Keeping Her Safe

Heart of Stone.

Bright and early, the sixth floor prepared for their busy day of work ahead of them. There was no rest for the wicked, and so there was no rest for those trying to catch the wicked.

The early hour, and late party, while exhausting, didn't dissuade Sera as she came in just as early as she usually did. Idris was still at home, sleeping after returning home and drinking until she was forced to hide the bottles from him.

Christmas with the BAU had gone well, the meal went without incident, aside from a few embarrassing stories that Garcia let slip. After eating, everyone lounged on sofas until presents were brought out, and they took it in turns opening them before the rubbish was gathered by Sera. She found any excuse to step out of the room, from frequent bathroom breaks to checking up on anyone who was gone for too long.

And then Garcia and Morgan were caught trying to pull the tinsel from the tree, and Sera offered to take them home. Rossi demanded a team photo, and it was quickly taken before she rushed the two out. To make it all worse, Hotch stood behind her, and a hand sat on her bare skin as he tried to keep her in frame. Or so he claimed.

After the revelations on the way to Rossi's, Idris wanted to smoke, but Sera convinced him to drink instead. And he was blackout drunk before she had finished brushing her teeth.

But stood in her office, no more than eight hours later, Sera was pacing as she scanned a file. The file was new details for a case she had started the profile for, but more had arrived since she last checked her emails.

The file was the least of her worries, Hotch was. She loved him. At first she felt it, watching Beth act cute with him, the upset and desire to be with him. And then she was in denial. She couldn't love anyone. Not again, and then she thought it was too soon. They had met a few months before. And then she realised that they had met four months before. Which was a normal amount of time for two people to come to the realisation that they were in love. If anything, it was a little late.

Planning, something Sera could do. At the end of the day, she had a plan and it wouldn't be easy, she would hate it.

He's safer this way.

People got hurt when Sera was involved, in fact, people normally died when she was involved. After all, it was her fault everyone she loved died, aside from Matthew. But he died on the inside the day Rosamond did. And Idris was alive, but she put distance between them. Until he sent the blasted picture of them together as kids.

Lost in thought, Sera failed to realise that someone was at her door until they knocked. Hotch. He stood holding his coffee while smiling. 'I wondered how you were. You seemed different last night,' he confessed.

'Fine,' Sera curtly responded.

Hotch saw it, the blank features and distant look. It was like Sera had transported herself back four months to the woman he first met. 'Are you sure?' He followed up.

'Yes. Can I help you with anything?' Sera sharply replied.

Shaking his head, Hotch furrowed his brows as he took another look at Sera before turning and leaving to enter his office. Alone again, she let a deep breath leave. Distant, distant was good. Short replies and professional demeanours were her specialty. And he was not going to get under her suit again.

By the time the morning meeting came around, Sera walked in last and sat without greeting anyone. It had taken weeks for the team to make her properly greet them, and somehow they weren't just back to square one, they were worse off than that.

'Let's start,' Hotch prompted as he worriedly glanced her over.

Everyone was looking, she knew they were, but she refused to look up from her tablet as she scanned her notes and prepared to take more with the pen and pad she brought in with her. 'Rossi,' Sera prompted when Hotch failed to name anyone.