Sweetness (Aaron Hotchner x OC)

Bonus Chapter - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Aaron's POV

When I'd first laid eyes on Haley, I knew, there and then, that I was going to marry her. She was the one that I believed I'd spend the rest of my life with, who I'd build my career with, who I'd grow old with. My high school sweetheart.

Never did I think, a couple of years after Jack was born, that I'd be a divorced father. That I'd be living on my own, seeing my son on the weekends, whenever I physically could.

I Iove Haley, always have and always will. Regardless of how things ended, I'll always care for her. She was my first real love and is the mother of my son, so I would always keep my vow to protect her.

Truthfully, when Haley left, she a took a small piece of me with her. That small part of me that would laugh, the part of me that would joke, the part of me that could trust.

Part of me suspected that she had sort comfort from another man, while we were still married. Admittedly, I never confronted her or confirmed it, but I am profiler after all.

And for some time, I felt completely broken, throwing myself into my work even more than usual, if that was even possible. However, the rational part of me knew that it was my very dedication to the job, putting the team first and the obvious neglect of our marriage, that had pushed her into the arms of someone else.

I can't lie though, after Jack, being appointed unit chief of the BAU was one of my greatest achievements. It was a role that I'd wanted as soon as I'd made the move from the Field Office in Seattle.

There's no denying that the job's very demanding, and no one understands or emphasises with the situations we find ourselves in better than the team. We were all in the same testing boat.

I have a such an immense admiration, a great deal of respect and a certain type of love for the team. You can't continuously spend as much time as I do with a group of people and not grow to seriously care for one another.

And as I stand, scanning the bullpen, I think about the latest case and the effect on the team. How many more times will they be able to look into the abyss? How many more times before they won't recover the pieces of themselves that this job takes?

For the first time since she'd started, Anastasia had visibly shown the profound impact that the case had on her. That night at the farm, I knew that it wasn't solely her empty stomach that caused her to stagger away from the group, the colour draining from her face.

When Anastasia had interviewed for her position at the BAU, I'd been intrigued to find out that she'd been conversing with Gideon and attending his lectures. It was his recommendation that had prompted me to offer her the position. Much like myself, Gideon was never one to openly compliment, so I knew she had to be better than good to receive Jason's praise.

When she'd first joined, as usual, I had been apprehensive. She needed to prove herself to the team, and regardless of her relationship with Gideon, I still kept a close eye on her.

Not once can I recall a moment where she'd been phased by anything she'd been instructed to deal with, instead she just continued to impress, performing to a level that was above anyone's expectations for someone so new in the role.

She had charmed Morgan, earning his trust almost immediately which was shocking because there was very few people he truly trusted. With Reid, Anastasia had turned into someone that he could confide in, someone who would listen to his rambling's happily. It had been surprising to see Reid so willingly open up about his emotions when he so often used his intellect as a shield. Similar to Gideon, Rossi had become a mentor for Ana, someone she looked up to and massively respected.

The girls of the BAU, well they are nothing but inseparable. Ana fully understood what it was like to join such a closely knitted unit, so when Emily was assigned to the BAU, Ana made it an imperative that she felt like part of the team at all times. Being the mother of the group meant that Ana was welcomed happily with open arms by JJ. The brightness of her clothing and colourfulness of her office was nothing compared to the love and pride that Garcia had for the team, and Ana had made it her mission to make sure Penelope knew just how crucially important she was to the success of unit.

To be frank, I hadn't really given Ana much attention in the beginning, only as much as necessary as her superior. It was only when I started to see her fierce sense of loyalty for the team, that I began allowing myself to build a somewhat platonic relationship with her.

I'd obviously noticed her beauty from the very first time she had stepped into my office, I was a man after all, but it was only when I'd separated from Hailey that I'd allowed myself to view Ana as the attractive woman she is.

It was probably six months after I'd signed the papers, once I'd been on the receiving end of her pure selfless need to ensure everyone's wellbeing before ensuring her own, namely the explosion in New York, that I realised I was beginning to like Ana more than I wanted to, more than I expected.

But even a year after the divorce, I didn't dare consider the thought of initiating anything with her.

Thinking back to that night at the bar, when I had her pressed against me on the dance floor, I should have known that I was venturing down a path that had no return.

During the Foyet case in Boston, Ana had actively sort me out, checking that I was okay, reassuring me when I'd needed it most. And her words in my office, there really isn't a better man for the job, just caused my self-restraint to snap. I couldn't resist her anymore.

And it was the night at her house, when she was sat in my lap eating her pizza, that I realised. And it's when she kissed my jaw, grinning at me with the most mesmerising smile, that I knew for sure.

That as much as I'd convinced myself I wouldn't expose myself again to feeling such emotions, I was completely fascinated, completely captivated, completely smitten, completely in love with Anastasia Brooke.

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A/N - So the idea to do a little bonus Aaron POV came to me at 1am in the morning. I've also started the next chapter so should have an update for you before/by the weekend.

I'm intrigued to know your thoughts about this type of chapter and if you'd wanna see more glimpses into Aaron's thoughts? Let me know!

As always, thank you for the views|comments|votes! And special shout out to hotchnerslutz, your messages made my day!

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