VIOLENT DELIGHTS, aaron hotchner

we don't have to dance

Juliette doesn't hate back-to-back cases as much as other agents, but two cases over two weeks without a chance to even visit her home was draining. Hotch managed to convince Strauss they're not to be called in that day unless there's a serial killer in the White House, so Juliette has a day alone in her exceptionally quiet townhouse.

She despises the silence. The whirring of her AC is suffocating, reminding her that she'll never hear Griff whistling a Beatles song again. Then the microwave's buzzing taunts Juliette, telling her she'll never taste his homemade meals again. Normally, alcohol and Rush blasting through a speaker could drown out the silence enough, but today she tries something healthier.

Juliette dons black shorts and a matching sports bra, jogging against the morning breeze towards the park with plans to race around the base until the sun sets. Having lived in cities for so much of her life, she relishes in the swaying trees and rustling bushes around her. She's so focused on the beauty of nature, she doesn't notice Hotch walking towards her from the parking lot.

To Aaron Hotchner, Juliette is an enigma. He can't figure out why she's so distant from the team, although he's considered he might be projecting. Either way, he's become unreasonably determined to encourage her out of her shell. So, when he sees Juliette entering the park at the same time, he doesn't hesitate to start his run on the same path.

At first, they simply lock eyes. Exchanging courteous smiles, Juliette can tell from his open body language that she won't be completing her run alone. She slows down, allowing him to jog up next to her and run together. "Mind if I join you?" Hotch asks, a smile ghosting his lips. "Maybe get some of those tips."

"Of course." Juliette nods, masking her disappointment. She should've gone somewhere else if she wanted to be alone, anyways.

The first few minutes of their run are done in silence, only broken by Juliette telling her boss to fix his posture or bend his knees more. Eventually, Hotch feels dangerously comfortable in her presence, and hesitantly points to her necklace. "Are those your wedding rings?"

Juliette clenches her jaw, but nods. "Both of ours, yes."

"I'm sorry." Hotch murmurs, suddenly aware he may have overstepped.

"I'm sorry about your wife." She replies, hoping to push the awkward silence onto him.

Hotch furrows his brow. "How'd you profile that?"

"I didn't." She answers, although she could've. When she said yes, Hotch's expression wasn't that of pity, but empathy. The kind of empathy you can only know from experience. "Strauss told me."

"I see." He exhales. "This job... takes a lot from you."

"That it does." Juliette nods in agreement, ignoring Hotch's confusion.

"Speaking of which," He adds. "I thought I told everyone to get some rest today."

Juliette sighs, debating how much she wants to reveal to him. She ultimately sticks with the truth, surprising even herself. "The house... it's too quiet."

She lets her words linger in the air for a moment, then speaks again. "What about you, don't you have a kid?"

"I do, Jack. He's in Disney with Jessica, Haley's sister."

Juliette looks up to him, displaying the first genuine smile Hotch's seen grace her face. "That's amazing. I bet he's having the time of his life."

Kids are Juliette's weak spot, they always have been. She's not trying to hide it, although she would in a work setting, she can't help but smile at the idea of a tiny Hotch. And he can see this, so he takes his time explaining Jack's obsession with Star Wars and how he scored a goal at his most recent soccer game.