Disclaimed!

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The two smartly dressed boys ran off to play tag with the rest of the kids, leaving a formally dressed JJ and Hotch, to mingle with the group of family and friends at Kay's rehearsal dinner, at a local restaurant just outside of town.

Random people, JJ didn't seem to know or remember, kissed her on the cheek and gave her a small reassuring pep talk about how her future wasn't over because of Will, then all the people would eye the taller agent suspiciously before sneaking away into the ever growing crowd.

The unit chief could see the liaison forcing to hide her eye rolls as the next person would approach.

Looking around the room, she saw a gap in the crowd so, JJ placed a hand on Hotch's arm and edged away from the grey haired man that they had been talking to for the last ten minutes, and guided the profiler towards the open bar.

"This is going to be a long night." JJ muttered. Hotch smirked as she poured them both a glass of scotch and smiled up at him sweetly. "Thank you for coming with me."

They clinked glasses and took a sip, before Hotch responded. "I'm glad I came. I've never seen you so flustered, even after everything that happened, you were poised."

"Don't make fun of me. Things have been fine so far, but with my family it takes one little spark and the rest of the time is spent yelling and throwing things." JJ rolled her eyes as they watched the other guests at the party.

Hotch eyed the elegant navy dress JJ was wearing. Her golden hair was half up and curled and in the soft lighting she looked somehow different. Different but still beautiful, he mused.

There had always been something between them, something Hotch had fought to not to think about over the years.

But the unit chief had always felt comfortable around the blonde. She accepted him and that acceptance was difficult to come by.

JJ had always treated him different to rest of the team as well. She didn't act as though he was just a controlling supervising agent or half friend half colleague, the position he was stuck in a rut with, the rest of their team.

He couldn't honestly define how she was around him.

There was simply understanding, respect and trust between them, something he never really had with any one person before.

A low voice interrupted the profiler's thoughts suddenly. JJ put down her glass and was immediately enveloped by the largely built bald man who kissed her forehead softly.

JJ turned back towards the dark haired agent with a small smile. "Aaron, this is my father, Joe Jareau."

"Mr Jareau, it's nice to finally meet you." Hotch smiled and extended his right hand. Joe stared down at the profilers hand before looking up to JJ, who mouthed behave.

Slowly, JJ's father shook the younger man's hand firmly. "You're JJ's boss right?"

"He's also my friend, Joe. Hotch has been great lately, with everything that's been going on." JJ eyed the balding man warningly, as Hotch nodded.

"Why is that JJ never makes it home for Thanksgiving?" Joe asked with a raised eye, causing JJ to moan in annoyance and pour a third glass of scotch.

Hotch shifted uncomfortably watching JJ as she interjected immediately. "Joe, please don't start. It's not Hotch's fault that I'm a workaholic."

Joe scowled at the profiler briefly, before softening his gaze as he looked down to his daughter, excepting the scotch she offered him and chuckled. "I have no idea where you get that from, you know. It's nice to meet you, Aaron. Tell me, is that Southern dirt-bag been anywhere near my kid, lately?"

"No, he hasn't." Hotch replied firmly.

Nodding, Joe raised his glass and the two men, clinked. "Thank you for watching out for them."

"Always." Hotch stated sincerely, the elder man watched as the pair exchanged small smiles before looking around the room distantly.

"I'm going to say hi to Peter. Is my grandson around here somewhere?" JJ's father asked with a smirk on his lips.

JJ smiled and looked over to the far end of the room. "Henry's playing with Jack, Hotch's son, and Mark's kids, over near Lottie."

Joe made sudden eye contact with his former partner and frowned. "Ah, your mother. I'll see you around if I make it out alive, Aaron. JJ, I'll see you tomorrow, poppet."

JJ kissed his cheek and waited until Joe had left them to turn back to Hotch. "He likes you."

"He seems a little protective." Hotch chuckled as JJ took a sip of her drink.

JJ rolled her eyes, half waving to a grey haired woman across the room. "That's an understatement. My dad scared most of boys away for years. He's a boxing instructor, he's been in that many fights he's almost an urban legend with the kids around here."

"Your dad is nice though." JJ nodded her agreement but could see another question in the profiler's eyes. Raising her eyes for him to continue, he smirked at the unspoken communication between them. "You don't call your parents mom and dad."

"Old habits die hard. When Sarah died, a part of them did too and at the time I thought it was because I wasn't good enough for them. That they just forgot I even existed most of the time." JJ scoffed at herself and shrugged. "I didn't understand that it was just as difficult for them as it was for me. I reminded them of her and they reminded me of Sarah, so we both pulled away until we couldn't really push back."

"I'm sorry." Hotch said solemnly.

JJ shook her head and placed her hand on his arm. "Stop apologising Hotch, there really is no need, we all accepted it and adapted. And it's not as if my childhood totally sucked. I always somehow knew they loved me. I had friends and an extended family. I had soccer..."

"I thought you didn't like soccer." Hotch interrupted with a smirk as he saw she was shocked he remember their conversation off years ago.

JJ laughed quietly and nudged his with her hip. "I hated the pressure."

"Your whole family seem, I don't know, nice and normal." The agent stated with a genuine smile as he watched the rest of the guests in the large room.

JJ followed his gaze to her parents civilly talking to each other. "It's kind of unusual for them. You know we've spent so many hours talking about my life, what about yours? What are your family like?"

"Nope, this week is all about you." Hotch smirked as JJ huffed and placed her hands on her hips.

JJ took a sip of her drink and shook her head at his stubbornness. "You know we can't just keep talking about me, it's been that way for months now."

"My family is complicated." Hotch replied slowly after he finished the contents of his own glass.

"Really, more complicated than mine?" JJ scoffed as she watched her parents quietly argue in the corner of the room as the kids that surrounded them, slowly backed away from the argumentative couple.

Nodding, Hotch's face became stoic as they stood out of the way of JJ's increasingly loud family. "Trust me, at least your dad is protective and your mom obviously cares, even if she is a little judgemental."

"I'm sorry. But you and Sean are close, right?" JJ pressed with a small smile.

Looking down at his empty glass, the profiler shrugged. "It wasn't always that way."

"Younger siblings don't always get why older siblings are overprotective, Hotch, trust me. But there's no doubt that your brother doesn't love you, he knows what you've done for him over the years, even if he didn't appreciate it at the time." JJ stated confident in her assessment, as the unit chief watched the blonde curiously. He didn't often talk about his somewhat troubled past, but for some reason, he could see in her crystal blue eyes, she knew more than she was letting on.

Hotch took JJ's glass from her hands. "Can I get you a top up?"

"Sure." The liaison smiled gratefully and watched how the unit chief moved, doing his best to keep his famous control in check. "You know we should get something to eat, otherwise you'll have to carry me home, tonight."

"I've done it before." Hotch smirked as JJ's jaw dropped at the memory of getting drunk with Hotch in his apartment and then waking up somewhere different to where she'd fallen asleep.

For the rest of the night, they spent avoiding inquisitive family members, eager to know the details of JJ's break up and how Hotch and his son fit into her life.

After her mother began to make a scene after a large quantity of wine, JJ led her mother out of the party and when they reached her childhood street, the blonde guided the older woman to the house and opened the door for Hotch who was carrying the two sleeping boys.

When the boys were lying, head to toe in the bed opposite Hotch's guest bed, and Lottie was passed out sideways on her bed, JJ met Hotch in the living room as he looked over the family photos.

"I thought I said no baby photos." JJ smirked as she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders.

Chuckling, he raised a picture of JJ with her sister in the street outside. "I was just curious."

"Sarah had just taught me how to ride a big girl's bike without stabilizers in that photo." JJ smiled warmly as she watched him return the frame back on top of the fireplace. Reaching out her hand, Hotch hesitantly took it and allowed her to lead him outside.

They sat on the cool steps, looking up at the starry sky in silence for a few moments before JJ turned her focus onto the older man's peaceful face. "Thanks for coming with me. You've been my lifesaver lately."

"I care about you JJ, I want to be here." They both smiled warmly and returned the eye line to the night sky.

Bushing as she could sense his gaze on her, JJ slowly faced him once more and smiled. "Are you okay?"

"JJ, is your mom, always that way?" Hotch asked warily, not sure if this was a topic the blonde was used to talking about.

Sighing, JJ tightened her shawl around her shoulders. "No, she's not always like that. Lottie is just lonely and she had these ideas about what mine and Sarah's life was going to be like. Then Sarah died, Joe moved out and married Nancy, I went to college and then ran to the FBI and away from here, she married Alan, who turned out to be gay, and she pushed me to marry Will who turns out to not be the guy she thought he was."

"And the drinking?" Hotch asked with a raised eye.

JJ chuckled at the sentiment. "She's just over compensating. Family nights are always rough for her. They are for me too. I'm fine with strangers, but those people who truly know you, it can be difficult, because they're the ones who can hurt you the most."

They both reconnected eye contact momentarily as they leaned into each other's side. A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they sat.

"It's going to be an early start in the morning, we should get some sleep." Hotch stated suddenly, after the easy quietness continued for longer than he would have preferred.

Nodding, JJ stood and waited for Hotch to join her at the door. "Night, Aaron."

"Night JJ." They smiled at each other awkwardly, before separating at the stairs for the night.

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Okay, I'm going to apologise in advance, because I don't really know why the hell I wrote the next chapter, I'll be updating again tomorrow, hope you are all still enjoying the story!

Thank you for reviewing; Myspaceisdaocean, jekkah, Kimd33, egoofy34, ReadingRed, lulubell76, stefi, p95000, crazyobsession101, schokokaffee, Afuy12, mummacass, JJandHotch4ever96, Flames101, angry penguin, tazlvr2001 and deeda!