A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been awhile, I've been having some pretty bad headaches, and a lot has been happening. But I thought I'd work through the pain and keep you guys from waiting for another chapter! Hope you like it!

For the first time ever, Hotch allowed himself to shamelessly break down in front of his whole team. His hands shook as they reached over to JJ's, and he lightly pulled the wedding ring off her left hand, his tears falling on her bloodstained face as he did so. He stroked her hair as Blake, Rossi, and Morgan stood, tears flowing down their faces. Emily began to shake, and Seaver cried out. Hotch looked at JJ's closed eyes, and remembered the day they met, just over ten years ago…

Xx

August, 2004

Aaron Hotchner sat slumped over his desk as he reviewed the case reports agents Morgan and Reid had given him that morning, giving them a once-over before handing them into the section chief. He was interrupted when he heard a light knock at the door, and a flash of blonde hair caught his eye. He looked up into the bright blue eyes of Jennifer Jareau, his latest addition to the team,

"You must be agent Jareau" He greeted her, standing and gesturing for her to come in as he did.

"Yes, sir, SSA Jennifer Jareau, the new communications liaison" She walked in and kept a light smile on her face, reaching out with her hand and shaking his as she reached him.

" SSA Aaron Hotchner, or Hotch. I'm hoping someone showed you to your office?" He asked as he kept eye contact with her.

"Yes sir, special agent Garcia was kind enough to show me the way, thank you."

"Very good. Have you had time to meet agents Morgan, Gideon, and Reid?"

"No, not yet sir."

"That's fine, we can go now."

Hotch put his hand lightly on JJ's back and led her out to the bullpen, glancing around for the other agents. He saw Morgan and Reid chatting with one another at their desks, and JJ followed Hotch as he went down the few steps off the catwalk and went to their area of the bullpen. He cleared his throat as JJ stood next to him,

"Morgan, Reid, this is supervisory special agent Jennifer Jareau, she will be the communications liaison. Agent Jareau, these are agents Derek Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid."

JJ leaned over and smiled at them,

"Hi, you can call me JJ." She said with a smile as she shook their hands and looked at Hotch as a way of letting him know that he may also call her by her chosen nickname.

Hotch left them to talk and become familiar as he set off to find agent Jason Gideon. As expected, he was in his office, reading over some sort of notes.

"Gideon, the new agent is here." Hotch said as he leaned in and focused intently on his friend.

Gideon looked up, studied Hotch for a moment, and stood, walked over to Hotch, yet stopped in the doorway. He immediately found JJ,

"Agents Morgan and Reid certainly seem to be taking a liking to her. How old is she?" He asked as he watched her.

"She's 24, she just graduated from the Academy in June after two years at the University of Pittsburg, then two at Georgetown. She's a smart kid." Hotch replied, turning his focus to Gideon for a reaction.

"That's exactly my concern, Hotch. She's a kid. I understand Reid is a year younger but he's been out here for two years, he has experience, agent Jareau doesn't. She's going to be torn apart out there, you've seen what the media does with cases like ours."

"Gideon, I could have picked an older agent, but I went with agent Jareau for many reasons. Yes, she's young, but that means she'll pick up faster, she'll become a better agent in less time, and she'll be as successful as Morgan in half the time. I like her determination, she has a good record, she's charismatic, she's respectful and quiet, and she passed all her tests at the Academy with higher marks than the majority of her class. I have a good feeling about her." Hotch's tone was sincere, and he was confident.

Gideon, somewhat shocked at how Hotch defended agent Jareau as well as his decision, looked at him,

"I trust you, and I agree. She seems like a good choice, I'm just worried."

"There's no need to be, you'll see." Hotch gave Gideon one last frank look.

Xx

Hotch relished in the memory as his tears continued to fall and his hand continued to work through JJ's silky yet bloody hair. He thought about all the times they'd shared together, how when everything seemed to fall through, he could count on JJ to be there. He'd witnessed so many stages of her life, her first case, her first time as a full-fledged profiler, her first true love, her marriage, and her first child. He very vividly remembered the day he found out she'd fallen in love…

Late July, 2007

Hotch walked down the dark corridor as he headed on his way into the main bullpen of the BAU, however he stopped when something caught his eye as he passed agent Jareau's office. He walked to her door, stopping to listen in for a moment. When he heard her soft cries, he knocked lightly. She cleared her throat and called out lightly,

"Come in."

As he walked in, she wiped her eyes and set her cell phone on her desk.

"JJ, are you alright?"

JJ knew she wouldn't be able to cover how she was feeling, so she simply sighed, and sat down behind her desk, encouraging Hotch to do the same with the old, small armchair in the back dusty corner of the office. She cleared her throat once more, and began,

"Hotch, do you remember that case we worked in New Orleans a few months ago, the female Jack the Ripper copycat?"

When he nodded, she continued,

"The detective we worked with…William Lamontagne, we really hit it off…and I started seeing him about three weeks later."

Hotch's eyes widened,

"Is there a problem?" He asked with a soft tone.

She nodded,

"I went to see him this weekend, and we got in this huge fight. He wanted me to…well…spend the night, but I wasn't ready to, I just wanted to stay by myself at my hotel. He completely understanding and okay with it, but when I asked him why he wanted me so badly, he completely went off on me as if I was supposed to read his mind. Anyways, he just called me back and told me it was best if I didn't see him for awhile. I don't know, Hotch, I just…don't want to screw this up." She began to tear up again as she looked up at him.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"I…I love him, Hotch. I know it seems crazy, but I really do."

Hotch could see the sincerity in her eyes, and knew her feelings were true.

"I understand, and I'm happy for you. Just give him some space, try calling him back in a couple days. If he truly loves you as much as you love him, you will work through this."

JJ nodded,

"Thank you, it means a lot."

Hotch stood and gave JJ's shoulder a squeeze. As he was on his way out, he heard her call to him,

"Oh, and Hotch?"

He turned back to her,

"Yes JJ?"

"Can you keep this between us, please? I don't want the team getting involved in my business…" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Of course, JJ."

JJ gave Hotch one last light smile as he left her office, gently shutting the door as he did.

Xx

Hotch began to tremble even harder as more memories flooded his mind, and the only emotion he could feel was the overwhelming grief for his dead friend. He knew his life would never be the same, it had been hard enough to lose Haley, and then Reid, and now with JJ, he no longer knew how he could go on. He knew he needed to be there for the remainder of his team, but right now, everything was about JJ. He brought JJ's hand to his face, letting what little warmth that remained in it be absorbed into his own skin, and he thanked his brave friend for her life, which had been filled with service not only to her country, but to the ones she loved.

A/N: If you're confused about the dates/timing of this, the crash occurs in early winter (late November/early December) of 2014