Aaron Hotchner was sitting at his desk as he anxiously checked his watch for the third time. This meeting was important and he was hoping for a good outcome. If only the time would move faster!
His day had not started out well. That morning, when he had stopped off at his dry cleaners, his claim ticket had proven to match that of a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit, obviously destined for a young boy who had been pressed into service in a wedding. Following his loud protestations, the counter clerk had promised to check into the situation and get back to him. He was particularly upset because he had been planning on wearing the missing suit when he took Christine out for dinner tomorrow evening (Assuming, of course, that they didn't get a case). Strange, he had been using that particular dry cleaners for several years now, and had never had a problem.
A knock on his door interrupted him before he could check his watch a fourth time.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal JJ, dressed in a dark business suit. "Agent Hotchner?" she inquired formally.
"Agent Jareau," he replied, just as formally. "Please, come in. Have a seat." He gestured towards his guest chairs.
"I want to start by apologizing," JJ began nervously after she had sat down. "Both for the position I put you in and the position I put the team in. My actions were inexcusable."
"You've discussed them with someone?" Hotch asked.
"I have completed counseling," JJ confirmed. "Both anger management and lifestyle. The later was at a residential center where I spent several weeks. And, I have come to realize several things."
She looked at Hotch who nodded encouragingly.
"First off, I was mad at the world but, mostly, mad at myself," she told him. "Will had left me and was moving on with his life, while I felt stuck in mine. That morning – Well, the previous evening I had found out that Will and his new wife were expecting a second baby. And, that hurt! Particularly since Will and I had agreed to wait a few more years before giving Henry a sibling."
She paused for a moment and then continued. "I was jealous. Not just of Will and his new wife, but of Spencer, and of you, and of everyone else."
"I think I understand," Hotch told her. "I know Haley and I – Well, I have regrets there, too."
"However, the most important thing that I realized during my therapy," JJ looked at him with her blue eyes. "Is that I really want to be here with the team, Hotch. This is where I belong!"
"You do understand you will be on probation for the first 90 days, and will be subject to supervision, don't you?" Hotch warned her. "You will also have to undergo a psychiatric exam and be recertified for your firearms and your combat training."
"I understand, and have no problem with that!"
Hotch stood up and held out his hand. "Welcome back JJ!"
"Thanks Hotch!"