A/N: Here's another chapter. I hope you all like it!

And as most of you have noticed, I haven't been updating as frequently as I used to. It's because I am really busy these days so I am trying my absolute best to update as soon as possible.

Special thanks to jenny crum, Mikalacriminalminds, K8e1, Westie80, BAUMember, Christiangirl and savetoniqht!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 4: Bad surprise

Hotch stepped out of his bathroom in his boxers. It was almost time for his date with JJ and he felt the excitement and anticipation. The nerves had disappeared when he received a last text from JJ to tell him how excited she was. It put him at ease a little to know she felt the exact same way. He rushed from work to shower and change into his clothes before he was going to the restaurant. He was going to meet her at his favorite Italian restaurant in the city, hoping to make her happy.

He walked towards his closet and decided to go without a suit for a change. He took his dark blue jeans and put them on, followed by a white dress shirt and a black blazer. He stopped in front of the mirror and noticed it had been years since he actually thought about what to wear for a girl. But he already discovered that she wasn't any girl. So far she had showed that she was funny, sweet and polite. Those were all characteristics he searched for in a girl. He had a tendency of falling for the girl next door type. He wasn't into the party girls or the cheerleaders. All he wanted was a completely normal life with a normal partner, who had the same values and morals as he did. It was what he found in Haley. Their relationship had survived struggles of heartache and loss, and in the end they weren't strong enough to withstand it. But that didn't take away from the life they had managed to build together. A part of him would always love her. They shared all their firsts together and he didn't regret a moment of it. They were strong and happy as they went through college, their first apartment and their careers. They shared it all.

Stop! He forced himself. It's time for a new chapter and tonight is the start of it. Forget Haley and move on… He was right about that. He needed to move forward and let his time with the brunette go. It was his very first step.

So he grabbed his jacket, keys and phone and left his apartment with a renewed feeling of happiness. It was something he hadn't felt in ages.

On the other side of town JJ was running through her apartment to get ready for her date. She barely made it home in time from work. Well, she could've been home earlier, but for the first time she had a chance to break into her boss' office to get a list of all the employees. It was a huge win for the case she had been working on and a lead had been something she desperately craved. Her life had been the ultimate meaning of dull. But somehow two positive changes had taken her into a different direction. Hotch was one of the amazing changes and JJ hoped with all of her heart that the date was going to be great. It had been a long time for her and she was rather excited about it.

She ran to her closet in her underwear, black bra with matching panties when she realized she wanted to wear a strapless dress and she didn't want the straps of her bra to show. So she pulled the dress from the closet and threw it on her bed. She started rummaging through her closet in the hopes that she could find a nice dress. She looked up the restaurant where they were meeting and it seemed fancy so she wanted to look presentable.

After five minutes of looking through her clothes and making a big mess of her closet, she pulled out a red sleeveless dress she had worn before. Only that time it wasn't for a date. And this time it would be. She stepped in the dress and pulled it up quickly and zipped herself up. She pulled her hair from the bun and let it fall over her shoulders. She had curled her hair in the morning and was relieved when the curls were still in it. So she stepped into her black heels and sighed out when she was finally done. She grabbed her purse and left the apartment. She put her hand on the door knob when she heard her phone ring. It wasn't her phone for her cover job. It was her CIA phone. Collins told her they would only use it in case of emergencies. She dropped her purse in the chair and took the phone from her drawer. She immediately picked it up without hesitation, knowing something had come up.

''Hello?''she asked impatiently. Her heart was beating faster because she had no idea what was going on. Her boss specifically stated that she wasn't allowed to have any contact with Langley, except with her handler. And now they were calling her.

On the other side of the line was Collins, sitting in his office. ''JJ, I need you to come in.'' he said simply. ''Something has come up, or rather someone!'' he said as he looked at the man across from him.

''I thought I couldn't compromise my cover by going back to Langley.'' she contradicted. ''Is it really that important?''

''I need you here ASAP, JJ!'' he ordered before he hang up the phone.

JJ threw the phone back in the drawer and hurried to the door, knowing she was going to be late for her date. But she knew her job would always beat her personal life. Her job was more important, so she decided she could make it if she hurried to Langley. She would be five to ten minutes late, but she believed that wouldn't really matter.

JJ raced to Langley and got through security quickly since it was late in the evening. Once she parked her car and made her way to the building. She hoped she wouldn't run into any of her friends or colleagues. They would probably ask her why she wasn't in operations every day. JJ was known as the agent who was at Langley when she was home and if she was abroad she was often in contact about her missions. She was well-known for her strength and fighting skills. Collins had often told her she was the best Agent in the division and that he didn't want to lose her to another division. He believed in JJ more than anyone and he always gave her the chance to shine.

JJ stopped in front of the door and typed in the code to open it. The door opened and she walked inside the large bullpen that was completely empty, which was a surprise to her. Usually at least one or two analysts were present, but there was no one there. So she walked towards Collins' office in the corner and noticed a man standing in his office, looking out the window.

JJ stepped inside and faced the two men when the other turned around. ''Hello,'' she greeted simply as she looked at Collins. Then she looked at other man, and nearly fainted. ''Owen?'' she gasped.

Owen looked at JJ from head to toe, realizing she looked different but definitely in a good way. ''You look amazing, JJ!'' he complimented. ''I didn't know you came to work like this.''

JJ dropped down in the chair in anger. ''Owen, I was going out. And our boss told me I wasn't to come near this place while I am on assignment.'' she went on. ''What was so important?''

Collins put his hand on the desk in response. The fact that his agent was questioning him, only angered him more. ''Christian Ward has gone off the grid!'' he stated simply. ''Owen has been tracking him since you finished the mission four months ago and yesterday he vanished into thin air.''

JJ felt the life disappear from her body. It had been one of the worst assignments of her life, and she thought it was all over. ''So six months of undercover work has gone down the drain?'' she asked with fear. ''Oh, I can't believe this.''

''I know this is hard to process, but you still did what you had to do, JJ.'' Collins assured. ''I put three other agents on the taskforce to find and arrest him and I pulled Owen out.'' he went on.

JJ looked from Owen to Collins, wondering why they were smiling so much. ''What?''

''Owen is joining you at Chemicaltech Industries. He's going undercover as a security guard.'' Collins explained simply. ''It's been four months and we still have no new leads.''

''I sent the list of employees to my handler. Isn't that enough for now?'' JJ asked with confusion. She believed it was an assignment she was going to do on her own and now her former partner was joining her once again. He was the absolute last person she felt like working with. ''Does it have to be him?'' JJ said as she rose from the chair in anger. The smug smile on his face annoyed her. It wasn't that she hated him, she just hated that he knew her so well.

Collins pushed JJ back gently when she was about to approach Owen. The tension between his two best agents was horrifying. If they pushed their differences aside, he knew they were the best team anyone could have. They had proven that on more than one occasion. ''There's no room for argue here, Jareau!'' he warned, his voice angry and loud. ''Now take him out of this office and brief him on the company and everything you've learned so far.'' he said. He noticed JJ was about to open her mouth again so he cut her off. ''Go! Now!'' he said.

JJ took her phone from her purse as she stepped out of the office, followed by Owen. She noticed she was already fifteen minutes late to her date. She wanted to text Hotch earlier, but she couldn't do it in the middle of a meeting with her boss. She also didn't want anyone to know she was dating. It would be frowned upon by the agency. They would suggest that she'd date someone at Langley, which was the last thing she wanted. She didn't even wanted to date anyone. She wanted to date Aaron Hotchner. The guy who had made her smile and laugh with a simple sentence. That was the guy she wanted to date, and no one else.

So she went to her texts and was about to type when her screen went black. She realized her battery was dead and she threw the phone back into her purse with disappointment. She didn't know his number from memory and she had no idea how she could reach him without Owen being on her case. She just hoped he would forgive her for being extremely late. She didn't even know if he would wait for her. He had every right to leave.