chapter twenty-two / season three episode sixteen.

DEREK MORGAN HAD BEEN EYEING AARON HOTCHNER'S OFFICE FOR THE PAST HOUR. And it was very quickly annoying everyone else in the office, especially Emily. Derek had promised he'd catch up on all his cases so that this Friday night they could all go out for drinks.

However, that would be completely unobtainable if Derek didn't stop staring through the closed blinds of the Unit Chief's office, for sustained periods of time.

Emily huffed and threw a loose pen at his head, making it bounce off and land at his desk, "Staring won't burn holes through the blinds to let you see what's happening in there."

"You don't know till you try it." He responded, not taking his eyes away from the shut door of the office, the closed blinds, all the secrecy in the meeting between Aaron Hotchner and Amelia Levine. Without looking, Derek threw the pen back at Emily's desk and knew it had hit some part of her body when she'd winced in response.

"I think I know because you've been staring for an hour and lasers haven't appeared out of your eye sockets." She remarked with a shake of her head.

"Yet."

Emily rolled her eyes, and rolled her chair over to his desk, picking up one of his files and forcing it in-front of his face, "Work. I'm in desperate need of a night out on Friday and if you don't pick up the pace, we will all be doing paperwork instead of spending Rossi's money."

"I'm busy." He waved the file away.

"Do not make me get JJ out here and force you to work, because you know I will." Emily threatened, the night out at stake was very important to her.

Derek sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from the shut blinds for what felt like forever and glancing at Emily, "I just need to know what's going on in there, Hotch isn't exactly the best person around Amelia."

"She's a big girl, Derek, Amelia can handle herself." Emily said and paused.

"Unit Chiefs aren't her specialty, Emily. She's probably picked her nail polish off, and is now on the verge of picking her fingers off!"

Emily and Derek stared at each other, before they both stared back at the closed curtains and the shut door of Aaron Hotchner's office.

✺

Meanwhile, within the office of Aaron Hotchner, Amelia Levine sat on the chair opposite his desk with a wide smile on her face.

It had been two weeks since the night in Pittsburgh, a night she doubted neither her or Hotch were going to be forgetting anytime soon. It was the most freeing talk Amelia's ever had, and she knew it had been a long time coming.

Amelia had always known trusting a Unit Chief would be difficult after Conrad James, the man who had tried to ruin her life. And Hotch hadn't exactly made the first impression that would fix Amelia's everlasting trust issues with Unit Chief's, and the relationship between the pair since then had constantly felt like a rollercoaster. Constantly up and down, constant miscommunications and bad days in which they cross paths and take their anger out on the wrong people. Constantly offering a safe space to talk but never being there.

It was confusing. For both of them. Amelia couldn't quite describe the rollercoaster they'd been on anymore because it was so messy. He didn't trust her at the start, and she'd been so willing to work with him, so willing to see he was better than Conrad. And then their paths had gotten crossed, Hotch trusted her but Amelia thought he hated her guts.

And now, here they were, talking to one another in his office. The world had really turned on its axis.

They were just talking. They'd been talking for an hour straight. Just talking. Because, neither of them did that very often and they both needed to trust each other, they needed to be more willing to trust.

Aaron had thought this to be the perfect way to do so, meet in his office every other week and discuss the matters that separated them (There was paperwork on the side that occasionally got done, but Amelia tended to concentrate more on conversation with him than the work they had to do) (And who was Aaron to complain about that?)

Trust was not just earned. Aaron had been working in the BAU long enough to know that, and he knew by now he should've had his agent's trust earned by now. He was bound to regret his treatment of Amelia for a long time.

But, he was fixing it. He was working on it. He was working on his relationship with her.

She clicked her pen, looking at the same file that had been in her lap for half this session already, "Y'know, I didn't even have a bad weekend in DC." The world had really turned on its axis now. "I think all your optimism got me through the weekend."

Aaron fought the urge to smile, "Optimism? I didn't know that was a word associated with me."

Amelia hummed, "I hadn't, until Pittsburgh." He wasn't sure how tears, pleas and begs resulted in optimism but sometimes it was better not to question Amelia. Not when she was at her happiest she'd been in weeks. "I mean, I'd been in a real runt, you know? It was hard getting out of bed, hard to sleep, and, you, uh, you made that a lot easier for me."

Amelia smiled, softly. (Aaron nearly fell off his chair) "I know I probably sound crazy, or maybe even insane, but I really needed something good. And you gave me that, the goodness I needed to carry on."

The goodness had came from him. Not Derek. Not Penelope. Him. He didn't understand why, he didn't understand how. But, he wasn't mad about it.

"I don't think you're crazy." He told her, closing a file that was most certainly not complete. This was just a discussion that needed his full attention. "I think you were a person in a bad place, Amelia. Everything feeling like it was going wrong. I'm glad it's not like that anymore."

Amelia had to learn to trust her Unit Chief, and it was happening step by step. She knew that. She knew if she kept up with these talks in his office, with a side of paperwork, every other week, she would feel better. She'd feel more secure in her job.

But, Amelia also knew that if she kept up her appearances in this office, she'd manage to avoid a session with the Bureau's therapist. Talking to Aaron Hotchner was ten times better than talking to a therapist. At least she could make Aaron laugh, make the corners of his lips curve upwards and she wouldn't have to sit on expensive, leather couch to pour out her feelings. Hotch's office was much safer than a therapist's office.

She couldn't help but feel like she was using him to make sure she wouldn't end up in a therapist's office. But, at the same time, she was learning to trust him and enjoy the time she spent in there.

So, to what lengths was she using him?

Amelia didn't know. Things were getting better, Thomas had kept his mouth shut at his daughter's surprise arrival this weekend, there was a framed picture of Clara on her dressing table with a fresh bunch of flowers as the reminder of why she did this job, Daisy Adler was still in her dining room begging to be solved and everything didn't feel so heavy anymore.

Everything wasn't just her problem anymore.

It was a nice feeling. One she'd never really endured before, where everything wasn't her burden but could be known by someone else, someone with solutions, someone who wanted to help.

Amelia couldn't believe it had been her Unit Chief who she shared her burdens with, her heavy pieces of concrete that were lodged in her chest and often made it hard to breath.

Amelia closed her file, unfinished, and stood up from the comfortable chair in his office, "Thank you, Hotch." She smiled at him, "And thank you for this, it makes me feel better."

He was glad he could make her feel better. He was glad to know he wasn't terrible at everything. That he was good at something.

Amelia glanced up at the clock, to see an hour had passed them by. When she had first entered his office the sun had yet to set, and now a moody night seemed upon them, "You packing up soon?"

She hoped he'd said yes. Hotch always seemed to be pulling later nights than everyone. She didn't like it. Amelia didn't like the hours he spent alone, crouched over his desk staring at pictures of dead bodies and reminding himself of traumatic cases.

Aaron glanced back at the stack of papers on the side of his desk, "I wish. But, I've still got a lot to go—"

Wordlessly, she picked up half the pile and waved at him with her free hand before he could object and walked back to her own desk.

Amelia wasn't oblivious to the crowd that surrounded Derek's desk, all sat on their chairs, staring up at the office before quickly dispersing. "You guys totally aren't suspicious." Amelia commented, slamming the pile of paperwork down on her desk and then placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow at Derek, Emily, Penelope and Spencer. "C'mon, speak up."

"There was a speck of dirt on Hotch's window." Penelope, timidly, responded, trying her best to butter up Amelia with a sweet smile.

This time around, Amelia wasn't buying it. (And the other three agents were so confused by Penelope's lie that they didn't see JJ urgently running to Hotch's office) "Really, P? Dirt?"

Penelope huffed, throwing her arms in the air and sighing before speaking, "Okay! It wasn't dirt. Everyone was really worried about what was happening to you and Hotchner in his office!"

"Derek thought he was murdering you." Spencer revealed, wincing when Derek slapped him on the arm.

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed, "Why would he murder me...?" She asked apprehensively. Amelia and Hotch had been working through their problems, and she doubted the man had found reason to kill her. (He had yet to find out her excessive printing usage, considering her one at home broke)

"You were in there a long time." Derek shrugged, trying to justify his theory.

Amelia sighed and waved a file in the air, "We were talking about paperwork, and a certain case I needed his help for. He was not murdering me."

Penelope sighed in relief, "Thank goodness. Because, if he did, I would have to murder him."

Thankfully, Hotch had slammed his door open after Penelope's confession, "All of you, BAU room. We've got a case."

The case was by no means easy. The case involved a house bombing, followed by two cops being shot to death. The house bombing had left the owner of the house DOA, and his daughter was suspected to be the unrecognizable body left inside the house.

A terror warning had been placed on the borders yesterday, and today two waves of a terror attack had been carried out. First civilians, then first responders.

West Bune, Texas here we come. (Even in fear of stepping on the toes of an angry, small town)

✺

West Bune, Texas was as every BAU member expected it to be: sandy and sad. That was the best way to sum up West Bune.

The officers there were searching for who did this with a vengeance, to claim back the lives of their own who had been lost in this massacre.

Sherif Hallum was a prime example of that, making the BAU's job much easier with a willingness to work with them and get this case solved. "Rod Norris. Manager of the chemical plant over in Iblas. No arrests in 10 years, since his wife left him. I can't blame her for leaving him, but it's a shame she left Jordan behind."

"What can you tell us about Jordan?" Rossi asked.

"Sweet girl. A bit slow."

"Slow?" Emily reiterated. "She was mentally challenged?"

"Not quite. Special Ed and all that," Hallum replied, "Takes some talking to to notice it. I think her mother leaving took its toll."

The scene revealed a dozen canisters of explosives, with sealed off rooms and only charred pieces of furniture left behind. Amelia, Emily, Rossi and Spencer stood in the kitchen.

"He seals the kitchen, blows out the pilot light, trapping the gas in here, near the primary charge." Amelia imagined it, imagined the scene that could cause this great of impact, "If she was here, between the charge and the window."

"Boom," Emily took over, "Rod Norris ends up in the tree, Jordan ends up in the field."

"They didn't care about the rest of the house though." Spencer spoke. And Amelia watched him closely, he'd been acting weird lately, she'd picked up on it. Unsure if anyone else had, and knew Spencer wouldn't want everyone watching him, so Amelia kept it to herself.

Her eyes checking his hands weren't shaking or anything like that... he'd been leaving early some nights, rushing back in as if he was coming back from somewhere if they got a late night case.

"The whole thing's designed to focus the blast on whoever came through that door." Spencer's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. But, what was the trigger?" Rossi asked.

Emily picked up a charred box of red cigarettes, "Rod Norris. He was a smoker."

"And they knew he'd be coming through that door. And they knew he'd be smoking when he did it." Amelia frowned. The scene wasn't a terror attack, it was personal. The Unsub knew their victims on a personal level, and had caused this explosion to cause personal harm.

Whoever the Unsub was, had wanted these people hurt and he wanted them to die. Somebody was angry at them, the BAU just had to find the links between these victims.

And Sheriff Hallum had provided them with the name Owen Savage.

✺

Bad, bad, bad news. Owen Savage was missing, and so was a whole arsenal of guns. And Spencer Reid was treading on thin ice around the officers and Agent Hotchner.

Amelia had been lucky enough to join the two men on their trip to the high school. She'd just finished reading over the text from Derek that warned her from not letting Spencer getting his head bit off, whether that be by Hotch or Hallum she was unsure.

Hotch led the way through the school with one of the teachers, Amelia and Spencer behind him. "You alright?" She asked, it was an open question.

An open question that Spencer knew Morgan had no doubt asked her to say.

"Yeah." Spencer responded, simply. "Why?"

Amelia shrugged, "Just checking in."

"I'm fine, Amelia. I don't need to be checked in with." He defended himself, a need to provide a barrier between himself and his team. A need for them to not know his struggles and what he deals with even 10 months later.

Amelia frowned, "Spencer, if you aren't—"

"But, I am. So, why ask?" He toyed with something in his pocket, but not his phone. So, he wasn't awaiting any form of phone call or text message. He was holding onto something with dear life, as if it brought him back to reality as he stormed off in-front to listen to Owen and Jordan's counselor.

Their counselor revealed they'd started dating last year, when Owen moved to Special Ed. In which Owen had been moved due to bad attitude and a lack of effort.

"The problem isn't a bad attitude. The A's in Math and Science tell us he's a gifted student." There was an edge to which Spencer spoke with, an unusual hardness that didn't suit him. "The D's in English and History, that tells us that he had difficulty reading. And the F in Geometry, that indicates a severe problem with spatial relations. That's further confirmed by his atrocious, illegible handwriting."

Amelia and Aaron shared a discreet look.

"All consistent with a brilliant but severely learning-disabled student." Hotch took the folder from him, afraid it was going to fall to the floor with the vigor in which Spencer was speaking.

"Yeah, but his standardized tests didn't support that kind of intelligence." The councilor defended the school's actions of moving Owen into the Special Ed classes in Junior Year.

"But, a spatial-relations handicap affects your hand-eye coordination." Spencer argued, "He couldn't fill in an answer bubble any easier than he could hit a baseball."

Spencer was frantic in his defense. His words flying out at unusual speeds, and his hand movements that were usually so calm, were so frenzied. It was unlike Spencer.

"Which is why he stayed away from sports." Amelia calmly inputted. A direct contrast to Spencer.

"Sports was a sore spot with his father." The councilor said, "I mean he joined the wrestling team his freshman year just to appease his old man, but that didn't work out."

The phone rung, dragging him away to answer it.

"He was the smartest kid in class, but couldn't prove it." Spencer stated, before whispering, "Being the smartest kid in class, is like being the only kid in class. He missed all of it."

"But schools like this can't meet the specialized needs of every student." Amelia looked between the pair. The frantic, on edge agent of Spencer Reid, who undoubtedly seeing fragments of himself within Owen Savage, and the Unit Chief, who Amelia had just earned the trust of.

Was it wrong for her to want to cower away into a corner and pretend she wasn't there. At least then she wouldn't have to pick aside, and hurt one of their feelings. Picking sides and hurting feelings was a common occurrence in the Levine household.

She couldn't do that with her real family.

"He gives it everything he's got." Reid argued, "over and over and over again, and continues to fail, and the whole time, the whole time, they tell him it's his fault. I mean, it makes sense."

"No, it doesn't." Hotch argued back. "An undiagnosed learning disability does not add up to this level of violence. Not without severe emotional abuse. You know that."

She didn't like their tones. The way Spencer's grew louder with each sentence he had to speak in defence of Owen, with each word that spewed out of his mouth before he could stop it. And the calmness of Aaron's voice that made the hairs on Amelia's arm stand up. It was his calm way of telling the erratic doctor he was wrong.

And Spencer had been quick to believe it was just the undiagnosed learning disability, especially after the video Derek found on Owen's computer. It was a disturbing video that had been filmed as Owen's initiation to the wrestling team, what they'd forced him into and filmed without him knowing, posted all over the internet.

And Owen knew that even once taken down, it was still there.

"When Owen quit the wrestling team, his father confronted him. I mean, he blamed Owen for the whole thing." The councilor sighed.

"He only joined the team to get his father's approval." Spencer said.

"Were these boys excluded?" Amelia asked.

"Owen identified them, but on film all we had was their voices. I mean, even if they admitted involvement, all they had to do was say that Owen didn't have to do it." The answer hung heavy amongst the agents: that the boys who did to Owen faced zero consequences for their actions, whilst Owen had been subjected to so much more.

"He didn't know he was being filmed!" Spencer objected.

Amelia turned to him. His voice had raised. The Doctor was getting closer and closer to dropping over the edge. And he was getting too close for Amelia's liking.

"Look, it's his word against theirs. Parents would get involved, the school board, lawyers."

Amelia frowned, "So, because you didn't want some extra paperwork you let these boys face no consequences for their actions? I mean, how did you help Owen after the video was taken down?"

Hotch was glad Amelia had started speaking, because that mean gave less space for Spencer to start attacking the man with his questions.

"I told him that dealing with bullies is part of growing up."

Amelia fought the urge to groan at the councilor's response, she often wondered if background checks were ever done on school councilors.

"Sounds familiar." Spencer remarked, and the councilor continued to defend himself whilst Amelia stared at the side of Spencer's head. It was all so clear what Spencer saw in Owen. The neglected, intelligent boy who had suffered at the hands of his fellow peers: who'd been subject to abuse, with no way of stopping it.

The only difference between Owen and Spencer, was that Spencer had gone on to catch killers, whilst Owen had become one.

"Right now, Owen's out there sorting it out with an assault rifle."

"Reid." Hotch warned, to which Spencer responded by dumping the files on the floor of councilor's office and leaving the room.

Amelia and Aaron bent down at the same time to pick up the files, their hands just passing by one another as they did so.

Amelia's eyes widened when her hand just scraped by Hotch's.

Aaron cleared his throat, "I apologize. It's just we've heard those phrases before when we interview school shooters."

Emily entered the room, noticing the lack of Spencer, "Jordan was the motive for Kyle Borden. It was revenge." She exchanged a look with Amelia, who sighed and nodded her head out the door.

"I need to speak to the boys who made this video, immediately."

None of them had shown up for school.

And now, Owen had shot them dead.

✺

"He's seeing himself in Owen." Amelia whispered. The profile having now been delivered to the rest of the Police Department and afterwards resulted in Amelia and Spencer joining Derek back at Owen's house. Which had been because Spencer had finally snapped in defense of Owen.

"He's getting involved." Derek replied, looking over his shoulder, making sure Spencer was still at the computer sorting through the emails Penelope restored.

Amelia ran a hand through her hair, sitting on the edge of Owen's bed and signaling for Derek to do the same.

Derek rubbed his palms together, "Reid." He said, making the Doctor turn around in confusion, "You know, you aren't the only one who identified with him. You said I was a high school jock. I was. But not at first. My freshman year, I was five foot three. I weighed a buck-twenty soaking wet."

"So trust me when I tell you, I got my ass kicked everyday. So, the following summer, I hit the weights and I got lucky I grew six inches. But, it was never about vanity, Reid." Derek shook his head, "It was about survival."

Amelia didn't feel like her high school experience was going to help Reid. She'd been a behavior buffer, a quiet girl, with no friends and yet they hadn't shoved her in the head toilet or stuck gum in her hair. Everyone had decided to just let the anxious girl, who was always sat front row as quiet as a mouse, get on with it.

"I was in the library," Spencer cleared his throat, "And, uh, Harper Hillman comes up to me, and she tells me that Alexa Isben wants to meet me behind the field house. Alexa Isben was like, easily the prettiest girl in school."

"So, what happened? Alexa wasn't there?"

"She was there, so was the entire football team. They striped me naked and tied me to a goal post. So many kids were there, just watching." Amelia felt her heart break for Spencer. No kid, especially not their Spencer, deserved that. "I begged them to stop but they just..."

"They just watched."

"They finally got bored and they left. It was like midnight when I finally got home. And my mom," he squeezed his eyes shut for just a moment, "Mom was having one of her episodes, so she didn't even realize I was late."

"You never told her what happened?" Derek asked.

"I never told anybody. I thought it was one of those things." Spencer confessed.

Amelia reached out her hands, "I'm sanitized, I promise," she said, before he placed his hands in hers and she squeezed tightly, "Some kids, Spencer, just pick on people, with no reason, no remorse. And it's the kids who never deserve it. You never deserved that. You never deserve to he humiliated, or hurt like that. And it's never going to happen again, okay? We can't change that it already happened, which sucks, but I think you can heal yourself by reminding yourself you will never be in that situation again."

"And while those low life's are out barely surviving, know that you are ten times better the person they will ever be. You have a heart of gold, Spencer, don't let it go to waste because bullies are holding you back."

Derek smiled at Spencer, "And I know that elephant memory of yours is gonna be replaying the memory over and over again, but it's never gonna happen again."

"Owen just wants to forget." Spencer deflected, feeling as if his parents had just consoled him after a bad day at school, "I know what that's like."

He'd said it because he couldn't lie to Amelia and Derek. He could be vulnerable with them. Open.

✺

In the midst of his vulnerability last night, Spencer had realized Owen's fear of abandonment and they could use that to their advantage.

Hotch took Amelia aside that morning, "If I need a negotiator, I need to know if you're ready."

Amelia stared back at him. She'd been on 2 negotiations in the BAU, both had ended in the result no-one on the team would've wanted. "Hotch—"

"When we find him, he'll be difficult, he'll want to take his own life, he'll want to take Jordan's life too." He said, JJ and Emily were currently at Jordan's friend's house trying to coax her out of Owen's grasp. "And I—"

"The probability of me saving him, or anyone saving him—"

"I trust you to do it." He did that. "And I need to get back—"

"I'll do it, then." She knew she'd said that because he needed to go. He hadn't meant to say it in a way that persuaded her, it was just a fact. Derek and Rossi were already waiting for him outside to go back to the girl's house, Amelia was just holding him up by not confirming what was asked of her.

She always had to do what was asked of her, whether it was too much to take on.

He thanked her, and before she knew it he was gone.

Amelia took deep breaths. Her negotiating felt like a skill that was slowly leaving her, and yet it was something she had practiced for years. It was a skill that had saved so many lives. And yet, it had been killing more lives than saving them lately.

Amelia tucked her hair behind her ears and rested her head against the wall behind her. Stanley. Anna. Tubbs. They were bad displays of her skills. They weren't focused, they were messy with low probabilities.

Low probabilities had been her specialty. She needed to take a deep breath and get in the mind zone that she was going to save a life, somebody's life on the worst day of their life—

"He's on his way here." Emily frantically told her. It had only been twenty minutes ago that Spencer, Hotch, Derek and Rossi were at a ranch. It had been twenty minutes since Jordan had turned up at the station.

Spencer was back.

Why was Spencer back but nobody else was?

"What—?" Amelia asked in confusion, trailing after Spencer and Emily.

"JJ is watching Jordan, but he's going to turn up here, she's calling Hotch."

Spencer continued stalking out of the police department, with Amelia hot on his heels, Emily not so far behind. He'd known. You could tell with the way he'd been the only one to return from the ranch, the way he'd stormed out of the building, found Owen quicker than the two female agents beside him.

He'd known.

Spencer had pulled away, but Amelia's arm restricted him from walking further away and directly towards Owen who held a rifle. "What are you doing?" She knew exactly why he'd pulled away. He was going to talk to Owen, because he understood Owen. Knew him like he knew himself.

Spencer would go against orders to do so.

It would mean Amelia would defy orders too, "You can't just walk up to him. Let me go—"

Low probability. Amelia had low probability because she'd never been the challenged student at school, who was intelligent just without the correct resources to show it. Amelia hadn't been the student humiliated by her peers.

Spencer had. He had a better probability.

Amelia looked back at Emily. And looked back at Owen. A boy on a mission. Kill Jordan. Kill himself.

Spencer was going to walk into this with no vest, and undoubtedly no gun.

Amelia felt her heart skip a beat. The casualty of that could be horrendous: if it was somebody who didn't know what they were doing. "Are you sure you know what to say? You won't aggravate him—"

"I know." Spencer murmured, his hand pulling out his gun and placing it in Amelia's palm, "Don't shoot him. Let me save him."

Amelia couldn't believe that her hand let Reid walk away, let him convince Owen to not kill himself. Convince him that he wasn't alone.

Spencer was going to talk to himself. Help himself.

Help Owen.

"What are you doing?" Emily hissed, watching Amelia who couldn't stop staring at Spencer, who had his hands held up in innocence.

Amelia kept quiet.

"How could you let him go?"

Owen placed his gun on the ground.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, glancing back to Emily. "I wouldn't have been able to do that."

"You were a negotiator, Amelia." Emily scolded, "People with guns and killing people and getting them to put the weapons down was your job for years."

Amelia sighed, watching the rest of the team cuff Owen. "I know that, Emily. But, if I went up there today, I would've killed Owen. He needed someone who understood him, who knew him like he knows himself. That wasn't me. And I trusted Spencer, and his crazy, stupid plan. And I don't regret it because Owen is still alive."

Amelia never thought she'd let another agent take a risk again in the field. Every possible risk reminded her of Clara, of what she could lose. But, today, she knew Clara would've taken that risk if she'd been in Spencer's shoes. Amelia couldn't deny that and it's why she couldn't stop Spencer.

✺

"You let him walk." Aaron muttered. Having just threatened Spencer with being fired, he now had to threaten Amelia. He couldn't believe how this flight home was going. "You let him put his own life at risk, and knowingly put the lives of others at risk."

Amelia nodded her head. She couldn't exactly say she hadn't.

And the trust she was building with Hotch meant she should probably keep it honest, especially after she'd gone against his better judgement...

She understood his anger with her. He'd asked her to negotiate, trusted her to negotiate, and then she'd let Reid do it. Without a vest, without anything.

Without backup. It was a bitter pill to swallow what she'd done.

"I know." She whispered.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Aaron asked. They were sat opposite each other, just one seat opposite the other. Spencer at the other end of the plane, and the rest of the team fast asleep on a four seater. It gave Aaron the opportunity to freely express his emotions with her. Let her see something other than the stony face of Aaron Hotchner.

He could do that with her.

Amelia looked up at him, and shrugged her shoulders, "He just..."

She'd trusted him to do it. To talk to one boy, who was remarkably like himself. Amelia knew he could talk Owen away from his actions.

Amelia wondered if deep down she thought Clara couldn't do it.

"I knew he could do it." She said, simply. "I trusted him—"

"I trusted you." Aaron whispered, "I trusted you to do it."

Amelia sighed, staring back at him, "I didn't trust myself, Hotch. My negotiating needs work, I need to work at it. It's not easy like it used to be. Since I left Seattle, it's not natural to me. Since Clara. I'm not good at it. I'm out of practice. I can't negotiate for you."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" There was a softness to the question he'd asked her. He couldn't threaten her after that admission, he could be callous but he wouldn't be with his own team. He'd threatened Spencer, and then reassured the Doctor would get the help he needed once they landed.

"You were busy, you needed to go, and I couldn't let you down." She admitted, biting her cheek when he didn't respond straight away.

"You couldn't let me down, you won't disappoint me if you say no, Amelia. If something is going to impact you negatively, I'd rather you tell me. So, that I don't have to put you through it." He said.

"I just thought—" She mumbled.

Aaron's lip curved upwards into a reassuring smile, telling her it was okay. "I know. I know what you were thinking. But, I'm not like that. I'm not like that. Next time, you don't feel comfortable doing something tell me and we can work around it, okay?"

She smiled and nodded her head. The man sitting opposite her wasn't Conrad James. He was Aaron Hotchner, who she trusted, whose hand brushed against hers, whose lips only curved upwards in her presence.

"But, also, the next time you let Reid out to negotiate without a vest, I will have to fire you."

She laughed. And it was music to his ears.

"I'm serious." He instated, and couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

Amelia stood up, grabbing her mug from the table, "I know. It was just funny watching you threaten me." She smiled, "Coffee?"

"What—?" Before he could finish his question, Amelia was already off, essentially skipping down the aisle of the plane with her mug in hand, ready to make them both a coffee. He watched her go with a smile on her face.

She stopped beside where Spencer was sat, picking up his mug and squeezed his shoulder.

She'd noticed the chip that he toyed with in his hand, but didn't ask any question. Just reassured him that she was there.

Always there, with her door open, ready to smile softly and tell you it was all okay.

Or, at least it would be in the end.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
i died at multiple points in this chapter. firstly, because i'm trying to get back into episode based chapter and it's killing me slowly but also because AARON X AMI?! THIS CHAPTER?!

SPENCE X AMI?! derek and ami being his parents ohhh i'm sick

we already knew that

anyway im pretty sure this counts as a happy chapter, because i felt insanely happy writing it.

also saw this on pinterest and laughed

no confirmation as to whether it's true or not, i just know the conspirators in my comments might laugh LMAO

and a very very late but happy happy birthday wish to bestgirllever ❤️❤️ please accept my late birthday present as this joyous gift of a happy chapter!