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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛? ❞

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ㅤ𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐄𝐙 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, his arms holding Jack Hotchner in place as the little boy hopped onto a swing.

"I thought I was finally gonna meet this little one's dad?" He asked, staring at Alina while still being mindful of Jack. A few female officers walked by them, giggling when he glanced at them for a second, barely even acknowledging their presence before focusing back on his daughter and Jack, who he considers his grandson after meeting him for the first time.

Despite his rather...not-so-good reputation due to his slight anger and authority issues, he was still popular among the ladies, mostly due to the fact that despite being in his mid-50s, Richard Narvaez is still considered eye-candy. He was tall, fit for his age, and had an air of superiority regardless of who he was with. His salt and pepper hair was always perfectly styled, and his facial hair was always well-groomed.

Rolling her eyes a little at the sight of her dad's 'admirers,' Alina shrugged and pouted slightly in apology. "He was supposed to meet us, but got called in last minute. They have a case in North Carolina."

"He's a fed, right?" Richard frowned a little, beginning to swing Jack slowly, the corners of his lips quirking up at the sound of the boy's giggles. "Didn't know you were into feds."

"I'm not," Alina scoffed, crossing her arms a little as she shifted her stance. For today's outing with her dad and Jack at Fort McNair, she wore a white tank top underneath a leather jacket, and a pair of black jeans. On her feet were a pair of black leather Saint Laurent 68 Boots, and on her shoulder was an ivory Saint Laurent Solferino in medium. She's been loving the brand recently. 

Richard raised his eyebrows and let out an amused huff. "I don't think so," he pushed the swing a little harder at Jack's request. "You don't just take care of anyone's kid, Sol."

Alina blew a raspberry. "Hey, just saying, I like Jack more than Aaron, okay? Kid's cute."

He shook his head while still keeping a firm watch on how high Jack's swing could go, not wanting him to get hurt. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You know, the more I hear about this Aaron Hotchner, the more I want to meet him. I mean, he seems to have raised his kid really well."

"He was lucky to have a good support system," Alina pointed out. "I've met his sister-in-law, she's really nice."

"Hmm, meeting the family already, huh? How 'bout his ex-wife? Couldn't be as bad as my last, is she?"

She gave him a mock-disapproving look. Her dad has been married a total of three wives, including her mother. None of them really...stuck. "Dad, no one has the same abysmal taste in women as you," she pointed out. "And, uh, I..." she glanced at Jack, quickly shuffling towards her dad and whispering, "she's...gone."

He looked at her. "As in..."

"Yeah."

Richard somberly nodded, understanding the situation a bit better. He was about to speak when Jack tugged on his sleeve—he was wearing his uniform—and asked to be let down. He got the swing to slow down enough for Jack to jump off before turning to Alina again. "Right, well, at least the kid's not too...affected." Alina nodded in agreement. "Sol, I just want you to be careful, alright?"

Alina frowned. "Why?"

"I'm just saying, I know you don't do relationships, but it doesn't take a genius to see that you love that kid," he pointed at Jack, who was now running around and playing with the other kids, "and that the kid loves you back. You're part of their family now, and they're part of ours. Even if you deny your feelings, Sol, you guys are family."

"Dad..." Alina grimaced a little, mulling over his words.

"Just think about it, okay?" He asked. "I know I haven't been the best father figure nor the best example when it comes to how good marriages should be, I still know you. You're my daughter, and I don't want you to get hurt."

She sighed. "Dad, the whole reason why it's hard for me to...feel things is because of you. All of us struggle with it. Except maybe Dora," despite her father's hurt expression, she continued, "And as much as I do genuinely love you because you still tried your best, I can't exactly just accept your advice."

Richard sighed too, crossing his arms, mirroring his daughter's position as he frowned down at the ground, slouching a little. "Well, it's not like you're wrong," he looked back up again and looked met her gaze. "At least I know you can hold your own. Just...if you need me..."

"I know, dad. I know," she nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile before gesturing behind him. "You're being called."

He turned to face where she had gestured towards and saw one of his soldiers jogging towards him. "Right," he nodded, glancing down at her. "I suppose I'll see you and Jack when I can."

"And when is that?"

"...I'm not sure."

Alina sighed sadly. "I understand."

"Hey, Jess," Alina greeted, smiling at Jess as the blonde skipped towards her and Jack. After they left base, the brunette didn't want to head back to New York yet, and so she decided to just hang out with Aaron's sister-in-law who was more than willing to spend time with her nephew.

"Lina," Jess grinned, pulling the brunette into a hug before she kneeled down in front of her nephew to greet him too. They had decided on spending the rest of the day in the park closest to Jess' apartment. "Hey Jack! How was your day?"

"It was good! Grandpa took me to the playground!" Jack exclaimed, hugging Jess' shoulders.

The blonde frowned a little. "Grandpa?"

"My dad," Alina supplied, looking at her. "He and Jack got close and now Jack calls him grandpa. I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable."

Jess quickly shook her head, smiling at Alina as she stood back up with Jack in his arms. "It's completely fine, Jack looks happy and that's all that matters. I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable." She raised an eyebrow as she began walking.

Alina and Jack followed suit, the boy holding onto her hand as she said, "Why should it?"

She only shook her head again as she bit back a smile. Even to her, it was obvious that both Hotchner boys were smitten, yet somehow this genius standing in front of her can't see what everyone's been seeing for a few weeks now. "Nothing."

"...I don't understand," Alina frowned.

Jess patted her on the shoulder. "It's nothing, I swear. I just think that...something's about to blossom soon."

"Spring's about to end," she shook her head, frowning deeper in confusion. "Unless we're talking about irises, peonies, geraniums, salvias..."

As the day went on, the three continued on having fun. But while they all hung out, one thing that Jess kept noticing while being around the two was just how much they subconsciously stick close to each other; Jack was practically always clinging onto Alina's hand, while Alina always had her eyes on him and was almost always ready to pick him up whenever he wanted. The two were like best friends, and she was surprised that Alina didn't notice how much Jack was beginning to depend on her.

Jess grinned a little as she walked behind the two, watching as Jack pointed something out to Alina, who was quickly putting on a shocked and excited expression, which the boy giggled at.

Beautiful, the curly-blonde noted, tilting her head a little as memories of her sister came flashing through.

Though Alina denied it, she was slowly becoming Jack's mother.

She sighed a little, her smile dropping slightly, when she thought back on Haley. But knowing her sister, and how much she loved her son, Jess knew that Haley would love Alina, maybe even more than the Hotchner boys.

She just hoped that the oblivious Alina will realize it before it was too late.

Her grin came back when Alina and Jack turned towards her, and asked in eerie unison, "What do you want to eat for dinner?"

Jess only laughed and shook her head, watching, right before her eyes, as Jack was slowly becoming Alina's son.

When nightfall came, Alina and Jess sat on one of the park benches, with Jack sitting on Alina's lap, his entire body wrapped around hers. He was tired, and was slowly falling asleep while playing with her hair. Jess eyed him for a second, waited until he was asleep, before she faced Alina.

"You know," she spoke, which prompted Alina to turn to her, "my sister would've loved you."

Alina blinked, trying to find words to say. She was never one to reassure people, and was often blunt with her words, but she liked Jess, and didn't want to offend her by saying something wrong. She opened her mouth, but slowly closed it again.

Jess, amused, waved a hand dismissively. "You don't need to...sugarcoat, Lina. I've had enough of the 'I'm sorry's and all of that. But my point still stands, Haley would've loved you, would've probably loved you more than Jack does." She chuckled a little. "You're a breath of fresh air, and the Hotchner boys really like you. I do too."

The brunette tilted her head, frowning slightly. "Why? Not many people do, especially people outside of my close friends and colleagues."

She shrugged, smiling. "I suppose most people just aren't used to someone like you."

"I don't see how that makes me likable."

"It's just," Jess hummed, looking up at the night sky in thought before making eye contact again. "You're a good kind of different. You say it how it is, and personally, in this world full of liars and maniacs, someone who says the truth...it's what we need." Then she smirked. "Although, you definitely need to work on your people skills."

Alina scoffed, shifting a little to make Jack more comfortable before she faced forward. "People usually find my honesty vexing. I don't understand how you can consider it good. Not that I'm complaining, of course, I do appreciate it when people aren't too soft and can take the harsh truths of reality. With that being said, most people..."

"Hey."

"Hey," Alina replied softly, practically whispering into the phone as she replied to Aaron's greeting. It was a couple of hours later, nearing one in the morning, when he called. "Jack's already asleep."

"I know," Aaron sighed. "I...I kind of got too caught up in the case, and--"

"You don't really have to apologize, you know," she cut him off as she shifted to accommodate for Jack who moved closer to her in his sleep. "He knows you're busy doing your job, he knows you love him."

Aaron grimaced slightly, sitting down on his bed. "I'd rather he hears it."

Alina smiled to herself. "You're a good father, Aaron Hotchner."

Running a hand through his hair, Aaron felt himself relax slightly at her words as he leaned back against the headboard. Though he was physically tired, his mind was still running, going through different scenarios, moving from thoughts about the case to thoughts about his son and Alina.

"I just..." he sighed, frowning. "Ever since..."

"You don't need to talk about it if you're not ready," Alina reassured, her heart beginning to pound heavily in her chest. She was nervous; she wasn't all too great at comforting people.

Aaron sighed again. "I just feel guilty for not always being there."

Alina hummed. "Take it from someone who's been in Jack's shoes: at least you're trying. You still manage to go back home, you dedicate your weekends to him...it's better than what we got, and honestly, I applaud you for it."

He pursed his lips. "I wasn't always like this, you know. Only after..." he cleared his throat and turned away. Even though he was alone, he somehow couldn't even look forward. "I wasn't always like this," he repeated. "When Jack was younger, I was barely home and I guess...I guess I just wanna make up for it."

Looking down at the blond-haired boy, Alina bit her lip slightly in contemplation, before carefully pulling away so she can stand up and walk towards her window so she can stare out into the forest that surrounded the compound. The tranquility of the scene helped her compose her sentence.

"Aaron...thank you."

He tilted his head. "What for?"

"For trying," she repeated. "I know that situations like these, they have effects on both sides of the equation. But that doesn't mean that it's the same," she bit the inside of her cheek before continuing, "Growing up without a parent is way more difficult than leaving a child to somebody else's care, that much I can tell you. And though it's not always the parents' fault, still, they're the adult, they're the ones that can make a decision, yet..." She clenched her jaw, letting out a breath through her nose. "The parents have obligations, yes, but they're also obligated to take care of their kid."

At this point, Aaron's lips were pressed into a thin line. He wasn't sure if Alina was trying to make him feel better, or feel worse. He knows that Alina's been through the same thing, and that she harbors a lot of feelings and opinions about situations like these, so he knows he should listen. But her words were just cutting deeper into him, and he was starting to feel--

"I'm not that good with sugarcoating, nor with being 'gentle' with my words," he snapped back to reality, "I say it like it is, and the truth is, you being away all the time isn't a good thing. But the fact that you're making the effort to be present in Jack's life, even though it's difficult, even though you have a lot of responsibilities, is better than nothing. And the fact that you're making time, calling him every time you can, making sure he's safe and happy. That's good enough."

"I-I..." Aaron stuttered, his eyes watery as he processed her words. For the first time in a while, he genuinely speechless. Alina was the first one to ever really get through to him, the first one who he opened up to, the first one who listened and understood. "Lina..."

"You don't need to say anything more." The smile on her lips was obvious in her tone. "I tried to get my point across and I hope it did, because I don't want to repeat all of that. Just know that Jack loves you. That's all that matters."

He sniffled slightly, pulling the phone away as to not let her hear. He looked down at his lap, his brows furrowing as he tried to hold himself back from crying. As soon as he was sure that he was composed enough, he placed the phone back near his ear. "Thank you. You say you're not good with words, but..."

She smiled. "I have my moments. Now," she turned and glanced up towards her clock. She tutted a little, "Go to sleep, Hotchner."

"Yes ma'am."

author's note: somehow this chapter took a fucking while, but i do hope it was sorta worth the wait. i'm trying to introduce more emotion into this book, especially towards hotch and alina who are both kind of stoic most of the time. alina, who doesn't know how to do emotions, and hotch who always keeps his emotions to himself. i wanted them to sort of have a heart to heart and i hope i did it well enough. i really want them to connect emotionally without them really noticing.

thank you guys for reading!! please point out any spelling/grammatical mistakes, and i'll try to update as soon as possible <3