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codename-mom · 12 days

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Cookie jar

Summary: The team is on the field without Hotch who's on a leave for some days, but they have to call him anyway. Suddenly, something happens and everybody worry about Jack.

Characters: BAU team and Jack Hotchner

Contents: TW a child is hurt (but everything is fine) and a tiny bit of angst because can't be anything else but anxious.

This is a text written for the KidFic CM challenge organized by @imagining-in-the-margins.

PS : English is not my mother language so they are necessarily mistakes. Sorry about that.

___

The team had gathered in the room the police had assigned them – a cubbyhole, so to speak, cluttered with cardboard boxes and mops – and Derek dialed Hotch's cell phone number. The latter was on leave for a few days. His men were reluctant to call him when he did, so that he could enjoy his time away from Quantico to the full, but they had no choice. The first clues found in the field echoed those of an old case the director and Jason Gideon had worked on in the past. As the latter had vanished into thin air, they could only contact the former.

He picked up after several rings.

“Hotch?”

“One moment, he stopped him on the spot. Jack, I said no. I’m coming back.”

Morgan had put his phone on speaker so that everyone could follow the conversation, and so they all heard the TV gradually fading away, until it was almost muffled. They imagined he must have gone to his bedroom, or some other room where he could close the door behind him.

“What's the matter?” he asked, in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry to bother you,” apologized Emily, trying to appease him.

It wasn't certain that this impromptu call was the cause of his irritation, but if in doubt, it was best to try and smooth things over.

“Tell me,” he ordered, his intonation unchanged.

“We've potentially got a resurrected serial killer,” the ex-policeman attested.

“If I tell you: branding on the shoulder, chains on the ankles and whipping. Does it speak to you?” went on Dave, next to him.

A silence passed, during which he had to return to his memories.

“… Yes, but the culprit was sentenced to life.”

“Actually, he passed away last month, Derek clarified. But the last victim was killed on Monday.”

“His accomplice was released for good behavior last year, but his file disappeared, Prentiss explained from across the table. Can you remember his name?”

“I imagine you've already searched the digital archives for this information.”

“Affirmative, confirmed Penelope, who had come with them for the occasion. And there’s nothing. The guy just disappeared.”

The agency manager fell silent again. For a long time. The profilers stared at each other, tense.

“Hotch?” impatiently asked Morgan.

“Just a moment, I'm trying to remember, thundered his superior. His name was… De…”

A loud crash and a breaking glass could be heard in the background, and everyone froze as the giant shouted:

“Jack!”

A door opened and footsteps moved away from the handset. Clearly, the giant had left his phone behind. Tension gripped the whole group, their senses on the alert and their hearts pounding against their ribs.

“Did we kill tiny-Hotch?” moaned Garcia, on the verge of tears.

In the distance, the voice of the father calling his son made them fear the worst. Then the little boy started screaming at the top of his lungs, and everyone shuddered.

“Apparently not,” ironized Emily, who wasn't putting up much more of a fight than her colleagues.

“What do I do? wondered Derek, unsettled by the situation. I hang up?”

“Maybe he'll come back to us,” Spencer stated uncomfortably.

“I don't think so,” objected JJ, listening intently to the distant din.

“Why?”

“This is clearly the cry of a child in real pain.”

As the only mother in the unit, they trusted her judgment without a hesitation.

“Well, maybe I'll hang up now,” voiced Morgan, ready to press the button.

“Wait,” advised Rossi.

Jack was still crying loudly, perhaps a little quieter than a few moments earlier, but more importantly, they noticed that the sound was now moving. And he grew weaker and weaker until he disappeared completely.

“It sounded a lot like a door slamming,” Prentiss claimed, her eyebrows furrowing.

“You can hang up now,” Dave confirmed.

Derek obeyed sighing. He hadn't expected such a turn of events and now felt guilty about what had just happened. He knew the kid a little and he was always delighted to see him, his eyes shining with admiration every time. Like his counterparts, he didn't know what had occurred, but feared that something grave had happened, which would leave neither the child nor its progenitor unscathed.

“It could have been worse,” pointed out JJ.

Everyone looked at her, bewildered.

“Are you kidding? Retorted the brunette. I don't know what’s going on, but it's serious enough that Hotch left with him.”

“Yes, but Jack was crying.”

“So what?” inquired Morgan, confused.

“That means he was conscious,” Reid attested confidently.

The man who had taken over the leadership of the team when Aaron was absent took a long breath and ordered his peers to get back to work in spite of everything. They worked with this question in the back of their minds: how was Jack doing? Based on the thin clue left by their superior, they searched, groped, and modified their profile until they found a certain Denis Porter, who turned out to be their unsub. All this in record time. Since they were in the neighboring state, they returned to the Quantico offices while it was still daylight. Immediately, the worry that had been nagging them all came back to mind, and synchronously, they looked at their phones. None of them had received a message, which didn't reassure them at all.

“Penelope, do you have any way of knowing which hospital he was admitted to?” inquired JJ.

“Why do you ask? teased her colleague, who immediately took to her keyboard. I'll do it right away, my little ones.”

She typed the toddler's first and last names into her search engine and the result appeared almost instantly on her screen. All gathered around the analyst in her colorful lair, they read the information at the same time.

“Let's go,” commanded Emily, leading the way.

A few minutes later, they jumped in two Bureau SUVs and headed for downtown Washington DC, following the itinerary on their GPS. They parked quickly and hurried to the reception desk. The nurse behind the counter was somewhat surprised to see the herd arrive, armed and determined, but was reassured to see Derek's warm smile. She directed them to the pediatric emergency room on the other side of the building. Together, they made their way through the corridors until they reached another admissions department, where they were given the room number.

They shared a similar fear at this moment. They dreaded discovering the state of the youngster and prayed the titan wasn’t ready to drop again. He'd already suffered enough; he didn't deserve to be in even worse shape. Morgan didn't have the courage to knock on the door, which was ajar but not wide enough for them to see what was going on inside. Rossi did it for him.

“Knock, knock!”

“Come in,” Hotch reacted, in his usual tone.

They took a few steps and saw the boy lying on a bed, in a hospital gown, his head turbaned, but grinning from ear to ear. His father was sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, and a brief chuckle lifted the corner of his lips. Relieved, all the agents took Jack in their arms one after the other – except Spencer, who simply banged his fist against his. The girls added a kiss on his cheek and told him he was very brave. The effusive reunion over, Aaron declared:

“Denis Porter.”

“Yes, we found him,” Dave replied, squeezing his shoulder.

“Good.”

He didn't have the expression of someone satisfied with their work. He still looked distressed.

“What happened?” said JJ, asking aloud the question they'd all been asking themselves.

“Mister wanted a cookie. I pointed out to him that it wasn't the right time, but he waited until my back was turned to take one.”

“And?” bounced Prentiss.

“Well, he had his cookie. A lot of cookies. And the jar itself.”

The adults' gaze swiveled towards the injured boy, who gave them his best little rascal smile. He had no regrets about what he'd done. Some of the visitors felt sorry for him, once again showering him with hugs, while the others shook their heads in disappointment.

“Concussion?” continued JJ.

“It’s what we’re waiting to see. He has been under observation since 3:30 p.m.”

They reflexively glanced at their watches. He had been here for almost three hours.

“He looks okay, Derek remarked as he sat down on the bed next to him. Right, buddy?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow you'll be a hero at school,” affirmed Rossi, leaning against the bedposts.

“Yeah!” exulted Jack, proudly.

“Because he took a cookie jar to the forehead?” judged Emily, eyebrows furrowed.

“Scars,” Reid whispered, in a tone of obviousness.

“… Guys...” sighed the three women in unison, as they saw the same victorious expression on the faces of their male comrades.

Someone knocked on the door and a nurse entered, a little disconcerted to see so many people in the room.

“Mr. Hotchner?”

“Yes,” responded the interested party, rising to his feet.

“Can you come with me for a moment?”

Instinctively, he turned to his offspring and met his irises.

“We'll look after him, Hotch, Penelope reassured him, having grasped the source of his apprehension. Go.”

His teammates nodded in support, and Aaron very gently kissed his son on his bandaged forehead before leaving the room. Without them needing to ask, the hero of the day began to tell them all about his adventures, dwelling on unimportant details, forgetting the end of some of his sentences to go back and move on to something else, and surely exaggerating certain facts. All this with boundless energy and plenty of grand gestures that definitely appeased them about his state of health.

However, Morgan saw the nurse pass by again in the other direction out of the corner of his eye and was puzzled not to see Hotch reappear immediately afterwards. He waited a little longer, in vain. He apologized to his fellows and returned to the corridor. He discovered the giant a few yards away, leaning against the wall, a document in his hand. His pupils turned towards the ground, he seemed lost. Derek felt a vise tighten around his throat. What if…?

“Trouble?”

“What? gasped the manager, rudely jolted from his thoughts. No. This is the exit voucher. Everything is fine.”

The former policeman relaxed.

“So why the long face?”

The agency head lowered his nose, dodging his gaze, before sighing. Then he lifted his chin and turned his dark irises on him.

“… How did your mother do it?”

“To what?” he reacted, taken aback by this private question.

“To raise three children on her own into perfect adults.”

He couldn't help but burst out laughing, even though his interlocutor had spoken very seriously. At least he understood why he looked so downcast when all the indicators were green. As usual, the ex-prosecutor scourged himself for not having been able to protect a loved one, when there was no reason to do so.

“I'm not sure she'd say that,” he joked to lighten the mood.

“You arrest serial killers and, from what I've seen, your sisters don't seem to be into organized crime.”

Seen like that, indeed, his mother had done a very good job of keeping them on the straight and narrow. But that didn't mean the road wasn't full of bumps.

“Hotch, what happened was an accident, as it happens in every family in the world. I did the same stunt when I was a kid and, obviously, I'm fine.”

It was the truth. He himself had taken a tin of candy on the corner of his skull when he was a little older than the director's son. He had climbed onto a chair and then onto the kitchen counter before stretching out to grab the object of his desire, which his mother had placed as high up in the room as possible. In the end, he found himself in the emergency room with a huge lump on his forehead. The images were no longer so clear in his mind, but he still remembered his mother's concern as she brought him unconscious to the hospital. The same expression of anguish and guilt appeared on his neighbor's face.

“Hotch, Jack's moving, he's talking, and he's got clearance to get out of here. So, everything is okay.”

“Then why do I feel like the worst father in the world?” he retorted, not daring to look up.

He almost replied that it was because he had very low self-esteem, but restrained himself to give him a more consensual, but no less correct answer.

“You were scared for him, it’s normal.”

“But it's not just that, he despaired, peeling himself away from the wall to walk down the corridor. I constantly asking for help. To Jessica, to Haley’s mother, to my own mother… even JJ. I’m incapable of taking care of him all by myself.”

Morgan was touched despite himself by the disarray of his opposite, who was still struggling to adapt to his new life as a single father. Not being in his situation, he couldn't really give him advice, but could always try to make him see reason.

“Hotch, I think all parents ask other people for help. My mother would ask other women in the neighborhood for advice, and some of them would even babysit us. Your mother must have done the same thing, JJ does and I'm pretty sure Haley did too. You're no more incapable than anyone else.”

He and his sisters had spent entire afternoons and weekends at their aunts' so that their mother could work or simply have time for herself, and none of her children had had the audacity to reproach her in any way.

“… I wish I could be as sure as you are.”

Derek rolled his eyes and held back from kicking his butt. His propensity for only seeing the glass as half empty annoyed him to no end, but he tempered his urge to strangle him by reminding himself that the context wasn't helping either. So, he chose a gentler method.

“Does Jack smile?”

“What?” exclaimed Aaron, raising his nose.

“Do you see Jack smiling?”

“Yes.”

“Laugh?”

“Yes.”

“Does he tell you he loves you? Without you having to tell him beforehand or giving him something he wanted?”

“Yes.”

“So, everything is good.”

The giant analyzed the exchange they had just had, and his subordinate saw his features gradually relax. He fixed his gaze in his again and, with a pale smile, said:

“… Thank you.”

Morgan's lips stretched warmly, and he laid a hand on his shoulder in return. The two men then went to the little boy's room, where his father told him the good news.

___

This idea jumped in my head after my first watch of season 5 and this dialogue between Derek and Hotch, where Derek has decided to write his own report to leave more free time for him to take care of Jack (because he knows what it is to be a single parent).

That scene was so cute, that I needed to imagine another peaceful moments between the two of them. Because we all know that they appreciate each other more than they will confess it. Because boys are boys...

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ana-loss1234 · 4 months

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SLEEP - SPENCER REID X READER

Content: but of fluff, angst

Warning: mentions of beatings, nightmares

O/C name - Ayla

Imagine: having a nightmare

I sat at my desk, my own files solved and now I had a few other unneeded ones to complete placed in front of me to do

I yawned and took a sip of my hot chocolate, my go-to drink since I didn't like coffee, and besides, the two tablespoons of sugar in it just about gives me the energy I nee

"Hey, baby i'm turning in, you want a ride to yours? Or mine?" Spencers question got me thinking for a moment before I shook my head

"No, i just got to finish a bit more" I mumbled, keeping my eyes away from Spencer. For some reason whenever he looks at me he knows what i'm thinking

"Those files takes you minutes to do, and you're doing ones due for next month" he noted just glancing down at the papers for a split second

"I know I- I want to be on track"

"You're avoiding eye contact" he noted

"Which means you're either embarrased, you're not intrested and don't want to talk to me or you're lying" I quickly snapped my gaze up to Spencer who has a teasing smile on his face before he moved and leaned against my desk

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about If you want to continue your work, and you can tell me if you don't want to come back with me. And if you're lying then you can always talk to me" he smiled softly and I took his hand in my own before lacing our fingers together

"I'll get a cab home soon, thanks for the offer spencer" he nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of my head before he left, sending me one last smile before he turned the corner

—

The next week had been the same, going home later than anyone else, which was very unusual since it seemed Hotch never went home, and also being at the BAU earlier than anyone else

It was weird for me because it meant I was spending a lot less time with Spencer than usual because I didn't go over to his at night but we did see each other during the day which was a decent way of making up for that lost time

It was currently 11pm and my eyes were no longer willing to stay open

"Ayla" I furrowed my eyebrows not making any attempt to open my eyes

"Ayla, wake up" I finally did and looked to see the rest of the team looking at me

"Sorry" I mumbled wiping my tired eyes

"Don't be. You can turn in for the night, we got it covered here" Hotch noted but I shook my head drinking my hot chocolate

"I'm good" I missed the worried eyes going around the table for the hundreth time

Emily: "Ayla, you've been going home past 4am for weeks now, back at 7am"

"You can't be doing yourself favours with that sleep schedule" my eyes shot up to Derek before I shook my head

"Not 4am. And my sleep schedule is fine. Once this is done i'll-" I was cut off with a yawn

"I'll leave"

"Ayla, don't make me order you home. I might even put a 3 day pay suspension up if that will make you go home to sleep"

"Hotch, that's not nessasary"

"So give me some peace at mind, go home now, and I won't" I looked around the table at the faces of everyone telling me to go before I sighed and picked up my bag

"I didn't think that would work" JJ smiled earning a glare from me in return

—

I woke up with a gasp, tears soaking my cheeks and my hands clutched my chest trying to breathe properly

This was the reason I didn't come home to sleep, the reason I stopped staying over at spencers a few nights a week. I couldn't, not when my dreams were haunted

But this one was the worse yet. I felt the lashes, the beating, they were so real

I couldn't help but dial Spencer, needing hin the most at a time like this

"Ayla?" Spencers voice ran through the phone. He didn't sound tired, so he was awake, most likely on his way home since I could hear cars in the background

"Spencer" I whispered, sniffling away my tears

"Ayla what's wrong?"

"Nothing I- I just had a stupid nightmare. Could you- could you just stay the night with me please?"

"Of course" he replied

"I'm already on my way"

—

Once I heard the knocks at the door I walked over and opened it for Spencer, walking into his nervous embrace that quickly relaxed before he walked me over to my room

"Are you hungry spence? There's food in the kitchen"

"I already ate" he said back once we reached my room

"Im gonna shower, and i'll join you in 5" I nodded and made my way over to my bed getting under the covers as Spencer made his way to the bathroom but this time I didn't make any attempt to sleep

"You're still awake" Spencer noticed getting in bed beside me, moving so he was on his side and facing me

"Hmh, can't sleep" he nodded accepting my answer and lifted his hand to my face, caressing my cheeks with his thumb

"You was lying the other day. You wasn't embarrased and you was intrested in my offer, you just didn't want to sleep" I remained silent unable to speak

"If you have been having nightmares all you had to do is say, I could've been here for you"

"I didn't want to burden you Spencer, I didn't-" I sighed

"It's just scary. I don't know why it effects me so much but I can't get the pain out of my head"

"We can't control what we dream" he spoke, moving closer to me and wrapping his arms around me, and I almost forgot how it felt in his arms being away for so long, safe

"And if you ever want to talk about it more i'm here"

"Another time" I mumbled letting out a breath of relief when I felt Spencer's fingers run through my hair

"You can sleep, i'll be here if you have another nightmare, i'm not going anywhere" my grip on Spencer tightened at his words making sure he stayed, though I knew he would

"I love you Spencer"

"I love you more" I let off a scoff, we could both argue for ages about who loved the other more

#spencer reid x fem!readr #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #dr reid #derek morgan x reader #derek morgan #aaron hotchner #david rossi #penelope garcia #JJ #emily prentiss #agent hotchner #agent rossi #agent reid #agent morgan

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emily12o1970 · 3 months

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"Life is one hell of a thing to happen to a person" -David Rossi

Criminal Minds; True Night; 3.10

#quotes #quote of the day #criminal minds quotes #criminal minds family #criminal minds #david rossi #agent rossi #quoteoftheday #tv quotes #life quotes #criminal minds gone wrong

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pathologicalrambler · 1 month

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just also realised gibbs AND rossi both have had like THREE divorces … 😭

#criminal minds memes #criminal minds #tv shows #actor #aesthetic #comfort show #ncis #david rossi #leroy jethro gibbs #agent gibbs #ncis agent #agent rossi #parallels #😭

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ssanox · 1 year

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Spencer: How many existentialists does it take to screw a lightbulb?

Rossi: Don’t..

Spencer: 2.. *Then explains why and nervously chuckles*

The class: *excruciatingly silent*

* Rossi Looks back at him*

Rossi telepathically tells Spencer: I warned you not to tell them the joke Spence..

Spencer:Nervously fiddles with his hands, silently wishing that he didn’t tell the joke.

#spencer reid #doctor spencer reid #agent rossi #david rossi #criminal minds #bau team #joke post #incorrect quotes #incorrect criminal minds #dr reid #funny #criminal minds bau #criminal minds spencer reid #criminal minds series

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railroad-spike · 1 year

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ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ ᴍɪɴᴅs ⁴ˣ¹²

#criminal minds #railroadgifs #spencer reid #david rossi #agent rossi #the soul mates

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nicodemuslily · 6 months

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Let's go for a ride!

After the BAU on a boat, I wanted to see them horse riding. I guess they could have been called by rangers after they found a body in a national park. And the rangers would have told them: "No cars, dude. Horse only." :D

Of course, some of them did well (Hotch, JJ and Rossi), some got off to a rocky start and did it in the end (Prentiss and Morgan), and someone didn't do it at all (Reid). XD

Well, it's one of those ideas I won't write (I just have fun imagining them riding horses), so I didn't have any idea of the appearance of the horses. But, I get inspired by this post of @mrs-dr-reid

it’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus sur Tumblr

It's all about a fanfic of hers about an ranch AU (remember what Reid said about what he would have been in another timeline). So it's all her horses. :) (Except JJ's)

___

Damn! Drawing horse riders is so hard! Moreover when you didn't draw horses for ages. Sorry. ^^;

___

DA link if you're brave enough >> Cow boys by NicodemusLily on DeviantArt

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forhappysake · 3 months

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derek: what do women want? jj: compassion <3 spencer: intellect. garcia: warm hugs! rossi: my money... hotch: quality time emily: are you guys kidding me? we really want a goddamn break!

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dungeons-are-too-cold · 2 years

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This image of Rossi in his first episode is fucking hilarious to me lmao

like from his outfit to the pose to the way he's talking in the scene like I just fucking lost it

#criminal minds #criminal minds watch through #cm season 3 #david rossi #ssa david rossi #agent rossi #cm 3x06

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codename-mom · 5 months

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Happy Hotch Day

Summary: Penelope wants to cheer her boss up as he still suffers from what Foyet did to him. She reaches for her co-workers for them to help her preparing a little surprise for him.

Characters: BAU team

Contents: TW brief mention of Haley's and Morgan's father death, a tiny bit of anxiety (because Hotch is an idiot sometimes), outside of this, it's all fluff. :)

This is a text written for the CM Office Party challenge organized by @imagining-in-the-margins.

PS : English is not my mother language so they are necessarily mistakes. Sorry about that.

___

All was quiet that day at Quantico when Penelope stormed into the open-plan office, nearly spilling the coffee in Anderson's hand as she stepped through the glass doors.

“Guys! Guys! Guys!” She repeated, her cheeks red.

“Okay, calm down, tempered Derek as he left the corner of the desk on which he had been sitting temporarily. Slow down and put the handbrake on.”

“No time for a slot, pilot of my heart, I've just had the idea of the century!”

All eyes were on her, just as she wanted them to be. As luck would have it, Dave was also among those present, having left his den for a moment to ask Spencer a question. The only member of the team missing was their superior – who had been called upstairs – which suited the – now – bespectacled redhead just fine.

“What is it?” asked Jennifer, curious.

“Well, as Hoch is not feeling well at this time…”

“Which is understandable," interrupted Emily, widening her eyes.

Recent events had propelled the BAU director to the status of bereaved single father in the blink of an eye, and the brutal reorganization of his daily life was still suffering from a few bumps. He and Jack were getting used to each other's presence, but the agency head was struggling to come to terms with his ex-wife's death. He didn't mention it to his men and put on a brave face, but the profilers had their eye on him and sensed that the wound was still raw. To which Garcia added:

“I’d like us to prepare a little surprise to cheer him up.”

“You're going to need more than a little surprise for that," pointed out Morgan, partially serious.

“It’ll be a start.”

“What did you think about?” wished to know Agent Jareau.

“I wanted us to give him a present for Father’s Day.”

Silence fell over the group. Everyone stared at her with a mixture of surprise and incomprehension. They didn't ignore the fact that this celebration was going to take place, but:

“Hotch is not our father,” noticed Reid, eyebrows furrowed.

“I know! Snapped the analyst, expecting this reply. Biologically speaking, Hotch isn't our father; but if we take that aspect out of the equation, he fulfills all the criteria. He’s… he’s our office dad.”

“You mean mom,” joked the ex-policeman, a sneer playing at the corner of his lips.

He was the first to nickname the costumed giant in this way, and the company had naturally followed. Giving each other nicknames was part of their modus operandi – Penelope and Derek being the two who collected the most – and Aaron's had been adopted unanimously. Or almost.

“Yes, about that, hesitated the luscious ginger, he... he has a bit of trouble with that nickname...”

“He has a bit of trouble with many things,” declared Prentiss.

“Sure,” topped up Derek.

It would be a lie to say that Agent Hotchner had as much flexibility of mind as the staff working under him, and certain aspects of his flock's behavior met with some resistance when it came to involving the tall, dark-haired man. Blockages that the analyst couldn't completely ignore, even though she knew that the latter was far less uptight than his austere appearance suggested.

“Look, I only wish that, next Monday, we call him “Dad” in place of “Mom”. He’ll be pleased.”

“I won’t call Hotch, “Dad”. No way,” Morgan said immediately.

“Why?”

“He’s not my father and he’ll never be,” he affirmed without smiling.

The former police officer had lost his sire when he was still a child, and this tragic event had left an indelible mark on his mind. A trace that allowed no one else to occupy this unique place in his heart. For him, it was impossible to consider this man with whom he regularly clung as any kind of parental figure. Even as a joke.

“But you’ve got no issue calling him “Mom””, stressed Penelope squinting her eyes.

“And the way it's pissing him off, I'm not going to stop now.”

Behind his back, Emily and JJ chuckled, amused. Garcia felt the rage run in her veins.

“Penelope, Dave continued, why do you want us to wish him a happy Father's Day? That’s Jack’s job, not ours.”

“Besides, he hates surprises, Derek reminded her; he hates presents, he doesn't even rejoice his birthday.”

It was the truth. Every time they'd caught Aaron off guard – to good effect – they'd immediately seen him tense up and display a frozen grin. He had never clearly expressed his delight at suddenly being the center of attention. In the same way, he avoided every opportunity to celebrate himself: he took part in everyone's birthdays, but systematically omitted to feast his own. And when his team took the liberty of offering him gifts, he only seemed to accept them out of pure politeness. All the more reason for their reluctance to try again that day.

“I… I'd just like us to show him how important he is to us, she explained. He… he's in low spirits and I'd like him to smile again. Even for a minute.”

“If he’s still able to smile.”

Morgan and JJ giggled at the brunette’s jibe.

“Are you serious?”

“Baby girl…”

“No! interrupted the computer specialist, pushing away the hand he was holding out towards her. There is no “baby girl”! This man you're laughing at cuts himself to ribbons for you, and you despise him! Your ingratitude is disgusting!”

Furious, she turned her back on them and left the bullpen without succeeding in slamming the heavy glass door. A stunned silence fell over the group, who were now casting awkward glances at each other.

“I think she's angry," Spencer said, looking worried.

“It was a joke, Prentiss thought it necessary to point out. You… you've all figured it out, haven't you?”

“Yes,” abounded Morgan.

“Of course,” followed JJ.

“Anyway, we agree that it's not up to us to wish him a happy Father's Day?”

“Totally," agreed Emily, who had never known hers and didn't see the agency manager as a potential surrogate.

The pair's gaze turned to Agent Jareau, who was far less at ease than a few minutes earlier.

“What?” interrogated her coworker and friend.

“Well, that is to say, she's not entirely wrong. It's true that he's always there for us, at any time of the day or night.”

“That’s because he doesn’t sleep.”

“Derek.”

She had glared at him. If for some people, declaring their availability at all hours was a ready-made formula, this was not the case for Hotch. Until then, he'd always applied this credo to the letter, answering their nightly calls and cutting short his – rare – vacations to come to their aid. Morgan nevertheless sighed.

“No one ever asked him to do that. He's got it into his head that he has to take full responsibility for our every move.”

Having temporarily occupied his position while Foyet was still at large, he had had time to read up on the rights and duties of unit leaders. And nowhere was it written that he had to give in to the whims of his agents or put aside his own needs to satisfy the desires of his employees.

“In fact, shouldn't we be all the more indebted to him?”

Everyone turned their attention back to Dr. Reid, who had said this sentence in his most innocent tone. But the thought was not as innocuous as it seemed, and it shook the certainties of both refractors. The BAU co-founder, noting the embarrassed and pained expressions of the mocking trio, suggested:

“I think we should all take a few moments to reflect on a moment, a gesture, a thoughtfulness on his part that he didn't have to do, but did anyway, simply to make us feel better.”

Eyes focused on him, then turned away as the memories of all began their search.

“Then we can reconsider Penelope’s idea.”

The day flew smoothly, and the weekend passed quietly, giving everyone the rest they needed to recuperate. Then Monday arrived and, taking advantage of the calm, Garcia, holed up in her den of flashing tinsel, multicolored figurines and a few computer screens, put the finishing touches to her gift. It didn't matter to her that she was the only one making the effort; she had every intention of doing whatever it took to cheer her superior up.

A knock sounded at the door, and it opened to reveal half of Emily's face.

“Penelope…”

“Oh! she hiccupped, hastily placing her work in the first drawer within reach. We… we’ve got a case?”

“No. Well, not that I know of," she admitted, allowing herself to take a step into the closed office.

“Okay. So what did you come for?”

Tinkling her damaged fingernails, the ambassador's daughter closed the door behind her and approached a little closer. She didn't dare look the hostess in the eye.

“Uh… first, I wanted to apologize for... what I said last Friday. I... I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“I know someone who would have been more hurt than me if he'd heard you, she spat, unable to conceal her morgue. Good thing he wasn’t there to witness it.”

“Speaking of which, we... we had a little chat about it after you left and... er... it's probably not worth what you had in mind, but we came up with an idea for... him.”

“Really? Exclaimed Garcia, suddenly interested. What… what is it?”

Reassured by her colleague's reaction, Emily relaxed and explained what the team had been working on for the past two days.

“It's not much, but if you want to take part, there's still a bit of room.”

“It's a great idea! Rejoiced the redhead, delighted. I… Of course, I’m in! Where… How do we proceed?”

“Follow me. We put everything in the meeting room for now.”

Penelope leapt to her feet and was about to walk in her guest's footsteps.

“Where he is?” she asked with a blank voice.

“Up there.”

Prentiss pointed to the upper floors, where Strauss' office was located. The giant had been summoned to report to the section chief, without delay, some thirty minutes earlier and had still not come down. There was a good chance that the face-to-face meeting would drag on forever.

“Let’s take this chance.”

The two women left the former hacker's lair behind them and made their way to their destination. On the spot, the rest of the gang were busy getting the room ready, making do with what they had on hand, which wasn't necessarily suitable for redecorating. The rejuvenated analyst immediately came to their help, putting her experience in the field to good use.

Two hours later, Hotch reappeared on the sixth floor, his features drawn and his eyebrows more furrowed than ever. Annoyed and exhausted by the interminable negotiation he'd just been through, he climbed the slope to his office without paying attention to the scenery around him, pushed open the door and walked with a heavy step to his chair. But he didn't even have time to brush against the furniture before:

“Aaron.”

The latter sighed, letting his shoulders fall back, and turned around to see Rossi on the threshold.

“Do I have the time for a coffee?”

“The younglings are waiting for you in the meeting room,” answered his most ancient coworker.

The titan in the suit wrinkled his nose, the adrenalin pulsing through his veins chasing away fatigue.

“Do we have a case?”

“Maybe.”

“What that’s supposed to mean?”

“You know where to go to have your answer.”

The ex-retiree smiled mysteriously and moved off towards the indicated location. Aaron, confused, remained statuesque for a moment, then left his office in turn. And, bypassing the coffee machine, went into the room where they usually gathered to discuss current issues. His heart pounding against his ribs, he wondered what else his men had planned behind his back. Not that he disapproved of their attentions to him – far from it – but surprises always made him uncomfortable. He felt systematically foolish, not knowing what to say or do at such moments. He knew that it was socially accepted to be ecstatic about a job well done, to rejoice at suddenly being in the spotlight, and to thank others for gifts received. On the other hand, sincere emotion and candor were expected of him, and not knowing what to expect stressed him out, and lying to his loved ones embarrassed him terribly.

He arrived at the door of the meeting room, his heart rate racing.

“Happy Father’s Day!" shouted several intermingled voices.

The entire team was gathered under a silver banner bearing the words: "Happy Office Father’s Day!”. The "office" had been added on an A3 sheet stapled under the banner. Balloons of all colors floated limply around the room, and each agent wore a conical multicolored hat.

“… Wh… What?” was the only exclamation that managed to escape his lips.

“Kids have written little notes for you on this particularly discreet card, which I strongly encourage you to read," said the novelist, pointing to a folded cardboard sheet on the table.

It was a card probably bought in a bookshop on which JJ – he recognized her handwriting – had scrawled in red marker. His attention had been so focused on what was hanging over their heads that he hadn't seen the object, which must have been a good three feet high. However, he didn't have time to dwell on it any further, as Garcia emerged from the mass and rushed towards him with small, quick steps. She stopped an arm's length away and took a deep breath before launching into her own words.

“And I made you this plush. Initially, I wanted to make a hen, but I discovered that these birds are actually very bad parents. So I looked up where there were super dads in the animal kingdom, and it turns out that wolves are the best in the world. Whenever a cub goes missing, they worry about them and look for them. They feed them, wash them, play with them and protect them from everything and... in short, I've made you a wolf cuddly toy! With your name on the pads.”

She then handed him the animal in question without moving from her spot, her cheeks flushed red. Hotch, perturbed by the whole situation, was slow to react, but nevertheless retrieved his gift, which he observed attentively. The wolf's brown eyes were not set at the same height, and one ear was bigger than the other, but the fur was soft and the letters under his paws had been meticulously stitched.

“You… aren't you going to say anything?" worried Penelope, her eyebrows furrowed in a circumflex accent.

“Uh… yes, Aaron gasped, coming back to the present moment. Thank you. I… Excuse me, I… I didn’t expect that.”

“It's the principle of surprise," Emily remarked with a smile.

“I too would have been very disturbed by all this, Spencer admitted, waving his hands in the air. Fortunately, I'm too young to be elected office dad."

“It’s… that is, I... I didn't think I'd have the honor either," he stammered, not noticing that he was pressing the stuffed toy to his chest.

“Hence the card. So you can…”

Dave twirled his index finger in front of his temple, looking mischievous. The director realized that his men must have compiled anecdotes about him on the flaps of this giant card.

“Uh… okay. Do… do I have to read it in front of you?”

“No!” they exploded in unison, Rossi excepted.

“Read it at home. Quietly,” Jennifer advised him.

“Yeah. That's better," bounced Derek, suddenly embarrassed.

“Definitely," agreed Prentiss, not much more comfortable.

Clearly, none of them wanted their feelings for him to be revealed out loud in front of everyone else. A sudden shyness that discreetly stretched their leader's lips.

“… Fine. I imagine the glasses are there for a toast," he said, spotting the bottle and glasses waiting in the middle of the table.

“I thought you'd never say it," retorted his former mentor, breaking away from the group to take hold of the neck and start peeling off the aluminum foil enclosing the cork.

The supervisor smiled candidly, touched. Not because of the BAU co-founder's reaction – which he had expected – but because of the whole situation. He who was put off by surprises felt surprisingly well. All the tension he'd felt walking from his office to the hall had vanished and his heart had regained an acceptable rhythm.

“Let's toast then. And… thanks. Thanks for everything.”

They raised their glasses in his direction and he did the same for them, then they took a sip. The mood had relaxed and frank smiles had returned to light up the faces. If he had been afraid of what they had concocted for him, they had feared his answer, dreading to see the disappointment or disgust on his pale face. But none of this had happened, and everyone was catching their breath, scooping a few appetizer cakes from the mismatched plates Emily had brought along.

“By the way, what did Jack offer you yesterday?" asked Reid, curious.

“A sheet of paper with his hand and footprints, and a message: "For Aaron, my daddy whom I love most in the world."

“It's so cute!" said Penelope, cheerfully.

“He spelled my first name with three A's, but... yes.”

The team burst out laughing and he imitated them.

___

Okay, this one probably doesn't fit the timeline too but I wanted JJ to be there actually. ^^;

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