Happiness - Aaron Hotchner

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You sat up in bed with a gasp, a hand pressed to your chest. Your gaze darted around the room, searching the darkness as you tried to shake the dream off. Typically, when you had nightmares, they were about a case or an unsub that you had trouble letting go of. But this one...

You widened your eyes as you tried to shake off the last little bit of slumber hoping the remnants of the dream would go with it. You twisted around to sit on the edge of the bed and dropped your head into your hands. Your heart still pounded wildly in your chest.

Your eyes slipped closed and an image of Aaron Hotchner bloody and lifeless flashed through your mind. God, that dream was so graphic and felt so real. You grabbed your phone from the nightstand and pulled up your contacts. Your thumb hovered over Aaron's name. A quick glance at the time showed it was just after 2:00AM.

You couldn't wake him, not for this. Could you? You bit your lip and pressed his name before you could talk yourself out of it. You weren't going to be able to sleep until you heard his voice.

"Hotchner," he answered after two rings. His voice was low and raspy with sleep.

"I'm so sorry, Aaron. I just...I had this dream and I needed to know you were okay."

"Y/N? Are you all right?" He instantly sounded more alert.

The corner of your mouth curled up in a smile and your heart calmed. Aaron was fine. "Yeah. I'm good. Promise. I just needed to hear your voice. Go back to sleep."

"Do you want to come over?"

You smiled. "I thought we agreed on no sleep overs, Agent Hotchner." The two of you had been dating for several months but had agreed to keep the relationship out of the bedroom so to speak in front of Jack.

He gave a low chuckle. "I might have had some thoughts about that."

"Is that so? Well, we can discuss it tomorrow. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't be. I'm here whenever you need me. Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Aaron." You hung up the phone and placed it back on your nightstand. Your hand lingered. "I love you." You'd said it in your head a thousand times. Whispered it as he slept, but you've yet to say it to him. He was so adamant about taking things slow after Haley and you didn't want to scare him off.

You curled back up in your bed and nestled into your pillow. Speaking to Aaron had brought you some peace but now your mind was racing and you were having trouble going back to sleep. You'd just flipped over for the fourth time when you heard a knock at your door. A glance at the time showed that it was almost 3AM now. You rolled off the bed and padded to the door. You peered through the peephole and smiled when you found Aaron on your doorstep with Jack sleeping in his arms. Both of them still in their pajamas.

You unlocked the door and quickly opened it. "Aaron?" You kept your voice soft so you wouldn't wake Jack and took the two bags he carried from his hand. One you recognized as his go bag. The other was Jack's backpack. "What are you doing here?"

One corner of his mouth kicked up in a crooked smile as he stepped past you and into the house. "I told Jack you had a bad dream and he thought we should come over."

"Did he now?" He followed you down the hall to the second bedroom you used as an office/guest room. You pulled back the blankets so he could put Jack in the seldom used bed and you put his bag on the chair in the corner. Once he was settled you tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead. When you turned you found Aaron watching from the doorway, a soft look in his eyes. Your cheeks heated under his attention.

As you passed by him, you grabbed his hand and pulled him after you. When you reached your room, you dropped his bag next to your dresser, then it didn't take long for the two of you to crawl into your bed and get comfortable. Your head was on his chest and his arm wrapped around you. He kissed the top of your head.

"So why did you really come over?"

"I told you, it was Jack's idea."

"Seriously, Aaron?" You pushed yourself up to give him a look that said you weren't buying it.

He huffed a little laugh and smiled. "I am serious. He woke up while we were on the phone and came in my room. He asked if I had to go to work and I told him no and that you'd had a bad dream. Once he discovered you had no one to sleep with and make you feel better, he insisted we come over."

Your eyes burned as tears welled up and you sniffed. Aaron and Jack Hotchner loved cautiously but when they did, it was with their whole heart. It still astounded you on a daily basis that they'd allowed you into their little circle.

Aaron reached up and used his thumb to wipe away a tear that escaped and started to run down your cheek. "Happy tears I hope?"

You nodded. "Happy tears."

He pulled you to him and kissed you long and slow before you settled back down to sleep.

***

The next morning was announced by a small body crawling up on the bed and belly flopping across the two of you. You grunted as the air was forced from your lungs but you were quick to recover. Your fingers dug into Jack's sides, making him squeal with happiness.

"Jack, what did I say about pouncing on people to wake them up?" Aaron's voice was ragged with sleep as he struggled to wake.

The thought that he was so used to this that it failed to rouse him completely, made you giggle. He peered down at you, one eyebrow arched. "Think that's funny, do you?"

You nodded as you tickled Jack again.

"No! Y/N! I'll behave. Promise!" the boy managed to get out between squeals.

You ceased tickling and instead wrapped your arms around him, placing him between you and Aaron. "I'm not certain he's learned his lesson, dad. What do you think?"

Aaron looked very seriously between you and his son before grinning and wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close so Jack was trapped between the two of you. You and Aaron then began to pepper Jack with kisses while he laughed with delight. When you stopped to give him a chance to breathe, he looked up at you with a wide smile on his face. "I love you, Y/N."

You mirrored his grin and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you, too, sweetheart."

"I love you, too, Y/N," said a much deeper voice and you jerked your head up to meet Aaron's eyes. He was smiling but you knew him well enough to see the worry in his gaze that you wouldn't return the sentiment.

Your grin widened. "I guess it's a good thing I love you, too, then."

He shifted Jack over to his other side so Aaron was laying between you and his son. Then, he turned and kissed you. It was brief, chaste, but promised more to come later.

"You know what else I love?" a little voice piped up.

You both looked expectantly at Jack.

He grinned. "Pancakes."

There was a beat of silence that was quickly filled with laughter.

"I tell you what, Jack. I don't have the stuff I need here to make pancakes but there's a place just down the street with the best pancakes in the city. Why don't you go get dressed and we'll go out for breakfast," you told him.

"Yes!" He was out of bed in a flash.

"And brush your teeth," Aaron yelled after him.

Your boyfriend gave you another quick kiss. "Happy?"

"You have no idea."

"Oh, I'm pretty sureI do." Then his lips captured yours again.

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