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A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to get finished…we hope you like it!


Chapter 5

"Derek Morgan I'm going to kill you! I can't believe I let you talk me into wearing this!" JJ huffed as they exited the Metro in search of Fado's Pub where they were meeting the rest of the trainee's that were going out with them. "I feel naked, let me wear your coat!"

"No, JJ, you look hot. I promise." Morgan reassured, but not without failing to notice that his roommate did, in fact, look extremely hot in the outfit of skinny jeans and a black sequined tank that he had forced her to buy earlier in the night. "But if you--" he started, stoping when the loud scream of an angry woman reached his ears.

"Aaron stop it! You've been like this all day, what's wrong with you!" Hailey screamed.

"Oh my God, I can't be here now." JJ reacted knowing just exactly who it was they were hearing fighting around the corner--which just happened to be directly in front on the bar they were headed to.

"What? Why?" Morgan questioned, practically pulling JJ around the corner, "It's just some lady being a drama queen, you won't even be able to hear them once we're inside. C'mon."

"No, it's not that." JJ started, only to round the corner and find the other guys waiting outside the bar for them. "Why couldn't they wait inside? I mean I really, really don't want to be around and watch Hotch fight with his wife."

Morgan nodded, understanding. If he had known that the profiler was married, he never would have encouraged his roommate to acknowledge her attraction. "Don't worry about it, I've got your back." He said, placing his arm protectively around her.

JJ tried to avoid watching Hotch as she and Morgan greeted some of the other guys but she could feel his eyes on her as the group pretended to ignore Hailey's tirade. Morgan shot a warning glare at the older agent before the group entered the bar.

JJ's hope that by entering the bar, she would avoid the rest of the couple's argument was quickly crushed as she heard Hailey screech "Are you even listening to me? I saw the way you looked at her, you're having an affair, aren't you?"

"Hailey, please. Let's handle this somewhere else, you're being ridiculous." They overheard Hotch say quietly.

"Excuse me?! Well if I'm being ridiculous then why don't you just stay with Dave tonight, that way you don't have to be around me and my pettiness!" Hailey yelled, loud enough that people were starting to stare, "I'm sorry, I forgot that Saint Aaron could do no wrong. Excuse me! You know what Aaron? Don't come home tonight."

"Hailey..wait. What are you saying?" Hotch asked, trying to keep his anger in check. Was she seriously kicking him out?

"You heard me." Hailey sneered, turning on her heel and calling a cab.

Hotch stood there, mouth wide with confusion. JJ normally wouldn't go up to him, she had her rules and very rarely crossed them, but this wasn't about her attraction. This was about her inability to watch someone hurt and do nothing.

As Morgan watched the blonde stand up, he groaned. While he was all for JJ finding someone, this guy was married. If she fawned over him, he'd allow it, but the second there was a sign that Agent Hotchner thought about hurting JJ, Derek Morgan would be committing murder.

"You alright?" JJ asked, standing next to him.

"Agent Jareau." Hotch said, turning to her. "Are you married?"

"No." JJ answered and tried to lighten the mood, "Not for lack of trying."

"Let me give you a piece of free advice, marriage is hard." Hotch admitted, standing in the wake of the catastrophe Hailey often caused on him.

"So I've heard." JJ laughed. "I'm sure she'll come around."

"I'm not." Hotch said quietly. "But don't worry about me, you can go back to your friends."

"That's alright. I don't think I make a very good wing man." JJ smiled, internally reminding herself that Hotch was married, she shouldn't be feeling like this. "Morgan can handle it on his own for a minute, unless you want to come have a drink with us?"

"I don't know..." Hotch started, but JJ cut him off.

"Listen, it's one drink. That's all. No harm, no foul." JJ informed, pushing a lose piece of hair behind her ear. "But can you make a decision soon because me feet are killing me in these shoes Morgan made me buy earlier."

"Made you?"

"It's a long story." JJ groaned, not wanting to relive the hour she and Derek had spent fighting over shoes earlier in the afternoon. Pointing towards the door of the bar, JJ asked "So are you coming in or what?"

Thinking for a second, Hotch decided to do something spontaneous for once in his life. "You know what? I think I'll take that drink. Let's go back inside, Hailey needs time to cool off anyways."

As JJ and Hotch meandered toward the group, Morgan's smug smile melted from his face. What did JJ think she was doing?

The pair sat down with the crowd of recruits, most star struck at the prospect of being around SSA Aaron Hotchner, everyone knew of his success in the Bureau and wanted to learn all of the tips they could from the legendary Agents. Everyone, except Morgan, who sat with arms folded, glaring slightly. This guy was going to take JJ for a ride and JJ was going to let him, Morgan couldn't believe it. If he had known what encouraging JJ's crush would turn into, he would have never done so.

JJ caught onto Morgan's irritation after a frigid silence befell the group. Someone had told a joke a Morgan's expense and he hadn't even flinched. She tried to get him to look at her in the eyes, but he avoided her glances. Hotch looked at her in confusion, he had heard that Morgan was a very social and likeable person, but none of that was being portrayed that he could see. Finally, he turned to her.

"Is he ok?" Hotch asked tentatively.

"I don't know." JJ answered honestly. "I've never seen him like this."

"Maybe you should go talk to him." Hotch encouraged as JJ nodded in agreement.

"Morgan, do you want to come with me to grab another drink?" JJ called over after a moment, sipping the remnants of the margarita she had been drinking.

"If you want me to." Morgan mumbled, getting up from his seat and following JJ to the bar.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, JJ turned to face him. "Derek, what is up with you tonight? You're not acting like yourself."

"You're all over him." Morgan said grumpily. He wasn't about to let his friend get hurt over some schlup that was already married.

"No, I'm not. Why do you even care?" JJ asked angrily, "are you jealous?"

"Of course not!" Morgan cried incredulously.

"Then what's going on here Derek?" JJ asked, trying to understand why he was acting this way. "I don't understand."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." Morgan lied, in truth seeing JJ with Hotch made him incredibly jealous, scaring him a little.

JJ felt herself soften at his admission, "Thanks for looking out for me, but I'll be okay."

"What if you won't be?" He shook his head. "JJ, your falling for a married man who has no intention on leaving his wife. Your asking to get stepped on."

"I'm not asking for anything. I'm just being nice." JJ defended kindly, touched that Morgan seemed to care about her. Maybe her current living arrangement wasn't so bad after all. "You'd do the same thing."

"No I wouldn't. I'm a dude, that wouldn't be cool." Morgan retorted.

JJ smacked him lightly. "You know what I meant."

Morgan smiled to himself, suddenly growing silent.

"What?" JJ said after a moment.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He said, finally speaking aloud the words that had infested his mind.

"Agent Hotchner is waiting for me." JJ declined, surprising herself at how badly she wanted to leave with him. She was worried at what was going on in that little brain of hers, the last thing she could do was get interested in Derek Morgan.

"Hotch is a grown man, I think he can manage without you." Morgan prodded. "C'mon...let's go for a walk or something."

Feeling her resolve crumble, JJ glanced over in Hotch's direction to find him completely enmeshed in a conversation with two other recruits. "You know what? I could use some fresh air." JJ informed, "Just let me tell him we're leaving, okay?"

"Sure" Morgan nodded, following her through the bar until they reached Hotch. Waiting patiently while she informed the other man she was leaving, Morgan noticed the small amount of disappointment in Hotch's almost unreadable eyes.

After saying her goodbyes to everyone, JJ made her way back over to where Morgan stood waiting patiently a few feet away. Taking a small risk, JJ lightly grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Morgan smiled, allowing her to lead him from the bar out into the warm summer night that had enveloped Washington DC.