#i got aaron's okay so it works!!! :D

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

ASLIHAN FAHRI-BAILEY’S OUTFIT

not pictured: pearl earring and necklace set ; pearl finger bracelet, right hand

[hotchfiles]

— help me hold onto you • aaron hotchner

fem!reader, unprotected vaginal sex, a bit of angst.

      He knew he would be in trouble whenever he turned those keys. What he wasn’t expecting was how big the trouble would be. He had no idea he would open the door to three bags full of clothes and other things he left at your place as the months passed, waiting for him.

      “Darling? What–What are these?” He asks even though he knows the answer, hoping you want to at least talk about it before making any harsh decisions. You’ve been in a relationship for almost a year now and it works. It always worked.

      Normally you wouldn’t drink before an argument, still when he gets to the kitchen he sees you calmly sipping on a tall glass of wine, fingers tapping on the table, hair up, face clean but red, you were in your pajamas already, nothing like you probably looked hours before.

      “What’s the only thing I asked of you, Aaron?” You don’t move, don’t glance up at him, eyes focused solely on how the purplish red liquid moved in your glass, taking a big sip right after.

      Aaron sighs in frustration, he didn’t want this to become a fight. He was so tired. “I know, I’m sorry–”

      “Answer the question, please.”

      “Don’t make promises I can’t keep.” He takes his tie off quickly, suddenly feeling suffocated by the fabric surrounding his neck. That’s why your relationship worked, you knew he was busy and his schedule was unpredictable, so very early on you accepted it as it was, saying you wouldn’t be mad at him as long as he didn’t break any promises. If you’re not sure, don’t promise me you will be able to make it.

      First months he wouldn’t promise you anything, too afraid to break it, to disappoint you.

      He watches as you take the wine in a mouthful and refills the glass, the bottle now empty and starts getting frustrated, you’re a loud drunk and you’re surely already getting tipsy.

      This was the first time he slipped up, it didn’t need to be such a big deal, it didn’t avail to having his things right at the door as if he was getting kicked out. All the other times he promised he could take time off, he did it. Just–Teens were getting kidnapped, the team needed him.

      “We saved two girls today.” Low blow. But it was true, he wasn’t back in time because of that, he got on the jet instead of staying back to do that. To save two thirteen year old girls. Not some futile reason. It had to count for something.

      “I’m proud of you for that, Aaron. Are you proud of me? For the promotion we were supposed to celebrate with my boss? Or are our accomplishments only worth it when it’s about saving someone?” You raise your voice only slightly, the alcohol from the sweet wine getting to you slowly and then all at once.

      You always tried your best to keep your voice down when arguing with him, simply because he never raised his, and it could be an endearing feature if it didn’t look like he did it to look like the rational one, the right one.

      “That’s not what i said–”

      “I know what you said. You want to make the fact you let me down okay because you did a wonderful thing someplace else. That’s not how it works.” You open the second bottle of wine of the night, feeling his eyes on your back. “I want you to leave.”

      “You know this is ridiculous, you’re acting like a child.” Sore spot. You were a few years younger and that had never been a problem. But he couldn’t go back now, he could see the anger darkening your eyes, your knuckles turning white by the strength you’re using to grip on the edge of the table.

      “How am I a child?” You begin slowly and keeping your voice down, you get up finally from the chair you had been sitting, facing him directly, his instincts make him try to touch your arms, but you dodge it quickly. “We had an agreement. You broke it. Am I a child for not giving you permission to hurt me again?”

      He knows you’re about to snap, your chest coming up and down in rapid breaths, and he doesn’t feel particularly in the right, he knows he screwed up and he’s sorry, but your reaction is out of proportion to him, an exaggeration made to make him feel more guilty than he already does. “I said you’re acting like a child. The one time things don’t go your way and you’re packing me out?” Aaron almost feels the sharpness of a slap but he’s quick enough to grab your wrist. “See? proving my point.”

      “How many times do I have to accept you screwing up so I can be seen as mature?” You yank your arm out of his grip and go back to your drink, “Same times as Haley? How many times did she forgive you so you could go around and do it all again?”

      Lower blow.

      Hotch feels it right in his core and he’s angry at you for bringing up but more so angry at himself because you were right. Still, it is anger nonetheless that guides his next actions, quickly and firmly walking up to you, caging you against the table in sudden movements.

      Your breath hitches from the surprise, and your attempt to move is stopped by his roughed hands on your chin, firm but never close to hurting. “I’m not leaving.” You wince, not in fear of him, but of how easy he can make your mind go blank when he’s that close.

      His eyes go from your eyes to your lips, he notices your failed attempt to conceal the way you licked your lips, he glances at your chest, heavy breathing under your thin pajama shirt, nipples hardening against the fabric.

      Damn you for choosing wine.

      Hotch reads your mind almost, but his smirk doesn’t last too long displayed on his lips, your hands pulling him by the neck, a low groan followed by a “Fuck this” leaving your wine tasting lips just mere seconds before gluing to his.

      Eager to get your forgiveness, he is quick to follow your lead, both hands sneaking under your clothes, one down the waistband of your shorts, grabbing hard on the flesh of your ass, the other drawing soft circles on your nipple.

      You melt into the kiss, his lips, his hands, his scent, him. And you have no time to feel bad about it, pulled up to sit on the table, legs around his waist, you can feel how hard he is against your wetness.

      A pained whimper leaves his lips when you use the new position to grind onto him, needing something, anything against your clit at this point.

      Aaron sinks his teeth into your bottom lip to get your full attention, earning a loud moan in response, his hands travel your thighs and you pull his shirt out his pants so you can feel his skin under your fingertips, not bothering to unbutton them and working with what you got under it.

      His lips travel your neck and your collarbone, “I love you, so, so much”. His declaration comes in between kisses and the sucking of your skin, “Please don’t make me leave after this.” It comes in a whisper now, but he doesn’t stop, pushing your shorts down and sliding it down till it drops to the floor with your help.

      “Just shut up and take your pants off.”

      “You know I can only do one of those.” It makes you laugh and you sink your nails to the bit of fat on his side, the tiniest bit of annoyance at how easy he had you in the palm of his hand and how he didn’t even seem to know it truly.

      On the edge of the table sliding his hard cock into your folds was an easy feat, pants, shoes and his boxers long gone, his socks stayed on almost making him lose balance as he feels just how wet you are. He drops his head, forehead on your shoulder

      “Fuck—Oh my god, you are so wet, you’re always so wet for me.” It isn’t arrogant, it’s appreciative almost, you move his head so you can look at him, hot, sweaty already, cheeks so red as his eyes were glassy, the mix of lust and love and regret clear in his dark caramel irises.

      You kiss him once more, sweet, forgiving and he takes this as his sign to continue, pushing you down the table, Hotch holds your thighs for support, plunging his cock into your wet cunt with ease, bottoming out at the first thrust. You enjoyed the stretching pain and you never had the patience to wait.

      Lower lips between your teeth, you slide one of your hands to your clit, two fingers working your arousal, quickly replaced by Aaron’s calloused fingers. You arch your back and moan loudly, “Fuck, yes, and move.”

      It feels like an order and for Hotch it is one, he is delighted to oblige, maintaining the same finger moves on your clit and beginning to fuck your pussy, strong, firm and precise at first.

      “Honey, fuck—Please…” His begging is meant to warn you that if you keep clenching around him he won’t be able to control himself, you almost don’t listen, fingers working on your own nipples enjoying the high he is always able to get you in.

      “Aaron—I’m… Fuck, don’t stop, you’re so good.”

      The praising, the guidance, the reassurance, it makes the moans leaving his lips seem like whining, he enjoys it too much.

      “Yeah? Like this?” The way your hands try to grab him is enough answer to him, along with how tight your pussy is throbbing against him, you’re almost there, he can feel it.

      His movements on your clit get sloppier, the sight and sound of your wetness against his digits making him go insane. Your back arches once more and your whole body begin to squirm, the tight coil in your lower belly finally ripping, “Yes, fuck—“ You’re breathless, weak, but you still have it in you to edge him in, “Aaron, baby, cum for me, please.”

      He would be crazy to do anything but, so quickly you ask him and his hands are hoisting both your legs over his shoulders, getting a new, deeper position, it doesn’t take long for you to feel him filling you up, “I can’t live without you, you’re so, so good for me” His lasts broken words before letting himself go.

      You don’t move and neither does he, his dick softening inside you, his hands caging you in the table and his head dropped to his chest, both just trying to recover.

      “Aaron?”

      “Yes, sweetheart?”

      “You can stay.” He looks at you with nothing but love and happiness and gratitude, “But if you screw up again do not try fucking me into forgiving you, I’ll chop your dick off.”

      “You like it too much to do that.” His grin is sincere, feeling finally free to joke around you, he gets out of you and you whine at the loss. “See?”

      “Bite me.”

      “Gladly.”

[softhairedhotch]

AHHHH FIRST FIC OF COMFORTEMBER YEAHHHH >:D comfortember day one: safe aaron hotchner x gender neutral reader after having a rough night out, you call aaron and he rushes to find you immediately. he fixes you up and the two of you finally admit how you feel about each other. word count: 1.5k warnings/content: mentions of fighting and alcohol but mostly fluff.

comfortember masterlist here! also on ao3 <3

you make me feel safe

Aaron wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing beside him. It gets to the fourth or fifth ring by the time he grabs it and anxiety bubbles low in his gut when he realises it’s you calling at almost three in the morning. Answering the phone, he immediately asks, “Is everything alright?”

“No.”

He’s up and out of bed instantly, throwing on the first shirt he finds and the closest shoes to the bed. “Tell me where you are.”

“I’m at, uh, I don’t, I’m… somewhere. My mind is all over the place.”

Aaron’s heart hammers widely in his chest. “Somewhere? Can you look around for me and see if you recognise something? Anything?”

“Okay,” you reply, voice shaky. After a few moments, you clear your throat. “I’m outside the bar we all went to a few weeks ago.”

“The Tipsy Ship? The one closest to work?” 

“Y-yeah, yeah.”

Aaron grabs his keys and runs out of his house, not even thinking about locking the door as he runs toward his car. Jack is sleeping over at JJ's; the house will be fine unattended for now. “I’m on my way. Are you hurt?”

“I think so.”

“You think–” Aaron stops to take a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment before shoving his phone into its holder and slamming his car door shut. “Don’t worry, I’m on my way.”

“Can you stay on the line with me?”

“Of course.”

***

When Aaron reaches the bar, his heart breaks at the sight of you standing alone outside. He tenses up once he notices that, not only are you alone, but dry blood covers your face, there’s a large bruise forming on your cheek, and the knuckles of your dominant hand are cracked and bloody. “God,” he mutters, running straight for you and grabbing you by the shoulders. He can smell an overpowering scent of alcohol on you and he winces. “What happened? Where’s the bastard that did this to you?”

You point toward an ambulance down the road. “The coward freaked out when I punched him back and thought he needed medical attention. Most they’re gonna diagnose him with is Dumbassery and Stupid Prick Disease.” You look back at Aaron and weakly smile. “And maybe a concussion.”

Aaron can’t help it, he laughs. “At least you haven't lost your sense of humour. But let's get you home and cleaned up, alright?” 

“Can I go to yours? I don’t really wanna be alone right now.”

He smiles. “Of course you can.”

***

Aaron holds a wet cloth to your face, reaching out to grab your chin between his fingers gently when you flinch away. “Sorry, sorry.”

“It’s cold, is all.”

“Sorry,” he repeats, gently dabbing away the dried blood under your nose and the corner of your lips. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“I got into a fight.”

“I can see that.”

You shrug, stumbling on your feet at the movement. Aaron gently grabs you by your elbow and shuffles you toward the kitchen counter so that you’re leaning against it for support. Once you’re stable, he begins to dab the other side of the cloth over your knuckles. “It was stupid, really.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I know,” you sigh. It’s quiet for a few moments as you watch Aaron continue to clean up the blood. “He… the guy who punched me… I was on a date with him.” Aaron tenses. “And he kept buying me drinks and told me I had to drink them. I did because, well, free drinks, y’know?” You sigh and shake your head again, letting out a groan when it results in pain. “So stupid of me.”

“Hey, none of that. You’re not stupid.”

“Whatever you say. Anyway, I think he was trying to make sure I was drunk enough so that he could take me home without much complaint. I don’t know. I refused because I really wasn’t in the, uh, mood, and the night was a bust anyway, and he started… tryna touch me, grab me and all that, his hands were everywhere and I didn’t want them to be and…” You stop to take a few deep breaths, feeling sick at the thought of what could have happened. Aaron feels anger rip through his veins. “Anyway, he ended up punching me and I guess he wasn’t expecting me to punch back.”

Aaron grits his teeth. "Twice as hard, yeah?" 

"Twice as hard," you grin. 

“Good. That’s what I expect to hear.”

You tilt your head at him, trying to read his expression. “You’re not mad at me?”

Confused, his eyes meet yours. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug, watching as his large hand moves over yours, his thumb gently sweeping over your skin. “I woke you up.”

“You woke– You– That’s what you’re worried about?” He gives you a fond look. “Yes, you woke me up. But I’m glad you did. Thank you for calling me. And for trusting me to help you.”

“I don’t think I trust anyone more than I trust you.”

Aaron’s hand stills as the words sink in. When he looks up at you, he notices that you’re staring at him with so much love that his breath catches in his throat. He hasn’t been looked at like that in… he can’t even remember. But when he thinks about it, eyes never leaving yours as you blink innocently at him, not understanding his revelation at that moment, he realises it’s the way you’ve always looked at him. With complete and utter adoration. 

As if he hung the moon and the stars.

“Oh,” is all he can get out.

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. Oh.”

Your face falls and he feels guilt grow deep in his gut. “You don’t trust me back?”

“What? I never said that.” He steps closer, moving a hand to your shoulder and looking into your eyes. “Of course I trust you. More than most people. More than anyone else, really.”

“Really?”

His eyes search yours and he nods firmly, squeezing your shoulder. “Really.”

You look all over his face before looking down at his lips, licking your own as your mouth immediately goes dry. “I didn't want… I… I didn't go home with that guy because of, uh, well, you. I couldn’t stop thinking of you... when I was with him.”

Aaron hums as his gaze drops to your lips. “That’s why I don’t go on dates.”

“Hm?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you either.” He inches closer, moving a warm hand up to cup your cheek. “Can I kiss y–"

“Yea–"

And your lips are pressed together before either of you can finish. The kiss is soft, sweet, gentle, and full of so much raw emotion that it’s almost suffocating (in the best way). Aaron moves his lips against yours desperately, holding your face in his large calloused hands as if you might break at any moment, and you wrap your arms around his neck to pull him closer. The moment your tongue brushes against his bottom lip, though, he pulls back with a heavy sigh. “Shit, you’re drunk. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m totally taking advantage of you and–”

“Aaron.”

“I should know better and–”

“Aaron!”

“You should feel safe here–”

You press your lips against his again, effectively shutting him up. It’s a much shorter kiss this time, but not any less enjoyable. “I do feel safe, Aaron. Here, with you.”

“You do?”

“Of course. You make me feel safe; you always have.”

He visibly relaxes and pulls you into a hug. “So have you.” He sighs against you, resting his forehead against your shoulder. “I like being with you.”

“I like being with you too, Aaron.”

He smiles against you and holds you for a moment more before pulling back, hands still wrapped around you. His heart breaks at the sight of the dark bruise forming on your face and he leans forward to press a tender kiss against the skin, careful not to hurt you in any way. “I wonder how long we’ve liked each other.”

“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, I think.” 

Aaron’s breath hitches at the admission. “You’re in love with me?”

You tilt your head at him, fighting back a smile. “Did I not make that obvious enough?”

“I… didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Well, get them up, Hotchner, because I’m in love with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Aaron’s face softens and he presses a kiss to your cheek, sighing in relief. “I’m in love with you, too.” He runs his hands lovingly over your back. “Now let’s get you changed into some comfortable clothes and into bed, yeah? It seems like we have a lot to talk about tomorrow.”

“Can I sleep in your bed with you?” 

He presses another kiss to your cheek. “There’s no other place I’d rather you be, sweetheart.”

tag list: @criminalskies @ssahotchnerr @hotchs-big-hands @citrusiove @sillyhotchsgirl

lemme know if you wanna be tagged in future fics

[exhaslo]

Corruption Ch15

(Villain!Miguel x F!Hero!Reader)

Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8, Ch9, Ch10, Ch11, Ch12, Ch13, Ch14

Warning: Minors DNI, mentions of sex, violence, blood, murder, twisted thoughts, experimentation, language, wannabe fluff, established friendship/relationship? drug use

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fifteen Days Until D-Day

"I'm going to have you run and get my morning coffee," Miguel said with a most devilish smirk on his face.

Aaron rolled his eyes as he showed his upmost disgust towards his hated boss.

"Why me and not your assistant?" Aaron questioned, trying to find out where you were.

"(Y/N) has her own matters to take care of. That of which have nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. But, if you truly must know, (Y/N) has been sent to shop for an upcoming event I need her ready for. Does that please you?"

"Sure,"

Aaron just grumbled as he took Miguel's order and proceeded to leave his office. What an asshole, but at least you were going to be no where near Miguel. This worked out perfectly for Aaron. Today was the day his plan was going to be set in motion.

--------

Miguel couldn't resist laughing as he watched Aaron on the cameras, cussing and complaining. What was he to expect? Aaron was the one who put himself in this situation by threatening to quit if he did something as small as this.

Miguel loved being petty and putting people in their place.

It's what they deserve.

Sitting back down on his chair, Miguel reviewed the notes on the last experiment he had with your blood. Finally, there was a success with no horrible side effects. Miguel was just letting the test subject roam around in his cell for any thing to happen.

Right as he was going to tune in on the test subject, you called. Miguel's eyes sparkled for a moment as he answered the video call, wondering what were you going to show him now.

"Miiiiiguel, are you sure I can pick something from here? Everything is so...fancy," You whispered, showing him the price tag, "And expensive!"

"Of course. You are my date to the Share Holders Party next month. I want you looking as perfect as you can be."

"Sooooo....my Spider Suit?" You whispered, giggling into the camera. Miguel couldn't refuse a chuckle,

"Clever, but no." Miguel smiled, watching you pout, "I don't care for the price. Just take your time and pick something you'll like that matches my suit."

"Okay," You pouted once more, "I'll send you pictures of the dresses I try on. Let me know which one you like~"

Miguel cocked a brow as you hung up. Oh, how you tempted him. Miguel was going to bully you when he becomes perfect. No matter how much you cried and begged him to stop, Miguel was going to make sure you thought of nothing but him.

"Shit,"

Just thinking about you becoming a moaning mess got him hard. These frequent sessions of pleasing each other kept getting more and more dangerous. Miguel almost fucked you the last time you gave him a blow job.

Miguel would never admit these feelings. He had to remember that this was all just a ploy to get you to carry his child. To get you to stop playing hero. All of this was so that Miguel could have you as his trophy wife.

"(Y/N)" Miguel cussed lowly as he beat against his cock.

Feelings? The term was foreign to Miguel. Yes, you were attractive. Yes, you were always on Miguel's mind. Yes, you made Miguel do things he wouldn't...but surely, that wasn't love. This was all just Miguel's body acting on instinct...right?

Right???

--------

Aaron made his way back to Alchemax, humming lowly as he held the large coffee in his hand. As he walked, Aaron skillfully reached into his pocket and proceeded to stop at a red light. He undid the lip of the coffee and poured the contents of his pocket into the drink.

"A taste of your own medicine."

--------

Miguel was in the middle of working on a new project for his father when Aaron returned. Not even a mutter of thanks, Miguel took the coffee and proceeded to drink from it. Noticing Aaron still in the corner of his lab, Miguel scoffed.

"You may leave,"

"What? No paperwork needed to be done? No meetings to schedule?" Aaron mocked. Miguel felt a headache form,

"As if you could replace (Y/N). Leave." He hissed.

Drinking more of his coffee, Miguel started to get frustrated again. Why did others have to piss him off? Hearing his phone go off, Miguel sighed in thanks for the distraction. He pulled out his phone and proceeded to smile at your photos.

Right when Miguel went to text you, he felt another headache form. This one stronger than before. Groaning at the feeling, Miguel felt something else wrong. His body felt like it was on fire. In pain. As if he took something he shouldn't.

"Fuck, Lyla, scan the coffee." Miguel cussed, pouring the liquid into one of his machines.

"Sir, there are traces of Rapture in the drink!"

"Ese maldito pequeño- (That fucking little-) LYLA! I want EVERYONE out of this goddamn building before I kill that brat." Miguel spat.

"But sir-"

"I don't CARE! Set the fire alarm off!"

Miguel fell on his knees as he started cursing up a storm. How dare he get exposed to Rapture by a peasant. Miguel could not have any drugs in his system. Every little thing could affect his future child with you.

Trying to think as his vision blurred, Miguel groaned. Everything was spinning and started to morph. This drug was powerful. It was impossible to cure. Rapture clings to the DNA itself, making it one with the person.

"DNA, that's it."

Having a brilliant, yet dangerous idea, Miguel hurried to his labs as everyone fled the building. He winced in pain, holding onto his side as he entered the lab with the genetic splicing machine.

"A failure when mixing in other DNA to humans...but human DNA to human DNA should have no effect on the machine...but cure me as well," Miguel muttered to himself.

Once the input was correct, Miguel strapped himself to the machine. This had to work. It had too.

---------

Aaron watched as everyone fled the building due to the fire alarm. He knew better since by now Miguel must have figured out his drink was laced with Rapture. Before Aaron left, he couldn't help by notice that the elevator stopped on the floor with the labs.

Deciding to make his way up, Aaron soon noticed Miguel in his own lab messing with his genetic splicing machine. Aaron couldn't help but over hear and grew angry. All this time, his coworkers could have had the chance to be cured.

Miguel was truly a villain.

Hurrying inside while Miguel wasn't paying attention, Aaron stood by the controls. He saw the input set to 'human' and cussed lowly. Typing away on the computer, Aaron chuckled lowly as he changed the input to 'spider'.

"Since you love Spiders so much, I hope you enjoy being one." Aaron chuckled as he turned the machine on.

In that moment, right when Miguel was hit with the laser, there was a large explosion. Aaron yelled as he was flung back, hitting the wall in the process. A low groan escaped his lips as he tried to get up, wondering what happened.

There, in the middle of the lab, Miguel stood.

Fangs.

Talons.

Everything that screamed monster. Aaron let out a yell as he tried to run, but he was not fast enough. Miguel appeared before him, taller than before. Buffer than before. More intimidating.

It was at this moment, Aaron knew...he was fucked.

--------

Something went wrong. No? Something went right. Miguel coughed from the explosion, feeling more powerful than before. His vision was still adjusting to the smoke and lights, while his earing grew more keen. There was someone else in here.

Glancing towards the wall, Miguel noticed Aaron. His red eyes sparkled as he appeared before the fool. Miguel felt stronger than before. He felt like he could run marathons.

"What did you do?" Miguel asked with a hiss, feeling fangs poke at his lower lip.

"You're half Spider you freak. Now there's no way (Y/N) will ever see you as a human." Aaron was just digging his own grave.

Half -Spider?

Oh, this was music to Miguel's ears.

"I don't think (Y/N) will care once I fuck the idea out of her mind," Miguel said with a smirk as he grabbed Aaron by the collar, "Oh? Didn't want to hear that? Well, (Y/N) has been riding my dick for months. You never had a chance with her."

Oh, the look of pure despair on Aaron's face. Oh, how Miguel loved it. To break someone down. To have them realize that they were never a match for him. It made things so much more fun!

"Now, for lacing my drink. I must terminate you."

"Can't, I already quit." Aaron said, his words trembling.

Miguel raised a brow as he listen to Aaron's silly plea. His phone was going on, most likely you calling. Poking his head to the side, Miguel noticed the window in the lab. The explosion had broken it. What a shame.

"Guess I'll have to find another way to terminate you."

"What-"

Miguel roared in laughter as he listened to Aaron's screams as Miguel tossed him out the window. As if Miguel was ever going to let him live after nearly damaging his body.

Well, he did make it up in the end. Grabbing his clothes, Miguel proceeded to have Lyla make another explosion. He had a part to play. Before leaving the building, Miguel made sure that the lab with your blood was completely gone and the work erased.

There was no need for it now.

Miguel got what he wanted.

Finally reaching outside, Miguel pretended to cough from the smoke. He watched as the fire fighters hurried to place the flames out, while police questioned about the explosion.

"Miguel! Miguel!" You cried out, hurrying over, "I was so worried! What happened, are you okay?!" You asked, tears threatening to spill.

Miguel just smiled since you didn't come as Spider-Woman. You were behaving quite nicely. Wrapping his lab coat around your shoulders, Miguel smiled as he rubbed your head.

"I'm fine. Looks like someone messed with my genetic splicing machine and blew the place up." Miguel lied, watching you close your eyes to his touch, "Heard someone died."

"Oh no!" You gasped. Miguel chuckled lowly, stroking your cheek some more,

"But, nothing that could have been done."

"But-"

"Nothing," Miguel said firmly, his eyes orbs staring into yours, "Shit, this sun is so bright." He cussed.

You tilted your head as Miguel groaned lowly. He rested his head against your shoulder, causing you to call the EMTs over. Miguel tried to complain, but was growing a headache from the light. You frowned, rubbing your thumbs gently against his eyes,

"Maybe the smoke got to you. Just sit down and relax, okay?"

Miguel grunted in response, holding your hand firmly. He had to run some tests on himself to see what exactly changed in his DNA. Obviously, you didn't have fangs or talons. So Miguel had to make sure he won't hurt you when mating you.

"Miguel?"

"I'm okay,"

Miguel sighed softly as he rested his head against your shoulder. He needed to rest. There was plenty of time for everything. His tests can run later. Right now, Miguel just needed to let his body rest from the sudden change.

Then...He was coming for you.

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Next Chapter

Lol, I hope some of you noticed Aaron's role. In the original comics, Aaron was a jealous coworker who messed with the genetic splicing machine that turned Miguel into Spider-Man. However, Miguel tried to save him in the comics when he was falling out the window, but his talons ripped Aaron's skin, causing him to fall to his death.

@tojishugetiddies @miguelsfavwife @foulsharkheart @club-danger-zone @ivkygirly @jollystrawberrycycle @amber-content @weirdothatwritess @smartyren @mangoslushcrush @nyxzoldyck6 @migueloharastruelove @sukioyakio @killjoy-nightshadow @heyohalie @the-pan-liquid @bokutosprettylittlebimbo @kpopscoups17130000 @pochapo @killerwendigo @barbiecrocs @miss-galaxy-turtle @oscarissac2099 @lazy-idate @lauraolar14 @safixiovi @migueloharacumslut @straw-berry-ghoul @daisy-artfield @sukunash0e @undf-stuff @iamperson12280 @nightingale1011 @reader-1290 @mcmiracles @keepghostly @marlyharper @jadeloverxd @daddyfroglegs @shoukanjo

[ssahotchnerr]

hi sweets! i hope you're having a nice day, i came through this instagram reel https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3LZd7tORv9/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and immediately thought of babygirl hotchner getting home from pre school and running around the house saying the new (cuss) word she learned from school that she probably got from another kid and reader just found it silly but aaron was 🤨😦😧 and was so protective so he tells reader that he'll call the school but R was honey nooo let's just teach her that it's not right to say that word. !! girl dad aaron is everything 🥰

hi lovely! i hope you're having a good day as well!! 🫶🏻 omg and i love that

can you imagine the look of SHOCK that forms on aaron's face when he hears that word leave his little girl 😭😭😭

like he's sitting in the home office, getting some work done, he can hear the distant sounds of jack and baby girl playing, maybe you're conversing back with them from time to time. at some point - baby girl runs past his room and in the distance along with the sound of her footsteps, he hears a "fuck!" LOL 😭😭😭

aaron urgently exits the room all ??????????????, finds you with that shocked expression still on his face, aka a silent "did you also just hear what i think i just heard????"

hehe your eyes are wide too after hearing the word exit your daughter, but you laugh gently and are like "yeah we should probably address that" 😭

baby girl is still running around the house, still swearing - aaron manages to catch her mid-run; and the two of you take her aside, sit with her on the couch. a safe, understanding setting, since she's not in trouble.

🥺 baby girl is sat comfortably on his lap and aaron looks down at her with that gentle look in his eyes (y'all know the one). with his soft solid dad voice™, he asks her where she heard that word, and she (very proudly) answers preschool 🥺😭

you recognize the look in aaron's eyes, the i'm-about-to-call-the-school-in-scary lawyer/fbi fashion- you wave it off and shush him before turning to your daughter to lightly explain, "we don't say those kind of words🥺 not at school, not at home. it's not a very kind to say so please don't say it again" and baby girl, being the sweet one she is, brightly smiles and says "okay!" :D before giving aaron a quick hug and slides off his lap in search of jack to continue playing <3

hehe after she's gone, aaron's still very tense and very 🤨 - not lightening up or really laughing over it, like he still wants to call the school. you simply kiss the grumpy look off his face and assure him it's alright :) kids are kids!! we just need to teach her ourselves <33

[boatshoesdude]

A collection of the sunshine court quotes I highlighted for some reason or another

Jean is going to be a sassy fucker for sure

I don’t know why out of all things but this hurt. This really really hurt

A common Neil occurrence

THE SWITCH OVER TO NEIL FROM NATHANIEL HES MAKING PROGRESS

Oh babe…

This man is trying so desperately to find comfort in anything. I’m rooting for him.

AARON MENTION LETS GO

The family which the foxes have built :,) I’m so proud of them

DO UOU HEAR THAT???? ANDREW AND NEIL ARE CAUGHT IN EACH OTHER’S GRAVITY

ALABAUISBSAHAK WYMACK HAS HAS ENOYGH OF NEIL FOR A LIFETIME AND THEN SOME

Jeremy. I can tell he going to take good d care of this boy. I like him.

This entre page made me just viscerally angry. Oh boy this wasn’t even the beginning of it.

He is looking out for him 07 good man

This is another page that hurt. He’s trying. He’s trying so hard and he’s so tired.

PROGRESS!!!!

Jean Moreau. You deserve the world but the world does not deserve you.

He… he had a sister. He had a sister and he took good care of her. I’m okay. I’m so okay.

JEAN BABE THOSE ARE HIS TOP SURGERY SCARS YOU CANT JUST SAY TAHT TO PEOPLE.

also it’s the the scars themselves that are the problem, Jean, it’s how you got them, Jean. TRANS REP LETS GOOOOOOOO

Yes babes let’s go

I love that feeling

OH THEY WERE KEVINS

Kevin once again being jeans lifeline is something that can be very personal actually

HES ADDING MORE THINGS!!!!!

Canonically a drown rat 😭😭😭

Mother Hen TM Jeremy is a favourite of mine

This describes everything you need to know about our boy Neil Josten

DOES ANDREW KNOW YOURE DOING THIS??? IS HE PROUD???

He knows how to sew. He sewed up her dress. I’m going to cry, he’s so caring and loving and sweet and the world had been nothing but cruel to him

HA

I’ll take care of you; it’s rotten work; not to me, not if it’s you

overall 8/10 book I love Jean and Jeremy and Cat and Laila and can’t wait to see them in the next book as Jean continues to heal but I hope to cry less next time

[cultofdixon]

Protective of One Another

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • The Saviors war ended, and everyone has been doing their part to rebuild the communities. A project being the bridge. You have been assigned to watch those building the bridge and help where you can. You just didn’t expect to end up in the infirmary • ANGST/SFW • TW: Injuries / Anxiety / PTSD

Requested by: Anon

“Hey, you coming to work on the bridge?” Aaron asks Daryl who was preoccupied with sharpening his knife.

“Nah. Why?”

“Eh just thought I’d ask…” Aaron started to walk away from the tent the archer was currently occupying. “Y/N will be there”

Aaron now with a satisfied smile on his face worked beside Daryl who was hammering away at a panel they just placed while Y/N walked past them every now and then.

“Bitch”

“Hey it got you to work today. At least I didn’t lie”

“Mm. Fair” Daryl scoffs looking up for a moment seeing Y/N talking to Rick about the progression of the bridge they were working on.

________

“You sure can hold your own”

Y/N turns toward Daryl after setting another Walker on the pile with T-Dog’s help.

“Yeah…okay” Y/N brushes her hands off on her blue camo pants seeing that he was still standing there. “Yea need somethin’ Daryl?”

“How come you know my name but I don’t know yours?”

“First, it’s Y/N. Second, you’re not a very social person. Or you weren’t until that Grimes guy came and told yea he ditched your brother on a roof”

“Mm. Fair I guess” Daryl frowns watching Y/N step over one of the dead’s legs and extending her hand out to him.

“It is nice to finally meet you though”

“What’s with the blue camo?” He asks while shaking her hand as she laughs slightly.

“Navy. Blue is for the navy. I had just gotten home from discharge when the outbreak happened”

“Then I guess you weren’t part of the dumbasses that kept the virus under wraps until it started killin’”

“Oh I would’ve deserted and told the whole world if it meant this outbreak not happening”

“Wouldn’t have met yea though”

“Already liking me, D?” Y/N teased before going to help T-Dog with the rest leaving Daryl a bit of a blushing mess.

________

“You’re crazy yknow”

Daryl turns to the beautiful voice that matches the woman he’s been pining for for years as Y/N held up a canteen.

“Crazy for what?”

“Wearing all black in Virginia air. Or at least all dark clothes” Y/N gestured to his outfit before crossing her arms and still having that gorgeous smile remain. “What am I gonna do with yea, Dixon?”

“Beat my ass if I pass out from heat stroke” Daryl jokes getting that laugh of hers to roar out of her. “You’ll never see me in shorts”

“I would pay good money to see that one day” Y/N laughs a little more. “Shorts are great” she gestured to her own dark blue denim shorts as it wasn’t the only thing Daryl looked at. She was wearing a black tank top and red flannel over it with the sleeves rolled up, very different from her old Navy camo pants and the long sleeve when they first met up until the farm. But she always had the signature combat boots, something from her past that she won’t get rid of.

“On others maybe” He makes one last comment on the shorts listening to her laugh die down a bit before patting him on the shoulder.

“Least you can do is go inside one of the tents in the shady forest to cool a bit with that canteen.”

“Yea ain’t the boss of me, woman” He smirks watching her glare playfully.

“Last I checked. I was assigned to oversee those working on the bridge today…so the least you can do…is follow my orders” Y/N smirks getting up in his space as the archer covers his ears to avoid the blush rising.

“Yes ma’am” Daryl states watching her go back to working.

As he made his way back to the little tent city they have up for those working on the bridge, Carol immediately got up from her tent with a smile on her face.

“Hey buddy”

“Buddy?” Daryl scoffs to the nickname.

“What? You want me to go back to pookie?” She smiles deviously listening to him groan. “Anyway, I saw yea chattin’ it up with Y/N. Did you finally ask her yet?”

“Ask her what?”

“Oh come on!” Carol shoved him playfully as Daryl almost pushed her back but decided against it and sat on one of the outdoor chairs she has set up. “You know exactly what I mean Dixon” she took the other empty seat listening to the man groan even more. “She’s a catch. If you’re not going to say anything, someone else is gonna swoop in”

I don’t even want to think about that Daryl rolls his eyes turning his attention to the bridge. “The fuck am I supposed to say that I should’ve said years ago?”

________

“You’ve seen Y/N?”

“Oh my god. Are you actually going to finally do it, Dixon?” Carol teases handing him a bowl of breakfast which was whatever meat the archer hunted for that morning.

“Shut up” Daryl grumbles taking his bowl and going to sit with Rick at the table he was at with Judith in his arms.

“Waiting for Y/N?” Rick smirks watching Daryl glare as he was about to get up and leave. “Woah Woah. I surrender…sorry man. Just never seen someone so close to our navy officer and well. Connecting the dots here…”

“How’d yea tell Lori yea liked her?”

“Geez. You have no experience just from that question alone”

“Rick—-“

“Right right. Well. I kind of just went up to her asked if we could talk somewhere more private and then told her how I felt” Rick shrugs, it wasn’t exactly rocket science. “Then one thing lead to another”

Daryl hums in response to such as he watches the gates open showing Michonne returning on the horse they found and Y/N walking beside. They have been going on runs together that would last days or weeks and the archer would be stuck sticking around hoping to run into Y/N just for a second.

“You wanna tell her. Just tell her” Rick smiles picking up Judith and heading inside leaving Daryl to sit there watching Y/N draw closer.

He straightens up and in that moment he decided today was the day to tell her how he feels. But once she got closer to him, Daryl noticed the bandage on her arm and his worry got the best of him.

“Long time no see, Dixon” Y/N smiles warmly even if his neutral expression didn’t exactly cover his tense body language. “It’s just a scrape. Gotta see Hershel to see if it needs stitches”

“You better”

“Oh I will, and then I can tell you about the run I just went on” She smiles patting his shoulder in passing leaving him stuck in his thoughts once more.

________

So many opportunities.

And this was the time he chose to take it head on.

Y/N heard commotion going on between a few Saviors and some Oceanside on the other side of the bridge. She quickly apologizes to Eugene who she was talking to about the progression, to go handle what was going on.

“We shouldn’t have to work with scum like you!”

“It ain’t my fault the old man is making us work with weak ass people like yourselves”

“We’re weak?!” One of the Oceanside men got up in the Savior’s face. “Whose fucking leader is caged like an animal?”

“Woah guys let’s break it—-“ Y/N’s words didn’t reach their deaf ears as the Savior grabbed the Oceanside’s collar tossing them down. “Hey! Stop it”

“Back off!” The Savior yells pushing Y/N aside as she was resilient. “This fucking weakling needs to know his place”

“Oh yeah?!” He snaps back rising to his feet and with an unexpected play of drawing his gun which none of the crew that day thought anyone was armed. Even Y/N.

“Hey—Who told you you can—“

“Shut the fuck up! I ain’t listening to you” the gun pointed at Y/N temporarily before going back to the Savior who seem to be standing his ground. “And I’ve had enough of you Saviors walking all over me”

“Really? Then pull the trigger”

“Hey let’s not escalate this any further” Y/N sternly states to the two while standing in between them as she suddenly felt her hair get pulled to bring her back out of the way of the now nervous Oceansider. “Excuse me—-“

“Nah I wanna see if this fucking pussy will actually pull the trigger” He snaps in the nervous one’s face as Y/N tried to push him back because this wasn’t going to end well regardless.

Then the gunshot rang through the nearby woods, alerting the residents in the tent city. Daryl quickly rose to his feet running over toward the bridge with Carol following shortly behind. The two noticed a small crowd was formed and as they drew near, Daryl instantly locked onto Y/N pinning the Oceansider down while Rick kept the Savior at a distance.

“What the hell happened?” Carol snaps bringing herself over to Y/N before realizing. “Let me take over”

“Just take his gun away” Y/N hissed through the pain in her side given the Oceansider was a nervous wreck, making him a nervous shot. He aimed low and Y/N knocked the Savior out of the way. Resulting in her receiving the bullet. “Get the leader of Oceanside to take care of her own, Carol will confiscate the gun and…”

“We’ll call it a day” Rick finishes for her but then noticed the shakiness in her composure. “Somebody catch her”

And that was Daryl’s cue. He caught her right as she started to faint. The archer quickly picked her up and didn’t wait another second to take her to the med-tent that currently had Enid working. Not that he didn’t trust the prodigy, he would rather have Siddiq for someone this important.

“It’s just a flesh wound”

“So no bullet?” Rick asks Enid once she finished applying the pressure bandage on Y/N’s side.

“No bullet. Through and through”

“This could’ve been a whole lot worse. Hell remember when you took a bullet?” Carol laughs a bit of the tension away referring to Daryl’s near death moment.

“Yeah but I would like to knock that son of a bitch’s teeth in when Andrea walked away”

Both Rick and Carol gave each other a confused look when Daryl said such. It definitely didn’t go unnoticed.

“What.”

“Andrea didn’t just walk away”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The archer was even more confused than ever.

But he’s not the only one pining for another.

________

“Oh you’re a fucking moron that’s trigger happy”

“Now Y/N I didn’t know it was Daryl—-“

“Don’t fucking matter.” Y/N didn’t hesitate to punch the girl square in the jaw, with enough force to cause her to stumble and before Shane or Rick could intervene Y/N held her hand up toward them. Indicating she was done after that. “Four of our men ran over to Daryl to take out the walker—if it was a walker—you didn’t have to get on your high horse and shoot the only other person in this goddamn group that understands”

“Understands fucking what?!”

“I don’t like you. You ain’t getting that out of me” Y/N knelt to her level on the ground. “But if he doesn’t pull through or you try that shit again. I’ll put you six feet under with my bare hands”

________

“She was scary” Rick laughs a bit. “Seriously. Why do yea think I don’t piss her off?”

“Besides, she was at your bedside when you slept in the farmhouse” Carol adds. “She really protective of you in some way”

“She was also the advocate to get yea out of the Sanctuary job sooner. So you didn’t have to relive any trauma left there”

The two stopped talking when they heard Y/N groan indicating she was waking up.

“We’re gonna take care of cleaning up for the night” Carol smiles giving Daryl a look as he glares back stating this isn’t the right time. But she didn’t care and insisted with her eyes.

Enid handed Daryl the painkillers for Y/N to take before giving them the room (or tent).

“Take it easy”

“I feel like shit” She crooked out with a sigh following, Daryl reached for the canteen opening it for her and taking out a few pills. “Mm. Nurse Daryl to my rescue?” She teases bringing herself to sit up which she regretted given the stitches in her side.

“Lay back down and let me actually nurse yea” Daryl got up to grab the pillow from the other cot to help her sit up a bit to take the pills with the water.

Y/N sighs once more handing the canteen back to Daryl and sinking into the cot. “Shit got out of hand”

“Yea don’t gotta talk about it right now. Just rest”

“Mm…Carol and Rick talk a lot” She randomly states receiving Daryl’s confused look as she brought her right arm under her head. “I wasn’t fully unconscious. Yeah lost some blood and fainted, but started coming too a bit ago”

Shit. “What’d yea hear?”

“Besides how you were barking at Enid for doing a simple repair because of how worried you were. The fucking farmhouse story. Guess we both have bullet scars”

“That…isn’t something to be happy about”

“Oh I’m not happy. That bitch reminded me of Andrea when she was trigger happy. Regardless…you’re missing my point here”

“I think I’m tryin’ to avoid it”

“Why?” Y/N gave him a small smile. “Because you wanna be the one to tell me you have feelings for me and not the other way around?” She continues to smile while the blush became more prominent on Daryl’s face.

“I thought…uh. I waited too long”

“We never had a quiet moment, D. Just think about it”

The outbreak in the quarry

Merle gone missing

The CDC exploding

The farm

The Governor Pt. 1

The prison illness

The Governor Pt. 2

Terminus

Grady Memorial Hospital

Old Alexandria

The massive herd

The wolves

The Saviors introduction

Daryl’s kidnapping

The Saviors demise

…Wow

“We really didn’t…” Daryl frowns watching Y/N bring her free hand to take one of his. “But I was still protective of yea”

“So was I”

“Is this finally that moment?”

“As fucked as it is” She laughs squeezing his hand a bit as Daryl leans into her pressing his lips firmly against hers. Feeling the hand behind her head move to run through his hair.

Once they parted…

“Took you two long enough” Carol chimes in with the biggest smile on her face. “Should’ve made a bet on it”

“Shut up”

[c-m-stuff]

Girls Fight

Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

-Description: You and Spencer are married. You two have a beautiful daughter, but because of a crazy woman, your family is in danger.

-Warnings: Angst, language, fighting, having a child

-Word count: 2687

-Note: (Repost from Wattpad.) An angsty story. I use here the name "Abby", know that I don't have anything against the name, or people with the name. Have fun, guys!

Masterlist

Y/N POV:

'And, how is it going? Does she wants to talk?' I asked Aaron, as he closed the interrogation door.

'No, she says nothing.'

Abby Lim, a hitwomen, who killed many people. We just arrested her. It was a very stressful case for all of us. The thing is, before we arrested her, she was being very flirty towards Spencer.

_________________________

Flashback:

'Drop your weapon, Abby.' David ordered, in a serious voice.

Abby was just standing there, gun pointed at us.

'I don't know. I don't want to.'

'Hey you, little nerd. What do you think? How do I look?' she continued, looking straight at Spencer.

As Spencer didn't gave an answer, she gave it.

'I know, I look hot as always. But, you don't look bad either, baby.'

I felt my blood raise, as I tried to concentrate me. I quickly glanced at my husband, who was looking nervously.

'Put your weapon down, now!' Derek yelled, also furious.

'Calm down, muscles. I do, if nerd asks me.'

'Abby, put your weapon down.' Spencer spoke, a little more calmly, trying to win her trust.

It worked. Surprisingly, she trew her weapon away, as the men cuffed her.

'See? Was that now so hard?' she said, before they took her away from us.

Flashback over

__________________________

Now, we only needed to know, where she kept her last victim. She kidnapped a woman, who was still missing. It is really important, that we find her as quick as possible. Aaron just questioned her, but she didn't said a word.

'She asked for one thing. If we gave it to her, she swore she will tell us, where the victim is.' Aaron sighed, which I didn't understood, since it's good news we're getting closer.

'That's great! What is it?' I asked, everyone now looking at him.

'It's a date with Reid.'

My eyes went wide, and I'm sure, I wasn't the only one.

'No, no, no.' Spencer said, repeatedly, coming closer to us.

'How-how do we know, she's not lying?' I asked him, biting my lip.

'She would sign a contract. If she lies, she would get more trouble than she already has.'

'Okay. Let's do it.'

'What? But, (Y/N). I don't want to go on a date with her.' Spencer said, still a little in shock, that I accepted it so quickly.

'I know, love. I don't want it, either. But, it's the only way to save another life.'

'We give you two some privacy.' Aaron spoke, as everyone left the room.

'But, it would feel like cheating on you.' he admitted, giving me a sad look.

'Spence, I trust you. I know, this is for saving a life. But, if you don't want to, that's also perfectly fine. We can always try and find another way to let her speak. It's your decision.'

'Okay then. But, I want you and (Y/D/N) home. Far away from her.'

'You got it!' he wrapped me into a soft hug, pressing kisses on my head.

(Y/D/N), is our 4 year old daughter, who we will always protect with our lives.

'Spencer?'

'Yes, love?'

'Be safe, please.'

'Always.'

We slowly ended the comforting hug, and went back to the others.

'I do it.' Spencer confirmed.

They all started arranging things, as I went to Derek.

'Derek? You're going to be there with him, right?' I asked the muscular man, causing him to nod.

'I am.'

'Please, take good care of my husband.'

'I will, pretty girl. I promise.' I smiled at his words, while he returns the smile back.

Not much later, it was time for me to go. Just as Spencer already said, he wants me and (Y/D/N), home. Safe.

__________________________

Spencer's POV:

Abby and I, just arrived at the fair, where our "date" was located. Morgan and another agent, were walking behind us, from a little distance.

'I'm so happy, that our first date is at a fair. We can have so much fun!' she exclaimed, but my thoughts where only by (Y/N) and (Y/D/N).

'Babyyy.' she catched my attention, but not in a good way.

'Don't call me that.' I spoke, irritated. The only person who is allowed to call me that, is (Y/N).

'Don't be mad, little nerd. Look where we are, look at the things that we can do.'

'You know, you signed a contract, right? In exchange for this date, you-'

'I have to tell you where the last person is. I know, I know. Stop rambling.'

'Okey, well give me something.'

'Green.'

'Green? Give me something better.'

'Hey, aren't nerds supposed to be smart? Figure it out by yourself.'

'OMG!' she suddenly yelled, causing me to look immediately at her point of view.

'Can we take some pictures in the photo booth? Pleaseee!' she begged me, considering I had not much of a choice, I agreed.

'Yay!' Abby clapped in her hands, as she pulled me inside.

'Smile, lover boy.' she ordered, while I forced a fake smile.

We took a few pictures, as she suddenly pulled me into a kiss. I immediately pushed her off of me, but it was too late, the picture was already taken.

'Abby! Don't ever do that again!' I yelled angry at her, my thoughts by (Y/N), the woman that I love so much. I felt guilty.

'You're so boring, it's not that you're having a relationship or something.' I kept quiet, as she began to scan my nervous behavior.

'Omg! You have a girlfriend!'

'No, I don't!' I lied, although technically I don't have a girlfriend, I have a wife.

She kept quiet, suspicious. But, she stopped talking about it, and changed subject. Just at that moment, the pictures came out. She quickly took them, placing it in her pocket.

'I keep them.' Abby told me, before walking further.

'Babyyy.'

'I already told you to not call me that.' I answered, a little pissed.

'Whatever, I need to use the restroom.' I sighed under my breath, as we walked to a little bar, which was not too far. It was a little crowd, but it could have been worse.

'Okay, an agent is coming with you.'

'Don't you wanna come? We can have a lot of fun in there.'

'I thought, you found me boring? Besides that, I think, that's something you need to do by yourself.' I replied, as she rolled her eyes.

She went to the restroom, an agent following her, and waiting by the door. Morgan came towards me.

'Pretty boy, how is it going?'

'It's terrible, she won't stop calling me "baby", and she even kissed me. I hate this.' I sighed, this time out loud. He patted my shoulder, while giving me an understanding look.

A few minutes passed before realizing that she was there for a while now. A rush of concern, washed over me, as Morgan and I decided to take a look. While we entered the restroom, we saw the other agent on the floor, beaten up. He was still alive, but had bruises and blood everywhere. But, Abby was gone.

'Shit, she escaped.' I cursed, as Morgan and I looked at each other with defeated faces.

I reached for my phone, but found my pants pocket empty. My eyes immediately went wide, and I began to panic.

'NO, NO, NO, NO!'

'What's wrong?' Morgan asked me, as I once more searched for my phone.

'She took my phone! AND MY KEYS!' I panicked, thinking about the many pictures in it, of (Y/N) and (Y/D/N).

'I call Garcia to trace your phone.' Morgan said, as he took his own phone.

'You've reached Penelope Garcia's office, how may I safe your ass today?'

'Baby girl, you're on speaker.'

'Garcia, you have to trace my phone.' I spoke, as I tried to calm myself down.

'On it. But Reid, you sound worried. Everything okay there?'

'No, everything is horrible. Abby escaped, and my phone and keys are gone.'

I could hear her typing quicker, and felt that she was worried too. We all were.

'Oh no.'

'What is it?'

'She's on her way to your house.'

It felt like I was hit by a bullet. My breathing became heavier, as I was already running to the SUV, Morgan right behind me. We both stepped in, while Morgan said his goodbye to Garcia, before hanging up. He drove with fast speed, towards my house.

'Reid, she is going to be fine. They are going to be fine.'

'We have to drive an hour, because I wanted them as far as possible. Abby is already on her way, and she is closer to them.'

I rambled, panicking even more.

'I-I can't lose them. (Y/N) and (Y/D/N), are everything I have. They're my world. I-'

'Then you don't lose them. Spencer, they will survive. Besides that, (Y/N), works also at the BAU. She has the skills, they're not gonna die. Okey?' I nodded slightly my head, trying to ignore my stupid worse scenario's thoughts.

__________________________

Y/N POV:

I just finished reading my sleepy daughter a bed time story. I love to read her bed time stories, just as I love Spencer reading them sometimes for me. I kissed (Y/D/N) on her forehead, as I quietly stood up, and closed the door.

I decided to watch my favorite show in the bedroom, laying comfortable under the covers. But, suddenly, I heard something. I heard carefully footsteps. I knew, it couldn't be Spencer, since he would call or text me, if he's heading home. I let the tv play, as I quietly took my hidden gun from my closet. Just in case.

With the gun pointed forwards me, I slowly stepped out of the bedroom. My heart started to sink, as I saw the bedroom door from (Y/D/N) her room open. I took a deep breath, and pushed slightly the door more open.

My eyes were full of fear, as I saw Abby, pointing a gun at the head of my still sleepy daughter. I tried to be confident, not showing any fear.

'Abby, you could have knocked.' she immediately turned her head towards me, a smirk formed on her face.

'And ruin the surprise? Didn't think so.'

'Look, Abby. What do you want?'

'Isn't that obvious? To kill you, of course. But, I could use a little challenge, why don't we fight a little, so I can beat the hell out of you?'

'If that's all you want, let's do it. But, you need to leave my daughter's room. She has nothing to do with this.'

'Fair enough, but no guns.'

'No guns. Let's go first to the living area, shall we?' I lowered my gun, trying to win her trust a little. She did what I said, and left the room.

We both trew our weapons away, as I quickly locked (Y/D/N) her room. I never locked her room, but the last thing I want, is her to witnesses this.

I just wanted to turn around to Abby, as she hit me in the stomach. I winced at the pain.

'I wasn't ready yet!'

'Aww, how sad. But, I just don't care.'

I then found the confidence, and ran into her, both falling on the ground. I was now on top of her, as I punched her repeatedly.

Suddenly, she trew me off of her, causing me to fall next to her. She took her chance, and stood up as quick as she could. I stood up, as well, as I looked panicked around me. There was no Abby.

I walked with high speed, towards the kitchen, as I felt an incredible pain. I clutched my stomach, and noticed the blood on my hands. That bitch just stabbed me, the knife still in her hand.

'You said no weapons.'

'No sweetheart, technically, I said no guns.' Abby said, unfortunately a matter of fact.

'You stupid bitch!'

Trying to ignore the pain, I trew my body on her, causing her to drop the knife. She used her hands to dig into my wound, as I screamed out of the pain. Abby used this into her advantage, getting immediately up, as I still was wincing from the pain.

'You know, (Y/N). I first thought that you were a weak slut. After all, this just proves me right.' she said, the knife again in her hand.

'It's only so sad, that you're daughter and Spencer, never going to see you again. They need to live a life without their mommy. And, the best part is, that Spencer will forever blame himself.'

She walked closer to me, as I looked quickly around me. I spotted my gun, not that far away from me.

She came closer to me, ready to stab me.

It was now or never. Ignoring the heavy pain, I reached for my gun, grabbing it, and just on time, I shoot her, right in her stomach.

She fell on the ground, crying it out from the pain, as she struggles with breathing. I empty my gun, trowing it far away. I tried to stand on my feet, as I groaned at my own pain.

'You know, I have to admit, I didn't excepted this ending.' Abby managed to speak out, causing me to laugh, lightly.

'I did.' I joked, but in reality, I really was scared for all of our lives.

I leaned against the wall, still clutching my stomach, as the front door busted open. The team coming in, followed by paramedics.

'(Y/N)!' Spencer yelled, as they all putted their guns away, sawing what had happened.

'(Y/N)! Are you okay? I was so worried!' he immediately rushed towards me, just like the paramedics.

I shook my head.

'Abby needs more help than I.' them seeing that I won't give up, they went first to Abby.

'I'm okay, Spence. Everything is fine now.' I reassured him, with one hand grabbing his.

I looked around, seeing the whole team being concerned about me. I gave them a soft smile, before calling JJ.

'JJ, can you come, please?' I asked the blonde, as she walked towards us.

'(Y/D/N), was sleeping when all this happened. I bet, she's awake now. Will you please, check up on her? Telling her that everything is alright now?'

'Of course.'

'Keep her there, please. I don't want her to see this.' JJ nodded her head, walking towards the bedroom.

'Are you okey?' Aaron came towards us, as I nodded my head.

'She just confessed the location of the victim. Agents are on their way.'

'That's great.'

I accidentally made an unexpected move, causing me to groan in pain. Spencer immediately supported me, so I won't fall.

'You're so brave, love. I'm so proud of you. I can't imagine what you went through.' he helped me through it, as finally the paramedics came.

Spencer kept holding my hand the whole time, while the paramedics were taking care of my wound. The whole thing, forced Spencer to think about the one person, who brought us in this mess.

'I need to-'

But, I cut him off, holding his hand.

'Spencer, no. I know, she deserves it, but don't. It's all okey now.' I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb. His eyes softened, looking at mine with admiration and love.

'And, that is one of the 1000 reasons, I love you. You're always kind towards others, no matter what you went through.' we both smiled, as our lips connected, for a sweet, loving kiss.

__________________________

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Cradle To Grave: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: Your experience in prison isn't what you thought it would be. You're feeling everything and you don't know if you'll be okay when you finally come out of it. Meanwhile, the team notices a change in Spencer as he tries his best not to miss you too much.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around, and why his parents will always wave back." - Journalist William D. Tammeus

Sunlight shines through the crack in the curtains making you wince. You turn over to avoid the direct stream of light and end up facing Spencer's bare chest. He's still sleeping from the rough night you two had. You two couldn't sleep so you stayed up playing chess and listening to music. You've only got a few hours of sleep and you're already waking up.

There are rare moments in your relationship where you have complete peace and solace, so you take this opportunity to admire your boyfriend's body. He's always been skinny and lean but he has muscles that aren't showy like Derek's are. Freckles dance across his chest that look like constellations the more you look at them. His skin is pale since he doesn't tan much but you've always admired his milky skin.

You reach out and lightly trace the freckles, watching the constellation come to life in front of you. Your eyes move up his chest to his face where he looks the most peaceful. His sharp jawline and high cheekbones look relaxed as he sleeps. This is the only moment in which the world isn't weighing heavily down on Spencer. He is completely free to be whoever he wants at this moment, even if he is asleep.

Spencer stirs in his sleep and opens one eye to look into yours. He smiles at the love you hold in them. He truly is so lucky to know you, to hold you, and to love you. God, he has such a nice smile. You lean up to kiss him but something breaks you out of paradise.

"Rise and shine, inmates!"

You open your eyes and almost cry when you realize that was a dream. Gone is the peaceful morning with Spencer and a dull grey ceiling replaces it. The complaints of other prisoners fill your ears as you try to hold onto the moment you wish you were in. Your bottom lip wobbles as a single tear falls from your eye, but you push your feelings down and get up to start your day.

It's been hard at the BAU without you around. Everyone can feel the lack of your presence but no one is saying anything about it. Hotch is still working privately but he can't do much without Strauss knowing about it. He has to take baby steps no matter how agonizing it feels. Hotch is in JJ's office as they go through the different kinds of files that are piled up on her desk.

"What's next?"

"Baton Rouge thinks they have a white supremacist problem."

"What's your take?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'd like to hear it," Hotch nods.

"We're dealing with an individual, not a group."

"Why?"

"The angry letters. The writer switches pronouns from plural to singular. 'We are a heavily armed militia' followed by, 'I will be forced to take action'."

"Good. Send it back to the police with our analysis." Hotch's phone rings and he looks at the message he gets. "Keep up the good work, JJ. Excuse me." He leaves her office to go to his own where Chief Strauss is waiting for him. "Chief Strauss."

"Aaron. We need to talk. Close the door." Hotch sighs silently and closes the door behind him, ready for whatever talking she is about to give him. "I want to talk about Y/N for a second. I've been kept in the loop of her case, and she was denied bail. She is to be in prison awaiting trial. I am here because the board is saying you're partially to blame for this. They said it's the way you've been leading her and this team."

"She didn't do it," Hotch narrows his eyes.

"Regardless, it's giving the board to question your leadership skills. I am terribly sorry about the situation you're in with Foyet, but I am concerned it's hindering your ability to properly lead this team."

"My personal problems and what's happening with Y/N have not and will not affect my ability to lead this team."

"I think it has. I've seen the letters you've sent in about Y/N. You praise her leadership skills and the ability to correctly address a situation. I know you admire her work, but she can't very well be put in your place, now can she?"

"Put in my place?"

"The board wants you to step down as Unit Chief, and to give the job to someone who is willing to do it right. I have other divisions who will greatly benefit from your skills--"

"What if I already have someone else in mind? Yes, I would have liked Y/N to be in my spot eventually, but I believe Derek Morgan will do a phenomenal job at it. He's shown leadership skills and can make tough decisions when no one wants to. Will you allow me to prove it with the case that comes in?"

"Of course," Strauss nods. "I will contact the board about your decision. I'm sorry it has to come this way, but it's for the best."

Hotch can't say anything else and watches her leave. JJ has been watching from the window from the hallway the entire time, but Hotch doesn't see her. He puts his head in his hands and rests his elbows on his desk. Everything is so fucked up right now, he doesn't know how to act or what to think.

"Hotch?" JJ asks and knocks on his door.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Thank you."

When JJ is gone, Hotch logs into his computer and gathers up some files he knows Derek should look over. He sends them to Derek's work email as soon as he can before the rest of the team shuffles in. Derek's phone blows up as soon as he steps foot in the elevator. Email after email from Hotch has him concerned that something happened. Spencer is already at work by the time he arrives, and Derek sets his jacket over his chair in confusion.

"Reid, did I miss something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hotch is sending me all kinds of emails."

Spencer logs onto his computer but doesn't have any emails from Hotch.

"Not from me."

Derek sees Hotch in his office so he heads right to the source.

"Hotch, what's so important you couldn't send it to the rest of the team?" Derek asks and holds up his phone.

"I just needed a second pair of eyes."

"I'll review it right now. Just give me an hour."

"That's not necessary."

JJ pops her head in with a nod.

"We're ready." Hotch and Derek meet the rest of the team inside the briefing room. Everyone passes by your chair cautiously knowing you're not going to be there to sit in it. "Kristie Taylor is a runaway drug addict who was reported missing from Farmington, New Mexico three years ago. Yesterday, she turned up on a freeway outside of Rio Rancho."

"She was sexually assaulted based on the ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She was asphyxiated but the looks of it," Spencer notes.

"Three victims in five years. All the women are connected by marks. He likes chains. He's a definite sexual sadist. He sticks to his type which are blonde sixteen to nineteen year olds."

"He hangs onto them for a while, too," Rossi points out. "There is an average of two years between abducting them and killing them."

"He has a low body count and a long time frame. This guy's in control of his urges."

"Too controlled," Rossi corrects Derek. "Sadists need new victims and new ways to torture. There are a lot of guys out there who like chains. Are we sure this is the same unsub?"

"Kristie's autopsy report also indicates a second connection between these victims," JJ answers. "She was pregnant and had given birth. Very soon after, the unsub killed her."

"How soon after?"

"Minutes."

"This unsub isn't your typical sexual sadist. We usually see captivity and assault. What we haven't seen is this signature, the role he forces these women to fulfill before he kills them. Motherhood. Wheels up in twenty."

Everyone gathers their things but Spencer stays behind until Hotch is one of the only ones left in the briefing room.

"Have you heard anything about Y/N?" He swallows hard.

"Not much that will help. They're being very reserved with this case. They think they have the person who did it. They're not going to want to let her go so easily. They're putting up many fights." Spencer grows worried for you and Hotch touches his shoulder in comfort. "As I said before, I am working privately. I just can't be so open about it."

"Okay," Spencer nods.

The conversation continues when everyone is on the plane headed to New Mexico.

"So, why would a sexual sadist make women carry his children?" Emily asks once everyone is settled in.

"Gary Heidnik kept a harem in a dungeon. His goal was to create a large family as a replacement for his own broken home. Josef Fritzl kept his daughter in a cell in his own house, and they had several kids together. Squalid conditions are part of a control fantasy these men had. If he's keeping these women in a similar location, he'd need a lot of privacy," Spencer explains.

"He probably built it himself. It makes him good with his hands."

"Why blondes, and what significance do they have to him?" Hotch asks.

"Maybe the woman who rejected him or the woman who wouldn't bear his children?" Emily theorizes.

"If that were true, he'd be the same age as these girls--late teens. This unsub is too skilled for that."

"His own mother, then?" JJ adds. "She could be a runaway, just like these victims."

"Which makes his compulsion Psych 101--killing his mother over and over again for giving birth to him."

"Why wait until after she gives birth? Now he has a body and a baby to get rid of," Rossi asks.

"That troubles me, too," Hotch nods. "We found the mothers but not the infants."

"I hate to say this, but what if the women are just a means to an end? What if the babies are really the ones he's exploiting?" Emily wonders.

"If Kristie just surfaced, it means he has her baby right now."

"JJ, check with the parents and see if there are any similarities in the runaways' patterns and where the unsub's finding them. Reid and Prentiss, go to the latest dump site. We need to look at victimology. How he treats these women in the final moments of their lives might tell us what he's doing to the children."

When the plane lands, Derek, Rossi, and Hotch head over to the ME's office to look at Kristie's body. She is the only victim to have surfaced, so she is the only one who can provide answers if the unsub was careless.

"Doctor, you wrote in your report that Kristie had had several miscarriages. How was that evident?" Hotch asks.

"There were a number of abrasions in her uterine lining. Around the third trimester, her water would break."

"She never carried them to term?"

"Last time, she did. There was a high level of pitocin in her blood. It's an artificial hormone. You give it to induce labor."

"She was on a tight schedule, then. If she lost the baby, he would get her pregnant again immediately."

"Childbirth is tough enough. Imagine if your life depends upon it," Rossi scoffs.

"All three moms had records with drug abuse and drunk and disorderlies. What's more interesting is what he does after he kidnaps them. This is Kristie two weeks before she was abducted."

Derek shows a picture of what Kristie looked like, and compared to her body now, she was taken care of. Before, she looked like a drug addict who was homeless but her body now, albeit dead, looks a lot healthier.

"He got her healthy, well-fed, and off the drugs."

Rossi grabs the file on her and flips through the papers.

"Not completely. What are these drugs in Kristie's system?"

"Tamoxifen, Metoclopramide, Domperidone, and Progesterone. They're all prenatal meditation. The first two help carry the baby to term, and the last two help with lactation."

"What kind of sexual sadist gives his victims prenatal drugs?" Hotch asks.

"The kind who takes care of the kids he's having. He gets his rocks off killing the moms, but the babies he protects."

"You think he's keeping them?" Hotch asks Rossi.

"Yeah. If he despises the moms, he'd despise their children. New Mexico is right on the border with a lot of human trafficking going on. He could be breeding."

"Call Child Protection Services. We need to find out about existing black markets for infants."

x

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[emberfrostlovesloki]

Your Side of Town [Aaron x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@taybrinafavs) Center (@dilfgifs) Right (The Killers - From "Your Side of Town" music video)

Prompt: When the reader starts going to UC Riverside to get her PhD, she meets the dangerous and enigmatic Aaron Hotchner in her Tax Fraud class. She is forced to ask why she likes him, and if he is as dangerous as her friend, Emily Prentiss, says. 

Pairing: College!Aaron x Non-BAU!Reader, fem!Reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns 

Category: Angst 

Word Count: 14.5K 

Content Warnings: Language, mention of drinking alcohol, beating [Aaron], mention of gangs and criminal organizations, a brief description of murder and blood. Please let me know if I missed any. 

A/N: Hi all! I hope you are all doing very well! This is a long note, but hopefully, it will explain this fic better before you read it. It started this story a few months ago when The Killers released the song “Your Side of Town.” It gave me such strong Aaron vibes that I had to write a fic based on it. I decided to write a college AU where the reader is in school with Aaron who is working on his law degree. I’ve made some changes to the setting and period, but I’ve tried to keep the characters as true to the show as possible, even with the changes. Much of this chapter is setting up the future storyline and depending on if people like this chapter or not, I might work on a part two. This is something very different for me, so I hope it’s okay. Please be kind to yourselves this week and do something you love, you are so special. If you enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! Love Levi - ❤️

List with all stories 

y/n 

y/f/c/d = Your favorite coffee (or coffee adjacent drink). 

d/b = department building 

y/l/n = your last name. 

y/f/s = your favorite subject 

The California sun beat down on y/n, as she walked toward campus She walked quickly, even if she didn’t need to. Her pace demonstrated her stress. She had barely slept even though she had intentionally gone to bed early. y/n couldn’t tell if it was worse to be in bed unable to sleep or be awake and dreaming, longing, praying for sleep. She couldn’t decide and she was too nervous to think about it at the moment. The walk from the commuter parking lot to the UC Riverside campus was pretty, but it was a hot day. As y/n dipped into her normal coffee shop, it was a bit more crowded than usual, but certainly not as bad as it would be at 10 a.m. 

Perhaps getting up and out of her apartment at 6 a.m. had paid off. As she reached the counter, y/n ordered a coffee straight and an iced y/f/c/d. She lingered by the pickup counter, looking at the mostly older patrons sitting and reading the local paper or chatting with friends who were up as early as themselves. 

These people didn’t seem like students. One or two of the twelve patrons of the shop could be seniors, but it was hard for her to tell. y/n knew she was rubbish at guessing ages. Always had been. y/n’s name was called shortly after and she made it back outside. From the coffee shop, it was only a short walk to the crosswalk that would take her onto campus proper. Because her hands were full, she leaned her hip against the crosswalk button. The electronic voice droned out, “Wait to cross, West Campus Drive.” y/n let out a sigh. She knew her anxiety was unfounded. She had graduated from undergrad, and then grad school, there was no reason she should not be able to obtain her PhD in four or five years or so. 

Even if this was the case, imposter syndrome was still a constant stalker. The crosswalk voice told her she was good to walk. y/n had zoned out, and sure thing. The walk sign was on. y/n got a move on. The road wasn't long, but cars were known to speed down the blind curve, and over the summer, when y/n had moved into her apartment, got to meetings with her advisor, gotten used to campus, and gotten to know her two roommates, she had seen many an accident on West Campus Drive. She didn’t fancy getting into an accident. Not when their life was finally coming to something. 

y/n had agreed that this was going to be the year that she stopped running from her past. She contemplated this as she made it safely onto campus and the short walk to her d/b. As she approached the door, a colleague whom she was getting to know, Ted Anderson, walked up the steps. He saw that she didn’t have a free hand and moved more quickly. He pulled the door open and flashed her a smile before saying, “Moring, y/l/n. You ready for this?” y/n gave him a small smile back and said, “As ready as I’ll ever be. I’ve got my syllabi printed, my two coffees, and Fraud in the U.S. tonight at six, so if it’s not a good day, at least it will be a busy one.” Anderson nodded as he moved behind her into the building saying, “I’m sure you’ll do great.” y/n gave him a soft smile as they diverted paths. Her office was on the third floor and his on the first. y/n wasn’t sure why she had been graced with an office with a window, but she would enjoy the sunlight streaming through the window as she worked. She had nothing to complain about there. 

The first half of the day went well. The two sophomore-level courses on _y/f/s had gone by quickly. The first day both lecture halls had been packed with around two hundred students each. The imposter syndrome seemed to melt away as a learned mask of confidence and the need to be in control took its place, even if the persona wasn’t fully formed yet for herself or the class. It was refreshing. It gave her the boost that she needed until lunchtime rolled around. y/n moved to the department office and got some copies of a reading from the student worker, got a fresh cup of much worse coffee from the shared office pot. 

The last two classes of the day were more varied than the first. One was a junior-level cross-cultural course on y/f/s and the last, at 3:30 p.m., was a freshman introductory course on y/n’s field of study. Although it already felt far too early to be behind on work on the first freaking day of the semester, that didn’t mean that there weren’t things to do. Chief of which was annotating the U.S. Fraud and Compliance course that y/n was auditing this semester. y/n’s field of study and research was primarily in equity and inequality in the United States over the last two decades. As it turned out, things like tax fraud and White-Collar crime turned out many of the policies that caused inequality and not murder or violence as the government and law enforcement liked to tout every year with new stats that “Crime was going up.” 

Sure Organized crime was a part of it, but a lot of the original crime syndicates had come out of the early 1920s because of prohibition and bootlegging. And new crime rings had popped up from the disastrous War on Drugs. The policy had only seemed to push cocaine into marginalized communities which allowed the law to continue over-policing and criminalizing those communities. Thus, the desire to audit the Fraud course. 

The elderly professor, Dr. Porter, had been kind enough to respond to y/n’s email asking if he would allow it. He had requested a meeting with her in his office in central campus. She had gone, and they made their introductions. Dr. Porter had asked, “So why do you want to take the course? It’s a pretty small class, with only twenty-two students. There’d be room for you, I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page. I’d require that you do all the work and participate in the class. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students.” y/n explained her research to the man and he listened and took some notes. When she had finished her explanation, Mr. Porter nodded and said, “That sounds very interesting. I’d be happy for you to take the course as long as you don’t think this coursework along with your teaching and research will be too much for you?” 

y/n had thought about this, labored about it even. However, she knew that it would be a lot. However, taking a course on the subject taught by an expert in the field, felt like a safer bet than trying to learn it all herself. That was just too much history and policy for her to attempt to grasp solo. With a determined look, y/n nodded and said, “Yes. It’d be an honor to Take this with you and your students. Thank you so much for making this accommodation for me. Porter smiled and said, “Well, thank you for your enthusiasm. Fraud and Tax Law isn’t something people usually get excited about. It’s bound to be an interesting semester.” The man’s words were a foretelling of the start of something much bigger than a student taking on an extra class.

         y/n turned her attention to the syllabus for the course. It was thick, with pages on pages about the class, an introduction for the materials to be covered, the four pre-class reading assignments, two pages of prerequisites, and then the grading system, required texts and materials, and lastly, The course calendar. y/n had skimmed it ounce and done all of the pre-readings which were stashed in a file folder in her suede shoulder bag. Now, she was going to sit down and thoroughly annotate the lengthy syllabus. When y/n had finished with that, she moved outside to get a quick bite to eat and another coffee before she would need to head to her office, grab her things, and head across campus to the Law Building. 

The quad was now much busier with students scurrying about to and fro. y/n moved into the crowd and moved her way upstream to the crosswalk she had been at a few hours prior. y/n had intended to pack a lunch, but in the bustle of the morning, it had slipped her mind. She wasn’t going to be too hard on herself about it. She would make sure to bring one tomorrow and all the days after. One meal out wasn’t going to ruin her budget. y/n did have to keep a pretty strict budget. Even if UC Riverside was a preeminent school in California, and even though her department had offered her a position in the program and waived her tuition costs, with rent, gas, and food prices all at a premium, the small pay she got from her lecturing always seemed to be running low by the end of the month. Thus, the need for a budget. If she worked hard enough and was dedicated to her financial plan, she would be able to start some savings. She needed that. She wasn’t going to be caught unawares like she had in the past. She wanted to settle. To stop running. And that took a different kind of work than constant escapism. 

After a light meal, y/n moved back to the coffee shop from before and got a coffee and a shot of espresso. y/n doctored her coffee the way she liked and then walked back to campus. If nothing else, her constant desire for coffee got her some daily exercise. Everyone she had spoken to had promised her that Cali would be a consistent cool temperature. However, as the five o’clock sun beat down on her, if did not feel cool. The month she had moved in with her roommates, the papers and TV kept saying that they were in a “record heat wave,” and that the heat was expected to keep rising until the first two weeks of September. y/n longed for it to be just a bit cooler. A 70-degree day would heal her and put her at ease. The heat did the opposite. 

Back in her office, y/n took off her blazer and fanned herself with some loose papers. She sat, and drained the espresso knowing this much caffeine was a bad idea so late in the day, but that was a later problem. For now, she sat down, took a few deep breaths, and gathered her things for her cross-campus commute. When everything was packed and ready to go, she checked her outfit, choosing to leave the blazer behind. She didn’t need to impress the people in this class as much as she did for her students. Entering the large lux building, y/n moved up the stairs to the fourth floor and found her class. There were still twenty minutes before the lecture would begin, but that would give her time to find a seat that was in the back so the real students could be close to Dr. Porter.

         There were four students already in the class scattered in the small space. There were tables, with two chairs at each table. They were set in two neat rows that led to the front of the room with the wooden lectern and the bulky equipment for the projector. y/n took a seat at the table on the far-left side of the room. There were three extra seats in the room to accommodate the twenty-two students and herself. Thus, she felt alright if she sat in the seat near the row and not next to the wall. It would give her a better view of the screen. y/n had an idea that she was going to be having a lot of eye strain this semester. A few more students moved into the room, and y/n got out her colored markers and notebooks, and the pre-readings along with the syllabus. 

Just as y/n was taking the first sip of her coffee, five students walked in followed by Dr. Porter who called her to the front of the class. y/n flushed slightly but waited for the man sitting across from her to get seated. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, black Levi’s, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. He was far less professional-looking than many of the other students in the room. 

Some of the younger men even wore suits, though y/n was unsure if such gestures mattered to the law professors or not. The man was, if not professional, at least very attractive. He had smooth light skin and a sharp jaw. His dark hair contrasting his skin was short and had a little curve in the front, framing his face well. The man gave her a wicked smile, his dark brown eyes captivating as she moved past him now that he was finally seated. For a moment, y/n thought that those were the kinds of eyes she could get lost in. The thought only lasted that, though, a moment. She pulled herself together and thought, “Come on now, some pretty boy isn’t going to turn your head like a teenager, this isn’t a romance.’ Those types of feelings were uncharacteristic for y/n, and she let the idea pass quickly the man turned to who appeared to be his friend and said, “Yeah, I’d skip Constitutional with Leery. Try and see if you can get a section with Menendez. He made it fun, as strange as those sounds coming from me.”

         y/n moved down the aisle and got some looks from the other students. When she got to the older man, she smiled at him and asked, “What can I do for you, Dr. Porter?” Porter pointed to the Rolodex and said, “Do you know how to work these things? This one is frozen on a blank slide. I’ve not grown with the technology as you can see.” y/n nodded and said, “Let me see if I can get it working for you, Sir.” y/n moved behind the equipment and knelt. She made sure her skirt was at an acceptable level. Even if no one was behind her to see anything and she was wearing black tights, it was a natural teacher habit to make sure everything was covered appropriately. 

The slide deck appeared to be jammed. y/n fiddled with it with her finger for a moment and it slipped back into place with a satisfying click. y/n looked up to Dr. Porter and asked, “Do you have the deck you want to use for today?” The man nodded and looked around his desk for a second before he found the miniaturized slides and handed them to her. y/n slotted them into the space and pushed them down. She looked up at the screen and it now read the first slide: “Tax Fraud in the United States. LW5000. Fall 1991. Dr. E. L. Porter.” y/n stood up and the Doctor said, “You’re a lifesaver. I always need someone younger than me to help me with this new-fangled technology. How was your first day? Did everything go smoothly?” y/n nodded and said, “I’m happy to help anytime, and the first day was good. Busy but good.” Porter smiled and y/n moved back to her seat. Not all of the class hadn’t been paying attention to what was happening at the front, but some had been watching the two speak so causally with looks of veiled interest. 

y/n moved back to her seat, the man in the leather jacket shot her a quizzical look, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. y/n turned her face away from his gaze, trying to hide the rising blush in her face. She wished someone less attractive had decided to sit next to her. Honestly one of those pretentious suits would do fine, but she was happy with her spot and she wasn’t planning on moving. She was sure the attractive man would do something to irk her and stop whatever little infatuation she felt for him. 

The class started in earnest and because it was such a small class, the professor had everyone give a small two or three-sentence introduction with each student’s name, what year they were in, and what they hoped to do once they graduated. Dr. Porter started at the front and moved back. The answers ran the gambit from a desire to work in the FBI fraud department, to a criminal lawyer, to a CPA. y/n noted names of students who seemed particularly driven but not overconfident. She knew she was going to need help with the course given it wasn’t her area of study. When it got to the man sitting across from her, she looked at him. He raised a lazy hand and said, “Hey, I’m Aaron Hotchner. I’m in L2 and I want to be a public defender when I graduate.” At hearing his name, some gave a little gasp, and others shot him a dirty glare. This reaction didn’t seem to bother him. However, it left y/n at a bit of a loss. She had no clue why this man’s classmates had reacted this way. There was a dynamic playing out here that she was not aware of. 

The university taught around 26,000 students each semester and there was no way she could keep up with half the drama. It took half a second to realize that she was the last person who needed to speak, and she snapped back to attention. y/n gave a small smile and said, “Hi. I’m y/n y/l/n. I’m just auditing this class. I’m a PhD candidate in the y/d department. This class aligns with my research and Dr. Porter graciously is allowing me to sit in.” Porter inclined his head toward her and said, “We’re happy to have you Ms. y/l/n. Now with the introductions over, let’s cover the basics of the Criminal Tax System. It will be helpful if you pull out your readings as I will be calling on some students to answer questions.” 

Everyone shuffled to get the readings out of their bag. y/n looked as Aaron pulled the readings out of his shoulder bag and flipped to the first page of the reading. If he seemed very casual in his dress, the copious notes he had taken on the reading showed that he was at least taking this class seriously. y/n wondered if she should add his name to the list of people to try and befriend for help, but the class's response to his being here had her hesitate. She didn’t want to get involved in some bigger drama that she wasn’t aware of. She looked up from his papers only to catch his dark brown eyes. Both of them looked to the front of the class as Dr. Porter called on the first student for an answer. Neither y/n nor the enigmatic man across from her got called during the first three hours of class. The last slide on the Rolodex was the lengthy homework included a chapter from the required textbook and five separate cases for review. Dr. Porter dismissed everyone. Some students moved to the front to introduce themselves to the professor while others moved out into the hallway. It was dark as y/n moved outside. As she pulled her shoulder bag up and over her neck, someone called her name. y/n turned and found Parker, a student who seemed like a nice and cool student trying to catch up to her. y/n slowed and said, “Hey, what’s up Parker?” The girl beamed at being remembered and said, “I just wanted to hear more about your research. It sounds very cool.” y/n flushed and said, “Really? Thanks that’s nice.” The two walked in the same direction talking a bit about each other, the class, and y/n’s research. The whole walk made y/n feel like her work wasn’t for nothing, or extremely boring. The two women exchanged numbers as they headed toward different parts of campus. 

As she moved, yet again someone called her name. The voice was familiar and she whipped her head to the side to see Aaron now rambling beside her. It had become clear that he had been walking behind her and Parker, and y/n hadn’t noticed him. She chastised herself for not being more aware of her surroundings. y/n let out a breath and said, “Oh, it’s you. Is there something you want, Aaron?” Mr. Hotchner gave a sly smile indicating that he knew she knew there was more to him than he was letting on. Aaron replied to her question with, “Are you really smart or something, or really stupid?” y/n had not expected to be insulted in her first real interaction with this odd, odd, man and said, “Sorry, what?” Aaron laughed slightly and said, “Well auditing Tax Fraud with Porter? He’s like the most demanding prof in the department. He’s brutal from what I’ve heard.” 

y/n flushed, and was grateful that it was too dark for the man to see. She had heard of Dr. Porter's reputation as a strict and demanding professor. She wasn’t going to let on that she was unaware of the man’s full reputation. Instead, she said, “Well, on this subject, maybe I’m somewhere in the middle.” She hesitated and added, “And, he was the only person willing to let me audit the course. I might be a fucking idiot for agreeing to this, but I’m going to do my damn best. It’s the least I can do for Dr. Porter to let me in. The worst that can happen is that I’m the class clown and dunce. I’ll still have learned something if that’s the case.” 

It seemed that Aaron had not expected that response. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and looked at her with incredulity. He gave a very soft, “Huh,” and then kept walking next to her. y/n wondered, ‘Why was this handsome man walking with her? What he could want from her apart from a reaction was beyond her.’ Aaron looked like he was about to say something else, but another, new voice pierced the quiet atmosphere of the near-silent campus. Aaron and y/n looked over as a built man approached saying, “Hey, Hotch. How was the first day?” 

Aaron rolled his eyes and said, “Fine. Normal. How was your first day, Morgan?” The new man stepped into the light. y/n observed the new figure. He wore dark blue jeans and a loose green t-shirt had hid what y/n assumed was a built frame given the man’s strong forearms. The color of his shirt matched the deep tone of his skin well. The man looked her over for one second before saying, “Yeah it was fine. I mean I slept through my first alarm. So I skipped the rest of my classes for the day. Sunk cost ya’ know.” At hearing this, Aaron facepalmed and said, “Morgan, are you trying to buy yourself another fucking semester here?” 

It was clear to y/n that ‘Hotch’ and Morgan were friends given how casually they were addressing each other and Aaron’s use of profanity. y/n felt like she was intruding on a private conversation and was glad when she reached her turn-off. She moved to the left and Aaron called out, saying, “Good luck with all your stuff.” She looked over to the two men and said, “Yeah, thanks. See you next week.” As she moved farther away, she could overhear Morgan say, “Who was that chick man?” And Aaron’s response of, “Just a girl in my class. Now come on. Let’s go home. I’m fucking tired.” There was something so odd about Aaron, his demeanor, and his ‘friend’ to y/n. She shook off the encounter for the moment as she finally got to her car. 

When y/n got back to her shared apartment at around ten p.m., the lights were still burning downstairs. She thought, ‘Must be Emily.’ Emily was the only one that made sense. But the young attractive brunette didn’t normally stay up that late. Emily’s morning shifts required her to be up at around four a.m., so it was odd that she would be up so late. It certainly wasn’t Garcia. y/n’s most eccentric roommate, Penelope Garcia, seemed to be up all hours of the day and night. y/n had wondered if Garcia took uppers to stay up all night at the club or with her coding pals, or sometimes both at the same time. The one time Penelope had dragged her out to a rave, y/n found it miraculous that the spunky blonde with her gang of friends had elbowed their way to the back, found an empty table, and pulled out a clunky PC. The group, and Garcia in particular had a penchant for finding creepy guys online and making sure they got reported to whatever authorities seemed necessary. Pen was fantastic with finding people online, and y/n was glad she wasn’t on that woman’s bad side. Shockingly, Garcia hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but all four of her friends took pity on y/n, clearly not in her environment with the strobe lights and deafening music in the background. Each of the friends got her a drink and a nice man asked her to dance. It had been an exciting night, but not one she planned on replicating soon. 

When y/n entered the first story she was met with Emily smiling and holding out a glass of red wine for her. y/n smiled and said, “Em this is so sweet. What’s the occasion?” y/n noticed the uncorked bottle on the counter. Prentiss grabbed her glass and said, “To celebrate your first day of course. I know you’ve been stressed about it. So, first cheers. And then tell me how it went.” y/n clinked glasses with Em and began regaling her with the events of the day. She tried to keep it short, knowing that her roommate would want to get to bed soon. Prentiss listened with rapt attention. Emily never seemed like the type of person y/n could be close friends with. y/n would like to think she was easy to get along with. She kept the shared space clean, offered food when she made it, and tried to stay pretty quiet and unobtrusive, but the more time she spent in Emily’s company, the more she liked her. Emily was so dedicated given all the crap her job threw at her, especially all the sexism and misogyny she faced. But even on top of those hurdles, she generally was just a funny and caring person. Emily was fiercely dedicated to the people she liked and it seemed that y/n was one of them. y/n wasn’t sure if she had taken pity on her when she first moved in or not, but if it was the latter, y/n wasn’t even mad about it. She had felt truly lost when she first moved to the city, and Emily, given her beat as a policewoman for the LAPD, had told her where to avoid late at night and showed her around their apartment area thoroughly. That had been a kindness.  

As y/n finished wrapping up her narrative of the evening events, she included the strange interaction with the man who sat across from her saying, “And there was this really cute guy in my class. Strange but cute. He kind of insinuated that I was stupid for auditing the class which was insulting, but damn was he cute. Everyone else in the class seemed shocked when they heard his name.” Emily raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, who is this dude? Do you remember his name?” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Well yeah. How could I forget given the reception he got? His name’s Aaron Hotchner. Do you know him or something?” At hearing the name, Em stilled and seemed to pale. This was not the response y/n had been expecting and she said quickly, “Should I know who that is?” y/n was at a loss for this response for a seemingly hot guy in a leather jacket. Emily took a deep breath before saying, “I’d stay away from him. The Hotchner name has a, well a reputation.” y/n furrowed her brows and said, “Okay. Now you have me worried. Who is this guy?” Em let out another breath and stroked her hands through her hair saying, “Well. I can tell you this. His dad, Mr. Hotchner Sr. is the head of one of the largest gangs in this part of the city. The man and his gang are in deep with the drug trade. As for his son, well, from what I hear he’s not involved. At least not yet, but people are keeping an eye on him.” 

y/n couldn’t stop herself from letting her mouth drop open. That was a real surprise. Suddenly the response of the class made more sense. To have someone of that status, studying law was an oddity. How Aaron Hotchner had chosen this path of study was bizarre. It wasn’t her place to think about it, but even if that was the case, the idea stuck with her. Prentiss could see this look stuck on y/n’s face and warned, “Listen, y/n. Just for your sake, stay away from him. I can’t tell you what Aaron Hotchner is doing with his life, but his dad’s not a good guy. I wouldn’t want you to get tied up in some unsafe stuff.” y/n flushed and said, “Don’t worry Em. I’m not planning on it. He might be cute, but given your new information, he’s not that cute. Now, pour me another glass. And I’ll be happy to pay you back for half the bottle, given how good this stuff tastes, I’m assuming it’s not cheap.” Prentiss held out the bottle and refilled y/n’s glass saying, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. This one’s my treat.” y/n smiled at Emily. She really was the best. Once they had finished off the bottle, both women moved quickly to their rooms and headed to their separate bedrooms. Both women fell into bed bed too exhausted to think about much more than sleep. 

The semester seemed to move like those in grad school had two years before. Without concrete classes to ground her, y/n’s classes and her weekly meetings with her advisor were the only things that kept time a constant. y/n had prepped for the larger sophomore seminar class, but the smaller classes she just arranged weekly. The law class also added a level of stability, if not a whole load of extra work on top of her own research and writing time. It was a burden but also allowed her time outside of her office to make some new friends. y/n found friends with Parker and Steven. They would prep for their case assignments. After the first three weeks of the class, when all three of them had been called on, now, they had a better understanding of how the class would be. 

It was a learning curve to be in a law class. It wasn’t like any of her other classes. There had been plenty of courses centered on discussion mostly, but this type of interrogation that the class required was difficult for her. y/n and her new friends who were more adept at law than her prepped for this type of questioning. Demanding, interrogatory, personal even. The group had all worked on coming up with practice questions, some more accurate than others. After the fourth class, the friend group had each been called. It had been y/n’s first time. She had been called about the United States v. Caldwell case in 2016. Her copious notes had helped her provide a semi-succinct response. The friend group walked across campus after class each going to their respective cars. As they walked, they talked about the class, and y/n’s response, and what she might have said differently. As they moved down the quad, they rambled slowly across the campus not wanting to leave each other’s company yet. 

A new voice was added to the mix as someone left one of the many buildings on the quad. y/n looked up and smiled. It was Spencer. y/n beamed, she hadn’t seen Dr. Reid in some time. She had met him at one of those awkward faculty socials. Everyone else at the social had at least one friend there except for her and Spencer. So naturally they had made their way to each other and introduced themselves. The young and brilliant Dr. Reid was teaching an abnormal psychology class and getting a third PhD in chemistry while also teaching. 

Suddenly y/n had felt very stupid and that her schedule didn’t seem that busy at all. Dr. Reid, having done this for a long time could see the look on her face and he rushed to reassure y/n that she was taking on a lot too and that he was just a freak who literally couldn’t get his mind to slow down no matter how hard he tried. That had made her feel better, at least a little. Then Spencer had asked her about her research and his genuine interest in her field had validated her even more. Her imposter syndrome slipping away. As it turned out, Dr. Reid was a fount of knowledge about her area of interest as well, and the young slender man offered to give her information or loan her any of his slew of books if she wanted. y/n had readily agreed and the pair swapped email addresses. y/n thought that if she was less busy she might have thought Spencer was the type of man she might be attracted to. But she was too busy for an attempt at a romance and she had just moved in. Getting her feet under her was her current goal, not finding a fling. Perhaps, if she survived the semester she would think about it later, However, she would be surprised if the young man wasn’t taken already. From what she could see, he was a catch. After the mixer b, both of them had spent their social batteries and Spencer was nice enough to drive her to her car in the commuter lot. As they parted ways they vowed to meet up for a coffee and chat soon. 

They had met up once before the semester started for coffee at another place the genius liked. They had both bemoaned making syllabi and the heat and anything else they wanted to get off their chests. The conversation had been cathartic. Unfortunately, the semester had picked up at a furious pace and they hadn’t met up since then. Spencer had been kind enough to send her an email or two checking in, which she had responded to. y/n was very pleased to see him again in person. She called him over, and Dr. Reid’s long legs got him to her in a few strides. Reid was in a sweater vest and black slacks with his distinctive brown shoulder bag. The two friends checked in. After a brief conversation, y/n introduced Spencer to her friends. 

Everyone said their hello’s and the four of them now moved across the large campus. The lights on the quad seemed to be placed haphazardly, not fully or well illuminating the space. Emily had told y/n to carry pepper spray when she walked at night. y/n assumed that Preniss had multiple stories of nights gone wrong for young women on campus given her job as a policewoman, and y/n believed her. Thus, y/n always carried some pepper spray with her in the side pocket of her bag, just in reach. The group rounded a corner to see the first strong light of the night. The beam of light from a solitary lamp shone down on a large imposing figure silhouetted against the glow of the light. Suddenly the warm camaraderie of the night that had been forming between the new and old friends felt like it was cut with a knife. Something felt very wrong about the person standing in the shadow and the group of young adults stopped in their tracks. Even though all their cars were in this direction, nobody felt like moving forward. Noting the palpable tension in front of them. 

They all stood there for a minute looking to see if the figure would move, but he didn’t. The figure stood stock still, apparently unaware of the group's intimidation of him. Or, perhaps that was the goal as another, familiar voice came from behind them. The four students turned and y/n was surprised to find Aaron approaching them with a stiff gait. y/n was used to seeing him smooth and loose and what appeared as ease, but this was not that. Suddenly y/n wondered if that apathetic demeanor was all an act that Hotch put on. Aaron stepped forward and everyone in the law class they shared with him cocked a weary eyebrow. Hotch sighed and said, “I’m not joking, beat it. Find an alternative route or take thirty minutes to talk in the library or something. Just don’t be here right now.” Parker, Steven, and Spencer’s eyes all moved to the man in the shadows and then turned, but y/n kept her eyes glued on Aaron. 

After hearing Emily’s warning about him, she had withdrawn a bit in class. Hotch had spoken to her a few times, and she engaged him in light conversation about her research and job as a senior lecturer. It seemed that the conversation never steered in his direction. It was never about his life or his choice to join law school even though y/n had tried to get him to say something about himself. The man was infuriatingly hard to read. y/n wasn’t sure why she was trying to get him to speak about himself. It wasn’t like Aaron was interested in her. For the most part, when he talked to her, it seemed to fill empty silence during the breaks in the class. y/n didn’t want to be involved in any drama, certainly not anything that would get her in trouble. But the enigmatic figures of Aaron were enticing in his way. Perhaps it was just the intrigue of someone like him. She was personally familiar with more white-collar crime, but the grit and darkness of the mob, or the mafia, or whatever his father was involved in had caught her attention. y/n assumed it was like a bad case of curiosity killed the cat. y/n hadn’t turned yet as the rest moved back from the direction they had come from. She watched as Aaron turned toward the man. Aaron’s shoulders were tense beneath his jacket. She could feel that he was ill at ease. y/n caught sight of Aaron’s friend from before, Morgan, standing a few feet to the left of Aaron. She hadn’t seen him in the gloom of the night until now. It seemed that this meeting might have been planned ahead of time given the coordination. 

y/n felt someone take her hand and she looked up at Spencer. Dr. Reid didn’t say anything. He just pulled her away from the scene. The tension only seemed to grow as the group moved farther away. Spencer looked back once as he hustled y/n down the path. Whoever had joined the man who had told the group to leave gave Spencer a grateful nod before moving toward his friend. Reid chose not to look anymore, as he wrapped a protective arm around y/n’s waist and said, “I’ll drive you to your car. Mine’s in lot B anyway. Not far from the commuter lot.” y/n looked up at him again, and gave a small smile, saying, “Yeah, thanks that’d be nice.” y/n resisted the urge to say, ‘You’re a terrible liar, Spence. We both know that lot B and the commuter lot are on opposite ends of the campus’ but she kept that to herself. y/n was grateful to have a colleague like Spencer to give her rides at all. y/n quickly said goodbye to her other friends and joined Reid at the stairs that led down to the parking area with his car. y/n’s head was filled with thoughts about Aaron and what was happening back at the quad. If Aaron was going to be okay. If he had expected to be meeting that man tonight or if it was as much of a surprise to him as it had been to all of them. Given his tone, she assumed that it was a surprise to him too, but she may never be sure. 

Back in the quad, Aaron scowled. How many times had he told his father, and his father’s men over and over again to not find him in public? If he had to be dragged into some sordid affair that his dad had caused. Morgan stepped a few feet toward Aaron but Hotch raised a hand and said, “Don’t get involved Derek. I don’t expect this to be anything but some intimidation crap.” Morgan nodded and took a step back, but the built man still slipped a hand to the back pocket of his pants fingering the cool metal of his diamond back gun. Derek kept his eyes on Jeffries, one of Mr. Hotchner Sr.’s largest enforcers. Derek thought it was stupid to send Jeffries, if Mr. Hotchner wanted his son’s attention, that would not be the man he would send. 

Hotch stepped forward and said, “I don’t have anything to say to my father. He knows that so what the hell does he want with me.” Aaron was standing right next to the man. Even though Aaron was tall, he was nothing compared to Jeffries. Jeffries was a mountain of a man. Hotch was not intimidated. This man was here to threaten him physically. He was here to impose a different kind of demand on the son of the Boss. After an unsettling moment of silence, in a deep voice, one laced with the stress of a chain smoker, Jeffries said, “Mr. Hotchner Sr. wants to meet with you on Saturday at the Mercado Club. His treat.” Aaron scoffed and replied, “You think I’m going on his turf on a meeting night? God the man needs more of a grip than I thought. Jesus.” Hotch took a breath; he took a moment to look to the side, and he saw Morgan uncomfortably shuffling from one foot to the other. Aaron turned back to Jeffries and said, “You can tell my father that’s not happening. I’m out, and I don’t know how many more times I can keep telling him that.” The large man replied, “Tell him yourself on Saturday at the club. I’m not a messenger pigeon, and Aaron, this is the third time you’ve blown off your father. He’s not pleased and you know how he gets, so this isn’t a meeting I’d push off.” 

Hotch let out a big breath and gave a small nod. He wasn’t looking forward to a meeting with his old man, but whatever fuckery his dad could impose on his life wasn’t worth a half hour of animosity and argumentation about his life goals. Jeffries sensing a concession from Aaron, gave a tiny nod and moved out of the solitary spotlight and back into the darkness. As large and imposing a man as Jeffries was, he easily and quickly slipped back and away into the darkness of the campus. Aaron was so angry at having been contacted against his direct wishes. Not only had his father contacted him in public, putting his image in question, but he had done it in front of… Aaron considered what to call the people in his class. They weren’t his friends precisely, but colleagues and classmates felt a bit too dismissive. Aaron thought especially of the woman who was auditing the class. From their first meeting, he had assumed that she had no idea who he was. That rarely happened to him, though he assumed someone had filled her in after the fact. Even if that was the case, she had remained respectful and friendly toward him. Every time she or he entered the class, she would ask how he was doing with an interest that didn’t seem forced or faked. It was the first real interaction he felt like he had had in the department in years. 

Aaron thought it was rather pathetic, but looked forward to the beginning of each class just to have a few words with y/n. Hotch’s mind switched back to the present as Morgan approached him. Aaron looked over to his friend and saint, “Did you know this was going to happen?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but Derek’s demeanor told him that his friend and pseudo-bodyguard had been more aware than he’d been. Hotch let out a scoff and said, “Unfucking believable. You should have told me and I could have walked fifteen thousand other ways back to my car.” Morgan put his hands up and said, “Listen, Hotch. I couldn’t have stopped it. And I know I stick with you more than your old man, but technically he’s still paying me to look out for you. And there are some things that even I’m not going to argue with.” Aaron could understand where Derek was coming from and he lifted a hand saying, “I get it. I’m just pissed. Now, let’s go home. I need to get wasted or something after tonight.” The pair moved together into the darkness with a sense of their friendship slightly strained. Aaron’s life was taking a turn he had desperately tried to avoid, but it seemed his family, and his past was haunting him like a ghost who just would not quit. 

y/n got home safely. She quietly moved into her room. She took a hot shower, letting the warm water steam up her small bathroom. Even though the rent was outrageous, there was the perk that each of the women had their own bathroom and shower. Her mind swelled with images of Aaron standing in front of the large man. She thought about what Emily had said about his father being the head of some sort of gang. y/n hadn’t had the time time to look into it at all. Her interactions with Aaron had all seemed pleasant and if she didn’t know about his shadowy past, she might have just thought he was some cocky young man trying to look cool with his rings and classic leather jacket. These thoughts persisted until she was in bed and eventually asleep. In the morning, y/n got dressed for a meeting with her advisor and office hours. y/n started a big pot of coffee. She knew that Em would be down in a minute because the shower upstairs had just turned off. True to form, Prentiss was down the stairs just as the coffee was finished. y/n poured her roomie a mugful, and Emily gave her a gentle smile. The brunette in her police uniform with cuffs, and gun and all. As the woman drank their liquid breakfast, y/n’s brain flashed to last night and she asked, “Hey Emily. What kind of gang is Aaron’s father the leader of? There was some threatening guy on campus last night. It seems he was there to talk to Aaron or something.” 

Hearing this, Em’s ears perked up. She had been trying for two years to impress her supervisor. She had gone above and beyond in terms of the effort and hours she put in on the street. She picked up shifts and did the jobs no one wanted. And all her efforts had been for naught. She was still in her entry-level position and had crappy entry-level pay. At this point, Emily was looking at anything to try and get a step ahead of all the other men in the department. She had started looking at stalled cases or those that were backlogged at the department. One of those cases was the Hotchner crime ring. The thought of a new lead had Emily on her toes. Prentiss was excited but also realized that y/n could have also been in a degree of danger. Emily thought about her words before she said, “Well, from my research and knowledge of the gang activity in the area, I can tell you this, Mr. Hotchner Sr. isn’t running some West Side Story turf gang. The man is in deep. His gang is a criminal organization. I’d say that it was closer to the mafia than a gang, but he doesn’t have quite that much influence yet. If the department would only spend a few more dollars looking into that group, they’d easily find more than they have now. Honestly, it’s infuriating.” 

This was all news to y/n. She wasn’t versed in any of the things that Emily was talking about. There was a moment of silence before Prentiss said, “So the guy you saw, the one that spoke to Aaron, did you hear any of that conversation? Did you see the man at all?” y/n shook her head no and replied, “Not really. Aaron told us to leave another way. I can tell you the guy was big, but I couldn’t see him very well. He was weathering a suit, but that’s about it.” Em nodded and took another thoughtful sip of her coffee. When she set the cup down, she said, not to anyone in particular, “I swear gangs and drugs are ruining this city and the cops aren’t doing a thing about it.” 

Just as Emily said this, Garcia entered the room. She was dressed in her normal eccentric style. She had star decals on her face and wore a bubble gum pink lip. From the blonde's energy, it was hard to tell if she was just coming back from an all-nighter or just heading out for brunch. y/n asked the clarifying question, “Pen, you just getting in or going out?” Garcia beamed and said, “I just had a lovely night out. Club, club, another club, and then my friend JJ’s house. You’d both like her I think. Now what did I hear about gangs and drugs? You’re not planning on locking me up, are you Emily?” Prentiss laughed at this and said, “Garcia, you’re forgetting that Lexaporo and Adderal are prescription medications. Unless you’re selling your pills on the side of the road, you’re scott-free in my book.” 

That had all of them laughing. Penelope, after getting a cup of coffee, did ask genuinely, “But really what gangs are you talking about?” Emily looked over to y/n and said, “Well Aaron, the ‘bad boy’ in y/n’s class had a run-in with one of his father’s associates on campus last night. Tense affair.” Garcia’s eyes went wide and she said, “From what I’ve heard about the Hotchner group from my friends and fellow hackers they aren’t to be trifled with. Let’s hope Aaron’s father doesn’t want anything serious with his son.” y/n frowned at hearing this. She had never assumed that Aaron’s circumstances were easy. Clearly, from the class's perception of him, they weren’t, but an actual threat of harm or violence to her classmate set her nerves on edge in a way she had not anticipated. However, the time on the clock on the wall caught y/n’s attention. She needed to leave to make her appointment with a student struggling with grades. y/n burned her mouth as she chugged her coffee and said, “Sorry, gotta run ladies. See you both tonight!” With that, she grabbed her backpack and purse and dashed out the door and toward her car. For the rest of the busy day, y/n forgot about Aaron Hotchner, but she would be reminded of him again soon enough. For now, there were the problems of today to solve. 

For Aaron the week went by both shockingly fast and maddeningly long. Time felt like it was playing a sick prank on him as he waited for Saturday night. Hotch went to his normal classes and studied as much as he could given the circumstances. He did shockingly well given the circumstances. Finally, Saturday arrived and Aaron and Morgan drove toward the Mercado Club on the far East side of town. The club was packed. Saturday nights were disco nights with drinks half off. This ensured that the large space was always packed for meeting nights in the more private backroom of the establishment. Morgan had a designated spot on the street and parallel parked between two of the gang member's cars. As Morgan stopped the car, he grabbed Aaron’s shoulder and said, “Listen, man, don’t make this hard on yourself. How many times has Richard done this to you? Know know what he’s gonna do to you if you say no again, so just… just think about it before you say no. If you make me wash blood out of these leather seats again, I’m making you pay for it this time.” 

Derek said this out of a genuine concern for his friend. Morgan had seen this song and dance before and the look in Aaron’s eyes told him that it would be the same old result. After all, money didn’t matter to Hotch. He had more money than he needed, even if he didn’t want to admit it. The fifty dollars it cost to clean or even redetail Morgan’s car didn’t matter to the older Hotchner sibling. Derek wished it did, for his friend's sake. But he had said his peace, and he couldn’t stop Aaron from walking out of the car with a determined stride. Derek followed quickly after Aaron. 

Aaron, clad in his normal leather jacket moved into the club. He had access to the service entry which led to quieter corridors and direct access to the gang's private meeting room. Aaron, however, refused to use his key and elbowed his way through the thick crowd of dancers and revelers. After about five minutes, he made it to the back corridors and toward the club room. Unceremoniously Aaron, and shortly after, Derek, moved into the crowded room. All eyes of the gang members moved to the two new additions to the room. Richard Hotchner, seated at the center of the room raised a hand and quieted the room. Mr. Hotchner Sr. said, “Good of you to join us, gentlemen. Take a seat and we’ll continue the meeting. There were only two extra chairs open in the room. One was in the back and the room. It was clear that Aaron was to take the seat next to his father. Hotch did as expected and sat next to his father. The young man could have laughed at the scene. It felt like something out of The Godfather, except he knew what was coming once the meeting was over. The meeting which covered Hotchern Sr.’s continued plan to spread drugs and gain ground throughout the East and West sides of town seemed to go on forever. Aaron listened as each sector spoke and gave updates with half interest. His father’s criminal activities and need for power and control were the juxtaposition of the life that Aaron hoped to build for himself. He had seen the real pain that his father had not only inflicted on his men, but on the community the gang encompassed as a whole. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to escape his father's control. 

After another hour and a half, the meeting adjourned as Richard raised a hand. Everyone, including Derek, stood and left the room; that was, except for Aaron. Once the whole gang was out, two large men entered the room. One was Jeffries, the other was another security man just as big and intimidating as Jeffries. Richard looked at his son and said, “You know what I’m going to say already.” Hotch sighed and replied, “And you know my response, Dad.” Richard sighed and said, “Every time we have one of these meetings I pray for a Prodigal Son, but I get a Cain instead. But either way, this is in your blood boy and you can’t fight it forever.” By ‘In your blood’ Aaron knew that his father meant, ‘You will take responsibility for my criminal organization. To take the reigns and make it bigger and better than ever before.’ \

At this comment, Aaron said, “Fuck my blood, and fuck you too.” Almost instantaneously after this remark, Hotch’s face was thrown to the side due to a harsh slap to the side of his face. Aaron leveled a glare at his father and managed to say, “Have me beaten black and blue again Dad. It’s not gonna change my mind. I’m never joining you.” Richard shook his head and replied, “You asked for it. And one day, one day it’s gonna work son. Just you wait.” With that, Richard stood and motioned for the two security guards to do as Mr. Hotchner Sr. wanted. Outside the room, Derek stood and listened to the sounds of violence and brutality that were happening inside the space he had just been sitting in. Morgan cringed as the rhythmic sound of fist against flesh continued. The occasional grunt from Aaron cut through the sound of violence. 

After around a half hour, the two large men dragged the barely conscious body of Aaron from the room. Morgan did nothing to stop them. He just followed after them as they dragged Hotch’s body down the quiet hallway. Aaron was unceremoniously dropped down the two concrete stairs to the back entrance of the club. Morgan flushed his body to the railing as Jeffries and the other man moved back inside. Once the security detail was inside, Derek rushed forward toward Aaron’s prone figure. Hotch muttered incoherently against the concrete as Morgan lifted his friend up and toward his car. Derek thought, ‘Yup, it’s gonna be another interior cleaning job tomorrow,’ as he hauled Aaron’s bloodied body toward his parked car. 

Morgan lifted Aaron into the passenger seat and buckled him in. Hotch made a whimpering sound as he was jostled for a moment. Derek, though he was paid by Richard, cared more for his employer's son than he would like to admit. They had built up a pretty strong friendship over the years they had known each other. It had been tense at first because Aaron didn’t want and resented having a bodyguard. This was when he was still in high school and Richard was in some hot water with both the FBI and another gang that was trying to recruit some of his men. Morgan was already a member of the gang and was a loyal member given how young he was. It was only natural that he guard Aaron from any unwanted attention and keep the Boss’s son out of trouble. 

Aaron was, at the time full of anger from recently losing his mother and was making reckless choices for himself and the gang. He had hated Morgan, but the man had pulled him out of some bad situations numerous times over the years. The more time they spent together, the more Hotch sympathized with Morgan. Not in the awkward pitying type of way that many had when Derek was asked to open up, like in counseling centers or at one disastrous youth program he had been sent to. No. Aaron understood why Morgan had turned to a gang for security, and community too. Even if it was a bad community. One rooted in violence and illegality. Derek had to chalk it up to the fact that Aaron’s father was the leader. Aaron had to have seen to full spectrum of reasons for people to join a gang. And a full spectrum of violence as well. The beating Aaron had received tonight was no different than any other except that Richard hadn’t joined in. This was another thing he and Hotch had in common. The first time Aaron had taken his shirt off in front of Morgan, it had been after a workout or something, Derek had been shocked to see a smearing of dark purple and yellow bruises mottling the man’s skin. Morgan had asked if a group and jumped him, but Aaron’s response of, “I only got jumped by someone I know. Don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t until weeks later that Morgan saw Richard strike his son, and suddenly it all made more sense. Then Morgan felt sympathy for Aaron as well. After they came to more of an understanding, Hotch had stood up for Morgan against his father a few times and that had sealed their friendship. Morgan rode as smoothly as he could back to their apartment, with just the radio playing some rap on a low level and Aaron’s labored breathing for company. 

The next Monday, y/n arrived at class just on time. She was surprised to see that Aaron wasn’t in his normal seat. She did shoot Parker and Steven a smile as she pulled out her notes as the lecturer began. During the break, y/n moved to the ladies room. Midterms were fast approaching and almost everyone in the class was huddled up making study plans. y/n had already made her study plan with her friends in the class. As she washed her hands she heard a pained sound coming from the men’s room which was just a wall away from the women’s restrooms. y/n quickly wiped her hands free of water and moved outside. There was no one in the hallway and she got close to the door of the men's room and called out, “Hey, um… are you okay in there?” There was a pause and then a little grunt as someone from inside said, “I'm fine.” The voice was familiar, but there was a lisp in it which was making it hard to pinpoint. There were still another twenty minutes to the break, and y/n was interested to see who was suffering in the bathroom and stood leaning against the wall. After around five minutes the door opened and she looked up. Aaron Hotchner was the last person she expected to see limp out of the bathroom. y/n’s eyes widened as she looked at his face which was bruised on the left side. His lips were also split on the top and the bottom. Without thinking much y/n said, “Jesus Christ. What happened to you?” Hotch’s eyes snapped to her. He hadn’t thought anyone was outside. He had been stranding himself in the bathroom for longer than he had thought. He wasn’t sure why he had even come to campus in the first place. It wasn’t like he could go to class like this. Or perhaps he was toying with the idea he would go to class. To make his life harder, or to give his classmates something to talk about, or because he just couldn’t care anymore he wasn’t sure, but y/n had caught him off guard. Her use of expletives for one and the genuine concern on her face as she looked him over with an intense stare. 

Aaron thought of fleeing for a moment. Of running, or limping down the hall as fast as he could, but he realized that he needed help. Help from someone not so invested in him as the son of a gangster and criminal. If that was anyone in the class, it was y/n. As the sound of the lecture room door opened, Aaron moved quickly. He grabbed y/n’s wrist and pulled her into a hallway and then left into another hallway. This one was less lit. Half of the fluorescent bulbs in the hallway seemed to be out and those that were functioning flickered rather ominously. The turn of events had happened so quickly that y/n didn’t say anything until they were stopped in the hallway when y/n said, “Aaron, what’s going on? What happened to you?” 

The original concern was still in her voice, but there was an added edge including a hint of fear for herself. She looked around the space as if expecting something or someone to pop out of a doorway or darkened corner. Aaron took a deep breath and said, “Listen. Sorry for being so abrupt. I don’t even know why I’m here really and I’m sure I’m going to get an earful from Dr. Porter when I come back next week, but I saw you and I thought… well I thought I’d ask a favor, even if I don’t deserve one.” Hotch’s left eyebrow was cocked and y/n listened for him for a minute as if he was speaking a foreign language. She snapped back to herself as her watch beeped the five minutes before class started again. y/n asked, “What’s the favor?” Aaron seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Can I get your notes from today’s class before next week?” You could fax them to me or I could get them from your tomorrow in your office or something? I’d understood if you said no. It’s just that I really can’t fall behind in this class.” 

There was a very short silence as y/n considered. She didn’t have a lot of time to think because she needed to get back to class, like, now. Two thoughts ran through her head. The first was from the more rational and logical part of her brain. The part that Emily would agree with. It said, ‘Ma’am, look at him right now. Something bad happened here and I don’t think he just tripped on the library stairs. It probably has to do with his family or gang involvement or something. Don’t. Be. Stupid.’ But the other part of her brain said, ‘Look at him. That’s gotta hurt and those cuts and bruises were a few days old which meant they had hurt more back then.’ Going against her logical brain she said, “Yeah. I’ll give you my notes. She rummaged around in her purse pulled out an old receipt and pen and jotted down her home number. She handed him the slip of paper and said, “Here’s my number. Call me later and we can coordinate a meeting time.” 

She had just seen the contents of her bag and she noticed that there was an ibuprofen in there along with an assortment of random stuff. She asked, “Have you had any painkillers recently?” Aaron’s eyes snapped back to her. He looked surprised that she was still talking to him. He looked back to the ground and said, “It’s been like three hours now or something.” y/n pulled out the bottle and undid the cap quickly. She really needed to get back to class and she rushed to tip two tablets into her hand. She closed the bottle and half-pressed the pills into Aaron’s hand. She said, “Call me later,” and then ran back to the lecture. The lecture was in full swing when she got back and y/n noticed that she was about five minutes late. She tried her best to slip into the room. At least she sat at the very back, but her tardy return had a few of the guys in suits and one or two girls in the class giving her the stink eye. 

Dr. Porter also glanced at her, but it was brief before he returned to talking. The rest of the class, y/n had conflicting emotions. The first of which was that she felt bad for being late. Dr. Porter had taken a risk on her, and she was probably letting him down. The other thought she had was if she had made a catastrophic mistake in waiting to see who had been in the men’s restroom. She knew that Em would say she was stupid for getting involved, and part of her agreed, but when she had seen the normally cocky and confidant Aaron Hotchner in such a state, she had let her emotions get the best of her. She pondered if that was her fatal flaw or not. y/n did her best to push away these thoughts and focus on the lecture. If all else failed, she could just ignore Aaron’s call. Little did y/n know that getting involved with Hotch would do much more than cause her stress in Tax Fraud. 

The class progressed as it normally would with just a hint of awkwardness. Dr. Porteer did call her, but her response was coherent and she defended her point about the verdict in the U.S. v Ofshe case and how the drugs that had been obtained and the oversimplification of the government violated the defendant's Fifth Amendment rights. After she had spoken a ghost of a smile graced Dr. Porter’s face. He was happy with her response. If y/n was anything, it was thorough. 

When the class ended everyone filed out of the room, and y/n approached Porter. Parker finished asking a 1uqtion quickly and moved out of the room, patting y/n on the shoulder as they left. y/n and Dr. Porter were alone and y/n said, “I’m sorry for being late after the break. Something, personal, came up. I didn’t expect it to take that long.” Dr. Porter looked at her, a hint of concern in the crinkles at the corner of his eyes. He asked, “Is everything alright, y/l/n?” y/n let out a sigh realizing that saying anything was opening avenues to conversations that she might not want to elaborate on. To keep Aaron’s situation private, she simply said, “Well it’s not me that’s having the problems, It’s a friend of mine. They’ve gotten themself into some trouble and I just needed to check in to make sure they were okay. Porter nodded but didn’t look convinced,  and said, “Alright. Well if you ever need anything, or feel overwhelmed with all that you’re juggling this semester, you can always email me or see me during office hours.” y/n smiled warmly and said, “Thanks. Dr. Porter. That means a lot to me.” The older man gave her arm an affectionate squeeze before letting her go for the night. 

The drive home was peaceful,  serene even. It juxtaposed the earlier moment of tension from that evening. y/n hoped to stay relaxed for the rest of the night. Just do some reading, have a glass of wine, a very hot shower, and hit the bed. Her hopes for calm and quietude were crushed when she got into the apartment and Emily was leaning against the kitchen counter with a deep frown on her face. Before y/n even had the chance to ask, “What’s wrong, Prentiss?” The strong-minded brunette said, “You’re ‘friend’ called about five minutes ago.” This stopped y/n in her tracks. y/n knew that Emily was talking about Aaron, and she was about to get an earful. She steadied herself as her roommate started saying, “y/n, Aaron Hotchner is not the type of guy you want to get tangled up with, okay? I might sound nice and charming and play-act as a ‘bad boy,’ but there is nothing good about him or his family. Promise me you’re not going to be so stupid as to meet up with him and give him your notes. What if he starts expecting things from you? Have you ever thought about that scary moment on campus last week?” 

y/n while taking the verbal reprimand hadn’t thought about the fact that Aaron’s injuries could be related to that event on campus. Had something bad happened to him after Spencer had dragged her away? Although y/n realized that Aaron might have been in a serious and dangerous situation, that didn’t stop her from still being concerned for him. In some small way, y/n was annoyed that Em was so tied into her personal life. So what if she wanted to give Aaron her notes? But the logical part of her brain stopped her from snapping back. y/n took a deep breath and said, “I see where you’re coming from Em. But, he looked so hurt tonight. Desperate. If giving him my notes in a public place, like the coffee shop is a crime, then so be it. I told him I would, and I’m one to keep my promises.” y/n expected some sort of reprimand, but instead, Em sighed and said, “Fine. Call him back. I left his number on the pad on the fridge. But for the love of god, either have me. Garcia, or Spence come with you whenever you meet him?” y/n smiled and said, “Thanks Em. I knew you were a softie under that hard shell of yours.” 

Em scoffed and said, “Well I might be a softie for you. Aaron Hotchner is another matter entirely. At least with you knowing him, I can snoop in on his life. You never know, maybe he’ll give you a hint about his dad and you can pass that info over to me.” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever you say Em. Now let me call him back. Buffy’s coming on in a half hour and I don’t plan on missing another episode. Do you wanna join? There’s a bottle of red in the fridge we can share?” Emily nodded and said, “You bet. I’ll get the channel pulled up while you talk to your boyfriend.” That comment had y/n rolling her eyes again, but she didn’t say anything as she moved into the kitchen. 

As Prentiss had said, there was a note on the notepad stuck to the fridge that read ‘A.H.’s Number,’ and then a list of seven digits. The phone hung to the left of the fridge. It was egg yolk yellow, a design choice that y/n still didn’t understand as the rest of the kitchen was a pale blue with white accents. Ignoring the contrasting colors of the kitchen, y/n tapped on the phone number and held the receiver to her ear as the dial tone beeped. After the second ring someone answered, but it wasn’t Aaron. The low, husky voice said, “This is Morgan. Who is it?” y/n paused for a second before replying, “Um, this is y/n. y/l/n. I’m calling for Aaron. I’m in his Tax Fraud class, and he wanted my notes from today? I was just trying to arrange a meeting.” y/n stopped talking. She felt like she had said too much, or maybe not enough. The silence was awkward and lingered. Finally, Derek who had mercifully pulled the phone away from his mouth called out, “Hotch, a girl’s on the phone for you.” After a moment, Derek  said, “He’ll be here in a minute.” Then there was silence again. y/n tried to think about where she knew Morgan from. The voice wasn’t wholly new. She had scant few encounters with Aaron and she tried to pinpoint each of them in her mind. The night last week came to mind and she thought of the other man that had been with Aaron as Spencer had pulled her away. She assumed this was the same guy. She pinned the name, Morgan in her head in case she ever needed it. 

She had no clue why she would ever need it, but it couldn’t hurt. After another minute there was more sound, a muffled conversation, and a small grunt before the phone clicked a bit and Aaron’s familiar voice tapped in on the line. He said, “Hey, y/n. Sorry I was out back. Thanks for doing this by the way.” y/n nodded and said, “Yeah. No problem. So my schedule is pretty full this week but I can do Wednesday morning, Thursday in the evening, or Saturday morning. Does one of those times work for you?” Aaron replied, “Saturday works for me. Any place work for you? I can come over or we can meet anywhere that works for you really.” y/n didn’t hesitate as she said, “Let’s do the coffee shop near West campus. You can come and copy my stuff while I grade or read or something.” 

There was a softy, nearly inaudible breath before Hotch said, “It’s a date. Is 9:00 a.m. too early for you?” y/n replied, “Nope. Nine is good. See you then.” Hotch replied, “Right on. See ya then.” Then he disconnected the call. y/n did the same. y/n sighed, again questioning why exactly she was doing what she was. Was it care, curiosity, or a little of both? She couldn’t pinpoint it in her mind. There was also the fact that Aaron had said, “‘It’s a date’” in an infuriating manner. Like he knew that was going to spark some kind of response. Of course, it was a joke, but even so, it irked her because it was working. 

y/n let out a sigh of frustration. She looked up at the clock and realized that she needed to grab the glasses and wine as Buffy would be starting soon. Just as the new episode started. Emily and y/n settled in and just like clockwork, Garcia came down from her room. The charming Pen shuffled into the room and sat down on the couch. y/n knew her third roommate would be down once the show started and had already poured a glass for her. Em was looking at y/n as if asking, ‘So, when are you meeting him?’ And Garcia was looking at Emily as if asking, ‘What’s going on? Why do you have that look on your face?’ Thankfully Buffy was the silencing buffer. None of them dared talk during the episode. It was that important to them. The group's shared love of the campy monster of the week show drew them together in a funny way. In the beginning, y/n thought she was too much of a nerd for Prentiss, but it turned out even the dedicated policewoman couldn’t be turned down by Angel and Spike's charm. They would have to debrief once the commercials started in ten minutes or so, but for now, there was a calm as they all sat in front of the TV. 

The week went by quickly. y/n’s advisor got sick on Wednesday night and emailed her saying that he wouldn’t be able to make it to their Thursday morning meeting. This opened up her morning and she planned to sleep in. That was the plan at least. However, at 7:30 a.m. a knock on her door woke her. y/n was groggy as she made her way to her door. A sharp crack of thunder and lightning had her come more to her senses. It was pouring cats and dogs. y/n rubbed her eyes as she opened the door to the hall light. Emily was standing outside in her uniform. y/n asked sleepily, “What is it Em?” Prentiss bit her bottom lip and said, “My car won’t start. Engine problems. Can I borrow your keys or can you give me a ride to the station? The brunette looked embarrassed to ask, but y/n understood her predicament and said, “Yeah I got you. Let me put on a bra and some pants.” In under ten minutes, the duo were out the door. y/n drove slowly and carefully. The rain continued to pour down. y/n felt a small feeling of dread in the air. As they got to the station, y/n said, “Just give me or Garcia a call when you need to be picked up if you don’t get a ride from your co-workers, okay?” Em nodded and said, “Thanks a million. y/n you’re a lifesaver.” y/n got back into her car and drove to campus. Even though she didn’t have an umbrella, she got half-soaked walking to her office, and Mary Janes squeaked awfully on the floor. In her office, y/n sat down in front of a stack of papers, half of them her students and the other half her own. There was a loud crash of thunder and y/n looked out the window when she saw a dark hooded figure standing outside her office in the downpour. She couldn’t see the person's face in the beating rain. A sound in the hallway caught her attention for a moment. Another pair of noisy shoes. By the time she looked back out of the window, the figure was gone. She shook her head wondering if she’d made up the man. She let the thought pass as she kept working late into the night. 

Emily did end up calling y/n and letting her know that Penelope had picked her up already. y/n was grateful for this. She was exhausted from her day and early morning. She quickly packed up the work that she was taking home with her and switched off the lights and lamps in her office. The rain had stopped hours ago, but it left the ground damp and mist and humidity rose off the earth like a dense fog. y/n got into her car and drove toward home. She took a shortcut to avoid a traffic light that was out. As her headlight illuminated a dark back alleyway behind a store, y/n saw for a moment the same figure from earlier that day. They were leaning over something else. ‘Is that a body?’ y/n stalled, startled like a dear in headlights, even though it was the reverse scenario. For a second y/n made eye contact with the person, and she distinctly saw blood on their mouth, staining their chin a gruesome red. y/n’s heart stopped beating and a moment later a loud honk from behind her shocked her. y/n was blinded by the bright lights behind her. She had not seen the sedan pull up behind her car. In a panicked state, she hit the accelerator and finished her drive home terrified of what she’d just seen. 

y/n rushed into the house and found Emily at the stove. Prentiss turned and her, “Welcome home” died on her lips as she saw her friend. Em turned off the fire under her boiling potatoes and asked, “y/n, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” y/n swallowed trying to get some saliva back into her mouth and throat. She raised her and said in a hoarse voice, “I think I just saw a murder.” Emily’s jaw went slack for a second before she moved forward, police-like, and said, “Okay, y/n. You could have seen anything. It’s dark and gloomy out there.” y/n shook her head and said, “No, Em. Whatever I saw it was bad. I could feel it in my core.” Prentiss nodded, taking y/n seriously, the only one who would for a few days at least. She said, “Okay, y/n. Tell me everything. Think about things as clearly as possible. Don’t try and fill in any gaps, just tell me what you saw.” 

An hour later with Em trying to jog y/n’s memory to get the best information and writing down all the little and big details in her police pad, Prentiss said, “I’ll leave early tomorrow morning and check it out, y/n. Before I head to the station.” y/n’s eyes widened and she protested, “Shouldn’t we look now? There could be someone dying out there.” Emily dropped her eyes and sighed replying, “No, y/n. If what you say is true, then there’s nothing I can do tonight. I’d need more men, dogs, a whole setup.” After a pause Prentiss added, “And, y/n. There is no we in this. It’s dangerous. It’s safest for you to pretend you didn’t see anything tonight. Forget about it and don’t tell anyone.” y/n was frustrated by this response. However, she knew Em was correct. What could she do? Before y/n had a chance to say she was going to bed, Emily said, “Who are you bringing with you to meet Hotchner again?” 

y/n said in an almost deadpan voice, “Reid.” Emily frowned and said, “y/n, I’m going with you for that. I don’t trust Hotchner.” y/n’s head whipped up and she said, “Emily, it’s not like you can just stroll in there with Spence, and I. If Aaron and his family are as smart and powerful as you say, then he’ll know you’re a cop. I don’t think he’ll love that and I do still have to show up to a class with him, and sit across from him for the rest of the semester.” Prentiss could see y/n’s discomfort and replied, “I get it, y/n. And I know you’re trying to be nice, but I don’t want you going alone, and no, I don’t count Reid. I won’t walk in with you, and I won’t talk to you at all, but I will go and just keep an eye out.” y/n rubbed her tired eyes, saying, “Okay, Prentiss. We can talk about it tomorrow. I just want to go to bed now.” Em didn’t try and stop y/n as she moved past her and upstairs. y/n stripped out of her clothes from the day and fell into bed. She’d try and convince Em that she was a big girl tomorrow and didn’t need a bodyguard, but she was asleep before she could think of what she would say. y/n tossed and turned as she dreamed of the man outside her window and the person she’d seen with blood on their mouth, looking into her soul.

Text Break Banne by @cafekitsune

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[hyperfixatedoncrimminalminds]

Aaron Hotchner x Teen Daughter reader

Another oneshot for Hotch because he's my favourite at the minute and I don't know why. And yes I spent ages specifically looking for this Gif.

This is a request!

Summary: Could you make the reader like about 17 and when on a run with Hotch (Her dad) like slows down, and tells him to keep going and she will catch up, but she gets hurt or like passes out somehow

I love this idea I need to write more Hotch and Teen daughter, this is during the Marathon episode because I like how it turns out. ( set season 7 episode 16)

Third person pov...

17 year old Y/N Hotchner and her Dad were out running together, they were training for the FBI marathon together, the 17 year old had applied to the FBI academy where her Dad worked.

She wanted to be an FBI Agent and help people like the BAU do. It was early morning then the teen and Dad arrive at the park near their house, Jack was still sleeping which gave the father and daughter time to train for the big race in February.

Y/N tied her H/C hair in a pony tail while her Dad began stretching, Y/N looks up at her Dad "I will win you know" she says to him, this made Hotch look down at his Daughter and raises an eyebrow. "Oh really?" He said challenging her, Y/N smirked "you'll see old man" she said stretching.

Hotch scoffed "name calling are we now" he teased, after they finished stretching the two get ready the get into position and looked at each other. "Ready.Set.Go!" Yelled Hotch and the two were off strinting down the path trying to beat the other.

At the start they were running at the same speed, then Y/N sped up leaving her Dad behind, Hotches mouth falls open  a the fast his daughter is, the smile on her face seals it, Hotch was glad they managed to do this together.

The last time they ever ran together on a Saturday morning was 3 years ago before Foyet showed up and made the Hotchners life hell, two years ago after Haleys death he couldn't even get this daughter out of bed more so on a run with him.

He is very proud of her and hie far she had come, from that 15 year old laying in her bed for days on end to the 17 year old training for a marathon with her Dad, Hotch smiled to himself before running to catch up with his daughter, the look o  her face when he started to pick up speed made him laugh.

The two were neck and neck, Y/N fell behind a little as they got to thr end of the trail. "Annd finish" said Hotch stopping the timer on his watch, he breathed heavy after the run he did.

He turned to his daughter who had sprawled out on the path breathing heavy woth a bright red face, sweat dripping off her. Hotch chuckled at his Daughter and sat down next to her catching his breath.

He held his fist out to her, the 17 year old looked at him rasing an eyebrow. "Truce" he said moving his fist closer, he watched as his daughter smiles and bumps his fist with hers. The two then grab their bottles of water and begin draining them, Y/N poured half of hers down her because of how overheated she felt.

The teen Continues to lay on the floor while her Dad finds the strength in his legs to stand up. As he does a pretty brunette walks over to them. "Jeez, I hope you're training for something or do you just do sprints for fun?" She jokes making Y/N sit up and look at the woman  willingly talk to her Dad.

Hotch looks down at his Daughter who gives him a smile before answering the woman. "We are trying to do this

triathlon in February, so..." when he trails off she answers.him "Oh, yeah, the FBI one" said the woman

Y/Ns and her Dads eyes widened. "How do you know he's FBI" Exclaimed Y/N standing up quickly, probably a bit to quickly as she wobbled making her Dad reach out to catch her like always. Y/N looks at the man and smiles "I'm okay Dad just tried from our race" she said reassuring him, Hotch relaxes but doesn't let go of her.

The woman  watches the duo before Hotch remembers she was there. "I'm Aaron Hotchner and this is my Daughter Y/N" he said introducing his daughter, the woman smiles at them both. "Hi I'm Beth, nice to meet you Aaron and Y/N" saod Beth

Hotcb smiles at her. Beth looks at Y/N "are you doing it as well?" She asks Y/N, the girl  nods her head. "Yes I am, we were racing earlier to see who was fastwr" saod Y/N smiling at Beth, Hotch had never seen his daughter smile so much until now.

Y/N smiles before looking at her Dad ans whispering. "I go grab our stuff you stay here with Beth" she said giggling when her Dad blushed when she wiggled her eyebrows, Hotch glares at his Daughter and titles her making her laugh before letting go.

Beth watches the father and daughter she could tell they were close, as Y/N left the two began tlaking more and even exchanged numbers.

Months later...

It was the day of Hotchs and Y/Ns triathlon, the team and jake were in the stands waiting for them to finish.

"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!" Yelled Jake and everyone else. The little boy was sitting on Derek's shoudlers in his ha s help a sign he made for his Dad and Sister. Rossi was in front of the group shouting and looking out for their racers.

Next to them Reid and the girls were talking, all three women had sunglasses on and all very hungover. "A couple hours. A couple hours. You guys didn't come home till sunrise." Saod the genius mocking them as the groaned.

"Why are you yelling?" Yelled Penelope over the noise groaning in pain.

"Make him stop" Yells Emily equally hungover.

Derek had enough and leant down to talk to Penelope "Ok, hey, Jack, Jack.

Earmuffs for a minute. Earmuffs." He said to the boy, Jack understood and covered his ears with his hands.

"What did you guys drink last night?" Asked Derek

"The green fairy. You're in the FBI." She said groaning in pain, as JJ behind her moaned all three woman were regretting last night. "Could you get the entire crowd to stop cheering?" Yelled the media lesion

"By my estimates, Hotch and Y/N will be finishing any minute" Yelled the Genius looking at his watch. Jack looked down at Rossi. "Do you see them, Uncle Dave?" He asked, Rossi grinned he saw Hotch.

"I think I do, kiddo."

Hotch then ran over the finishing line Y/N closely behind him the two come to a stop hearing the crowd cheer for them. "Whoa!" Exc the team. Y/N leans on her Dad for support, ber legs felt like jelly.

"Come on, Jack. Come on, Jack. Let's go see your dad and sister Jack." Yelled Derek letting the boy down, Jack then runs over to his family.

"You did it!" Yelled Jack and he ran over to Hotch jumping around excitedly, Y/N smiles painfully as she moves over to the girls, thw three congratulate the teen. "I can't feel my legs" she said smiling at them.

The teen then drops to the floor on her bum and laying on the ground hoping the world would stop spinning. Soon the woman realsi she passed out Emily quickly kneels down and pulls her up so she was leaning against her chest.

Emily the ge tly taps her face making sure she stayed awake. "Hey N/N stay away, you need to stay awake" he said as JJ called Hotch over and Penelope gets Derek to call for an ambulance. Seeing his daughter passed out makes the man run over to her.

"Is she okay?" He yelled over the noise, Emily looks at him worry in her eyes. "Don't worry she jsut passed out Hotch, Derek's calling for an ambulance" she said, Hotch thanked her before Y/N opens her eyes, E/C eyes stare into his brown ones.

Hotch smiles at her and rubs her cheek keeping her awake. "Hey Princess you okay?" He asked her, Y/N gives her dad a tired smile. "Yeah I'm fine dad" she whispers Hotch smiles at her. "I'm glad sweetie" he said looks around him hoping the ambulance come quick.

Someone the touches his hand it was Y/N, he looks dow at her. "Yes Princess?" He said, his daughter didn't look at him as if she was embarrassed, when she did speak Hotch had to lean closer. "Do you think mum is proud of me?" She asks his ans his heart breaks a tiny bit.

Hotch smiles a watery smile at his Daughter "Yes she is, because I am so proud of you Honey" he said wiping away the tears on their faces, Jake then jumps on his Dad's back. "Is Y/N okay Dad?" He asks worried.

"Don't worry Jackie I'm fine just tired" reassured Y/N smiling.

The end!

Hope you liked this oneshot!

As always so sorry for the grammar and Spelling mistakes

Request are open!

Word count : 1600

[talatomaz]

the storm | jj x fem!reader

a/n: this takes place during ‘the storm’ and doesn’t feature as much JJ x d!r as i wanted but oh well. if y’all want more JJ x daughter!reader fics, please send me requests/ideas

warnings: usual canon violence.

word count: 2.8k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

R is JJ’s 22 year old adopted daughter and works with the BAU

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

It had started out like any normal day.

You and your Mum were on your way to work but were first travelling to your Unit Chief’s apartment so the three of you could carpool to work after dropping Henry and Jack, Hotch’s son, at school.

It was something you had done multiple times before. Both time effective and eco friendly; not to mention convenient.

But today was the day it had all gone awry.

Not long after you, your adopted brother and mother had arrived at your boss’ home, had a SWAT team abruptly burst through the door, training several guns at Aaron.

Instinct had you reaching for your registered firearm, aiming it at the intruders. JJ’s motherly instinct, however, had her clinging the young boys to her protectively, in an attempt to shield them from the danger.

“Drop the gun.”

A SWAT member ordered as you continued to raise the weapon.

“We’re federal agents. He’s the Unit Chief for the Behavioural Analyst Unit.”

You replied back, still refusing to lower the gun.

“It’s okay.”

You turned to your boss with a look of concern and confusion but when he gave you a nod of approval, you holstered your weapon and were forced to simply watch as SWAT zip tied the former’s wrists behind his back and escort him out of his home.

Moving backwards, you flanked Jack’s other side, as the other was currently being cradled by your Mum, and held the young boy whispering words of comfort to try and still his understandable tears of fear and terror. Looking over your shoulder, you made eye contact with JJ and saw the same look of helplessness displayed in her eyes.

What the hell was going on?

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After texting with your father, he and your younger baby brother had now joined you, JJ, Henry and Jack in your Government provided SUV as the six of you made your way to the BAU.

As you drove, you listened as your Mum tried to covertly explain the morning’s earlier events without using language that would scare the young boys currently in the car with you.

Forcing a smile on your face, you turned to look back at the kids and inserted a lightheartedness into your voice, “Come on boys, we’re here.”

Exiting the car, you all walked into the BAU. JJ was holding Michael in her arms, you held Henry’s hand and Will, your adopted father, had a comforting but protective hand on Jack’s shoulder.

Walking into the roundtable room where you and your team usually discussed cases, you were brought face to face with Garcia, Tara, Reid and Rossi.

When everyone had said their ‘hello’s’ and Will went to Hotch’s office with the boys, the forceful smile that had been previously plastered on your’s and JJ’s faces were immediately replaced with a grim frown.

“It’s bad.” Your mother stated without being prompted.

“How much did they see?”

“All of it.” You answered Tara before JJ continued.

“Which is why we figured this was the safest place to bring them.”

The sound of a text message notification interrupted you all as you looked at Rossi hopeful. Glancing back up from his phone, he spoke, “Just got word. He’s downtown. I’ll go and see what I can find out.”

“And in the meantime, I’ll try to locate the 911 call that caused SWAT to break into Hotch’s home.” Garcia countered as she began typing on her laptop.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After finding out that Aaron was being held by the DoJ, you’d all successfully deduced that Antonia’s son was responsible for the spoofing of the 911 call.

Whilst the rest of the team went to go arrest and question the latter, you opted to stay at the BAU to check up on the boys and to give your father a well needed break.

As you held a sleeping Michael in your arms, you sat opposite Jack who was sitting in his father’s chair behind his desk.

In the 30 minutes you’d been sitting there, the young boy hadn’t spoken a word. And you hadn’t either, not wanting to force him to speak unless it was of his own accord.

“Is Uncle Hotch okay?”

The quiet that had previously filled the room was disturbed by the soft voice that belonged to Henry, your other brother who had unfortunately witnessed the unnerving arrest too.

“Yeah, sweetie. He’s just answering some questions that the police have him. Don’t worry, it’ll all be cleared up soon and he’ll be back in no time.”

You’d chosen your words carefully having noted Jack’s eyes on you as you lovingly cupped Henry’s cheek.

“You doing okay, Henry?” You asked softly, still conscious of the sleeping baby in your arms.

The young boy nodded meekly; he’d seemed pretty much unfazed by the events when he’d spoken to Spencer but a closer look showed signs of distress on his face.

“I guess. It was just kind of scary. I’m glad you and Mommy were there.”

“I know, honey. Me too. But you’re safe. Both of you.” You added, chancing a glance at Hotch’s son who was still staring at you.

The alert and vibration of your phone lightly jolted you so you removed your hand from Henry’s cheek and pulled out your phone, scanning the text that had been an update from your Mum. They’d gotten Antonia’s son in custody and Spencer was speaking with him in the hopes of finding out who he was working with.

Your focus turned to the office door which had just been opened by Will. With just a kind look in his eyes and a soft smile, he gently took Michael from your arms and led he and Henry out the office under the guise of ‘grabbing something to eat’ leaving you alone with Jack.

With all your attention now refocused on Jack, you waited patiently for him to speak.

“He’s really okay?”

You didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Yes, he is. Your dad can handle himself, Jack. He’s okay.”

“I thought they were gonna shoot him. That I would never see him again. Like Mom.”

His words tugged at your heart; you could feel it breaking with each word he spoke. He’d suffered so much pain and loss in his life and had been fortunate enough to be too young to fathom it but now, the sight of seeing his father on his knees with several guns aimed at his head would certainly plague his dreams.

“Oh, honey.”

Seeing the tears well up in his eyes, you got up from your chair and gathered the former into your arms, letting him cry out all his emotions safely. You once again soothed him with your words as you ran your hand up and down his back in a comforting manner.

“Shhh, you’re safe. It’s okay.“

You repeated until his sobs had reduced into teary sniffles. Making no effort or attempt to move, you allowed him to seek comfort in your arms for as long as he needed.

At least that was the plan until you’d been interrupted once again by the ping of your phone.

Carefully manoeuvring yourself, you reached into your pocket and again looked at a text from your Mum. They’d figured out Asher’s partner was a jailed con who was planning a prison break tonight.

“Is that him?” Jack asked, his voice wet with tears.

“No, sweetie. It’s about the men who were behind this. My Mum and the rest of the team are going after them.”

“You have to go too.”

“Jack-”

“Please. Help bring him home.”

Sighing at the boy’s pleas, you knew your presence would be needed by the team. Especially if the prison break was bonafide.

“I will. I’ll send Henry back in here with some food and more comics, okay?” You joked, holding Jack’s face similarly to how you’d held Henry’s earlier.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“The boys okay?”

You excused yourself from the police you were talking to and walked over to JJ and the rest of your team. Since you had been closest to the prison, you’d arrived there first and had already been briefed.

“Yeah. When I left, they were reading some comics.” You answered JJ whose face visibly relaxed with that information before tensing again when you continued.

“So far, the prisoners have taken control of 3 blocks and multiple fires have been set so the Warden and his guys are spread pretty thin.”

“We just got a distress call that some of the prisoners got to the gun safe.” Warden Nabb explained, joining you and your team.

“First priority is to secure the control room.” The SWAT leader announced.

Walking through the prison, you and your team remained vigilant with your guns drawn, ready to fire if necessary at any intruder you encountered.

Reaching another block of empty cells, you paused when you heard some scratching noises.

“You hear that?” You whispered to your Mum.

“Shh! Everybody quiet.” JJ ordered as the two of you followed the sound to another cell. Holding a flashlight, you both discovered a makeshift tunnel that Rawdon had presumably escaped in.

After notifying Rossi about said tunnel, your Mum, Spencer and a SWAT member decided to sweep another cell block so you and Tara decided to join the other SWAT members in their pursuit of the control room.

“Stay safe.”

“You too.” You said to JJ before leaving with Tara.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Reaching A block, you nodded in agreement when you and Tara were ordered to remain back whilst SWAT cleared the control room.

You impatiently looked back and forth as the jeers from the imprisoned convicts continued to unnerve you.

“I don’t like this, Tara.” You admitted when the SWAT leader had remained radio silent for the past 2 minutes.

“Me either. Captain, do you copy?” Tara spoke into the comms on her vest before being called by one of the prisoners.

You watched cautiously as she conversed with a serial killer she’d previously interviewed for her research.

“This is the serial killer wing.”

Yeah, you were definitely liking this less and less.

The sound of the buzzer jolted you, only giving you a second of warning to raise your gun once more as all the doors, that had previously held back the vast amount of serial killers, now opened.

Walking backwards, you reached Tara and remained steadfast in your position as the aforementioned murderers began stalking towards the two of you.

“You can’t take us all.”

The chilling statement caused a shiver to run down your spine. Still holding your gun in one hand, you spoke into your comms with the other.

As JJ, Spencer and a SWAT member continued canvassing the cell block, they stilled when they heard your thinly veiled panicked shout crackle through the comms they wore.

“JJ, Reid, backup now.”

“We’re coming.” JJ replied with ferocity as she swiftly turned and began making her way to you.

Though she tried her hardest not to, she felt herself begin to panic at your troubled shout, in fear of what you were currently facing. She’d already had one child of hers standing in the face of danger - and whilst she knew it was a part of your shared job - she couldn’t bear the idea of you having a similar fate.

“We’re coming.”

As soon as those words came through, one of the convicts charged at you and you were forced to fire your gun at his leg. He fell to the ground, clutching his thigh as blood stained his hand.

You watched and listened as Tara tried to talk Ennis, the serial killer she’d previously interviewed, down. But when you sensed movement, you glanced behind the convict and almost breathed a sigh of relief. Hotch and several more armed SWAT members entered the room.

Then all hell broke loose.

Several shots rang out as the convicts charged at you all in an attempt to escape. When you’d managed to gain control of the situation and started to subdue and restrain the released prisoners, the sound of faint gunshots caught the attention of you, Tara and Hotch.

“Mum.” You exhaled, more so to yourself than your team, before running towards the gunfire, Tara and Hotch following closely behind.

Reaching JJ and Spencer, you stumbled upon SWAT members, whom you assumed were prisoners dressed up as them, shooting at your team. Your arrival warranted their attention as shots began to fire your way.

Unfortunately, you weren’t fast enough and one of them had hit you square in the chest. Luckily, the brunt of it had been absorbed by the vest but it still toppled you over as you struggled to breathe. It was like being punched ten times over; the sheer force knocking the wind out of your lungs.

Blinking rapidly to try and control the pain, you felt someone’s hands grabbing at the vest that covered your chest. Those same hands gently pushed away your own which had been trying to unstrap the vest in an attempt to relieve the pressure.

“Can you hear me? Are you okay? God.”

The panicked shouts of your name, which you now recognised as coming from your Mum, brought you back to reality.

“Fuck, that hurts.”

You winced as the protective vest was pulled off you. Stilling the hands that then began to roam over your body, presumably checking for other injuries, you moved to sit up.

Looking up into the tear-filled blue eyes that belonged to your mother, you spoke,

“I’m okay, Mum. I’m okay.”

The seasoned profiler exhaled a shaky breath of relief as she hugged you closely to her. Unable to stop it in time, a grimace followed by a hiss of pain slipped past your lips.

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” You replied before hugging your Mum back.

She then helped you to your feet when you were both approached by Hotch who placed a warm hand on your shoulder. He gave you a quick once over, “You good?” You nodded in response and he then explained that they’d figured out where the bomb was being held.

With gritted teeth, you pulled the vest back over you and securely strapped it, ignoring the shoots of pain travelling through you.

“Let’s get these bastards.”

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After engaging in a shootout with Rawdon’s gang and later getting checked out by a medic - at your behest but the order of your Mum - you were now laying in your bedroom as your parents put your younger brothers to bed. You were originally planning on staying at your apartment like you did practically every other day but, after the tiring events of the day, including your injury, JJ was adamant in her request for all her children sleeping under one roof.

Hearing a faint knock at your door, you invited JJ into your room. She immediately walked over and got into bed next to you.

“They asleep?”

“Yeah, out like a light.” JJ answered, as she pulled you into her arms. Welcoming the comfort, you buried your head into her neck, allowing her usual scent of lavender to fill your senses.

“Henry told me earlier that he was scared so I’m glad he’s sleeping okay. I hope Jack’s doing alright.”

Your mother ran her hand through your hair as she placed a chaste kiss atop your head, “Me too, baby. Me too.”

“You had me worried earlier. What with the gunshot and being trapped in a cell block full of convicted serial killers.”

A derived snort left you before you could stop it.

“Just a part of the job, it seems. It should really be on the job description.”

“You ever wonder if it’s all too dangerous?”

You pulled back from your Mum’s arms to look up at her, “you having second thoughts with my being on the team?”

“No, no, sweetie. I just mean, with everything that we have to face, is it even worth it? Especially when the violence and danger continues to affect us outside of work.”

“I have to believe that it’s all worth it. That what we’re doing makes a difference. We’re helping put away murderers. People who are hurting innocent victims. People who were in the same position I was. We’re helping make the world a safer place.” You explained, unable to keep your voice level as you brought up your past.

“You’re right, baby. Sometimes I just wonder. You, Will and the boys always come first so when I saw you get injured because of this job, it just made me question things.”

JJ explained as she hugged you close.

“I get it, Mum. But I’m not going anywhere. And without us, these unsubs won’t either.”

As JJ continued talking, you found yourself getting lost in her voice before drifting off to sleep in her motherly embrace. Kissing your forehead, JJ whispered to you.

“Sleep well, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

hi! i was wondering if i could request an aaron hotchner x ftm reader where the reader is pre-transition and hasnt come out and maybe theres a case involving trans victims and the team notice the reader being more defensive/worked up about the case than usual, and hotch mentions something to them about it and the reader just blows him off and makes up some excuse, but they eventually decide to come out to everyone on the trip back after the case?

(D/N) - deadname 

Warning: transphobia, misgendering, discovering gender, panic attack

Word count: 877

You were on edge throughout the case (to put it lightly). You had been questioning your gender for years but never had the courage to talk to anyone about it (unless it was online and on an anonymous account). You working on a case where transgender individuals were being killed, their deadnames being written on their body in blood, and announced for the whole to see was driving you slightly up the wall. The team, to their credit, had noticed your behaviour and tried their best to coax you out of your shell. You had denied even being in that shell to begin with, the team members that had approached you (Derek, Spencer, JJ, and Emily) had just sighed at your words before shrugging at the others. There wasn’t much else they could do.

The tipping point didn’t come until two days in, after the team had realised that something was wrong and had tried to talk to you about it. “And then she-” It could have been an innocent slip up, the officer just forgetting the pronouns, had it not happened more than a handful of times before that, that day.

“He. The least we can do is continue to respect the victims’ pronouns.” You snapped, “Your whole team have been doing it since we got here and it’s ridiculous. They have just as much right as we do to be respected.” The officer flushed at your words and the attention before giving a sharp nod. Good. Maybe he’ll think twice before misgendering someone in the future. Satisfied with this, you nodded. An awkward silence passed, “I’m going to make a coffee.” You announced, leaving the room abruptly. You  felt like you couldn’t breathe in there without the team looking at you, profiling you. You didn’t want them to find out. You didn’t want anyone to find out. You had squashed this feeling down for years, you could keep going. No one needed to know. They couldn’t know. You needed to be (D/N). And (D/N) only. 

Hotch walked in moments later, just the two of you in the room. “What’s going on?” He asks after a moment of silence. You don’t look up from your cup, trying to keep the tears at bay. You knew the minute you let it show he would know what was wrong. So you shrug.

“Nothing.” You lie. “I’m just tired, that’s all.” You feel his eyes on you. Analysing you. “Stop doing that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop profiling me. We’re not supposed to profile each other, remember?” 

“(D/N)-”

“Don’t call me that.” Your response is immediate and causes you to freeze. Shit. You weren’t supposed to give it away to anyone. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. 

“Hey, hey,” Aaron’s by your side in an instant. “I need you to breathe for me. Okay? You need to take some deep breaths.” You looked up at Hotch, shaking your head.

“No one’s supposed to know. No one’s-”

“Hey, look at me,�� He pauses, “No one knows anything. I don’t know anything.” It’s not a complete lie. He doesn’t really know anything. He has his suspicions, but he doesn’t know anything. He takes your hand in his delicately, placing it on his chest. “Just breathe with me.”

He waits until your breathing has returned to normal before speaking. “You don’t owe me an explanation as to what that was about,” He says softly. “But, if you did wish to speak about it, I’m always here.”

“I think I’m like them.” You whisper, “I’ve hid it for years but I don’t know if I should anymore.”

“It’s not a thing you have to be ashamed of,” Hotch reassures, “What pronouns would you use? Do you have a name in mind?”

Your answer is immediate, “(Y/N), he, him,”

Aaron gave you a smile, “It suits you,” He said, watching you for a moment, “What are you thinking?”

“That I don’t want to hide anymore,” You answer, “I need to cut my hair, get new clothes, a binder, change my name. There’s so much to do…”

“First up, shopping,” Aaron said, “I’ll be right back.” You furrowed your eyebrows as he left the room. He was maybe a minute and then he was back in the room, “Okay, one haircut, let’s go.”

“What?”

“You said you wanted a haircut,”

“And?”

“And I’ve got us both the rest of the day off so I can go with you to get your haircut and get some clothes,” 

“You don’t have to-”

“I want to.” You frown for a moment before nodding. 

The team are confused to say the least, when you’re on the jet the next day and standing in front of them with a fresh haircut, clothes, and a flat chest (you and Aaron hadn’t been able to find a binder, but a well fitting sports bra did the job). 

“Everyone, this is (Y/N). He has recently come to terms with some things,” Aaron began, “But I expect him to be treated like anyone else.”

“Of course, man,” Morgan said, walking towards you with a grin. He embraced you for a moment before letting go, patting your shoulder. “You look good, dude, it suits you.”

You grinned. Maybe this would be okay after all.

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I watched the The Rookie Season 6 premiere!!

I started it last night and finished it this morning and just OAUGH it was so good :D

I expected them to not figure it out for a while but I low-key love the way they did it. Because it shows that they (the characters) aren't dumb and gives some action but still keeps a huge mystery to it. Theory wise, I keep thinking of the Dream (nightmare) Team (Elijah and Oscar) but it's been like a half season so I don't think it's time to bring them back yet. Idk tho, we'll see what happens!

Also Lucy is going through it xD like genuinely she is and :(( but everyone (even Wesley xD) knowing about the clown thing was just HILARIOUS lol

Also after Tim said "maybe she just had a fight with her girlfriend" I was like "oh cool we're casually using a gay example- he's talking about him" soo as I said at the time, diversity win! The random person you're projecting your problems onto is a lesbian through you <3.

Anyway xD lowkey, I get both their sides, but I'm lowkey on Tim's lol. I do get being stressed out and just wanting support though, totally, I just think Lucy's going to realize she needs to talk it out with him

Also I'm glad for their development! I'm also kind of glad Tim's not the "instigator" (there's not really one but yk) of the fight since he's been the "mean one" a lot lol. Anyway I hope my babeys work it out (soon - I figure they will eventually) :((

Also this makes it seem like I love chenford and barely about wopez and I do love them but HUGAOAPGHY BABEYS I GOT THEM BACK <3333

Not much but I did :'D

Talking about wopez by the way lol

Also HALLELUJAH AARON SURVIVED!! HE'S OKAY :'DDD!! P H E W :'D 🥳🥳🥳🎉🎊😌🥰.

Thank goodness lol

Also :(( that he wants to help catch the guys that almost killed him but can't - probably for the best though :/. Just don't let it get pent up in any way xd. Also please don't date your therapist or have any kinda funky relationship with her lol.

Also aaahhhhHHH Bailey and Nolan (John just wasn't right) are getting married :D. I'm glad everything ended up working out (for now lol, that promo is scaring me xD I figure it'll be fine but just once I want an uninterrupted wedding, in anything, but especially The Rookie lol) <333. They're adorable 🥰. Also am I crazy or was that Mr. Kevin Kozner as the neighbor guy? At first I thought it was then wasn't then wasn't sure so I figure not but I don't know xD

Also poor Harper :(( I know she'll get through it but it just sucks. And it sucks that she can't talk to James about it (like not legally but emotionally lol), though I do like that they have differing opinions on stuff. It's nice to have couples that don't have all the same views, you know?

Anyway!! I didn't mention them but Celina and Gray are slaying as always <3. And for Celina (and everyone)'s sake I hope we catch this guys soon (but not too soon ;) - I love me some drama)

Also reminder that I love Wesley with my whole soul, thank you <3.

So excited for this season!! Especially the 100th episode, it's so great that they get one :D. I think both of those are gonna be really good and I'm just so looking forward to it :D!! This was an amazing episode, lots of good stuff all around, and I'm so excited for the next one :D. The promo looks wild (also AAAHHHHHH THE WEDDING!!! :DD) but so good and I'm looking forward to it :D 🥰.

This is gonna be a great season :))!!

See y'all later!! ❤️🥰

[exhaslo]

Corruption Ch9

(Villain!Miguel x F!Hero!Reader)

Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8

Warning: Minors DNI, mentions of sex, violence, blood, murder, twisted thoughts, experimentation, language, wannabe fluff, established friendship?

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Three Months, One Day until D-Day

The weather was starting to get chilly. Winter was approaching faster than Fall even began. You had to let out a small whimper in protest since your body was getting colder than it normally would. The only reason you could think of was your new Spider DNA.

Shivering in your office as you waited for the IT guy to come up and fix your heater, you decided to read your health examination overview. Miguel had handed it to you personally, wanting to make sure you knew that he did act professionally.

"Ah! If only I could remember what happened. Hopefully I didn't act too much of a goof," You whined, opening the envelope.

As you read, you were relieved that everything was fine. Your new changes didn't cause any affect to your body...at least that the blood and overall examination could pick up. Your organic webs, ability to cling to walls and now sensitivity to the cold was something that wouldn't be noticed.

You sighed sadly, knowing that this secret was going to be buried with you. Finishing the letter, you noticed Miguel's handwriting on the bottom.

'Cancel your gym membership and start eating more.'

Your cheeks started to heat up and your smile grew wide. People can say what they will about Miguel, but deep down, he was still a caring man. It was just hard to find that kind spot.

Gasping, you felt your body tense from the cold. You reached for the blanket on your couch, wrapping yourself in it.

"L-Lyla...w-when...will the I-IT guy....c-come?" You stuttered from the cold.

---------

"Sir, it seems like (Y/N) is reacting poorly to the weather." Lyla stated as Miguel worked on DNA seperation.

"How so?"

"She's asking if spiders hibernate during the winter."

Miguel stopped what he was doing. Normally, he would chuckle at such a dumb question, but not when it came to you. Rushing out of his personal lab, Miguel hurried to your office. He had to make sure that you were okay. He couldn't allow anything to happen to you.

His blood was pumping with adrenaline. All of these special changes within you that Miguel could not pick up from your blood. It was all so fascinating. It made him wonder what else you could do, but he was not going to test those theories.

Not when it could harm you.

Finally arriving at your office, Miguel grunted at the sight of Aaron checking on you. Why did the IT agent have to be him of all people? Did he not learn his lesson from last time? Whatever the case, Miguel was not one to shy away from crushing other people.

"Isn't there a job you should be doing?" Miguel tone was harsher than normal.

"(Y/N) doesn't look too good. I was going to-"

"Fix the heater in here."

Miguel's glare was prominent as he hissed out the words. What good was a love sick puppy if he couldn't even do one little thing? At least you had proven again and again to Miguel your use. You were the only one who stood by his side for so long.

"M-Miguel? D-Did I m-miss an a-appointment?" You stuttered, shaking like a leaf on your couch.

Ah, how you still concerned yourself with him. Miguel was going to enjoy twisting you into his perfect little wife. Creating the perfect humans once he, himself, becomes just like you.

"No." Miguel said simply.

Picking you up with ease, Miguel made his way out of your office. He was unable to hide his smirk as Aaron glared daggers. What good was it to be jealous if he couldn't act on it? Miguel didn't care who he had to piss off, as long as he got his way.

"M-Miguel...I-It's cold," You whispered.

"I know,"

Ignoring the looks and stares he received, Miguel continued to his office. What good were others to do? They knew better than to say anything to him. Miguel's business was his own. Besides, this should clarify that you belonged to him.

Once Miguel reached his office, he had Lyla turn the heat up. It annoyed him, but he was going to have to wait on studying your blood any further today. Miguel's focus was on your health.

Sitting on his chair, Miguel had you sit on his lap. You cozied up quick, still shivering from the cold. Miguel took this time to catch up on some paperwork he had ignored on purpose. Miguel didn't want to admit it, but this was comfortable.

"(Y/n)'s temperature is slowly rising, along with yours. Shall I cool off the room?" Lyla asked. Miguel typed away,

"No. Not until (Y/N) is back to normal." Miguel grunted before pausing, "Lyla, order (Y/N) some heat forming clothing. I can't have her collapsing like his on her way home."

"And of her apartment?"

"Have extra heaters ordered and in place of each room. They will be of use until I take her for myself."

"Yes, sir."

Miguel exhaled softly as he leaned back in his heat. You were breathing softly against his neck as you slept. This sure was better than you grinding him and talking nonsense from when you were high from his drug. This was peaceful.

However, there was the still the threat of someone daring to steal you away from him. Miguel knew that you would never betray him, but he also knew that eventually you would have a limit. Someone could give you the affection you craved and sweep you off your feet.

The thought angered Miguel.

There was already a minor threat at his door. Miguel was going to have to go above and beyond in order to keep you. He knew that eventually this would happen, but to be forced to do it so soon? It was frustrating.

With another loud sigh, Miguel had to accept his fate. This will help in the future anyway. You were his precious little test subject. Everything about you belonged to Miguel.

And he was going to show you.

---------

You whimpered a soft grunt as you started to come to. Fluttering your eyes open, you recognized the room you were in. You couldn't help but cry softly, knowing that you probably burdened Miguel once again.

"Why are you whining? I'd thought you be happy in this situation." Miguel scoffed.

You flinched and immediately fixed yourself, finding Miguel under you. Your face turned bright red as his hands gripped your waist. How did you end up in this situation again? Your heart couldn't take such embarassment.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't cause you too much trouble, did I?"

You were panicking. Miguel was going to be annoyed now. Ready to get off his lap, you were surprised when Miguel kept you in place. His grip was firm against your waist.

"Miguel?"

"You had me worried, (Y/n)." Miguel grumbled, his hand now against your cheek, "I thought I told you to watch your health?"

"I-I'm sorry, but...I couldn't control how cold I got."

"Why a sudden change?" Miguel hummed, stroking your cheek.

You shuddered, leaning against him. You wanted to tell Miguel the truth, but you knew the consequences. It was too dangerous to tell him. Resting your head against his hand, you simply shrugged to his question.

"Then you had that guy come and fix your heater?" His tone was cruel as Miguel grabbed your chin, pulling you closer.

"I-I just called IT...I didn't know who would come."

"Don't care. You belong to me."

You felt a shiver run down your spine towards his words. You always knew that Miguel was a possessive man. Feeling your face getting closer to his, your heart rate started to increase. Your breathing hitched as Miguel placed his lips against yours.

Was this really happening?

His lips were rough and cold. Nothing like you imagined, but you still felt like you were in cloud nine. As the two of you parted, you closed your eyes as Miguel stroked your cheek once more.

"You...are...mine." He said firmly.

"Yes, Miguel," You hummed in response.

"You will remember to do as I say, right? Do so, and I shall keep giving you these treats you enjoy so much."

"You're making me sound like a pet. Surely, you must enjoy...just a little of this too....right?" You asked, frowning slightly. Miguel raised a brow,

"I suppose I wouldn't have done it otherwise," He stroked your lips next, "You know I like what's mine to do as I please."

"I know, but I'm a person too." You huffed.

Miguel let out a soft grunt before pulling you into another kiss. His hand trailed up your back, causing you to shiver and grab onto him. Perhaps you needed to give Miguel some leniency. This was the first time you had ever seen him so affectionate. Perhaps he knew nothing of love.

Which meant that you had to teach him.

"I know," Miguel finally replied back. You smiled, enjoying the kisses he was giving you,

"Hehe, but I'll still listen to you. You're still my boss."

--------

Your boss and soon to be owner. Oh, how dangerous of a combo that was. You were too naïve to see what Miguel had planned for you. Always seeing the good in others. You were such a good girl. Miguel was enjoying this slow corruption.

"Speaking of which, because of this...I am behind on work. I need you to complete some reports for me." Miguel requested, flipping you on his lap.

His arm was still tight around you waist, refusing to let you go. Miguel wanted to keep you in his embrace a little longer. Who knows when he was going to be able to steal you from your hero life. Miguel couldn't allow you to be free and get injured.

"Miguel, I wouldn't understand these. Are you sure you want me to fill them out for you?"

"Those are the easy ones."

"Easy for you," You huffed. Miguel furrowed his brows, leaning towards your ear,

"Be a good girl and help me." He whispered, watching you turn into putty. "Your office is still a frozen-"

"Sir, Doc Ock has been taken in. Would you like to start taking his blood sample?" Lyla appeared, interrupting Miguel.

"Huh? Doc Ock? What are you planning on doing with that super villain?" You asked, shocked. Miguel chuckled lowly as he got up and sat you in his chair,

"Wasn't he the one who hurt you that one time you got caught in the action? All I plan to do is question him...and run some tests." Miguel's smile turned wicked.

Doc Ock was going to regret ever laying a tentacle on you. Miguel was going to make his debut as the new villain in the city. No one was going to ever harm you again.

"B-but he's dangerous! Even Spider-Woman had a hard time-"

"Don't you trust me?" Miguel hummed, patting your head, "I'll be fine, you should be more worried about those reports."

Leaving his office, Miguel couldn't help but chuckle. You were such a good girl for him. This was truly a splendid day.

"Lyla, inform the workers that we'll be serving octopus for lunch today."

"Yes, sir~."

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Next Chapter

(Still on small hiatus, just managed to finish Persona 3 haha)

@tojishugetiddies @miguelsfavwife @foulsharkheart @club-danger-zone @ivkygirly @jollystrawberrycycle @amber-content @weirdothatwritess @smartyren @mangoslushcrush @nyxzoldyck6 @migueloharastruelove @chaoticlovingdreamer @sukioyakio @killjoy-nightshadow @heyohalie @the-pan-liquid @bokutosprettylittlebimbo @kpopscoups17130000 @pochapo @killerwendigo @barbiecrocs @miss-galaxy-turtle @oscarissac2099 @lazy-idate @lauraolar14 @migueloharacumslut @straw-berry-ghoul @daisy-artfield @sukunash0e @undf-stuff @iamperson12280 @nightingale1011 @reader-1290 @mcmiracles @keepghostly @marlyharper @jadeloverxd

[birdiewrites78]

Dangerous Desires Chapter Two: Return to Me

Hello, I would like to begin by apologizing for my absence. I almost stopped writing this series because I lacked confidence in my writing. However, I have come to realize that the only way to improve is by practicing, and I really enjoy writing. My perfectionism got the best of me, and it stopped being fun. To sum it up, I am going to finish this book and update it more frequently. This chapter does not have any specific warnings, except for general violence related to criminal minds. Word count is ~2700

Natalie realized how much she took time for granted; she spent years snoozing her alarms for work, being late to plans she had made, and generally not being appreciative of every moment. She realizes how wasteful that was now. The team had been working non-stop since they stepped on the plane back in Virginia, and Heather still hadn't been found. Natalie was far from an optimist, but she gained some solace in her suggestion of working. Slessman put up no resistance, physically, at least during the raid.

However, Slessman seemed to be putting up mental resistance, or at least that's what it seems to be. Natalie was hauled up to a small room in the Seattle Police Station; she hadn't eaten, she was feeling dizzy, and her head was pounding. The fluorescents here were nothing like the BAU; they were a harsh white that seemed to taunt Natalie. She was sifting through old records of Slessman’s file, looking for anything that could help the team locate Heather, and picking up the phone that had been provided to her; it had been ringing all night. The people calling were well-meaning, but so far, none of the tips have been helpful.

Natalie had to stop what she was doing, and she was hit with an intense feeling of dizziness since she needed to eat to take her iron tablets. She pushed the files away and decided to go find the vending machine that she had seen earlier. Natalie felt an aching pain coming from her feet. She tried her best to ignore it and continued to walk on the carpeted floor. She left the room and felt a certain chill in the area. Slessman’s presence was haunting; she had only gotten a brief glimpse of him in handcuffs. His eyes were such a light blue that, under the fluorescent light, they were almost gray. He was so lanky that he almost looked sick. And the creepiest thing of all is that when they caught each other's eyes, he smiled at her. She felt like she was going to vomit at the sight.

His unnerving demeanor reminded her so much of—she stopped that thought. No, she, Natalie, wasn't going to allow herself to go there. Natalie hadn't paid attention to where she was going until she heard shouting. She froze, jittering uncontrollably. She looked down at her shaking hands. She took a deep breath and repeated the mantra she learned in therapy. “I’m okay; I'm not in danger, not right here.” She calmed down enough to stop shaking; she wished she was thankful she didn't freak out in front of her coworkers. They would have probably thought she was crazy; they would be right, though she felt crazy most days. She just wished she could get a grip on herself and be normal.

It wasn't until she reached a large, double-sided mirror, which is where she found the source of the yelling, that she wished that she hadn't. Agent Hotchner was disheveled, but in a way, Natalie only thought was possible in movies: he looked devastatingly handsome, his suit jacket was off, and he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He had been shouting so much that he worked up a sweat, causing his hair to stick to his forehand.

She hadn't heard the best things about him from Strauss; she thought he was arrogant and insubordinate, but some part of her couldn't help but admire him in his element. Either way, it was dangerous for her to admire him; she couldn't fall in love because she knew that. Aaron started to gather his things, clearly frustrated. Natalie scurried away, resuming her mission; she didn't like to deal with angry men. Aaron felt like he was being watched and wanted to figure out from where, but was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing "Hotchner.” He responded that he was filled with the melodious voice of the tech assistant. “Tell me you love me." Aaron usually appreciated Garcia’s playfulness, but he was not in the mood.

"Garcia, the interrogation went nowhere; I don't have time for this.” Aaron tried not to take out his frustration on Garcia, but it still seeped through.

"Okay, fine, I’ll get to it after Reid theorized about there being another Unsub. I did some research on the name that Slessman's grandma gave, and it turned out to be an intimate name that he was infatuated with.” Garcia responded, “Garcia, you're an angel. Thank you!” Aaron huffed out a bit of praise.

"So, how’s it going with the new agent?” Garcia asked Aaron, figuring that Morgan had already told her about how he froze this morning like an idiot.

“It's going fine.” He simply responded that he wanted to focus on finding Heather, not his unprofessionalism this morning.

“Derek told me you were staring her down this morning; does someone have a crush?” Garcia whispered back in response. Aaron sighed; he knew Garcia was going to ask about that.

“Garcia, there is a woman's life at stake, so let's please focus on that.” Aaron simply replied back in a tired tone.

“Alright, I got it. I will stay on topic, but I didn't hear a no.” Garcia perked up, laughing to herself.

“Goodbye, Garcia. Call back only if it's about the case.” Aaron responded a little sternly, shutting off his phone. Natalie didn't know what to think. The woman was right; he didn't deny that he didn't have a crush on her, which almost made her excited, but that feeling was quickly overtaken by nausea. No, he couldn't love her; he was just trying to get the woman off the phone, that's all. Natalie assumed Aaron had left, so she let out a sigh and was frightened when his voice announced, “Who’s there?”

Natalie panicked and then realized how stupid she was for being scared. It was unlikely her boss would do anything, especially not in a police station, so she revealed herself. She immediately regretted that decision. When she saw Agent Hotchner's face fall, she realized she was in a compromising position.

“I know how this looks." She realized that she had fallen into a clique, which is not what it looks like, but what else can you say when your boss thinks you may have been spying on him? He didn't say anything for a few moments; she felt her palms getting sweaty, and her throat got dry. Then he started to move closer to her until he was so close that his breath was blowing on her, and then her heart started to race. “What was happening?” she thought. He looked straight into her eye, his expression unreadable.

"So then tell me what exactly was happening, because to me, it looks like you’re spying on me.” Now that she understood his expression, he was angry with her.

She stammered, “I wasn't; I was just trying to find a vending machine.” He moved even closer to her, which she didn't realize was even possible.

Aaron was angry; he disregarded how his heart sped up being so close to Agent Price, but now his suspicions were confirmed that she was mainly an inside person from Strauss. It was no secret that his superior and he, to put it lightly, had differences in where they had seen the BAU going, and he was constantly fighting to keep it running. Deep down, Aaron knew that's not really why he didn't like Natalie; the real reason wasn't her fault and had everything to do with him. “Let me make something clear, Agent Price. I know why you really took this job, and I refuse to let you shut down the BAU. You may have fooled someone else, but not me.”

Natalie was very confused. It was true that she had an ulterior motive for working at the BAU, but it had nothing to do with him. She nearly laughed at the accusation that she was some evil mastermind trying to shut down the BAU from the inside.

Then she got mad: “I’m no one, Lacky Agent Hotchner, and you must not be a very good profiler if you think otherwise. She nearly spit, staring him straight in the eyes. He didn't say anything, but Natalie heard the rumblings of people around her and quickly stepped back. From an outside look, it could look like two people about to—well, not threaten each other.

Aaron didn't take his eyes off of her, though. “Then why did you take this job? It's no secret that Strauss wants to dismantle this team; why are you here then?” Natalie couldn't answer that because she was here for somewhat selfish reasons. She just held her head down, not meeting his eyes. “I can’t tell you that," she whispered.

Aaron swallowed, but she still felt the heat of his gaze. Aaron felt a pit forming in his stomach. “That's what I thought.” Aaron stepped back, and soon after, Morgan called him to discuss something about the case. Natalie decided to just go back to her room, forgoing her original mission of trying to find something from the vending machine.

Slessman's cellmate was a dead end; literally, he had been dead for 2 months, and Agent Hotchner decided to call for a break until the morning at this news. Nobody wanted to, but there were also no leads, and everyone was exhausted. They pulled into the hotel they would be staying in until they found Heather. Or the killer struck again; Natalie just tried to focus on the hotel. It was pretty gaudy, covered in lights, and probably 10 stories high. It came with a full staff that doted on the entire team. Natalie didn't like being doted on, and she couldn't help but think about how much money just one night would be here. She always thought about how much money something was worth. That's just a result of growing up poor, she guesses.

It was going to take about an hour to get their rooms ready, and since room service was closed for the night, the team had no choice but to go out for dinner. If Natalie didn't have to take her medications, she would have just sat in the lounge until her room was ready. She felt numb; doing anything but help Heather felt wrong, especially when she had the means to help her. But she was back in another SUV, and this time she rode with JJ and Prentiss; she couldn't stand to be near him. No one said anything; there was nothing that really mattered except Heather, so they just listened to the radio. They pulled up to a diner, which had a large sign illuminated in the front: "Hanks.” It read that the outside was packed with cars, which gave Natalie hope that the food was at least decent. The rest of the team was already sitting inside.

“They must have sped here.” Prentiss laughed as the women made their way to the team.

They took up nearly two tables. Natalie strategically sat near Morgan and Reid, hoping that they would just bicker with each other and pretend that she didn't exist. That didn't happen, though Morgan spoke up first. “You don't talk much,” he said, with his usual smirk on his face. Natalie almost dropped her hamburger; she didn't think anyone cared about what she had to say. She took a bite, fully chewing, before she spoke. “I just talk when I have something important to say.” Apparently, this was funny because Reid spoke up. “Maybe you should take some notes, Morgan.” Morgan rolled his eyes at that.

Natalie turned her attention back to her hamburger, savoring every bite. Morgan clearly wasn't okay with this, though. “Well, how are we supposed to become friends if you don't talk?” He posed this as a glaring problem, and Natalie was even more confused. “You want to be my friend?” She asked; it would take her around 5 seconds to name all the friends she had, and she wasn't that committed to making any others. Regardless, she didn't mean to sound so surprised; it wasn't like she didn't want to be friends with him; she was just weary of men, which wasn't his fault. She wasn't friends with anyone back at Narcotics, so she assumed it would be the same here.

"Of course, and friends know things about each other, so what's your deepest secret?” He prodded.

“My deepest secret? She replied skeptically; she didn't know what to reply to. He was definitely making fun of her, she thought. Her face felt hot, and she spent all of her energy trying not to think about her deepest secret, which naturally had the opposite effect.

Reid sensed some anxiety from Natalie; he knew that Morgan was just messing around, but something about this question seemed to really bother her. So he decided to switch the conversation: “Diners, originally called lunch cars and contrary to popular beliefs, emerged in the 1920's; however, they were made popular in the 1950's." Reid continued to spout facts about diners, but Natalie had subtly tuned out, and the more she figured out what her deepest secret was,.

“I didn't like the first Scream movie," she replied, not talking to anyone in particular. She was met with a gasp by Reid. “How could you not like the first Scream movie? It changed cinematic history forever.” Apparently, Reid likes movies. Natalie thought, “I don't know; I thought the characters were annoying, and at a certain point, I wanted them to all die, I guess. She took a pause. “I think it would have been much more interesting if Dewie was one of the ghost faces.” The team started to laugh at the banter between the two, and for the moment, Natalie felt relaxed and at peace. For a moment, she forgot about why they were at the diner in Seattle; she forgot about how her boss hated her; she forgot about what her therapist had described as an avoidant attachment style; and she just enjoyed the moment.

The wheels in Spencer’s head were turning though, and his thoughts were going a million miles a minute. Eventually, he spoke up: “Natalie, I think you may be onto something.” Everyone stopped laughing and looked at Reid, interested in what he had to say next. “I think we were right about having two unsubs, but what if we were not looking for an inmate but a correctional officer?” The team pondered this and snapped back to reality; apparently, plans had changed and sleep was off the table again. Everybody had finished their last sips of milkshakes and taken the final bites of their food. Natalie was confused about how the doctor had even arrived at that conclusion, but she didn't question it.

What she did question was why Agent Hotchner insisted on dropping her off at the hotel. She knew that they had argued earlier, and maybe she wasn't as helpful as the others could be, but she didn't think she would be taken entirely out of the investigation. He didn't look at her at all during the ride and just turned on the radio. Natalie certainly wasn't going to make conversation, so they sat in silence. She wondered why he even bothered to drop her off, if he hated her that much. It was clear why he didn't just ask one of the officers to do it; in fact, why did he even care about her safety? It was these contradictions that made her furious. Natalie just got out silently when they arrived at the hotel and mumbled a thank you to Aaron.

It was two a.m. when Natalie heard the news that Heather Woodland was found alive. She had to live with lifelong trauma, but she was alive and was returned to her family. Natalie was grateful that she was alright but worried about her recovery. She knew firsthand what it was like to deal with lifelong trauma. Reid was the first person to call her and tell her the news, and she was grateful for that too. Natalie felt like she could finally sleep; she had been fighting it for hours, just staring at the ceiling, wondering if her newly found friends were being shot at or had even died. Natalie was quickly learning how different things worked at the BAU, and even though Aaron would never believe her, Natalie really didn't want to shut it down.