Chapter 45

When JJ and Dave arrived at work after the weekend, they were both relaxed and rested like never before. Or at least they couldn't remember a time they had been relaxed like that.

The weekend together with the kids at Little Creek was balm for their souls. They had done this before ever since Hannah's arrival, in fact they had spent most of their free weekends together at Dave's home, but this time, their first weekend together as a couple, it felt different. JJ didn't have to endure and avoid Dave's nagging questions anymore as to when she finally would commit to him, and Dave didn't have to brace himself for rejection. Everything seemed lighter and easier, and they both could simply focus on being together and spending time with their children.

So when they both stepped out of the elevator at the BAU floor, smiling widely at each other, and then parted ways to go to their respective offices, they were followed by suspiciously raised eyebrows and questioning looks.

Prentiss, who had already been informed about the latest developments by Garcia – the quirky technical analyst couldn't restrain herself from calling her and interrupting her dreams right after she'd ended her call with JJ Saturday morning – quickly jumped up and ran after JJ, determined to get every detail she didn't yet know about the previous weekend out of her.

Morgan and Reid, both more or less oblivious to what had been going on, were more focused on Rossi. Was he really whistling as he made his way up to his office?

"Last week he got drunk because of JJ and now he's whistling?" Spencer whispered to Derek.

"They must have had one hell of a weekend," Derek answered. "And I am going to find out," he added, getting up as well.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Spencer squeaked, not sure if it was wise to disturb the senior profiler this early in the morning when he'd just gotten in.

"Don't you want to know about it?" Morgan asked him as he walked up the stairs, leaving a hesitating Spencer behind.

Entering Rossi's office with one sharp knock, Morgan didn't wait for an invitation, but let himself fall into one of Dave's chairs, waiting for the older man to say something.

"What can I do for you this morning, Derek?" Dave wanted to know after a moment, not even bothering to look up from the case file he had just begun to read, biting back the amused smile that was beginning to form on his face, as he knew exactly why his colleague was here.

"So, you and JJ?" Derek said. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"I can't complain," Dave answered shortly, his eyes still glued to the paper in front of him.

"And?" Morgan prompted.

"And what?"

"And what did you guys do?"

That caused Dave to look up and glare intensely at Morgan.

"I don't see why this is any of your business," he said after a minute.

Morgan smirked. "Well, as long as we don't have to carry your drunken ass out of here again-"

"You won't," Dave interrupted him sharply, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the memory of this episode. "Is that all? Because I actually have some work to do this morning and I'm sure you do, too." He turned his attention back to the file again, and waited for Morgan to leave.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm happy for you and JJ, chief."

xxx

"So, how was your date?" Emily asked, walking into the office behind JJ.

"Emily! Would you let me sit down first? Besides, I'm pretty sure Garcia's already given you an update, hasn't she?" JJ rolled her eyes as she put her bag down on the floor and herself into the desk chair.

"Yeah, yeah, but I want the details! Every dirty little thing you and Rossi did this weekend!" Emily retorted excitedly.

"I hate to disappoint you, but there's nothing to tell."

"Yeah, right," Emily snorted.

"Really. We just spent some quiet time with the kids at his house in Little Creek," JJ answered innocently.

"Aw, come on, JJ, you go on a date with one guy and wake up in bed the next morning with the other. There has to be something to tell! Details, please!" Emily looked at JJ with an expecting smirk on her face, her eyes leaving no doubt that she was determined to stay as long as her friend at least spilled some of the events that had led to her and Rossi finally getting together.

Knowing that if she actually wanted to get some work done before noon she had to give her friend something to make her leave, JJ sighed and then leaned back into her chair.

"Fine. As I already told Garcia, you were both right. When I was sitting in that restaurant with Anderson, all I could think of was that he wasn't Dave. I wondered how the conversation with Dave would be like, how Dave would look at me, and what we would do afterwards. I guess I don't have to mention that I finished my dinner as quickly as possible and asked Anderson to bring me back home."

A smug grin appeared on Emily's lips. "See? I hate to say it but: I told you so. Or rather, Garcia and I told you so. It wasn't such a bad idea then."

JJ smiled. "No it wasn't. Although I feel quite a bit stupid and guilty that I needed to go out with another man to realize what I have in Dave. I guess deep down I've known all the time that I love Dave."

"Of course you did! We've all known. It was hard to miss with the way you looked at him and talked about him," Emily said.

"You did? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried, JJ, remember? Garcia and I spent a whole evening trying to convince you, but we fell on deaf ears."

JJ could only shake her head at her own behavior.

Thinking back to Friday evening, she muttered, more to herself: "I still almost can't believe that Dave waited so patiently for me to come to my senses."

"That should tell you how much he loves you, and that you really have something to be grateful for," Emily commented nevertheless. "And me telling you this after the stunts he pulled last years is saying something." And after a short break she added: "Although I can assure you, he did not take it as easy and patient as it looked, when I think about last Monday."

JJ furrowed her brows quizzically. "What happened last Monday?"

"You don't know?"

JJ shook her head.

"I wasn't there to see it, but from what I heard, or rather, from what Morgan told me, it took him, Reid and Hotch to get Rossi's drunken ass out of his office and into Hotch's car."

"What?" JJ stared at her in disbelief.

"Yeah. He was obviously so disturbed by hearing about your date with Anderson that he emptied the whole bottle of Scotch he keeps in his office," Emily explained, grinning amusedly. "God, I can't believe you didn't know that."

"I'm beginning to realize," JJ muttered dryly. So this was why Hotch had brought him home that night. Dave hadn't offered an explanation, only shortly mentioning that she would have to give him a ride to Quantico the next morning, as they had both been too angry with each other to dig deeper.

At any rate, she was going to have a serious conversation with Dave about drinking at the office, and his drinking habits in general.

Voicing that thought, Emily smirked: "Don't worry. Hotch already read him the riot act for that. Plus, as far as I know, he had taken him to his mother, drunken as he was."

They chatted for a few more minutes before they both had to go back to their work, and JJ couldn't stop smiling all day long as the memories of the past weekend followed her through the day.

A/N: I'm deeply sorry that you had to wait so long again for this update. I've been thinking about how I'm going to continue this, and I've come to the conclusion that it would be best to end this story within the next few chapters. But the good news is: There will be a sequel of some sorts! I still have to think about how I'm going to do it, but I have a lot of ideas to continue with this storyline that I feel don't fit into this anymore. So unless anyone has anything he (or rather she ;)) wants to see written in this, I'm going to wrap this up within the next few chapters (my aim is 50 Chapters, as it would be a nice number, but I can't promise anything).

Thanks everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far! I truly appreciate your feedback!