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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 ❞

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ㅤ"𝐔𝐇𝐇𝐇𝐇, 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓?"

"Marry me," Aaron repeated. He was well aware of Jack looking up at him in shock, which mirrored Alina's expression. Although, Jack's was more of 'oh my God, finally!' and Alina's was more of 'what the hell did I just hear?'

"Are- are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious in my entire life," he admitted. "I can't imagine my life without you by Jack and I's side."

Though he remained quiet, the little boy nodded firmly.

Alina took a deep breath, as if to prepare herself to say something, but cut herself off. She made a face of confusion, pursing her lips in thought, before saying, "You know...I never pegged you as someone who'd willingly elope with a person who they technically have only been dating for a month."

Aaron couldn't conceal his small smirk and the slight shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not. Not really, at least. You...you're different."

"Oh God, if you say I'm different from the other girls--"

"You're just different," he quickly clarified, laughing under his breath at the expression of mockery she had made. "And...you know—everyone knows—I've been in love with you for far longer than a month."

Alina could only agree with a tilt of her head and the subtle raise of her eyebrows. "But are you sure? I mean, I know you. I know how serious you are, and how cautious and paranoid—which is very FBI of you, by the way—and I also know that you're not the type of person to make rash decisions. I mean, we could plan it out, if you want to--"

"All I want is you," he cut her off. "You and Jack by my side. I don't really need anyone or anything else. Just...my family."

She smiled at his admittance, and nodded. "Once we get home?"

"Once we get home."

And that quickly led to them standing inside the courthouse in DC a mere two days later, with Aaron wearing a crisp, black three-piece, with his hair fixed and away from his face. Jack was wearing a miniature version of his father's suit as they stood side by side. On the other end of the aisle, arm in arm with her father dressed in his full military uniform, was Alina.

Known for her inclination for simple and practical attire, she wore a puff-sleeved, short, white dress that reached her mid-thigh, paired with her Giuseppe Zanotti Bebe sandals in white that added a whopping six-inches to her height. Her dark hair was in a low bun with stray hairs purposely let loose to frame her small face, and a thin veil was wrapped around the bun, held up by a family heirloom that was covered in small sapphires, serving as her something blue and something old. Her make-up was kept as natural as possible, and apart from her small pair of diamond drop earrings, her only other accessory had been the locket that she had gotten from her mother, which she considered as her something borrowed.

Only four people knew of this entire ordeal, and all four of them were present.

It had been a bit of a surprise when Alina became adamant about her father walking her down the aisle. When Aaron asked her if she secretly had a dream of becoming married at some point, she admitted that it wasn't her dream, but her father's. And though they had a rocky relationship—that they are still working on—she wasn't about to rob him of the opportunity to walk his eldest older down the aisle, especially if it was specifically the daughter he had been worried about living out her days alone.

Aaron couldn't really say no to that.

Of course, Richard Narvaez came walking through the halls of the courthouse looking overdressed and, quite honestly, intimidating as hell with all his medals and awards on full show. But he had greeted Aaron with a beaming grin and big hug and, after a quick threat, quickly gave him his blessing.

And now...now Alina was walking down the aisle, towards him. Carefully guided by Richard, she came to stand face to face with Aaron, her hand offered to him by her father. The smiles on their faces were nothing short of blinding. On Alina's side stood her father, looking suspiciously close to tears, and on Aaron's was Jack, who was bouncing on his heels in joy.

The officiant quickly cleared his throat, and Alina and Aaron let go of each other. "Welcome," he smiled. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Alina and Aaron. We are here to support them, and share their joy as they choose to spend their lives together..."

Alina barely paid attention to what the officiant was saying, hand gripping tightly on her little bouquet of Lily of the Valley flowers, which symbolizes purity, youth, sincerity, discretion, and most of all, happiness. All she could really do was glance at Aaron's face.

She mouthed a quick 'I love you' to him, before turning to face the officiant again as if nothing had happened.

"Now, Alina and Aaron, please join hands and face each other," the officiant smiled. "Aaron, do you take Alina to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her forever more?"

"I do." His ears had turned a light shade of pink as he smiled.

"Alina, do you take Aaron to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding unto him forever more?"

"I do." Her eyes were becoming watery, and her skin a little flushed.

"Now, for the rings." Jack quickly walked forward and handed his dad the ring to give Alina. The rings were considered the something new. "Aaron, please place the ring on Alina's left hand and repeat after me..."

A single tear fell as Alina stared up at Aaron as he repeated the officiant's words. She couldn't believe that after years and years of believing that relationships were nothing but a distraction, she was getting married. And though she was happy, she can still safely say that she was right; relationships are a distraction, but it wasn't a bad thing at all. It taught her a lot of things, among them was that love...true love, simply distracts you from the horrors of the world. It brings you a sense of peace and happiness that differs from the feelings she gets from her job. It was a different kind of fulfillment, one she knows that only Aaron Hotchner can bring.

"And Alina," she broke out of her stupor, "please place the ring on Aaron's left hand and repeat after me. As a sign of my love..."

"As a sign of my love..."

"That I have chosen you..."

She smiled. "That I have chosen you..."

"Above all else..."

"Above all else," she tightened her grip on his hands.

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

It took everything in her not to jump in his arms and plant a big kiss on his lips.

"And now," the officiant grinned, "with the power vested in me by the District of Columbia, it is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Alina surged forward and wrapped her arms around shoulders before passionately kissing him. She could barely hear the sound of Jack whooping or her father's tears of joy in the background; all her senses were consumed by Aaron. She could feel his hands on her waist, fingers splayed. She could taste him on her tongue, and the scent of his perfume lingering on his skin.

The only thing on her mind was him.

Slowly, she pulled away, eyes locking onto his. Without warning, he leaned forward to brush his nose against hers lovingly, before pulling away again.

"I love you too," he told her. He pecked her lips again, brushing her tears away with his thumb, before facing his son. "Why don't you give your momma and I a hug?"

Giggling profusely, Jack rushed towards the newlyweds. Aaron was quick to pick him up, hugging his son in between him and his wife. The officiant, still smiling, silently bid them a goodbye, letting them have their moment as a family. Eventually, even Richard joined in on the hug, pressing a quick kiss on his daughter's forehead.

"I'm proud of you," he said, giving her a quick hug. "But I'm so glad I don't have to explain to the others why you suddenly decided to get married without letting them know."

"Dad!" She laughed.

"It's true," he shrugged. "But don't worry, I'll be there to support you, Mrs Hotchner."

Alina smiled a little, sharing a look with Aaron before announcing. "I'm not changing my name."

Richard frowned. "What?"

"I'm still Dr Alina Soleil Narvaez," she clarified. "I didn't wanna change my name, and Aaron wasn't going to force me into it. Our kids can have his surname instead."

Her father choked. "K-Kids? Are you..."

"Oh, no," Alina's eyes widened in horror. "No, I'm not ready," she laughed. "Aaron and I are gonna wait. However, this little guy," she gestured to Jack, "is quite eager to have siblings. Told him he can play with cousins for now."

"Cousins," Richard realized. "Saffy and Prim have a cousin now."

"That they do," Alina shrugged. "Anyway, since this isn't really a conventional wedding, our 'reception' is just gonna be us having dinner. You wanna join us?"

"Absolutely."

"Then come on!" Alina giggled, hooking her arm around Aaron as he set Jack back down on the ground. The boy quickly ran towards his grandfather, leaving his parents behind. Alina stared. "I guess we know who his favorite is."

Aaron threw his head back and laughed. "I think we're gonna have to rein them in."

She let out a breath, giving him a playful look. "I don't think that's possible."

Only a week after Aaron had gotten married, he was officially off leave and was back to work. He strolled through the halls of the headquarters with his usual stoic face, with no indication that he had even gotten married; there was no smile on his face, no spring in his step. It was...normal.

And it would've remained normal had he remembered that he worked with profilers.

Of course, he was happy. He was even proudly showing off his new wedding band he refused to take off—Alina had berated him for wearing it a little too much, but he told her how much it meant to him and she just couldn't say no anymore—so, essentially, he wasn't even hiding it. He just really didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it.

Cue his team.

"No. Way." Emily was the first one to notice the ring, jaw dropping in realization and hands slamming onto her desk in disbelief. "No way!"

Her exclamation caught the attention of the others, and as Aaron neared them, they all began to rush towards him.

"You got married?!" JJ asked, shock clear in her tone. "When was this?!"

Aaron cleared his throat, his face still as stoic as can be, but a hint of a smile was there. "I'd prefer if we don't discuss my private life...in public."

At that, he was basically dragged into the bullpen, with the team swarming him. He was settled on Spencer's desk, pushed into the lanky man's chair, and when he looked up, all of them were looking at him expectedly.

Even Rossi was there, arms crossed and giving him a mock glare. "Explain."

Aaron let out a breath. "Yes, I married Alina a week ago. No, no one else knows. We didn't need witnesses, but Jack and Richard were there. Yes, we eloped. No, we haven't gone on our honeymoon yet, and no we don't need help with that. And yes, I'm happy."

Spencer's mouth was still open in surprise. "I-I," he stuttered. "Wow."

"Wow is right," Derek laughed. "Bossman's married! To Alina! They're married!"

"Who's married?!" Penelope's high-pitched voice was heard. Her gaze then zeroed in on Aaron's ring. "Oh my God, you're married?!"

Aaron opened his mouth. "I--"

"And you didn't tell any of us?! I can't believe this!"

"Pen--"

"We could've been there! We could've dressed up and had, like, a party afterwards but noooo you guys had to elope!"

"And if my calculations are correct," Spencer interjected, "they eloped soon after getting back from the Philippines which means, they got married after barely a month of being officially together."

"Wait, how'd you know that?" Aaron frowned.

"Gwen," he simply replied. All Aaron could do was nod; there were barely any secrets between Alina and Gwen, anyway.

"I didn't expect you two to get married so soon," Rossi admitted. "I assumed you two would've waited. Or at least, Alina. Or should I say Mrs Hotchner."

"Still Dr Narvaez," Aaron shrugged.

"Aww, that's actually cool," Emily commented.

"Alina's cool," he said. Then, he finally stood up from his—Spencer's—chair. "I thought we had a case?"

"Oh, right!" Penelope quickly ushered them one by one into the roundtable room, but not before grabbing her boss by the tie and pointing a pen at him threateningly. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Aaron stared. "Not right now."

"But not right now," she agreed.

"Case first."

She nodded. "Case first." She was about to turn away from him when suddenly: "Should I be expecting a new godchild--"

"She's not pregnant," he chuckled. "Come on, case first."

"Case first."

author's note: so that happened hehe.

it's actually been my plan since the beginning to have them elope. if you could remember from one of the early chapters and alina, dora, and vince were hanging out, vince was like (to dora), "don't be like your sister" and dora was all like "nah, imma elope" so that was like, a major foreshadowing. 

anyway, the only chapter left is the epilogue, and soon, rem will officially be over! can't believe how far i've gotten with this little series (aptly called the "collision series", as in worlds collide; i'm a genius) and i'm so so so excited to head back to gwen's pov because i have a lot planned for her, spencer, and the kids (and eventually the future of everything, because the epilogue for that will be far into the future). 

i hope you guys stay tuned for everything i'm ab to release for this series!! i love you all <3