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

Special thanks to jenny crum, Christiangirl and 2Addicted2YourLove!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 14: Trap

JJ's eyes snapped up at the door when a familiar figure was hovering in her doorway for the sixth time in four days. She was sick of it and it had taken her every ounce of energy to keep herself from blowing up in his face. Owen had been become overly present in her life and she hated it. It was as if he stood on every corner she took, not to mention that he didn't stop asking her who she spoke with on the phone. His presence was killing her happiness, well it was actually killing her calm. But because she had to work on a case with him, she knew that working together was important. Collins had expressed how much he valued their partnership so she kept herself together for the sake of their case. And to keep her boss from firing her.

''What do you want, Owen?'' she asked as she flipped over the file and grabbed the next one from her stack of problems. Every day was another day of the same things. Simply fixing problems for the company, while she was supposed to be a legal advisor. She was glad it was just her cover because in real life she couldn't have done it longer than a week.

He stepped inside and closed the glass door behind him to keep their conversation private. He sat down across from JJ without an invitation, knowing she would mind. ''Have you been looking into the case?'' he questioned simply.

She immediately threw him a look to let him know he should back off, but he smirked in return. That was always how Owen had been. Confident and filled with pride. But JJ knew better than to trust him or even be polite to him. ''No, not really.'' she said distantly. ''You?''

''Yes, and I didn't find anything in Asad or Isamm's history that seemed suspicious. Nothing.'' he replied in annoyance. ''JJ, come on!'' he pushed.

As a response, she threw the file on her desk and rose from her chair, showing her irritation with each movement she made. She stood behind her desk with her arms folded across her chest. ''What?''

''I know you!'' Owen began. ''I know you've been working on this without me. I am not stupid because I know how you work, how you think.''

''Owen, what do you want from me?''

''I just want things to go back to how they once were!'' he said anxiously. ''I want us to be partners again. We were great together whether it was personally or professionally. We were the best, JJ.''

''Exactly. We were!'' she pointed out as her arms moved to her sides and she stepped closer towards Owen, hoping he was going to take the message at one point. ''You cheated on me, Owen. You made your choice a year ago when you…'' she croaked out. ''It's never going to be the same again, so don't expect that from me. Don't tell me how great we were when you're the one who screwed me over!''

The room fell silent for a moment and JJ took that time to grab her keys and unlock one of her drawers. She pulled out a small file and handed it to him politely.

''We can still work together.'' she began simply. ''I went through everything the CIA had on the brothers but just like you, I found nothing.'' she went on as she sat back down. ''But then I started thinking of it from a different side.'' she announced. ''We assumed that the person behind the missing bioweapons works for Chemicaltech. But what if they did and no longer work here?''

Owen smiled at her, knowing she had been working on the case just as hard as he had. He then realized some things never changed, like JJ's road for justice. ''So you're suggesting that someone left the company with knowledge of the security and the inner workings of the company.''

''It's the only reason that Hawsawi managed to get in without tripping an alarm. Someone must have given him the details.'' she added. ''So, I think we should go back about a year through all of the employment records and look for people who quit or got fired within that year. ''

JJ let her mind wander for a few seconds as she tried to figure out what their next step was going to be. Something had to be done, and sitting still like Collins suggested was the worst possible option. And then she knew, she was going to break protocol if she had to. ''I'll transfer all personnel files from Chemicaltech to the CIA so our analysts can go through them.'' she opted.

''That sounds like a plan to me.'' Owen said happily while jumping up from the chair and slowly making his way back to exit her office. He turned around one more time before he left JJ to herself. ''I'll do anything to make it up to you.''

She dropped back down in her chair, wondering if Owen would ever give up on them. She had. A long time ago because she couldn't keep crying over a man who had broken her heart. She had practically forced herself to move on from him and while on assignment in Russia it was easy to forget him because she was a different person, living another life. And now she was dating someone who she cared for more deeply than she was willing to admit, and she couldn't wait to see Hotch again. They had been calling and texting every day for the past week and she already missed him. She just couldn't wait to see his endearing dimples with her own eyes and to actually speak with him in person. She knew it all meant that she was falling for a guy she had only known for such a short time. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

JJ was spread out on her couch after dinner with the TV making the only noise in her apartment. She wasn't exactly watching TV, but it was the only thing she felt like doing, so she had turned it on. But as she lay on the couch she was only staring down at her phone. She hadn't heard anything from Hotch all day so she felt the need to text him but she didn't want to come across as needy.

But she still grabbed the phone from the coffee table and started typing away in complete happiness. She reread the text at least ten times before sending it.

JJ: Hi Aaron,

How are you? I was also wondering how your case is coming along. I can't wait to see you again.

Have a great night!

JJ

She sat straight up as the phone once again lay on the table. Her head was replaying the amazing kiss she had shared with him a week ago. It had been a tantalizing kiss and it wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. She had been living in pure bliss since it happened, except for the moments she had shared with Owen at work. Those weren't exactly what she looked forward to. But knowing someone else wanted to be with her had changed a lot. Since first meeting Hotch something changed. She felt a little happier and her life seemed lighter in a way, even though she couldn't explain it. There was still a lot they didn't know about one another, but she felt like it could only get better with time. But she also knew that with time came the secrets and lies she was forced to tell him. Not only for her, but for his safety. She knew she could never be honest with him, but that was a choice she made willingly when she went out with him. So she snapped from her thoughts and at the same time her phone was buzzing again.

She nearly jumped from the couch in utter happiness. She unlocked her screen and read the simple text with lots of excitement. The words caused her heart to beat faster as the blood rushed through her veins.

Aaron: Hey! It's really great to hear from you! We just got back about an hour ago and I'm still at the office to finish some reports but you can stop by if you want to. I can't wait to see you!

She quickly sent him a text back to let him know she would be there within the hour. But before she actually left her apartment, she once again dove into her closet to find something better to wear. Sweats and baggy tops weren't exactly the kinds of things you wore to an office. She quickly changed into some jeans with a top and a cardigan pulled over it. She didn't want to put too much effort in just a visit, so she left the apartment in her casual clothes. And all the way down from her apartment to her car, she couldn't stop picturing his face handsome face with those amazingly sweet dimples. She could get lost in his face and his eyes. But even though he looked sweet when he smiled he also carried something mysterious in his eyes. He was the kind of man JJ always pictured falling for while she younger. She had always loved tall dark and handsome men. That was just something she was instantly attracted to. But she also realized there was so much more to Hotch than just appearances. She had seen a softer side to him that touched her heart. He wasn't afraid to show emotion and to talk about painful memories. He had already opened up his heart to her, and when the time were to come, JJ hoped she could do the same thing for him. She just knew it was never going to be easy to give him all of her. She had never been the type to open up her heart. And the one time she did, it got broken. She had learned to live with walls around her, and it was going to take more than a few dates to make them crumble, if it were even possible. She just needed someone who cared enough to be patient and who was willing to give her some time. And she hoped that man was going to be Hotch. She didn't exactly know who else it could be since she wasn't at all interested in dating anyone else for that matter.

As she drove towards her destination, she was still completely lost in her thoughts. She stumbled upon her fears, her hopes and her goals for the future. But the one thing she tried to ignore was the slight possibility that the new man in her life would be a part of them. She had pulled herself away from that thought on multiple occasions and had forced herself to only look at the good instead of the bad. So she had focused on the road and ended up at Quantico sooner than she ever expected. She had parked her car and went through the visitor's entrance and within minutes the elevator had reached the sixth floor. The government building wasn't anything new to her, but she realized it was risky to walk those halls. She never knew if someone would recognize her as CIA, but the fact that she never worked with FBI calmed her nerves. So she slowly stepped from the elevator and walked towards the glass doors that revealed a large bullpen with desks in it. On every desks were stacks and files of reports and it was as if she walked into her own office at Langley. She opened the doors and saw three men talking with one another while the rest of the bullpen was empty. She walked towards them and stepped next to the desk of a slightly older man with sandy brown hair. She cleared her throat to get his attention and she waited for him to look up at her.

''Hi, I am Jennifer Allen. I'm here to see Aaron Hotchner.'' she explained simply with a smile on her face. The man rose from his chair and extended his hand politely.

''Hello, I am SSA Cooper.'' he said as he shook her hand with a small smile on his face. He immediately realized why his boss had been in such a chipper mood for the past week. ''It's such a pleasure to meet you. These are SSA's Fowler and Baker. We all work with Hotch.''

JJ shook all of their hands and then stepped back, surprised by the response from the three men. They were incredibly nice and she hadn't expected to be welcomed with open arms. The men she knew in Law Enforcement were the exact opposite, but she quickly realized that Hotch's team was a tight knit group. It seemed like they respected one another. ''You call him Hotch?''

Fowler leaned on the edge of his desk and couldn't help but smile widely, knowing that Hotch was going out with JJ. ''Yeah, we do. He had the name long before we ever met him.''

''Well, I am kind of curious how he got the name. I'll ask him and report back to you.'' she joked when they all suddenly went back to their desks and pretended to be working. So JJ looked up when a door opened and she watched Hotch stepping out of the office with a shocked look on his face as if he didn't expect to see her.