A/N-This is just a little alternate of Season 5 Episode 4 Cradle to Grave at the beginning when JJ is talking to Hotch. One-shot, Hotch/JJ

Hotch slowly turned his head as he heard shoes clicking up the stairs and stopping in his doorway. JJ stood there, her bag slung over her shoulder. He turned his head away, focusing on his desk and a case file he pretended to be reading.

"Everything ok?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "Yeah...it's fine."

"Hotch..." she reprimanded.

He turned to look at her, almost annoyed at being reprimanded like a young child. "I'm fine," he repeated, trying to harden his gaze at the young woman before him.

She took a small step closer. "Hotch, you were stabbed in the chest 9 times. You're not fine."

His eyes softened, a certain glisten in them that wasn't there before now suddenly present. He brought up a hand and rested it on his chest, glancing down before meeting JJ's crystal blue eyes.

He blinked, wiling himself to not get emotional in front of her. "I'm not fine...but I will be. Thank you."

The media liaison nodded, a small smile touching her features. "You're welcome, Hotch. I'm always here," she replied, before turning and striding out of his office.

An hour later, Hotch finally retired for the night, and drove back to his apartment.

JJ sat on her bed, legs folded underneath her, staring down at the many piles of case files surrounding her. The air was cool on her skin, making her want to sleep, but she had to get these files in soon.

Since her divorce from Will, she'd been spending most of her nights awake, contemplating where her life had spun off the tracks. Other times she'd sit awake, finishing paperwork until the sun began to peer in through her curtains. Sometimes she'd sit alone in the dark, staring up at the ceiling as she thought about how nice it would be to have someone to cuddle up against, and let them kiss away the bruises.

She'd always seen Hotch as the guy who'd she'd dreamed of since she was small. He was just too perfect though, and she was sure he didn't return her rather inappropriate feelings towards him.

She'd come to realize her love for the Unit Chief over her years in the BAU. It wasn't just the fact that he was good looking, or the fact that he was intelligent-she'd come to truly love him for everything that he was.

She found she couldn't wait for the moment when they got another case, just so she could give him one of her 2 a.m phone calls and hear his tired voice on the other end. God, what had she gotten herself into?

Right on que, her phone began to ring, making her jump. She reached for the object, flipping into open and pressing the accept button without reading the caller ID.

"Agent Jareau," she spoke.

Soft breathing came from the other line. "Hi," he said gingerly.

Confusion filled JJ's mind. "Hotch? Do we have another case?"

"No," he replied. "I was just wondering if..."

"Are you ok?"

Silence filled the phone, and she could imagine his glazed eyes as he spoke, his breathing soft in the emptiness of his apartment.

"Yeah...I'm fine...but I was wondering if...I could come stay with you tonight."

JJ was taken aback by his request, and immediately began to wonder if one of her team mates bribed him into doing this. Her crush was horrifyingly obvious, and she worked with some of the biggest matchmakers in the world.

"Did Dave put you up to this?" she asked sternly.

She could hear the sincerity and surprise in his voice. "No, this is coming from me. So, can I?"

JJ swallowed. "Yeah, if you want to."

"Thanks," his mildly cheerful voice suddenly rung through the phone, hurting her ear. "See you soon."

The phone beeped, Hotch's number blinking on the screen for a moment before it went black.