"Are you certain that you want to do this, cher?" Will asked, wincing a little as he hugged JJ close. She nodded and took a deep breath, grounding herself in the fact that he was alive and there and wanting to marry her.

"Yes. I'm more certain of this today than I ever was, and I know that this is the right thing to do. We've been through too much together to even think about spending any more time apart. I love you."

Closing the distance between them once more, she kissed him with all the passion that was in her heart, and she felt him relax a little before wrapping his good arm around her and holding her in place. From somewhere behind them, she could hear Rossi's voice muttering to someone, and she wondered what that was about.

"Do you think that he's talking to Strauss?" he asked, and JJ shrugged a little. "I mean, it was obvious that the two of them are a couple, just by the looks that they exchanged before everything went to Hell."

She nodded as she collapsed onto the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly. She had almost lost him, and suddenly it threw into focus that no matter how much she might love Hotch, she needed to be with Will, to give Henry a stable home to live in, just in case anything happened to either of them. "They chose to follow their bliss, and why shouldn't we follow their example?" JJ whispered before leaning in and kissing him.

"You are exactly right," he replied.

Someone knocked on the door, and they both looked to see Rossi standing there, a bemused grin on his face. "Erin said that she'll run you and Henry home, JJ. I know that you might want to stay here with Will, but I think that Henry would probably feel better with you."

JJ nodded and sighed, knowing that the older man was right. "I suppose that would probably be for the best. Will you look after him while I'm away?"

"I'm not a baby, Jen. I can spend the night alone."

"I know, I just, I worry about you. Especially now, after all that's happened today." She could tell that Will was a little frustrated with her, and she knew that she was hovering, but she wanted to hover, wanted to make certain that he was going to be there in the morning, that she wasn't dreaming about his survival.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me. You haven't failed me."

His words struck a chord deep in her heart, and she nodded slowly before slipping out the door and seeing Erin standing there, a look of concern on her face. Wordlessly, she made her way to the woman's side and let her close her arm around her waist, holding her close as she led her from the hospital. "Is everything okay?" she whispered as they made their way over to her car.

"I think that it will be. I said yes to Will, we're getting married."

Erin smiled at her as she nodded, helping her into the vehicle. "That's wonderful news to hear. But that still does not explain the look that was on your face when you left his room."

Trust the woman to poke and prod until she got the answers she was looking for, and JJ shifted around in the seat as she tried to find the words to describe what she was feeling. Thankfully, before she had to answer Erin, her phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket to answer. "Hey, Garcia."

"Gumdrop, who is running you home from the hospital? I know that you probably don't want Henry there all night, and well, I wouldn't mind spending the night at your place, looking after the two of you until Will's released tomorrow."

"I have a ride, actually, but thanks for the offer. Tell me some good news?"

"Oh, gumdrop, I actually have a lot of that! So, Hotch got a call from Rossi, and whatever he said made him happier than a clam in the ocean! And then, he talked to all of us, and Strauss was actually wearing a smile when he talked to her! I know, how weird to see her as human, but it was really nice. She's so pretty when she smiles, it's no wonder she caught Rossi's eye."

"How did you know that?" she asked, glancing over at Erin and seeing that the woman was still smiling as she shook her head.

"Because when Reid and I went to the convention, we saw them both leaving. And I never noticed this before, but Strauss has amazing legs! Plus, she totally had 'I've just been fucked well and long' hair, and totally looked adorable. If that makes sense. I didn't even know that she was divorced, let alone moving on with someone in the BAU."

JJ let out a little laugh, and it felt so good to have that release after everything she had just been through. "We'll probably have to keep that under wraps, since I think the frat rules still stand, even for Section Chiefs."

Erin's cheeks began to blaze a bright red, and JJ knew that she had to let the woman know that everything would be all right. "Oh, Jayje, if anyone ever tried to mess with them? I would cut them down to size in a heartbeat. Rossi's like a dad to me, to all of us, really, and if he's bringing home a new mom, we have to do what we can to make certain she's welcome. And I will tell her that if she asks."

"That's good to know, Garcia. But I should let you go now so that I can give directions to my driver. I'll see you soon!"

"Count on that!" Garcia replied before she hung up.

JJ slipped her phone back in her pocket and waited for Erin's next question. "Do they all know?"

"I think so. You and Rossi weren't exactly discreet today, especially in those jeans you were wearing. But like Garcia just told me, we won't let anything slip. You and Rossi deserve a bit of happiness in this life, and who am I to take that from you?"

Erin slipped her hand off the steering wheel and clasped JJ's hand gently before letting out a deep breath. "That really does mean the world to me, Jennifer. And I'm glad that we're alone so that I can do this properly. I don't know if you know, but I just recently completed a four month stint in rehab. After what happened to you in Afghanistan, my problem just spiraled out of control until I was drinking on the job, and very nearly ruined that case at the military school."

"Erin…"

"No, I have to get through this. I'm sorry for endangering your life, Jennifer. I should have seen that I had a problem long before it became a work issue. Please, forgive me, and allow me to make amends for my failing."

There was raw honesty in Erin's voice made her heart hurt, and she sighed deeply before reaching out to wrap her fingers around Erin's arm. "We've both had our failures, Erin. God knows that I've tried to leave mine in the past, but they make up a large part of who I am. And sometimes an apology doesn't seem like enough, but it's the only way that we can move forward. I promise that I won't hold this against you."

"Thank you, Jennifer. I only hope that this means we can start anew from here."

"Of course," she murmured in reply, squeezing Erin's arm before starting to give her directions to their place, knowing that the future looked rosy from here on out.