A/N: Here's another chapter with Hotch in it. I'm trying to keep his appearances frequent and in upcoming he'll definitely show up a lot more. I hope you all like this!

Special thanks to handsome-uks, Christiangirl, Sophia0665, jenny crum, K8e1, Snowbeardolpin and Westie80!

I don't own criminal minds!


Chapter 28: Persuasion

It had been a week since JJ and Griffen had their conversation within the confines of her apartment. Neither of them spoke again of the subjects they shared. Their relationship went back to professional, but it was better than before. They were working together and they had already won two cases in court. Their days couldn't have been better. Well, everything related to work was going amazing. But their private lives were still a mess.

JJ was still thinking about Hotch a lot and she wondered what he was doing. She didn't want to think about him, but she just couldn't help it. There were a lot of what-ifs surrounding the prosecutor and she almost called him several times. But each time she heard Sean's voice in the back of her head, saying he couldn't be trusted. It was eating away at her and she realized she had to make a decision very soon because it was becoming unbearable to live with the doubts. Because on the other hand, there was Griffen. A man who was off limits, but she did have feelings for him. She didn't know to what extent and she didn't want to be too late to figure it out. It was just literal hell for JJ. Two men. One who broke her heart and the other seemed completely unavailable. Both very different in every sense of the word.

Hotch was still the confident mysterious guy who could steal the heart of any girl. It seemed like he hadn't changed much. And his charms still worked on JJ like magic, which was the biggest problem. It also didn't help that he was extremely good-looking.

And then there was Griffen West. An amazing man with a cold and tough exterior, but underneath was a heart of gold. He was classically handsome and had that amazing body.

JJ forced herself to snap back to their characteristics when she started thinking about what it had been like to be with both men. Sex with Hotch had been about love and passion. With Griffen it was the heat of the moment, yet she still felt an overwhelming feeling of security and warmth when they were together.

But JJ knew she couldn't make a choice. She wouldn't because it would be too fast. Choosing a partner wasn't a decision to be made in a rush. She didn't even know how Griffen felt about her. She didn't know if he had feelings involved. She still had to figure that part out. But for now she couldn't even think about men. She was supposed to work and make the best of it.

''JJ?'' Griffen called out as he walked to her desk in a hurry. ''I need to hand this case over to you and Benjamin.'' he explained as he handed her the folder with the information regarding the case.

''You're kidding me, right?'' she demanded, her tone of voice low and quite angry. She realized she was out of line and her expression softened immediately. ''A case against Aaron Hotchner?''

''Yeah, but this isn't going to court. He already agreed with Wesley Evans to make a deal.'' Griffen said easily. ''He'll be here in two hours.''

''Why me?'' JJ questioned with the fear of being yelled at because she was questioning him. But he seemed to understand why she asked.

He leaned against the edge of her desk and looked into her eyes, reassuring her of her abilities to work cases. She had been amazing in the last week and Griffen believed in her. He had seen her fight for their clients. She definitely had the passion a good lawyer needed to own. ''He has a soft spot for you.'' he replied. ''Plus, he might identify the client with you. She looks like you.''

''What did she do?'' JJ asked, shrugging her shoulders. She knew Griffen rarely dealt with criminal cases and when he did it was an important client. Or a case in which he believed the defendant was innocent.

''She got drunk and beat up a guy who touched her.'' he answered. ''She was sexually assaulted when she was younger so she acted out of self-defense.'' he said, already handing JJ the real defense for the case.

''I guess that shouldn't be too hard to get out of.'' JJ said confidently. ''Thanks for trusting me with this case.''

Griffen stood up and started to walk away, but stopped and turned around to face JJ. ''I just didn't want to deal with Hotchner again, JJ. I hate the guy and you know it.''

''Yes, I do.'' JJ whispered as Griffen walked out of the bullpen. She jumped up and hurried to Ben's desk. He was with his head deep in a case and she knew he had been working non-stop on a sexual harassment case. It had taken up all his time. But now it was time for him to help her.

''Ben?'' JJ asked but she got no response. ''Ben!'' she said a little louder and looked surprised by her presence.

''How can I help you?''

''We have a case.'' she stated simply. ''The meeting with the prosecutor is in two hours.''

Ben sighed deeply, closing the file in front of him. ''Fine, let's get this party started.''

JJ grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. They opened the files and started reading each inch on the papers. An eye for detail was extremely important in their field, so reading closely was part of the job.


Two hours later everyone was seated in the conference room and the meeting had begun. JJ immediately noticed the shock on Hotch's face when he realized she was representing Andrea Long. He thought the case would be handled by one of the partners, but working with JJ wasn't a problem for him. He actually liked it a lot. He even enjoyed watching her do her job. She was good at it and she remained professional during the meeting. It didn't take long before they were able to make a deal for their client and JJ was happy with the end result. The victim dropped the charges after hearing Andrea's past, but insisted she should get some help. So she got off with community service and therapy sessions every week to help her deal with her past.

''It was nice working with you, Mr. Hotchner.'' Benjamin commented after shaking Hotch's hand. The meeting was over and he decided to leave because he had a lot of work left to do.

''My pleasure!'' Hotch said, still sitting in the comfortable chair. The furniture at Parker & Watson was definitely more expensive than at the DA's office. Everything was fancy and luxurious and it didn't seem like JJ at all. She always seemed like the simple type. She didn't need material things to get through life.

''I'll wrap this up.'' JJ assured to Ben, hoping she could get some alone time with the ADA. She wanted to see what he had to say once they were alone.

Hotch watched as Ben left and his eyes immediately turned back to JJ. She looked absolutely stunning and he felt himself respond when she got up from her chair and leaned over the table to grab the stack of files. He had a perfect view of her cleavage and it almost seemed intentional. ''You look amazing, JJ.'' he said hoarsely as she sat back down. ''I wanted to call you but I also needed to respect your privacy and need for some time digest everything.''

''I still don't know what I want, Aaron.'' she began. ''All of this is still so confusing to me.''

Hotch rose from his chair and walked to JJ. He took a seat next to her. ''Is that all you're feeling?'' he wondered out loud.

JJ pulled away from him and stayed on her feet as she turned around to look at the view. '''Maybe.''

''So you don't feel anything for me?'' he asked in despair. ''Absolutely nothing?''

JJ breathed in deeply as she tried to stay in control of her emotions. It was hard but she managed. ''I don't know.''

''You must know something!'' he contradicted. ''JJ, give me something here.'' he pleaded, his voice filled with raw emotion. He wanted to hear something positive. He needed to know that he was giving up his marriage for something. She had to give him something. Even if it was a no.

''Come on, Aaron!'' she said fiercely. ''You think I don't have feelings for you?'' she insinuated. ''I do have feelings for you, but I can get my heart broken again. Not by you or by anyone else. You have to give me the time that I need or else nothing will ever happen.''

He understood her reasons for space and time, but he felt like he deserved a hint. Which he got, but it was so vague. ''What do you think about dinner?'' he asked. ''Tomorrow night. Just casual to talk about the past couple years. We have so much to catch up on.''

JJ's mind immediately started racing. Was it a date? Would she fall for him all over again? Would he hurt her? What would Sean think? Is it even smart?

She couldn't answer any of them, but in her heart there was only one answer, so she went with it. ''Sure,'' she said. ''Just casual.''