Airing Aaron (HotchxOC)

Piquing Patience Play.

Just because two agents didn't work together, that didn't mean they would never cross paths in a professional setting. But sometimes, that crossing had to happen intentionally. The BAU had a case, the problem? It took a week to solve, and no one was using their phones frequently enough for their families' liking. When they did land, following a full night of rest after closing the case, the team returned to the office to work again. The moment they arrived and parked up, something colourful met their eye. Upon closer inspection, Garcia was stood anxiously waiting for them.

Eyes dropped in annoyance as they anticipated her announcement of another case, and each member began plotting their own death. Anything to get out of another case that took them away from home. But when they got closer, she wasn't holding a file, and she seemed more nervous than anything else. 'Hey, just a quick warning. She's not happy,' Garcia mentioned before heading in and escaping them.

Without the chance to ask questions, Strauss came to mind, and they suddenly wished that they had another case to take them away. By the time they managed to get to their floor again, Alessandra was stood, tapping her heel while Garcia and Mariah stood just behind her, almost laughing. 'Aaron Timothy Hotchner, is this what you call effective communication in a relationship?' She quietly chastised as he walked through the door first.

'My name isn't...' Hotch was stopped as she stepped closer and sighed out loudly.

'Chicken pox. House move. Two massive issues that require help. Jess hasn't had chicken pox yet, so I had to go it alone. But don't worry; you're all moved in. And no need to thank me. I'm just amazing,' she snarked as the team walked to their desks.

'Can we talk in my office?' Hotch finally asked, and she shook her head.

'I'm done talking to you right now. So don't worry, your secrets are safe with me. I won't tell anyone about how the house went. You should know that you've not got an active case, but you do have a case that requires some immediate attention. They're in the conference room,' Alessandra quickly spoke, and Hotch glanced up to see Strauss pacing.

'Wait, you're going to tell me the secrets, right?' Mariah asked, and Alessandra slyly nodded with a wink and a thumbs up.

Hotch drew his eyes away from the conference room in time to see the three women all leaving, and he closed his eyes in annoyance before he walked across to the conference room to talk to them. All he wanted was to hug and kiss his girlfriend in the privacy of his office, but she was gone, and he had to quietly meet someone.

As he entered, Hotch politely shook the woman's hand, and he instantly recognised who it was. Henrietta Brunner. She was a politician in Virginia, and she held a lot of sway. His heart sank at the sight of her; he hated politics. 'This is Henrietta Brunner,' Strauss began, 'and this is SSA Aaron Hotchner. Mr Brunner will be up soon, but we should start.'

'Someone is trying to blackmail me. A year ago, I made a call over a legal case that wasn't technically my call to make, but the news never really caught wind of it, so we need to find who did it before they kill my children,' she admitted, trying to stop the wobble of fear as she spoke.

As she began crying, she pushed all the evidence she had towards Hotch, who gladly began to flick through the papers. 'I'm not a prosecutor anymore, so laws around jurisdiction and the homeless aren't as fresh, but I can ask our legal aid to help us. But judging by the time scale given to us, Donald won't be back from Australia in time. I'd like to reach out to Ali,' Hotch spoke, and Strauss agreed silently with a single nod.

As Hotch configured the text, the door opened, and a man walked in that seemed to want to go unnoticed. 'Michael Brunner,' Strauss mentioned as Hotch shook his hand. Something about his eyes seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.