Disclaimer: We don't own Criminal Minds.
Chapter 3
Derek Morgan couldn't contain his energy any longer. He had been awake for almost half an hour waiting for his blonde roommate to wake up. Since she still hadn't, he decided to take measures into his own hands. Walking up to the side of her bed stealthfully, he waited until he was sure that she was still asleep before pouncing on her bed and quickly beginning to tickle her mercilessly. Growing up with two sisters had definitely helped him become a devious tormenter.
"DEREK!" She screamed as she came fully awake. "Get off me!" She cried.
"Only if you promise to get up." Derek bargained, smiling heavily.
"Fine." JJ grumbled, clearly not a morning person, "What time is it?"
"Just before 7am." Morgan answered innocently, letting her go and sitting on his own bed. "Don't forget you have to talk to Agent Loverboy today before class."
JJ groaned angrily, "you only beat me by three minutes!" She whined.
"Three glorious minutes that separate glory from defeat." Morgan gloated. "Three minutes that separates the weak from the strong. Three minutes that--"
"Three minutes that you only got because you threatened half of the recruits with an inch of their life if they talked to me." JJ interrupted angrily, tossing a pillow in his general direction as she collapsed back on the bed.
"And if I could have gotten to the other half, you would have lost by more than three minutes." He smiled charmingly, easily dodging the pillow.
"So you'd like to think." JJ retorted, burrowing back under the covers, momentarily forgetting the bargain she made with Morgan.
"What was that?" Morgan grinned as he approached her bed once more, "Because I distinctly remember you telling all of the female recruits that we were married, and that didn't stop me from beating you by three minutes."
She poked her head out from her nest and stuck her tongue out at him. "I hate you."
"Hate and love are so close, JJ." He reminded her, "but if you don't get up, I'm going to have to come up with more creative ways to entice you out of bed. I have a lot of experience enticing women into bed, but I like a good challenge, and I'm sure I can figure a way to get you out of bed."
"I'm up, I'm up." JJ grumbled, "Can you please find something that resembles coffee while I take a shower?"
"Sure Miss Thing" Morgan laughed as he slipped on his shoes, "I saw a coffee machine at the end of the hall, I'll be right back."
"I could just wait until after class to talk to him" JJ mused, hoping that her new roommate would forget their deal, "I mean he looks busy, I'll just wait."
"JJ" Morgan sighed, pushing her into the sparsely crowded classroom--they were a good fifteen minutes early. "He's not busy, he's just looking over his notes for class today. You lost the bet, and now you have to live up to your end of the bargain."
JJ just glared at her roommate who smirked happily, "Or are you scared?" He teased.
"I am not scared." She stepped forward, immediately regretting it because it meant she had to make a decision. Deciding that she couldn't go back to her roommate until she had talked to the handsome tall agent. Walking up to him, she tried to come up with something to say, instead reaching him before a decision could be made. She stuck out her hand and said simply, "hi."
He looked up, surprised that his preparation time was being cut short. She could see the flash of recognition in his eyes as he smiled slightly at her, "hi." He replied, shaking her hand firmly.
Making up her mind to take the safe route with the conversation, JJ added, "I know people probably ask you this all the time, but I'm really interested in the BAU and I know that your unit just added a communications coordinator, so I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about it after class sometime?"
"What was your major in college?" Hotch asked conversationally, gathering the stack of notes he had been going over.
"I've got my Bachelor's in communications and my Master's in public relations--both from Georgetown." JJ informed, stepping closer to him as another trainee slipped behind her to take a seat in the front.
"I went to Georgetown, I got my law degree there." Hotch said, slightly profiling her, unable to stop himself. Deciding that he would not be wasting his time by talking to her about the BAU, he answered her previous question. "Come see me after class and I'll answer any questions you have about the BAU as long as I don't get called away on a case."
"Okay, see you after class." JJ smiled, quickly turning and heading to her seat next to Morgan in the back of the class.
At the conclusion of the captivating first class, JJ approached the handsome agent once more.
"Agent Jareau, if you can come back to the BAU with me, I can answer your questions there." He said kindly as he gathered his things. "Unless you have another class?"
"Actually my next class isn't until after lunch" JJ informed, following him out of the classroom, but not before catching Morgan's knowing smirk, I'll deal with him later.
"So what made you want to join the Bureau?" Hotch asked as they walked the short distance to his desk at the BAU.
"What makes you think I have a reason?" JJ asked, her usual habit for always questioning things seeping into thier conversation, "Maybe I just like carrying a gun."
"Everyone has a reason, Agent Jareau." Hotch informed as they entered the BAU bullpen through the new glass doors that had just been installed, "And you could carry a gun without joining the FBI, that's not a valid answer."
"I just wanted to help people." JJ admitted, not wanting to tell him her real reason for joining the Bureau.
"Again, you could have done that without joining the FBI." Hotch pointed out once more.
"I heard that you are transferring to Seattle soon." JJ tried to deflect the conversation away from talking about herself.
"Yeah, my wife and I decided that Seattle would be a good move for us." Hotch said as he pulled up a chair for her to sit down.
"Your wife?" JJ questioned, keeping the shock out of her voice. She had not seen a wedding ring, and if she had known he wasn't available, she wouldn't have even considered the idea of this little crush.
"Yeah, we've been married for two years." He smiled, handing her a picture.
"But it took him almost seven to work up the courage to ask her." A female voice said from behind. "And the another five to set a date for the wedding."
"Hailey!" Hotch smiled, "this is Agent Jareau, she's a new recruit."
"Is this the new Media Coordinator you told me about?" Hailey asked, holding a hand out for JJ to shake. "I'm Hailey Hotchner, it's nice to meet you."
"I wish, but you know how it goes--they make you go through the Academy first." JJ answered Hailey's first question, standing up to shake the woman's hand, "And everyone calls me JJ, it's nice to meet you too. Listen, Agent Hotchner, I'm really sorry, but I forgot that I have PT training at 11am. Maybe we can talk about the BAU after class another time?"
"Oh, sure." Hotch answered, taking in the facade JJ had put up, "I'll see you in class tomorrow Agent Jareau."
"I really am sorry, I guess I just got caught up with everything and forgot" JJ apologized, glad that she had her "press face" on so they couldn't see how she was really feeling at learning Hotch was married. "It was very nice to meet you Hailey, maybe I'll see you around next time I'm in the BAU."
As JJ walked quickly away from Hotch's office, a breathless Morgan caught up with her. "Hey baby girl, I've been waiting all morning. How'd it go?" The antagonist taunted.
"Married." JJ mumbled to herself.
"Huh? Seriously, you and him hooking up later, or was that just a waste of time?" Morgan laughed.
"Waste of time." JJ growled. "Morgan, the man is married. MARRIED! Like has taken vows married. Has been for two years."
Morgan groaned. "Ouch, that bites. I thought women were supposed to be able to pick up on that sort of thing." He mused.
"Apparently not, because I just flirted with a married man--not that he was flirting back. He is far too classy for adultery with a recruit." JJ informed angrily.
"Doesn't seem like you'd be against it." Morgan muttered under his breath.
JJ smacked him--hard--on the arm. "I grew up around the Amish, do you have any idea what you are saying?"
"Apparently not" Morgan conceded, "So listen, I heard from one of the other recruits that they're going to let us leave the Academy Friday night as long as we all make it back for the first PT test on Saturday morning, so a few of the guys and I were going to go into town and see what we can find--wanna come with?"
"Any chance we can go tonight?" JJ grumbled, "I'm in need of a stiff drink after what I just did. But yeah, count me in for Friday, maybe meeting some of the other recruits will help me get him off my mind."
"This is worse than I thought" Morgan mumbled, "Let's go get lunch, maybe I can sweet talk one of the lunch ladies into getting us some alcohol for later."