A/N: Hey all! So sorry for the wait, very busy these days and have a lot on the go. But, all the great response I've gotten to this chapter kept this story fresh in my mind. This next chapter is a little short; it's to set up the next chapter to come. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 3:

"Mommy, mommy," Henry exclaimed from his car seat in the back. "Did you see the lion? The lion went 'rawr'!"

JJ laughed from her spot up front on the passenger side; she was happy that her son had enjoyed their trip to the circus.

"Was the lion your favourite part of the circus, Henry?" Hotch asked; he glanced at the little boy over his shoulder, a loving smile on his face.

"Yep!" Henry replied enthusiastically. "He was so big!"

"And how about you, Jack? What did you like the most?" JJ asked the older boy, smiling when he seemed to need a minute to think about it.

"I liked the lady on the wire," Jack answered, a big smile on his face. "I wish I could do that."

JJ nodded. "That was pretty neat," she agreed.

The four of them continued to talk easily about what they'd seen.

The boys had made it so much easier to be alone with Hotch in the car. Needless to say, the car ride to the daycare to pick them up before the circus had been painfully silent and awkward. She'd known that Hotch had questions for her, but he'd spared her for some reason. But, JJ wasn't sure if the uncomfortable feeling she had the whole way through had been worth it. Maybe it would have been better just to talk…

Getting the boys, and sitting through the circus, she'd had time to calm herself down enough to realize that maybe she was acting completely wrong. They'd slept together, once. That wasn't enough to lay claim to the man.

But still… even as she thought about it logically, she couldn't stop the pain in her chest when she thought about Hotch being with another woman. It was like she was breathing through smoke filled lungs.

She could feel Hotch's eyes on her. She turned her head to look at him. He didn't look away. She attempted to give him an apologetic, reassuring smile. But she must have failed, because he didn't look one ounce convinced.

Hotch's eyes went back to the road. Damn, why couldn't control her emotions like the rest of the team? She was doomed to fail as a profiler at this rate.

Sometime later, Hotch broke the silence that had fallen in the SUV, "Here we are," he announced.

JJ was eager to get out and get into the protective shelter of her home. But when she glanced up, the street they were on was not hers.

"Hotch," she said in a carefully controlled voice. "Why are we at Jessica's house?"

Hotch replied, just as carefully, almost cheerfully, "Jessica called while we were at the circus, she invited Jack and Henry for a sleepover with the kids. Didn't I mention it?"

She gave him a quick glare. "No, you didn't."

However, it was too late to go back, both boys were practically jumping in their seats at the prospect of spending time with Aunt Jessica and her twins, David and Matt. Henry loved spending time with them just as much as he loved Jack. They'd become his extended family.

JJ held back her groan of disapproval at the impromptu-ness of this event—she was sure that Jessica hadn't called and that Hotch had called in a favour. But to what end was his scheming for, she did not know. Maybe he believed she was stressed and she just needed a night off… But she should have known it wouldn't be as simple as that.

She waved bye to the boys, her only buffer against Aaron Hotchner.

Hotch had done it. He'd seen it in her eyes the moment they'd stopped in front of Jessica's house. He had thoroughly annoyed her. But to be fair, she wasn't giving him much to work with. He was convinced they had to talk tonight or else nothing would ever be the same again. He wasn't usually so fatalistic, but he just felt in his gut that he could not let this fester for even a day.

She hadn't said anything since dropping off the boys. Either, she was too pissed off for words, or she truly thought he was doing her a favour. Which he was, only it was a favour to the both of them. They'd spent too much time building a relationship together to let it get ruined over some misunderstanding. So, he'd stepped out of the arena briefly to make a call to Jessica and ask for the favour of watching over the boys that night.

And now, phase two was in progress. He wasn't about to start anything in the car, he needed to be able to provide her with his full attention. That's why he pulled up about ten minutes later, in front of his own house.

He parked the car, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned off the ignition. He turned in his seat to take in JJ's reaction. Her eyes were wide, almost fearful.

"Hotch," she said, voice trembling. "Why are we here? Take me home."

"JJ, we obviously need to talk," he informed her. "After we do, I'll be happy to take you anywhere you'd like."

She didn't respond. He let out a sigh, opening his door and stepping out. He poked his head back inside when she didn't move.

"Coming?"

"You know, I could just call a cab, right?" she added tiredly.

He nodded. "You could," he agreed. "But, I think you know deep down that there are a lot of things we need to be talking about. So, I'm going inside, and I hope you'll do the right thing and follow me in."

She made no move, still. Letting out another sigh, he shut the door and made his way to his front stoop. He paused to quickly glance back. She hadn't moved a muscle, not even to phone a cab. So, he unlocked his front door and stepped inside, going immediately to the security panel.

Hotch realized that he was risking making her even more angry at him. But he felt it would be worth it when she finally told him what was wrong and he could set to work fixing what he'd done.

He walked into his living room, and peeked out the window. She was still sitting there; though, at least she was looking at his house now. Hotch let out a sigh, letting the curtain drop back into place. He hated leaving her out there. But he wasn't about to force her inside. Nah, bringing her here was all that he would do to piss her off for today.

Hotch took a seat on his couch and waited for the woman he'd come to care about deeply to come to her senses. He hoped she'd come inside. He hoped she'd tell him what was wrong. And if somehow the issue was that she was pregnant, he would do anything for her to make it work, because he desperately wanted that family with her.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the sound of a slamming door cut into them. The slam was followed by some stomping only to end in the appearance of a very angry looking blonde.

"How dare you?" she shouted. "You can't just send my kid away and then hijack me to your home, Hotch! I demand you take me home right now!"

He took in a deep breath; he'd need it, after he gave her the response to her demands.

"No."

Well that's it for this chapter. Short, I know, but it's sort of a set up chapter to the drama to come next. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Please, let me know what you think. Thanks!

And thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story: 3jjandhotch4ever3; whimsical-one-ga; Cwmcaa (that's so awesome that my story is your first review! Thx!); MegKate (I believe the review was cut short, lol, but thanks!); CounterSteak21; Lesly; angry penguin; Hotch Fan; cannybairn; newsyd; deeda; jekkah; SkySydfan24 (thx!); vtangelchix; angel85qcca; sweber22; Melissa Larkin; and kdzl.

I'll try to update soon! See you then!