A/N: Here's next chapter. I hope you all like it!

Special thanks to KatieThomas'95, JJmyst, snuggleUP, Westie80, jenny crum, BAUMember, guest, Christiangirl and guest!

I don't own criminal minds!

"A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other...Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever"
~ Dave Matthews Band

The ride home was filled with silence and tension as JJ tried to push away the mental image of her boss' hands all over her body. But it had taken over every thought as she sat in the passenger's seat. She couldn't stop imaging what could've happened, but what really consumed her thoughts was the question if he had the same feelings. If he had been experiencing a change in their relationship ever since she came back to work. She definitely knew something with her own feelings was terribly wrong because she hadn't been able to stop herself from kissing Hotch in a restroom as their significant others sat outside, waiting for them to return. And it was at that moment that the guilt washed over JJ like a cold shower. How could she? What was she thinking? Other people were involved, not to mention they both had kids who had the possibility of getting hurt if anyone ever found out what happened between them. So she vowed to herself to stay away from Hotch as best as she could, but she still had to work with him. She was supposed to shadow him during cases, which would only make it harder, impossible even.

So she leaned back with frustration and tried to focus on the man next to her, her husband. The man she loved dearly, but she couldn't help but realize that not one of her kisses with Will could ever measure up to the one she had with Hotch. It was fiery and passionate like she had never felt before. Throughout her life she never believed that kind of passion existed. The one described in books and played out in movies. She always thought it was fake and no could have that. But she had experienced it. It was just with the wrong man. She was supposed to have that passion with Will, and the fact that she didn't led her to know that she couldn't give him what they both deserved. She had changed. She wanted different things, and she'd never be the person he thought she was. It was simply over for her, but that didn't make it much easier for her.

Once they were inside the house, Will threw the door shut behind him, expressing his anger and disappointment all at once. He then followed JJ into the living room and watched as she sat down on the couch with her hands in her hair as if she was trying to hide herself from him. So he stepped towards her and sat down on the edge of the coffee table, knowing something wasn't right. He knew it simply by looking at her, but it was the same expression and body language she had carried around ever since she came back from her ordeal with Askari and Hastings. He had barely seen a glimpse of the woman he had fallen in love with. The one moment he saw it was when JJ looked at Aaron Hotchner, the one man he never perceived as a threat to his marriage. But that night proved he was truly wrong about his instincts.

''What's going on JJ?'' he asked patiently, his voice soothing and sweet. He just wanted the truth from her, nothing more. He just needed to know what she wanted or what his future looked like.

She looked up and gazed into his eyes as her heart pounded in her chest from the guilt and nerves. She could barely hold his gaze, so speaking would prove to be much harder, but she managed to gather her strength and clear her throat. ''Beth's comment took me off guard so I needed a moment in the restroom.'' she lied. She couldn't tell him the truth when she didn't know what her kiss with Hotch meant. She just couldn't break his heart without knowing what her reasons were. So she'd keep it to herself until she had it figured out, even if it was going to be hard. She just had to. ''Hotch just came in to check on me.''

''Is that all?'' Will shot back in disbelief as he watched JJ's expression closely. Her face was blank and she looked up at him with shock. ''The man obviously has feelings for you, JJ!''

She rose from the couch as a response, feeling like telling him he was wrong, but she just wasn't sure of that fact. ''Of course he doesn't, Will. You're talking about Hotch. The man who has fallen head over heels for Beth.''

Will ignored her attempt to make him doubt his observations. ''I saw it, JJ. Just don't try to deny it!'' he warned angrily. ''Do you have any idea how wrong this is?'' he asked in anger. ''He's your boss for god sakes. He is at least ten years older than you. What is he thinking?''

JJ stepped towards him and quickly realized what a mess was already unfolding in front of her. ''Does it really matter?'' JJ asked clearly as she took his hands in hers. ''I am married to you, Will. Whatever feelings you think Hotch has, it doesn't matter. I am with you.'' she whispered gently, trying to keep herself from falling apart in that very spot.

''Are you?'' he asked, his voice hoarse and filled with pain and heartbreak. ''As far as I know we were separated until you came back here today.'' he went on. ''So are we separated?''

She couldn't answer that question because she didn't have an answer. She no longer knew if she wanted to be married to Will. She didn't know anything anymore. Her life had been a complete mess and now more problems were just stacking up and she didn't know how to handle it anymore. Her life was falling apart at the seams and there was no way she could stop it from happening.

''Your silence tells me enough.'' he croaked out. ''I'm going to bed!''

She let her eyes follow him as he left the living room in defeat, his eyes on the ground as he walked the stairs quickly. She retreated to the couch as her phone lay next to her as if she was expecting an important call that might change her life forever. But she resigned to the fact that she had broken the two most important relationships in her life. Her marriage to Will, and whatever her relationship with Hotch had become. She had responded out of fear and shock after what happened between them, but she knew it was wrong. And she felt like there might never be a real way to fix it.

On the other side of town another fight was about to transpire. Hotch had waited for Beth to walk into his apartment before he slammed the door to his apartment shut. He was experiencing so many emotions that it was nearly killing him. He was angry. Angry at Beth for her behavior towards JJ. But the worst of all was the pain he felt because of JJ's words. She stated their encounter was a mistake. He couldn't believe it, but at that moment he had to focus on his relationship with Beth since they hadn't spoken a word since the restaurant.

''Beth, you had no right to question her about her sister like that!'' Hotch said angrily as he threw his jacket onto the couch. JJ's face in the restaurant kept flashing before his eyes and he felt terribly guilty for what happened. Beth had been out of line and her behavior was something he never expected from her. It was nothing like her. Beth was sweet and understanding. She was bubbly and accepting. Not bitchy and jealous. He never knew her like that before and seeing her like that only angered him more.

''I was just…'' she tried to say but he interrupted her.

''No, Beth! You have no idea what you're talking about!'' Hotch said with frustration. He watched as she sat down on the couch and he kept pacing through his living room. But after a few seconds he finally stopped and turned to face her. ''JJ's sister didn't just die, Beth. She committed suicide.''

''I am sorry, Aaron. I didn't know. I never meant to come across the way I did. It'll never happen again! I promise!'' she said as she rose from the couch and walked towards him. She took his hands in hers but he immediately pulled away and stepped behind the couch to create a distance, knowing Beth had the power to manipulate him if she wanted to. ''Aaron, talk to me!'' she pleaded.

''Why did it have to happen in the first place?'' he asked simply, and when she stayed silent, he continued to question her. ''Why Beth? You were being so immature! Why?'' he pushed, hoping he would get an answer.

She joined him behind the couch and left a reasonable distance between them so he didn't have to pull away again. ''I just want to see you more often. And I know you have your job, Aaron. I get it and I have always supported you in that. But you never call me anymore. You don't have to be there in person but just talking on the phone would be enough.'' she cried out. ''But you haven't! And I realized tonight it wasn't because you didn't acknowledge me. It's because you think about someone else!'' she went on in tears. She stopped when the tears streamed down her face heavily and she needed a moment to collect herself.

''I have always seen it, Aaron. But I guess I wasn't too concerned about it because she was married and I thought you'd get over it. But you clearly haven't!'' she continued. ''You've never looked at me the way you look at her. Never. Not once and that breaks my heart. But what's even worse is that both of you just don't see that you love each other!''

Hotch stepped back in shock as her words started spinning in his head. He never realized his feelings for JJ had been noticeable to his girlfriend. He never even though he looked at her differently. ''Beth, do you realize what you're saying to me?'' he asked. ''Do you realize what you're accusing me of? Feelings of any sorts for my subordinate could get me fired!''

''I don't care anymore.'' she said easily. ''I can't keep doing this! Our relationship has probably been over for a while and I didn't want to admit it. But this is clearly where it ends.''

She walked towards the door as she put on her coat and took her purse from the chair. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned around one last time. ''I thought you were different, Aaron. I believed we could've been together forever.'' she went on. ''But the fact that you're not stopping me or fighting for me tells me that you just don't care at all. I hope you're happy!''

He cringed when the door fell shut in its lock. He didn't shed a tear nor did he feel any pain because of his break-up with the brunette. If anything he didn't feel anything but fear and doubt as another image of the blonde flashed before his eyes. Was it really true then? Did he always have feelings for her? Did he never notice it? Or did he hide it so well that he didn't know himself.

He knew he needed to answer those questions before he was going to make another decision involving JJ. But as he dropped down on his couch, he knew it was simple. She had always been there. He had taken her presence for granted and he finally realized he didn't want to live a single moment without her. Her transfer to the DOD had angered him into the extremes and now he knew why. It was because he wouldn't see her smile on a daily basis, it was because he no longer talked to her early in the mornings in his office and it was because he didn't have his best friend by his side. And he knew it had always been there, but he had created a wall between his feelings for her and the professional boundaries. And now that wall had come crumbling down. All he needed was to find out if she felt the same way.

He was about to rise from the couch when his phone started buzzing, and he felt his heart skip a beat at the caller ID.

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it-always."
~ Mahatma Gandhi