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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚒 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒'𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 ❞

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ㅤ"𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆? W-where- what-"

Aaron Hotchner was at a loss for words, mouth agape as he looked down at Alina who was standing in his office. It had been a several days since their last talk, and the two of them had accomplished a lot. Not only did Alina and Helen finish their project—and became a worldwide phenomenon—he and his team had also gone through two cases, one in Oklahoma and the other in their own backyard. Everything was going well, but then...

"It's not like I'm gone forever!" Alina giggled as she clasped her hands behind her back, akin to toddler who was about to receive a gift. Like before, she had rushed towards the FBI headquarters straight after her work at the labs, so she was wearing another casual set of clothes. But because it was October and it was getting colder everyday, on top of her jeans and knitted turtleneck was a brown trench coat that fit the color scheme of the season. On her feet were a pair of black Chuck Taylors, which amused Aaron greatly, just like every time she wore shoes that didn't increase her height.

He couldn't help but find her adorable whenever their height difference was on full show.

Alina let out another giggle as she walked closer to him, all while standing on her toes to help reach his face better as he moved to stand in front of her. She cupped his face in her small hands and said, "I was invited by the royal family of Wakanda to visit their country, couldn't exactly say no. And, anyway, I'm only gonna be there for a bit! Just to celebrate, but I promise, if there are any changes in the plan, I'll let you know."

"You better," he pretty much grumbled. Despite their fifteen-year difference—an age gap that never bothered either of them, often times they even forget—Alina somehow always brings out the childish side of him, a side he was sure he'd left back in his hometown. Somehow, she makes him feel young, as if all the horrors he's seen in the past decade hasn't happened; to put it simply, she makes him forget.

He had to stop himself from pouting when she removed her hands from his face as she stood back down on her heels, but the feeling faded as soon as she hugged him around the waist. This time, he had to stop himself from grinning too widely, remembering that he was still in the office. He suddenly froze and looked to the side, remembering that his blinds were still open.

"What is it?" Alina wondered, following his gaze, only to snort at all the BAU members trying their hardest to pretend that they hadn't been spying on the two of them. "For a bunch of profilers, you'd think they'd be better at this."

A disappointed sigh escaped Aaron's lips, and despite all his inner protests, he moved away from her so he can close his blinds. He sighed again when he turned around, leaning against his window with his arms crossed. He was lucky his door was already closed.

She shook her head in amusement. "Anyway, I'll also make sure to call you and Jack as much--"

"Yes, call me- us, call us everyday," he cleared his throat as he cut her off, nervously glancing down at his floor for a second as if he hadn't just tried to make himself her top priority.

Lucky for him, she hadn't noticed his blunder and only sputtered in shock. "E-Every--"

"Everyday," he repeated. A smile was threatening on his lips as he watched her; her arms had fallen back to her sides as she contemplated his request, before moving one up to her head as she scratched her scalp in thought.

"I- I can try?" She told him, uncertainty in her tone.

Forcing back his grin, he stepped away from his window and walked back to stand in front of her again. He didn't hesitate to cradle her head, and press a kiss down to her crown. Pulling away, he looked down at her again and brushed his nose against hers.

"I'm gonna miss you," he told her, still holding her close to him.

She tutted and pushed him away slightly so she can get a good look at him. She frowned before pinching his nose as she let out an indignant whine.

"Why are you suddenly so charming?!" She complained. "You're making me all flustered!"

"My job is to win you over, isn't it?" He chuckled. It was at this moment that he realized that the tables have turned; back then, it was Alina that was rendering him speechless, the one who was being bold about her advances, the one who'd blatantly compliment him to get a reaction she wanted. He chuckled again and leaned down towards her left ear and whispered, "I think it's working, don't you think?"

She scoffed as she tried not to show how his actions affected her, ignoring the fact that her face had gone warm. She pushed him away, hands on his chest, feeling an urge to turn around and hide her face from him. She was just about to give in, when he placed his hands over hers and refused to let go.

"Aar!" She whined again.

"Ali!" He copied, laughing at her misfortune.

"Oh, shut up."

"Fine," he shook his head and stood straight, schooling his expression so he wouldn't look a little too pleased at her reddened face. "Guess I'll see you when I see you?"

"Yep," Alina nodded. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He sighed as he leaned against his desk, arms crossed again. He then began complaining like a child. "I've barely been back home and now you're the one who's gonna leave? I can't believe this..."

She slapped his chest, all while trying not to smile. "You're such a child!"

He laughed, throwing his head back before looking back down at her fondly. "You gonna say goodbye to Jack first?"

"Of course I am, I'm not an idiot."

Aaron watched from the sidelines as Alina and Jack talked animatedly amongst themselves. It was several hours after she had visited his office, and made the decision to accompany him home to properly say goodbye to his son. He was standing a little ways away—enough not to hear their conversation—as he leaned against the wall, with Jess standing beside him.

Jess also watched Alina and Jack with a smile, before she turned to look up at Aaron and asked, "How you feeling?"

The man cleared his throat, crossing his arms. "I'm good," he replied, "just a little..."

"Sad?" Jess finished for him with a small smile on her face. "It's not a bad thing, you know? Shows how much you're gonna miss having her around." She then shifted her stance before hesitantly asking, "How are you and Lina, anyway?"

He contemplated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Unlike with the other people in his life, he'd always been very open to Jess. Having known her for far longer than any of the people on his team, they've been through a lot together, to the point that they've both seen each other at their lowest. She was, at this point, his best friend, and he knew he couldn't keep anything from her.

Shrugging, he turned to her and said, "We, uh, we've worked out a few things?"

"Like?" She insisted.

"Like...you know," he mumbled, looking oddly shy before sighing, closing his eyes for a moment as if praying, before finally- "She showed me her list."

"Wait, what? The List?"

He frowned. "Did everyone know about this?"

"Oh no," she shook her head, "just us ladies. We may have put a few things on there," she admitted sheepishly.

"Not like it matters," he cleared his throat, a little confused but still amused. "She showed it to me all ripped up and threw it in the trash. Never really read anything."

Jess chuckled, pushing a strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear. "That's a good thing, you know? Goes to show she doesn't need a list, that she doesn't really care about the little things anymore."

"I know it's a good thing," he told her, nodding. "And despite me not knowing, not even needing to know, I'm glad she showed me," he pursed his lips. "It's like..."

"Like she's showing you that she's about to take the next step with you?" She teased, giggling a little as she patted him on the arm. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of both of you. You know, I thought, after Haley..." she sighed, "You're my brother, Aaron. And I love you, and because of that, I was so afraid that you'd end up alone for the rest of your life. I know how much you loved my sister."

"I still love her," he replied. "But I'm not in love with her anymore, haven't been for a long time; I'm pretty sure she and I stopped being in love with each other long before the divorce. We just...grew apart." He shrugged. "But she'll always be Jack's mom, my first love."

Jess smiled softly, glancing back at Alina and Jack as they giggled at each other, before looking up at Aaron again. "And she always will be. Alina's not replacing her, and even Jack knows this."

"I know," he nodded, "I know. It's just...I never thought I'd ever find someone again. Someone I can count on, someone who kind, and smart, and beautiful. And...and someone who's good with Jack," he smiled in the direction of where Alina was slowly tucking the little boy in as he prepares to go to sleep. "Right now, she's not ready. But I am, and I'll wait for her for as long as she wants. I don't think I can find anyone better."

"You better tell her that."

"She knows," he nodded again, uncrossing his arms and pulling Jess into a side hug, tucking her under his arm. "She just doesn't believe me. I think she's struggling to comprehend that love's not a disadvantage. That it isn't worthless. But I'm glad that...despite all that she's..." He smiled. "She's willing to try with- with me."

"I'm happy for you two," Jess grinned and hugged him tightly.

Aaron then kissed her head, rubbing her arm before letting go. "You know, she promised me to go and find someone better. I didn't want to, but she insisted that if I suddenly change my mind--"

"You better not!" She slapped his arm, ignoring his tiny yelp. "You and Alina are perfect! I swear--"

"You two alright?" Alina suddenly asked, and the two immediately straightened, looking a bit like deer caught in headlights as they face her. She was confused, but decided not to ask and instead just gestured at the sleeping boy. "He's asleep."

"Right, of course!" Jess didn't waste a second to change the subject, glaring subtly at Aaron as she pulled Alina into her arms. "I'm gonna miss you." She shot another glare at the man before pulling away from the hug. "You mind if I walk you back to your car? Let's have a little girl talk before you leave."

"Oooo," Alina nodded, looking a little impressed. "I've only ever had those with Gwen."

"Then you're missing out! Now..."

The two women's voices slowly faded as they walked out of his apartment, and all Aaron could do was helplessly watch as they left. He didn't even get the chance to properly say goodbye to Alina yet, but he supposes he already had enough time with her earlier, so he didn't feel that bad. He then chuckled to himself, before closing his front door.

A week later, Aaron was once again in his office. It was still pretty early, and the only significant thing he had in his schedule was a meeting with Jack's teacher that was happening in an hour. So, other than the sound of his pen scraping against the paper, it was silent.

Until Penelope Garcia barged into his office that is.

"Have you heard?!" She practically screamed, nearly shocking him if not for the tell-tale sign of her heels clacking against the floor that served as a warning.

He inwardly sighed and looked up at the blonde, smiling slightly at the brightness of her clothes, coupled with her personality, that never failed to lighten his mood. He dropped his pen and asked, "Heard what?"

Penelope giggled excitedly. "I just got a message from Alina, all the way from Wakanda!"

"About?"

"Bossman," she lowered her voice slightly as if building up to something as she walked closer to his desk, leaning down slightly as she suppressed a squeal. "Check the group chat, right now."

He frowned. "Which one?"

"Disney Princesses! Go!"

"Alright, alright." Chuckling under his breath, he grabbed his phone from inside his desk drawer on the left—hidden from view so it wouldn't distract him—and opened the group chat that was currently filled with what was probably hundreds of messages that all said 'congratulations!'. "Who are they congratulating?"

"Hotch!"

"It's not my fault that whatever they were congratulating got buried," he defended.

Penelope sighed in defeat. "Fine," she grumbled. "Only because you deserve to know. Gimme," she gestured to his phone, "I'll look for it."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"It'll ruin the fun!"

"Garcia..." He warned a little. "What is it?"

Penelope grumbled under her breath, stomped her foot once, before she finally opened her mouth. "Alina and Helen won the Nobel!"

Aaron's jaw dropped. "Nobel? As in..."

"The Nobel prize!" She squealed. "They won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine! They just got the call today! And look!" She pulled out her own phone and clicked on the screen, before facing it towards Aaron. It was a video of Helen receiving a call from the Nobel Committee. It was in loud speaker, and you can hear a thick accented voice—presumably Swedish—asking if she was talking to a Dr Helen Cho.

"You and Dr Alina Narvaez have been chosen by the member of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute to be this year's' recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for your astounding work in medicinal technology and your invention of the Regeneration Cradle, and the Regeneration Machine."

Aaron watched fondly as Alina held back her squeals, judging my how she kept her hand on her mouth before letting go as soon as the call ended. She was quick to jump up and down, pulling Helen into a hug. He could only guess who was filming the moment, but his heart felt like it was bursting at how much he adored the doctor—his doctor—who had just won one of the most coveted and prestigious awards in the world.

He let out a breath, chuckling as he did so, while placing his hand on top of his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly.

"Wow, I..."

"Can you believe it?!" Penelope giggled. "Bossman, as soon as she and Helen arrive, I swear--"

"Whatever you plan, I will attend," he vowed. "I just...I'm so happy for her."

Penelope gave him a bright grin. "Then you better let her know."

"I will." He glanced down at his watch and saw the time. "I need to go for a bit. I have a meeting with Jack's teacher. I assume you can handle things on your own?"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

"Here are Jack's standardized test scores," Ms McKee began as she handed Aaron the paper that shows the said scores. "Jack tells me you read together every night you're home."

"We just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night," he couldn't help but brag.

"I wish you could work with all of my kids," the teacher joked.

Aaron smiled at her, before looking back down at the paper and reading more of what was written. "So he's reading at a fourth-grade level," he noticed.

"Mhmm, as you can see, his scores are high across the board," she took a deep breath, "but he seems to be holding back in the classroom."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Has he ever mentioned a classmate named Paul?"

"Paul Cain?"

"Mhmm."

"Yes, he's been over," Aaron confirmed, a little confused. "He's a friend of Jack's."

"Well, Paul is being mean to Jack for some reason," Ms McKee told him.

He frowned. "How long has that been going on?"

"A few weeks," the teacher sighed. "Jack's just his latest target. We've moved Jack away from Paul, and we're documenting everything, of course."

Aaron didn't know what to say; Jack's never even mentioned being bullied, but it seems as though the boy was more like him than he realized. From a profiler's point of view, it's obvious that Jack wants to deal with this on his own, even making the decision of inviting his bully over just so they can settle things. The FBI agent felt pride swell from within him.

"Well, Jack says that things are going very well at school, so the steps you're taking must be working," he commented.

The teacher nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

"Let me know if anything changes."

"Absolutely."

"Can I keep this?" He asked, gesturing to the paper.

"Sure."

"Thank you so much," he stood up from his seat and took her hand, giving her a firm handshake. He was preparing to leave, when Ms McKee called him back again. He turned to face her, "Yes?"

"I nearly forgot to mention, but can you please thank Jack's mom for me? I was one of the test subjects for her machine, and let me tell you, I have never--"

"His mom?" Aaron finally cut her off, looking at her in confusion.

Ms McKee seemingly shared the confusion as she frowned back at him. "Yes, his mom. Dr Narvaez? He calls her momma. I just assumed--"

"Oh, no, it's fine," he said rather shakily. He felt his hand tremble as he thought over the new information, but he wasn't about to break down in front of his son's teacher. "Sorry for the confusion, I just haven't gotten...used to it yet."

"Oh," she laughed a little. "I got nervous there for a second."

"Sorry," he apologized. He then gestured outside. "I'm gonna go now. It was nice meeting you. And thank you."

"You're welcome!"

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, Aaron felt himself run back into his car. He doesn't care if he looks a little strange, all he cared about was getting somewhere private. And once he was in the confines of his car, he felt a tear fall from his eye.

It wasn't a tear of sadness, it was a tear of joy.

He laughed to himself as another tear fell, and he quickly wiped it away as he sniffled. This moment, this event, only solidified his decision; regardless of whether he meets someone, he was never going to see them as anything but a friend.

Because Alina was it for him.

author's note: i wish alina could get it thru her thick skull that aaron mf hotchner is head over heels for her!!!!!

but she will, soon hehehe.

there will also be a familiar face in the next chapter :>

anyway, i loved this chapter a lot; aaron hotchner deserves to be written as more than the serious or stoic unit chief of the bau. he deserves to be written in a way that showcases how great he is as a father, his love for his family, his relationship with jess, etc.

aaron hotchner needs love. period.

with that, i bid you all adieu for now! hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! stay safe and healthy! i love you all <3