Not Ready

[matilda3948]

The first part of my story-swap with the wonderful and talented Evergreen. There's lots of dialogue and story setup in this first section but be patient, sweet readers--it will get sneezier

“Let me take a look at it,” Hotch said, tilting JJ’s head back to inspect the black eye she’d incurred while apprehending their unsub. Their suspect had run out the back door of his house when the agents came to serve a search warrant; Morgan and JJ had been covering the back and began to chase the man down the street. JJ caught up to him first and spun him around by the arm, but the unsub backhanded her across the side of her face. Morgan was just a few steps behind and tackled the man to the ground and cuffed him just as the rest of the team caught up with them. Reid was at JJ’s side in a heartbeat.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice streaked with panic.

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” she said and accepted his outstretched hand. As soon as she was on her feet, a wave of dizziness hit her. “Whoa,” she whispered. Reid wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her sit down on the curb. The younger man glanced up at Hotch and was relieved to see the team leader finishing his call for paramedics to be sent to the scene.

“Is your vision blurry? Headache? Any nausea?” Spencer rattled off questions faster than she could answer them.

“Spence, I’m fine. Just need a minute to find my bearings.

“What about—”

“Reid,” Hotch cut him off. “Help Rossi and Prentiss secure the house until local PD get there.”

“But…” his objection died on his lips as soon as he saw the look on his boss’ face. “No problem,” Reid said, giving one last glance at his blonde friend. After Reid had made his way back towards the unsub’s house, Hotch sat down on the curb next to JJ. She was leaning forward with her head in her hands.

“Thank you,” she said without raising her head. “He means well but…thank you,”

“You’re welcome. Let me take a look at it.” He tilted her head and looked at the angry red welt that would most definitely evolve into a nasty black eye in the next few hours. He lightly pressed his thumb along her orbital socket checking for any breaks in the bone. He heard the ambulance sirens drawing close. “Assuming you don’t have any signs of a concussion, I think they’ll clear you but I’d like the medics to look you over anyway.”

“Okay,” she sighed and let her head rest in her hands again. A few minutes later and she was sitting in the back of an ambulance answering a series of questions. Hotch stood nearby but didn’t hover. He waited until one of the medics waved him over.

“She doesn’t need to go to the hospital but someone should monitor her for the next 24 hours just to make sure she doesn’t start exhibiting symptoms of concussion. It’s not likely but do the standard cognitive check every four hours,” the medic explained. Hotch nodded and thanked the paramedics before helping JJ down from the back of the ambulance. They slowly walked back towards the house where the SUV’s were parked. He glanced to his right and frowned as he watched her—her eyes staring straight ahead but oddly unfocused.

“JJ?”

“Yeah?” He paused. Hotch wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed. He didn’t want to upset her but he was pretty sure his theory was correct.

“Is Will going to be home to keep an eye on you?” he asked.

“No.” Her voice was flat. Hotch sighed—he’d hoped he was wrong.

“I’m going to sleep on your couch so I can do your concussion checks.”

“You don’t need to Hotch.”

“Someone needs to.”

“What about Jack?” she asked.

“We won’t get back to DC until after 9:00pm tonight. He stays at Jessica’s if we’re getting back after his bedtime. Do you need to pick up Henry tonight?”

“No. He’s with Will this weekend.” Hotch nodded. They turned the corner and Hotch’s cell phone rang. Rossi informed them that one SUV was waiting for them and the rest of the team was headed to the airport.

“We’re going to meet the team at the airport; local PD can finish things up here.” She nodded and they finished their walk in silence. He opened the passenger door for her and then walked around to the driver’s side, started the car, and pulled away from the curb. As they neared the airport, JJ turned her head towards the window and sneezed a soft, feminine Hehhschew! into her hands. “Bless you,” Hotch said.

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me to ask Prentiss or Morgan to stay with you tonight instead of me?”

“Hotch, I’ll be fine,” she said.

“JJ, staying by yourself isn’t an option. I don’t mind staying with you or I can ask someone else on the team to do it, but you’re not staying alone with these injuries.” She was silent for a moment.

“Would you stay?” she asked. “I don’t want them…I don’t want to explain…”

“They don’t know yet,” he finished for her. She nodded.

“I’m not ready.”

“I understand,” he said quietly. He pulled into the airstrip and they both got out of the car. Hotch stayed a couple steps behind her as they walked towards the jet. His characteristic frown deepening when she sneezed again. Ehhkschew! He didn’t say a word but followed her up the ramp and onto the jet. He observed as she reassured her teammates she was fine before settling into a chair at the back end of the jet. She leaned against the window and slowly rubbed her temples and forehead. Once they reached cruising altitude, Hotch moved to the seat across from her. “Can I get you something?” he asked.

“There’s some asprin in the front pocket of my bag. Could you grab a couple for me?” He nodded and went to the front of the plane where their go-bags were stored. He unzipped the flap on her duffel bag and looked inside. The bottle of asprin was right where she said it would be; next to it was a bottle of echinacea and zinc lozenges. He got what needed, grabbed a bottle of water and sat back down across from her. He unscrewed the cap on the water and handed it to her first. She nodded her thanks and held out her hand for the pills. He dropped two asprin and two of the herbal pills into her waiting palm. She took all four at once with a large gulp of water and winced slightly. He put one of the throat lozenges on the table in front of her. “Thank you,” she said as she unwrapped it and slipped it in her mouth. He wanted to ask her questions. How long had she been fighting a cold? Did she have a fever? Did she want to see a doctor when they got back to DC? He kept his questions to himself though. For now at least. Since he was looking after her tonight anyway he’d wait until they were back at her house. The team was hovering enough as it was because of her injury. He didn’t want their suspicions raised about her health or about Will.

“Get some rest,” he said. “It’s a two hour flight back to DC.” She nodded and leaned more of her body weight against the window. Hotch stood up just as she brought both hands up over her nose and mouth and covered a quiet EhhShhh!! He didn’t say anything but let his hand brush against her arm as he left her to sleep.

TBC...

[Evergreen]

apparently, i have the best timing ever. i just got back on here before going to sleep and this little gem was waiting for me. hooray! aw, poor JJ, but hotch will make it better! i can't wait for more!

[NoV]

Unfamiliar with the characters I'm afraid, but that was very sweet! Look forwards to reading more soon...

[jezebel215]

so so so so so good!!! I can't wait for more.

(amusingly, I typed "me" instead of "more" ... freudian typo?)

[matilda3948]

Thanks all! Glad you like!!

He didn’t say anything but let his hand brush against her arm as he left her to sleep.

She woke up to a sharp pain on the right side of her face. She leaned upright in her chair and sighed as she remembered that burgeoning black eye and sinus pressure from the cold she’d been fighting off for the last three days. She gingerly pressed her fingers to her forehead and the area under her eye—she could tell her eye was swollen. She glanced around the plane: Rossi was reading a book. Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan were involved in a high-stakes game of cards using pretzels and M&Ms as poker chips. And Hotch was…where was Hotch? She glanced behind her and saw him in the jet’s small kitchenette. As if he could feel her eyes on him, Hotch turned around and caught her eye. Even from fifteen feet away his stare was intense—JJ had to work hard not to look away and sink back down into her seat as she watched his eyes darken as he took in her battered face. Hotch left the kitchen and took a seat across from his blonde colleague. He put a mug of hot tea on the table in front of her and then took a sip from his own. Once again, he frowned and ran his eyes over her face.

“So just how bad do I look?” she asked.

“Worse than I’d like,” he said immediately. “I’m sorry you got hurt today.”

“It’s part of the job, Hotch. I’m alright.” He didn’t say anything. Of course he knew getting hurt was an occupational hazard. He also knew that his two female agents were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Logically, it shouldn’t affect him more when the injured agent was JJ or Emily…but it did. Try as he might to be an enlightened, 21^st century man, he didn’t like his women getting hurt. He was fiercely protective of his entire team but, when he was being completely honest with himself, he didn’t get the same deep-seated guilt or worry when one of his male colleagues got a black eye. His musings were cut short when JJ sneezed—a soft Hehhcheew! into her cupped hands.

“Bless you,” he said and reached into his jacket to get his handkerchief. He handed it to her and she used it to smother another sneeze. Ehhmpshh!! She quickly glanced at her friends to see if they had noticed but no one seemed to. When she turned her attention back to her boss she blushed slightly at the look of concern on his face. “You okay?” he asked. She nodded.

“Just fighting a cold. But, uh, could I hold onto this?” she asked nodding towards the handkerchief still resting in her hands.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

“After we land, can I pick anything up on my way to your house?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine.” He raised an eyebrow in question. JJ chewed the corner of her lip. “Um, there’s not much to eat or drink in the house. I haven’t had much of a chance to…”

“What sounds good to you?” he asked. Hehhnschh! She sneezed into the handkerchief. “Bless you.”

“Thank you. Honestly, I’m not that hungry so whatever you want for dinner is fine.”

“Okay. Do you have Advil and cold medicine?” She looked out the window and sighed.

“I don’t really know,” she mumbled.

“I’ll pick some things up just in case,” he said. JJ pressed her lips together and then took a deep breath.

“Listen, Hotch…things at my house are…I let things get a little out of control. It’s just…” her voice trailed off as if she couldn’t figure out how to explain.

“JJ, it’s okay,” he said. “You’ve had a difficult time recently.” He watched her take a deep breath and wipe away a stray tear. She simply nodded. “You can’t hold it all together all the time,” Hotch said.

“I know. I just don’t want you to be surprised when you…Hehhmpshh! when you see the house.”

“Bless you. Stop worrying,” he said. She looked unsure but nodded. The plane began its descent and they finished the remainder of the flight in silence, punctuated only by JJ’s occasional quiet sniffling. As soon as the jet landed, Hotch stood up and addressed his team as they gathered their belongings. “Excellent work everyone. Please email me your reports by the end of the day tomorrow. We’re off rotation until Monday so enjoy your weekend.” He knew there was no way JJ was going to be able to avoid another round of well-wishing by her friends so he quietly said, “I’ll be about a half hour behind you.” She nodded and smiled slightly. Hotch was the last one off the plane and internally cringed as he heard Prentiss tell JJ to give Will and Henry a hug for her. He watched as she reassured Morgan and Reid once more that she was fine, and as Rossi patted her shoulder before she got to her car. As his teammates went their separate ways, Rossi called for Hotch to wait a moment. After tossing his bag in the trunk of his car, Hotch waited for his friend to catch up to him.

“What’s up Dave?”

“You know he left her, right?” Hotch was hardly surprised—Rossi incredibly observant but held onto information until he felt it was necessary to use it.

“Did she tell you?” Hotch asked.

“Didn’t have to. I’m assuming you’re going over there tonight.” Hotch just nodded. “You know she’s sick too, right?”

“I am a profiler too you know,” Hotch said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Just making sure you’re going into the situation with all the facts,” Rossi said. “Call me tomorrow and let me know how she is?”

“Of course,” Hotch said. Rossi patted him once on the back and then walked to his own car.

True to his word, Hotch pulled up to JJ’s house about thirty minutes after leaving the airstrip. He stopped at a grocery store and picked up several things. He took the bags of food and his go-bag and walked up to her front door. He knocked once and JJ soon answered. She held the door open so he could step inside. That’s when Hotch took his first glance around the inside of her house. It was, to put it mildly, a mess. He tried to hide his surprise as he made his way towards the kitchen.

“I got a frozen lasagna and salad for dinner. It will microwave in about fifteen minutes. Just don’t tell Rossi or he’ll read me the riot act for feeding you processed, commercial—”

HehhCheew!

“Bless you,” he said. Hotch dug through the groceries until he found the box of Kleenex he’d bought. He opened them and held the box out to her. She pulled a few from the box with a quiet thank you. She sneezed again, harsher this time. HehhGKTCHEEW!! Hotch sighed. “Bless you. JJ, why are you still in your work clothes?”

“I was…I was just…”

“You were picking up the house instead of taking care of yourself,” he finished for her. He leaned against the counter and waited for her to reply. When she finally met his eyes, he saw she was close to tears.

“I didn’t want you to see it like this. It’s embarrassing that I let it get this bad but I just—”

“JJ, stop,” he said. “I don’t care what condition your house is in. I care what condition you are in.” She wiped away a few tears and nodded. “Go change while I make something to eat.” She looked like she might argue before her shoulders slumped in defeat and she walked off towards the bedroom. After she closed the door, Hotch made short work of putting the lasagna in the microwave and unloading the rest of the groceries. He opened her refrigerator and frowned when he found it nearly empty. Then he took advantage of his solitude for a moment to truly assess his surroundings. When JJ said things had gotten “a little out of control” he had been expecting some clutter, maybe some dirty dishes but nothing like this. Her kitchen table was covered with files and paperwork. Henry’s toys littered the living room floor. Most of the living room furniture was covered in laundry in various stages of completion and it looked like every plate and cup she owned was sitting in or around the kitchen sink. He took off jacket and tie, draping them over the back of one of the kitchen chairs, before pushing up his shirt sleeves and filling the sink up with hot, soapy water. He washed a couple plates and cups—the rest would still be there after she fell asleep. Hotch fixed each of them a plate with salad and pasta and poured two glasses of water. He cleared off two places at the table and then decided to check on JJ. He knocked on the bedroom door. “JJ? You okay?” When she didn’t answer, he opened the door a crack and called her name again. He stepped into the bedroom and looked around. It was even worse than the rest of the house but what caught his eye was the light coming out from under the door of the adjoining master bathroom. He knocked on the door. “JJ?” he called and edged the door open. He found her in baggy sweats staring at her own reflection in the mirror. Although she wasn’t crying there were tear tracks running down both sides of her face. “What are you doing?” Even though his tone was soft she started when he spoke.

“I didn’t hear you,” she said. “This doesn’t look too good does it?” she asked, gesturing to the swollen, purple skin around her right eye.

“It’ll get better,” he said. She pushed her hair out of her face.

“Yeah.”

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Not realehhh…HehhNTSChH!!” She pulled a tissue from the box on the bathroom counter and sneezed twice more. Hehhtschhew!! EhhKtschheew!! They echoed off the tile walls.

“Bless you. Have you taken anything for this yet?” She shook her head no as she blew her nose. “Come on,” he said and placed a hand on the small of her back. He switched the bathroom lights off behind him and they walked out into the kitchen. “Sit down,” he said and grabbed the box of cold pills he’d bought at the store. He sat down across from her and put two pills on the table in front of her. After taking the pills she said,

“Thank you for coming over and making dinner.”

“It’s no problem. If you’re not hungry that’s alright,” he added as he watched her push the food around on the plate. She actually ate a few bites over the next twenty minutes and they made some small take about the case they just closed. Once they’d finished eating, Hotch cleared their plates.

“Sorry the kitchen is such a mess,” she said.

“Stop,” he said firmly. Hotch immediately regretted his tone and sat back down across from her. “JJ, that was harsher than I intended but you have nothing to apologize for.” He paused when she turned her head slightly and held her dinner napkin up in front of her face. HehhNT’SCHH!! “Bless you. It takes some time after a relationship ends to find your bearings again—particularly when your child is involved.” HehhEHNTSHHEW!! “Bless you. Plus you’re still adjusting to your new position in the BAU and you’ve been through hell the last year dealing with Emily’s situation.” Hehhngschheew! EhhNKTCHHEW!! “Oh JJ,” he sighed. “You should be in bed. How’s your head feel?”

“It’s pretty sore,” she admitted.

“Why don’t you go get in bed and I’ll bring you some ice for it?”

“Okay.”

As JJ went off to bed, Hotch went in search for an icepack. Finding her freezer as bare as her refrigerator, he took a plastic sandwich bag and filled it with ice cubes. He found a clean hand towel in the linen closet and went into the bedroom where he found JJ laying on her side under the thick comforter. Hotch sat on the edge of her bed.

“Here, turn over,” he said. She rolled onto her back and he lightly laid the ice on her eye. “Sorry,” he said when she hissed and flinched at the pressure. “Black eyes are the worst,” he said. “Let’s get your first concussion check out of the way.” He asked her the standard questions—her full name, the date, her location, his name, and others. She answered them all effortlessly and by the time they finished she yawned and seemed ready to sleep. “Can I get you anything?” he asked quietly.

“I’m okay. Thank you for everything, Hotch,” she said as she reached up to take over holding the icepack to her swollen face. He ran his thumb over her hand when they met.

“I’m here for whatever you need,” he said. “Get some rest. I’ll wake you up in four hours.”

TBC...

[jezebel215]

love this!

[silentdreamer789]

Fantastic!

[InLivingColor]

Great fic, really enjoying the direction and writing

[Evergreen]

ahhh this is sooo great! <3 i loved his little "oh JJ" moment.

[matilda3948]

Thanks for the love guys! Here's another little section.

“I’m here for whatever you need,” he said. “Get some rest. I’ll wake you up in four hours.”

He closed the door behind him and went back into the main part of the house. Even though she’d be embarrassed, and maybe angry, there was no way he was going to leave her house like this. He decided to start with the laundry since it was the quietest of the tasks in front of him. The sofa was a mound of towels and sheets; the armchair piled with Henry’s clothes. Aaron set to work folding the linens and hanging up Henry’s little shirts. His mind wandered back to his friend when he heard her coughing from the bedroom. How had he not noticed she was barely holding it together? Rossi saw it. Why did he have a blind spot when it came to her? And since when did she stop talking to him? They’d always had a close relationship. She was a rock when Hailey died—offering quiet support, setting up play dates for Jack and Henry, and sharing her experience of losing her sister. Then there was the situation with Emily of course. They had been partners in crime, so to speak. Both were burdened with a unique combination of heavy guilt and worry and there was no shortage of hushed, late night phone calls. She would call after a visit from Reid; he would call after finding Morgan beating a punching bag in the gym until his knuckles bled, or catching Garcia staring at Emily’s picture on the FBI tribute wall. He went into Henry’s bedroom and started putting the clean clothes away. He made the little boy’s bed and put books back on the bookshelf. What happened between JJ and Will? he thought. No one knew better than Aaron how difficult it was to strike a balance between life in the Bureau and life with a family, but he thought the two of them had figured it out.

He worked for another three hours with nothing but a long list of questions and worries to distract him. He finished cleaning the living room and moved onto the kitchen. He filled the dishwasher with dirty dishes and still had extras that he did by hand. Every now and then he would hear a cough or sneeze come from JJ’s room but she seemed to stay asleep. He hated that he was going to have to go and wake her up soon but he wanted to do one more concussion check before he lay down on the couch to get some sleep.

Hotch opened the bedroom door and heard her faint congested snoring filling the room. He left the door open for light and sat on the edge of her bed. “JJ, wake up.” She groaned and turned away from his low voice. “You just need to answer the questions and then you can go back to sleep.” He sighed—he hated this. “I’m sorry JJ but you’ve got to wake up for a minute.” He wasn’t sure if she’d heard him or not but just as he was getting ready to try again the mound of blankets next to him sneezed. HehhNSHH!! “Bless you,” he said. HehEHHNSHEW! He pulled some tissues from the box on the nightstand and patted the lump of comforter to try and figure out exactly where she was. Ehhfschhew!! The mattress shook again as another nasty sounding sneeze came from under the blankets. “Bless you,” he repeated. “You want a tissue?” he asked. Although she didn’t answer, she stuck her hand out and he put the tissues in her open palm. She gave her nose a watery blow and then she stuck her hand out again. Aaron handed four more tissues and she repeated the process of blowing her nose. He might have laughed if it wasn’t so sad…or if he was the type of man who laughed.

“Ask be the questiods,” came her stuffy voice.

“You going to pull the blankets down?”

“Ndo.”

“Alright,” Hotch said. “What’s your name?”

“Jedifer Jerbough.”

“What day is it?” he asked.

“Is id afder midnighd?”

“Yes.”

“Thed id’s Barch tedth.”

“Where are you?” When she didn’t answer after a few seconds he prompted her. “JJ, do you know where you are?” She still didn’t answer and he was about to pull back the blankets when she sneezed. Ehh’Nxscheew!! Gnschhew!!

“I’b hobe in bed.”

“Bless you. Okay, I think you’re good to go back to sleep. You can’t have anymore cold medicine yet but can I bring you anything else? Water or another blanket maybe?” he asked. She sounded miserable and he wanted to do something to make her feel better.

“Cad I have somb wadder?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” He went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. When he came back in the bedroom JJ had finally emerged from under the covers and was blowing her nose again. He stood by patiently and waited for her to finish before handing her the glass. She drank about half of it before she cleared her throat.

“Thangk you,” she said.

“You’re welcome. How does your eye feel?” he asked. It was difficult to tell in the low light but he was pretty sure it darker and more swollen.

“Id hurds.”

“Do you want more ice?”

“I’b okay for…ahhh…for…hehh… HehhNT’SCHH!! okay for ndow.” hehhEHTCHHEW!!

“Bless you, JJ.” His eyebrows drew together with worry as he watched her blow her nose yet again. She wadded up the tissues and let them fall on the bed with a dozen others. Aaron began picking up the used tissues.

“Whad are doing? Stob—thad’s gross! Hodch—”

“Shhh, it’s okay. Please, just stay under the covers. I don’t want you to get chilled.” She opened her mouth to argue but he fixed her with his interrogation stare and she refrained. After depositing the used tissues in the bathroom trash and washing his hands, Hotch came back into the bedroom. “Here, let me fix your pillows so you’re sitting up more. It’ll help you breathe a little better.” Reluctantly, she leaned forward and let him stack several pillows on top of each other. “There. Lean back.” His voice was unusually gentle and JJ sighed as she relaxed. Aaron drew the blankets up to her shoulder. He pressed his hand to her forehead and found she was running a slight fever. Then he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as if it were the most natural thing in world for him to do. It only took a second for her to hide her surprise but it was enough. He pulled his hand back. “Sorry,” he said.

“Oh, id’s fide. I just—” HehhNTSChH!! Hehhtschhew!!

“Bless you. I should let you get back to sleep.”

“Okay. Thangs for…well, thangs Hodch.”

“Of course. I’ll wake you up again in four hours but if you need anything before then I’ll be on the couch.”

“Bud there’s laundry od the couch.”

“Not anymore,” he said with a slight smile.

TBC...

[jezebel215]

a man who comforts AND cleans? perfection!

[Evergreen]

awww. what a cute way to end that section! i'm loving hotch being so caring, picking up after JJ even though she's embarrassed. <3

[sneezingisfun]

Awwww so cute please continue

[matilda3948]

Thanks so much! I'm really enjoying writing this story--glad you all are enjoying reading it too

“Not anymore,” he said with a slight smile.

After brushing his teeth and changing into jeans and a sweatshirt in the spare bathroom, Hotch zipped up his go-bag and stretched out on the newly excavated sofa. He set the alarm on his phone for 5:00am and let his eyes drift closed.

Breaking glass—he was instantly awake and reaching for his gun before remembering where he was. He sprung off the couch and turned on a light ready to react to whatever threat was lurking. Instead of a home invader, Hotch saw a miserable looking JJ standing in the middle of the kitchen coughing violently.

“Are you okay? What happened?” he asked.

“Dod’t…broken glass,” she managed to get out between hacking coughs. Hotch went to the front door and slipped his shoes on before going back to the kitchen. JJ was recovering from her coughing fit and looking around the floor to try and figure how to get out of the kitchen without cutting her feet. “I deeded wader but the glass slibbed,” she said.

“Here, let me get you out of the kitchen.” Before she had a chance to argue, Hotch picked her up bridal style and set her down safely out of the range of the glass splinters that littered the floor. It crunched under his feet as he got a clean glass out of the dishwasher and filled it with water before handing it to JJ. “Where’s your broom?” he asked.

“Laudry Roob,” she replied nodding towards the door to his left. He made short work of sweeping up the glass and making sure the floor was safe for her to walk on barefoot again. After dumping one last dustpan pull of glass in the garbage, he turned around to find JJ sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands.

“Are you okay? You didn’t cut yourself did you?” She sniffled and shook her head no.

“I’b sorry. I’b such ad absolude mbess.” He frowned and sat down in the chair next to her.

“JJ, you just dropped a glass.”

“Thad’s dot what I mbean. By life is a mbess. Will left. My baby isn’d here and even if he was, I’b too sick and tired to take care of hib. You had to clean by house. Everythig is coming unraveled.” Aaron sighed—she really was in bad shape. He made a quick trip to the bedroom to get her tissues and then sat back down at the table.

“You’re worn down and sick right now so it makes this rough patch look even worse,” he said.

“I guess,” she said and swiped at a stray tear.

“JJ, can I make a suggestion?” he asked. She nodded. “You’ve been trying not to cry for the last two days. Bottling this all up isn’t good for you.” For the first time in several minutes, she lifted her head and met his eyes. Even though her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and fever—one marred with a deep purple bruise, she still managed an incredulous look. “I know,” he said. “I’m the last person who should talk about bottling up emotions but it’s perfectly reasonable to be upset. It’s okay to cry about it.” Her eyes dropped to the table again as she considered his words for a moment.

“I’b so tired, Hodch,” she whispered.

“I know you are,” he said. This time when she looked up she was met with those kind, warm (though worried) eyes. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. The words were barely out of his mouth before the first hot tears splashed down her face. She grabbed a few tissues and buried her head in her hands. As the first sob caught in her throat, she leaned forward and rested her head on the kitchen table. Even though he’d encouraged it, hearing her cry made Aaron’s heart hurt. She deserved better. She deserved better than a broken heart and complete exhaustion. He resisted the near-overwhelming urge to hug her, or stroke her hair, or offer her any kind of physical comfort. When she stopped crying long enough to blow her nose, he cringed at how congested she sounded and made sure the tissues were close to her. She swapped out the soggy tissues for fresh ones and gave her nose another gurgling blow as the tears continued to stream down her face. The action made her nose itch and she scrambled to get clean tissues to her face in time to catch a series of irritated, nasal sneezes. Hhhngshh!! Ehhgnchh!! NGSCHH!! She grimaced and put pressure on her sinuses before blowing her nose again. He didn’t want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable, remembering her expression earlier that night, but he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her face crumpled as she broke down sobbing again, only this time she turned towards Aaron and leaned against his shoulder. He never hesitated and wrapped his arms around her thin frame as she shook with more tears. She was so tired that it didn’t take her long to cry herself out and after a few minutes she leaned back and began the lengthy process of mopping up her face and blowing her nose. On her fifth tissue she started to cough again. He rubbed her back trying to get the spasm to ease, but when she nearly doubled over coughing into her hands, he got up and refilled her water glass. As soon as she got a break he handed it to her. “Here. Small sips,” he said soothingly. She managed to get some water down which eventually successfully stopped her coughing.

“Sorry. That was awful,” she rasped.

“JJ, you may need to see a doctor,” he said seriously.

“No. Id’s just a bad cold.” He frowned and reached over and gently pressed his hand to her forehead. Even after all that crying, coughing, and sneezing she only had a mild fever—it probably was just a cold.

“Okay. As long as your fever doesn’t get to high.” His phone began to ring at that moment and he went and grabbed it off the coffee table.

“Please tell be we don’d have a case already,” she groaned.

“No. I set the alarm on my phone for 5:00am so I could do your concussion check.”

“Jeddifer Jeraue. Barch tedth. In by house.”

“Yeah, you’re fine,” he said. “You should get back to bed.” She nodded and stood up from the table. “Do you want more cold medicine?” he asked.

“God yes.” He got the box of pills off the counter and got two out of the package for her. He went to hand them to her but she waved him off. He recognized the look and took a step back as her breath hitched once, then again. Heh…HehEHH! Ehhntchew! HehEHHgntchhew!! She straightened back up just long enough to grab a few tissues before the tickle in her sinuses overwhelmed her once more and she doubled over with a powerful EhhKTSCHH!! EhhTSCHEW! NGSCHHEW!!

“Bless you, JJ.”

“Ugh. Thag you.” Once she was sure she was done sneezing, JJ held her hand out and Hotch gave her the medicine. She took them with what was left of her water and shuffled towards her bedroom, pausing when she reached the threshold. “Hodch?”

“Yeah?”

“Thag you for…jusd thag you for being here and being you.” She seemed embarrassed the moment the words left her lips but he just gave her the slightest of smiles and said,

“Always, JJ.”

The next time Hotch woke up it was getting light outside. A quick glance at his phone revealed it was almost 7:30am. He stretched and rolled his head from side to side before getting up. Jack would be waking up soon—he’d make some coffee and give him a call soon. Aaron went back to the hall bathroom and shaved and brushed his teeth before going into the kitchen and digging through the cupboards. Typical FBI agent, he thought to himself. Not a scrap of food in the place but plenty of coffee. He heard JJ sneeze once as he filled the coffee pot with water, then again when he scooped the coffee grounds into the filter, and twice more as the coffee was brewing. He suspected it wouldn’t be long before she was up again—she couldn’t sleep if she kept sneezing every few minutes. He poured a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch to call Jack. Jessica picked up the phone but they didn’t get very far in conversation before Jack’s impatient demands to talk to his father made it impossible.

“Daddy?”

“Hey buddy. What are you doing?”

“Eating cereal and watching cartoons. Are you still chasing bad guy?” Jack asked.

“Actually, we got the bad guy and came home late last night but Aunt JJ is sick so I stayed at her house to take care of her.”

“Is Aunt JJ okay?” the little boy asked seriously. Hotch didn’t realize that as they were talking, the woman in question had emerged from the bedroom and gotten herself some coffee before joining him in the living room and curling up in the armchair.

“Yeah she’s okay.” She mouthed the word “Jack?” Hotch nodded.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She has a cold. You know how you get a sore throat and sneeze and cough and feel yucky sometimes?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s just how Aunt JJ is feeling.”

“Where’s Henry and Uncle Will?” Jack asked.

“They went camping.” Hotch hated lying to his son but it was a tricky situation for adults to understand, much less a first-grader.

“Can I talk to her?”

“Oh, I don’t know buddy. I’m sure Aunt JJ feels up to talking on the phone right now.” He glanced at her in question but she nodded that she could. He wasn’t surprised but he didn’t want her to feel pressured. “Okay, Jack but just for a minute.” JJ cleared her throat and took the cell phone from Hotch.

“Hi Jack,” she said trying to sound cheerful.

“Daddy said you’re sick.”

“I am bud I don’t wand you to worry sweetie. I’ll feel bedder soon.”

“Is my daddy taking care of you?”

“He’d been takig very good care of be. Oh, hold od Jack—” She held the phone away from her face and sneezed into the crook of her arm. HehhNG’MPCHH!! she sniffed and said, “I’b sorry Jack, I had to sdeeze.”

“Bless you Aunt JJ,” his voice assumed the same worried tone his father had from time to time.

“Thag you sweedie. I’m going to pud your dad bag on okay?”

“Okay. Feel better!” She couldn’t respond as the tickle in her nose was blossoming into another sneeze. Hotch barely got the phone out of her hands before she succumbed once again. HehhNGSHHEW!! EhhSNGK’CHEW!! She sniffed wetly and pulled a tissue from the pocket of her sweatpants. She gave her nose a gurgling blow and immediately knew she was going to sneeze again. This was ridiculous, she thought. She caught the first in the crumpled up ball of tissue—a congested and nasal Ngdchhf!! Then she had to settle for just trying to contain the mess behind cupped hands. AhhNG’chhhewff!! EHHK’tschhff!! She froze in that position, hands poised over her nose and mouth as one final sneeze took its time working its way from deep inside her irritated sinuses. Her breath came in a series of shallow gasps. heh—ehh—EHH…Ahh—ahhEHH—SNEHH’GSCHHF!! She couldn’t keep from groaning slightly as the force of sneeze made her dizzy. She kept her eyes closed as she waited for the room to stop spinning.

“Here. Are you alright?” Hotch—JJ had forgotten he was sitting right there. The only thing she’d been able to focus on was the horrible, overwhelming cold virus in her nose that had her completely at its mercy. She slowly opened her eyes to find her boss sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of her; he was hold a box of tissues out to her, waiting until she was ready. His face was creased with worry—the frown lines around his mouth more pronounced than usual. She turned her head away from him slightly and grabbed several tissues with one hand, the other still trying to hide the mess. For as awful as the sneezing was, it did help loosen some of the congestion in her head and it took her several tissues before she was finished blowing her nose. She finally leaned back into the chair and sighed.

“Thag you.”

“Jack said to get well soon. He and I also think it’s a good idea for me to stay here a little longer and help you out.”

“No, Hodch, you don’d ged edough tibe with hib as id is.” She realized she was nearly incompressible so she blew her nose again. “You need to spend time with your sod,” she said only sounding moderately better. “I don’d wand you to miss spending time with hib because of be.” His eyes softened and he scooted forward so their knees were almost touching.

“You know what Jack said to me after I got back on the phone? He said he wanted to come over and help take care of you because you sounded really sick and sad. I told him the best way he could help was to play with his friends and stay with Jessica so I could stay here with you. Jack understands you need me today. And so do I.”

“He’s so buch like you it’s scary sometibes,” she whispered.

“Well, let’s hope he outgrows that.”

TBC...

[sneezingisfun]

aaaaahhhhh so cute

[jezebel215]

:-) Jack so so sweet

[matilda3948]

Hi sweet readers. Here's the final bit of this story. Hope you enjoy!

“Well, let’s hope he outgrows that.”

“Don’d say thad,” she said. “Don’d eber say thad. You’re a good ban Aaron Hochder ad Jack is lucky to hab you as his father.” To say he was surprised by her reaction was an understatement. He was frozen in his spot and was grateful when JJ was the one to break the awkward silence. “I’b sorry. I didn’d bean to overreacd bud you shouldn’d say thigs like thad aboud yourself.”

“Thank you JJ. It means a lot to me to know that you think so highly of me. It’s amazing how often I find myself second-guessing my choices when it comes to Jack. I mean, when it comes to work there are rules and procedures, but when it comes to parenting…”

“There’s no playbook,” she sighed. “I kndow. I questiod my and Will’s arrangebents over Hendry ad least a dozend tibes a day.”

“All we can do is make the best decision we can with the information available,” he said.

“Raisig Hendry is the mbost impordand thig I’ll ever do and I’b terrified I’b messing id all ub.”

“You’re not.” His voice was low and sure. “You are an incredible mother—warm and gentle. You’re one of the kindest and most loving women I know. You have nothing to worry about.” This time it was her turn to be shocked by the intensity of the other’s response. He held her gaze with that legendary stare of his until she nodded slightly.

“Id’s norbally nod this bad. I thig dis cold is mbaking everthig seeb worse. Thag you for…you kndow.”

“Anytime. Okay, we’ve got to do something to help you feel better. You sound miserable.” He patted her leg as he stood up and went into the kitchen; she watched him go with a puzzled look. That was an oddly honest conversation. In fact, Hotch’s behavior the last twenty-four hours had JJ feeling just as disoriented as her cold did. She knew Aaron Hotchner was a kind and compassionate man—he normally just hid it more. His concern and care for her the last day or so was certainly unexpected though. She was afraid that when he saw the disaster zone her house had become he’d send her for an immediate psych evaluation. At the very least, she expected an unsub-like grilling over how she’d let things get so out of control. She definitely was not expecting him to cook her dinner, send her to bed, and then stay up half the night cleaning the house. She shook her head slightly—she was too sick to try and figure out Hotch’s behavior. She was, however, curious as to what he was doing in the kitchen. She walked in to find him draping a towel over the back of a kitchen chair. “Sit,” he said, nodding towards the chair. “I’m boiling some water so you can sit here and breathe in the steam. It should help clear your head a little.”

“Ogay.” He put an empty bowl on the table in front of her and then opened a fresh box of tissues and put them in easy reach.

“You’ll need these.” As soon as the tea kettle began to whistle he took it off the stove and filled the bowl about half full of hot water. “Okay, lean forward and I’ll bring the towel over your head to keep the steam circulating. She did as he instructed and closed her eyes as the warm, damp heat washed over her face. Her initial reaction was to cough—the steam working its way into her irritated throat and lungs. JJ choked and coughed until tears stung at her eyes. “Shh, it’s alright.” His voice registered through the noise of her own fit and she felt his hand rubbing slow circles on her back. “It’ll stop soon. Just try and take some slow breaths. Shhh, it’s okay JJ.” Slowly her breathing evened out and she began to relax and the steam started to feel wonderful. She was surprised how pleased she was that Hotch continued to gently run her back even though she’d stopped coughing. It only took a few minutes before her nose began to run. She stuck a hand out and began groping around for the tissues. Aaron slid them within her reach and she grabbed a fistful, bringing them underneath the towel. She blew her nose over and over again. She was so glad her face was hidden behind the towel because the noises currently coming from her nose were humiliating. Sweat was dripping down her face and her nose refused to stop running. She couldn’t deny how good it felt though to finally be able to blow her nose and get some relief. JJ swapped tissues out once again but this time as she blew her nose she felt the congestion in her sinuses shift, setting off a massive in her nose. Before she barely had time to register what was happening, the sneezing fit was already starting. Hhhngshhh!! HehhNDKtschhew!! EHHK’tschhff!! If the goal was to unclog her head, the steam had done its job. The only problem now was she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to stop the steady stream of mucous that was practically pouring from her nose. The tissues she had in her hand were a balled-up, soggy mess and she knew she was about to start sneezing again. HehEHHgntchhew!! HehhNTSChH!! Hehhtschhew!!

“Oh, God,” she sniffed. Ehhgnchh!! NGSCHH!! “I can’t stoahh… AhhNG’chhhewff!! EHHK’tschhff!! Can’t stop.” She vaguely registered Hotch helping her sit up straighter and trying to help get the towel from off her head. As her JJ realized she had no chance of fighting off the attack, she settled for the next best thing: She pulled the towel down, buried her face in it, and just surrendered to the overwhelming tickle that had settled deep inside her nose, sneezing over and over in the thick fabric. HehhNG’MPCHH!! SNEHH’GSCHHMF!! EhhMCHMFF!! HnSCHHMF!! She sniffed hard and pressed the towel to her nose to try and stem the itch. HehhNDSCHH!! AHH’NKSHHF!! JJ hesitantly held the towel an inch or so from her face and sniffed to see if she was done. Satisfied that the fit was finally over, she flipped the towel over and wiped her face of the residual sweat, mucous, and tears from her face before even attempting to find the tissues. When she finally let the towel fall into her lap she looked up and saw Hotch looking at her with absolute sympathy. She snatched a few tissues and finished cleaning herself up. For as awful as the last few minutes were, her head was as clear as it had been since she woke up.

“Are you okay?” Hotch asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That was intense.”

“I must look like a drippy, bruised, wreck,” she mumbled.

“You’re beautiful,” he said immediately. Her eyes shot up but he didn’t make any move to apologize or take back what he’d said. Instead, he leaned towards her. JJ tilted her head but she pulled back at the last second.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“No, it’s my fault,” he said. “I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay. I’m just not ready.”

“Of course. I apologize. It was out of line on my part.” He started to get up from the table but JJ reached over and grabbed his arm to keep him sitting next to her.

“Aaron, I’m just not ready…but I will be.” He gave her a questioning glance and she smiled. They enjoyed the amicable silence of their new-found understanding before JJ succumbed to a violent shiver.

“You should get back to bed,” he said. “Would you drink some tea if I brought it to you?”

“That would be lovely. Thank you.”

[Evergreen]

d'awww. this. is. adorable. i love the incorporation of jack and the fact that JJ stayed true to her roots by not kissing hotch yet. this story was so sweet. thanks for writing it!

[sneezingisfun]

This is so good! Please keep going

[blum]

Thanks for sharing

[Nicole]

Such a cute story! Love, love, love.