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

Special thanks to BAUMember, Christiangirl, jenny crum and snuggleUP!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 35: Anniversary

After coming home from Langley, JJ had been wracking her brain to try and figure out how to keep pursuing her relationship with Hotch while she was about to make contact with Ward again. She knew Owen or Collins would suggest to cut her losses, and let Hotch go. But it wasn't that easy for her anymore. She couldn't let him go. She was so in love with him that the thought made her feel sick.

So she could only take extra precautions when she spent time with him and when she went to their apartment. It was all she could do to stay with him. And the agent in her knew it was possible. She could easily live on the down low. She just needed to know if Hotch was as committed to their relationship as she was. If not she had an easy choice to make, and with him still in Seattle she didn't know what the future held for them.

It was almost time for dinner and she hadn't heard anything, which only intensified her fear of losing him to his ex. He barely spoke about Haley, but when he did JJ knew he had loved her deeply and that their break-up occurred because of the loss of their child. That was a past, she'd never be able to compete with, and not to mention that they had a relationship for almost nineteen years. That was incredibly hard to beat. So JJ had resigned to the fact that she could only wait to hear from him.

At that same time, Hotch was pulling up in front of the building. He had the longest day and only wanted to be with JJ. It was all he really thought about during his flight back to DC. But it hadn't helped that his flight had been delayed, and he had no idea if he'd still be able to pull something off for their anniversary. He knew JJ loved simple things, so he came up with something he knew she'd love. It was something she had shared about her past once, and he hadn't forgotten about it.

He took the keys from his pocket and opened the door to the apartment, being faced with JJ stretched out on the couch. She immediately looked up and sat straight up, giving him the biggest smile he swore he had ever seen before. ''Hey you!'' he said happily, dropping everything to the couch and walking towards her.

JJ jumped up from the couch and made her way towards him, literally flying into his arms when they had closed the distance. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. ''I was getting worried when you didn't call me.'' she expressed. ''It's so good to have you home.''

He leaned in and kissed her deeply, their lips connecting gently and fiercely at once. It was as if they were making up for lost time, even though it had only been one day. He had missed her terribly and holding her in his arms was all he wanted to do. He put her back down on the ground as his hands rested on her waist. ''Happy anniversary!''

''Yeah, you too. I really can't believe it has only been three months. It feels like I've known you for years.'' she sighed out in happiness. Her face was glowing since the moment he walked in and as always her worries and troubles about her job had disappeared. He simply seemed to have that effect on her. ''So, how did it go?''

Hotch sat down on the couch and carefully pulled JJ down next to him. He turned to her, ready for JJ to explode. He took her hands in his and prepared himself to tell her everything. ''Haley tried to kiss me.'' he admitted simply, seeing that she didn't respond at all. Her face seemed to be completely blank and it caused questions to arise for him. How could JJ not be jealous? Why wasn't she yelling? He didn't know what to think of her cool and collected demeanor. ''I stopped it from happening and immediately left.''

JJ broke out in a smile, knowing it wasn't even funny or something to laugh about. ''You're such a good guy. Too good if you'd tell me.'' she smiled out.

''What?'' he stumbled. ''You're not angry?''

''Aaron, how could I be?'' JJ asked. ''You stopped her from kissing you. You did absolutely nothing wrong. You dropped everything to support a friend in her time of need. If anything I feel even more blessed to have you in my life.'' she went on. He almost seemed to be too good to be true. He was everything she ever imagined to find. He was her dream man and he was sitting right in front of her, next to her even, holding her hand. ''I don't think I'll ever be able to love you more.''

''Yeah, I know.'' he whispered against her lips. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then pulled away from her, standing up from the couch. ''I have something to show you.''

She followed him to the door as he pulled her with him. ''Where are we going?''

''I'm not going to tell because that would ruin the surprise.'' he teased. ''Trust me, you're going to love this.''

''I thought we weren't going to do anything special for our anniversary. We were going to stay home!'' she reminded him, but he didn't listen and kept walking out of the building so she just followed him. They stepped into his car, and JJ couldn't help but look at him with a smile on her face. But as she sat in the car, her worries took over her senses. She started looking behind them to check if no one was following them. Knowing that Christian was in town and maybe on her trail wasn't exactly good for her relationship with Hotch. If anything it was the one thing that could easily destroy it.

But she forced herself to focus on the man beside her. ''Do you want to talk about it?'' she asked when she noticed he seemed to be bothered by something. He had been quiet for most of the drive, and he had a stern look on his face.

''I'm just disappointed in Haley.'' he confessed as he glanced at JJ, only seeing a look of compassion and love. ''I'm really sad about her mother dying, but she trying to kiss me and seduce me was something I never expected.'' he went on. ''I don't know. It's bothering me a lot, so sorry if I'm a little off.''

JJ sat back, not knowing what to do to help him. She probably couldn't help him at all. She never knew what to say or do when he talked about his ex. It wasn't something JJ felt comfortable with. ''I think you need to ask yourself why you're so bothered by it.'' she said simply, knowing she came across annoyed.

Hotch pulled up the car when he arrived at the destination. He pulled the keys from the ignition and turned to JJ. ''I'm bothered by it because I don't want Haley to affect our relationship, and I don't want her to get in my head.'' he explained. ''I'm bothered by it because she just assumed I was waiting around for her, but in reality I've never been as happy as I am when I am with you, JJ.''

''Okay, I get it.'' she said as she cupped his face. She leaned forward and kissed him, showing him exactly how she felt. She let her arms wander across his chest while he pulled her up in his lap. She broke away from the kiss and sat back on his lap. ''We can't do this here.'' she whispered.

''Hmm, I know. Unfortunately.'' he groaned out. He opened his door and let JJ out first and then he jumped out behind her, throwing the door shut behind him.

''So where are we going?''

''Just wait and see.'' he teased. He took her hand as they walked down the street together. He walked right by her side as they stayed silent, just enjoying each other's company. They turned the corner and that's when he heard JJ gasp and letting go of his hand.

JJ stepped back and covered her mouth with her hands. ''You did this? For me?'' she asked in near tears. The scene was amazing. It reminded her of their second date, which was when they had their very first kiss and she had realized how real he was, and how real they could be together. But the scene in front of her topped it all. This was more personal for her, something she loved. ''Aaron, this is amazing!''

''You told me how much you loved soccer, so I wanted to do this for you.'' he said as they stepped onto the soccer field together. In the middle was a blanket with a picnic basket on it and the field was filled with candles. He had been able to pull it off with the help of his colleagues. ''Happy anniversary, babe!'' he said as he wrapped her up in his arms. He kissed her head and held onto her tightly.

JJ looked over his shoulder and onto the soccer field, feeling the memories come rushing back to her. They hit her like a truck, and then suddenly the tears were falling down her face and she was pulling away from Hotch. She faced away from him and started to wipe the tears away but he turned her around and saw that she was crying.

''JJ, what is it?''

She smiled at him through the tears. ''Soccer reminds me of my past. Both good and bad memories.'' she said as she walked onto the field with Hotch following her on foot.

''Why did you play?'' he asked curiously, wondering why it had such an impact on her life. He wanted to know everything about her and this seemed to be just another tiny piece.

''When I was younger it was for fun. And my sister taught me at a young age, so I just loved it.'' she explained, her voice soft and tender. ''And when I got older, playing soccer was the only way I was getting to college. It was the only way out.''

Out of what? Hotch immediately asked himself, but he decided not to get into it. ''You never told me you had a sister.''

She turned around and faced him. ''Yeah, it's just another part of my past I don't like to talk about a lot.'' she continued on. ''But like I said, my family died a long time ago. And my sister is a sore subject for me.''

''Why?'' he asked carefully.

''She committed suicide when I was still very young.'' JJ croaked out, feeling both relieved and anxious about the fact that she told Hotch such a personal detail from her life. But she mostly felt relieved that she was comfortable enough to share it with him.

''Oh god JJ, I am so sorry. That must have been horrible.''

''It was. My sister and I were always very close, so it took a hit on my family and I was never the same after it happened.'' she went on, ready to be open and honest with him about her sister and the circumstances. Lying to him was getting harder and harder. It felt like a betrayal to him, and to their relationship so she was always as honest as she could be. As honest as she allowed herself to be because deep down she was still CIA. She would always be CIA first. Sometimes she thought it was in her blood because of the deep commitment she felt to her job. ''It was very hard on my family.''

''Of course. I think the greatest loss, is the loss of a child.'' he spoke from experience. His daughter had been stillborn and it felt like someone had ripped out his heart. He still hadn't dealt with the loss. He never spoke of it and tried to push the memories away when he was reminded of it.

''You never talk about her.'' JJ croaked out hesitantly, seeing the emotion on his face as the words fell from her lips. ''I understand that it hurts to speak about it, let alone think about it. I know because I've been there, Aaron.'' she went on. ''But don't push me away right now, okay? I am here for you.''

He looked up at her as his heart sped up in his chest. She was being there for him. Just like he knew she would. ''It has just been a couple of rough years, and my life has been looking up since I met you.'' he explained. ''I finally feel like my life is going in the right direction again.''

''Let's go have that picnic and have a fun night.'' she suggested with tears in her eyes. She took his hand and pulled him with her. She could feel the intensity of their relationship, the understanding they had. It all seemed to be too perfect to be reality.