Chapter 37: The Visit
JJ felt like the smile on her face was becoming frozen by the time she and Hotch approached the cozy ranch style house with an immaculate lawn and flowerbeds, located at the end of the cul-de-sac that was the home of Stan and Donna Richards. She was grateful that Hotch took the initiative to step up to the door and ring the doorbell before rejoining her and the boys on the porch as they kept a respectful as well as a safe distance from the front door until they had a chance to get a better idea about the occupants of the home.
From the reports Garcia had given them on the Richards family they knew the man with streaks of gray in his reddish brown hair who answered the door was Stan Richards. He was a tall thin man but appeared to be strong and wiry as he greeted them. The profilers were both instantly aware of his guarded posture as they went through the now routine introductions and speech about still being relatively new in the neighborhood and giving out cookies as they wanted to get to know their neighbors. As they spoke Stan Richards visibly relaxed as his gaze rested on the two children also smiling as they held the cookies, offering them to him just as they had been instructed to do at every home they had been to thus far.
"Thank you, this is very thoughtful." he finally said, his posture changing to a more welcoming pose as he stepped back to open the door. "Why don't you come in and meet the rest of the family?" He invited, the sound of a baby crying was in the background along with some music playing as they thanked him and approached the open doorway. JJ felt the subtle reassurance of Hotch's hand on the small of her back as they entered. She also reminded herself of the small revolver in her purse in case there was any trouble even though nothing had been said to indicate any danger at this point. As she watched the children enter the house she also thought of how she had watched Hotch putting on his ankle holster before they left and felt even more reassured that they would be prepared in the unlikely event that anything went wrong. Being that he was a police officer and her role as his wife it would be easy to explain if their weapons were discovered.
Donna Richards gave a pleasant smile as her husband introduced her to the Hatcher family. She was about JJ's height but more plump as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. "How nice to meet you both, we've heard there was a new family who moved in nearby." She greeted them warmly. "Our daughter Cindy is at school right now.." she began talking about her family before the crying of a baby interrupted her. "I'm sorry, that's our son Andy," she excused herself to tend to the baby as JJ and Hotch took a moment to take in the surroundings of the modest home as they were escorted into the living room.
The next half hour passed pleasantly enough as the families visited, Henry and Jack behaved fairly well as they sat on the sofa with their parents, remembering their instructions clearly and the promised reward of another trip to the ice cream shop in their future if they were able to behave. As the families exchanged introductions and some of the background that JJ and Hotch created the time quickly passed as the baby slept soundly in his crib after having been given a bottle and lulled back to sleep upon their arrival
When Cindy Richards arrived from school she entered the house the picture of a sullen teenager until she realized the family had company as she immediately pasted an unconvincing false smile on her face while introductions were made. Cindy had apparently inherited her father's height as she was tall and willowy yet had a curvaceous body that made her appear older than her years.
As Cindy began telling their guests about her classes and thoughts on future majors in college Hotch was relieved to hear the baby began crying again as JJ made her move as she addressed her request to Donna Richards who had picked him up to try and sooth his crying . As soon as the baby appeared to calm JJ made her request. "Please may I hold him, they grow up so fast and I just love it when they're this small," she said with a genuine motherly look as she smiled down at Henry, easily remembering when he had been the size of the baby Andy. It was obvious that they had gained their trust when Donna Richards simply smiled a look of maternal understanding as she handed the baby to JJ who began to walk and coo to the baby. Hotch did his best to engage the family in conversation so they wouldn't watch too closely and even Henry and Jack helped unintentionally as their good manners had started to fade and they were beginning to fuss over a toy. When JJ handed the baby back Hotch could tell her mission had been accomplished as she picked up her purse and began apologizing for the length of time they had imposed.
After several moments of farewells and discussions about getting together again they all felt a wave of relief as they left the home and began the short trek back to their own residence. As soon as they reached the house JJ pulled the buccal swab out of her purse that she had used to collect some saliva from the baby when she had been able to turn around for a split second during her walking him around the room. It had made him fussy but she had gotten enough for a dna sample and managed to quickly slide it into a pocket before returning the child. Finally feeling as if they were on to something it didn't take long for them to make the trip into town, first stopping by Tony's pizza to pick up an order and get the dna sample to Rossi, knowing that by night time it would be at the Montana field office for testing.
After arriving home a nervous energy filled the small household as JJ and Hotch went through the motions of daily living and tending to the boys while waiting for the results of the DNA test. Neither could sleep as the night stretched on, knowing the same could be said for the rest of the team as everyone seemed to be waiting with baited breath for the results that would tell them if they had finally found a lead or were still on a fishing expedition.
"Won't it be something if it turns out that the FBI expended all this money and agents and this turns out to be nothing more than a domestic issue?" JJ had to ask as she and Hotch sat at the kitchen table both trying to force themselves to wait more than five minutes before again checking their tablets. They had already read the brief reports from Rossi who had gotten the sample to Emily who had promptly delivered the swab to the lab at the field office it was just a matter of waiting.
"I won't mind if it means we're about ready to get out of this assignment." The unit chief responded, a faraway look in his eyes as he tried to find something besides the waiting to focus on. His instinct telling him they were on the cusp of solving the case and being able to return to their normal lives. That thought spurred him back to his thoughts while he had mowed the lawn and started pondering his options about how to best pursue what he and JJ had started before they had forced themselves to put it on hold. He was continuing to waver between a nice dinner between the two of them and a family outing that included the children, though was leaning towards the latter the more he thought about it, knowing it would be more comfortable as well as less confusing for the children if they initially started out with more family oriented outings.
The blonde profiler looked back up after another check on her tablet and felt a blush spring to her cheeks as she returned the gaze and suddenly realized that he had obviously been thinking about her, glad to know that she wasn't the only one fighting the distractions of wondering what would happen once this case was over.
"I think I'll wash the dishes while we wait," she finally said, suddenly feeling a little awkward at the shared gazes in the quiet room and the inability to talk about their inner thoughts as they waited until the case was solved.
"I'll dry," Hotch quickly said as followed her to the kitchen, unwilling to let her escape that eaaily and feeling emboldened by the looming prospect of the case being solved, he was tired of working so hard to stay professional in their ongoing proximity. JJ audibly gasped when she held up the drying towel but instead felt arms wrap around her waist from behind, causing her to drop the towel back into the sink. After her initial surprise she allowed herself to enjoy leaning back against the muscular body to soak up the warmth emanating from her companion, feeling risqué at the temporary abandonment of propriety as it was obvious to them both that this wasn't at all related to their cover but an indulgence in at least a few moments of intimacy and connection with each other.
JJ felt her heart rate increasing as she wondered if he might kiss her again as they simply stood and enjoyed the embrace, their bodies fitting together comfortably in the dim light of the kitchen. She instinctively knew that all she would have to do was turn and they would be face to face which would probably be the only invitation he needed.
"I wonder what would happen if we kissed again," Hotch mulled over silently as he enjoyed the gentle sway of their bodies as they both looked out the small kitchen window. "The boys are asleep, it could get out of control very quickly," he warned himself as he remembered the heat from their last kiss.
He licked his lips almost involuntarily as he felt her beginning to turn in his arms. "I think it's time to check our messages again," she said almost huskily as she gently pushed at the broad chest in front of her, feeling the loss of connection almost immediately when the embrace was broken as they resumed the professional demeanor as if the stolen moment hadn't even happened.
"It's a match," she proclaimed as she got to her messages first. "The baby's father is Agent Bryce."
AN: Sorry for the delay, work got crazy and my muse went into hiding. Thanks to jekkah, lexa, hotchfan1, October103, and chiroho for your reviews. I hope to pick up the pace and make up for the delay in updates.