A/N: As always I am sorry for the long period between updates. Every single time I say life gets crazy, and unfortunately that's the truth. I am trying my best to update as quick as possible.

I hope you all like this!

Special thanks to jenny crum, guest, Jareau37, Christiangirl and guest!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 16: Being honest

JJ immediately disappeared into her own office, knowing there was no other way to leave the floor without hiding. So she just had to wait for Warren to leave again before she could get away. She sat down on the ground behind her desk, her knees high with her arms around them. It gave her a chance to really look at her office for the first time. The diplomas on the walls were really hers, only her name had been changed. But this was the first assignment in a long time that gave her a glimpse into her real life. Into who she really was. Jennifer Caitlin Jareau. It was the girl that had stopped to exist years ago. It wasn't easy for her to realize that, but she was so good at hiding her feelings that the pain and regrets only lasted a few minutes.

Her eyes snapped up at the door when she heard footsteps closing in on her office. She held her breath and was ready to come out with an excuse for being in the office. But when the door opened and she heard the voice, she felt relieved. She rose from the ground and ran towards Owen.

''Where's Warren?'' she asked quickly as she followed him out of the office. She walked back into the hallway and was surprised when Owen pushed her up against the wall in a hurry and pressed his body against hers. His lips descended upon hers and she tried to fight it, but when she heard the doors to the wing open, she realized he had seen Warren walking in and was just kissing her as a distraction. So she responded to his kiss, hoping it was ending any second. Kissing him was no longer the same. She didn't feel the sparks that she used to. If anything it just sickened her.

Warren walked into the hallway and was baffled to see two of his employees in a passionate make-out session. He froze and felt a surge of jealousy when he recognized one of them as JJ. He cleared his throat and he watched the two break apart. ''Getting busy, Allen?'' he asked slightly angry.

JJ stepped back with a blush on her face because she didn't want her reputation to be ruined. She wanted to keep a low profile in the office, but those hopes had just been completely shattered. ''I didn't mean for this to happen, sir.'' she said as she walked away from Owen and towards her boss of four months. ''It won't happen again.'' JJ said as she walked past him in a hurry, trying to make sense of her feelings. She felt disgusted by what had happened. Mostly because Hotch had no idea what was going on, and she didn't want to cheat on him. So she stormed to the elevators and waited for it to open. Once it did, she stepped inside but was quickly confronted with a smirking Owen who joined her.

''Here, you can have this back.'' she said as she threw the password generator to him. ''It's your problem to get it back to Warren. I'm not going to take the fall for this.'' she croaked out as her eyes started to water. She felt all of her hate and pain for Owen surface and she couldn't hold it in. Ever since they broke up, she had kept it all inside and now it was just too much to handle.

''What happened to you?'' he asked with concern in his voice. He took a step towards JJ, but she held up her hand to keep him at a distance.

''Owen, no! You don't get to do this.'' she said in tears. ''You have got to stop acting as if your actions don't have consequences.''

''JJ, I didn't mean for you to….'' he tried to say but she interrupted him before he could say another word.

''Owen, listen to me!'' she stated simply as the tears finally vanished when she had found the power she needed. ''We are over! I don't love you and I am moving on from you. So you can keep hoping for me to come back to you, but it'll never happen again.'' she went on. ''You betrayed me in ways that made me look at you differently, and all I see right now is a colleague I am forced to work with. Nothing more!'' she ended as the doors to the elevators opened at the same time. She walked out quickly and felt a weight leaving her heart as she exited the building. And as she stepped into the fresh air, looking up at the clear sky, there was only one thing she really wanted. And that was Hotch. So she made her way to her car and sped off, knowing exactly where she was going.

About half an hour later, she was standing in front of the apartment where she had been once before. The butterflies were already coiling in the pit of her stomach. The feelings she was experiencing were completely new to her, and not like anything she ever felt before. With Owen it had been attraction and lots of sexual tension, but with Hotch it was so much more than just that. He was sweet and caring, and he listened to her. He was one in a million and JJ hoped she would have a lot more time to get to know him and to make best of the limited time she knew she'd have. Even after two weeks it was already getting hard to think of walking away when her job in DC would end, but she quickly forced those thoughts away and let her hand collide with the door.

''I am coming.'' Hotch called out happily as he rose from his leather couch to let in his visitor. He nearly ran towards the door because he was so excited to spend more time with the blonde. He opened the door in one fluid motion and returned her smile with one of his own, showing his dimples. ''I'm so happy you came.''

''I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.'' JJ said as she walked inside the apartment. ''Aaron, I have to tell you something.'' she announced before he had a chance to kiss her.

The look on her face caused him to step back, and he could see she had something important to tell him. Her face filled with a pain he hadn't seen in her before. So he sat down on the couch and waited for her to join him. Once she did, she sat close to him, their legs touching ever so gently. ''What is it?''

She put her hands on his knee, hoping to find the right words. She wanted him to know what was bothering her. He deserved to know if they were going to continue their relationship, or whatever it was. ''Do you remember when I told you about my last relationship?''

''Yeah, I do.'' he replied. ''The bastard who cheated on you.''

JJ nodded in response, giving him a small but sad smile. ''His name is Owen and he's back in my life. He works at Chemicaltech now.'' she explained, not seeing a chance in the man next to her. It both surprised and unsettled her a bit. ''I'm telling you this because I want to be honest with you, and to let you know that it is over. I don't have feelings for him and I'm definitely not interested in even working with him, but I can't change the fact that I'll see him every day.'' she went on as Hotch stayed silent. ''I am in this, Aaron. I'm ready for us or whatever we may be.''

He felt his heart pound in his chest at her last words, making him feel bittersweet. It had been such a long time since he had been so happy with anyone. ''I trust you, JJ.'' he stated simply. ''And I would love to think that we could have something real, even though we've only known each other for about a week.''

''I like the sound of that.'' she whispered as she crawled against his side. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulder and pulling her close so her head was resting on his chest.

''Do you want to talk about him?'' Hotch asked carefully, knowing that her past relationship still seemed to be bothering her. ''I am here for you, JJ. For anything.''

She pulled away and faced him fully to make eye contact, and his eyes made her heart skip a beat. They were filled with compassion and understanding. He made her feel safe and comfortable. It was so something special that she wanted to hold onto it for dear life. She wanted to talk him but at the same time she had to be careful with the details. She could never tell him the whole truth, even though she desperately wanted to.

Before she even started Hotch could see the tears in her eyes. It made him realize he had underestimated JJ's relationship before. He lifted his hand and wiped away a few tears but when more fell down her cheek he pulled away. His hands were on hers and he squeezed them gently, letting her know he was there. ''It's okay.'' he whispered.

She shook her head, trying to keep herself together. She wasn't the type of person to cry but everything just seemed to be coming out, and she couldn't hold her feelings back. ''He was the first guy I ever really loved, and my life fell apart when I found out.'' she said sadly, remembering a few moments she had spent with Owen. Their relationship had been filled with passion, and on her part also love, but for Owen that didn't seem to be the case. ''I told him I loved him and the next day I found him in bed with another woman.'' she croaked out. ''It was as if my entire world stopped and I was determined to not be emotional about it. For months I hid my feelings, but I was very unhappy. I kept questioning what I did wrong and what mistakes I made.''

''Oh JJ, you didn't do anything wrong.'' Hotch reassured. ''You can't blame yourself for his actions.'' he went on. ''You deserve so much better than him. And I promise I'm going to treat you right if you let me.''

She nodded and moved onto her knees, putting each of them on the outside of his legs so she ended up straddling his lap. She leaned forward, her arms around his neck and her hands in his hair. ''Thank you.'' she whispered against his lips before she brushed her against his.

Hotch put his hands on her hips and held her in place as he responded to her kiss deeply. He sat straight up and let himself get lost in the kiss once again. Their kisses were amazing and he wondered if he'd ever be able to live without them.