be kind, always

Which meant whoever took you had likely been preparing for this for a long time. That made him grip his phone a little tighter. It only lessened when Rossi appeared. There were a dozen officers in your apartment and surrounding the area combing for anything. 

“What do you need?” He’s watching Aaron fall apart in front of him while trying his best to keep it all wrapped up inside. 

“Get the team together.”

It was two o’clock in the morning, but without hesitation Rossi steps out into the hall and starts making calls. The team wasn’t happy to already have their phones ringing when they landed less than three hours ago but as soon as he uttered your name your name they were on their feet. 

The offices were dark, most of the building was empty at this hour. Everyone was wearing varying combinations of sweatpants, jackets, and whatever could be hastily thrown on. Garcia looked paler than normal and wasn’t cracking any of her usual jokes. 

“What happened?” Morgan asks, his fists balled up at his sides. 

Aaron shifts into unit chief mode. He knows that he needs to in order to get you home. 

“Y/n was abducted from her apartment approximately fifty minutes ago.” He swallows, he takes a second to choose his words carefully “I was there.” 

That got everyone’s attention instantly, heads snapping in his direction. There’s a million things they want to say but they know this isn’t the time. 

“They have to be organized, maybe even professional. No signs of entry and they pulled it off silently. Gone within a minute.” 

“Who would do this?” JJ asks, flicking away angry tears from her waterline. She crosses her arms in front of her chest protectively. 

“That’s what we need to find out.” Rossi nods. 

“I got a partial plate and gave it to the police, but I want you to look into it too.” Aaron nods at Garcia and she opens her laptop eagerly, “We also need to look into every single case Y/n has worked.” 

Garcia blinks a couple times before looking up at him. 

“Sir, every-”

“Everything.” He nods, “Before the BAU.” 

Los Angeles. Human trafficking, kidnappings, violent crime, organized crime, cold cases, everything. 

“We start with motive.” 

Morgan nods, “Enemies.” 

“Exactly.” Aaron looks around the room with a serious look on his face, “Who benefits the most from taking Y/n?”

The silence that followed was uncomfortable because everyone knew the answer. A lot of people. You are exceptional at your job, which unfortunately means you’ve spent the last decade ruining very dangerous people’s lives. 

Garcia frowns while typing, “Her file list is enormous, there’s hundreds of possible suspects.” 

Both Morgan and Prentiss speak up at the same time. 

“Give it to Reid.” 

Everyone gets to work quickly, eager to find a lead to get you home. It isn't lost on anyone at the table the grim expression on their boss's face. Rossi doesn't say a word as he reaches out a hand to his shoulder, giving it a careful squeeze causing Aaron to look over.

"We'll get her back, Aaron." He reassures.

It takes a moment for him to reply.

"I love her."

"We know."

-

Ten years ago. 

The snow started sometime after midnight. You knew it because Aaron had snuck over to steal you away to his apartment for the night. He was very convincing. The big flakes had just started to fall. By six o’clock that morning, Quantico had effectively shut down. 

Outdoor drills were postponed. Roads were buried, leaving instructors stuck at home. Training exercises canceled. The academy looked like someone had dropped it inside a snow globe. You celebrated by stealing one of Aaron’s sweatshirts and staying in bed all morning. Aaron got up to make each of you a cup of coffee and to open the curtains. The snow is still falling, the room glows brighter than normal with the sun reflecting off the snow. 

“Nice.” He smirks, pulling at the neck of his hoodie, effectively pulling you lightly onto his side of the bed. He sets both mugs of coffee on his nightstand and slides back under the covers. Aaron never gets away with a lazy morning lie in, but here he is getting back in bed and wrapping you against his side. 

“Finders keepers.” You argue. 

“That’s a poor argument.” He shakes his head, a small grin gracing his face. 

“Mmm.” You hum to disagree and his fingers tickle your waist under his hoodie. 

“You steal things.” 

You grin, “You love me anyway.” 

The words come out completely casually on your end. A joke, a throwaway comment. At least until you feel Aaron freeze. The apartment suddenly gets very quiet, his TV playing softly in the background. He stares down at you and you sit up to get a good look at him.

“Oh my god.” 

He looks away, which is a confession by itself. 

You gasp, “Oh my god.”

“Y/n-”

“You do!” 

Aaron closes his eyes briefly and you feel absolutely delighted. He was already regretting everything, it wasn’t how he planned this happening. 

“You are enjoying this entirely too much.” He mumbles. 

You were grinning so hard your face was starting to hurt. Aaron reaches out toward his nightstand to grab his coffee and take a long sip. 

“Say it.”

“No.”

“Aaron.”

“No.”

“Aaron.” 

“I love you.” 

You move closer to sit on top of his lap, “Really?”

He snorts out a laugh and shakes his head in disbelief, “After all of that and now you question it?”

You laugh softly and reach out a hand to run through his hair. It’s more casual than normal, loose strands falling down on his forehead. He looks the least stressed that you’ve ever seen him. 

“I love you.” He repeats, his eyes looking deeply into yours.

“I love you too.”

The words come out easily, Aaron stares back at you with a widening smile. You lean down to press a quick kiss against his lips. His expression has softened in a way you had never seen before. For a moment neither of you speak, just looking into each other's eyes. 

He pulls you down against his chest, his arm wrapping around you so you can both look out the window at the snowstorm. You can hear his steady heartbeat beneath you. 

The rest of the morning disappeared, movies played but neither of you paid much attention. The morning was spent lazily making love and never leaving the bed. Aaron has been absentmindedly playing with your hair for nearly twenty minutes, neither of you mention it. 

The snow kept falling. 

The apartment stayed warm. 

Eventually you sit up a little, “We should go outside.”

He frowns, “No.”

“Why?”

He gestures toward the window. 

“Snow.”

“Exactly.” You turn in his hold to look up at him. 

“It’s cold.” 

You roll your eyes, “You sound eighty.” 

He pinches your hip lightly making you squeal. 

“I sound smart, they closed down class today because of the snow.” He reminds, but you grab his hand and start to slowly pull him up out of bed. 

"Who said anything about driving anywhere?"

He gives you a look.

“C’mon.” 

He lets out a groan. 

“Please?” You give him the biggest puppy dog eyes you can muster.

“If the two of us leave this dorm, one of us is going to get kicked out of the program.” He teases.

“I didn’t say we should go have sex outside.” You laugh.

His ears turn red, “That’s not what I meant but I know you’re creative enough to come up with something. I never know with you.” 

You lightly smack his shoulder and roll your eyes. 

“It just looks so pretty out there.” You turn back toward the window. He hesitates and you look back at him. You can see your stare is working, his brows soften and he sighs. 

“Why do you always win arguments?” 

“Because I’m hot.” 

“That’s not how arguments work.” 

“It is with us.” 

Ten minutes later the two of you were outside. Obviously.

You practically bounded down the stairs, Aaron followed less enthusiastically. His hands instantly got shoved deep into his coat pockets. It had snowed nearly a foot and a half overnight. The academy grounds remain untouched, it was quiet and beautiful. 

You spin in the middle of it, laughing. Aaron can’t stop watching you. You look happy. Really happy. The kind of happy that made his chest ache and he wanted to burn it to his memory for the rest of his life. 

The two of you walk around looking at the trees that look like they came straight out of a Hallmark movie. The two of you make a very small snowman, the lack of gloves for either of you makes it short and sweet. 

“Ooh, a snow angel!” You cheer, finding a clean spot of snow to lay down in. Aaron shakes his head with a smile he can’t hide standing over you while you fan your arms and legs back and forth. 

“You’re gonna freeze.” He warns. 

“Aren’t you gonna warm me up?” You smirk. 

You reach out a hand so he can help you up without destroying it. You pull against him to reach out a crooked halo at the top of your creation. You lean into his side after you're done, both of you looking down at your work. 

After a little while the wind starts to pick up. A sharp gust cuts across the open grounds and your smile vanishes. 

“It’s cold!” You shriek. 

Aaron stares while you shiver dramatically. 

“Oh my god, it’s so cold.” 

Aaron starts laughing, he doesn’t waste a second. It was the hard kind of laugh that almost never escapes him. 

You point a finger at him, “Don’t.” 

“You wanted this.” He holds up his hands, still chuckling. 

He looks absolutely delighted. 

“Shut up.” 

He laughs even harder and wraps his arm around your shoulders a little tighter. The heat pours off of him and he blocks some of the wind. 

“Have you gotten your fill of the winter wonderland?” He asks, raising a brow that says ‘I told you so’. 

“Almost.” You smirk, by the time he catches the look in your eyes it's too late. A handful of ice cold snow gets tossed in his face. You run from his hold, the smile on his face becoming dangerous. 

The two of you slip and slide in the fresh snow while he chases after you. Your heart is racing, cheeks growing rosy from the cold air. The two of you looked ridiculous, but neither cared one bit. 

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

For one perfect day, the future didn’t matter. The choice of where the two of you would end up was not yet a thought. Two people so hopelessly in love you couldn’t imagine a world where you wouldn’t always be together.

-

The lightbulb overhead was still buzzing, your head pounding. Every heartbeat sent a wave of pain through your skull. The concussion wasn’t helping, and neither was the metal chair you had been tied to for hours. 

Brendan had left you alone for stretches of time, each time one of his minions would check in it would confirm that he wasn’t interested in killing you. At least not yet. Somehow that was worse. 

The heavy mental door groans as it opens, you don’t bother looking up. 

“Back already?”

Brendan’s steps echo in the large room. 

“You know, most hostages aren’t this sarcastic.” 

You finally raise your head, “Most kidnappers aren’t this desperate for attention.” 

He lets out a deep sigh and squats down in front of you to be at eye level. 

“Still trying to get under my skin?”

“Well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

His jaw tightens, his fingers flex into fists at his sides. This older version of Brendan was more dangerous than the one you had known before. The teenager that was arrested had been angry and impulsive. The man in front of you was surprisingly patient and restrained.

He holds up a bottle of water in front of your face, cracking the seal on it before holding it to your lips. You couldn’t take the bottle into your hand if you tried, the ropes are still biting into your wrists. After you get a few large gulps he takes the bottle back. Brendan grabs a chair and sets it up directly across from you. He slowly lowers himself to sit on it while watching you closely. 

“What?” You eye him. 

"Just admiring." He holds up his hands before leaning back, “I was just thinking.” 

You ignore him, letting him continue. 

“My father would’ve killed you already.” 

You look around the room to stretch your neck, “Well, your father wasn’t exactly known for thinking rationally.” 

He smiles, completely ignoring you. 

“He would’ve made it messy.” He continues, “He would’ve enjoyed you in every way possible and then killed you right here. Paid someone to bury you somewhere your family would never find you. Somewhere your team would never find you.” 

“And?”

“I’m not my father.” 

That made your stomach tighten. The calm ones were always worse. 

“I have a plan.” 

There it is. 

“Well, let's hear the speech you’ve been practicing.” 

His brow wobbles. 

“This isn’t a joke.” His grip tightening on the bottle making it crinkle, he suddenly stands. You remain calm, even while having each instinct screaming at you that this is bad.

“I had years to realize that this better be worth the wait.” He studies you, “Killing you is easy, it’s quick…”

His breath shudders, he’s enjoying this too much. It sends a chill deep into your bones. He's so excited he's actually getting himself worked up in front of you.

“It’s not what you deserve after taking away my family. You’ve done this to countless people-”

“Countless criminals.” You correct.

He sucks his teeth and shakes his head, "I should rip out your tongue."

He takes a quick step forward and grips your face tightly in one hand, your cheeks being pulled tightly.

"You and I both know it's your biggest asset." He licks his lips and your skin crawls, "No more sharp comments? That's a Y/n I think I could grow to like."

He lowers his face closer to yours, enough so you can feel his breath hit your face.

"Don't worry, I meant it when I said it's your biggest asset. People with money will buy anything.”

Your stomach drops, not following where he's going with this. He can see it on your face and for the first time since being abducted he feels like he actually has the upper hand.

“I'm putting you on the open market.” He finally lets go of your face but his hand moves to tuck your hair behind your ear, “For the highest bidder… The cartels, gangs, crime syndicates? All of the people you’ve put away. All of the families out there that you’ve destroyed. People out there would love the chance to return the favor, and I can’t wait to see who you end up with. I will give them ideas, no doubt.”

You force your eyes to remain steady on his, “You’re just as pathetic as your father was.” 

He lets out a frustrated huff, you can see him fighting the urge to hit out. Fighting to stay in control, with a couple deep breathes through his nose he manages. He runs a hand back over his hair, plastering on a false smile.

“I wonder if you’ll choose the coward’s way out like he did.” 

That does it. You officially strike his last nerve and he raises a hand to your face with a closed fist. Your cheekbone explodes with pain at the contact, your head falls to the side. You let out a pant and he fights to catch his breath. 

He runs a hand over his hair again, trying to regain control. 

“Okay!” He claps, “Let’s get you ready for the camera.”

-

Hours passed and sleep had become totally irrelevant to the team. The sun came up hours ago and no one even flinched. Everyone is following different leads or old cases that could be relevant. 

Reid has been working the list and eliminating the cases that weren’t likely. Morgan and Prentiss went back to your place to try and figure out how they broke into your apartment without a trace. JJ coordinated with the local law enforcement. 

Aaron was working on everything. Every lead, profile, and possibility. Nobody tried to tell him to take a break, no one would be bold enough to suggest it right now. Not even Rossi. Everyone had seen Aaron determined before, but they had yet to see it with such personal fear underneath it. 

Real fear. 

That scared them too. 

“I focused on offenders with demonstrated fixation behaviors and cases where she testified with the most involvement.” Reid states, finally done filtering through hundreds of cases, “I’ve landed on a trafficking case, a cartel, and two serial killers.” 

“How lovely.” Garcia shivers. 

Aaron thinks for a second, his gut screaming at him. 

“Tell us about the trafficking case.” 

“It passed around several agents before Y/n got it, she was the one who decided to go undercover.” Reid informs and everyone sinks with the realization about why this is so personal. You went undercover and betrayed someone, that’s why they are coming after you now.

“It was five years ago, a multi-state operation with major convictions and dozens of victims were rescued by Y/n.”

Silence falls over the room and Aaron recalls your speech from all those years ago. That was two years after this case, it’s clearly what pushed your career forward. He strains to remember the details you talked about, he had been so nervous to see you. 

“What would have happened if you weren’t there when she was taken?” Rossi asks him, the look on Aaron’s face tells them the gears are turning. 

Aaron shrugs, “It would’ve been hours before anyone knew she was missing.”

“Exactly.” Rossi nods, “Even then, you can’t even file a missing police report until it’s been twenty-four hours.” 

The case details flash in Aaron’s mind. They got their victims without a trace due to how they broke in. Being on the inside was how you had discovered they would watch their target’s routines before abduction. They would break in while the victim was away and take them directly from t

“Morgan, Prentiss.” Aaron looks over at them, “Go back to her apartment and look for places someone could lie in wait.” 

They both nod and grab their jackets before quickly leaving the room. 

“You think the unsub was there when the two of you came home?” Rossi asks. 

“That would explain how they took her silently.” 

“One of the defendants from that trafficking case was a juvenile.” JJ reads from the file. 

“Name?”

“Brendan Thomas.”

“Garcia.” 

“On it, sir.” She types away, “Brendan Thomas has been in Lawrence Correctional Center for the past five years, he was just released early for good behavior four months ago.” 

“That’s him.” Aaron says confidently. 

“Sir, we should-”

“That’s him.”

-

You’ve gotten used to the damp smell of the concrete in the room. It’s clear that it’s getting dark out from the small windows along the far wall. 

Brendan walks in carrying a laptop and two men follow in behind him. That’s new. 

“Ooh, has the evil villain speech evolved to the point of having a power point?”

He ignores your quip. The two men bring in a small table and they set it up a few feet in front of you. He sets the laptop down and connects a small camera to it. Your stomach tightens involuntarily. 

“Brendan.” 

He looks up, “Yes?”

“What is this?” You ask. 

He smiles, “I told you. Now, let's make some money!”

Your pulse starts to kick harder. Brendan claps before rubbing his hands together, his two henchmen smiling at his side. 

He adjusts the camera until it frames you perfectly. Your bruised face, tied hands, and dried blood along your hairline are clear as day. The dingy warehouse behind you is visible, but he tries to keep as little in as possible.

The image was deliberate. It was clearly proof of life. Proof of possession. Proof that he had successfully taken a FBI profiler.

“You’re out of your mind.” You eventually spit. 

He looks up from the laptop. 

“You're finally going to lose.” 

He continues to type away. 

“You know what surprised me?” He says like it’s any other normal conversation, “How many people were invested when I started asking around if there was any interest in you.” 

You stay silent and he grins. 

“Cartels. Gangs. Crime groups. All of the countless people you’ve put away.” He looks genuinely impressed, “You’ve been very busy over the years.” 

You let the cold resolve settles in your chest, “You don’t care who buys me.” 

“I told you before, I hope it’s someone terrible.” 

He focuses back on the laptop and after a few seconds the camera’s red light glows. His eyes light up. 

“And we’re live.” 

-

Back at Quantico Garcia’s fingers fly across her keyboard. The team is now chasing any potential leads on Brendan since he got out of prison. Upon a second look, Emily and Morgan found footprints in the entry closet that match the scene. The unsub was hiding in the closet waiting for you to come home from the case. They had no way of knowing Aaron would come home with you, meaning they were waiting in the apartment while the two of you were together.

“I found something weird in connection to one of the trafficking forums.” Garcia says quickly, “It’s encrypted, invitation only, and connected to several accounts linked to the Thomas organization.” 

Aaron was already looking over her shoulder. 

“Open it.” 

Garcia swallows, her finger hesitating to click ‘ACCEPT’. 

“I don’t have a good feeling.” She openly admits, but she clicks it anyway. Her screen is shared with the large monitor so everyone can see what it opens. You stare back at them from the monitor, bruised, tired, and tied to a chair. An active live video feed.

Garcia makes a broken sound in the back of her throat, “Oh my god.” 

JJ’s hand flies to her mouth, and Emily goes pale. Morgan’s face instantly reveals murderous anger. Aaron doesn’t move a muscle.

He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t breathe. 

You were alive. 

The relief hit Aaron so hard it almost hurt, but it didn’t last long before the terror replaced it. Beneath the video feed text scrolled across the screen. 

‘FEDERAL ASSET AUCTION. LIVE IN ONE HOUR. OPENING BID 1,000,000 USD. STATUS ALIVE (CURRENTLY).’

Tears stream down Garcia’s face. 

“He’s selling her.” Emily looks sick. 

“Not just selling her,” JJ adds quietly, “He’s advertising her specifically as an FBI agent.” 

“Can we trace it?” Morgan frowns. 

“I’m trying, but it’s bouncing through too many relays. He’s hiding it between six different countries.” 

On screen they can see you talking to someone off screen. The feed is muted so they can’t hear anything, but it’s clear you’re still fighting.

Aaron forces himself back into motion but he can’t pull his eyes away from you, “Who has access? Who else has this invitation?”

Garcia pulls up a scrolling list of usernames that are all encrypted. 

“Old cartel contacts, gangs, anyone with money connected to cases Y/n worked.” 

Derek looks ready to punch through a wall. Aaron’s heart slams painfully against his ribs. 

Rossi steps closer to the monitor, “Can we bid when it opens?”

The countdown has already started, less than an hour until you were up for sale on the black market. 

“No,” Garcia shakes her head immediately, “Not like this at least. We’re not actually inside the network, I found a viewer access point. We can’t interact without exposing ourselves.” 

Emily folds her arms against her chest, “So we’re just forced to watch criminals bid on one of our own who will do god knows what to her?” 

“No.” Aaron says quietly. 

Everyone looks at him. His expression had changed, he looked more focused now. Colder. 

“I need a list of everyone Brendan invited.” Aaron looks back at Garcia, his eyes leaving the screen for the first time since it went live. “Cross reference it with people still in prison that Y/n put away.” 

She gets to work, working the list down to five. 

“Get me everything on Luis Castillo.” Aaron pulls the name from the list. 

“He’s serving life in California.” 

“Good.” 

JJ frowns, “Hotch, he’s a cartel leader.” 

“Right now, he’s our best lead.” He reaches for his jacket and puts it back on, “I need a secure line with the attorney general in California.” 

“Sir-”

“Now.” 

Forty minutes later Aaron is standing in his office on a call with the U.S California Attorney General. He sounds exhausted and Aaron doesn’t sound any better. 

“You want me to negotiate with a cartel leader that is serving life?” The AG rubs her forehead, “What are you offering him?”

Aaron doesn’t hesitate, “Transfer to a lower security federal prison with improved visitation privileges."  

The AG frowns, “For information?”

“For Y/n Y/Ln.” Aaron corrects, “Which if I can remind you, without her he never would’ve landed in your possession." 

That changes the tone of the call. The AG straightens at her desk on the other side of the country. 

“You’re serious.” 

“Very.” 

She goes silent for a moment as she thinks it over. 

“Give me twenty minutes.” 

When the call ends Aaron finally lets himself look back at the feed. Everyone else is still in the conference room working together with it pulled up, but he has it on his laptop now too. You still have a stubborn look on your face like you’re refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing fear. 

“That’s my girl.” 

The team watches Aaron alone in his office. It was jarring seeing how scared he really was. Every second closer to the auction it was closer to you potentially disappearing into a world where they may never find you again. 

Everyone was focused on the timer that only had ten minutes left until the open bidding would begin. Reid and JJ were cataloging every warehouse in a fifty mile radius. Aaron’s phone rings  and he answers it, putting in on speaker for the room to hear. 

“Hotchner.” 

The voice on the other end belonged to the AG of California. 

“We’ve got him."

Aaron straightens. 

Luis Castillo. One of the highest ranking cartel leaders that you had helped convict years earlier. Currently serving multiple life sentences. 

“He’ll accept the deal, but he’s requesting to hear it from you directly.” 

Aaron looks around the room, everyone is focused on the call too. 

“Fine.” 

A minute later Garcia has him on a secure video call in a prison interview room. He looks older than his case file, prison has clearly been hard on him. His eyes remain sharp. 

“Do you remember Agent Y/LN?”

He smiles faintly. 

“She’s a hard woman to forget.”

Aaron fights to keep his voice even, “That’s not why I’m here.” 

Castillo leans back in his seat, “I know the organization.”

“Brendan Thomas?” Hotch clarifies. 

“That kid always dreamed bigger than his Pops.” Castillo actually sounds impressed, “I heard he was rebuilding what his dad had.”

Aaron voices the question everyone wanted answered. 

“Can you get us access to the auction?” 

“Yes.” 

Four minutes later the auction opens and Garcia is logged in with the information Luis provided. 

“I cannot believe I’m about to pretend to be a cartel accountant.” 

“Focus, Garcia.” Aaron reminds. 

Morgan squeezes her shoulder, “You’ve got this, babygirl.” 

The secure credentials flash across the screen. Verified and authenticated, the auction page immediately changes. A private bidder portal opened and new information appeared. There was an encrypted chat of people talking and discussing shipping preferences that Garcia pretended not to read. 

“Bid.” Emily nods. 

Garcia looks up, “It’s already at eight million.”

“Bid.” Rossi stands, “I’ve got the money.” 

Everyone looks at him. 

“What?” He shrugs, “The government's slow, I can mortgage the beach house.” 

Morgan blinks, “You’d spend all your money?”

“For one of our own?” He looks almost offended by the question, “Without blinking.” 

Aaron gives him an appreciative nod before looking back at Garcia. 

“Keep bidding.” 

-

You had lost track of time, once the auction opened a new gleam started to shine in Brendan’s eyes. He watches the numbers climb on the screen, total delight on his face. 

“You’re popular.” 

The bids keep climbing. 

Nine million. Nine point five. Ten. 

Each ding signaled a new bid, your stomach twisting. Not because of the money, but because each time it represented someone who wanted to hurt you. A new fate you would have to face.

He laughs loudly, “The Castillo cartel really wants you.”

You look away. 

“Didn’t you bring down that whole ring? Half of them are in prison now and the others fled the country.”

He was right. You had made enemies. Lots of them. 

“Are you scared yet?”

You turn to look back at him slowly. Your voice comes out dry, you haven’t had any water in hours. 

“I always figured I’d be expensive.” 

He barks a laugh, “There she is.” 

“You could’ve at least brushed my hair.” You sigh, rolling your neck to the side. 

-

“It’s slowing down.” Garcia watches the bid timer closely. 

“Who’s left?” Aaron’s eyes study the names left on the screen. 

“Just us and one anonymous account.” 

Aaron looks over at Rossi before back at her, “Keep going.”

Fourteen million. 

The room held its breath. Ten seconds. The other bidder answered fourteen-five.

Garcia groans, “They’re not stopping.” 

She clicks to up the bid again, putting it back in their hands. The timer counted down, three…two… one… Everyone stared as the screen went black. 

WINNING BID CONFIRMED. 

“We got her!” Garcia cheers, standing up from her chair and throwing her hands up in the air. 

Morgan actually picks her up in a hug, Emily smiles and JJ laughs in relief. Rossi lets out a long breath, but Aaron doesn’t celebrate. Not yet. 

“Wait.” Garcia leans to type on her keyboard again, “I have buyer access now.” 

“What do you see?” Reid asks. 

“I can see system information, he was routing through multiple servers but someone got lazy. They didn’t apply it to the auction winner after the auction closed.” Her voice shakes with excitement, “I’ve got the metadata.” 

Reid moves in closer, “Can you isolate the origin?” 

“I’m trying.” 

Lines of code race across the screen and the team continues to hover over her shoulder. 

“I’ve got it, she’s outside of Annapolis.” 

“Notify the Baltimore field office, I want tactical support.” 

“Yes, sir-”

The team was up and moving before Garcia could even finish her sentence. 

“Let’s move.” 

Rossi claps him on the shoulder, “Let’s go bring our girl home.” 

-

Five minutes later the rhythmic beat of the helicopter blades fill the air. The team sits shoulder to shoulder, meeting SWAT on the ground. Nobody said anything, there wasn’t anything left to say.The warehouse was in a rough neighborhood, most of them abandoned in the area. It was remote for being in a city. 

Several armored vehicles were positioned around the perimeter as the helicopter lands in a parking lot. The SWAT commander jobs over as the team files out, weapons in hand. 

"Perimeter's secure, we’re ready to breach.” He points to a blueprint and Aaron looks over his shoulder, “Thermal imaging is showing at least twenty individual heat signatures.” 

“Small army.” Derek mutters. 

The commander looks at Aaron, “Ready?” 

Aaron looks back at his team and everyone nods. No hesitation. 

“Let’s go.” 

The warehouse doors explode inwards, “FBI!”

“Federal agents!”

Chaos instantly breaks out. Everyone reaches for their guns, but SWAT is faster. Two drop quickly, but the noise alerts the others. Two flee toward the exit only to be met with another tactical team, they surrender. They clear room by room, still no sighting of you. 

Aaron never stops moving, his finger pressing firmly on the trigger and a flashlight in his other hand.

There’s a heavy steel door at the end of the hallway, the team gets in formation before entering. The second they do, they see how large the room is. At the very center of it you’re still tied to a chair. Bruised, exhausted, and very much alive. Aaron’s entire world narrows to you, his heart pounding in his ears. 

Brendan is standing directly behind you, men flanking his left and right side. He has one hand holding your shoulder tightly, the other is holding a gun aimed straight at your head. 

“Don’t come any closer!” Brendan shouts, the barrel of the gun pressing harder against your temple. 

SWAT spread across the room, you look up and see your entire team ahead of you. The moment you see Aaron your expression changes from fear to slight relief. 

“It’s over.” Aaron steps closer. 

Brendan shakes his head, “No, I don’t think it is.” 

One of Brendan’s guys looks toward a side entrance, just for a second. It’s enough for them. Two shots echo almost simultaneously, both gunmen drop to the ground. Brendan jerks in surprise, looking at both men writhing on the ground. 

It was the exact opening Aaron needed. 

One precise shot lands squarely in his forehead. He slowly falls backward, landing motionless behind you. Aaron is running toward you before Brendan actually hits the ground. 

“I’m here.” Aaron cries, he reaches into the back of his vest to pull out a knife. His hands shake as he cuts away the restraints at each wrist before moving down to your ankles. The second the last one falls away you try to stand. 

Your legs give out and Aaron catches you before you hit the floor, you bury your face into his shoulder and wrap both arms around him. Holding onto him with everything you have left. He holds you back just as tightly. 

Aaron closes his eyes for several seconds, he takes in a deep inhale. Somehow your hair still smells like your shampoo from last night. He’s confident it’s the same shampoo you used ten years ago too. For several long seconds neither of you speak, the room just disappears behind you. 

Nothing else matters, you’re both alive. He can feel your steady heartbeat, you pull back just enough to look at him. 

“You look terrible.” You joke, trying to lighten the energy in the room.

"I love you." Aaron blurts.

You blink, “What?”

"I love you and I never stopped." He runs a hand back over your hair with tears in his eyes, "You've never been my almost. You've never been anything other than my always. I'm always going to love you."

He closes the gap between the two of you, not caring about the team being mere feet away. You push through the pain of your split lip to kiss him back, letting him deepen it. Eventually the two of you pull back, he presses a couple more pecks to your lips. He can't help himself.

"I love you, too." You admit, a small smile growing.

He lets out a sigh of relief, "I am never letting you out of my sight again."

He presses a kiss to the top of your head and pulls you tight against his chest.

"Otherwise you'll call in a full tactical operation?" You nod to the SWAT agents sweeping the rest of the building and a laugh escapes him. Half relief that you can crack a joke already. 

“I missed you too.” 

You reach up carefully, brushing a thumb across his face, “I know.” 

He leans down to rest his forehead against yours, “I thought I lost you.” 

Your smile softens to a kinder one, “You’ve got to stop thinking like that.” 

Before Aaron gets the chance to answer Morgan’s voice booms next to the two of you. 

“Can we interrupt the reunion?” 

You both pull back, neither of you thrilled about it.

JJ steps forward to reach out for a hug, you laugh and hug her back. Everyone steps up, checking in one by one. Rossi lingers the longest, he would deny the tears later but everyone sees them. You end up getting two hugs from him, Aaron still close by your side. You have a feeling he won’t be leaving it for a while. 

“You scared the hell out of us.” Rossi sighs. 

You smile weakly, “Sounds like someone cares.” 

“You think?”

“Rossi was gonna put up the beach house!” Morgan calls. 

You raise a brow, “Wow, now I feel special.” 

Reid looks relieved enough to have forgotten his usual displeasure for physical contact, he also manages to bend down in an awkward hug. 

“You let them get the drop on you, superstar?” Morgan throws a careful arm over your shoulder to pull you into a side hug. 

“To be fair, I blame the concussion.” You shrug, “Or the sex. That was kind of distracting too.” 

“Y/n.” Aaron sighs, shaking his head but it’s clear he isn’t embarrassed or surprised. 

Rossi lets out a groan, “Now this takes me back.” 

JJ grins, “Hotch you’re looking at her like she hung the moon.” 

You cover a laugh, watching the team look between the two of you. 

“Yeah, look at him still holding her.” 

Aaron looks down and sure enough his arm was still firmly around your waist. He hadn’t even realized he was gravitating toward you. You look up at him with a teasing smile. 

“You can let go, I can stand now.” 

He looks down at you, not moving a single muscle. 

“No.” 

The entire team erupts, Morgan doubles over laughing. 

“I knew it!” Emily points triumphantly. 

You lean into him a little more even though you’re feeling better. Stretching your legs helped, your cheek still aches slightly. 

“Okay, get me the fuck out of here.” You nod toward the door. 

“Let's go.” 

The team heads back toward the door. Hotch leads you out carefully, you look back once to where Brendan still lays dead. This could’ve ended so poorly, but it didn’t. 

You have the team to thank for that. 

You have Aaron to thank for that. 

He intertwines his fingers with yours. He wasn’t going to let go, and neither were you.

-

an// YOU GUYSSSS OMFG JUST THE EPILOGUE LEFT NOW! please give me all your thoughts on this and thank you for letting me live out my ultimate exgf!bau!reader moment. it is all i could have dreamed of and more

TAGLIST:

“Really?” Morgan asks, leaning back in his chair. 

“A transfer.” Hotch confirms. 

Prentiss looks up from her coffee, “A good transfer or a political transfer?”

“Good transfer.” 

Hotch’s immediate and positive answer got everyone’s attention. He was the last person to willingly alter the team dynamic by throwing someone new in the mix. Hotch wasn’t one for compliments either. If he said someone was good, they were good. 

“Who is it?” Reid asks. 

Hotch opens a file and sets it down on the table. The room skimmed the highlights. Top of your class at Quantico, fluent in three languages, multiple commendations and a highly decorated agent. You’ve spent recent years a part of the counterterrorism task force and hostage negotiation before that.

Morgan whistles, “Okay.”

“She’s twenty-eight?” JJ asks. 

“That’s annoying.” Emily sighs. 

Rossi smirks, “She’s making the rest of you look lazy.” 

The conference room opens and before anyone can continue, or hide the evidence of your career on the table, you walk in. Everyone glances up and Aaron forgets to breathe for a second. He simply stares. The woman in front of him looked different than the teenager he still had in his mind. 

You looked more confident and polished. It looks dangerous. But your smile is exactly the same. It is still warm, bright, and familiar. 

“Aaron!” 

The entire room stills, hardly anyone called him Aaron. Morgan looks between the two of you and his jaw actually drops when Hotch smiles. An honest to God smile that the team hadn’t seen from him in months. Maybe years. 

“Y/n.” 

You break into a grin of your own. 

“Aaron Hotchner!” 

Hotch stands tall still, somehow the smile got bigger. 

“I think the last time I saw you was your high school graduation.” Aaron admits quietly.

You roll your eyes and nod, you step forward and he gives you a careful hug. You turn back to face the team and two of them look like they could fall out of their chair.

“Wait,” Morgan holds up his hands, “you didn’t know he was gonna be here?”

“You know, they said it was his team but I didn’t really believe them.” You tease.

Aaron rolls his eyes, but he’s still looking at you fondly. 

“Hold on,” Rossi points at Hotch, “you know how to smile?” 

He shoots him a look, immediately dropping the grin which causes you to laugh. 

“Oh, so that hasn’t changed?” You bite. 

He does a poor job of trying to keep his smile to a minimum. 

“Does he still do that thing where he stares at you until you feel guilty?” You ask. 

“Every day.” Prentiss answers quickly. 

Hotch sighs and the room erupts into laughter. 

“You haven’t changed much.” Aaron comments, a lie.

“That’s rude.” 

“You still talk too much.” 

“Definitely rude, I’m so contacting HR.” 

“Shut up.” 

The teasing came naturally, it was effortless. The team watches it with way too much joy for nine in the morning. They had never seen Hotch interact with anyone like this. Ever. 

Even Rossi looked surprised. 

“So,” Rossi breaks in, “one of you explain.” 

“I dated Sean in high school.” 

“Sean Hotchner?” JJ clarifies and you nod. 

“Little Hotch?” Garcia shrieks. 

“All throughout high school.” Aaron shakes his head, a teasing smile still creasing his face. 

“Aaron thought I was too smart for Sean.” You roll your eyes.

“Well, you did end up here.” 

“Aaron!’ You scold, the big brother side coming out on rare display, “He was the scary one-”

“I wasn’t scary-” He defends. 

“Oh, the stories I could tell-”

“Y/n.” He warns and your smile grows even wider. 

It had been years, but you practically lived at the Hotchner house. You and Sean dated for years on and off in high school, it was never great but he was your first real boyfriend. Aaron was ten years older than the two of you so he wasn’t always around. You remember him studying for law school and then eventually bringing home case files but somehow he still had the time to help you with your college applications. 

Back then he always seemed so impossibly grown up. Catching killers during the day, but still finding a way to come back home for a weekend every month to see his brother. But now you’re standing in the same room and you’re older than he was then. It feels familiar in a way you can’t place. 

“You did well, Y/n.” 

His words are simple but they mean a lot. You knew Aaron did not give out praise easily and you feel your smile soften. 

“So did you.” 

“So, are you going to introduce the rest of us?” Morgan asks, gesturing to the entire team at the table. 

Everyone laughed and with burning red ears Aaron introduced the rest of the team. Everyone explained their current case load and the ones they are monitoring, everyone is on standby for a case if a call comes in. 

Judging by the way the team kept staring at Aaron’s rare smile, you learned something very important. No one on the team knew the version of Aaron Hotchner you knew long ago. The one that laughed and teased. Somehow that made joining the BAU feel a little less intimidating. 

-

Eventually everyone broke out into the bullpen, settling in at their desks and you follow Aaron to his office to finish up the last of the transfer paperwork. 

You glance around his office while he gets everything in order. It’s exactly what you could’ve expected. Minimalist. Organized. Awards and commendations lining his shelves as well as pictures of Jack. There’s still one picture of Jack and Haley, she’s wrapping him up in a tight hug. You step closer, your finger dancing over the edge of the frame. Aaron clears his throat behind you and you turn to face him. 

You glance back at the picture frame briefly before focusing back on him, “I’m so sorry to hear about Haley.” 

His expression remains calm, years have passed. Jack was older now and life had moved forward but it was clear that the pain would never disappear completely. 

“I appreciate that.” 

You open your mouth to speak and his expression shifts. 

“How’s your father?” He changes the subject, handing you paperwork and turning back toward his desk. You groan and sit down in one of the chairs facing him. 

“There he is.” 

“What?” 

“The classic Hotchner deflection.” 

His mouth twitches. Barely, but you catch it clearly. Changing the subject to avoid being vulnerable was something both him and Sean were masters at. 

“My dad is good.” You eventually offer, “Retired, but still finding a way to complain about everything.” 

“That’s reassuring.” He smiles. 

“He’s proud.” 

“He should be.” 

You smile, “Look at you giving out the compliments today.”

He rolls his eyes, focusing back on the paperwork in front of him. 

“It was one compliment.” 

“Two.”

“It was one-”

“Defintley two-”

“Red alert!” Garcia walks right into the office, teetering on her heels. She freezes looking between you and Hotch. 

“Oh, were you guys having a moment?” She grins, her eyes shooting higher than the frames of her lime green glasses. 

“No.” Aaron answers immediately. 

“Absolutely.” You answer at the same time, saying anything to get Aaron riled up. 

“Don’t get Garcia started, she’ll never drop it.” Aaron warning, pointing an accusatory finger at you. 

You hold up your hands in mock defence, “Noted.” 

Aaron can tell you don’t mean it one bit. 

She squints her eyes looking between the two of you, “I knew it.” 

“Garcia.” Hotch warns. 

“Right. Horrible murder.” 

The mood in the office shifted instantly. Aaron stands from his desk and reaches out to take the file from her hands. 

“Montana.” 

Aaron starts looking through the case file and images, everyone else in the bullpen looking in their direction catching the news. 

“Three victims in twelve days. Rural county, the closest neighboring town is forty miles away.” 

Aaron continues to scan the report, “Victimology?”

“Different ages and occupations without any obvious connection. They actually called us in because every four days someone goes missing, and that same day the previous missing person is found.” 

Aaron closes the file, “Wheels up in thirty. Tell the rest of the team.” 

Garcia nods rapidly and leaves the room as hurriedly as she had burst in. 

“You’ve got a go bag?” He glances at you. 

You give him an offended look, “Do you really need to ask?” 

Thirty minutes later the team settles onto the jet. Garcia is coming with too, looking deeply unhappy to be there. 

“I don’t belong in nature.” She huffs, crossing her arms and looking out the plane window. 

“You’ll survive.” Morgan nudges her shoulder. 

“Will I?”

The case photos appear on the screen, everyone has the file in front of them with the details. 

“Let’s start.” Aaron announces. It’s weird having him as your superior and seeing him manage a team, but you know it’s what he was best at. He was bossing around Sean as soon as he could walk, you witnessed it first hand for years. 

“Remote location suggests he’s comfortable with the area.” Rossi offers. 

“Local hunter?” Morgan raises his brows. 

“Maybe.” 

“Most serial offenders operate within a comfort zone. Rural offenders generally hunt closer to home.” Reid vocalizes. 

You study the map and something bothers your gut. Screaming at you to correct it. 

“What if we’re looking at this backwards?”

Several heads turn toward you, Aaron watches silently. 

“The bodies were recovered here,” You point out each spot on the map.

“So?” Morgan questions. 

“What if that’s not where he hunts?”

Reid frowns, “The distance would be inefficient.” 

“Unless efficiency isn’t the point,” The jet cabin goes quiet while you continue, “Everybody assumes remote offenders want privacy-”

“Which is statistically true.” Reid interrupts. 

“Usually.” 

You put a little more emphasis on the word when you say it and it makes him pause. 

“What if he’s moving them intentionally?”

“Why?”

“Control.” Rossi answers, immediately catching onto what you’re theorizing. 

“Exactly.” You smile, “These sites aren’t random.”

Aaron notices it, his eyes narrow. 

“Water.” 

Every body had been found near a water source. Streams, creeks, even a small river. 

Reid leans forward, “Interesting.” 

“Thank you.” You smirk. 

“I’m not agreeing with you.” Reid argues. 

“You will.” 

Aaron hides a smile and Reid continues on unphased now. Aaron can remember you trying to debate him while you were in mock trial and he was a practicing prosecutor. You somehow held your own back then and it would appear that hasn’t changed now.

“If water is important to our unsub it could represent cleansing.”

“Or disposal.” Emily adds. 

“Or symbolism.” JJ jumps in. 

“Or all three.” You shrug. The debate continued back and forth between everyone for the rest of the flight. You held your ground every step of the way, but easily meshed with the group's ideas. It was exactly the way a group of experienced profilers should operate. 

“She’s fitting in fast.” Rossi leans in toward Aaron to say it quietly. It goes unnoticed by everyone else, still exchanging ideas. 

“Mhm.” Aaron doesn’t look up at the older man. 

Aaron wasn’t surprised with your intelligence. You said it yourself, he knew you were too smart for Sean and he made that known back when the two of you were dating. He was still a little surprised with how well you were slipping into a rhythm with everyone. The challenge and the willingness to defend a theory without taking disagreement personally. 

Outside the jet windows the vast Montana wilderness stretches below. Somewhere out there was someone dangerous, the case would be difficult but you felt certain of one thing. You were exactly where you were supposed to be. 

-

Five days. 

Five days in rural Montana and the team was no closer to catching the unsub than when you had first arrived. Everyone was exhausted, small town cases were surprisingly difficult. The sheriff’s office had become a second home to everyone, coffee cups littered every open spot on the table. 

Morgan doesn’t hesitate in giving you a hard time, making you feel more welcomed than it should by annoying you. Prentiss demands embarrassing stories about Hotch and has invited you out for drinks whenever the team gets back. JJ seems genuinely relieved to have another woman in the field. Garcia adores you and wants details about everything early twenties Hotch. Reid was somehow fascinated by the fact that this was your third FBI specialty before thirty and enjoyed debating with you. Rossi found you entertaining, loving the new side of Aaron that you seem to bring out. 

Dozens of interviews and countless hours in the field had turned up nothing. The unsub was still out there, and as of two days ago the fourth victim was found and he had someone new. Eighteen year old Madison Cooper was taken from a gas station, her car still waiting at the pump. Victim photos stare back at you from the board ahead, your brain replaying the past few days over and over. 

The newest body was discovered mutilated by a shallow creek twenty miles from where she had disappeared. She was clean, no traces of DNA or anything else left behind. The pattern continued and no one could kick your water theory from the table. 

“I’ve searched every registered hunter, fisherman, trapper, and landowner in a fifty mile radius.” Garcia reminds, still typing away rapidly at her keyboard. 

Morgan sighs and runs a hand over his face. 

“And?”

“Nothing.”

You continue to pace in front of the boards, unable to sit still any longer. 

“Every fishing license and criminal record known in Montana state.” Garcia continues, “I’ve reached the stage where more people look suspicious than not.” 

You turn away from the boards to face the team again. 

Reid squints, “You’re smiling.” 

“You’re about to disagree with me.” 

“I am?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun.” You grin. 

He shakes his head. 

Emily leans in closer to JJ, “She fits in way too well.”

“Yeah, she’s already annoying.” Morgan jokes, turning in his chair back and forth. His eyes jump over to you with mischief. 

“Annoyed that I’m already right more often than you?” You smirk, “Get used to it.” 

Hotch chuckles at the far end of the table and everyone notices. You look back to study the map again, thinking about all of the disappearances and the amount of time he’s with them. 

You grab a marker, “The water.”

Morgan sighs, “You’ve been talking about the water for five days.” 

You circle all of the locations where bodies have been recovered. 

“Look.”

Everyone turns their attention onto you and the board. 

“We’ve been assuming these were disposal sites-”

“They are.” Reid interrupts. 

“Not just that.” You argue and the certainty in your voice makes the room go quiet, “I think these are the closest locations he can get to.”

Aaron frowns, “Explain.”

“What if he isn’t bringing them there because of convenience? It’s a necessity to him.”

Rossi picks up on what you’re saying before anyone else, “He needs the water?” 

“Exactly, the bodies were cleaned and for whatever reason he doesn’t have access to do that privately.” You nod.

The room froze. 

JJ blinks and crosses her arms, “Cleaned?”

“The forensic reports mention minimal trace evidence every time but we don’t have any idea what he used.” 

Reid’s eyes widen, “He washed them in the water.” 

The pieces start to click together for everyone. 

“The water isn’t of the fantasy,” Emily discusses, “It’s part of the disposal.” 

“Garcia, instead of looking for properties can you look for RV titles?” You ask. 

“Oh yes I can!” She begins tying more rapidly, talking to herself as she filters out her search, “Oh my god. Joseph Dixon has an RV for his primary address and has lived in the area for the past thirty years. His wife drowned at the beginning of the year,” Garcia frowns, “He lost the house a few months after and has been in the RV ever since.”

Ten minutes later FBI SUVs tear down a dirt road with lights flashing. Garcia had found all of the RV campsites in town and eliminated the previously occupied locations, narrowing it down to one stream. 

It was a remote site, surrounded by tall trees that creak and sway with the evening wind. You get out of the car and Aaron circles everyone together before approaching.

“Remember, Madison is likely still alive if he is still following his timeline.” Aaron looks between everyone with sharp focused eyes. 

Everyone acknowledges him and moves to surround the RV with weapons drawn. Morgan breaches the front door and half the team floods inside behind him. The smell hits your nose immediately, strong with bleach and moisture. 

Joseph is standing toward the back of the RV with Madison barely standing in his arms. He holds her up as a shield with a knife held to her throat. 

“FBI!” Aaron shouts, “Drop the knife.” 

The man looks wild and desperate which is never what you want to talk down. 

“You don’t understand.” Joseph shouts back, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. 

You could see the grief and obsession all over his face. The loss of his wife and then his house has created this delusion. 

“They have to be clean.” He whispers, the room going still, “They have to be clean.” 

You keep your voice calm, “Let her go.” 

He shakes his head, “She isn’t ready.” 

You step forward carefully, making sure not to block anyone’s line of fire. 

“You couldn’t save her.” Your voice is soft, and more tears flood his vision, “And you think you’re saving them now, but you’re not.” 

His expression breaks, just enough to lessen his hold. He closes his eyes briefly to wipe at the tears and Morgan moves instantly. The takedown happened in seconds and you have Madison before she can reach the ground. She was safe, and now the unsub was in custody. 

A nightmare was finally over. 

You help Madison over to the back of an ambulance and return to the team once EMTs start checking her out. Morgan puts Joseph in the back of the sheriff's car. 

“Not bad.” Rossi calls out as you approach. 

You smile tiredly, “High praise from the founder of the BAU.” 

“You called the water on day one.” Reid has a confused look on his face. 

“Of course I did.” You smirk, some energy returning to your eyes, “You guys are going to have to get used to it.” 

Emily groans, “Oh god.” 

Aaron just smiles, shaking his head and following you and everyone back to the SUVs. For the first time in nearly a week the entire team looked relieved. The case was closed and the victim was alive. 

He finds himself watching you without being able to help it. You were a new agent to the team, but you were still a familiar face. You walked into the BAU less than a week ago and somehow it felt like you had been there for years. You look back and catch his eyes, when your eyes meet you smile. He smiles back and this time, no one on the team seemed surprised by it. 

-

Four short months, and several cases later, you finally had become one of them. Not the new agent. Not the transfer. Not the girl who knew Hotch. You were just one of the team members of the BAU and it was impressive considering how difficult it was to truly earn your spot with them. 

Aaron was impressed with it as well, but he wasn’t surprised. It was part of your skill. You were smart enough to challenge Reid without being intimidated. Confident enough to stand your ground with Rossi. Capable enough in the field that Morgan trusted you at his back without hesitation. 

You make people laugh, and that was surprisingly valuable in a unit that spent most days facing humanity’s worst moments. You brought energy into rooms. Life. A little chaos. It was the kind that reminded everyone that there was still good in the world. Even Aaron. Especially Aaron. 

Which is why everyone was becoming increasingly suspicious. 

“Tell me I’m not crazy!” Morgan holds up his hands, looking around at everyone sat at their desks in the bullpen. 

JJ doesn’t even look up from her paperwork. 

“You’re going to need to be more specific.” 

Emily leans against her desk, glancing back to where you and Aaron are standing in the conference room still talking after the morning meeting. 

“The way Hotch looks at Y/n.”

JJ finally looks up and peeks back to where Emily is still looking. 

“Oh.”

“Right?” Morgan claps. 

“Definitely.” JJ nods. 

Aaron was smiling as he was standing in front of you. Again. Not a full smile. Not the rare surprised laugh they occasionally managed to pull from him. Just a little crinkle around his eyes that wasn’t there before. 

“I’ve been saying it for weeks.” Derek shakes his head. 

Emily points at him dramatically, “Thank you!” 

Reid finally looks up from his book, “I don’t understand.” 

He looks up between everyone and they stare back at him. 

“You don’t see it, Spence?” JJ asks. 

He simply purses his lips and shrugs, Morgan looks horrified. 

“Kid.” 

“What?”

“They’ve got chemistry.” 

“Who’s got chemistry?” Rossi asks, stepping out of his office and down the stairs to lean against the edge of Spencer’s desk. Derek points up in the direction of the conference room. 

Reid shakes his head, “They’re just discussing victimology.”

“Exactly.” Emily nods, “When has Hotch ever looked that happy to do that?” 

Reid studies him for a long moment before letting out a “Ohhh”. 

Inside the conference room you and Aaron are surprisingly unaware of the curious eyes behind you. At least mostly unaware. You were aware of one thing. 

Aaron. 

It was becoming a problem that you didn’t know what to do about. Logistically it was ridiculous. Aaron was older. Significantly older. And he’s your boss. The Unit Chief. The man you have known since you were fifteen years old. The man whose younger brother you dated on and off for years. Every reason possible told you this was a terrible idea. 

Somewhere between Montana and now you started to look forward to seeing him most days. You noticed little things about him you didn’t pay attention to or have the privilege of knowing before now. 

The way he loosens his tie when he is tired. The way he pinches the bridge of his nose when he’s frustrated. The rare smile that appeared when Jack came up in conversation. The new smile that appeared when you were involved. This is dangerous territory. 

So naturally, you’re ignoring it as much as possible, which is becoming harder and harder to do. 

Aaron wasn’t doing any better. He knew every practical reason that told him no. Every professional instinct told him no. Every ethical concern told him no. And yet every time you walk into a room, it is getting harder and harder for him to hide. 

You make him laugh and challenge him. You understand him in a way that very few people do. It wasn’t because you’re a profiler, it was because you knew him before. Before he was in the BAU. Before Haley died. Before Foyet. Before the walls. 

You knew the version of Aaron Hotchner that existed before the grief and you somehow have a habit of bringing pieces of that man back. 

“Sir.” 

He looks over to see a panicked Garcia standing in the doorway with a tablet in hand. 

“What is it?” His brows instantly drop together.

“Florida.” She simply answers, making a face. 

“That’s bad.” You sigh. 

He nods immediately, taking the tablet from her and looking through the case. He steps out of the conference room and stops at the rail. 

“Everyone cancel your weekend plans,” He looks out over everyone in the bullpen, “Wheels up in thirty.”

A chorus of groans pass around the room. It was a Friday and everyone had looked forward to spending the weekend doing various things. It didn't take long for everyone to round up and grab their things. By the time the team reached the jet, it was already fueled and ready to go. 

“Three women missing over the last month.” Garcia explains over the monitor, “All of them taken from touristy parts of Miami.” 

Aaron skims the report in front of him, “Abductions?”

“Likely.”

“No bodies?” Reid questions, looking up toward the screen. 

“Not yet.”

Nobody liked that answer. 

“What about victimology?” You ask. 

“Different ages, backgrounds, and occupations.” Garcia sighs, “I’m looking for other connections.” 

You frown. No bodies and no obvious connections was a rough start. You look out toward the window where sunlight is streaming in. After a minute Aaron’s foot bumps yours and you look back over at the table and then up at him. 

He nods back to the monitor and you roll your eyes before focusing on the case again. Somewhere in Florida an unsub was waiting for all of you. 

-

The second the jet door opens, you are regretting today’s outfit choice. 

“Oh, absolutely not.” You groan. 

Morgan laughs, following you down the jet stairs, “You’ve been here for three seconds.” 

The humidity hit like a physical force the second the air hit your face. You push your sunglasses onto your head to keep your hair away from your face. 

“Who lives like this?” 

“People who live in Florida.” Reid answers and you roll your eyes dramatically. 

“Where are the cars?” Aaron asks, looking out over the tarmac where SUVs would typically be waiting. 

“Oh god,” Morgan sighs, “She’s gonna melt.” 

You bump his shoulder, but regret the physical contact. He practically sticks to you for a second. You unbutton the top button of your dress shirt and fan at your neck. 

Aaron’s eyes automatically follow your hands, watching you pull at the collar of your blouse. The heat was already turning your cheeks a rosy shade of pink. A few loose strands of hair were blowing around, a sheen of sweat gathering from the humidity. 

His gaze lingered, and for a second too long. You look over and catch him, immediately smirking. 

“Hotch, you staring?” Morgan asks, it would seem he caught the moment as well. 

He blinks, looking over at him. 

“What?”

Morgan bursts out laughing and you shake your head, “That wasn’t even remotely convincing.” 

Aaron adjusts his bag on his shoulder, “The heat seems to be affecting your judgment.” 

“Interesting.” You nod, “It would seem I’m not the only one.” 

Emily has to use her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to hide her laugh. Morgan’s grin was outright dangerous. Aaron shoots everyone a look, landing on you last.

“Good talk.” You walk ahead, noticing the SUVs finally pulling up. 

Twenty minutes later everyone arrives at the Miami police department. The local task force that had requested the BAU was already waiting. The case board covered an entire wall. Three women from three different tourist-heavy areas. No witnesses and no bodies.

You step closer to the board to get a better look at the pictures. The youngest victim was twenty-two, here on a college break. The oldest was thirty-four and was there as a travel blogger. It looked like the unsub was selecting his victims based on opportunity. 

The conference room door opens, a detective walks in carrying a stack of files and copies for everyone. You look up and the detective looks to forget what he was doing. Aaron noticed the sudden falter in his steps. Detective Gabriel Martinez was in his mid-thirties, former military with a good record and a strong reputation. And apparently he was incapable of hiding his attention. 

“Sorry,” He walks toward you, “Didn’t realize we'd be getting reinforcements.” 

Morgan physically bit his lip and watches you smile politely at the detective. 

“Agent Y/FN Y/LN.” 

His smile widens, “A pleasure.” 

Aaron suddenly found him significantly more annoying than he had thirty seconds ago. 

You accept the file from him, “Catch us up?”

Martinez moved happily beside you, Aaron watched the entire interaction closely. The detective points out spots on the map and you nod thoughtfully. The two of you laugh about something and Aaron actually frowns. 

Morgan glances over and sees it instantly. It was very entertaining, for nearly an hour. Everyone was still reviewing evidence and trying to get a baseline for the unsub. You spent the hour exchanging theories with Detective Martinez and trying to get a locals perspective, everything was purely professional. 

“Hey, there’s a coffee cart downstairs...” The detective clears his throat. The team exchanges glances, darting between you and Hotch.

You look up from the file, “What?” 

“Coffee?” 

“Actually,” Hotch interrupts, “The briefing is in ten minutes, we need to prepare.” 

You raise your brows at Hotch, surprised at him interjecting at this. He’s never opposed a quick coffee run on a case before. 

The detective clears his throat again, “Right, I’ll just go. Would you like one?”

You eventually pull your eyes from Hotch to look back at Martinez, “I’d love one.” 

The detective laughs before walking out of the room. You look back at Hotch, who is avoiding your gaze. You shake your head before turning back to the file in front of you. The entire team was watching Aaron and he was pretending not to notice. It was a poor strategy considering it was a team of profilers. 

“Hey, Y/n,” Rossi asks, “Can you call Garcia and give her an update?”

You roll your eyes but stand up anyway, “Even though we’re only ten minutes away from the next briefing?” 

You snatch your phone from the table and walk out of the room to call Garcia. The second you disappear out the door, Morgan strikes. 

“You’re jealous!”

Aaron doesn’t even look up, “No.” 

Rossi laughs loudly, “Aaron.” 

“I’m not.” 

Emily sighs, “Oh, you absolutely are.” 

He finally sets down his file and looks up at everyone. 

“Can you explain why you’ve spent the past hour glaring at him?” Rossi questions.

“I haven’t.”

Emily and JJ laugh, and even Reid looks skeptical. Aaron looks around the room and has no allies, none of them believe him for a second. 

“Let’s review,” Morgan leans back in his chair, “You’ve been glaring, and you interrupted him twice.” 

“Case-related.” He defends. 

Derek shakes his head, “You corrected his profile.” 

“He was wrong.” 

Rossi’s smile widens, “Not entirely.” 

Aaron sighs and now everyone else’s smile gets bigger. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, somehow making it even funnier. 

You walk back into the room and everyone immediately becomes professional again. You stop in your tracks and narrow your eyes. Aaron snaps up to look at you and your eyes scan everyone else. 

“What happened?” 

“Nothing.” JJ shrugs. 

“Nothing?” You question. 

Derek nods enthusiastically, “Absolutely nothing.” 

You look at Aaron, and then Rossi, and then back to Aaron. 

“Why do I feel like I just walked into something?”

Aaron immediately stands, “Let’s get back to work.” 

“Right,” You straighten, “Can’t be late.”

-

The briefing wasn’t great, there still wasn’t a lot of information to go off of. By seven that evening, the case had officially worsened. A fourth woman had gone missing. Twenty-four years old and taken near the boardwalk in broad daylight. 

The good news? Garcia was briefly able to ping her phone before it was ditched, it wasn’t enough to locate her but it was enough to paint a better picture of the unsub’s hunting ground. The bad news? That was all they got and the clock was ticking. 

The conference room buzzes with tension, Garcia remains on speakerphone but she’s uncharacteristically quiet. Reid and JJ are comparing timelines between victims. Morgan and Prentiss just got back from getting witness statements. Detective Martinez is back at your side again while you review the maps. Aaron notices immediately, of course he does. 

At this point, noticing you had become second nature to him. 

“You know,” Martinez leans against the table casually, his eyes drinking you over, “I’ve been thinking.” 

You don’t even look up, “Dangerous.” 

He laughs. 

“I’m serious.” 

“That’s even more concerning.” 

Martinez smiles, god he thought you were flirting. Everyone could see the reality, except for Martinez. You continue reviewing your work, not even paying him any attention. A missing woman had you very focused on the case at hand. 

“We should compare notes after this.” He pauses, “Maybe over dinner.” 

That finally caught your attention, you look up and he’s smiling confidently at you. 

“A real dinner.” 

There it was, any poor attempt at subtlety was gone. His offer was not professional or ambiguous and that made you sigh internally. 

“That’s kind of you,” You say politely, “But no.” 

A beat passes and Martinez blinks a few times. 

“What?”

Your smile remains the same, “No, thank you.” 

“Oh, are you seeing someone?” He questions, relief briefly settling on his face. You won’t let it last. 

“No.”

Somewhere at the table behind you Hotch snorts and coughs in an attempt to cover it in the quiet conference room. Silence fills up the room after that and for a moment you thought that was the end of it. Then his expression changes, and it was the kind that women noticed immediately. 

Martinez laughs, a short dismissive sound, “Seriously?”

Your smile instantly disappears. 

“Seriously.” You say it slowly and nod as you do so. 

The heads of your team members turned, now openly watching instead of pretending they weren’t watching this all unfold. 

“Wow.” He shakes his head. 

Your eyes narrow, “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” He smiles bitterly, showing how hurt he really is and shakes his head again. It was clear it meant something, “I just figured all the smiling meant you were interested.” 

The room freezes. 

“Detective-”

“No, it’s fine.” His tone was far from fine, “Should’ve known.” 

Aaron’s head snaps over and the temperature in the room seems to drop ten degrees. You recognize the look on his face instantly and know it’s not a good one. 

Martinez wasn’t finished, “You BAU people come in acting like you’re better than everybody else anyway.” 

Your jaw tightens, now you are genuinely annoyed. 

“Maybe don’t act interested next time, save a guy some effort.” 

The words had barely left his mouth when Aaron stood. The entire room felt the danger in the shift and Martinez’s confidence vanished instantly. He crosses the room toward him in quick strides, every profiler in the room gives up on working for the next few minutes. 

“She said no.” Aaron stops directly in front of Martinez and he towers over him. His voice wasn’t raised, yet. 

The detective swallows, “I wasn’t-”

“She said no.” Aaron repeats for emphasis, he remains calm and cold and it’s terrifying. Martinez glances around the room looking for support but doesn’t find sympathy in anyone. 

Aaron takes a step closer, “If an FBI agent politely declines your invitation and your response is to insult her professionalism, that’s a reflection of you.” 

Nobody moved a muscle. Garcia didn’t even utter a squeak. 

Martinez’s face reddens, “I didn’t mean-” 

“No, you did.” Aaron’s voice booms, “You implied she led you on because she treated you with basic professionalism courtesy.” 

The detective looked like he wanted to disappear. You honestly weren’t sure you’ve ever seen someone fold so quickly and Aaron wasn’t done. 

“You are a detective working an active investigation,” The conference room feels even smaller, “And if your ability to work with female colleagues depends on whether or not they agree to date you, you are in the wrong profession.” 

Complete silence. This is Aaron Hotchner angry, which was a rare occurrence. It took a lot to actually make him mad.

“I apologize.” Martinez finally mutters. 

“To her.”

The detective looks in your direction now, “I’m sorry.”

Aaron stares, “I think it’s a good idea for you to find a new case to work on.” 

He nods and actually escapes the room, the door closes loudly behind him. Nobody spoke, took a breath, or even moved a muscle. Finally Aaron breaks his staredown with the door to look over at you, letting out a pant of adrenaline. Your arms are crossed over your chest and it’s clear that you’re still mad. 

You look up at him and point toward the door, “Outside.”

“What?”

“Now.”

You walk out the door and know he follows, the gaze of every pair of eyes in the room watches the two of you go. You walk downstairs and right out the front door of the building to get some fresh air. The sound of downtown traffic breaks up the silence and the heat from the day is lessened now that the sun is down. The look on your face tells Aaron that this isn’t going to be fun. 

“You shouldn’t have done that.” 

His jaw tightens, “He was out of line.” 

“He was.” You nod. 

He looks confused, “Then why-”

“I can handle myself.” You interrupt with the real issue. 

He sighs running a tired hand over his face, “I know.” 

“Do you?”

“Y/n.” 

“No.” You gesture upstairs toward the building behind you, “You didn’t even give me the chance back there.” 

He looks away from you, dodging your eyes which told you everything. Your eyes narrow, reading him better than anyone else. 

“Oh my god.” 

“What?” He questions suddenly looking back and you laugh once in disbelief. 

You take a step closer to him, “So that’s what that was?”

His expression becomes cautious but he lets you continue. 

“So was that protective ‘older brother’ Aaron back there?”

He winces as the words leave your mouth. 

“Or was that Unit Chief Hotch, defending my honor?” 

You pause.  

“Or was that the man who has been staring at me for months and pretending not to back in there?” You raise your brows to show how serious you’re being. 

“Y/n.” He warns. 

“You were jealous earlier.” You cross your arms over your chest again.

The air felt like it disappeared, his expression doesn’t change. You hold his gaze, waiting for him to admit what he knows you can see on his face. 

“Y/n.” 

“Aaron.” 

“Y/n.” He repeated himself but now his tone is a warning, telling you to shut up and pretend this conversation never happened. Pleading with you. Neither of you can look away, you feel drawn closer somehow. Like two magnets fighting the inevitable. Eventually Aaron sighs and it’s a slow surrender, he’s tired of pretending. He relaxes, his head tilting slightly to the side as he melts a little.

“You’re right.” 

Your heart skips a beat. Aaron looks down briefly before meeting your eyes again. 

“I was jealous.” 

The words land and you don’t even crack a joke. 

“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.” He continues quietly. 

Your pulse quickens, “He wasn’t the first.” 

“I know.” 

“Then why now?” 

Aaron laughs softly without any humor because he knew exactly why. This time he cared, far more than he should. 

“You know why.”

Your breath catches and he notices. 

“Say it.” You dare.

Aaron rubs a hand across his jaw, his eyes studying you openly. He knows once he puts it out there, he can’t take it back. 

“I don’t know what to do about this.” 

Your heart softens at the admission. The honesty surprised both of you 

“Aaron…” 

His eyes dart between yours, and he wishes he could hear you saying his name like that on a loop. For the first time since you joined the BAU, he didn’t have any walls up and he takes a step closer to you.

“I know every reason this is a bad idea,” He sighs, “My brother,”

You nod. 

“I’m your supervisor.” 

“True.” 

“The age difference.”

“Yep.”

He sighs again, “And yet… I cannot bring myself to stop wanting you.”

You smile at him softly, “Will you just kiss me?” 

Shock flashes across his face and now it’s his turn for his breath to catch, “That was your takeaway after all of that?” 

Neither of you move to step away from each other. 

“Is that a no?” You smirk, “Because if you-”

He doesn’t let you finish the sentence, cutting you off with his lips. His hand cups the side of your face and you let him deepen the kiss. You melt against his touch and welcome his tongue to explore your mouth. After a few seconds you hum, pulling back while remembering exactly where you are. Directly outside of the Miami PD with your entire team close by. 

“I want you too.” You admit, you hadn’t really confirmed that earlier other than by asking for a kiss. 

“Can we try and figure this out sometime after we get back from this case?” He asks, his hand still holding your face. 

You nod immediately, leaning back in to steal another kiss and a quick peck. You take a step back from his hold, the two of you need to straighten back up again. Just in time too as Morgan bursts out the doors and jogs over to join you guys, “If the sexual tension is gone, we have a serial killer to catch.”

You roll your eyes, but you and Aaron follow him back into the police department anyway. Neither of you miss the smiles on each other’s faces before heading back inside. For the first time, neither of you was pretending anymore. 

-

It's been a couple months since Miami and everything has changed. The team noticed it immediately, of course they did. They were profilers and noticing things was literally the job. You and Aaron were taking things slowly. Kind of. 

It was a few dates after returning on the rare nights that the two of you got out of the office at a decent hour. The team tried to trip the two of you up, placing bets on who would crack first. Neither you nor Aaron had any idea one of Jack’s soccer games would destroy any last denials from the two of you. 

Garcia and Morgan wanted to surprise Jack on their Saturday off, and it paid off tenfold when they saw you sitting on the bench passing out orange slices. Garcia nearly passed out when Aaron lean down to press a kiss to your cheek. 

Things were going really well, even now that the team had been clued in on it for a week now. You would wait in his office after everyone left, it felt comfortable and steady. Aaron would tempt you into coming home with him rather than back to your apartment. It was becoming more frequent for the two of you, and you were loving every second.

“We’ve got a case.” Garcia walks into the bullpen, carrying on all the way into the conference room without stopping. Aaron walks out of his office and you automatically look up and catch him staring. You smirk and he immediately looks away, Morgan catches the entire exchange. 

Everyone settles around the round table and Garcia connects her tablet to the bigger screen to display the crime scene photos. 

“What do we know?” Aaron asks. 

“New York City.” She clicks through the images and you wince instantly, “It’s bad.”

Bad was an understatement because the crime scene photos were brutal. Young women in their early twenties with extensive injuries completely mutilated and found in abandoned warehouses. The killer was deliberate, organized, and angry. 

Emily frowns, “That’s overkill.” 

“Extreme overkill.” Reid agrees. 

Garcia swallows, “It gets worse.” 

Nobody liked the sound of that. 

“All of these have occurred in the last nine days.” 

Six different victims were in the file, meaning there was rapid escalation. This unsub has no intention of slowing down. 

-

The jet had just reached an altitude high enough to cruise, everyone is buried in the case file at this point. You sit next to Aaron, Reid and Rossi taking the spots across the table from the two of you.

“It feels personal, he’s got a serious hatred for women.” You comment. 

“It does.” Reid agrees. 

Morgan leans forward from the couch, “These women have to remind him of someone specific.”

“All of the victims had dark hair.” Emily notices. 

The team continues to work, it isn’t a long flight. Rossi looks up from the file between you and Hotch. 

“Hey,” Rossi starts, “Doesn’t Sean live in New York?”

Without thinking the answer came quickly from you, “Yeah, he does.”

Morgan smirks and leans in even closer, “The brother?”

You roll your eyes and nod before turning your focus on Aaron, “We should call him?”

Aaron looks up at you, a second of panic flashing across his face. 

“See when he’s off work?”

He doesn’t say anything and the smile fades from your face. 

“Aaron?”

He hesitates, “It’s been a few years since I’ve spoken to Sean.” 

You stare at him, completely surprised and convinced you had misheard him. You knew they weren’t as close as they used to be, but you had no idea it was this severe. 

“Years?”

The team exchanged looks and it was clear that everyone else was aware of this fact. Aaron hates how genuinely shocked you look. 

You lean back angling yourself toward him, “You seriously haven’t talked?”

He remains silent. 

“What happened?”

Everyone sits back quietly because this clearly has become more interesting than the case for the time being. The Hotchners had always been close. That was how you knew Aaron so well, he came back so frequently to see his brother even when he was busy with school and work. The two of them were close because of how distant they were with their parents, Aaron’s dad has never been someone they could look up to. 

“He hasn’t seen Jack since he was three.” Aaron sighs, “I haven’t talked to him since he didn’t come to Haley’s funeral.” 

“Oh.” 

Silence envelops the entire jet. 

Rossi breaks it, “Does he know?”

“Know what?” Aaron plays along obliviously. 

Derek gives him a look, “Hotch.” 

“No.” You answer simply, “We haven’t told him.” 

Morgan grins and your eyes narrow. 

“He doesn’t know?” Emily almost jumps up from her seat. 

Aaron pinches the bridge of his nose briefly and you close your eyes for a few seconds. 

“We haven’t-”

You can’t finish the sentence. There is absolutely no good way to finish that. 

Morgan still looks delighted, “You haven’t told him.”

You look at Aaron. Aaron looks at you. 

“That’s going to be a fun call.” Rossi leans back in his chair. 

You cover your face, “This is going to be terrible. This is worse than I thought it would be.” 

You and Aaron always knew this was something that would have to be addressed, but both of you had written it off as a future issue. You knew it wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but you didn’t know he and Sean weren’t even in communication. 

“You could always do it later.” JJ offers. 

“Yeah,” Derek claps, loving this way too much, “He could always find out on the Christmas card.” 

You roll your eyes, “Such an ass.” 

“Merry Christmas. Also, I’m dating your brother.” 

The team breaks out in laughter, but it slows when Aaron’s glare levels the room. You knew it was something deeper that would keep them apart for so long. Something unresolved and painful, the teasing around the room faced away. 

You hold his gaze, everyone else focuses on themselves again. 

“We should call him.” 

He looks at you, his face void of annoyance or defensiveness now. After a moment he nods and reaches out under the table to grab your hand and give it a squeeze. 

“Together?” His expression is warming. 

“Together.” You nod. 

Unfortunately the heartfelt moment lasted about three seconds. Then Morgan spoke. 

“Oh, this is serious serious.” 

It wasn’t long before the New York skyline slowly appeared out the windows. You were confident that Derek’s rapid texting was updating Garcia back home on the recent revelations. Everyone now had a new mystery to obsess over. 

-

The case has gone one for two more days after the team lands in the city. Three more bodies have been found, the unsub was still escalating. The profile had narrowed, the suspect pool was shrinking. 

You called Sean the minute you landed, you forced Aaron to stand next to you on the tarmac so he couldn’t back out of it. The call itself was relatively easy, you and Sean have been in contact for years. 

“Hey stranger.” He answered. 

The conversation picked up like no time had passed, like it always did. By the end of the call, he agreed to dinner with the two of you without hesitation. The only problem was that he couldn’t get away from work for the next two nights. 

Which gave Aaron days to dread the conversation that was to come. 

Now the dreaded evening has arrived. 

“Don’t forget your date.” Rossi chuckles, looking between you and Aaron. 

Aaron doesn’t even look up from the evidence board, “Not a date.” 

“Family dinner night.” Morgan corrects with a wicked grin.

“God, that’s even worse.” You groan. 

Derek cuts you a look, “Coming from the girl dating brothers.” 

“Shut up!” You smack his shoulder. 

“I’ve been waiting for this all week!” Garcia cheers from the laptop. 

You step closer to where Aaron is standing. 

“If you say something about how long his hair is, you’ll sound just like your dad.” You threaten, knowing that will stop him more than anything else you could possibly say. 

“Jesus.” He mutters under his breath. 

“Sorry,” You look back at him and offer a small smile, “we just don’t need to start this off on the wrong foot.”

Aaron knows you’re right, this isn’t going to be an easy conversation. Sean was meeting the two of you at the precinct, you guys didn’t really have time to stray far in case anything developed in the case. 

“Hello, hello!” Sean knocks on the open door and walks into the conference room. 

A smile appears before you can stop it. He looks older than the last time you saw him, a little more tired, but unmistakably Sean. 

“Y/n!’ 

He wraps you up in a big hug, the kind that’s reserved for people who you have known for a long time. 

“Look at you!” 

You laugh and Sean steps back. 

“I can’t believe you’re on Aaron’s team, what are the odds?” 

“What are the odds indeed.” Morgan says quietly enough for most of the room to miss it. 

He shakes his eyes and his eyes finally land on his older brother. The smile on his face fades slightly, but not completely. Aaron steps forward and offers him a hand. 

“Sean.” 

The younger of the two nods and meets his firm handshake, “Aaron.” 

The exchange was civil but definitely awkward. Apparently neither Hotchner knew how to communicate in the presence of the other. Sean starts to notice the group, the famous BAU he had seen briefly a couple times over the years. 

“Morgan, right?” Sean reaches out to shake his hand. 

“Yeah man, good to see you again.” 

He exchanges polite conversation with everyone, making the rounds. You stand at Aaron’s side by the door, his eyes rake over your figure and you can tell he’s nervous. A rare side of Aaron. You give a reassuring nod and small smile to try and offer some comfort. 

Sean clears his throat, the two of you snap up in his direction. His expression slowly changes the longer he stares at the two of you. 

You straighten, “Ready?”

He doesn’t move, blinking a few times. The slow painful realization was becoming clear on his face as he looks between the two of you. 

“No way.” He says weakly. 

Prentiss covers her mouth to hide her reaction and JJ has to turn away. Aaron closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

“Sean-” You try. 

“No.” 

He walks right past the two of you, straight out of the precinct. You and Aaron both follow behind all the way out onto the sidewalk. 

“Sean.” Aaron calls after him several times. 

He keeps walking. 

“Are you kidding me?” He tosses over his shoulder, not slowing his stride. 

“Sean, please.” You call, his steps falter for a second before he stops and turns around to face the two of you. 

Twenty minutes later the three of you are sitting in a small Italian restaurant. The shock had not worn off at all and the table was quiet. Aaron looks exhausted and Sean looks like he would rather be anywhere else on the planet. 

“This is unbelievable.” Sean shakes his head, breaking the silence that had been sitting with them since the waiter left, “Aaron, you’re dating my ex girlfriend?”

“From high school.” Aaron reminds defensively. 

Sean points in his face, “Still.”

“It was over a decade ago.” 

Morgan would’ve loved this. Aaron pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh. 

“How long?”

You decide to answer, “A couple months now.”

“Since you joined the team?” His brows raise and you shake your head. 

“Not right away.” 

“Huh.” He reaches forward and takes a piece of bread that had been sitting in the center of the table the entire time. “And you’re both happy?”

You tilt your head, “That’s it?” 

He shrugs, “What do you want me to say?”

“Aren’t you mad?” 

Sean laughs, “Y/n.”

His expression softens and you and Aaron look at each other unsure and confused. 

“We broke up a decade ago.” Hotch holds up his hands at Sean’s words, but he continues anyway, “We’ve been friends ever since. It’s a little weird, but I’m not mad.”

Aaron looks completely surprised. 

“Aaron did tell you for years that you were too smart for me.” Sean reminds.

You snort loudly.

“I do, however, reserve the right to make fun of the two of you about this.” 

“That’s fair.” Aaron cracks a small smile. 

“Extensively.” 

Aaron sighs, “There it is.” 

For the first time all evening, the tension eased. The conversation shifted to lighter topics. Old stories and family memories dominated the meal. Work was part of it, but it didn’t last long since you had to step on Aaron’s foot to drop the judgement over his career path. Some time after the table was cleared and leftovers boxed up, Aaron and Sean started talking. Really talking. 

Years of distance could never just disappear overnight, but it was a start. You noticed the way the two of them had both relaxed. They would never admit it to the other, but they missed each other. 

Eventually Sean points at you, “You know she’s the one responsible for this?” 

Sean is staring closely at his brother. Aaron would admit that this conversation wouldn’t be possible without you. After the years had passed, Sean missing core moments of Jack’s life, he never thought they could get back to this place. 

Aaron nods, “I know.” 

For a moment the younger Hotchner looks genuinely happy. It wasn’t about the relationship, or even the weirdness of it, but just being happy to see his brother smile again. He knew things had been rough, he wouldn’t deny either of you the happiness you clearly bring each other.

Sean raises a glass, “To questionable life choices.” 

You laugh and Aaron groans. 

For the first time in years, both Hotchner brothers laughed together. 

-

You and Aaron take your time walking back to the hotel. The team let you both know that everyone was heading back to the hotel for the night, hoping fresh eyes tomorrow would help. For a few hours the two of you weren’t behavioral profilers. The warmth of the dinner had almost felt surreal considering how it had started. 

It was a brother reconnecting with his family and two friends reuniting.

The elevator ride up was quiet in a comfortable way. You lean against his side as he watches the floor number flash as you climb higher. 

“Tired?” You ask, looking up at him. 

He huffs a laugh that even sounds tired, “Very.” 

“Emotionally?” You tease. 

He glances down, “Mostly.” 

You smile and the elevator doors open. The two of you were only a few doors apart, standard BAU procedure. Separate rooms and separate spaces were the professional way. The two of you stop outside your door. Neither of you are eager to separate. 

“Goodnight, Aaron.” 

His expression softens, “Goodnight.” 

He waits for you to get into the room and for the door to lock before walking down to his room. You immediately move toward the bathroom to take a shower and wash off the day. After the fact you reach into your bag and pull out one of Aaron’s old law school hoodies. It was something you were quick to claim the first time you came over to his place. 

It was faded and comfortable. You saw him wear it a dozen times all those years ago. 

You’re brushing your teeth when your phone lights up on the bathroom counter. 

Aaron. 

You smile instantly and answer the phone and put it on speaker. 

“Miss me already?” 

He pauses and it’s long enough you look down at the phone to see if the line is still connected. 

“Yes.” 

You freeze, toothbrush halfway to the sink. 

“What?”

He sighs and you can practically see him rubbing a hand over his face. 

“I’m aware how that sounds.” 

You laugh, “Aaron.” 

Another pause. 

“I do. Miss you.” 

Your smile was impossible to wipe off now. This was not the composed Unit Chief most people knew, this was the one you have been seeing for months. This is your boyfriend being the needy man he is. You move to your bed, taking your phone with you and sliding under the covers. 

“I’m right down the hall.” 

“Yes.”

“LIke twenty feet away.” 

“I’m aware.” He passed out everyone’s keys, of course he’s aware.

You’re smiling so wide it’s starting to pull on your cheeks, “You know, you’re quite needy.”

He lets out a surprised laugh. 

“You’re to blame for that.” 

You laugh loudly, not expecting that. 

“Sneak in then.” 

The line goes quiet for a few seconds. You can practically see him debating it. It’s late enough now, few people on the team would even be up at this point. The two of you have not done this once since the relationship started. 

“They’ll notice.” He eventually says. 

“Not if you’re careful.” 

He takes a few more seconds to debate. 

“You make terrible suggestions.” 

“Hey, you’re the one who called me all breathy saying ‘miss you’.” 

He laughs suddenly and the sound brings another smile to your face. 

“Twenty seconds.” He hangs up and the line goes dead. 

Less than twenty seconds pass and there’s a quiet knock at the door. You chuckle to yourself and walk over to open the door. 

“Aaron.” You smile. 

He walks straight in, his arms wrapping around your waist. His lips find yours, pressing hard as he backs you up closer to the bed. He pulls back after a few more seconds pass, pressing a couple quick pecks after. 

You smile and run a hand through his hair. You can see the weight of the last few days lessening. 

“Hi.” He smiles. 

His smiles weren’t rare anymore, they happened all the time now. You still appreciate seeing them every time. The two of you move to get under the covers, he doesn’t miss the hoodie you’ve managed to get ahold of. He’s confident this isn’t the only one you’ve got.

Aaron pulls you in against his chest and reaches out to turn off the lamp. The room goes dark, but you can still faintly see his outline in the moonlight. 

He lets out a deep sigh after a few moments pass, holding you a little tighter. 

“Rough day?” You ask, sensing the tension leaving. You trace your hands up and down his arms that are wrapped around you.

“Long day.” He pauses, “A good day.”

Your expression softens because you know exactly what he meant. The conversation and the relief afterward had been a lot to worry about. You could see that he was carrying it for days. Everything you had been worried about somehow worked out.

“You okay?” 

“Better than okay.” He leans in closer to press a kiss behind your ear, “I was worried.” 

“About Sean?” 

You feel him nod behind you and squeeze his hand. 

“He loves you.” 

“I’m glad tonight happened.” He quietly admits. 

“Me too.” 

“I’m so glad you’re here.” 

The words were simple but they meant everything. 

“Me too.”

For the first time that Aaron could remember he felt completely at peace. Even if it was only for one night and the two of you would likely have to face another crime scene tomorrow. Tonight was all he needed. He has you in his arms and that’s enough.

-

an// a little one shot turned LONG one shot just as a mini break from the Hotch series i’ve been working on! so fun, i love dating brothers even tho it’s so so wrong lmao. the beauty of fiction, my loves! please let me know your thoughts, i’m dying to talk about this!

also

The drive was quiet, you didn’t have to give him directions. It was comfortable, but part of you was still replaying everything that has happened since you came here. You didn’t know what to expect when joining the BAU, but you didn’t think it would push you back into Aaron’s arms. That was something you had given up hope on. It was something you didn’t think you even wanted anymore. At least until you’ve had to see him nearly every day again for months.

The streetlights pass overhead the entire commute. Aaron drives with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the center console. Eventually you reach over and your fingers intertwine automatically. It felt like muscle memory. You catch him looking down at your hands briefly while a small smile threatens the corners of his mouth. 

By the time the two of you reach your apartment building, the city has grown quiet for the night but the two of you are wide awake. You unlock your front door and toss your bag down on the couch. Aaron remains by the door, bag in hand like he’s unsure what to do with it. 

“Aaron?” 

His eyes meet yours. 

“Do you wanna take a shower?” You take a couple steps back toward your bedroom, “Together?”

He blinks. You can see it processing on his face before that rare smile makes an appearance. 

He huffs a small laugh, “Only a fool would say no to that.” 

He follows your lead, leaving his bag in your room. You reach into the shower to turn on the water, steam rising from it. The room starts to fill with heat, fogging the mirror and softening the edges of the room. 

You turn back to see Hotch leaning against the doorway, watching you with warm eyes. Desire written all over his face. He steps forward without hesitating, until the space between the two of you collapses. The heat from his chest brushes against yours, his hand reaches for your jaw tilting your head up toward him. 

He’s waiting. Asking without asking.

“Aaron.” You practically beg. 

His eyes darken and his hand finds the curve of your jaw. His mouth meets yours and it’s not soft. It’s deliberate and certain. His lips are warm and familiar, even after all these years. His palm slides to the back of your neck, his fingers threading into your hair. He deepens the kiss like he’s finally getting a taste of what he’s needed for years. 

When he breaks it, his forehead rests against yours while you both catch your breath. His grip on your neck hasn’t loosened, you pull him against you again by the collar of his dress shirt. Your teeth catch his bottom lip and the sound he makes is low and dragged from somewhere deep in his chest. 

“Y/n.” He murmurs your name as his mouth finds your jaw, then your throat. The kisses are open mouthed and unhurried like he’s addicted to tasting your skin. His hands slide down your sides, his thumb tracing the curve of your ribs. His breath is hot against your collarbone. 

You reach forward to undo the buttons of his shirt and push it back off his shoulders so he can be free of it. Scars litter his chest that weren’t there ten years ago. 

His mouth reclaims yours, hungrier now. He isn’t as careful now, his hands find the hem of your shirt and he sneaks his hands under the material. You arch into his touch and the shirt comes off in one smooth motion, tossed somewhere behind him on the bathroom floor. 

His eyes travel all over you and his breath catches. It’s barely audible, but you hear it. He lowers to his knees and it’s almost ceremonial. His hands find your hips, his thumb hooking on the waistband of your pants. He pulls them down slowly, mouth trailing after the newly revealed skin. 

He pauses when his eyes catch on something. His thumb brushes over the ink on your hip. 

“This is new.” He looks up, his eyes meeting yours. You nod, biting back a smile. You’ve had it for years, but for him it’s new. His eyes visibly darken before he looks back to press a kiss over it. “I like it.” 

His mouth finds the soft inside of your thigh, continuing each kiss. His hands guide your legs apart and you brace a hand against the wall. Each kiss is slower than the last and building heat in their wake. You let your other hand reach down and find his hair, fingers threading through the short dark hair.

He looks up at you as he presses another open wet kiss to your thigh before finally reaching you. It’s soft at first, barely there. Then his tongue parts you, flat and warm. Aaron’s grip on your hip tightens and his eyes flutter shut. You can see it on his face, he’s savoring it. His tongue circles and finds a rhythm. Every couple of seconds his nose brushes against your clit, making your moans fill the bathroom. 

One hand leaves your hip to slide up your stomach before cupping your breast. His thumb brushes your nipple while his mouth continues to work on you. He hums and the vibration travels through your core, pulling a loud gasp from you. He doesn’t speed up, he draws it out like he never wants the moment to end. Your grip on his hair tightens and he knows you’re close. The pressure builds tight and hot until you can’t hang on anymore. 

“Okay,” You say a little breathless, “Now can we shower?” 

He stands and smiles proudly before nodding. The shower was still hot thankfully, you tilt your head back to let it wash over your face. When you open your eyes again Aaron’s joined you, his eyes openly drinking you in. You reach out to pull him under the stream with you and he pulls you in close. The water makes his hair even darker and plasters it to his forehead. He looks younger like this, before taking a hand to brush the damp hair away from his face. 

With a grin still plastered to his face, “I missed you.” 

You unsuccessfully fight off your own smile, “I missed you, too.” 

He pulls you in for a deep and all consuming kiss. Your back meets the cold tile and his hand braces beside your head. The water runs down the two of you but neither care to break away. You melt against him. 

“I think we should do this forever.” He mumbles against your lips, “But tonight you still have a concussion.” 

You laugh, pulling back enough to press your forehead against his. He’s right, the two of you probably shouldn’t take it further than this tonight. You reach around him for your soap and a wash cloth. You lather it up and bring it to his chest and he stills under your touch. He isn’t exactly tense, but you can tell it’s been a long time since anyone has done this for him. 

You spread the soap across his shoulders, over the broad planes of his chest. His eyes close and he lets you pass over his scars without flinching. You take your time, working down his arms as well. You turn him gently and he lets you. You drag the wash cloth down the stiff ridge of his spine. 

“Y/n.” He says your name quietly like a prayer he didn’t mean to say out loud. 

You continue, finishing at his hips and tracing the muscle that frames them. His head drops forward and he pulls you up to stand under the stream of water with him again. 

“Your turn.” He smiles again. 

He washes you like he’s done it a hundred times, and it would be a lie to say it was the first time. It was the first time in this decade at least. 

He works slowly, moving across your collarbone and down your arms. His hands are impossibly gentle and careful. These are the same hands that throw punches at unsubs, but you would never know that now. His lips brush your shoulder, you feel him exhale. 

“Thank you.” He says with another quiet exhale. He says it so quietly the water almost swallows it. You turn in his hold and lift a hand to touch his jaw. 

“For what?”

Your question is soft and curious. He doesn’t answer right away and his hands settle on your waist. His thumbs trace idle patterns and the shower spray drums against his back. 

“For trusting me again.” His voice is still low but he meets your eyes without a mask. He doesn’t try to hide anything anymore. He’s just a man standing under hot water holding you like he’s dreamed of this for years. 

It took effort on both ends, but you guys eventually wrap things up and get into bed. The apartment was quiet in a peaceful way that you hadn’t experienced in a long time. Hours of adrenaline, bombings, near misses, confessions, and years of unresolved feelings were finally catching up to the two of you. 

You toss the covers off quickly, stealing one of Aaron’s shirts right out from his open go bag. 

“Where are you going?” He leans back against the pillows, watching your every move with a smirk. 

“I need water.” You roll your eyes and walk out of the room. Aaron watches you disappear into the hallway and he hears the fridge open. A few more seconds pass and nothing. The silence returns and Aaron settles against the pillow. A minute passes. Then another. 

A strange feeling settles in his stomach. It wasn’t panic, it was instinct. The same instinct that had kept him alive through years of profiling. 

He sits up, “Y/n?”

Nothing. His heart rate accelerates and he’s up and out of bed before he consciously decides to move. He crosses the bedroom in a second and rounds the hall toward the living room. A thin strip of light spills into the apartment from the hallway outside, your front door left partially open. He glances toward the kitchen to see the door to the fridge wide open, an empty glass still on the counter next to it. 

Aaron’s stomach drops because he knows something is wrong. Very wrong. Years of profiling suddenly scream at him. No signs of struggle and no broken furniture. No yelling and no noise. This was fast and professional. 

He grabs his weapon from where he left it near the entry table when they got home. His pulse hammers and he’s moving out the door down the hallway before he can stop himself. Bare feet pound against the stairs, he takes them three at a time. He flies down the three floors and bursts out the door toward the parking lot. No one is out here at this hour, but at the far end of the parking lot there’s a van leaving. 

Aaron raises his gun but lowers it after a few seconds. It was too far and there were too many unknowns. It was too much risk and it cost him because the van accelerated away from him. He sprints to get a good look. White cargo van. Passenger side rear panel dent. North Carolina registration. Three letters and two numbers. He burns it into memory as he stops running in the middle of the street, breathing hard.

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. 

His professional instinct eventually takes over, crushing the panic taking over him. The abduction was planned and executed with fast extraction. There was no ransom demand or communication of any kind left behind. This is not random. 

This is someone who knows exactly who you are and how to take you. Whoever they are, Aaron is confident they just made the biggest mistake of their life. He was going to find you no matter what it takes.

-

Five years ago. 

The case haunted the Los Angeles field office long before you ever touched it. When it finally landed on your desk, you had heard the horror stories already. Several agents had been given this case without success. 

Girls were disappearing. Mostly foster kids and runaways, but there was the occasional girl that caught the mainstream media attention. It sickened you that they were the only ones noticed, not the four dozen others in the file. 

They operated across state lines and over the border, moving victims between California, Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. Every time the FBI got close, they would disappear and evidence would vanish. The case had been open for nearly ten years. 

“Do you understand what you’re asking?” Your SAC has asked you. 

You sat across from him calmly, “Yes.”

“This isn’t a two-day assignment, L/n.” He reminds, “You would be alone with them for months to get the information you’re looking for.” 

“I know.” You clear your throat, “Whatever it takes.”

It took eleven weeks to work your way into their circle. Eleven weeks of pretending to be desperate, vulnerable, and recruitable. 

You were young enough to be a good tool for them. The girls trusted you which was something that didn’t come along very often. Your job was caring for the girls, which was easier said than done. After weeks of working in their operation you discovered it was led by a married couple known simply as Hector and Susan.

They were monsters hiding behind smiles. 

The longer you stayed embedded in the group, the more evidence you collected against them. Names, routes, bank accounts, safe houses, and corrupt contacts. Every piece mattered, but it got harder and harder to stay. The victims were young and some hadn’t seen their families in years. 

You listened to them. Their names, birthdays, families, and dreams. You made it your mission to get every last one of them out of there unharmed. You couldn’t move too quickly, or else the entire network would disappear and rebuild after time. 

Hector and Susan had a son named Brendan. He was dangerously smart and knew to stay quiet. He was only seventeen, but he was integral to their operation at this point. He handled logistics for them and was a wealth of guarded information. 

Every time you were in the same room as him, you felt more unsettled than usual. The lack of innocence or sympathy in his emotions was obvious. 

The operation ended on a random Tuesday. You had gotten enough information for them to coordinate simultaneous raids across four states. There were forty-seven arrests and hundreds of victims recovered. One of the largest trafficking busts in FBI history. You would never forget the chaos of all the SWAT teams moving in while trying to get the girls to safety.

Hector. The leader. The architect. The man responsible for everything that happened here for years. They found him barricaded in one of the safe houses. Armed and cornered. One gunshot rang out before they could even breach the room. 

He chose death over prison, refusing to surrender and take accountability. A man like that refuses to face justice. 

The trials went on for months, you were called back to the stand constantly to testify against different people. Brendon took a reduced sentence, claiming abuse and parental control forced him into coercion. He was painted as another victim trapped by his parents’ crimes, and to an extent that was true, but you knew who he truly was. 

He received a significantly reduced sentence compared to the adults involved. You saw him in the courtroom that day, waiting for sentencing. His glare followed you rather than focusing on his future that was on the line. Hatred radiated from every inch of him. 

The marshals move him toward the exit, but he fights against them for a few seconds. 

“I’ll never forget this!” He shouts, still glaring at you and still furious. 

You watch him disappear through the courthouse doors and eventually walk away, leaving him and the case behind you. 

-

Your vision came back slowly, every part of your head throbbing again. Your neck feels stiff as you try to hold your head up, your eyes blinking to focus. The room smells concrete and mildew. Definitely not your apartment. 

Something restrains your wrists and you blink more forcefully so you can look down. Rope is tied tight, binding your arms together behind you, your legs tied to the chair legs. You force yourself to breathe, years of training taking over. You need to assess and survive. 

The room is dark, a single lightbulb poorly lighting the industrial space. A warehouse maybe? There’s a faint drip of water somewhere in the room. A voice calls out from the darkness. 

“There she is.” 

A chair scrapes somewhere in the dark. 

“I was starting to think we got the dosage wrong.” 

You turn your head to the sound and freeze. A man steps into the light, he’s older now. Older than the teenager you saw in that courtroom. His shoulders are broader and his features have grown sharper to match his fathers. His eyes still hold the same hatred. You know him instantly. 

“Brendan.” 

His smile widens. 

“Oh good,” He steps closer, “you remember me.” 

You stare at him, watching him circle you. 

“You should still be in prison.” 

He laughs. 

“And you should’ve stayed out of my family’s business.” 

There it was. The anger was untouched by time, unaffected by prison. 

You lean back against the chair, “Brendan-” 

“No.” His expression darkens. You stay quiet and he studies you for a long moment. 

“I spent five years in a cell because of you.” He spits, “My mother is still in a cell because of you. My father-my father is dead because of you.” 

“Your father chose a coward's way out.” 

His smile vanishes instantly. 

“There she is.” He swallows, “The same righteousness, it’s sickening.” 

You track every moment and try to take in the environment behind him. The doors, windows, and cameras, or even anything you could use as a weapon. He notices. 

“You always were smart.” He smiles again, “I knew it then, you were too smart to work with us. I tried to tell my dad, but I think he liked you too much to see the real you.”

He circles you again.

“My father thought he was a genius and my mother thought she was the strategist.” He lets out a bitter laugh, “But they never noticed who was actually keeping everything running.”

He stops directly in front of you and leans in closer, reaching out a hand to your hair. 

“But you noticed.” 

You feel your stomach drop. 

You keep your voice calm, “You rebuilt it.”

He’s picked up where his parents left off. You can see it in his eyes, the desire to prove himself. This is the moment he’s been waiting for. 

“Gold star for the golden agent!” He claps, pacing again, “I’ve done it better than they ever could’ve!” 

The room felt even colder because you actually believe him. Years ago he was the one handling all of the transportation, communication, money, and the infrastructure. He kept the machine moving and now he’s had experience, resources, and time.

“People are going to die.” You remind, trying to remain steady. 

He shrugs, “You know what prison teaches you?” 

He leans in closer when you don’t answer. 

“Patience.” 

He tucks a piece of hair behind your ear and you turn your face away from his. He crouches and grabs your chin. 

“I’ve had five years to think about everything you took from me.” 

You stare him down, “You lost everything because of what your family did.” 

His smile disappears again and for a second you can see the seventeen year old boy again. The one screaming in a courtroom desperate to blame someone. 

He stands, “You still don’t get it.” 

“Get what?” You watch him carefully. 

The silence stretches and he smiles again which makes you feel worse. Worse because the anger is gone now, just certainty. 

“I always wanted you to understand what it feels like.” His eyes never leave yours, “To have someone decide your future.” 

The room goes quiet while the threat hangs in the air. Your chest rises a little faster, the rope biting at your wrists. Alarm bells are screaming in your head because now you understand something critical. This isn’t just revenge, he didn’t kidnap you just to kill you. 

No. 

If he wanted you dead, you would already be dead. He wants something else. He wants fear, power, and control over you. The same things his family had built an empire around. The same empire you took down. 

“You’re older than our ideal target, but with a face like that?” He reaches out to grip your cheeks, “You’ll do just fine.” 

This is his endgame. Kidnapping you and forcing you into a sex trafficking ring was what he had dreamt of for years while stuck in a cell. 

He lets go, pushing your face back harshly before walking back toward the door. He knocks twice and an armed man opens the door for him. 

“I almost forgot,” he turns back to look at you one last time, “Your team is looking for you. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.” 

-

AN// HOTCH ON HIS KNEES FINALLY!!! I have been WAITING for this moment!!! But can our girl just catch a break 😭 Also, I am so sorry for the delay in updating! Between graduating, moving, and a new job OMG life has been insane! But I will try to be more consistent again going forward, this should settle a bit now! Only one more part and an epilogue to go 🫣🥺

TAGLIST:

He looked too human. Too soft. Without the rigid posture and constant focus he looked younger and it reminded you of a version of him you tried to keep blocked out. 

You rub your eyes tiredly before leaning back in your chair. You were missing something. The unsub is building toward a final event. He isn’t random. It’s not chaos for chaos’ sake. He had intention and you could feel it. 

“Any luck?” 

You look toward the door expecting Morgan and Emily but instead find Mark. He’s in a new suit but it’s clear he didn’t sleep much either. 

You sigh, “Not enough.”

He nods once before looking over the new things you had added to the board. He glances over at the couch, spotting Aaron. He looks back at you right after. 

“I’m heading out for coffee.”

You perk up and he smirks. 

“I knew that’d get your attention.” He laughs, “I remember something about ‘bureau coffee tastes like battery acid’.” 

You smile, “Let me ask you this, when was the last time someone cleaned that thing?” 

You gesture to the ancient machine sitting along the far wall, he holds up his hands in defence and takes a couple steps backward toward the door. 

“Same order?”

You nod immediately and his eyes flick over your shoulder toward Aaron again. 

“What about him?”

You blink a couple times, honestly surprised he was offering. It must’ve shown on your face too because he snorted softly. 

“We’re all working to catch the son of a bitch together.” He shrugs, “Team morale or whatever.”

You huff a small laugh before looking back toward the couch. 

“Large black coffee.” 

He nods and disappears out into the bullpen. The silence in the room takes over again and you give it exactly three seconds. 

“You really gotta work on your poker face if you’re going to make a habit of eavesdropping.” 

Silence. 

“Does it count as eavesdropping if I’m in plain sight?” Aaron eventually answers. 

You spin around in your chair and he still has his eyes closed. You don’t know the exact moment he woke up, but you knew he was awake when you looked over at him when Mark asked about his coffee. He sits up, his hair messy and in all directions from the throw pillows. 

“You could’ve told him your coffee order yourself.” 

A faint near smile crosses his face. 

“That was a surprise.” He admits, “He’s a good man.” 

You raise your brows to show how surprised you are at the admission.

“He is.” 

“Why didn’t you marry him?” He asks boldly and you sigh. You run a hand back through your hair to buy yourself a couple seconds to come with the answer. You know you can’t lie to him, there’s no use.

“After our break up I told myself I would never settle for less.” You confess, wanting to dodge his stare, “I knew if I went through with the wedding… “

You stare off for a second, not finishing the thought. You can’t and not to him of all people. After a second or two you look back at him and where he’s still focused on you. 

“He deserved better.” You nod, leaving it at that.

Aaron swallows, finally looking down and wiping his palms on the top of his thighs in front of him. You turn back toward the table and press your elbows into it with your hands folded together. The converging maps still lay out in front of you.

You shift back into work mode and he rolls up the wrinkled sleeves of his button down to reveal his forearms and leans forward to put his shoes back on. 

“Any breakthroughs?”

“Maybe.”

That got his attention. You grab one of the subway maps and he stands up and leans over your shoulder. You point toward the locations of each bombing.

“We’ve been assuming escalation meant bigger casualties.” 

He nods, “But?”

“I don’t think he’s targeting our response time. I think he’s testing the traffic patterns at different hours and locations to see what gives him the biggest fallout.”

He nods and you continue. 

“The first attack was the car bomb, and the passengers were the only victims, the road was only closed for a few hours. The second bomb was at a subway platform, which closed that train but the lines were still running. The coffee shop shut down access for a block radius. The most recent one? That line is still closed because of the wreckage and thousands of people are using alternate routes.”

“The fewer routes, the more people condensed on the alternate routes.” He continues, catching on immediately. 

You nod, “He bottlenecks people to specific trains and then targets them heavily.”

Your eyes meet at the same time at the realization. This unsub wasn’t simply trying to cause panic, he was looking to harm thousands of civilians. 

Mark comes back with a tray of coffees, the rest of the team following behind him. JJ and Reid look more alive than when you last saw them. You offer Mark a quick ‘thank you’ when he hands you your drink. He then turns toward Aaron and offers his. Rossi’s eyes follow the motion and his shoulders move with a silent chuckle. 

“Thank you.” Aaron takes it. 

“Oh this is messy.” Garcia’s eyes widen, looking between everyone in the room. 

“Garcia.” You warn, cutting her a look. 

“First thing in the morning…” She sits down and opens her laptop and continues mumbling mostly to herself, “Where’s my coffee?”

Everyone settles in around the table. 

“We have two hours.” Aaron announces and you look over to the countdown. It’ll go off at 8 o’clock this morning, during the start of the morning rush. He continues, “Y/n has a theory I think we should pursue.” 

He looks over to you and nods. 

You point at the maps, “I think he’s trying to target train lines to get more people on the alternate routes. The alternate routes are the real targets, they’ll be more crowded than usual.” 

JJ’s face pales slightly, “That’s thousands of people commuting.” 

“And a dozen different train lines that he could be targeting.” Morgan’s expression hardens, “We can’t cover every line with bomb squads fast enough.”

“So we don’t.” You cut in. 

Aaron nods, “We’ll pair off. Morgan and Emily take the A line. JJ and Rossi take the 7 line. Reid and Garcia, monitor surveillance and coordinate the remaining lines with local agents. Y/n and I will take the F line.” 

-

The subway platform beneath Manhattan felt crowded before you and Aaron had fully descended the stairs. Commutters were packed shoulder to shoulder, moving in both directions getting in and off passing trains. You are hanging on every second, Reid just announced in your earpiece that the unsub’s timer has run out.

You and Aaron are scanning people constantly, your shoulder is barely brushing his as you face different directions. You’re looking for everything. Behavior. Movement. Nerves. 

“I have a bad feeling.” You frown, Aaron glances over at you for a split second.

The energy was wrong. You had a pit in your stomach that was telling you to run. 

“I feel it too.” The ever so rational Aaron Hotchner admits. 

The train shutters to a stop, all the doors opening simultaneously. There’s an exchange of people getting off and then on the train. Moms with strollers pass through, elderly couples, and dozens of people heading in for work. 

The train doors shut after a few seconds and then immediately bounce back open with the conductor cracking on the PA. Everyone lets out a collective groan.

“Train delay.” The train conductor announces, “Something blocking the line, please hold.” 

This is it. 

“Aaron-” 

“Yep.” 

Both of you immediately shift to get people moving. 

“Everybody off the train NOW!” You shout, waving people out toward the stairs and guiding them out. People start flooding past the two of you. 

“FBI” Aaron yells, “Off the train!” 

The panic was immediate, people screaming and shoving. Everyone is trying to force themselves toward the exits. You and Aaron move through the chaos like experts, helping mothers get their children to the stairs, trying to get everyone as far away as possible. 

The train is empty and nearly everyone is moving up the stairs. Everything moving in seconds, you turn to look for Aaron. 

You press on your ear piece, “Reid get emergency services to the F train and figure out which alternate lines he would target if he takes out the F train.” 

“Y/n has there been an attack?” Reid answers quickly. 

“Not yet-”

“Let’s go.” Aaron reaches out his arm and gestures for the two of you to leave. You look back once to make sure no one was left behind and he pushes you forward ahead of him closer to the stairs. 

And then the world exploded. The blast hit like a physical wall, glass shattered violently and metal screamed. For one long terrifying second, nothing existed except for white noise and intense pressure. 

The sound comes back rushing, you slowly lift your head. Smoke has taken over the station forcing you to cough violently as you try to reorient yourself. Pain is throbbing near the top of your forehead. Warm blood slides slowly down your temple as you get up on wobbly legs. 

“Aaron?” You call, squinting through all the smoke. The lights have gone out and the stairs are clouded with distant daylight. You can see a few remaining civilians flee, running up to the street level. Panic punches in your chest at the lack of response from him. You walk back toward the subway platform where there’s small flames and the edge to the platform is gone. The subway car is in warped pieces and the concrete ledge is crumbling away. 

You turn back to see Aaron standing. Barely. Something about the look on his face made your stomach drop. You take quick careful steps toward him, avoiding the rubble. 

“Aaron?”

He looks up and his balance wavers and you catch his arm before he can trip over his own feet. 

“You’ve got glass in your hair.” He shouts it like you’re still standing across the station instead of inches away. 

You freeze as his hands come up instinctively to your head, brushing off the glass in your hair. 

“Aaron, we’ve gotta get out of here.” You gesture toward the stairs, your lungs craving fresh air. The sound of sirens is getting louder from the street above. 

His eyes look distant like he doesn’t follow. 

“I think you’re in shock.” 

He frowns and you nod toward the stairs. He follows you as you carefully make your way upstairs, coughing while the dust is still trying to settle. Police are flooding in while people are screaming for help.

You reach for your earpiece to talk to Reid but it would seem you lost it in the blast. Hopefully he is looking into the alternate route for the closure, you and Aaron may have bought the critical seconds needed to avoid mass casualty. Maybe. 

A black SUV pulls up right next to you with lights flashing. Morgan and Prentiss get out before he fully puts it in park. 

“Are you guys okay?” Emily asks, concern written all over her face as she takes you two in. 

“I don’t think he can hear.” You explain. 

“Again?” Derek sighs.

“This has happened before?” Your eyes go wide.

“Not even the first time in New York.” He shakes his head and you look horrified.

“Jesus.” You mutter, clutching the top of your head where it pounds. 

You can still feel Aaron staring at you like he’s trying very hard to stay grounded. It’s pure chaos around all of you while people are being treated for minor injuries and hundreds of people are flooded into one spot, narrowly avoiding the bomb that knocked you and Aaron on your asses. 

“You with me?” You ask carefully. His eyes are focused on reading your lips, he slowly nods. 

“Reid is sending the bomb squads to the M stations.” Morgan explains, “He said you guys called it in before the blast.” 

You nod once, tiredly. Paramedics begin to crowd the two of you, checking out his hearing and the wound on your head that won’t stop bleeding. The adrenaline and smoke are still burning through you, but you catch Aaron’s eyes every few seconds through the chaos. 

-

Reid managed to get the bomb squad evacuating the alternate route and the tactical team caught the unsub attempting to plant the secondary explosive on a crowded inbound train. He was swarmed with no other option but to surrender and they didn’t give him the chance to self detonate. 

Hundreds of lives were saved.

Just like that, over forty-eight hours of terror over the city came to an end. JJ called it in to confirm for everyone that he had been taken away in handcuffs while screaming incoherently. Hours later after you and Aaron have both been cleared by medical, everyone ends up back in the conference room with packed go-bags and bare evidence boards. 

It still looked like a warzone, coffee cups littered everywhere. You’re sitting at the table with everyone else, trying hard to focus on your paperwork rather than the stitches throbbing along your hairline. The jet is fueling and the official medical clearance to actually fly home should be coming any second. 

“You look even more badass now.” Garcia insists. 

“Thanks, Garc.” You smile. 

Aaron’s hearing had mostly returned, by his standard. He was still a little off balance, but it had mostly returned after the initial blast ringing faded. Every once and a while he’d miss the beginning of a sentence and try to hide it. 

“We’ve gotta stop coming to New York.” Morgan shakes his head, “One of us always nearly gets blown up.” 

“Yes,” Aaron agrees, “let’s not make it a habit.” 

“Says you.” You bite, “You’re two for two.”

Garcia lets out a tired sigh, “Can we all just agree bombers are the worst forever?”

The room offered her nods to agree. 

Reid looks up from his notes, “If we’re talking statistics, they’re among the least empathetic offender groups.” 

Emily points at him, “Reid, I cannot handle any more statistics 

Out of the corner of your eye you see Mark approach the open door. 

“Hotchner.” 

Aaron looks up at him, but everyone’s head’s snap up in surprise. Everyone looks too fast and Mark nods behind him outside of the room. 

“Can we talk?” 

Aaron nods and stands up from his chair, following Mark outside the room and a few feet away. 

“No way.” You mutter. You can’t help but shake your head, watching the two of them talk without any context. 

Emily smirks, “You’re trying to figure out what they’re saying.” 

“Obviously.” You sit up taller, “And I’m making sure neither of them puts the other in a headlock.” 

Rossi nearly chokes on his coffee and Morgan lets out a deep laugh. Aaron looks back toward the room at the noise and you immediately look down. You throw your pen at Rossi when he can’t hide his laugh and nearly blows your cover. 

Out in the bullpen the noise inside the conference room faded. Aaron stood across from Mark for a silent moment before either of them speak. 

“I owe you an apology.” Aaron admits. 

Mark looks mildly surprised and it encourages him to continue. 

“My behavior was unprofessional.” 

“That’s one word for it.” Mark folds his arms on his chest. 

He took that without argument. He deserved it. 

Mark’s posture shifts, he leans back and lets out a short laugh. 

“For what it’s worth, I probably would’ve done the same in your shoes.” 

That caught Aaron off guard and Mark can’t help but grin at his expression. 

“She has that effect on people.”

Aaron couldn’t deny that. Silence settles between them briefly and Mark looks toward the conference room where you’re sat arguing with Morgan. 

“Treat her well.” 

Aaron’s posture shifted. It was subtle, but instant. Mark noticed it. 

“Yeah,” He says quietly, “I thought so.” 

Aaron looks at him carefully and Mark looks back at him. 

“You and I both know what it feels like to lose a woman like that.” 

Aaron remains silent. He didn’t know what he could possibly say to that.

“When she called off the wedding I couldn’t even be angry with her.” Mark admits. 

Aaron frowns and Mark laughs softly at himself. 

“I tried to, believe me.”

“What happened?”

Mark looks down the distant hallway for a second before answering. 

“She told me I deserved someone who loves me completely.” 

Aaron goes very still. 

“She said she knew the real thing and wouldn’t be my almost.” 

The words land hard for Aaron because he understood immediately.

Mark smiles faintly without humor, “She was sincere about it too. That was the worst part.”

Aaron swallows once and shifts his weight.

“I’m sorry.” 

Mark shrugs lightly, “She wasn’t wrong. She just realized it before I could.” 

He looks back over toward your direction. 

“I don’t know if anybody’s ever gonna measure up to her.” 

Aaron follows his gaze to where you’re still talking with the team. It’s clear you’re arguing about something you’re passionate about. It’s the only time you get that wild look in your eye and a wry smile that hides your sharp tongue. 

“But I’m still looking.” 

Aaron looks back at him. Understanding had passed between them now. Mark extends his hand forward and Aaron meets it. Firm. Respectful. 

Then Mark smirks, “Try not to make her homicidal.” 

Aaron gives him a rare smile, “Easier said than done.” 

The two of them walk back into the conference room and the entire team looks up. Everyone’s faces freeze, not expecting them to look like they were getting along. Was Aaron smiling?

“Well that was anticlimactic.” Derek sighs, spinning in his seat and bumping into your chair with his leg. 

“Oh go find a door to kick in or something.” You roll your eyes, pushing Morgan’s seat away from yours. 

Aaron snorts and not a single person in the room misses it. 

Rossi points between the two men who are still standing side by side, “I was hoping for at least a shove.” 

“You guys need help.” Aaron shakes his head. 

Garcia gasps dramatically, “Did you two bond?”

“Oh god.” You groan. An actual nightmare.

Mark shakes his head with a light laugh, “This team spends way too much time together.” 

“Occupational hazard.” Emily shrugs. 

“So?” You turn your attention to the two men, “What did the two of you talk about?”

Your tone is teasing, but there’s a sliver of real curiosity. 

“The case.” Aaron holds up his file. 

“Liar.” You roll your eyes. 

Mark smirks lightly and pats him on the shoulder, “Good luck with that, Hotchner.” 

Your jaw drops, “Hey!” 

“I’ve got to head up and brief the director.” 

You get from your spot to say goodbye and he pulls you in for one last hug. This time Aaron watches it without visibly bristling. 

“Take care of yourself.” He says over your shoulder, giving you one last squeeze before letting go. 

“You too.”

Mark glances back toward Aaron behind you once before looking back at you. 

“Try to go easy on him.” He gives you the smallest hint of a smirk. 

You push him toward the door, “Get out of here.” 

He shouts a couple goodbyes over your shoulder and you turn back to see all of the BAU team openly staring at you. 

“What?”

Emily points at Aaron, “He didn’t even glare once.” 

Aaron sighs, “Wheels up.” 

-

The city skyline glowed orange against the early evening sky. Everyone looked wrecked in their wrinkled clothes and exhausted eyes. You’re coming up on twenty-four hours awake after working through the night and being in an explosion this morning. What a day. 

JJ and Emily passed out almost immediately. Garcia was curled up, leaning on Morgan’s side with a movie playing on her laptop in front of them on the table. Reid and Rossi are talking quietly on the other side. You and Aaron ended up toward the back of the plane, the two seats facing each other. 

Somehow that had become your spot on the way home. Wordlessly the two of you would take these seats the last few weeks. 

You wince slightly when you accidentally bump your hairline. Aaron notices it right away. 

“Still hurting?”

“Barely.” 

He leans back in his seat and studies you quietly for a moment. The bruise near your temple was still darkening. The glass left you the large gash that needed stitches and several small scratches. 

You catch him and you don’t even have to say the words. He knows he’s caught. The two of you let the hum of the jet settle around you. Minutes pass as Aaron works up the courage to ask a dangerous question in a confined space. 

“Why didn’t you marry him?”

“Aaron, you already asked-“

“I know.” 

You look up slowly because you know there’s no pretending with him. Aaron has always seen everything about you whether you wanted him to or not. He knows that you’ve been strict with dealing out information of your life for the past ten years. You lean back in your seat as you consider the question and giving him an answer longer than the couple of sentences that felt like muscle memory telling everyone else. He’d already heard that one and it would seem he wasn’t going to settle for that. 

“Because he deserved better than almost.”

He stills for a second before swallowing, but he doesn’t say anything to stop you from continuing. 

“I could’ve married him.” You admit, “But then I would’ve been you.” 

The anger creeps in slightly, you can’t help it. He lets you continue, the pain flashing in his eyes. 

“He’s a good man.” You look down at your hands. 

“I know.” Aaron nods. 

“And I care about him.” You look back up, “But… I knew what real love felt like.” 

The words settle between you heavily. Aaron didn’t move or dare interrupt. Your voice is still calm, and almost too soft with his hearing right now, but he hangs on each word. 

“I couldn’t stand in front of him and promise him forever knowing part of me would always compare it to something else.” 

Aaron’s chest tightened before thundering so harshly the jet may as well be going down.

You let out a humorless laugh, “That sounds horrible saying it out loud.”

“No.” He answers quickly, “It sounds honest.” 

You look over to the dark cabin. 

“When I told him I couldn’t go through with the wedding I told him he deserved someone who could love him completely.”

Aaron remembered Mark saying almost the exact same thing earlier. You look back at him finally. 

“I knew what big love felt like.” 

You put it out there. It wasn’t subtle or hidden and you couldn’t take it back. Aaron swallows again, knowing you’re talking about him. You always had been. The confirmation warms his chest, he finally feels like he can breathe again.

“And once you know what that feels like…” You admit quietly, “everything else feels unfair.” 

Silence takes over the corner of the cabin that the two of you occupy. The dim overhead lights glow just enough to reveal the expressions crossing Aaron’s face. You shake your head and turn toward the window. 

“Y/n.” 

You look back and he’s leaning forward, if he reached out he’d be touching you. Your chest tightens at how emotional he looks. No more walls. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Your brows furrow slightly but he holds your gaze steadily. 

“For ever making you feel passing time.” 

Your breath catches softly, “Aaron-”

“No.” He shakes his head, “You were right back then.” 

Apparently when you said whatever was going on between you and needed to wait until after the case, he was taking that very literally. 

“I never should’ve made you feel like that.” He lowers his voice slightly, “You were never just almost to me.”

Your throat tightens painfully. 

“You are… everything to me.

He hesitates like saying it might be too dangerous. He can’t take this back either.

“You are my biggest love.” 

He’s looking at you with an honesty so stripped bare it almost hurt. 

“The standard nobody else has ever met. Not that I want anyone to.” 

You blink a few times. The realization of what he’s admitting wrecks your composure for half a second. Aaron notices you soften. 

“And I think you ruined me a little.” He continues. 

An unexpected laugh escapes you, “A little?”

The corners of his mouth finally lift. You look down and shake your head to try and regain control of yourself. This is dangerous territory. Confessions at thirty thousand feet after surviving a bombing together. 

It was very unhealthy. It was very you and Aaron. 

You look back up eventually, his eyes still trained on you. 

“This doesn’t magically fix everything.” 

He nods, “I know.” 

“I’m still angry.” 

“I know.” 

“And you’re still annoying.” 

He tries to hide his surprised smile by wiping at his mouth. 

“Also aware.” 

You study him for a long moment.

“Thank you for finally saying it.” 

He reaches out his hand to take yours and you let him. His hand is warm, maybe more callused than the last time you held it. Immediately his finger extends to your wrist. Your steady pulse is comforting to him, it’s something mindless he used to do back at the academy.

“Thank you for listening.”

You can’t help but grin and lean in, “If I change my mind tomorrow, I’m blaming the concussion.” 

“You have a concussion?” Concern taking over his face, replacing the joy. 

You nod, “Yeah, I think you were still hard of hearing when we established that. But, I have good news.”

“What’s that?” 

“I need someone to keep me up all night long.” 

an// eeee happy Friday my loves! but you guys are WE KIDDING??? the pure chaos of ALL of that. let me hear all the thoughts plz bc OMFG FINALLY

TAGLIST:

“What do we know?” You swing your bag off your shoulder and take the open seat next to Aaron sitting at the table. 

Garcia turns her laptop on the table so everyone can see the pictures she’s clicking through. 

“Three explosions in the past thirty-six hours, but one was vacant at the time.”

Directly to your left Aaron’s posture straightens. 

“Casualties?”

“Four dead from the first bombing, and seven in the second. The third was actually avoided because the coffee shop was closed for a leak in the basement.” 

“What’s the timeline?” Reid asks. 

“That’s the problem,” Garcia admits, “He’s accelerating fast.” 

You flip through the file, "Especially once he finds out that no one was hurt in the most recent bombing.” 

Bombers were bad. They were unpredictable and emotionally detached. An accelerating unsub in such a densely populated city had the potential to be catastrophic. 

You focus on the crime scene photos. A burned-out taxi cab. A destroyed subway platform. And a shattered coffee storefront. Garcia looks pale as she continues to click through more detailed images that include charred remains. 

“The unsub is improving explosives with increasing sophistication,” Aaron observes, “First attack was a low-grade car bomb. The second on the subway showed an escalation in destruction.” 

Reid nods “That suggests learning behavior. He’s gaining confidence.” 

“Or testing response times.” You add. 

Garcia clicks to a distorted image of the New York skyline with 06:00 flashing on it in red. 

“This was also sent to the NYPD. They believe it’s a warning that the next one will be going off at six in the morning today.”

“Which is why we got on the jet at 11:47 at night.” Morgan sighs, wiping at his eyes. 

“It’s a threat.” Aaron ignores Derek and addresses the image. 

The cabin grows quiet while everyone has the same thought. Six hours was not enough time, not in New York. Not with millions of people asleep and unaware someone might be planning another attack. 

“What’s his target type?” Prentiss asks. 

Garcia shakes her head, “Unknown. Right now there aren’t any direct connections, it looks random.” 

“He wants visibility, public fear, and control.” You add, Aaron looking over at you, “He’s forcing anticipation, the waiting becomes part of the attack.” 

JJ sighs, “He wants the whole city scared before he even hits again.” 

“Which means he enjoys this.” Rossi finishes grimly. 

“The head of counterrorism is the one who requested our assistance due to the erratic timeline and timed threat.” 

Your head snaps up to look at Garcia. 

“Mark Hayes?” You ask. 

She types quickly, “Uhhh, let me see. Yes! Mark Hayes, you know him?” 

You swallow, “Mm, you could say that.” 

The team eagerly waits for you to explain and you figure it’s better to explain now than in front of him after landing. 

“We were engaged.” You answer simply. 

The jet bursts with more energy than you thought was possible for midnight on a Sunday. 

“You were engaged? Garcia shouts. 

“What?” Morgan smirks. 

“How did we not know this?” Rossi’s brows furrow. 

Aaron remains perfectly still next to you. Too still. 

“It wasn’t a big deal, it was a few years ago.” You shrug. 

Emily leans forward enthusiastically, “Okay, so he was terrible?”

“No.”

“Toxic?” Garcia asks.

“No.”

“Cheated?” JJ blurts.

“No.” You laugh, shaking your head. 

Reid frowns, “Statically speaking, calling off the wedding becomes significantly less common when those are not relevant factors.” 

You point at him, “See, this is why nobody tells this team anything.” 

Aaron finally speaks, “When did you end it?”

His tone comes out surprisingly calm for how hard he’s trying to keep everything contained. 

“A few weeks before the wedding.” 

He nods once, like that was all. You know him better than that. 

“This is amazing!” Garcia cheers, “I need more details!” 

“We land in twenty minutes.” Aaron’s unit chief voice cuts in, “Let’s focus on the case.” 

Everyone quieted in the cabin, aware of his shift in mood. After landing, the city hit them like a wall. The city never slept and tonight it was actively on edge. Lights and sirens were everywhere chasing false reports and concerned citizens. 

It was after one in the morning when you guys entered the Manhattan field office. Agents were scrambling between briefing rooms and operations centers. In the center of it all, standing tall in a sharp suit, was Mark Hayes. 

You hadn’t seen him since you called off the wedding, but things ended on surprisingly good terms. He had the look of a kind man born for federal leadership, and the team could not deny that you definitely have a type. 

Mark turns when he hears the team approaching, he smiles when he spots you. 

“Well, this is one hell of a reunion.” 

You smile back easily, Aaron notices it right away. You step forward and before the team can prepare themselves, Mark pulls you into a hug. Morgan’s eyes dart back and forth between the hug and Hotch’s reaction. His jaw tightens, but other than that he shows little reaction. 

You pull back first, “You look exhausted.” 

Mark smiles, “Bombers will ruin anyone’s weekend.” 

His eyes shift past you to the rest of the team. 

“And you must be the BAU.”

Introductions happen quickly, he goes down the line shaking everyone’s hands. He reaches Aaron last and you could argue that the handshake looked firm enough to qualify as combat. Rossi noticed. You absolutely noticed. Mark however seemed oblivious. 

“I’ve heard good things about your team.” 

Aaron’s expression stays neutral, “We’re here to stop your unsub.” 

Morgan coughs into his elbow to hide a laugh and you short him a warning look. 

Mark turns back toward you, “Still impossible for you to get sleep before a case?”

“She drank six shots of espresso before a case last month.” Rossi adds, shaking his head. 

Aaron looks at you, mildly alarmed, “Six?”

You turn to Rossi, “Narc.”

The room lightened slightly at the banter, still aware of the threat looming overhead. Everyone except for Aaron, who still remained stiff as a board and glaring at Mark whenever he spoke to you directly. 

Mark had everyone set up in the large conference room with multiple boards containing victim timelines and transit maps. The team worked nonstop for hours. Garcia was scanning the city’s surveillance for any potential cross over of witnesses watching the aftermath of the explosions. 

So far they hadn’t come up with anything solid enough. No identity, target pattern, or clear motive. Six o’clock was getting closer. 

Aaron is standing in the center of the room looking over the boards, hoping to unlock something new. Reid and Morgan are comparing explosive residue reports trying to figure out the unsub’s style. You and Rossi are going over witness statements. Mark is on the other side of the room, directing agents as they rush in and out constantly.

Everyone was moving, but no one was succeeding. 

Garcia lets out a sigh from her laptop, “I hate this guy.” 

She focuses on the seconds passing by on the corner of her laptop screen. It’s almost time if they had correctly understood the unsub’s message. 

Morgan rubs tiredly at his eyes, “Welcome to bombers.” 

“He’s escalating too fast.” Emily exhales, “The next one will be bold after the last failure.” 

Reid nods quickly, “The decreasing cooldown period suggests emotional acceleration and increased confidence.” 

You stand up to stretch your legs and to get a closer look at the boards again. 

You point to the specific attack locations, “They aren’t random high casualty targets. Look at the distance between each of bombings and the closest precinct.” 

You trace your finger between the locations. 

“The first bombing two bombings targeted public transportation, why switch to the coffee shop-”

You’re cut off when suddenly every phone in the room begins to chime. A second later the TV feed cut to breaking news footage. Smoke was pouring out a subway tunnel with screaming people flooding the street. 

“Oh my god.” Garcia cries, pulling up footage of the blast, “It’s six o’clock.”

An agent rushes into Mark directly. 

“Confirmed explosion on the downtown A train.” 

The room froze, Aaron looks up from his phone. 

“Causalties?” He demands. 

The agent swallows, looking between Mark and Aaron. 

“The current estimate is at least thirteen.” 

Silence envelopes the room. 

Mark folds his hand across his forehead, bracing his temples. 

“The A train is a popular commuter train this time of day, the early morning crowd.”

Aaron watched the footage and his jaw looks tight enough it could crack. The unsub had kept his promise, he kept to his time. The field office was controlled chaos surrounding them, phones still ringing. 

“Did we have officers stationed there?” Aaron asks, raising a harsh brow at Mark. 

“I’ll have to check.” 

“You don’t know?” Aaron’s tone easily switching to disrespectful. 

Mark looks at him, “No, I don’t know each individual subway platform’s assignment.” 

“It would be beneficial if you did.” Aaron bites, turning his attention back to the screen where Garcia is pulling up the surrounding area’s footage. 

“Right.” Mark steps out quietly, pulling a couple agents. 

You turn to look at Aaron, you thought the tight jaw was coming from failure of not catching the unsub but it relaxes once Mark has left the room. He’s actually ridiculous. 

Everyone around the room moves, there’s no time for grief. Hours and hours pass and the team was still nowhere near an arrest. Rossi, Morgan, and Emily went down to the scene to see if there were any new clues. Mark eventually dared to return to the room and rejoin the team. 

You pace in front of the board again, thinking. 

“He’s not escalating randomly.” 

Aaron and Mark look up immediately and you step back toward the map. 

“He’s building towards something symbolic. He wants to highlight that we can’t do anything to stop him, no matter how close or fast we are.” 

Mark moves behind you, “Mass casualty finale.” 

“No.” You shake your head, “Something personal. It’s possible the police have let him down, maybe he lost someone and is blaming the police.” 

Aaron picks up quickly, “He wants public fear and anticipation to highlight our failure. He can give us a time of attack and we still can’t prevent it.” 

Reid nods slowly, “Psychological dominance over institutions.” 

“Exactly.” You snap your fingers. 

“So the subway bombing wasn’t the goal. It was a demonstration.” Mark continues as he steps closer to the board. 

Aaron crosses his arms, “Meaning?”

“He wants law enforcement reacting predictably. That means his final target will be federal response infrastructure.” 

Aaron frowns, “No.” 

Mark looks over, “No?”

“If his motivations were to target the real object of his rage he would be targeting precincts. He’s seeking to humiliate and ruin the idea of protection connected to police presence.” 

Mark’s jaw tightens, “Not necessarily-”

“Yes, necessarily.” Aaron counters, “Terrorists seeking symbolic collapse need public recognition.”

Mark folds his arms too, mirroring Aaron’s stance. Your eyes widen watching this escalate. 

“And if he’s not seeking the collapse of the police system?”

The back and forth between them continues, no one else on the team getting a word in. Emily turns toward Morgan and mouths ‘Oh my god’. Rossi looks like he’s getting a headache and you would have to say the same. 

“Your approach is widening the suspect pool unnecessarily.” Aaron spits. 

Mark gave a short humorless laugh, “And yours has gotten us exactly nowhere.” 

There it was. It settles heavy over the room and Aaron’s expression somehow turned colder. 

“Excuse me?”

Mark holds his ground, “You were right about one thing. We’re running out of time.” 

You turn toward JJ, “The testosterone levels in here are getting unbearable.” 

Aaron steps closer to him, “And you think panic improves judgment?”

“Alright-” You stand from your seat, ready to shut the two of them down. It’s clear that neither of them is capable. 

“I think ego gets people killed.” 

“Okay, enough!” You announce loudly, “Speaking of humiliation?” 

With wild eyes you look between the two men who still look like they could hit the other. Neither can break the angry staredown they’ve become locked in. 

“You.” You point directly at Aaron, “Out. Now.” 

Your tone alone makes Morgan sit up straighter in his seat. You march straight out of the room and hear his sharp steps behind you. You push on the heavy metal door that leads to the stairwell. It slams loudly behind him, echoing and leaving the two of you standing there in silence. Plain concrete walls with harsh fluorescent lights. 

You spin around and face him, you’re simmering with anger at this point.

“What the hell was that?” 

His expression remains cold, “We had a disagreement.” 

“No,” You snap, “You picked a fight.”

He scoffs, “That’s not what happened.” 

“No?” You raise your brows, “That was practically a dick measuring contest.”

“Y/n.” He warns your name, anger flashing in his eyes directed at you this time. 

“What? Now you have decency?”

He lets out a long exhale and runs a tired hand over his face. He takes a step closer to you, you don’t step back. 

“This isn’t the time.”

“You’re right, it isn’t.” You scoff, “But you just made it the time when you went head to head in the middle of operations.”

“That had nothing to do with you-”

“Bullshit.” The word echoes through the stairwell. He almost looks stunned that you had said it, “I can sit through your son’s soccer game with your ex-wife, that you left me for-”

“That’s not-” His face softens. 

“Over a decade ago!” You continue with a shout, “And you can’t even work a case with someone I was engaged to but didn’t even marry?” 

He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He knows there isn’t an answer for that and you let out a sharp laugh of disbelief. 

“Wow.”

“Y/n-”

“That’s pathetic.” The word hits hard and you intended it to. He actually looks away from you for a second, and you cross your arms over your chest. 

“You don’t get to stare Mark down across briefing rooms like some jealous college boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t.” He argues. 

“You were.” 

He falls silent again. He opens his mouth to say something but hesitates. Aaron had seen you angry many times before but this was the first time it was rendering him speechless. The only sound in the stairwell is your uneven breaths following the rapid rise and fall of your chest. 

“You knew I was engaged before I told the team.” You call out, calling to attention the real reason you both know he’s acting like this. His eyes dart to yours, finally shifting his expression.

“You didn’t even flinch when I said I was engaged. Everyone else was surprised, but you weren’t. You were contained.” 

He exhales, “Y/n-”

“How did you know?” You search his eyes, looking back and forth between them. 

The stairwell goes quiet, other than the distant office noise filtering in. Aaron rubs a tired hand over his face before straightening to look at you seriously. 

“I went to see you.” 

You frown immediately, “What?”

His eyes are fixed on you, the mask off. He looks devastated and raw. The most open he’s been since the two of you were in the academy. 

“Years ago when Haley and I first separated.”

You simply stare at him. Haley’s question from Saturday flashing in your mind. Did he reach out to you after we separated? You swallow once. 

“You came to Los Angeles?” 

He nods, “There was a conference on human trafficking.” 

The recognition flashes on your face instantly. You remembered that conference vividly, it was one of the biggest presentations of your career at that point. Aaron offers a short humorless laugh. 

“You were incredible.” The sincerity in his voice makes your chest tighten, “I stayed through the entire presentation. Everyone was in awe, so was I.” 

You continue to stare, your anger now mixing with confusion. 

“But you didn’t talk to me?” 

There it was. The regret on his face was deep enough to drown in. 

“I saw the ring.” 

The engagement ring. Mark’s ring. The very one that lived on your left hand for over a year. 

“I saw you had moved on and didn’t want to bother you. I left because I had absolutely no right to feel devastated by seeing it.” 

You cross your arms tighter, “But you were.”

“Yes.” 

He says it without hesitation or excuses. 

“I left before you even saw me.”

His eyes hold yours steadily now. You laugh sharply once, overwhelmed now more than angry. 

“All this time.” You mutter, pacing to turn away from him. “I thought you never looked back.” 

“I always looked back.” 

That hurts. It’s something you had always wanted to hear, but never expected at this point. With tears in your eyes you turn back to face him. 

“And then I joined the BAU.”

He nods, “Without the ring.” 

And you thought you were clever for catching his missing one. 

“So what? You just haven’t been with anyone since? You just waited?”

“Of course I waited. I said you were what I wanted.” 

You swallow at his admission, his eyes burrowing into yours. 

“And if I never joined the team? If I had married Mark?” 

He takes a step closer to you, you fight the urge to retreat. His figure looms over you and having him this close again reminds you of the warmth that rolls off of him. 

“You told me exactly what would happen.” 

You look at him sharply, “What?”

“Back at Quantico.” 

Your breath catches slightly. The fight. The breakup. 

Someday you’re going to wake up beside her again and wonder why it still feels like something’s missing.

“You were right.” 

Your jaw falls slack in surprise at the honest admission. Aaron is finally admitting something he’d buried for years. The stairwell felt too intimate, too dangerous at this point. 

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I can’t make myself regret the decision because it got me Jack, but I regret letting you go. Those eight months meant everything to me, and I was foolish to think following the plan was the right thing to do.” 

He shakes his head, “I never moved on after that. Everyone thought it was from the divorce, but the truth is you. I just… It’s only been you.” 

You take a step back eventually to create distance. This conversation was headed somewhere neither of you could afford right now. Not during an active bombing case. 

“This-” You gesture between the two of you, “needs to wait until after the case. We need to focus on catching this unsub.” 

He nods, stepping back and straightening his tie. 

“You acted like an ass in there.” 

He nods again, “I know.” 

“Mark didn’t deserve that.” 

He tilts his head to debate for a second and your stare straightens him. 

“You’re lucky that I’m trying very hard to be mature.” 

He has a quick faint smile. 

“We need to get our heads back on straight.” 

His expression shifts back into unit chief again. Focused and controlled. 

“You’re right.” 

When the two of you walk back into the conference room, the entire team looks up. It was a dramatic exit and no one was even going to bother with pretending to mind their own business. 

“Well, at least you both came back alive.” Morgan leans back in his chair. 

Emily nearly chokes on her coffee, spinning to face away and hide her grin. 

JJ looks carefully between you two, “You guys okay?”

“Yes.” “No.” 

You both answer at the same time and the room erupts. Rossi tries to hide his delight with his hand blocking his mouth. 

“We need to refocus.” Aaron moves back to the board trying to restore order through sheer professionalism. 

Morgan points at him, “See, that voice right there means he’s embarrassed.” 

“I’m not embarrassed.” He frowns. 

“You absolutely are.” Emily presses. 

Before Aaron could attempt to redirect the room, Rossi stands from his chair decisively. 

“Okay, new idea.” He claps, “You all look terrible.” 

Morgan looks offended, “I always look good.” 

“Everyone has been awake too long and tired profilers make mistakes.” He points out, “The unsub hasn’t made his next move and we don’t want to get sloppy now.” 

Aaron nods once, “He’s right.” 

Rossi starts to assign with the confidence of a tired Italian father, all too used to wrangling this chaos. 

“Morgan, Prentiss, and Y/LN. Head back to the hotel.” 

“Why me?” You ask, “If anyone needs a nap it’s him.” 

The team chuckles when you point at Hotch. 

“We’re not giving you anymore caffeine.” JJ admits with a sympathetic smile, “Reid’s been keeping track.” 

You cut him a look, “Of course you are.” 

“Plus you look about ten seconds away from threatening a federal agent.” Rossi sighs. 

You raise a brow, “Who’s to say I haven’t already?”

Chuckles pass around the team but it’s clear you won’t win this fight. 

“Hotel.” Rossi points toward the door, “Now.”

You grab your bag while Emily and Derek do the same. The door opens again and this time Mark walks back in. His sleeves are rolled up and the exhaustion and frustration are clearer now.

His eyes land on you, “You leaving already?”

You sling your bag over your shoulder, "I’m being forcibly sedated.” 

He smiles, “Probably for the best. You get scary after twenty hours awake.” 

Morgan leans back in anticipation, this was dangerous territory and he was pressing on a nerve. Garcia’s eyes widen, drinking Mark in entirely and hiding it behind a big mug.

“Unless you’re being kept up for a good reason.” 

You roll your eyes at his lack of subtlety, shaking your head as you walk over to the door. 

You pat his cheek, “You’re an ass. Everything after this is on you now.” 

Hotch managed to hide his emotions well, he knew he had everyone’s eyes waiting on him already. He said absolutely nothing which surprised everyone, including Mark. After the conversation in the stairwell he knew better than that. He wasn’t willing to risk another argument and it softened your irritation just a fraction. 

“Get some sleep.” Mark calls. 

You head toward the elevator with Morgan and Prentiss following behind. The second the doors close and you start to descend Morgan turns toward you. 

“Oh, Hotch is down bad!” 

Emily bursts out laughing. 

You shake your head, “Don’t ever say that again.” 

“I’m serious!” Morgan continues, “That man was fighting for his life in there.” 

“He was trying not to piss her off again.” Emily corrects. 

You lean back against the elevator wall, letting them go back and forth highlighting everything else. The exhaustion is starting to settle into your bones and Aaron’s words start to sink in deeper.

The hotel room was dark thanks to the thick curtains. A faint line of light escapes the bottom where there’s a small gap, you stare at the ceiling overhead. 

Morgan had disappeared into his room with the simple raise of a peace sign and Emily insisted she was setting three alarms. You changed into an oversized FBI hoodie and managed to stare at the ceiling for a full hour without moving. Your brain could not shut up. 

Aaron had gone to Los Angeles. Years ago. He admitted you were right in the ugliest moment shared between you two. You had spent years furious with him, while still knowing that no one had ever loved you like that. A decade of the two of you quietly carrying unresolved feelings like idiots. He was making it harder for you to hate him. 

You roll onto your side with an annoyed groan. 

Aaron Hotchner had been yearning for you for years. Without the safety net of a wife. Quietly. Patiently. Without saying a word. You genuinely don’t know what to do with that.

-

Exhaustion eventually caught up with you until hours later the ringing of your phone had you violently sitting up. You reach out for it on the nightstand and answer it.

“Y/LN.” 

A brief pause. 

“We got another message.” Aaron’s voice comes in. That wakes you up fully. 

“What kind of message?”

“The unsub posted a countdown.” 

Your stomach drops. 

“How long?”

“Twelve hours.” 

You swing your legs over the edge of the bed. 

“I’m on my way back in.” 

He hesitates for a second, “Get coffee first.” 

You snort, surprised. “Is that an order?”

“The only stuff we’ve got here is the shitty drip that you hate.”

You pause while putting on your shoes.

“Thanks for the warning.” 

“Hurry.”

The line disconnects and you roll your eyes. Twenty minutes later you’re walking into the Manhattan field office with a coffee in hand. The operation center looks even worse now, more clutter and down to a half dozen agents still here working.

Emily and Morgan are already there and it would seem this was a trade out. JJ, Reid, and Rossi went back to the hotel to get some sleep for the night. Aaron clearly had no intention of going with them. A couple more hours crawl by, Derek eventually escorting Garcia back to the hotel before coming back. 

The subway maps all begin to blur after staring at them for so long. 

“The timing isn’t about casualty numbers.” 

Emily frowns, “What?”

You point between the different attack locations.

“He’s following emergency response routes. He’s creating them in places that would require reroutes for emergency routes.” 

Aaron moves closer to look over your discovery. 

“Every attack forces the city to redirect resources. He’s learning response patterns.” 

Morgan’s eyes narrow, “Which means his final target could depend on delayed coverage.” 

You nod, “He could be trying to inflict enough chaos and fear to funnel resources into one spot, and then targeting that location.” 

“We should check the previous target sites and see what he was looking for.” Morgan studies the map. 

You nod, “You and Emily should go check it out.” 

He looks between you and Hotch before getting up. Emily grabs her jacket off the back of her chair and the two of them are off. 

The room becomes quiet again once they leave. Tall stacks of files. Cold coffee sitting in the pot in the corner of the room. There’s a small TV playing the news quietly on a constant cycle. You look up from your laptop just in time to catch Aaron trying to hide another yawn behind his hand. 

“You need sleep.” 

He slowly looks up from the file, meeting you with heavy, tired eyes. Still watery from the yawn. 

“I’m fine.” 

You raise an unimpressed brow, “Aaron.” 

“I’m not leaving.” He insists. 

“I know.” 

Your answer makes him pause slightly. You gesture toward the back wall of the room behind you. There's a small grey office couch along the wall with ugly green throw pillows. 

“I know you won’t go to the hotel, but you do need to get sleep.”

“No.” He shakes his head. 

“You’re exhausted.” 

“We’re running out of time.” He argues. 

“And having a delirious unit chief is going to help?” 

He looks amused briefly before he has to rub tiredly at his eyes. Aaron looks at you for a long moment, still stubborn as ever and clearly weighing his options. 

“I’ll still be working.” You remind.

“And if you find something?” 

“I’ll wake you up.”

Reluctantly he scoots his chair back and stands, “Fine.” 

You try not to look too victorious until he slowly loosens his tie before pulling it free entirely. The movement felt weirdly intimate with just the two of you in the quiet room. You turn your focus back to your laptop and he rounds the table for the couch behind you. 

Without the tie and jacket he looks a lot less like Unit Chief Hotchner and more like Aaron. It felt dangerous. 

He settles onto the couch with obvious reluctance, letting out an annoyed sigh. You spin around in your chair to look at him. He’s laying on his side facing out toward you and the rest of the room, his eyes closed forcibly and his feet hanging off the other end of the couch. 

“You look miserable.” A laugh escapes before you can help it. 

He squints open to peek at you, “You force me to sleep on the couch and now you make fun of me for it?” 

“Yeah, so what?” You smile, spinning back quickly to get back to work. You begin typing again trying to find more emergency city plans for any potential overlap. 

Minutes pass and you know he isn’t asleep yet. 

“You’re still angry with me.” He eventually calls out. 

You don’t move a muscle, still focused on your laptop. Aaron stares at the back of your head, following the outline of your neck to where it disappears into your bureau hoodie. 

“Yes.” You answer honestly. 

He nods slightly like he expected that, “You should be.”

This gets you to look over your shoulder. His eyes are still on you and there’s no defensiveness to it, just acceptance. 

“Aaron.” 

“I meant what I said earlier.” 

Your chest tightens, “You can’t say things like that and expect things to magically be okay.” 

“I know.” 

The frustrating part was he did know. You could see the open regret on his face. 

You exhale quietly and run a hand through your hair, “Go to sleep. 

A smile touches the corner of his mouth. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You roll your eyes instantly and turn back to your work, “Don’t start.” 

His eyes were already drifting shut, he had fought it long enough. Aaron Hotchner finally fell asleep and you sat quietly at the table. Listening to the soft hum of the TV and Aaron’s easy deep breathes. Every once and a while your gaze drifts back behind you toward the couch. 

Toward the man who had apparently been carrying you with him for years. The man that you were still furious with. The man that somehow understood you better than anyone else in the world. 

That terrified you a little. 

-

an// Happy Monday, my loves! Lemme hear it ALL you guys, replies seriously make my day! Aaron is such an idiot but OH my god the yearning PLZ! Also the engagement was in fact real, but sadly we all know no one quite measures up to Aaron Hotchner (even when he is so in the doghouse).

TAGLIST:

Cars filled the parking lot with children sprinting out of their parents' minivans and taking off in different directions. You take a longer sip of your coffee and slide a pair of sunglasses on. 

“You’re nervous.” Emily comments. 

“I am not,” You roll your eyes, “I’m just aware of when I’m surrounded by profilers placing bets against me.” 

JJ laughs. 

“Only on who’s gonna throw the first punch.” Morgan holds up his hands with a wide grin. 

“Does it count if it’s aimed at you?” You wind up, finally cracking a smile. 

Reid manages to find the right field and everyone follows his lead. Rossi and Aaron are standing in the middle of the field, surrounded by a dozen seven year olds. They have clipboards and whistles, Emily bursts out laughing. 

“I cannot believe this is real.” Morgan is losing it. 

Rossi happens to catch the group walking up to the field and lightly taps Aaron’s shoulder. 

“Told ya.” 

Aaron’s head snaps up toward the parking lot. He sees the entire BAU, including you, walking toward the field. Morgan cheers when he notices them looking and you lightly wave at them. You can see it in his face that he didn’t actually expect anyone to give up their Saturday morning for this. Rossi looks delighted next to him. 

They end up leading the kids back to the bench and the team walks over. 

“You all came!” Rossi grins. 

“You made it mandatory.” Reid reminds. 

The kids are darting around and a little girl stops right in front of Aaron, he instantly kneels to retie her cleat without even disrupting conversation. Something pulls in your chest unexpectedly, he looks up when he’s finished like he could feel you staring. 

You raise a brow, “Coach Hotchner.” 

His mouth twitches, “Agent Y/LN.” 

Garcia leans in to Morgan to whisper loudly, “And people say we flirt.”

“We’re not.” You both answer automatically, not exactly helping the situation. Your eyes flick back to each other again before looking back at the team. Aaron’s eyes shift behind you toward the bleachers. You follow his gaze and see why. Haley. 

She’s sitting halfway up the small set of bleachers wearing a simple jeans and a t-shirt. Her focus is on Jack who is running circles around the bench with a friend. She looks beautiful in an effortless way and suddenly it all feels very real. You could feel it in your chest immediately, the erratic beating. The history passed between the two of you, and you’ve never even met. Until now. 

You look back toward the group and catch Rossi watching you. 

“You’re enjoying this way too much.” You roll your eyes.

“Kid, this is payback from the two of you back in the academy.” 

Your cheeks flush, Aaron’s ears burn red. Just like the good old days.

“Okay, let’s go find seats.” JJ pulls Garcia and Reid toward the stands, effectively getting everyone moving in that direction. She climbs to the row behind Haley and starts sliding down, you let everyone keep filling in before you step back down to Haley’s row and take the seat right beside her. 

“Haley, right?” 

“You must be Y/n.” Haley smiles, and you slide your sunglasses on top of your head. 

Parents are chatting away next to them, but you can tell the team is only listening to the two of you eagerly. You had no plan of being hostile with her, you couldn’t really blame her for Aaron’s choices. There was no desire to meet her back then, it was all too fresh. Now it had been ten years. You have healed a lot since then.

“Guilty.” You nod. 

She continues to smile, “Aaron told me you had joined the team.”

The game started and Aaron was focused on his team running up and down the field. He did however look back several times at the two of you. 

“Is it bad that I’m enjoying the fact that he’s freaking out about this right now?” You ask. 

Haley laughs loudly, making Aaron glance back yet again. 

You turn back to look at Morgan, “That’s the bet I would’ve put money on. Will Aaron spend more time watching the team he’s coaching or Haley and I’s reactions?” 

Haley crosses one leg over the other and angles herself to face you. 

“I need to admit something terrible.” She says lightly. 

You look over cautiously, “Oh god.” 

“I used to be jealous of you. Severely.”

That surprises you. It surprises you even more that she admits it. 

“What?”

“He left for training, and I waited for him to call, but he never did. I always thought we would get back together, but he didn’t take my calls for months. It wasn’t until he was close to graduating that he finally did.” 

You gulp because you know exactly why he hadn’t for so long. 

She shrugs softly, “After Quantico, after his time at the academy, he wasn’t the same. He wasn’t my Aaron anymore.”

You go very still. 

“He never denied you existed. He spoke highly and honestly of you but I don’t think I realized the magnitude of what the two of you were.” She laughs quietly to herself, “I think we were up against that our entire marriage.”

“Trust me,” You swallow, “He’s always had you in his heart.” 

You mean it. Honestly. You may have called this marriage not working and him having doubts, but you could see it in his eyes the day you left. He loved her, that was a fact.

Instead of looking reassured, her expression turns complicated. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” 

A sharp whistle pulls both of your attention back to the field for a few seconds. Aaron is highfiving Jack after scoring a goal. 

“Did he reach out to you after Aaron and I separated?” 

Her question completely throws you off guard. A quiet moment passes between the two of you while her worried eyes scan your face. 

“Two months ago when I joined the team was the first time I had seen Aaron in a decade.” You admit quietly and the surprise is clear on her face. 

“Spread out!” Aaron calls from the sidelines. All the kids ignore him, two of them chasing a butterfly. Rossi is standing next to him with his hands on his hips as he lets out a deep laugh and Aaron shakes his head. 

“He wasn’t always this serious.” 

You look over slowly and she’s looking at Aaron before following Jack across the field. 

“You know that already, though.” 

You lean back, feeling the cold from the bleacher starting to seep into the back of your thighs. 

“He still jokes sometimes.” You admit. 

Haley laughs softly, “Then you’re getting more than most people.” 

You know that she’s right. Morgan had already called him out for using sarcasm out in the field twice, something he had never seen his unit leader do before you joined the team. Emily said he was the closest to relaxed after a case she had ever witnessed. Rossi admitted he hadn’t seen this side of Aaron in years. It seemed it was one he used to know. One you did too. 

“He’s impossible.” You mutter, shaking your head. 

“You don’t have to be a profiler to see whatever happened between the two of you affected him.”

You look back in her direction and she holds your gaze calmly. 

“It changed him.”

You frown feeling exposed, her expression softens slightly. 

“Aaron’s very good at commitment,” She admits, “Responsibility. Loyalty. Showing up. But sometimes I think he only really lets himself feel things when he loses them.” 

You swallow because it sounds painfully accurate. A loud whistle blows loudly signaling the end of the game. It became a blur of excited kids and eager parents, everyone standing up. Haley reaches out a hand to your arm, keeping the two of your sat a few seconds longer than everyone else. 

“I want Aaron to be happy.” 

“Haley-”

“No, I mean it.” 

You don’t even know what to do with that. This woman could hate you and you couldn’t truly blame her for it, but here she is rooting for you. It makes everything so much more complicated, it would have been easier if she was just bitter. 

“Mom!” a voice yells, pulling Haley’s attention instantly. 

Jack sprints over from the bench where he had been standing with Aaron and the rest of the team. Haley stands just in time for him to collide with her legs. Aaron follows slowly and you stand. 

“Hey, buddy!” Haley crouches down and hugs him. 

The team joins all of you as well. 

“Jack,” Aaron turns toward you, “this is Y/n. She’s on the team.”

Jack knew everyone else on the team at this point from stories and previous run-ins or holidays spent at Rossi’s. He looks up at your unfamiliar face.

“Hey, superstar.” You offer a high five and he jumps to slap it. 

“You work with my dad?” He asks, looking up at you curiously. 

You nod, “I do.” 

He looks over at his mom who is still standing right next to you. 

“And you’re friends with my mom?” He asks. 

“Uhh-” You hesitate, not expecting these kinds of social clues from a seven year old. It should’ve been expected with Aaron’s kid. 

“We are.” Haley cheerfully answers, everyone can see that she genuinely means it.

Aaron cautiously looks between you two and the team barely hides their chuckles. You smile at her and nod to agree before looking back at Jack. 

“Did you see me score two goals?” He continues.

“I did!” You laugh, “That was pretty awesome.” 

Jack looks up at you with innocent and curious eyes.

“Does my dad like you?” 

Three and a half years ago. 

Four days after Aaron had been served divorce papers in the bullpen of the BAU, he had them signed and sitting on his kitchen counter. They sat there, mocking him. They were still waiting there when he returned from a case to his empty apartment. It was new, he moved out of the house last week. 

He knew his marriage with Haley was ending long before it actually did. He would never say it outloud, but he knew it the day of their wedding. It was a long busy day that should have been full of so much love, but he was kept up that night. One thought playing on a constant loop in his head. 

You were right. 

This isn’t the life he wanted, it was the easier one. It was the one he had been building since he was seventeen and everyone in both of their families was expecting. 

He sat with the divorce for weeks, you still popped up in his mind again. It was unescapable. You had been a ghost in their marriage, not because he compared the two of you, but because you represented something that truly terrified him. 

You represent a version of himself that had wanted things recklessly and selfishly. That was the one and only time he was able to be himself without permission. You were his freedom. 

Which is why two weeks later and a long weekend away from the team, he found himself in Los Angeles. He had tried to convince himself the entire flight that this wasn’t some sort of catastrophic mistake. He barely noticed the room around him, he was scanning every person for your face. 

He found out you were speaking at a conference for the Bureau. The FBI Human Exploitation Task Force Symposium banner stretches across the stage and the rows of seats start to fill in. He wants to move closer, but settles for a spot toward the back. He misses them announce your name, but his focus is trained on your figure as you walk out behind the podium. 

You look the same and completely different all at once. You’re older, obviously, but sharper around the eyes. You carry yourself confidently in a way that commands the room, that isn’t new. He was looking forward to seeing you, but wasn’t actually prepared for the impact of seeing you again for the first time in over seven years. 

It physically panged in his chest. You move easily across the stage as you speak, clicking through case photos and a trafficking network map behind you. 

“No victim willingly walks into exploitation,” Your voice is steady, “Traffickers identify vulnerability before victims even recognize it in themselves.” 

The entire room was listening to your every word, Aaron included. He couldn’t help it, you were extraordinary. You spoke with clear authority, field experience woven effortlessly into behavioral analysis and negotiation psychology.

Aaron watched as local law enforcement and agents scribble notes frantically. He felt weirdly proud which felt ridiculous since he hadn’t spoken to you in so long. He remembered the woman he knew in class and it’s clear how far you’ve come.

You click to another slide, “Traffickers thrive on predictability, isolation, and emotional dependency. They count on the assumption that victims will blame themselves before they blame the people exploiting them.” 

Aaron remembered that tone. It was the one you used when you deeply cared about something, and he knew firsthand that it always made people listen. He missed you, and the feeling sat heavy in his chest. 

At the end of your presentation the auditorium erupted into applause. You smiled politely, professional and controlled. It was nothing like the woman who used to kiss him breathless in academy stairwells. Nothing like the woman that managed to defile him in every single study room on campus. 

He waited near the back while people crowded toward the stage. Agents, detectives, and conference organizers all wanted a piece of your attention. You handled it well, even after a long presentation you managed to answer questions and shake hands. As more people cleared out, his heart began to pound in a way that felt embarrassing at his age. 

Waiting to speak to you again somehow felt more nerve-wracking than facing an armed unsub. He started to walk down toward the stage, but you lift your hand while talking to another agent. He saw the sparkle in a flash. The ring. A huge diamond sitting on your left hand, impossible to miss. 

He froze, the room dulling instantly. Of course you had moved on, how dare he even be surprised? You were brilliant and beautiful and impossible not to love. Somebody else had figured that out. Somebody else had made the right decision and was going to build their life with you. The realization hollowed him out with brutal efficiency. 

You laugh softly at something the agent says, still completely unaware he was even there. He stares at the ring for a second longer before stepping backward into the crowd. He did it quickly and without turning back before he could embarrass himself by reopening something that clearly remained in your past. 

He left the auditorium without saying a word, stepping out into the bright California sun felt blinding. The air was too hot and he needs to go home. You belong to someone else now.

-

“Does my dad like you?” Jack asks, looking up at you innocently. 

The sentence hangs in the air and the group does a terrible job of trying to act normal. Morgan had to physically turn away to hide his laugh and Emily looked like she was about to burst. Aaron crouches down beside Jack with red ears and a calm mask on. 

“Buddy,” He says carefully, “some thoughts can stay inside our heads.” 

Jack frowns immediately, “Why?”

Rossi answers before Aaron can, “Because your dad survives entirely on emotional repression.” 

You snort a laugh and Aaron shoots David a look that would level an unsub. Haley looks suspiciously entertained too, a small smile growing on her face. Jack moves on, already onto his next thought and forgetting the awkward moment he unknowingly created. 

“Can we go get lunch?” He asks, “We always get lunch when we win.” 

Aaron stands slowly, “We don’t technically keep score.” 

Jack sighs dramatically, “Dad, we won.” 

“Yeah,” You agree, “He scored two goals.” 

Now Aaron shoots you a look that would level an unsub. Jack looks up toward the entire team, reminded that it isn’t just his parents here when you spoke. 

“Can they come too?” 

Aaron blinks a few times. 

Morgan points at Jack with a wide grin, “I love this kid.” 

“Jack, the team probably has other plans. It’s their weekend-”

“We don’t.” Garcia interrupts instantly. 

“I’ve got nothing.” JJ shakes her head, looking over the rest of the team agreeing. 

Emily crosses her arms, “Absolutely free.” 

“Staticially,” Reid nods, “spontaneous group meals improve team cohesion.” 

Aaron looks deeply betrayed by everyone, you watch him try to escape this situation gracefully. Jack turns to Haley next. 

“Mom?”

Haley took one look at Aaron’s face and decided this was too fun to put to an end. 

“I think it sounds nice.” 

Aaron instantly inhales through his nose. You can see the hesitation clearly on his face. It’s not that he doesn’t want them there, it’s because he clearly cares about it going well. It was easy to expect disaster, but everyone was fitting together unexpectedly easily. 

“Well, I guess it’s settled then.” Aaron smiles at his son. 

Jack grabs Aaron’s hand and starts walking toward the parking lot. He’s already talking about what he plans to order. The restaurant was noisy, it was a little family spot nearby that was clearly overwhelmed with other families that had the same idea. 

You slide into the large booth between Emily and Garcia. Jack is sitting next to Rossi and Aaron, excitedly talking about the game still. Aaron has one arm resting behind Jack automatically, listening to everything his son is saying. 

It’s different seeing Aaron like this, it’s close to what you had imagined all those years ago. You knew he would be a great dad, it’s clear that you were right. He and Haley work around each other easily, both chiming in on Jack’s friends that played too. 

Rossi points at Aaron suddenly, “You guys should have heard him at halftime,”

“David.” Aaron warns. 

“He gave a motivational speech.” 

Morgan lets out a loud laugh, “You didn’t.” 

“I believe I heard the phrase ‘maintain formation’ twice.” 

“To seven-year olds?” JJ asks, raising a brow. 

Aaron looks unashamed like it was obvious, “Spacing matters.” 

“They’re seven.” Emily reiterates, causing everyone else at the table to laugh. 

“They still need structure.” 

Haley leans in toward you, “He color coded snack assignments last season.” 

You burst into another laugh and Aaron looks horrified. 

“Haley.” He sighs.

Lunch lasted longer than any of you had intended. The teasing turned into stories and eventually circled all the way back to soccer strategy. You couldn't help but notice even with the chaos of today, Aaron looked closer to the man that you once knew. He looked softer and less guarded. He wasn’t Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, he was just Aaron. He looked happy, you noticed it and so did the team. 

Everyone had finished eating but no one had moved from their spots. Jack had asked Reid an endless stream of questions, hoping to stump him but was unsuccessful. 

“Who is the best shot?” Jack asks yet another question about the team. It’s clear to see how proud he is of his dad. 

“Technically your dad is.” Reid nods. 

“That wasn’t always the case.” You tease, taking a sip of your drink. 

Aaron simply raises a brow to challenge and Jack turns his attention to you now. 

“What do you mean?”

“Back in the academy your dad lost. A lot.” 

“It was not a lot-” Aaron defends with a warning look. It only encourages you more. 

“You trained with my dad?” Jack asks, looking between you two. 

You nod, “It was a long time ago.” 

“You were better?” Jack’s smile widens. 

“Much.”

“Alright!” Aaron reaches out a hand to stop you, “There may have been a couple training exercises that you performed better-”

“Right, I was only the top of the class for eleven of the fourteen rounds.” You remind, a smile growing on his face at your competitive nature. It’s something you both share. “You even prepped a full tactical report-”

“Preparation matters.” He directly cuts off, his smile never wavering. 

“For a fake apartment with cardboard suspects.” You shake your head. 

The back and forth had come so naturally that you hadn’t realized the entire table went quiet watching the two of you. Aaron noticed too, you both stop talking at the same time. Jack seemingly is the only one oblivious and picks right back up with his questions. 

“And now he’s the best?” 

You glance back over to Aaron once more before answering. He has a slight smirk and looks down to watch the exchange between you and his son. 

“Debatable.” 

Aaron laughs first, it’s short but it’s surprisingly loud. It was so real and raw that the entire table froze. Hotch laughing was rare, but openly because of you? That hadn’t happened in over a decade. 

Rossi looks like he could cry, “I’m gonna remember this day forever.” 

“You need hobbies.” Aaron mutters, rolling his eyes at the older man’s flair for the dramatic.

Everyone eventually began to move out of the booth, mostly due to Garcia threatening a group picture. Out in the parking lot Jack hugged everyone goodbye, including you. He is waiting in front of you and looking down at his shoes. 

“You’re coming to another game.” He informs seriously. 

You can’t help but smile, “That sounds threatening. I’m in.” 

“Good.” 

Aaron watches the entire interaction with Haley at his side. A strange warmth settles in his chest watching how natural it was. It felt like you had always belonged somewhere near this part of his life. It was a very dangerous and greedy thought for him to have. Even Haley has a smile on her face, not a hint of discomfort. He didn’t think it would ever be like that. Maybe it’s because the two of you are just teammates now. 

Haley eventually wrangled Jack into her car after another goodbye to everyone. You had ridden with Garcia who is currently petting a stranger’s dog on the sidewalk. It gave you just enough time to catch him. 

“Aaron.” 

He looks up right away, halting his stride to his car. He could hear it in your tone that something had shifted from the energy just moments ago. 

“What’s wrong?” He raises a concerned brow. 

“Nothing’s wrong.” 

He waits, you glance back toward the rest of the team all making their ways to their cars. 

“I need to speak with you Monday morning.”

He nods, but studies you carefully. “Professionally or personally?”

You hesitate and his concern grows. The conversation with Haley had left a question in your head and you won’t leave it unanswered. 

“Both.”

He goes very still, the noise of the parking lot fading to the background for a moment while the two of you stare at each other. It’s clear you aren’t giving up enough to give him a clue what this is about. You start to take backward steps toward Garcia’s waiting car.

“I’ll see you Monday.” 

He watches you go, and for the rest of the weekend Aaron could not stop thinking about exactly what ‘both’ meant. 

an// now i know y’all did not expect her and haley to be chill like that!! At the end of the day Aaron is the one we should be mad at, not Haley ✋🏼 also that flashback??? Like c’mon Aaron 😭 PLEASE let me know your thoughts, I’m already onto the next part!

TAGLIST:

You immediately straighten and turn around to see Erin Strauss waiting near the elevators where you just came from. She has a sour expression and her suit is ironed to perfection. You know she rarely comes down to this floor. Usually it’s because something is wrong. 

You adjust your bag on your shoulder and change the coffee in your hands awkwardly. 

“Section Chief.” 

“I need a word.” 

You glance back to the bullpen where the rest of the team is already getting to work. 

“Now?” You turn back to her. 

You can see it on her face that this is not a request and something cold settles in your stomach. 

“Yes.” Strauss turns and presses the elevator button, instantly calling it and stepping inside. You falter for a second before taking slow strides to join her. Neither of you say another word until you’ve landed in the chair across from her desk. Her office is too quiet. Too formal. 

“I’m assuming this isn’t social.” You joke lightly. 

Strauss folds her hands carefully on her desk. 

“You’ve integrated with the team quickly. You’re doing well.” 

Your guard immediately goes up because she doesn’t say it like it’s a good thing. 

“That’s the idea.” 

She doesn’t react. 

“You’ve earned an impressive reputation throughout the Bureau.” 

She’s using a measured and strategic tone that makes the conversation even more unsettling.

You remain still, “What exactly is this conversation?”

She openly studies you for a moment before answering. 

“I’m concerned about Agent Hotchner.”

Shock takes over instantly. It isn’t visible to Strauss, but you can feel it ripple through you. 

“What?”

She remains calm, “Aaron has been under increasing personal and professional strain and no longer is able to operate this team to its fullest capabilities.”

You stare at her in disbelief. 

“With all due respect, he runs this team exceptionally well.” 

“He runs it obsessively.” Strauss corrects, “There’s a difference.” 

Your jaw tightens. You had been back long enough to know the truth. Aaron carries this team on his back. Every single case. Every single agent. Every single decision. He sacrifices himself for the job constantly, and from what you’ve heard he’s always been like that. 

“The Bureau values stability in leadership positions.” Strauss continues carefully. 

“And you think he’s unstable?” 

She clears her throat, “I think he’s compromised. You’ve demonstrated exceptional leadership capability, Agent Y/LN.” 

There it was. 

You instantly feel anger flare under your ribs, “No.” 

Strauss blinks once, “I haven't actually asked the question yet.”

“You don’t have to.” 

You let the silence stretch between the two of you, eventually crossing your arms and leaning back in the chair. 

“You want me to step into his position.” 

She doesn’t deny it. 

“You would be considered. You would be the top applicant.” 

You stare at her for a long moment, waiting until she squirms under your gaze. You let out a sharp disbelieving laugh. 

“You seriously brought me here to undermine him?”

“Agent Y/LN-”

“You have tried poaching me for years.” You continue, shaking your head.

“Agent Y/LN.” Her voice is still calm, but concern is growing on her face. 

You stand from the chair, picking up your bag from the floor and coffee off her desk. 

“Aaron Hotchner is one of the best unit chiefs the Bureau has.” You admit.

Strauss’s expression had cooled slightly, “Your personal history may be affecting your objectivity.” 

Your hand hovers over the doorknob, “You know what affects my objectivity? Watching someone spend years giving everything they have to this job and still having people look for excuses to replace them.” 

Her gaze sharpens on you. 

“I didn’t come here to take his team.” 

“Leadership transitions happen.” She purses her lips. 

“Not like this.” You exhale through your nose, “Am I dismissed?” 

Her expression hardens, but she takes her time before eventually nodding. 

“For now.” 

You took the stairs down and your heart was still racing by the time you made it back to the bullpen. The anger was still sitting sharp under your skin. The bullpen was empty, making your stomach drop slightly until you see the conference room. A case, of course. 

You push open the door, Garcia is in the middle of briefing everyone on the case details. You find the last available seat. 

“Look who finally decided to show up.” Morgan mutters, getting a few chuckles. 

“Shut up.” You roll your eyes. 

“You’re late.” Aaron’s voice harsh. He finally looks up at you from the file and instantly knows that something is wrong. 

“Strauss.” You answer simply. 

The room collectively groaned. 

“Yikes.” Emily mutters. 

Aaron’s eyes remain locked on you. You know he’s assessing and trying to figure you out. 

“What did she want?” He questions. 

A dangerous question. You keep your face neutral and maintain eye contact with him. 

“Administrative nonsense.” 

He knows immediately that you are lying, but the rest of the team doesn’t catch it. Aaron doesn’t catch you on the words, but because even after all these years he still knew exactly what you looked like when you were angry. Right now, you looked furious. 

You hold his eyes evenly, trying your best to say not here and not now. He holds your gaze for a second longer before finally nodding and letting Garcia continue with the briefing. 

“To recap-” Garcia smiles at you, “we have three victims over eleven days. All women between twenty-five and thirty-three.”

She clicks to reveal photo after photo. All of the victims look different, they don’t share any obvious physical consistency. 

Morgan frowns, “No victim preference.” 

“Not outwardly.” Reid corrects, studying the images carefully. 

“But, all three did attend large social events within forty-eight hours of abduction.” Garcia adds. 

You look at the file. A fundraiser, an engagement party, and a bridal shower. 

Emily raises a brow, “Oddly specific.” 

“Not really.” You shrug. 

“Meaning?” Aaron looks over. 

“Big events. Emotional environments. People are distracted, drinking, they let their guards down.”

“Or,” Rossi adds thoughtfully, “Maybe he’s targeting women who represent something specific to him.” 

“Commitment.” JJ suggests. 

“Control.” Reid counters. 

You add quietly, “Fear.” 

Aaron looks back at you right away and you point toward the photos on the screen. 

“These aren’t rage kills.” 

“No overkill.” Aaron agrees. 

“And the staging is too deliberate.” You continue, “This feels compulsive, like he’s trying to prove something to himself.” 

Morgan frowns and spins back and forth in his chair, “About women?”

Your mouth curves, “Maybe about himself around women.” 

Aaron’s eyes narrow on you slightly. You were onto something and he could tell. 

“Wheels up in thirty.” 

-

You settle into your seat across from Morgan while Garcia’s voice fills the speakers on the jet. 

“I already pulled social overlap between victims. No direct connections yet, but I will keep digging!”

Reid sits up slightly in his seat, “Statically major life transitions do correlate with increased psychological stress responses.” 

“Marriage especially.” Emily mutters. 

Morgan points, “See? Even Prentiss thinks marriage is terrifying.” 

You hum, “It happens.” 

Aaron looks down at the file in his hands. You notice. And because you can’t bite your tongue, you just can’t help yourself. 

“People panic when they realize they’re locked into a future they’re not sure they want.” 

Silence. JJ’s eyes flick between you and Hotch. Morgan leans back in his seat like he was watching a tennis match. Aaron remains perfectly composed, but it means nothing because you once knew him too well. His jaw eventually tightens. Bullseye. 

You look back down at your file pretending innocence. Rossi hid his smile poorly behind his coffee cup. 

“This feels pointed.” Morgan mutters. 

“It’s definitely pointed.” Emily agrees. 

Aaron finally speaks, without looking up at anyone. 

“Focus on the case, please.” 

Your mouth twitches slightly, “Yes, sir.” 

Morgan chokes. 

-

The smaller town forty minutes outside of Philadelphia greeted you with gray skies and cold rain. The local precinct had already set up boards when the team arrived. Everyone split up to go to the dump sites before returning to the station. They had photos, maps, and timelines. Aaron stepped up naturally to assign tasks while local detectives listened carefully. 

You hung back near the boards trying to take it all in again. Something itched at the back of your brain that wasn’t fitting right. 

“You’ve got the look.”

You hadn’t even noticed Rossi approach quietly beside you. 

“What look?”

“The one where you’re about to ruin everyone’s day by being right.” 

You snort loudly, capturing Aaron’s attention now that the detectives are gone.

Your eyes narrow slightly at the newest victim photo. She has a bright silver bracelet that looks new with a small charm attached. 

“What’s that?” You ask. 

JJ looks over, “Bridesmaid gift.” 

You go still, and Aaron notices it right away. He steps closer to you and the board. 

“What?”

You scan over the board again. Engagement party. Bridal shower. Wedding fundraiser. Everyone is looking at you, waiting for you to share whatever epiphany you’re having. 

You look over at Aaron and mutter, “You’re so not going to believe me.” 

He simply raises a brow, “Talk.” 

You turn away from the boards finally to face the team that already all have eyes on you. 

“He’s escalating around weddings.” You point to the events. 

“Meaning what?” Morgan asks. 

“He’s engaged.” The room stays quiet, waiting for you to continue, “He’s spiraling because he feels trapped. Every kill is tied to women connected to marriage or commitment.” 

JJ’s eyes widen, “He’s acting out before his own wedding.” 

“The wedding is the stressor.”

“That would explain the compulsive escalation behavior.” Reid nods, “He’s externalizing fear and resentment through violence.” 

“He sees this as his last chance of freedom. He’s getting his thrills out now while he still can.” You blurt. Aaron looks at you sharply at your phrasing. You both know it wasn’t because you were wrong, it was because it was familiar. You ignore him completely. 

“So, he’s punishing women because he blames them for his life changing.” Emily comments. 

“Not just women,” You correct, “Commitment itself.” 

Aaron picks up the thread immediately, “He doesn’t actually want marriage.” 

“But he’s doing it anyway.” Rossi finishes. 

“Exactly.” You nod. 

Garcia’s voice finally comes on “Oh, I can work with this. Filtering men with upcoming marriage licenses in the area, cross-referencing with event attendance and employment flexibility.” 

You can hear her typing aggressively. It took some time before she found a thirty-two year old man who is supposed to be married in eight days. He’s a construction supervisor and all three victims are connected through wedding venues his company recently services. 

“That’s him.” You nod. 

Hotch agrees, “That’s our guy.” 

Garcia tracked his work vehicle to one of their maintenance buildings, it was starting to get dark out. Rain continued to hammer against the rusted metal roof. SWAT had formed a perimeter and the team was moving in carefully. A loud scream came from inside making everyone move a little faster. 

Morgan kicks open the door and everyone filters in with trained eyes locked on the unsub. He’s pacing and has a young woman clutched tightly against him. He has one arm locked around her throat and is effectively using her as a shield. 

Gun shaking in his hand, “She lied to me!” 

His fiancé. 

Aaron’s posture straightens beside you. 

“Easy,” He calls out calmly, “Nobody here wants anyone hurt.” 

The unsub starts yelling and waving the gun around more frantically. You take a step closer and lower your weapon so he can see the motion, Aaron’s aim becoming a little more focused. 

“You don’t want to do this.” You say softly.

Aaron knew that look on your face. That was the negotiator in you. 

“She trapped me!” 

You stay calm, taking another cautious step closer. 

“No, you trapped yourself.” 

His grip falters slightly and you slowly ease forward again. 

“I know what you’re feeling.” You relate, “You wake up one day and realize that your whole future is happening before you’re ready.”

The unsub stares at you, breathing hard. The rain is still pounding hard but you keep your tone even. 

“But all you can think about is whether you’re making a mistake.” 

You’re sure if Aaron wasn’t trained on the gun with laser focus making sure he has no chance of harming you he would be cutting you a look. 

“You think once the wedding happens, your life stops belonging to you.” 

The unsub’s grip on his fiancé loosens slightly. 

“She’s taking everything from me.”

“No,” You say gently, “You were afraid, and that’s okay.” 

You step closer yet again.

“You still have a choice, but if you pull that trigger? That choice will disappear forever.” 

The woman whimpers softly. 

“No one is saying you have to live the life everybody planned for you.” 

Aaron felt that deep in his chest. 

“You can walk away and admit you’re unhappy before you destroy your life or someone else's." 

The unsubs' hands shake violently. He looks between you and then down at the woman in his arms, finally the gun clatters to the floor and he lets go of her. Morgan moves in immediately to put him in handcuffs, JJ steps in front of you to guide the victim out of the building. SWAT was shouting commands as chaos was erupting around everyone. You stay in your spot for a moment longer, exhaling slowly as the adrenaline starts to dip. 

Aaron hadn’t moved from his spot behind you either. 

“Hey.” 

You turn to look at him, a blank expression on his face. 

“You did a good job.” 

You take a deep breath, “He wanted someone to understand him.” 

He studies you carefully. 

“And you did?”

Your eyes hold for a second too long, with way too much baggage sitting underneath it. Too many things that neither of you will say. 

“That’s the job.” 

-

Ten years ago. 

Your apartment smelled like burnt coffee and takeout noodles. Case files were covering most of the available surfaces with behavioral notes scribbled on them. Aaron is sitting at the counter with his sleeves rolled up while you’re sprawled out on your couch with a file in hand.

Training just started a few weeks ago, the two of you still had nine months of training and education to complete before graduating the program. You and Aaron were quick to become study partners, it seemed like he was one of the only men in the class that didn’t have a problem with a woman’s input. 

So it had become a thing for the two of you to have late night study sessions, training drills, and even mock interviews and interrogations. You don’t know if he feels the same gravitational pull that was definitely affecting you, but there was a growing tension between the two of you. 

“Don’t forget to blink every once and a while.” You call casually. 

He doesn’t look up, “I blink.” 

After a few more minutes Aaron lets out a deep sigh and stands up to stretch, he walks over to the end of the couch and lifts your feet up so he can sit down. He sighs again once he’s sat, letting his eyes close as he holds your legs in his lap. 

You set down your file, “You got quiet today when Gideon mentioned spouses.” 

He doesn’t shift, but you can feel his fingers tighten on your leg for a split second. 

You soften your voice, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” 

He doesn’t answer you right away, you nearly pick your file back up to let the moment pass. He opens his eyes again, his head resting against the back of the couch. He turns to look at you directly. 

“I wasn’t married, but we had been together since high school.”

You stay quiet. 

“She’s the only relationship I’ve ever had.” 

There was no bitterness to his voice, but it was clear there was exhaustion. You turn in toward him on the couch more. 

“What happened?”

“I think…” He pauses briefly, “I think we kept waiting for the right time to get married. But every time it came up we would end up fighting.” 

He lets out a small humorless laugh. 

“About my hours, school, work. If I was ever actually home enough to build a life with.” 

You melt a little at the admission and seeing the pain on his face. He rubs a tired hand over his jaw. 

“I kept telling myself things would be better between us after law school. And then after the prosecutor’s office.” 

“But it wasn’t.”

He shakes his head. The apartment felt quieter now than it had earlier. The position of the two of you combined with the admission was making it feel intimate somehow. 

“She wanted stability and I kept giving her reasons to wait. It didn’t feel like we were actually building a life together, it felt like going through the motions because it was safe.” 

You study him carefully. 

“You were dragging your feet.”

He huffs lightly, “Probably.” 

“Why?”

His thumb begins to trace back and forth absentmindedly on your ankle. The question sat between the two of you for a second before Aaron answered honestly. 

“Because every time we talked about marriage, it felt like proof we weren’t ready for it.” 

Your eyes look over his face, “You loved her though.” 

“I did.” He admits. 

Did. Past tense. He notices you catch his phrasing and he looks away immediately. The two of you had just sat side by side in a class explaining the importance in the choice of someone’s words. 

“The academy was the last straw.” He admits quietly, leaning forward to take the last swig of his coffee from the coffee table, “Me leaving prosecution to come here. She thought I was choosing work over our future again.” 

“Were you?”

He stays quiet, which was answer enough. Somewhere down the hall a couple of trainees laugh loudly before a door slams shut. 

“I don’t know.” He finally admits. 

It feels painfully honest. You watch him for a long moment, several emotions crossing his face. Regret. Guilt. Fear. 

“You wanna know what I think?” You ask eventually. 

He finally looks back at you with tired eyes, “This should be interesting.” 

You smile and roll your eyes.

“I think you’ve spent your life doing what you’re supposed to do.” 

HIs brows furrow slightly. 

“Good student. Good boyfriend. Good prosecutor.” You shrug, “You’ve probably been good to every single person who expected it from you.” 

His mouth twitches slightly, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” 

“No, but I think it’s sad.” 

You lean forward. 

“What do you actually want, Aaron?”

He opens his mouth to speak but stops. He hesitates because he can’t think of a time that someone had actually asked him that. Not without expectations attached to it as well. He almost looks frustrated by the question. 

“I don’t know.” 

You hold his gaze, “Then maybe that’s the problem.” 

The silence stretches across your apartment again, heavy and charged. He looks like he’s trying to figure something out in real time. 

“You said it yourself,” You continue, “You don’t even know if you’ve really been living.” 

He swallows once and there was something devastating about how tired he suddenly looked. He looks like a man that spent years building a life he wasn’t sure he even wanted anymore. 

“So start living.” 

He stares at you. 

“What?”

You smile, “What do you want to do?” 

The question hangs in the air. His eyes flick down briefly to your mouth before returning to your eyes. You notice it immediately and feel the air shift. 

“Really?”

Neither of you move away or look away. 

His voice comes out soft, “I think this is probably a bad idea.” 

Your pulse starts to race. 

“Probably.” 

“But you don’t care.” He realizes. 

“Not at this moment.” 

That did it. Aaron crosses the short space between the two of you on the couch before he could think himself out of it. His hand slides against your neck as he kisses you. You knew there was tension but the chemistry was explosive in a messy way. He kissed you like a man who had been holding back for months and you had only known him a couple weeks…

You pull him closer against you by gripping the front of his academy shirt. You make a surprised noise against his mouth and he swallows it immediately. He waits until your lips are starting to swell to pull back enough to breathe. 

“We should stop.” 

Your lips brush against his while you catch your breath. 

“Then stop.” 

He kisses you harder instead, making you laugh against his mouth. You can feel his smile and pull back so you can finally see it. His lips are red and swollen to match yours at this point. He looks like he just won the lottery. 

He wasn’t the polished prosecutor or the disciplined trainee. He was just Aaron and he was taking something for himself. 

His forehead rests on yours as you both catch your breath. 

“You’re a terrible influence.” He murmurs. 

You grin instantly, “You like it.” 

“I really do.” 

He kisses you again, this time it’s slower. It feels warmer and more intentional. It felt like the start to something neither of you was prepared for.

-

Everyone was wide awake climbing the steps to the jet eager to get home. It was late, but technically you guys were only in Pennsylvania for fourteen hours. You sit down in the first open seat, Rossi is walking up behind you. 

“That was quick turnaround, kid!” Rossi presses a kiss to the top of your head as he passes and you lightly push him off, “Getting called away for a case on a Friday I assumed Aaron and I would miss the game tomorrow.” 

You watch him settle into the chair across from you with a proud look on his face.  

“What game?” You ask. Aaron settles into the seat next to Rossi and you scoot in so Morgan can take the aisle next to you.

“Jack’s soccer team.” Rossi answers, “Aaron coerced me into helping him coach with him on the weekends.” 

You glance over at Aaron cautiously catching him visibly tense. 

“You volunteered.” Aaron finally speaks, focusing on the file rather than anyone at the table. 

“I was manipulated.” Rossi corrects. 

Aaron looks over at him with a rare quick smile, “You like the kids.”

“They’re sticky.” 

You laugh, “You coach Jack’s team?”

Aaron looks over at you and nods. 

“It’s one day a week-” 

“It’s glorious!” Rossi interrupts, “These seven year olds act like they’re in the World Cup and they don’t even keep score.”

You burst out laughing again and Rossi notices Aaron looking at you a little too long because of it. 

“Let me guess, color coded schedules?” You lean in toward Rossi with a smirk while Aaron simply shakes his head and focuses back on the file. 

“Oh, there’s a spreadsheet!” Rossi grins, “You should come tomorrow.” 

The laughter dies instantly and you blink a couple times. The team stills as well, the cabin becoming silent.

“What?”

“The game.” Rossi shrugs innocently, “You should come.” 

You can see Aaron in the corner of your eye looking up fully now. There was a subtle panic to him now and you caught it immediately. 

“That’s okay-”

“Everyone should come, actually.” Rossi turns his focus to the rest of the team that was solely focused on this conversation anyway. 

You glance toward Aaron carefully now. It felt more loaded than a soccer game should and the team could feel it too. Everyone knew Haley would be there as well to see her son play. Judging by the look on his face he had already had that realization. 

Morgan grins slowly, “I would pay money to watch Hotch coach children.” 

“Why? We see him with us everyday?” You joke, trying to lighten the tension a little and distract a little. 

“I’m going to make it mandatory for everyone,” Rossi waves his hands, “None of you have excuses anyway. Technically we’d still be working this case tomorrow if Y/n hadn’t wrapped things up so quickly.” 

You narrow your eyes, “You’re weaponizing my competence.” 

“Bingo.” 

You roll your eyes and everyone answers with various forms of ‘yes’ to agree to the game tomorrow. You look at Aaron once more while you consider. You know this is strangely vulnerable and it’s not even his own idea. He offers you the slightest of nods after a few seconds. 

“Well?” Morgan turns to you, waiting on your answer. 

You exhale softly through your nose. 

“Fine. I’ll be there.” 

Morgan claps loudly and Garcia cheers through the speakerphone. Emily grins and you can already see her sharing a look with JJ. Aaron’s jaw remains tight with his focus back on the case file. 

You turn to look out the window and think about the day you now have ahead of you after landing. Meeting Haley wasn’t something you ever expected or had given much thought to. Now it was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not…

AN// omg back to back days of posting?!? i loveeddddd the parallels of Aaron and the ubsub and her being RIGHT! thank god honestly.

TAGLIST:

With the unsub in the back of a cruiser, you close the door and turn and immediately face Hotch. He towers over you and his eyes reveal his anger. 

“I told you to wait.” 

“If I had waited, he could’ve killed her.” 

“You disobeyed orders.” His hands tightening at his sides. 

“He would’ve escalated seeing the FBI on his front lawn.” You argue. 

“We don’t know that.” 

“He could have. Were you willing to risk her life?”

You gesture to where the victim is sitting in the back of an ambulance being checked for minor injuries. Aaron simply stares at you for a long moment and the team all pretend not to watch. 

“You don’t get to decide which orders matter.” He says eventually. 

Your expression sharpens immediately, “And you don’t get to confuse control with leadership. Do you seriously not think that between us, Rossi, and Morgan we wouldn’t be able to handle him?”

You nod to where the unsub is still waiting in the back of a police car, it pulls away after a few minutes. Morgan winces when he sees Aaron’s jaw tighten. Your expression hasn’t faded, maybe even still a hint of a smile. 

“Now, let's go get a confession.” You nod, your ponytail swinging with you as you get into the passenger seat of Hotch’s SUV. He hesitates for a moment, taking a controlled breath before rounding the front of the car and getting in. 

Back at the precinct the team couldn’t help but watch the two of you interrogate the unsub. It only took twenty minutes for the two of you to completely dismantle him, a perfect balance with Aaron’s controlled pressure and you destabilizing him emotionally. Aaron cornered him and you baited him. It was so seamless, it almost looked choreographed. Rossi was thinking of the masterclass the two of you could teach if you would both survive it. 

By the end of the twenty minutes the unsub was sweating through his shirt and confessed to all of the murders. The local PD began to process the arrest and the team gathered outside under the heavy Miami evening heat. 

Morgan shook his head slowly, “I hate how good that was.” 

“I liked it.” Emily confesses and JJ shoves her lightly with a laugh. 

Reid looks genuinely fascinated, “Their communication style appears almost entirely conflict-based, yet they consistently produce effective outcomes.” 

Rossi claps him on the shoulder, “Congratulations, kid. You should’ve seen them push each other to the top of their class.” 

Aaron exited the precinct at that exact moment, you follow a few seconds later. You’re still carrying leftover adrenaline. You glance toward the team that is watching the two of you walk toward them. 

“Oh, don’t start.” You roll your eyes. 

Morgan raises both hands, “I didn’t say a word!”

“You were thinking several.”

“Definitely.” 

Aaron looks tired next to you, but the team would argue that he looks lighter than he typically does after a case. It wasn’t dramatic, he wasn’t suddenly cheerful. They could see him hiding small smiles at your quick wit all week.

Tiny moments. Dry remarks. Actual banter. 

It was because of you. 

-

The jet ride home was much quieter than the flight out. The case was closed and the adrenaline was fading. The team was pretty spread out to sleep or work quietly with the lights dimmed. Morgan nearly walked into a chair when he saw you and Aaron take the two seats facing each other toward the back of the plane. 

You sit with one leg tucked underneath you, Aaron straight in front of you reviewing paperwork. At least he was pretending to, he hadn’t turned a page in several minutes. 

“You’re staring again.” You murmur, not pulling your gaze from the window. You can see tiny lights far down below glowing, the only thing showing through the dark night sky. The occasional silhouette of a dark cloud.

He doesn’t flinch, “You still say that.”

“Apparently you still do it.” You finally turn to look at him. A faint smile is briefly tugging at the corners of his mouth. You glance down toward Aaron’s left hand resting against the file. No ring. You noticed the first day, of course you did, but this was the first time the two of you had a quiet moment long enough to address it. 

“So, you and Haley...” You simply comment, not needing to continue for him to follow. 

He doesn’t show much of a reaction, “We divorced three years ago.” 

You nod once.

“How’d you know?” He questions so you glance back down to his hand again and he catches it this time. He huffs slightly, flexing his hand out in front of himself, “Right.” 

A quiet moment follows that isn’t awkward, but careful on both ends. 

“I’m sorry.” 

He thinks for a long time before replying. 

“We wanted different things for a long time.” He keeps his voice even, “Eventually that catches up to people.” 

You nod, knowing the truth to that all too well. At one point in time you had voiced that. 

“We have a son together.” He shifts the conversation, “Jack.” 

You smile, “That’s a good name.” 

You always pictured him being a dad, it was something he knew he wanted even back then. 

“He’s seven.” Aaron lights up with the brightest smile you’ve seen since you came back. 

“That’s amazing, Aaron.” 

He looks down briefly, something warmer crossing his face. 

“He’s… everything.” 

You smile back and nod, turning to look back out the window. 

“You’d like him.” He says it before he can stop himself, your head snaps back to look at him surprised. 

“Yeah?” 

He nods, “Yeah.”

The words linger between the two of you, he shifts in his seat and eventually closes the file and simply rests it on his lap. 

“I’ve heard rumors.”

You laugh softly, “That sounds ominous.” 

“They usually are when they involve you.” 

“That’s fair.” 

You can feel his full focus on you, studying every inch of you. You take the time to do the same. He’s older, more worn down but somehow more open in the ways that matter. 

“You once talked down an armed unsub for forty-three minutes without backup.” 

You groan, “Oh god, now you sound like Emily.” 

“It’s a serious accomplishment.” 

He knew it was, he didn’t really need to tell you that. You had received several awards for it, everyone in the bureau had heard about it. 

“It sounds worse than it was.” 

“You talked down two armed suspects without backup and without any of the fifteen hostages being injured.” 

“I had backup eventually.” 

Aaron ignores that, “I also heard Strauss has tried recruiting you to this team twice before this.” 

You are surprised at this, you didn’t realize he was aware you had been offered a spot already. 

“You keepin tabs on me?” You grin. 

“No.” 

A beat. Your brows raise slightly to show you don’t believe him. 

“Not intentionally.” 

You laugh quietly, shaking your head. Aaron continues before you can tease him too much. 

“You have built an impressive career.” 

Simple words, but coming from him after all of these years? They land heavy. 

You lean back in your seat, “I worked for it.” 

“I know.” 

And he did. He knew you in the academy when you were relentless and fearless. Far too smart to stay unnoticed. He knew that you would be exceptional, the bureau just took a little longer to come to that conclusion. 

“I know you were requested by several departments. We’re lucky Strauss convinced you to come here.” He admits. 

You study him carefully. 

“Well,” You say softly, “don’t make me regret it.” 

Aaron’s answer was a small smile. Rare and real before eventually reopening the file, you turn back to the window. 

-

Ten years ago. 

The fight had started over nothing. Aaron would realize after having years to think about it, that it actually started weeks earlier and it was all his own doing. You were standing in the small kitchenette of his bureau housing apartment pouring coffee into your mug. He’s sitting at the counter with field office placement paperwork in front of him. 

“You’re seriously considering staying local with D.C?” You ask, moving to stand next to where he’s sitting. His hand slides up your bare leg and under the hem of his tee shirt. It’s doing a good job of tempting him this morning with where it hits on your thigh. 

“It’s a good office.”

“What happened to Seattle?” You ask, leaning against his side and looking over the paperwork fanning out in front of the two of you. 

“It’s still on the table. I just haven’t closed off my options.” He sighs, a deep frown settling on his face.

“Seattle and Los Angeles aren’t too far. At least it’s the same coast.” You offer a smile and run your fingers through his hair at the back of his head. Los Angeles was where you were sure you would end up. You had gotten several offers, but the LA office was capable of kickstarting your career. 

He watches you for a second too long.

“You’re gonna take it?” 

You turn slowly in his hold so you can focus on him, mug still in hand. 

“I think so." You shrug your shoulders but nod anyway.

He stiffens, his eyes darting to the paperwork and unable to meet yours. 

“Hey,” You reach out carefully, “Are you okay?” 

You know he’s tired, everyone is at this point being so close to graduating from the academy. 

“Fine.” He cooly replies. 

“Aaron.” You warn, letting him know you aren’t just letting this go. 

His jaw tightens almost immediately. 

“Haley called me.” 

He feels you still completely at his words, you fight the urge to step back out of his hold and he can tell. Your feet itching to step back and get a real look at him. He clears his throat, finally meeting your stare.

“We’ve been talking.” 

This time you do step back, his hand slipping from you. 

“Talking?” You repeat, the word tastes as bitter as it sounds. 

He sets down the paper in his hand, “We were together for years.” 

“And?” Your brows pull together, “We’ve been together for eight months.” 

He sighs, “That’s not what I meant.” 

The apartment suddenly feels too warm and too tight. You’ve spent more time here than your own place the past few months, but now you’d rather be anywhere else. He rubs a tired hand across his face. 

“Y/n-”

“What was your plan here?” Your voice is climbing in volume. 

His eyes snap back to you, looking less tired and more concerned. 

“What?”

“You graduate, we go our separate ways, and you go back to her? I was just a placeholder while you were back in school?” 

He shakes his head, “That’s not fair.” 

“Isn’t it? You just want me to disappear to California while you stay here with her."

He exhales sharply through his nose. 

“She was in my life for a long time.”

“And I’m only temporary?” Your voice finding a dangerous calm. 

He hesitates, “No.” 

It’s tiny. Barely noticeable, but both of you catch it. It was enough for you to crack. What you had been feeling for weeks but refusing to admit was coming to an ugly head. You knew that Aaron loved you, but there was a tether pulling him back toward the life he thought he was supposed to have. 

The safe life. The life he planned. 

You finally set down the cup of coffee and spin on your heels for his bedroom. His chair scrapes against the floor when he quickly stands. You race around the room picking up your clothes he had ripped off the night before. He follows, saying your name over and over trying to stop you. 

“You know what your problem is?” You pull your pants on, “You want certainty more than you want happiness.” 

He stops in the doorway, watching your every move. 

“That’s not true.” Pain flashing in his eyes. 

“It is.” You snap, the force behind it surprises both of you, “You love things you can control. Plans. Structure. Rules. Haley fits into the life you mapped out before you even knew who you really were.” 

He swallows, his jaw clenching. 

“That’s not fair to her.” 

“This isn’t about her!” You shout, still picking things up frantically. 

But it was. At least a little. 

Aaron’s voice hardens, “You don’t get to decide what she meant to me.” 

“And you don’t get to act like I’m crazy for noticing she still does.” 

Heavy breathing is the only sound in the room, Aaron looks away first which somehow hurt worse. You laugh once under your breath. 

“There it is.” 

He looks back sharply, “What?”

“You’ve already made your choice.” 

“I didn’t say that-”

“You didn’t have to.” You interrupt, trying to push past him but he doesn’t move from the doorway. His frustration at your accusations is surfacing. 

“You’re acting like this relationship meant less to me because I’m trying to think realistically about the future.” He boldly reaches out for your hand, but you dodge it. 

“No,” You shoot back immediately, “I just won’t beg someone to stay who is already halfway out the door.” 

“That’s not true.” He tries to step closer, you step back. 

He opens his mouth again, but stops. You simply stare at him, waiting. Silently begging for him to just say it. Choose something. Choose anything. But Aaron had never been impulsive with his heart. Even loving you had terrified him. 

You nod to yourself, painfully composed. 

“Enough, Aaron. Move.” 

“Y/n-”

“No, it’s okay.” You force, “I get it now.” 

Aaron’s concern sharpens, “You’re twisting this into something it’s not.” 

“No, Aaron. I think you can’t even admit to yourself exactly what this is.” 

“You think I don’t love you?”

He reaches out a hand, this time you don’t step back from it. You let his hand cup your face because you know it’ll never happen again. Even with all the anger you’re feeling, you want to soak it up one last time. Him loving you wasn’t the problem, that might be the worst part. 

“You do.” You admit softly, your voice turning cold as tears flood your vision, “But someday you’re going to wake up beside her again and wonder why it still feels like something’s missing.” 

His eyebrow twitching, jaw tightening again. 

“You don’t know that.” 

“I do.” You insist, “Men like you always want what they can’t have.” 

That one hits hard. His expression closes off immediately, you can practically see him putting the walls back up. His hand drops from your face.

“You’re trying to hurt me.” 

“No.” You sigh humorlessly, stepping out of his hold and backing toward the door, “I’m trying to tell you the truth.”

He shakes his head once, “You think you have everything figured out.” 

You make it to the door, your hand hovering over the doorknob. You turn around to face him one last time. 

“You wanna know what the worst part is?” Tears slowly streaming down your face. 

He doesn’t answer, but you can see the pain growing on his face. The longer you stand there, the worse he is at hiding it.

“You’re going to be a really good husband someday.” The words nearly sound cruel coming from your warm voice, “You’re going to love her and build a life, and convince yourself that it’s enough.” 

His face tightens. 

“But part of you will always wonder.” 

“Y/n-”

“I won’t spend my life being someone’s almost.” 

Pure devastation settles between the two of you. He looks like he wants to say something, fight harder and fix it. You pull on the door, and you don’t look back. Aaron doesn’t follow you, proving your point. 

You spent the remaining weeks leading up to graduation dedicating any free time toward training. You managed to secure the top of the class, ensuring you had your pick of any field office. Los Angeles was where you were headed and you had even reached out to your unit leader to see if you could start immediately. You were due to be in California in thirty-six hours. You’ll miss graduation. 

A soft knock on your doorframe has your head snapping up toward it. David Rossi has one hand raised, he leans against it once he has your attention. 

“We’re you really planning on leaving without saying goodbye?”

You turn back to the box you had been taping shut before answering him. 

“I haven’t actually left yet.” 

He takes a couple steps inside and sits on the FBI issued couch. 

“You weren’t gonna stop by anyway.” 

He’s right. You were gonna leave without a word to anyone, a clean break. 

“Los Angeles will suit you well.” Rossi continues, “I know a couple people out that way. I’ll pass your them your name to keep an eye on you.” 

“You don’t need to do that.” You finally look up and meet his eyes. They are warm and it brings you a little comfort, but you can see exactly what you were hoping he would hide better. Pity. 

He shrugs, “I’ll do it anyway.” 

You keep packing, not letting him slow you at all.

“You really can’t stick around for graduation? All this work and you won’t even celebrate it?”

“Some celebration.” You mutter. 

The last place you want to be this weekend is graduation with all of the spouses and partners coming to celebrate the accomplishment. You know who else will be coming too and that’s not something you need to see. 

You can feel Rossi’s eyes on you while you continue to pack. He’s waiting patiently for you to give in. You hold off for a few minutes before the thoughts are too loud to stay in your head. 

“Aaron is getting back together with Haley.” Your voice is the softest Rossi has ever heard. It didn’t sound like you if he was honest. 

“How can you be sure?” The surprise is genuine on his face, “and if that's the case, he’s been looking pretty miserable lately.” 

“Trust me, I’m sure.” You scoff, “I could see it in his face, it was over. I could see how bad he felt about it, it was pathetic. So, he is now free to go back to her.” 

An uncomfortable shiver runs up your spine. 

“But you don’t really want that.” He comments and you let out a sigh. 

“I won’t be second pick, Rossi. And from the sound of it I won’t need to.” 

You huff again, finally giving up on packing and taking the other half of the couch. 

“I could always be like you when I grow up.” You finally crack a smile, “What are you on, marriage number three?” 

He rolls his eyes and shoves your shoulder lightly. 

“I came here out of concern and care and you insult me?”

“It’s making me feel better.”

“Fine.” 

By the time graduation day was actually here, you were not. You had already hopped on a flight and sent all of your belongings ahead as well. Aaron looked for you in the sea of people, but instead his eyes only landed on Haley… 

She insisted on coming to see him graduate, he had to bite his tongue to not remind her that this is what broke them up in the first place. She was laying it on thick, and he could tell. Haley was aware of the relationship he had with you, and it was clear that something had brought her back into his orbit. 

The day after graduation Rossi finds Aaron at the academy firing range after hours. It was clear he hadn’t been sleeping well. 

“You look terrible.” Rossi observes. 

“Thanks.” He pulls off his ear protection and reloads his gun. 

Rossi leans against the divider next to them, “Y/LN is in Los Angeles, she left early.” 

Aaron freezes briefly before resuming. He wasn't expecting Rossi to tell him where you were. He knew it was likely where you would end up, he just had no idea you were going to leave before graduation. Part of him was looking forward to seeing you one last time, even if it was likely that you would be shooting him daggers.

“You know for someone so smart, you handled this remarkably poorly.” 

Aaron lets out a humorless laugh. 

“Noted.” 

Rossi leans in closer, “She was giving you such an aggressive cold shoulder the other instructors were talking about it. They’re placing bets on what finally did it. The two of you almost made it to graduation. That would’ve been a bureau record.”

Aaron looks down briefly, shame written on his face. He’s right, you had turned into ice around him. You were still professional, but nothing more. You had cut the emotional wire clean through, and that hurt him more than the break up itself. You channeled all of your energy into your work, and secured the top rank for yourself. He was honestly proud, but he could never tell you that. You wouldn't want to hear it.

“She thinks you’re going back to Haley.” Rossi says eventually. 

Aaron doesn’t answer right away, which was answer enough. 

Rossi sighs softly, “Jesus, Aaron.” 

“I loved Haley for a long time.” Aaron finally speaks. 

“And now?”

Aaron simply swallows, because the truth was awful. He loved you too. Differently than Haley. It was enough that losing you felt like something had been ripped out of him in real time. Rossi watched the realization hit him all over again. 

“You really screwed this one up, huh?” 

Aaron stared ahead toward the target on the opposite wall because, yeah. He really had screwed it up.

AN// Thank you everyone for your patience with this! It took me so long to update because I was doing some rough framework for the entire series! i can't wait for what i have planned, and you can also expect the next part this weekend (if not sooner)! also, please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist :)

TAGLIST:

Nine months of training had seeped into your bones and left something behind. Maybe it had to do with your training partner during this period. Aaron Hotcher was new to the bureau, older than the rest of your class. He had spent a decent amount of years as a prosecutor before deciding he would rather catch the evil and put an end to it than put it behind bars. Haley was sick of waiting to move forward with their life and didn’t want to wait around for him to start his career over when they still hadn’t gotten married. They broke up, leaving Aaron single for the first time since he was in high school. 

You had just graduated from Georgetown and went directly into the academy after graduating. You had partnered up with Aaron early on in training, the two of you had a long nine months ahead of you. Aaron had spent the last eight years with the same person, and you were so different from her. It didn’t take long for the lines to blur between the two of you, breaking about a half dozen bureau rules. 

“Agent Y/Ln.” 

“Chief Straus.” You greet, shaking her hand. She leads you to the elevator, giving you your access badge to have credentials to the building. 

“We’re lucky to have secured you with our team. I think we will benefit from having your input and hard work.” 

“Thank you, ma’am.” You nod. 

The doors open and you follow her lead again as she walks out to the open lobby. She points through a set of glass doors. 

“The conference room is just inside. I believe you already know SAC Aaron Hotchner.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” You nod yet again. 

“Wonderful.” Her lips purse, “I hope that confirms your hard work with the bureau won't be manipulated by how he runs his teams.” 

You still at her words, not expecting them one bit. You may have your own feelings about Aaron as a person, but you have never doubted his work ethic and his care for helping people. 

“I’m not sure I follow.” You stand a little taller, watching her eyes scan over you. 

“Aaron Hotchner is a very stubborn man who tends to go rogue.”

Oh, she really doesn’t know you or your file if she thinks he tends to go rogue.

“I think the team will benefit from your input.” She gestures to the doors again, “I’ll be in touch to check in on your transition with this team.” 

She nods once stiffly and turns back for the elevator and you push open the doors. The conference room is at the top of a short set of stairs. You knock lightly before letting yourself in, all eyes snapping over to you. David Rossi doesn’t hesitate, jumping up from his seat. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.” His face lighting up. 

It wasn’t professional, and it caught almost everyone else off guard. There weren’t many people they had seen Rossi jump up to hug. 

You let out a soft laugh, returning the hug, “Rossi.” 

“Look at you!” He pulls back enough to take you in, “Your name has been floating around for years, I was waiting for you to finally be reunited with us!” 

Hotch goes very still in his spot at the far end of the table.

Morgan’s brows had fully shot up, “Who are we hugging?”

Rossi turns back toward the table where the rest of the team is waiting and waves them off. 

“Kid here was one of the best to come out of Quantico.” 

Rossi’s eyes flicker to Aaron, just briefly. Then he looks back at you. He lets out a delighted chuckle and gestures between the two of you. 

“This is going to be interesting.” 

Your expression shifts while still looking at him, a slight warning. You should know better than to expect David Rossi to bite his tongue. 

“What? What is it?” Emily leans forward immediately. 

Rossi looks downright pleased with himself. You know what he’s about to say before he can even open his mouth. There’s a certain twinkle in his eye that screams mischief and payback.

“Oh no.” You mutter under your breath, briefly focusing down on your shoes. 

“David.” Aaron warns, seemingly picking up on the same exact thing. You finally look over at him, taking him in for the first time. You can tell he’s aged, but it’s done him well. 

“She used to get written up for sneaking off with Aaron here all the time.” He goes on, casual as ever. 

The entire table leans in. You shift your weight back, standing uncomfortably in front of them. 

“Jesus Rossi, that’s quite the ice breaker. Thanks.” You roll your eyes. 

“No way!” Morgan barks a laugh, repeating it over with ‘Not Hotch’. 

“Wait, you’re the one between Haley?” Garcia asks bluntly with an eager smile. 

Between Haley. You couldn’t have said it better yourself.  

You clear your throat, “Yeah, that would be me, I guess.” 

The team was aware of the one and only relationship he had other than his high school sweetheart, that he had eventually married. For the longest time it seemed impossible to imagine him in a relationship with someone other than Haley, but two years ago they had gotten a divorce. That changed things. That changed Hotch. Now seeing you standing in front of them, they could see why he fell.

You make your way around the table, shaking hands and officially introducing yourself. 

Garcia’s smile grows impossibly wider, “This is incredible.” 

You look back at Aaron and he looks like he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole. 

Morgan points at Hotch, “When you and Haley broke up, you said there was one other girl.” 

Now Aaron looks like he wants the entire building to come down with him. 

“Three different SACs requested me, and this is what I’m reduced to.” You shake your head. 

“Yeah, for the record,” Emily cuts in, “her file is terrifying. She once talked down an armed unsub for forty-three minutes without backup.” 

“Thank you.” You smile proudly.

“Sorry, sorry.” He holds up his hands in defence, “We just have known him for a long time. For a while you seemed like a myth, kind of a legend around here.” 

Hotch clears his throat, “That’s enough.” 

It doesn’t even remotely stop them. You can see it on their faces, everyone’s minds running a mile a minute. 

“Everyone out.” 

The team scrambles, still laughing and throwing looks over their shoulders. You take one of the newly open seats, listening to the door click shut behind them. He doesn’t look at you right away. You lean back in your chair casually, exhaling slowly. 

“Well, that went worse than expected.” 

His head snaps toward you. 

“Worse?”

You nod, “Yeah, I didn’t exactly expect Rossi to bring up our history so blatantly. Now they’re going to want the whole play by play-”

“Y/n.” He warns. 

That had earned you the sharp warning look that was annoyingly familiar. 

“I expect professionalism.” 

“You’ll get it.” You reply, your typical teasing tone gone, “I didn’t come back here to derail anything, I’ve worked too hard to risk anything. I’m here because I was requested to be.”

A beat. 

“By Strauss.” He states. 

“Yes.” You nod easily. 

He studied you for a long moment. You think a full minute passes before he gives you a controlled nod. 

“We have a case.” 

You stand, smoothing out your jacket, “Good,” 

He stands suddenly to lead you out, but you pass him. 

“I’m sure I can find my desk. Also, next time you’re reliving your glory days you could at least have the decency of giving your ‘frivolity’ a name.” 

You walk straight out to the bullpen, pretending to be normal for all the trained eyes on you. Morgan was waiting, of course he was. 

“This one is open.” He points to the one across from him. 

He’s already grinning, “So, academy misconduct, huh?”

You meet his gaze briefly before seeing your bag down on the desk and sitting down. 

“Allegedly.” 

Prentiss laughs and Rossi leans back in his chair from his office. Satisfied with the chaos he created, he knows he’ll be hearing about it from Aaron later. Aaron was watching from the doorway of the conference room before making sharp strides back to his office, pausing once before going in. 

“Wheels up in thirty.” 

Morgan jumps up grabbing his go bag from under his desk, the room snapping into motion. 

“Hope your bag is packed, Y/Ln.” Emily calls, grabbing her bag as well. 

“Always.”

The engines cut through the morning sky as case files were passed out. 

“Miami PD flagged three victims in the last ten days,” JJ begins, clicking through pictures on the laptop sitting on the table, “All female, late twenties to early thirties, found in upscale neighborhoods.” 

“Cause of death?” Morgan asks. 

“Stragulation.” JJ answers, “Minimal signs of struggle.” 

Reid leans forward to scan for details, “That suggests a controlled environment. Either the unsub gains trust quickly or uses surprise and restraint.” 

“Or both.” You add, “He could be ambushing them in a place where he has the power.”

Aaron doesn’t even look up from the file in his hands. 

“Are the victims connected?” He asks.

“No obvious ties, but Garcia is already diving deeper. Different professions and different neighborhoods.” 

You shake your head, “It’s not random.” 

That got attention. 

Reid turns to look at you, “You’re sure?”

“The presentation is too consistent. Location staging is intentional, he wants them found on his own timeline.” 

Aaron finally picks up his head to look at you. He has the same trusting look in his eyes that he did back in school, never doubting you or questioning your skill. 

“The cooling off period is shortening,” He seamlessly continues off of you, “he’s escalating.” 

You nod, “Which means we’re coming in mid-cycle.” 

Rossi leans back in his seat and has to hide his smile with his hand while he takes it all in. 

“Well,” he says it mostly to himself but everyone hears him, “that hasn’t changed. 

Emily glances over at him, “What hasn’t?”

Rossi lazily gestures between you and Aaron and Morgan immediately smirks. 

“You mean the part where they talk like they’ve already had the conversation?”

Rossi smirks, “That’s exactly what I mean. 

Aaron ignores them entirely. 

“Geographic profile?” He looks to Reid, shifting focus. 

Reid picks up instantly, “Given the distribution of the dump sites-”

“He’s local.” You cut in. 

Reid nods quickly with a surprised smile growing faintly, “Y-yes. That aligns. Likely comfortable moving through multiple neighborhoods without drawing attention.” 

“Professional?” JJ asks, already taking notes and looking around to everyone. 

“Or someone who blends in well.” You offer, “The service industry provides property access without being noticed.” 

Hotch nods, “We’ll coordinate with local PD and cross reference employees with access to all three areas.” 

Morgan leans back against the couch, he tucks his arms behind his head, “Man… you guys are making this look easy.”

You don’t miss a beat, “It’s not.” 

“It’s not.” Aaron echoes at the same exact time. 

You look up, that you will give the team because it was weird. You and Aaron worked well together, there was no denying that, but it wasn’t quite like this. Rossi can’t help the laugh he lets escape after a few seconds of silence. 

The jet dips lower and the Miami skyline is stretching out beneath you. The team stands to gather their things after landing. You get off quickly, Morgan close at your side. 

“So this whole finishing each other’s sentences thing-”

“We don’t do that.” You interrupt and raise a brow. 

He holds up a finger and waggles it to show his disbelief. 

“Nuh uh, you just did.”

You roll your eyes and keep walking, very aware of the rest of the team walking just behind you now. JJ is checking her phone.

“Local PD is expecting us.” 

“Good.” Aaron nods, “Morgan and Prentiss, canvass the first victim’s neighborhood. JJ and Reid take the second victim’s neighborhood. Rossi and Y/LN are with me.” 

Morgan’s mouth twitches, “Of course she is.”

You sling your bag over your shoulder and carry on for the waiting SUVs. 

“Try to keep up.” You call over your shoulder, unphased. 

Morgan laughs, “Oh, I like her.” 

Rossi stops next to him, “I missed her.” 

-

Miami Metro was buzzing when you guys got there after going to the most recent scene. Everyone else had already returned from their neighborhoods. Hotch insisted on picking up a few pizzas on the way back so they could all stay at the station to work the case. 

“He’s organized,” Aaron says firmly, “Controlled. Methodical.” 

He scans the crime scene boards in front of him detailing each victim. You cross your arms over your chest, already feeling the challenge pulling at your throat. 

“Organized offenses can still be impulsive.” 

His eyes narrow on you, “He planned all the dumpsites.” 

“And escalated anyway.” 

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive.” 

Morgan is standing at the other end of the table and leans in close to whisper to Emily. You and Aaron are so focused on combating what the other has to say, neither of you hear the conversation happening on the other side of the conference room. 

“I’m beginning to see why this didn’t work out.” He chuckles and Emily just elbows him. 

Rossi leans in, having caught the comment. 

“This….” He chuckles, shaking his head, “is exactly how they used to work.” 

Reid frowns, “They disagree constantly.” 

“Mhm,” Rossi nods, “and yet their conclusions are largely still aligned.” 

Aaron has turned back to face the board, no longer wanting to face your proud smile that he knows could do this all night long.

Ten years ago.

You and Hotch were friends first in the academy. Being a few years older than everyone gave Aaron the maturity not to be intimidated by the fact that you were a woman and better than the rest of them. 

Three months into the academy training, everyone knew that you and Aaron Hotchner were a force to be reckoned with. Officially, the two of you were simply high performing partners who were highly competitive. Unofficially? The two of you were attached at the hip, and falling harder every day. 

Aaron didn’t think it was possible for him to fall for someone other than Haley. She had given him an ultimatum, it came down to the academy or their future. He moved to Quantico without her. He would never say it outloud, but it was freeing to be single for the first time in his adult life. He was about to turn thirty, and being able to explore getting to know someone new was totally foreign to him. It didn’t take long for you to be on his radar, a sharp tongue you weren’t afraid to use against classmates. You were one of the only women in the entire class, so he made his support for you clear and the two of you turned it into a partnership. It didn’t take long to evolve into more than that...

Rain pounds against the windows while the room full of trainees work through a behavioral analysis report. Everyone in the room is working in silence, David Rossi at the front of the room watching over it closely. 

Aaron glances over from his work to you, you catch it instantly. 

“There it is.” You smirk, but continue writing without pause. 

“What?” He quietly voices, leaning in closer to you. 

“The smile you’re pretending isn’t there.” 

You look up now, seeing your boyfriend’s face was closer than you had expected. The corners of his mouth curling up, barely. 

“I wasn’t.” 

“Liar.” You bite your bottom lip. 

Across the room, Rossi watches the exchange and rolls his eyes. It wasn’t from the relationship itself, but the fact that the two of you were unbearable now. He’d seen academy relationships before, and he knew that most of them burned out within a couple weeks due to the stress. Somehow, this had made the two of you sharper. 

Rossi claps his hands once to gain the room's attention, “Alright, listen up. Everyone needs to turn in their analysis tomorrow, and if I catch anyone violating academy conduct again-”

You mutter under your breath, “So, specifically us.”

Aaron rubs a hand over his mouth. 

Rossi points at you immediately, “Especially you.” 

You hold up your hands in defence but the smirk tells everyone this isn’t a real denial, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Rossi’s brows raise. 

“Scouts honor.” You salute and you can practically feel Aaron’s entire body tense beside you. 

“The two of you were caught in the gym last week.” Rossi leans back on his desk, looking forward to the rest of the classroom but mainly you and Aaron. 

“We were training.” 

“I think you know that kind of training is not in our curriculum.” 

You can feel the heat behind the blush growing on your cheeks. Aaron’s ears go completely red. 

“Hotchner,” Rossi turns his focus to him, “You’re supposed to be the responsible one.” 

You snort so loud you nearly choke and Aaron shoots you a look. 

“If only you knew-” you whisper. 

“Yes, sir.” Aaron cuts off loudly. 

The class is dismissed and the two of you decide to work in the library for a couple hours to finish up the analysis. It was mostly empty now, you and Aaron had managed to snag one of the study rooms to work in. He was reviewing case notes by the time you came back with two cups of vending machine coffee. 

“You know, normal people go to sleep when they finish their work.” You set down the cups. 

He takes the coffee without looking away from the file. 

“Normal people also fail qualification exams.” 

You let out a huff and plop yourself in his lap before he can complain. He still has the file in hand, but the other arm wraps around your back to secure you there. 

“Aaron,” You look directly in his eyes, “we have the top two scores in the class.” 

“That’s not the point.” 

You shift in his lap, letting your eyes drag over him. His sleeves are rolled up, giving you the delicious opportunity of seeing his forearms. His tie has been tugged loose at this point too. He looks exhausted, but still so painfully serious about everything. His eyes however are warm and linger on your lips, causing his own to lift slightly. 

He notices the change in your expression, “What?”

“You know, Haley was wrong about one thing.” 

The room shifts slightly at the mention of her, but he doesn’t tense or look too surprised. 

“What’s that?” 

You reach out a hand to run it back through his hair. 

“You do know how to have fun.” 

He huffs softly, “That’s debatable.” 

“No, I’m serious.” You turn impossibly closer to face him, “Most people only get this version of you. 

You gesture vaguely to his posture and professionalism he was known for. The walls he had designed himself, but for some reason never put up with you. 

“But I get this one.” You lean in and press a quick kiss to his lips. It tastes like bitter black coffee, but it’s so Aaron. His hand tightens along your waist, pulling you closer still. He pulls away after a few seconds, you steal one more peck. 

“You know what your problem is, Hotchner?” 

“I assume you’re going to tell me.” He smirks. 

“You think too much.” 

“That’s literally my job.” He argues. 

“You think too much about everything.” 

His hold on you was instinctive now, his hand settled securely around your waist. At this point in private it had become second nature. Like breathing. 

You tilt your head, “You’ve got that look again.” 

His gaze drops briefly to your mouth again. Caught. You smile immediately, 

“There you are.” 

You kiss him again without hesitation. Every stolen moment between the two of you was addictive. He kisses back immediately, finally setting down the file so he can have both hands on you. 

You grin against his mouth, “See? Better.” 

“You are such a distraction.”

“And yet you’re still fighting me for top of the class.”

He actually laughs softly, the kind of laugh almost no one got from him. You pull back enough to really look at him. 

“That’s one of my favorite things.” 

“What?” He questions. 

“That sound.” You smile, “Your laugh.” 

For a second he just looks at you, undone and exposed in a way he wasn’t sure he had ever been. His hand reaches for the back of your neck, pulling you back in. His kiss is greedy now, sitting up taller so he can truly devour you. Until the door swings open. 

You and Aaron both freeze, heads snapping to the door. Rossi is standing in the doorway, looking disappointed as ever. 

“Unbelievable.” 

You blink, “Okay, in fairness-”

“I don’t want fairness.” He holds up hands, and you slowly get up from Aaron’s lap. 

“We did finish our work-”

“Uhp!” He holds up a hand to cut you off, his stare turning to lock on Aaron. 

He straightens in his chair, clearing his throat, “Sir.” 

“You!” Rossi points at him, “are one of the most disciplined trainees I’ve ever taught.” 

Rossi spins his attention back to you. 

“And you-”

You swallow. 

“are a menace!” He finishes, tossing his hands up in the air before turning around and walking out of the room muttering to himself on the way out. 

Aaron looks over at you, still flustered but trying to recover the professionalism. 

You grin, “Worth it.” 

He stares at you for another second, before a tiny and reluctant smile appears again. 

“Come on.” He stands, packing up his stuff, “Let’s go before you get us both kicked from the program.” 

-