ALEX | a. hotchner (sequel to BLAKE)

23

A/n: This chapter is a mess, my bad lol

Alex had always been a hurricane; from the moment she stepped into Timothy's office until she kicked down his door and changed his life forever. Mostly she was happy, but her constant need to engage everyone in jokes, in banter, in games or rough play made him frazzled. Timothy would demand Prentiss send her on missions that could humble her, however, Alex always seemed to find a way to come out stronger in the end. She followed the rules to the best of her abilities, but would often pick and choose which ones to live by. It infuriated Timothy to the point of absolute madness.

And when he caught her gaze on him on more than one occasion, he thought he could use it to his advantage. However, as soon as his hand grazed her thigh in his office one night and he leaned in towards her, she had punched him right in the face. And it was that moment he realized her glances hadn't been of attraction, but of suspicion. Because three of her cases had gone to shit as her information hadn't been correct, files were missing and as everyone's paycheck seemed to decrease with every month, Timothy's only seemed to grow. He understood then that he had to get rid of her. Because not only was she watching his every move, she would now want to expose him.

***

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He asked, already half asleep.

Ever since I moved out of Penelope's apartment, I had been spending most nights at Aaron's. I felt loved and appreciated at his place. Not that Penelope and I didn't love or appreciate each other, but it was a different kind of love.

It had been a long time since I've felt so comfortable, and for the first time in my life, I could be vulnerable and real. I'm only just starting to get a sense of what home is and what it can be. A house is a structure, a home is a sanctuary. I was "at house" with my father and brother; I am at home with Aaron.

"Mhm," I mumbled, "but you should tell me again."

We laid on our sides, facing each other and he cupped my cheek with his hand.

"I love your eyes," he said and planted one kiss on each of my eyelids, "and your cheeks, and your nose." I felt the tingly sensation of his lips all over my face, I was on fire. "And your hair," one kiss on top of my head, "and your lips," he whispered and leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. It was barely a kiss, but I felt it all.

"I love how honest you are, " I closed my eyes and listened to his words, his breath brushing against my ear, making me shiver. "I love how brave you are, I love that you're a fighter, I love that you're the loudest voice in the room and on every subject you're opinionated."

I hummed in contentment, "do you know what I love about you?"

"Tell me," Aaron whispered.

"I love how selfless you act to protect others, even when it's not your responsibility," I said as I traced my hand along the lines of his face. "I love how dedicated you are, how hard you work," I ran my fingers down his nose to his lips. "I love your laugh, it's like this deep, rich chuckle and I can never get enough of it."

He chuckled at my words and I smiled, proving my point.

"Just know that while you're out there trying to save everyone, I'll be trying to save you," I whispered.

He smiled and shook his head, cupping my cheek with his hand and grazing my nose with his.

And we must have fallen asleep because all I could remember was waking up in Aaron's arms. I could hardly breathe and it was like a fog had spread through the room. I barely heard Aaron's soothing words through my own sobs. And then it came back to me. The bodies, the blood, the guilt. My mother, Maya, Rose. Everyone I couldn't save, everyone I was still paying my debt to.