JJ smiled as she watched Reid run the bases, having made the last minute, winning, hit. The rapturous smile on his face filled her heart with warmth, and she leaned over to gently knock shoulders with Penelope before standing and cheering alongside Alex. They had made some progress towards getting on friendlier terms, and for that she was grateful, as the woman seemed nice enough.

Glancing over at Hotch, she saw that though he was also cheering Spence on, there was a slightly troubled look on his face. Knowing that couldn't mean anything good, she closed the distance between them and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "So, care to tell me what's on your mind?" she asked lowly, trying to give him a winning smile.

"There's been a weird development in Texas. You remember that case, right? Where the convict was sewing up his victim's mouths?"

She nodded, thinking about how awful that case had been, and how shocked Alex had seemed that the unsub would commit suicide in front of them. "Yeah, but we closed that case with his death. Why would there be a development in it?" she asked.

Hotch glanced down at her before looking back over the field. "We have a copycat on our hands. Every detail was replicated, down to the specific type of thread that was used."

She frowned and shivered a little, despite the relative warmth of the November day. "That really is weird," she murmured, her mind automatically trying to figure out what could possibly be going on. There wasn't really any way that someone could faithfully reproduce every detail in the case, since there was always something that they left out, some detail that the unsub could hang themselves on when the time came for a trial.

"I don't want to tell the team here, since this afternoon should be about Reid and celebrating the fact that he's finally getting out of his shell and trying different things. This can wait until tomorrow."

JJ nodded, even though she did not feel the same way at all. This felt like something more, and she wished that she could see the file that Hotch had seen. There wasn't any possible way that her eyes could change a single fact, but seeing for herself might help her nerves. "I suppose, Hotch. Are you going to be able to get it off your mind tonight?"

He chuckled a little, but there was no mirth in the sound at all. "No, there is no way that I'm going to be able to get my mind off of this. You know me too well."

"I would rather think that I should know you well, Hotch. I mean…"

Her voice trailed off as she thought about that one night of passion that they had shared, and she gazed up at him, wondering if he was thinking about that night, too. From the way his face softened, she knew that he was, and JJ found herself welcoming his hand on her shoulder. She didn't mean to lean into the touch, since she knew that everyone would read too much into it, but the inclination to do so was so instinctive, so right, that she let nature take over.

"Hey, we're all heading over to Rocky's for a few drinks before we head home. Does that sound good to you?" Morgan asked, and JJ smiled and nodded. "Great. Hotch?"

"I should probably get home to Jack and Jessica. Thanks for the offer though." He gave them a small nod, though he never took his eyes off JJ. In his gaze, she could see that he was more concerned about the others seeing the connection between them. She sighed a little before nodding and turning to face Morgan.

"Well, let's get going," she said, a bit too brightly, and he nodded before heading over to join the rest of the team. The others were congratulating Reid, and she was surprised to see Alex hug him tightly, almost motherly in her affection. From the limited contact she had had with the woman, she had found her a bit cold and standoffish. This side was hard to reconcile with her previous behavior, and JJ frowned a little.

"I just knew that you could do it, Spencer!" The kind words were wonderful to hear dropping from Alex's lips, and she slipped over to Penelope's side, exchanging looks with her.

"This is entirely unexpected, PG."

"I know! I hope she's like this more often, since it's really nice to see a softer side to her. Especially since we got off on the wrong foot." Penelope gave her a wide smile before slinging her arm around her waist, holding her close. "All right, spill, gumdrop. What is making you look so sad and serious these days?"

JJ shrugged a little as they began to walk over to Penelope's car. And for once, she was grateful that she had hitched a ride with the woman, as it would allow them to talk privately as they drove over to the bar. "Hotch told me about something that happened down in Texas, and it has latched onto my brain, refusing to let go."

Penelope shook her head as she sat behind the wheel. "That is such a copout, hon. There is more to the story than just something hinky that Hotch said. Come on, you know that you can trust me!"

"I know that I can trust you, PG. It's just not something that I get myself," she replied as she buckled her belt.

"Well, perhaps if you used me as a sounding board, you'd be able to figure things out a little more."

"There is that." JJ took a deep breath, watching the scenery pass by out the window and trying to sort out her thoughts before she spoke once more. "I just feel like a failure at times, PG. I mean, I couldn't even keep Will safe during the bank robbery, and I put Henry in danger, too. You're supposed to protect your family, right?"

Penelope let out a tiny sound of disappointment, and their eyes met for a quick moment. "Oh, JJ, you did not fail them. At all. You did everything that you could to make an unthinkable situation better. We did everything that we could to protect you, you know."

"I do. I, I…" She wanted to tell Penelope about the miscarriage, but that was all tied up in her mission overseas, and she knew that she couldn't talk about that yet. There was still the need for secrecy, and so she clamped her lips together as she shook her head.

"One of these days, you're going to be able to confide in me, Jayje, and I will hold your secrets close to me heart."

Penelope's gentle words galled her, and JJ found herself railing against the inherent unfairness of her situation. She knew that only Erin would understand, so she made a mental note to stop in and see the woman before she left for the day. "I know that, PG. There are just some things that I can't talk about at the moment. Maybe someday, I can confide in you. Until then, just be my friend?"

"As if you ever needed to ask me that. I love you, Jayje, and that is never going to change!" She reached across the car and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly and not letting go as they continued on their way.