A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your responses to chapter 12. Due to that, I have decided not to go on hiatus, and this chapter is up early. At this point, I'm thinking the story will be about 25 chapters, and they will be longer than what I have been posting.

For this chapter, I have decided to bring in a character, a fan favorite, to mix it up a little. I hope you all enjoy! Please let me know.

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JJ stepped out of her vehicle and scanned the parking lot, before her eyes landed on a familiar SUV. She opened the doors for her overly excited sons. "Come on, boys. Looks like they're here."

It was a Saturday, and JJ brought Henry and Michael to the park. Will was supposed to have them on the weekend, but he got called in for a homicide, so he brought the boys to JJ's.

The trio was meeting Aaron and Jack Hotchner for an afternoon together. Originally, after Hotch and Jack got out of Wit sec, they had started doing this once a month, but given the past few months, they hadn't been able to do it for a while.

Henry and Michael were ecstatic to see Jack, and JJ was looking forward to seeing her long-time friend.

Spotting said friend, kicking a soccer ball with his son, JJ smiled and led her boys over to them. "Aaron, Jack, hey!"

Hotch quickly looked up and returned the big smile. "Hey!"

Jack, now fourteen years old, hugged his "aunt" before turning his attention to Henry and Michael. Even being a teenager, Jack still enjoyed hanging out with, almost ten year-old, Henry. He liked playing "big brother" and looking out for Michael.

Henry and Michael both waved at Hotch before going to play with Jack and the soccer ball.

Hotch pulled JJ in for a brief hug before looking her over to see if she was okay. He had heard about both the shooting, and the separation. "It's good to see you, JJ. How are you doing?"

"It's good to see you too. I'm doing great, how are you?"

Hotch gave her a pointed look.

She smiled. "What makes you think that 'Hotchner glare' works on me anymore?"

Hotch easily returned the smile, a sight JJ had come to see more and more of since he left the BAU. "If we're being honest, I don't think it ever really worked on you. Besides Dave, you might have been the only one immune to it… And that's probably because you always had your look that could rival my own."

"And I haven't lost it either." They both shared a laugh.

"Seriously though, JJ, how are you doing?"

JJ sighed. Save for her brief conversation in the hospital with Reid, she hadn't really opened up to anyone about the past few months. Sitting there with Hotch, or Aaron- as she had started calling him, she felt safe to do it, felt like it might help. "Mentally or physically?"

"Both."

"Physically, I'm doing really good. I'm back in the field. I've made a lot of progress over the past six weeks, even have a battle scar to show for it." JJ chuckled.

Aaron smiled thinly, but was too concerned about her to find humor in that statement. After a brief silence, he gently prompted JJ to continue. "And mentally?"

Looking away from Aaron, and fixing her gaze on a nearby bush, JJ shook her head. "You know what, I don't want to unload all my problems on you. This is supposed to be a fun day, I shouldn't burden you with my crazy life."

"JJ, it isn't a burden. You're my friend, and I want to know what's going on with you. God knows you've helped me through so much over the years, let me be here for you."

Seeing his sincerity, JJ smiled. "That means a lot, Aaron."

Aaron lightly patted her knee, encouraging her to share her thoughts.

"There's just so much going on, all at once… and I haven't really had time to process it. The divorce… I mean, it was inevitable, and I knew it. I just kept putting it off. Does that make me crazy?... Holding on to something for so long, even though I knew it was failing, and there was no chance."

Aaron shook his head, knowing all too well what the blonde was feeling. "That's not crazy, JJ. You were just holding out hope for something to change. No one wants their marriage to fall apart and come to an end. I know you, JJ, and I know you did everything you could to salvage yours. That doesn't make you crazy."

JJ nodded her thanks to the man beside her. Seeing Jack help Michael score a goal up ahead, she let out a soft chuckle. That was a nice segway into the next topic. "It's nice being able to enjoy these moments. After I got shot, it really made me take stock of everything around me… small things that I would take for granted each day. I've never been that close to dying before. Doing this job for fifteen years, I knew something like this was bound to happen. I guess I never really put much thought into it."

"I think being agents, we know there is that possibility of not coming home, but we never really think it will happen to us. I know when I was in the field, I was more concerned about something happening to one of you guys rather than myself. I was so focused on that, that I forgot I wasn't invincible."

JJ gave a sly smile. "And here, all this time, I thought you were."

"Ssh… don't tell anybody. Are you close to finding Lynch?"

"That's hard to say. Every time we think we're closing in, something big happens to set us back to square one."

"You'll get him. Best team in the country, I have all the confidence in the world." After she gave him a thin smile, Aaron could tell there was something else bothering his friend. "JJ, I can tell something else is bothering you. You can tell me what it is. Maybe I can help. If not, at least I can be a sounding board… Whatever it is, it's obviously something big, and burying it isn't going to make you feel any better."

JJ smirked over at Aaron. "Are you seriously profiling me right now?"

Chuckling, Aaron nodded. "What can I say, it's something you can't turn off… just ask Jack. Seriously, JJ, I don't mean to sound pushy, but I want you to know that you can open up to me."

"I do know that, Aaron." She knew she needed to discuss this with someone, and who better than Aaron Hotchner? "Okay, this is a really long story, but I'm going to put it as simply as I can… I'm in love with Reid." That whole time, she was looking at anything but the raven-haired man beside her. When she finally glanced at him, all she seen was a look of understanding.

"This isn't exactly news to me." His tone wasn't at all judgmental… just soft, and almost sympathetic.

"You knew?" JJ couldn't really hide the shock from her voice.

"Yes. I've always known there was an attraction between the two of you. You were good at hiding it… well, Reid was kind of obvious, but you were good at hiding it." They both shared a small smile at that. "Why is this bothering you so much now? Is it because of the divorce?"

"We had a case in LA, about seven months ago. Spence and I were held hostage."

"Yeah, I remember. You, me, and the kids got together a couple weeks after that. You seemed kind of off, but I chalked it up to you being held hostage."

"Oh, right, sorry. Well, I also said our unsub was obsessed with 'truth or dare'. In order for us all not to get shot, I volunteered to play. He told me to share my deepest, darkest secret, or he would shoot Spence… I told Spence that I loved him." Her voice trailed off to a whisper.

"Did Reid say anything? I mean, I'm sure he couldn't then, but what about after?"

"At first he just looked so… broken. That was when he was able to shoot the unsub. We didn't talk about it until Rossi's wedding. He asked me if I meant it, and I couldn't give him an answer, so it wasn't brought up again for six months."

"When you were shot." It was more of a statement than a question. Then it was like a light bulb went off. "Oh."

"What?"

"When Dave and I talked, almost three months ago, he said you and Reid were acting strange. He didn't know why, but thought it had something to do with LA."

"Wow. I didn't really realize anyone had picked up on the tension." Looking back, though, she assumed it was pretty obvious… especially to profilers.

Aaron smiled softly. "JJ, in the time I've known you, there was only one time when you and Reid weren't in perfect sync: Prentiss's "death." If something is up between you two, people close to you are going to notice."

JJ nodded, knowing her former supervisor was right. "I know I shouldn't have said that, the night of the hostage situation… but I was so scared that he was going to shoot Spence… and I was so scared that I would never get another chance to tell him."

"That makes sense. It sounds like you did what you had to do. You were able to distract the unsub so that Reid could shoot him…. So, you two talked after you were shot?"

"Yeah, I admitted that I meant it. We kind of agreed that if things had been different, maybe there could have been something between us. Everything seems okay now… And before you ask, no, this is not the cause of my divorce."

Aaron held up his hands. "I didn't think it was." He was silent for a moment, before looking the blonde directly in the eyes. "Do you think there's a future for you and Reid?"

JJ sighed, breaking eye contact, looking down at her sky blue running shoes. "I honestly don't know. There would be so much to consider. The divorce papers aren't even signed."

"Do you want there to be?" He was fairly sure he knew the answer to that, but he needed to hear her say it.

JJ didn't say anything for a long moment, but when she finally spoke up, Aaron had to strain to hear her. "Yes, more than anything… but there are so many reasons why it shouldn't, or couldn't happen."

"JJ, one thing that I have realized, life is short. If there is something you want, or something that is going to make you happy, you need to go for it, because you might not get another chance. Then you would regret it for the rest of your life… I'm not saying to rush into anything. Give yourself time to process the divorce, and the effects of that, but don't throw something away, or rob yourself of happiness because of fear."

JJ gave her friend a watery smile before leaning in for a hug. "Thank you, Aaron."

Aaron returned the gesture. "Anytime."

After that, the pair talked about the boys, and how Henry and Michael were handling recent events. They talked about Jack's schooling, and his talent on the soccer field… about Aaron being a stay-at-home dad. The team was also brought up, as well as past cases.

JJ was happy getting to catch up with her friend… and she knew he was right. Starting a relationship with Spence would have risks, but it was a chance she was willing to take.