Stumbling West (Aaron Hotchner x Reader) ✔️

Starting over, Starting new

Your phone rings again, signaling yet another call to go to voicemail. You know who it is, the same person who has been annoying you for the past month since you've returned home to Virginia, Jack Garrett. It's not that you don't want to talk to him, you just don't want to have to say no to him. You've known Jack for years, you consider him and his wife good friends of yours, family, Jack even helped you when you transferred to Pakistan two years ago when you just couldn't bare to be home anymore after your husband died.

You know Jack heard about you leaving the DOD, that man hears everything, and you also know he has always wanted you to work for the DOJ instead. He mentioned how much better it would be suited for you every time he saw you, which you always laughed at, reminding him the DOD has a far better retirement plan, and went along.

But now that your back? Now that you no longer work for the DOD? No longer have that "retirement plan"? Well, now you just have to avoid him. Of course, Jack Garrett is anything if not persistent, which is proven by the knocking on your apartment door the moment your phone stops ringing.

You'll have to call your oldest brother later, no doubt in him being the one to give away your cover, and move to open the door, allowing the tall man inside your new home.

"Well look, you're alive after all!" You hear as he brings you into a hug. It's overbearing, and tight, and over way sooner than you would like to admit. The familiarity bringing you a peace of comfort that has been lost on you while overseas for so long. He releases you, giving you a pointed stare "I was getting worried considering you haven't been answering my calls."

You have the decency to at least try and look guilty, giving him a grimace of a smile and allowing him all the way into your apartment before closing the door, "Well I have been busy."

He grunts a response and you don't have to be looking at him to know he rolled his eyes at you, not giving up your excuse you add, "Hey, you try moving somewhere from overseas, its extremely time consuming."

As you turn back to him, he's giving you another pointed look, before gesturing to the amount of boxes still occupying the floors. Yeah, should of thought of a better excuse.

Moving past him to your kitchen you avoid direct eye contact, "Alright fine. I was ignoring you."

Jack huffs a laugh, before following. You make each of you a cup of coffee and sit at your dinning table catching up with some small talk before he sets down his empty cup and folds his hands together on the table, "Where are you working now?"

looks like we will be jumping right into it then.

"I think you already know the answer to that." You reply flatly.

But your tone doesn't deter him, "I have a friend that could use some help on his team."

You take a sip of my coffee, "I'm sure you have lots of friends that could use lots of help."

You're buying time, you both know it, but Jack keeps going, "I do. But only you can help this one."

Sighing, you realize you lost this match the moment he knocked on your door, and you sit back defeated.

Jack doesn't even try to keep the smile off his face, "David Rossi, I'm sure you've heard his name?"

"Doesn't he work for the BAU?"

Jack nods, "Yes, he helped build it, and currently his team is down numbers."

You frown at this, "Why? If What I've heard from the past is correct, they almost never have openings, and almost everyone wants in."