grabbed the stranger. "You can't go in there," he demanded. As the man turned around, his eyes narrowed. "Will. What are you doing here?"

Will held Hotch's steel gaze. "I came by to check on Jennifer."

Neither man blinked as the weight of the words slowly sunk in. Motioning with his hand, Hotch indicated that he wanted Will to follow him. Quickly the pair walked to the empty waiting room. Once inside, Hotch closed the door then turned to the man who was partly responsible for what transpired earlier in the evening.

"Why are you here?" Hotch repeated, leveling a cold, steel-like, stoic gaze at the former detective.

"I need to talk to Jennifer."

"I think you said all you needed to say in that pathetic note you left behind," Hotch reminded tonelessly.

"You had no right to read that!" Will growled.

"I am JJ's boss and I had every right. After everything that she's been thru, how could you hurt her even further? Have you forgotten that she is the mother of your son?"

Will snorted. "That's fine advice coming from a man who walked away from his marriage."

Hotch felt the anger well up. "My marriage has nothing to do with what transpired tonight. You didn't even care to know the welfare of your son when you showed up here the first time. You were supposed to take him to the Navy Lodge, but instead you leave him with Prentiss and Morgan and run away like a thief in the middle of the night. Are you really that selfish?"

"I need to talk to Jennifer." Will's eyes matched his voice - flat and lifeless. Hotch stared at him as if he was profiling an UNSUB.

"No, you don't. That poor woman has been through hell tonight. She's been violated three times…twice by people she doesn't know, and once by someone she thought loved her. If you go in there and deliver your coup de grace, you are going to destroy her. And so help me God, I will not allow you to do that." Hotch's hand hovered near his service weapon.

"Who is going to stop me?" Will asked defiantly, Hotch's action was not missed on the trained detective.

"I will. And if I can't, I'm pretty sure that Agent Morgan - who is in the room right now - will be more than happy to lend a hand," Hotch replied in a monotone. "And should that fail, and you make your way inside, Agent Rossi and Director Strauss would love to tag team."

Will considered Hotch's statement. "I want to say good-bye." He tried to sound sincere, but his words sounded pathetic to the Unit Chief who had interrogated one too many criminals who tried to owe up to their misdeeds only after being caught and cornered with no other means of escape.

"I can't let you do that." Hotch moved to block the doorway. "If you go anywhere near that room, I will have no choice but to arrest you."

"You wouldn't dare!" Will sputtered. "Are you crazy? That's my fiancée in there!" He tried to push Hotch out of the way.

Hotch pushed back. He had killed a man with his bare hands, and no short, little, self centered prick was going to intimidate him. Especially if that prick was about to cause irreparable harm to his friend and fellow agent.

"No, that is a federal agent in that room and Director Strauss has made it clear that any one who isn't family or FBI can't go in there. And from what I remember, a 'fiancée' is not family…in fact it doesn't even hold up in a court of law."

"You son of a bitch! I want to see JJ and I want my son!"

"You will have to come thru me first." Hotch raised an eyebrow and braced himself for an attack. For a long moment, neither man moved or spoke. Finally, Will slowly gave up the fight.

"You know what?" he asked rhetorically. "You can fucking have her. She doesn't care about anything but that damn team she works with…even they come before her son. So, I give her to you. Good riddance."

Will moved toward the door as Hotch moved away. Yanking on the handle, he pulled the door open and stopped short as he came face to face with Dave.

"Well, well, well," Dave taunted sarcastically, "look what we have here." Tempted to pound the man, Dave weighed his options. Looking at Hotch, then back at Will, he paused, then threw the coffee on the Cajun.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Will yelled as the hot liquid drenched his dress shirt and mildly scalded his skin.

"It beats having to write a report explaining why I broke my other hand beating the shit out of you," Dave replied darkly.

"You know, David," Erin Strauss's voice cut through the heavy silence and anger, "I am going to want another cup of that."

Looking at the blonde, Dave snorted. "Lick it off that piece of trash if you need a caffeine fix that badly, Erin. I've got things to do." Turning on his heel, he walked down to the end of the hallway and turned the corner.

Erin cocked her head. "I will never want coffee that bad. Now get the hell out of here before I take you down myself. You made yourself clear in your letter. If you come anywhere near my agent or her son again, I will shoot you myself. Is that understood, Mr. LaMontange?"

"Yes. Don't tell JJ that I was here."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Good day." Both agents watched as Will make his way to the elevator, stepped on, and the doors closed forever.

"You didn't really want that coffee did you?" Hotch observed.

"I drink tea." Looking at her watch, she did a mental calculation. "Agent Morgan should be finished with his interview; think I'll be with my agent." Turning on her heel, she walked to JJ's room and disappeared inside.

Hotch leaned back against the wall and rested his head against the cool white wall.

And then he prayed.