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

Special thanks to Casie01 and snuggleUP!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 44: Catching up

Two weeks later…

Two weeks passed as if it was only one day. Life went on and both JJ and Hotch were busy with work, and only saw each other in the morning and after they came home from work. But nonetheless all the moments they spent together were as great as the ones before. Their relationship was stronger than ever.

JJ had decided to provide the FBI with the information the CIA allowed her to give them. She told the truth, but let out the important details that her agency had found. It bothered JJ that she had to lie to another agency because she felt that the CIA and FBI should be working together, instead of competing against one another. But in the end it wasn't her choice. She worked for the CIA, and she wasn't going to turn her back on her own agency. Her loyalty would always be with SAD. So she had given the FBI limited information as their informant.

Besides her job at Chemicaltech and the CIA, she had been meeting up with Christian and his associates twice a week to form a plan of attack for when they found the weapon. JJ had no trouble to be Alexandra Harrison again. When she spent her time in Moscow with that identity it was easy to become another person to gain intell, and now that hadn't changed. If anything it had become that much easier because she had a real life to go home to every single day. But she knew that every moment spent with Hotch was a risk for both of their lives, yet she was willing to risk it all just to be with him. In the end, their relationship was more important to her than anything and she still planned on telling him who she was once their case was over, and just the thought was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. She knew he would feel betrayed, but if she knew him at all, she thought he was going to understand the dedication to her job. He was after all in the same boat as her when it came to a demanding job. Their jobs had differences, but loyalty and dedication was still the same thing.

Hotch was looking to his side, noticing that JJ's mind had wandered off again. It seemed to be happening to her a lot in the past weeks and he was growing concerned for her. She seemed happy, but he realized her job was putting a lot of pressure on her. And he knew it wasn't easy for her to work with the FBI without her colleagues knowing about it.

''JJ, are you alright?'' he asked sweetly as he stepped in front of her.

Her eyes were on the ground when she heard his voice. She immediately snapped from her thoughts and looked up at him with a wide smile. ''Yeah, I was just drifting off for a moment.'' she explained quickly. She wasn't exactly drifting off. She was thinking, and getting a little worried. Earlier in the morning she finally had the chance to retrieve the micro disc from SAD without anyone knowing about it, but she didn't feel too great about it. She hadn't told Collins or Owen about her working relationship with Garcia, and she wanted to keep it that way until she had actually found something. So after bringing the micro disc to Garcia, JJ's mind had been running all sorts of situation in which they could possibly find out that she taken evidence outside of Langley, which could possibly get her fired. So that's why she was a little shaken.

''Are you sure you want to do this tonight?'' Hotch asked for reassurance. ''We can do this some other time.''

JJ gave gently squeezed his hand. ''Aaron, you've wanted to do this since you became Unit Chief.'' JJ reminded him easily. ''Besides, I am dying to meet David Rossi after all the stories I've heard from you.''

He smiled back at her in response. Hotch hadn't seen Rossi since he left the BAU, but they had communicated through email. He was back in DC for the week and wanted to catch-up and check with Hotch how he was doing as Unit Chief. And of course Rossi had insisted that he had to bring along the girl that made him so extremely happy.

Hotch gazed back into JJ's eyes, still wondering how he got so lucky. She became more beautiful to him every day. He had been completely shocked when he first saw her after spilling his coffee all over her. It had been one of the best days of his life. ''You look stunning tonight.'' he complimented, and he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. ''You might be getting a few glances from Rossi though. He's quite the ladies man.'' he warned.

''Well, I'm used to it.'' JJ joked.

Hotch looked up at the entrance of the expensive restaurant and saw his old boss walking inside with a big smile on his face. As he walked towards them, he greeted every staff member of the restaurant, suggesting he was a regular. ''Speak of the devil.''

JJ turned around and watched the older man coming their way. She had heard of his books, but she knew more about him from Hotch's stories. According to him, Rossi was one of the best in his field.

''Dave!'' Hotch called to let him know where they were standing.

Rossi stopped in front of Hotch and the pretty blonde standing at his side. ''Hello, Aaron!'' he greeted as he shook his hand. ''This must be the girl who put a smile on your face before I left.''

''Dave, this is JJ. JJ, David Rossi.'' he introduced quickly and he watched as the two shook hands.

''It's such a pleasure to meet you, sir.'' she said happily, feeling impressed by the presence of the profiler.

''The pleasure is all mine.'' Rossi said. ''And please call me, Dave.''

A waiter walked up to them and interrupted the conversation before anyone could say another word. ''Sir, your table is ready.''

''Thank you, Scott.'' Rossi said as he turned to Hotch and JJ. ''Follow me.'' he walked through the restaurant, all the way to the back where he opened two doors, showing a private room where one table had been made.

''How did you pull this off?'' Hotch asked, smiling at the fact that Rossi had connections everywhere.

''I'm the owner.'' he admitted as they all sat down in the chairs. ''This restaurant has been in my family for decades.'' he went on as he looked at JJ and Hotch together. ''So how have you two been doing?''

Hotch looked to JJ and then back at Rossi. ''We've been great.'' he replied without even thinking about it.

''Even with the ex back in town?'' Rossi teased, not realizing that it might be a sore subject for JJ and Hotch.

''How did you know Haley was back in DC?'' Hotch asked in shock.

''She contacted me and told me herself that she was back in town and that you're both on speaking terms again.'' Rossi rambled on. ''I was surprised to be honest since you ended things badly.''

''Speaking terms?'' JJ interjected, not knowing anything about Hotch speaking to Haley again. ''You've been talking to her?'' she asked Hotch softly, trying not to make a scene in front of his former boss. She didn't want to create any drama, but she needed to know.

''Haley showed up at my office about a week ago to talk.'' Hotch began, but JJ was already rising from her chair and ready to walk away. ''JJ, wait!''

She whirled around in disappointment. It wasn't so much anger as disbelief that Hotch had hidden his conversation with Haley from her. ''What?'' she asked sadly.

''I'm sorry!''

''I know you are.'' JJ said and then turned her back to him again and walked out of the room, leaving the two men alone at the table. She hurried towards the entrance and got her coat and then quickly left the restaurant and took a cab to get away from everything. She wanted to be angry at him, but every time she wanted to yell at him she reminded herself that she was lying to him as well. But she was lying about her job, and he had been lying about his ex, which was a completely different story. He didn't have to hide the truth, but she did for the sake of the case she was on. She could almost feel herself crumbling down as she sat in the back of the cab. She was living in two different worlds and trying to keep them both at once. It was slowly becoming the impossible thing to do, and JJ didn't know how much longer she had the strength to keep going.

At SAD, Owen was sitting down across from Collins. They had their daily meeting to catch each other up on the assignment that had become SAD's top priority. Owen had always been Collins' right hand man and they trusted each other and relied on each other's opinions.

''Have you talked to JJ lately?'' Collins asked curiously since Owen hadn't brought her up once, which meant something was going on.

''No, I haven't spoken to her in two weeks.'' he replied with suspicion. ''Which we both know is very much unlike JJ because she was on top of this case since the start.''

''What did you do, Owen?'' Collins asked, knowing his two best agents had a complex relationship since JJ started working for them. They worked together well, but at one point they just stopped working together and he didn't know what happened to cause a rift between them, but he knew it had to be major for JJ to make a choice to work on her own. ''Please tell me that you know what she has been up to.''

''I have no idea, sir.'' Owen went on. ''JJ hasn't exactly been herself since I came back to DC to work on this case and with everything that's going on no one should blame her for it.'' he immediately defended. ''She's working with Ward, with the FBI and all the while she's trying to live a normal life and still help out this agency.''

''So you're telling me that JJ is just taking a break without reporting it to us?'' Collins asked angrily. He rose from his seat, realizing Owen hadn't been acting as JJ's handler but as her friend. ''She's up to something without your knowledge.''

''Maybe, but what do you want me to do, sir?'' he shot back. ''I can't exactly haul her in here and force her to tell us what's been going on in her life.''

Collins sat back down, trying to calm down. Just the thought that JJ was doing something behind their backs angered him. But he knew she had to have her reasons. He would always trust her, but a part of him couldn't help but be disappointed in her. She had gone against every rule a field officer of the CIA had to abide by. She had been in a serious relationship for months which could put everyone's lives in jeopardy, including her own. Not to mention that their current case had top priority. With all of that put together, he couldn't believe that JJ wasn't working on her own. ''She's probably working on something on her own as we speak. JJ wouldn't just drop this case for anything.'' he went on.

''Sir,'' Owen began carefully. ''There's something you should know.'' he went on. ''JJ is thinking of leaving the CIA after this case is over.''

Collins leaned back in his chair in disbelief. JJ loved her job. She wouldn't give it up for just anything. It was her life. He knew that, yet he felt like he barely knew who she had become. ''Track her down and bring her in!''