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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎? ❞

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ㅤ𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐒' 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇, while no one was looking, Alina handed Spencer a small box that contained his birthday gift. After all, the day didn't just mark Dan and Finn's special day, it was also his 30th birthday.

Spencer couldn't help but give her a big hug, before allowing her to leave the hospital with Aaron.

The first thing that Alina did—as soon as she and Aaron arrived at his apartment—was give an excited Jack a huge hug. Aaron had been a little hesitant about going to the hospital, unable to leave Jack alone, so Jess had offered to watch the boy for a short while, waving off the tall man's concerns, telling him that he needs to be there for his team. And so, both the boy and his aunt patiently waited for their return.

After hugging the boy who considers her a mom, Alina went ahead and gave Jess an equally breath-restricting embrace.

"It's good to see you too, Alina," Jess practically had to choke out. "Although, I might end up passing out if you don't--"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Alina sheepishly told her as she loosened her grip, opting to instead place her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "I missed you all so much!"

"Not as much as the boys missed you, I bet," Jess joked before giving her a kiss on the cheek. She then led Alina towards Aaron's couch. She, Alina, and Jack settled there, while Aaron announced that he'd be getting them all food. Both women gave him a wave as he left, before focusing back on each other.

Alina smiled at Jack as moved to settle on her lap, using his arms and legs to hug her torso tightly. She cooed a little as he placed his chin on her shoulder, opting to play with her hair as she conversed with his aunt.

"So, how are you, Miss Nobel Prize winner?" Jess teased, grinning at the sight of her and Jack cuddling.

"It's been kind of insane," Alina admitted, glossing over the fact that Jess was trying to tease her. After all, it wasn't like the blonde was wrong. "Helen and I honestly didn't expect to be nominated, let alone win."

"Did you not know you guys were nominated?"

She shrugged. "The nominees aren't announced. They're not a secret either, as those part of the committee can announce their chosen nominees if they want to, but generally, no one really talks about it." She shrugged again for emphasis. "But I'm really happy that we won, to be honest. Both Helen and I didn't hesitate to use the prize money to build more REGENs to give away."

"That's what the tour was about, right?" Jess inferred, watching as Alina nodded, all while gently rubbing Jack's back that was no doubt lulling him to sleep. She knew, even before seeing the two of them together, that Alina was good for Jack, and vice versa. "To give away free REGENs?"

Alina hummed in agreement. "Yeah. We actually haven't completed the tour, but I just had to be there for Gwen and the twins. We'll be back to Africa in about a week to continue."

Jess nodded. "Alright, well, what are you gonna do while you're here?"

"Relax," Alina playfully groaned. "I mean, visiting those African nations have been nothing short of incredible; all the different cultures, their traditions. Every single one of them were amazing, and seeing all their smiling faces and-- sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"It's okay," Jess waved her off. "I'm used to it."

"Still," Alina huffed. "Should I continue rambling?"

"Be my guest."

"Thank you. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the countries we've visited, they were amazing," Alina gushed, which earned her a grin from Jess. "And I'm glad that we could give them a REGEN, as it would improve their healthcare, and help save so many lives in just a few clicks. I remember, after each seminar, as a thank you, the locals would introduce us to their culture; allowing us to join in their festivities and whatnot. But as exciting as each experience was, it was still tiring, so I just want to rest."

The blonde just gave her a bright smile, and said, "Well, that sounds exciting, but I can see why you're so exhausted."

Alina sighed, hugging a now-sleeping Jack tighter. "I just kinda wish I can help more, even though I know I've done all I could at that moment."

Patting her shoulder, Jess gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll get more opportunities already, I know it." That was when she fixed her position on the couch, sitting more comfortably as a grin came upon her face. She sat cross-legged on the leather as she faced Alina. "So, how are you and Aaron?"

A scoff immediately escaped between Alina lips as she turned her body to face the blonde. "Nothing's new."

Jess rolled her eyes. "As if. I know something's changed. Come on, tell me!"

Alina let out a breath. "Fine...well..."

Right after dinner, Jess offered to bring Jack back to her house.

Both Aaron and Alina were confused; why would Jess need to bring him with her, when both of them were home?

It was Aaron who figured it out first, spotting Jess' sly smirk as she coyly explained her reasons. Most of what she reasoned was rather vague, and being the profiler he was, he knew exactly what his sister was hinting at. Looking down at Alina who still wore a frown of confusion, he shook his head and lowly sighed, looking back up at Jess with a playfully disappointed look.

"You can take Jack home," he finally agreed, albeit hesitantly, especially with how the little boy began to protest. He kneeled in front of his son, and whispered, "Alina and I need to talk, alright? You can have her tomorrow, just you and her?"

"You promise?" Jack whispered back.

"I promise."

Jack grinned. "Okay!" He then turned to his aunt and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!" And as they were walking away, he waved and said, "Goodbye dad! Bye momma!"

Aaron would be lying if he said that the sight of both Alina and Jack smiling at each other didn't warm his otherwise cold heart. He let out a satisfied hum as he closed the door with a little grin, pulling Alina to his arms as they waddled back towards his couch. In one fell swoop, he had carried her in his arms bridal style, to easily place her in his lap as he sat down; all this he did without a single thought.

Throughout the entire thing, Alina was giggling wildly, before finally facing Aaron, looking into his dark eyes that never failed to bring her a sense of security; in his eyes, she's found tranquility. She couldn't stop herself from pressing her lips to his, giving it a chaste peck. As she pulled away to see his reaction, she didn't even have enough time to process his expression when he pulled her back in, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss and deepening it as soon as it started.

She eventually relaxed into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his hands found their place on her hips, giving her flesh a little comforting squeeze. But before their make-out session could escalate, she pulled away and moved both her hands towards the nape of his neck as she stared down at him.

"I love you," she breathlessly admitted.

He grinned at her, dimples on full show as he absorbed her words; it was the first time he ever heard it in person, and the feelings it gave him was...indescribable.

"I love you too," he replied, his hands shaking a little. But it went unnoticed. "I love you, Alina."

"I love you..." she gulped, eyes flicking all over his face as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. "I love you."

Aaron leaned in for another kiss, before allowing himself to pull away just so he can nuzzle his face into her neck, pressing a kiss on her jaw. He smirked against her skin as he felt her shudder, but didn't comment on it; instead, he just pulled her into a tight embrace.

Placing her chin on his shoulder, she tilted her head to whisper in his ear, asking, "Are you mine?"

"I'm yours," he whispered back, nodding. He hugged her tighter, before repeating her question. "Are you mine?"

"Always."

They then spent the rest of night in each other's arms, limbs tangled as they made love for the very first time.

Two weeks had flown by, and Alina and Helen headed back to Africa after the first week. During their week-long stay, they remained surrounded by family and friends. It was also during that week that Helen made Alina promise not to tell Aaron about Sean.

"What do you mean?" Alina had asked. "It's not like it's weird. Well, I mean, it kinda is, but don't you think Aaron should be at least aware that we know his brother personally?"

"It's not that," Helen sighed. "Sean's...Sean's told me a few things about his relationship with his brother. It's not like they don't get along, it's just..." she groaned, "I can't exactly tell you, because Sean told me everything in confidence, but--"

Alina waved her hands in dismissal. "It's okay! You don't have to explain, I trust you."

Helen gave her a thankful smile, but still said, "Thank you, but the thing is, Sean's keeping something from Aaron, and right now he's not ready to actually talk to his brother about it. He'd prefer to keep it to himself for now."

"Ah," Alina nodded. "Understood. I'm glad he has you."

The other thing that made their stay in DC a little more interesting was the announcement of Alina and Aaron's relationship. It wasn't them that announced it—as they didn't care much for announcements and would have preferred to keep things low-key—rather, an over-excited Jack did.

It was when the team had just got home from another case, one in Wichita, Kansas, where an unsub believed that tornadoes could bring his older brother back to life.

Will, Henry, Alina, and Jack all came together to surprise the team's arrival back home. It was a collective decision that Will initiated, stating how much the case affected his and JJ's stance on each other's roles in Henry's life. Alina, after hearing his reasons, quickly hopped onto his idea, and agreed.

Now, as Will carried a tired Henry in his arms while talking to Alina about something random, Jack was beside them, holding his momma's hand as he stood on the balls of his feet, bouncing excitedly. And as soon as his dad stepped out of the elevator, he ran towards him and began talking as fast as he could, telling him about his day.

The team all watched the father and son duo, happy to see their loving interactions, when suddenly, Jack's words made them all pause.

"Dad, momma and I missed you!"

Rossi choked on air. "Did he just--?"

Penelope squealed and began jumping up and down. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" She began looking back and forth between Alina and Aaron with a bright grin on her face. "I KNEW IT!"

Derek only smirked, and patted an uncharacteristically bashful Aaron on the back. "Good luck with the piranha, man. You're gonna need it."

Aaron can only mutter out a thanks as he walked past everyone—avoiding their teasing looks and little smirks—and stood in front of Alina, with Jack now holding his hand.

"Wanna stay at my office for a while?" He asked her, wanting to protect her from everyone's prying eyes. She nodded, laughing at him, before taking Jack with her to his office, all while ignoring everyone's playful remarks.

Now, it was just a little after Spencer's belated birthday celebration.

They had just gotten back from a strange case in San Francisco about two best friends who were obsessed with the Zodiac, and somehow it ended with the whole team realizing that they had overlooked—and quite frankly forgot—that the day the twins were born were also the day their father was. And so, Emily had insisted they all hold a small little party to celebrate.

After everyone gathered in the roundtable room—including Gwen and the Reid twins—to celebrate Spencer's 30th, despite his protests. There was cake, several different dishes, and a whole lot of presents.

Spencer had gotten shy, almost refusing them, stating that he didn't need any after he was given the greatest gifts of all on the day of. But no one cared, and pretty much shoved their presents towards him, leaving no room for arguments.

Once the festivities ended, Aaron retreated back into his office, working on the necessary paperwork, as everyone else retreated into their little bubbles; some had already left for home. Being the big boss, he had more work than most of his team, and he relished in the silence that encompassed his little space that helped him stay focused.

A knock on his door brought him out of his concentration.

Looking up, he saw Spencer, who looked ready to head home. By that point, Gwen and the twins had already left, and were most likely waiting for lanky genius. Said man gave him a little smile.

"Come in," he smiled softly. He watched as Spencer walked closer to him, which prompted him to carefully let go of his pen to make himself more approachable, giving the man his full attention. "Do you need anything?"

At that question, Spencer straightened up and cleared his throat. "I was just wondering if it would be okay for me to use up my vacations days."

"You've saved up a lot," Aaron joked slightly, but there is a small part of him that wants to scold him for not taking enough time off. "And I don't see why you can't use them up." He began to write a new official report, this time, about Spencer taking some time off. "When do you want to use it? And why?"

Spencer shrugged a little, fixing his satchel before admitting, "I'm not exactly sure when yet, but I just wanted to bring Gwen home."

"What do you-- oh," Aaron realized, nodding slowly. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

"She and I have talked about it," he told him. "She's scared but...she says she needs it. She feels like she needs to go back home. To the Philippines."

"Then...take all the time that you need."

"Really?"

"Really," Aaron gave him a reassuring smile.

Spencer shrugged again. "Like I said, I'm still not sure when we'll leave. We haven't planned that far ahead," he realized. "But the twins have to be at least two weeks old to travel. I mean, they're already nearing their first month, but you know, just to be sure nothing will happen, we're waiting a while."

Aaron nodded. "Just let me know, then."

Nodding in return, Spencer was just about to walk away, when he remembered something. He turned back to face his unit chief again. "Alina will be there," he stated. "She told Gwen she'll be heading to the Philippines first. You know, for her tour thing in Asia. Which is why..." he cleared his throat. "Do you wanna come with us?"

"I..." Aaron was suddenly at a loss for words. "Are you sure?"

"We're all family," Spencer shrugged again as if his declaration was no big deal. "So, will you come?"

He looked down at his desk in contemplation; he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, given how much work he still has left to finish. He fiddled with his pen, thinking deeply, when his phone pinged. Pulling it out of his pocket, the first thing he saw was Alina's smiling face staring back at him.

Sighing, he asked, "How long will you be there?"

"A week, maybe less," Spencer answered. "It'll mostly just depend on Gwen. But Alina will only be there for about two days, and--"

"I'll be there."

author's note: i'm really not sure if i like this chapter enough, but it's what's in the blueprint so

i was actually debating on whether i was gonna write smut or not, but decided against it bc i was thinking that it could take away the theme of pure fluff that i really wanted to convey for this chapter. hope yall weren't disappointed tho AHAHAHAHA there will be smut in the future chapters ;)

anywho, welcome to the 4th to the last chapter of this book !! that doesn't include the epilogue though, but yeah. it's rlly rlly rlly close to ending aaaaaaaaa are yall as excited as me????????

hope you're all safe and healthy!! <33