Chapter 22

By the time JJ reappeared from the bathroom—hair damp, dressed in my oversized t-shirt that nearly swallowed her whole—the apartment was spotless enough to pass for casual neatness. She padded barefoot into the living room and flopped down next to me on the couch, curling into my side like she belonged there. Which, honestly, she did.

“Cleaned up nice,” she said with a teasing smirk, tugging on the hem of my shirt.

Before I could respond, a dramatic knock rattled my front door. “Open up, my lovelies! It is I, your goddess of glitter and gossip!” Penelope’s voice boomed from the hall.

“Oh?” Penelope said, arching a perfectly painted brow as her gaze flicked from JJ, to me, and back to JJ. She even pointed for emphasis. “When did this come about?”

JJ froze with a slice of pizza halfway to her mouth, cheeks turning the faintest pink. “This is… uh—”

I stepped in quickly, trying to steer the spotlight. “So, Penelope, did you bring enough wine for everyone, or were you planning on hogging it all yourself?”

She planted a hand on her hip, not buying it for a second. “Deflection is a rookie move, sugarplum. Spill. You don’t just loan out your clothes to teammates unless something scandalously delicious is happening.”

JJ stammered, “It’s not—it’s just comfortable.”

“Comfortable?” Penelope gasped, clasping her hands dramatically.

“Comfortable is sweatpants! Comfortable is a blanket burrito! This—” she gestured at the shirt hanging on JJ like a claim flag— “is intimacy!” She whispered the last part.

Before either of us could answer, another knock came. Emily strolled in, holding a bottle of wine in each hand. “Hope I’m not late—” She stopped short, eyes flicking between us, then to Penelope, who was already grinning like she’d won a jackpot.

Emily squinted. “Wait a second… did I just walk into an interrogation, or are we glossing over the fact JJ is very obviously wearing Y/N’s shirt?”

Penelope pointed at Emily like she’d just recruited backup. “See! I’m not crazy. Something’s going on, and I want details.”

“Well,” I said, letting out a breath, “I guess it was going to come out sooner or later.” I reached across the couch and laced my fingers with Jennifer’s, squeezing gently. “JJ and I have been seeing each other for the past few months.”

For a split second, the room was silent—then Penelope squealed so loudly I was sure half the building heard it. “I knew it! My heart! My OTP is real!” She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it like she was watching a rom-com in real life.

Emily, meanwhile, just shook her head with a smirk. “Unbelievable. You two have been sneaking around under our noses, and none of us caught on?”

JJ laughed, cheeks pink. “We weren’t trying to hide it forever. We just wanted it to be ours for a while before it became… well, this.” She gestured at Penelope, who was now already pulling out her phone, no doubt planning memes and nicknames.

“Ok, ladies, we can’t tell anyone else yet. Not until we tell Hotch. Who knows what his reaction will be.” I said, looking both of them in the eyes, silently asking for their promise.

Emily lifted her hands like she was swearing in at court. “Scout’s honor. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Penelope, however, was practically bouncing on the couch. “I will promise to keep a secret if you tell us everything.”

I looked over at JJ to see what her feelings were, but she just shrugged her shoulders, lips curving into the tiniest smirk.

“Everything?” I asked cautiously.

Penelope leaned forward, eyes wide with glee. “Dates, confessions, first kiss, all the juicy details. I need to live vicariously through your scandalous romance!”

JJ laughed under her breath, finally giving in. “Fine. But only the PG version.”

Penelope squealed, clapping her hands together. “PG now, R-rated later. Got it.”

I poured our wine into the glasses and tried to think back to the beginning. “So for me, I knew there was something the first night I was back in D.C. When we ran into each other at that one bar. After that, the feelings grew from there, but she sealed the deal in New York on that one case. It’s only gotten better since then.”

I kissed her hand as she slid closer to me on the couch.

JJ smiled softly, her thumb brushing my knuckles. “That case was… awful. But somehow in the middle of all that chaos, you made me laugh. I realized I didn’t just want you around in the field—I wanted you in my life.”

“Enough about us—how was—” I started, but the words died on my lips as a sharp knock echoed through the apartment.

I got up and opened the door. It was Alex, eyes puffy and red, and without a second thought, I pulled her into a tight hug. No questions asked, just the comfort of being there for her.

“Come with me, honey. Let’s sit outside,” I said, guiding her out to the balcony. She seemed either too stunned to speak or still trying to process everything. I waved the girls off. “Carry on inside, I’ll be right there.”

I turned back to Alex, concern etched across my face. “Lex… what happened?”

She grabbed my hand and leaned into my chest, letting herself collapse against me. I rested my head on hers, gently rubbing her back. “Okay, take your time. I’m going to get you some wine.”

I stepped inside to grab one of her favorite bottles from my wine cooler.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, setting the bottle down. “Alex is my ex, Penelope. Em and Jayje can fill you in.”

Emily nodded, remembering Alex from when we were living abroad, while Penelope’s eyes widened, clearly thinking the plot was getting thicker.

As I was walking back outside, JJ grabbed my hand and pulled me into a deep, lingering kiss. Her eyes flicked to Alex for a split second—then back to mine—and it was clear she wanted to make sure that I knew she was here, and here to stay.

I stepped back onto the balcony, accidentally leaving the door cracked, and it seems that she has collected herself a little bit. She to a big breath and said, “I think Sam knows about what we were.”

“He didn’t know before?” I asked moving her hair out of her face.

“Not exactly,” Alex admitted, hugging herself tightly. “I thought I had made things…clean. But lately, he’s been acting weird-checking our messages, asking so many questions about you, and I don’t know if it’s paranoia or if he actually found out.”

“Well Lex, there’s not much to actually “find out”, we dated so many years ago. Maybe he saw one of our you know.” I was referring to a video that we had made back in the day that was a little spicy. “But why would he have an issue with us dating?”

Alex’s eyes flicked nervously toward the railing, then back at me. “I don’t think it’s about dating now. It’s… complicated. Sam knows I care about you—or at least, I think he does—and he’s insecure. But I also… I haven’t fully moved on. There’s a lot I never resolved with you, Y/N.”

“Well we can focus on whatever is important to you right now. If you want we can try and resolve some of those thoughts, or we can try and figure out things with Sam.” I said with my arm resting behind her.

Alex let out a shaky breath, leaning slightly into my side. “I… I don’t have feelings for you anymore but I still never fully processed what happened towards the end of us. And I’ve been thinking alot about when you first came back, and… and.”

She started to get worked up again. I really didn’t know what to do about this situation. The only thing I could do right now was be there for my friend, who was clearly hurting.

“Do you really love him?” I asked gently.

Alex nodded slowly, her eyes glistening. “Yes… I do. I love him. I just… I don’t know how to deal with these feelings, and lately, it’s been overwhelming.”

I rubbed her back slowly, letting the quiet stretch for a moment so she could gather herself. “Then it’s okay to feel that way,” I murmured. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now. I’ve got you.”

“I could talk to Sam with you, or we can handle it just the two of us. We can figure out the past later. How about you come over this week? We can have a night where you decompress and you can tell me everything that’s going on,” I offered.

She peeked her head inside to see if the girls were listening. “I… I don’t know, Y/N. I don’t want to overstep with you and JJ.”

I shook my head, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Alex, this isn’t about overstepping. You’re my friend, and I care about you. Nothing that happens here changes what JJ and I have. You deserve to feel safe talking about this.”

Alex exhaled slowly, finally letting some tension slip from her shoulders. “Okay… okay, maybe I can come over. Just to talk. No drama, no judgment?”

“Absolutely,” I said with a small smile. “Just us, some wine, and figuring things out one step at a time.”

She nodded, a hint of relief in her expression. “Thank you, Y/N. That… that really helps.”

Alex stood, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans. “I should probably head out before it gets too late… I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

I gave her a small, reassuring smile. “Of course. You don’t have to explain anything. Just… know my door’s always open if you need to talk.”

She hesitated for a moment, looking at me like she wanted to say more, but then she nodded and gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, Y/N. Really.”

After she left, I closed the door slowly, leaning against it for a moment. “How much of that did yall hear?”

JJ’s brow furrowed, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Pretty much all of it. You two aren’t exactly subtle.”

I grabbed a shot of Patron to steady myself and walked back toward the living room. “Okay, Em—now, how ’bout that date?”

“Well, he was just sooo awkward,” Emily said, waving her hands like she couldn’t contain it. “I felt like I was back at that wedding, trying to help him eat cake without spilling it all over himself. Total nervous mess—but somehow kind of endearing.”

JJ snorted from the couch, smirking. “Classic Em, falling for the awkward ones every time.”

I shook my head, smiling at the chaos of my friends, my life, and my little makeshift family. For a moment, the stress of the cases, the tension of work, and even the messy complications of the past felt far away. Here, on my couch, surrounded by laughter, teasing, and familiar voices, everything else could wait.

I poured the wine, raising my glass. “To surviving awkward dates, old flames, and whatever the hell comes next.”

“Cheers!” Emily and JJ echoed, clinking their glasses with mine.

And for the first time in weeks, I felt like we could actually breathe.