Hello, everyone. Thank you so much to all of you for just reading, but especially to those who reviewed (Caitie, Hotchlover and Careey included, of course). More about this at the end.

As always, my English sucks, so bare with me if you will.

Oh, this starts after "A rite of passage"

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

"I can't make it tonight. Stupid Morgan blew my eardrum," she informed him in a rather exasperated tone as soon as he picked up the phone. "What is it with you boys and big guns?"

He huffed and used his more playful tone, "You know what they say, the guns, the cars…"

"Is everything about sex with you?" She replied annoyed, majorly pissed, though not at him.

"Me? Yes. Men in general? Yes," Mick answered what was obviously a rhetorical question, but unable to resist the temptation of teasing her. It was too much fun when she was upset.

"Oh, shut up" She replied irritated.

"You're in a bad mood… Is it just the ear or…does it have something to do with Hotch?" He said amused, with that security that people has when they are the only keepers of your secrets and therefore you cannot afford to tell them to shove it. He was fairly sure Hotch hadn't showed up as she had half expected.

God, he could be such a child! He used his charm and his stupid sick sense of humor as if they were two fifteen year old kids. But she found those liberties he took somehow comforting. Which was why she decided not to chew his head off, and just replied, faking –though maybe not that much- annoyance, "You know what? I won't even dignify that with an answer. Call you tomorrow," and with that she hung up on him.

If she had to be honest, she thought as she drove back, her bad mood was Hotch related. She wasn't precisely looking forward to that conversation, but he had sort of asked if they were going to talk. Her anger morphed into despondency then. Because even though she knew she might refuse to explain things, it would be good to know he cared enough to show up.

She could make the move. She could just knock on his door. She had done it before; it was the way it worked. But, perhaps, his absence put things in perspective. Or it was the answer to a question she wasn't exactly ready to ask. Because, ok, at this stage, she was the one that had to decide if they could continue with their none-relationship or not, if one guided oneself by the events of their last encounter, but, what was the point in exposing herself if he had made up his mind already?

It was fine, really, she thought as her face crunched in an expression that resembled motion sickness more than acceptance. It was fine. Maybe they were finally following the just for tonight rule. That rule basically said that there would not be other nights. After breaking it for a year and a half, they were sticking to it now, apparently. And it was a good thing, she kept telling herself. It really was. She could stop her delusion and finally set both feet on reality. Because they could not have any other kind of relationship, could they? No. And not that what they had had was a relationship, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time in a week.

It felt like a break up, though. That sense of void somewhere inside, of something misplaced within her, as if her organs were playing musical chairs. God, she felt so feeble, childish and stupid!

Ok, yes, transition.

Remember when about a week ago I said "I'll wrap this up within a week, but the next two chapters will be a hard to write and organize…"? Well… it ain't gonna happen.

The thing is, scenes keep popping up in my head, and they jump back and forth in time … some are absolutely irrelevant, some are relevant but not indispensable, some are milestones that could define the course of the story. I don't know. This is driving me crazy. My mojo is gone.

Again, thanks a lot for reviewing; you are all really nice and sweet. It's a little overwhelming. So thank you.