Hotchniss One Shots

"Ghost stories"

Hours later, the team was gathered around a fire Rossi had started down near the lake. The cool air sent a chilly breeze through the trees around them as they sat around the fire in lawn chairs sharing stories.

After moving on from the funny stories they shared with one another about their lives at the BAU, mostly including Emily, Reid, Morgan, and Garcia. JJ and Hotch were usually the ones to break up their jokes, deciding the be the parents of the group and keep them in line, while Rossi laughed along with all of them.

". . . Emily's grinning at Reid, who is sitting across from her at his desk tryin' to solve a damn Rubik's cube. Lucky for us, Garcia was already checking his search history."

"Only to find out that I didn't actually search that at all, Morgan. And I actually can solve a Rubik's cube in under ten seconds."

They began to argue back and forth, trying to get to the bottom of something that Emily allegedly saw him search up on his phone that morning.

Emily sat across the fire from the two men who were acting like children. She laughed playfully, loving nothing more than to set them against one another and cause a little bit of drama.

It didn't last long, however. They were both profilers, and they eventually figured out the truth. "Unless Prentiss just lied to both of us!" Morgan said, directing his attention at the brunette.

JJ and Rossi both laughed, while Hotch broke a tight lipped smile as well.

"Emily! Now the entire BAU thinks I google myself and have private concerts to myself in my car!" Reid protested angrily.

"That's not as bad as what is said about you, Morgan," Rossi offered, sipping on his beer.

Derek raised an eyebrow in her direction. "What is said about me now?"

Reid shook his head. "Funny, I've never heard anything bad about Hotch before."

The all shrugged. It was true, she liked to keep her boss slash boyfriend out of their jokes most of the time, or she would be subject to the classic "it's just because you sleep with him."

"If you want to hear something bad about Hotch, Reid, I can tell you."

Aaron shook his head slightly. "I don't think we need anymore rumors going around. Especially not about your boss," he said to her, raising an eyebrow in a threatening way.

"It's finally dark out," JJ observed, changing the topic completely. "I wanna her some ghost stories!"

"I've got a good one!" Emily chimed, "it about this ghost, who's more of a zombie, actually, who haunts the BAU."

"Ooh, what's his name?" Garcia asked, taking an interest in her story already.

Emily smirked. "Sir Baron Watchner."

The whole team laughed, all except Aaron, who tried his best to remain straight faced and unfazed.

"Is this some kind of love story where he finds another ghost in the building named Lady Flemily Grentiss?" Rossi asked with a grin, putting both of them into a silence.

This was exactly what the team needed. Time to be themselves and open up to one another. They already had enough real life ghost stories in their lives already.