"Agent Hotchner, I am sure there are no questions as to what is going to happen during this meeting?" Strauss pressed her fingers against each other as she took in Hotch's tense profile. His eyes looked drawn and weary and while normally filled with fire and defiance, today he sat defeated before their section chief. She sighed before continuing, "Agent Hotchner, we need to determine what we are going to do about Agents Morgan and Jareau. That display in the bullpen by Morgan was completely unprofessional and based on Mr. Montagne's condition, damn right criminal. He could be brought up on felony charges for assault and battery, as well as attempted murder depending on the witness."

At this Hotch intervened, "Ma'am, I can understand how this looks."

Strauss shot up at his placation, "How this looks! Agent Hotchner, one of your agents attempted to beat a man to death because he accused him of having an affair with another agent on your team." She finished heatedly. She raised her hand quickly to silence any attempt of a rebuttal from Hotch. She took a deep breath to attempt to calm herself before continuing, "Based on Morgan's actions, I'm inclined to believe Mr. Montagne's accusations."

"JJ, I am so sorry. I just lost control." Morgan sat collapsed on a chair in the interrogation room. His knuckles blistered and swollen made JJ winced as she tried to press ice against them. Morgan's eyes wouldn't meet hers as he continued to apologize to her brokenly about what happened in the bullpen.

"Derek, look at me please." Her voice wavered, as she couldn't fight the tears that stung her eyes. That feeling of dread that haunted her this morning was taunting her now as her mind replayed over and over again what happened in the bullpen. Literally in the span of five minutes, JJ watched her entire world fall apart in front of her as she watched Morgan leap across the room to attack Will. Their relationship was shared with all of their colleagues in one of the worst ways imaginable and JJ knew there was no coming back from this. There was only forward. Derek had yet to raise his eyes to meet hers, "Derek, please." She begged helplessly, afraid that Morgan all of sudden realized all the drama and trouble being with her caused and wanted to back out of everything they had just promised to each other. She didn't know if she could face all of this without Morgan by her side.

Derek could hear the desperation in JJ's voice as she called to him. He knew what he was doing was hurting them both but again his mind wondered if he did this to her, if he not only destroyed her relationship with Will but was also the reason she was about to lose her career. He remembered that he paused the first night him and JJ spent together and he couldn't help but think all of the bad that followed could have been avoided if he had just left that night. Was all of this worth it? He looked up to finally meet JJ's eyes when the answer hit him. Her baby blue's burned brightly against her teary reddened eyes and they felt like daggers piercing his soul. Everything that they suffered had to be worth it in the end. "Jay, you're worth everything and we'll get through whatever comes next. I promised you I was in this for the long haul and I meant it." Derek said strongly, reaffirmed in his belief in them, in his belief in her.

JJ smiled warmly and truly for what felt like the first time in a long while. She threw herself into Derek's arms kissing him madly, not caring if there was someone standing on the other side of the two-way mirror watching them blatantly break the non-fraternization rule. She pulled back slowly from the kiss before whispering against his lips, "I love you."

"Agent Morgan is possibly going to face charges should Mr. Montagne decide to pursue them and even if he wasn't to do so, the state and this department can."

"Agent Strauss, while I can't say anything about Will's further actions, I don't see how we would willingly take part in the persecution of one of our own after the display Will made in the middle of the bullpen. He aired his and Agent Jareau's private affairs in attempt to not only humiliate her but also another one of our agents. If Morgan didn't attack him, I'm sure I would have and I doubt any other member of my team would say otherwise." Hotch finished tartly. While he couldn't completely excuse the extent to which Morgan beat Will, he couldn't say that he would have done much better himself if he were in that situation.

Strauss shook her head at Hotch usual attempt to shield his agent's actions. "Agent Jareau and Morgan's actions are not only today but if Mr. Montagne's statements are true, have been shaming the FBI beyond today and their blatant disregard of rules have not only embarrassed us, the BAU and the FBI in general should Mr. Montagne take this matter public, but more importantly their actions could have endangered your team on a case."

"Spence, we need to talk?" Emily started apprehensively. Her nerdy boyfriend's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he tried to read Emily's tone of voice. He didn't like her body language and he had a feeling that whatever she said next, he wasn't going to like it. Emily reached out to grab his hand and pulled him closer to her. "Despite the fact that I know at some point in your youth you were taken and experimented on by aliens, I love you. You know that right?" She asked hesitantly. She feared Spence's reaction when she told him what her mother just informed her.

"Of course I know you love me. Emily, what's going on?" It was the tone in his deepened voice that reminded Emily of Spence's growth from a naïve brilliant young man to a much wiser one. Before, Spence couldn't read a person when it came to feelings of romance but now it was like he was reading her like one of his books, quickly figuring her out. It was watching his growth that made Emily love him, well aside from his quirky brilliance.

"Spence, I'm leaving for London in the morning. I've been offered an interim position at Interpol to oversee an old case of mine." Spence squinted as he processed her words. He still didn't understand what Emily was trying to say.

"How long will you be gone?" And that for Emily was the question she was afraid to answer. She didn't know.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be gone, Spence." She replied sadly. His eyes dimmed in understanding; He figured out what she was saying to him.

"Okay." He leaned in and kissed her slowly before pulling back and saying again, "Okay."

Hotch watched Strauss before responding to her, "I don't think there is any person on this team that wouldn't say that we are beyond the point of just being members of team. We're a family and we all care about one another to the point that could compromise anyone of us, and while normally I would agree and say that this is dangerous, it's a mistake. But our closeness with one another is what makes us an effective team; it's what makes us good at what we do."

Strauss huffed before responding, "So what you're saying, that because your team works so well, we should disregard the rules and regulations that every other agent in this bureau is held too, that agents Morgan and Jareau be given a pass just because your team works well together. I have allowed this team many passes over the years, but this is too far Agent Hotchner and your audacity to suggests such a thing makes me wonder at your effectiveness as this team's leader."

Hotch had heard this song and dance before and was not really in the mood to remind Strauss of why he was the best for this job and why each member of this team was so hard to replace, because their camaraderie is what made them special, it's what made them strong enough to stare into darkness and still find a reason to smile at the end of the day. "I'm not going to sit here and remind you of how this team works, what each person brings to table and more importantly what brings them here because you and I both know all the reasons why this team is so good at what it does and a huge part of that is how we feel about one another. We're a family Strauss, plain and simple."

"This isn't going to end well." Gideon sighed heavily as he stood leaning on the walkway above the bullpen. The desks were empty and again Gideon felt like it was just him and Rossi again standing alone against the darkness. The BAU had just been the two of them in a basement office filled with boxes upon boxes of cases that were unsolved or to disturbing to stomach. They had come so far and now it looked like all they had built was about to come crashing down on top of them because of one man.

Rossi came to stand beside his old friend before replying, "Well Morgan did nearly beat Will to death, despite the fact that he might have deserved it, the higher ups frown on that kind of behavior, worst, all of this happened because of JJ and Morgan's relationship. There isn't a good ending that can be found for any of this." Rossi's hands tightened into a fist. When he first came back to the BAU, it was just to fill in and help out till they could find another body to fill the ranks, but that changed and now each and every single person on this team wasn't just another friend to him, they were like family and to see the empty bullpen felt like a sign of things to come. His family was disappearing in front of him and Gideon and there was nothing they could do about it. He could understand the pain of Gideon's, the progress they had made in this unit when it started as nothing but a joke for the higher ups to laugh at to turn it into a weapon that FBI wielded with force to be dismantled felt like the final nail in the coffin.

"Things won't be the same." Gideon added quietly.

"I know."

"A family you say, agent Hotchner? 'Your family' was busy breaking the fraternization rules! It has recently been brought to my attention that agents Morgan and Jareau aren't the only ones who have broken the fraternization rules, but also agents Prentiss and Reid. So explain to me Aaron, how you could think any of this was appropriate to allow. I mean there are multiple agents on your team sleeping with one another and you didn't even at least attempt to put a stop to it for the sake of keeping your team together professionally?"

Hotch knew that it would only be a matter of time before one of the higher ups found out about one of the couples on the team and while Hotch was preparing to have to defend one of the couples he didn't think he was going to have to defend them all, especially after what he was going to say next, "Well, I couldn't exactly reprimand them for breaking a rule that I was already breaking." He left the statement at that and watched as understanding crossed Strauss's face.

"Agent Hotchner, are you saying that you and agent Greenaway are also in a relationship?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Hotch replied nonchalantly.

Strauss could feel the migraine pounding in her head. This was a complete and utter disaster and she didn't think she could listen to much more of this as it only seemed to implicate a team that she herself had come to care about over the years.

"It was good while it lasted, huh?" Elle said sadly as she rested on Hotch's back. His head was turned away from her as he laid stomach down on the bed in his room. He shivered slightly at the cooling sweat on both his and Elle's bodies as their breathing returned to normal. He had hoped she wouldn't broach the subject but now that the statement was out there, it couldn't be taken back. Hotch tried to ignore it but he couldn't for much longer when he felt Elle move from her place atop him to leave the bed and get dressed.

"Elle…"

Elle cut him off, "Aaron don't. Just don't please." He voice broke over the plea as she continued to quickly get dressed. She yanked her underwear on roughly before pulling on her jeans and her top before stuffing her bra in her bag. She grabbed her phone off the side the table, pointedly ignoring Hotch as he had sat up in the bed to watch her. There was nothing he could say and she was glad that he didn't try cause it would have made this harder. She stopped shifting when she was done, afraid to face him.

"Elle…" His voice trailed off, spurring her into action. She quickly walked to him, kissing him harshly before pulling away and racing out of his apartment. Hotch didn't have a chance to call out after her, the door slamming on her exit. He wanted to go after her, but he couldn't, there was nothing he could say that would change anything anyways.

"Well, agent Hotchner, in light of everything, it seemed that there is no question as to what is going to happen next." Strauss continued warily. She reached down to the side and pulled out multiple manila folders sliding them out next to each other one by one on the table. Hotch watched her tensely as he watched each folder that appeared. He knew what each of them would hold and he was not in any hurry to read them. He looked up to meet her eyes when she was done. Strauss rested her hands on the table before sighing and saying, "I'm sorry Aaron."

A/N: Hey guys. Kind of a quick update here. I am currently working on a couple of things, but more to come soon. As always, please leave a review. Hope you guys enjoy!