The Blue Dress Shirt Chapter Five
Disclaimer: Not Mine
A/N – Two more chapters to go after this. This one wasn't my favorite but it does pave the way for the next two so it stays as it is….
The flight back to Quantico was just as quiet as the flight from had been as four of the agents on board realized that this would likely be their last case together. Thanks to the fact that four of the six engaged in activities that were definitely frowned on in the Code of Conduct.
"Can I just address the elephant in the room?" Rossi questioned, breaking the silence. He waited until everyone looked at him then broke into a shit eating grin. "Reid and I were the only two agents that weren't behaving inappropriately."
"Bully for you, Dave." Emily groused. "I guess there is a first time for everything."
"So what are we going to do?" Reid asked, voicing the question that was uppermost on everyone's mind. "I think we all agree that it's too late to ask you to consider the team before hooking up with co-workers."
JJ shook her head recalling how she and Hotch celebrated the end of the case last night and into the early morning. "Yeah, we're a little past that, Spence."
"Long past." Morgan added.
"Oh hell," Rossi scoffed, "it's not like this hasn't been going on for a while now anyhow, can't we just keep it within the team? No one else needs to know."
"Garcia knows." Hotch said with a sigh, he had been the perpetrator of that error.
"Which means she's probably already got Anderson helping her hang congratulatory banners throughout the office." Rossi quipped, as Morgan snorted, knowing that was indeed likely.
JJ shared a smile with Hotch letting him know that she was okay with what was happening. "I've been entertaining offers from the State Department." She announced.
"Since when?" Hotch demanded, surprised by the news.
"A while." She sheepishly admitted. "I was having a hard time pretending to be blasé about the whole thing and I figured it was only a matter of time before it imploded. I wasn't going to be able to function working here when you kicked me to the curb."
Hotch stared at her, stunned. "Wow. We were really stupid." He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "I was looking at an opening in Counterterrorism."
JJ frowned. "You love the BAU."
He shrugged and admitted. "It might surprise you to learn it pales in comparison to how much I love you."
"I'm going to need an airsick bag." Rossi grumbled, earning him a smack upside the head from Emily.
She looked over at Derek. "Clyde has been after me to rejoin his team." She confessed.
Derek shot up from his seat. "Absolutely not, you cannot take a position in another country. I can't believe you would even consider it." He objected.
"I would be working out of the DC office and would be traveling overseas as needed, but it would probably not involve any more travel than I currently do." She smiled at JJ. "And hey, it looks like I already have a contact in the State Department."
Hotch sighed heavily not liking what was happening. "I don't know that we have to make any decisions right now."
"Aaron." JJ smiled over at him. "We need to do something. There is no way that we can function as a team with two couplings."
"Why not?" Derek argued. "We've been doing it for at least four months. How long have you and Hotch been hooking up?"
"Long enough that I know I'm going to end up with an ulcer if I have to pretend that I'm unaffected by every dangerous situation that he constantly gets pulled into." JJ snapped. "I can honestly say I can't be as effective as I need to be in the situations we encounter if my biggest concern is whether or not he'll be okay." If anyone doubted the depth of her feelings for Hotch that announcement cleared it up.
Reid smiled. "That's very wise, JJ. The State Department will be lucky to have you."
"Thank you." She looked at Hotch trying to ease the guilt she knew he was feeling. "I'm not sacrificing anything here. The job comes with better hours and way better money. The only thing I'll be missing is you guys." She winked over at Hotch. "You, I'll be seeing a lot of."
"Well I don't like it." Derek grumbled.
Emily sighed. "Well maybe you should have considered that before you decided to disclose our relationship to Hotch. What did you think would happen?"
Derek shrugged his shoulders. "Obviously not this. If you go to Interpol and have to fly off to Timbuktu and I'm still at the BAU and have to fly off to whatever god forsaken hole I have to, when will I see you?" He bemoaned pathetically.
"When you get back." Emily answered, reassuringly. "Relationships are something you have to work at, this is just going to be one of our crosses. Are you implying you want out?"
Derek shot her a look. "I didn't say that, did I?"
Emily rose from her seat and moved over beside Derek pulling him down on the couch beside her. "Just think, I can bring you back trinkets from Timbuktu and you can bring me souvenirs from hell. It'll be romantic."
"I'd figure out a way to work in a lot of see thru items if I were you." Rossi advised Morgan.
They sat quietly for a few minutes as they contemplated all the changes that they were going to be facing.
Morgan looked at Hotch. "Strauss is going to have your ass when she realizes that you're losing two agents at the same time. She's going to question your leadership abilities."
Hotch shrugged as he moved into the seat that Emily vacated beside JJ. "What's new? She already does."
"If she finds out…" Morgan began only to be interrupted by Hotch.
"If she finds out, she finds out. Our record stands for itself. Nothing that we might have been doing impacted our success rate."
"She could still sanction us." The agent doggedly pointed out.
Hotch shook his head. "She can punish me she can't do anything to you. Emily's resignation was already on my desk by the time I learned of a relationship." At least that was the story he would tell if it came down to it.
Emily smiled and recalled Morgan's assessment of the man. He was a good guy.
Reid sighed heavily. "Well this sucks. I'm going to miss you guys." He was losing two friends and he didn't have a lot to begin with.
"Reid, you're Henry's godfather. I'll still be seeing you frequently." JJ pointed out.
"Yeah." Emily added. "We'll still do stuff outside of work, it's not like we're going to disappear.
"Personally I think it's great." Rossi stated, causing all eyes to look at him sharply. "Yeah, just think, Reid, this means that we have two job openings, we can get two new agents."
"And that's good why?" The young genius asked puzzled.
"Love interests for the two of us." Rossi stated. "And it's not like Hotch is going to be able to give us any shit over it."
JJ looked over at Hotch. "You know, I think our replacements should probably be male."
He grinned over at her. "You realize that I'm probably going to have to replace you with women. Strauss won't let me have an all-male team. Something about equal opportunity."
"Fine." JJ conceded. "As long as they're ugly. I don't want some starry eyed recruit coming in and hitting on you."
"Love is obviously blind." Morgan scoffed. "They all want a piece of this sculpted work of art." He said, obviously referring to himself.
"Oh sweetie." Emily squeezed his knee. "Actually Hotch is something like an enigma to the female FBI population, he's good looking, well thought of by men and women alike..."
"With the exception of Strauss." JJ interrupted.
"Right, but she's not very well thought of so that's usually disregarded." She stated before continuing. "And he gives off that aura of being a touch sad, kind of like he needs healed and there are a lot of women that think they might be the cure."
JJ looked over at the man beside her. "Yeah, maybe you should get another job."
"Don't worry." Rossi told her. "Everyone knows what a good shot you are. I don't think you have anything to be concerned about." He turned to Emily. "What do you hear about the rest of us?"
Emily laughed. "You, you used to be the bad boy of the FBI but lately you've been well behaved, which is actually another feather in Hotch's cap." She chuckled knowing how that would sit with Rossi.
"Ah, crap." Hotch turned and looked at Emily. "You do realize now that you've told him that he's going to be unbearable." He winced when Rossi's smile of confirmation grew.
"Well, what about me?" Morgan wanted to know.
"Interestingly enough, this is where my hesitation came in. You are well known for your revolving door policy." She looked at him pointedly. "There is some talk that those standing outside the door can actually feel the breeze coming from the door it rotates so quickly." She smiled at his disgruntled expression.
"Well, obviously that's no longer the case is it?" Morgan commented with a grin.
Reid sat glumly. "They don't say anything about me, do they?"
Emily met JJ's glance. "No, they do, but most of it is in regard to how smart you are. There might be a little confusion over your sexual orientation." She told him with a wince.
"What?" He asked startled. "How do I fix that?"
JJ sat up already thinking of a plan. "How about the rumor that Emily and I left because we were both infatuated with you, the hot, young, genius from the BAU? The man that we both wanted but neither could win."
"Smart guys are a huge turn on." Emily stated, liking where JJ was going.
"Nobody would ever believe that." Reid argued. "Hey, are you trying to get me in trouble?" He asked his friend.
JJ shook her head. "No, not at all, we're just trying to create some doubt. No one, outside the six of us, knows the real reason why Emily and I are leaving." She smiled at him. "A rumor like this can't hurt Hotch and Derek, and it may help you."
Reid's brow furrowed. "Help me how exactly?"
"It might get you laid, kid." Rossi clarified, smiling at the devious blonde.
"Really?" He asked with genuine interest.
"Really." Emily promised.
"A lot." Rossi guaranteed. "Just keep up that aloof persona you'll be getting blow jobs in the john before you know it."
"DAVE!" Hotch growled.
"Seriously?" Reid asked, extremely intrigued by the idea.
Hotch looked at JJ. "Do you realize what you're leaving me with? A man who is bent on making Reid his protégé."
JJ leaned forward and placed a soft, calming kiss on his mouth. "Don't worry you'll have Morgan to help you and there's always Garcia." She smiled when a look of pure panic came into his eyes.
"Garcia." He stared at her. "What are we going to do about her?"
JJ squeezed his hand. "She'll be fine, honey."
"Ha." Morgan scoffed.
"You!" Hotch yelled, turning to Morgan. "You promised you'd handle Garcia, we shook on it."
"Aaron, Garcia will be fine, she's going to be happy." JJ told him.
As if conjured from thin air the laptop screen popped with Garcia's face. "Hello family! What am I going to be happy about?" She smiled widely realizing that JJ and Hotch were seated together. "Look at you two. I about died when Boss Man called me the other day. JJ, you little minx, how could you keep that from me? The BAU's own little romance. I'm so excited. Just think we can cut our hotel budget by a sixth now that you guys are shacking up."
"Oh yeah, she's going to take it well." Rossi snorted.
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