The Stars | Aaron Hotchner

Chapter 32: "Haley's" Comet

In the five months following the Jemily wedding, life got hectic.

Emily and JJ took time off and went to Paris for their honeymoon, though JJ flew back to start her job at the Pentagon after a month and a half. Everyone tried to stay in touch, but it was clear that the busy lifestyles they all led would prove difficult to stay up to date on the newlyweds' lives.

The team had two new spots to fill, and as you had guessed, the stress of getting potential members was eating away at Aaron. He had managed to do it, as he was incredible like that, but it was concerning how run down he'd been in the few weeks of hiring and quickly training the new recruits. Aaron had a tendency to share his thoughts about his teammates now that he had someone who understood his job and the people he worked with. Dr. Alex Blake and Kate Callahan were their names, and it was a relief to find that he approved of both, with their skills and general meshing with the team dynamics.

However, your first meeting with the two new members was not ideal as you were on the wrong side of an interrogation. Long story short, there was a murder and the killers had tried to make it seem like you did it. An anxiety attack and a plan gone sideways later, your boyfriend and the rest of the BAU managed to catch them.

The upsides to that particular case was the act of growing closer to Aaron, after cuddles to incredible sex to learning the whole story with his ex-wife Haley, the whole experience had strengthened your bond with him.

The next month or so after that was filled with cases, so David had invited the entire team and you to his luxury cabin in some semi-remote part of the woods. Those few days were, definitely interesting.

Among many fun activities, you had a chance to prove that the supernatural was real and inform the BAU about the things that go bump in the night. On top of that, you had to convince the team that the Winchesters were actually good guys, despite them being wanted by the FBI. And if that wasn't enough, you had the pleasure of watching what happened when Aaron's team fought. Fun...

Spencer still called to talk with you, and though things had been strained between him and Aaron after he had kissed you on the short vacation-- one of the reasons for the BAU fighting-- things were finally on the mend.

Well, except for the one little, tiny, annoying thing at the back of your mind. Aaron still hadn't said that he loved you yet.

Sure the relationship was great, but you had doubts about if he was serious about it, at least as serious as you were. You shouldn't be hung up on the lack of the words, as the sentiment was clearly there, but it was irking.

Right now, you were sharing your day off with Aaron on your couch, watching The Hobbit trilogy. No matter how many times you watched it, you always paid attention to each scene, mouthing along to some of the lines you had ingrained in your heart. However, your mind was abuzz with the anxieties of your relationship with your boyfriend and you could barely focus on the faceoff between Thranduil and Thorin.

Aaron laid on your lap as you absentmindedly played with his hair, and judging by the soft snores, he was asleep. You smiled at him, fingers still working through his hair because he deserved to rest.

You blinked in surprise as your phone went off, looking around for the device before answering it. Your spine automatically straightened as you recognized the voice, and you reached over to the table to grab the remote to pause the movie.

"Assistant Director Stark, hold on one second, please." You mouthed an apology as Aaron woke up, running his hand through his hair before sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He checked his surroundings, and you figured it was because of instincts rather than sensing actual danger. You could tell he was fine when he blinked slowly at you before returning to his spot on your thighs, resting his palm at your knee as he got comfortable. You scratched your nails against his scalp, returning your attention to Stark.