Mysterious Connections ✔️

The Name

It would be 6 months later until they saw each other again.

Adrielle stood outside the Houston police station, the warm spring air gently passing by. She leaned against his car, a foot bent and resting on the back bumper. A black cowboy hat rested on her head and was pulled down over her eyes, obscuring her face.

Aaron left the police station for the night, his steps slowing slightly as he looked at the figure resting against his car. He was on edge about this case, and could never be too careful. He unholstered his gun and crept closer, flicking off the security.

"Identify yourself." His deep voice asked, coming closer to his car.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, cowboy?" Adrielle asked in a ridiculously bad southern accent, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. She could see the relief in his face as he clicked the safety back on and put his gun away.

"Adrielle." His voice laced with adoration. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't just visit?" Her voice was back to normal.

"That's not your style."

"You're right, I'm here on business."

"What business?" He asked, watching as she kicked herself off the car and walked the few steps towards him.

"Same business you're on, cowboy."

"Want to exchange notes, then?" He offered, taking a bold step towards her. She smiled, looking up at him.

"As long as you remember that I always get the last move."

"How could I ever forget."

They watched each other, the distance between them tense. Adrielle reached up and took her hat off, gently moving it onto his head.

"Wear this into work tomorrow, and I'll know I can trust you." Adrielle was rewarded with a chuckle from Aaron.

"How many times do I have to prove I trust you?"

"Every time we meet, cowboy." She walked past him, their shoulders brushing. "But don't worry, you will be rewarded." He watched her walk across the parking lot and hop onto a motorcycle, barely giving him another glance before tearing out of the police parking lot.

When Hotch got to his hotel room that night he sat on the edge of the bed and removed the hat. It felt heavy in his hands as he noticed the genuine quality of the material. He twisted the hat around, thinking of Adrielle. An old friend, that's what she referred to herself as. Is that what they were?

A business card stuck out of the inside of the rim, tempting him to pick it up. He did so and turned it over, laughing at what was on the other side. It was identical to his business card in every way, and he couldn't find it within him to care that she used the official FBI logo.

Adrielle Kane: Bounty Hunter Personal cell: 555.9486

He never said the words allowed, never allowed himself to think of them, even. Bounty Hunter. It brought the reality of the situation more forward. He was consorting with a bounty hunter. This could make him lose his job, hell if there was any evidence that he had colluded with her and been privy to her deeds, he could go to jail. He shook the thoughts from his head, he never intended to tell anyone.

Adrielle Kane.

The name slipped from his lips and filled the room. It felt comfortable to say in his mouth and settled on the tongue nicely. The name brought forth feelings of comfort, adrenaline and nervousness. He sat with this feeling, finding that he wanted to see her again. Should he call her?

Aaron decided not to. He went to bed that night with thoughts of Adrielle Kane. That night he thought of the first time they met, her cold knife pressed against his neck, her body pressed against his. The week after their first meeting he had traced that small scar again and again, thinking of her. It had disappeared quickly, but the imagery was still there.

Hotch could feel his face redden as he stepped out of his car next morning, looking around the parking lot for any sign of Adrielle. He didn't see her, but he was sure she was there. He tilted his hat in a cowboys greeting away from the police station before turning on his heel and walking into the police station. The team giggled as he walked in, making many puns and jokes at his expense. The jokes didn't bother him, in fact he laughed along with them before quickly taking the hat off.

After the case was done, he took the hat home and placed it on his bedpost. He played with the card in his hand, absentmindedly tilting it. His head was filled with thoughts of Adrielle, wondering what she was like. He wanted to know more about her, where she grew up and how she likes her coffee. The number danced around in his head as he considered texting her, but decided against it. It was a privilege to be one of the few to have her personal cell, and he didn't want to ruin what they had.

Adrielle was in Montana, delivering the final stab to her latest assignment. She looked down her nose at the man, watching as his eyes lost their brightness and humanness. It felt powerful to take a life, especially one of such a scum like him. She removed her knife from him and wiped it clean on his pants. Her ears were met with silence as she took in the peaceful moment, happy to have cleaned up the world a little bit. The table next to her vibrated, drawing her attention to her phone. She answered.

"Is it done?"

"What impeccable timing you have, ma'am."

"Is it done?" The woman answered, a domineering tone in her voice.

"Yes ma'am, it's done. I'll leave him here as instructed and be out of the state in 2 hours."

"Perfect. Text me when you're on the plane and I'll wire the money to you. I needn't remind you of discretion."

"That's what you pay me for, ma'am." Adrielle hung up and pocketed her phone, looking at the man.

"It wouldn't have ended this way if you just didn't kill people. I mean how hard can it be?" She spoke to the corpse and rolled her eyes, her boot steps heavy as she walked out of the building.
Adrielle had requested for a plane ticket to Virginia. She liked how she could make the Agent blush, and wanted to see what he was up to. Being caught by him wasn't in her plans, but it has had it's benefits. Adrielle doubted that she could find someone else so understanding and so open. Could she trust him completely?

It seemed that he trusted her, with what she was unsure. Did he trust her not to kill him? To be honest with him? She wanted to trust him as well, but it was never a wise thing to trust law enforcement in her profession. Troubled by these thoughts, Adrielle went to a hotel and slept the night away, deciding to see how she felt the next morning.

The situation still rolled around in her head as she tried to find her own feelings on the subject. She walked past the FBI building countless times, trying to figure out her next move. Her feet took her to the apartment. She played the ditz card with the landlady, telling her that she hasn't gotten a key yet but wants to surprise her boyfriend when he gets home. The landlady, happy that Hotch has someone else in his life, didn't think twice before letting Adrielle in.

The sun had already begun to set as she walked around his apartment, making sure not to disturb anything. The walls were bare as were the bookshelves, surprising Adrielle. She leisurely walked around his apartment and into his room. Shamelessly snooping, she opened the drawers and the closets. Nothing stood out to her, the room overwhelmingly bland.

She moved onto the kitchen, finding little to eat in the fridge or the cabinets. Her hand reached for some crackers and snacked on them as she opened the rest of the cabinets. The dishes were all black, the mugs uniform except for a unicorn mug. She picked it up and turned it in her hand, noticing how little dust there was in that one compared to the others. He must favour that one.

By the time the sun had long set and Adrielle was half a glass into some nice whiskey Hotch had left out, he finally left his office. Adrielle smiled to herself, thinking of the landlady giving him a wink on his way up. Adrielle loved old movies and classic tropes, so she sat in the chair facing the door, a hand on her glass of whiskey and the other hand posed at the lamp to her right.

She heard the key twist in the lock and watched as his tired form came through the door. He threw his keys on the table next to the door and reached to unholster his gun. The lamp turned on, making Hotch cock his gun at the intruder.

"That's the second time you've pointed a weapon at me, Agent. As you will recall, I've only done that once." She said, the shadows casted across her face. "And that was when I didn't know you."

He visibly relaxed, putting the safety on his gun before walking over to a painting. He noticed how the painting was off the wall a little, and wondered how long she had been in his home.

"Well normally someone would call before showing up at someone's home." Hotch retorted. He didn't mean it to sound so harsh, but his day had been long and he was tired of this appearing and reappearing.

"Would you rather I be more domestic?" She asked, standing up from her chair and walking over to Hotch. Her hands touched his shoulders and ran slightly down his back. She relished in him shivering under her touch.

"How was your day at work, sweetie?"

"N-no. That isn't needed."

"I thought we were friends, Agent." Adrielle walked back over to her chair and picked up her whiskey glass, taking a small drink out of it. Hotch turned and watched her lips press against the glass. She walked over to him and handed him the glass, which he warily took. Butterflies took flight in his stomach as their fingertips brushed.

"You could call us that, but I don't know much about you."

"You know my first and last name, I thought you'd have looked me up by now."

"I've respected your wishes and I haven't involved my team. Looking you up would include my tech analyst, and she cannot keep a secret."

"What would you like to know, my middle name, star sign, my first dog's name?" She crossed her arms and looked him up and down. "I know, why don't you tell me what you think you know about me?"

A playful smile adorned her lips, making Aaron's heart flutter. He took a sip of the whiskey, tasting what must've been her chapstick as it was chased by the bitter taste of alcohol.

"Very well. At first I thought you were a psychopath-"

"Ouch"

"-given that you take delight in killing another human, but after the Wyoming case I no longer think so."

"Oh?" She questioned, sitting down on his couch. She left an obvious space for him to sit, but he kept his distance, taking another sip.

"You had an assignment to deal with the woman. She had been killing boys because she saw it as a way to release them from their abusive homes. You feel uneasy killing women, even if they are the ones in the wrong. This tells me that someone close to you, perhaps a mother, grandmother or best friend has or had a mental illness."

Adrielle was quiet for a moment, considering all that he had said. Hotch moved to sit on the opposite end of the couch, waiting for her to respond. The cars below were the only sounds as she thought of what to say next.

"Very intuitive of you. And here I thought profiling was a ruse, like hypnosis."

"I can see your hesitation, but profiling has its moments. We've solved many cases through our efforts."

"What do you like to do outside of work, Agent? When you're not on the other side of the country?" She leaned against her palm on the back of the couch, looking into his eyes.

"Well, I try to have my son, Jack. My ex-wife and I separated because of my job, so he spends a lot of time with her since I am gone so much. I try to take him to the zoo, or to get a milkshake. One time we went bowling, but neither of us were very good." He laughed softly at the memory, his fingers fidgeting around the glass. He reached over to the side table next to the couch, reaching into the top drawer.

"I got these for Jack and I. I know how hard it is to be apart from me, so I got him the other half of this." He held out a snowman figurine, the snow next to it having an empty circle. "A reindeer fits in that circle. I know it's holiday specific, but it still means a lot to me. I got it for us so that whenever he looks at it, he knows I am thinking about him and I love him."

He turned the figurine in his hands before handing it over to Adrielle, who hesitantly took it.

"I've never shown that to anyone else." He quietly said, looking at Adrielle's face as she studied the figure.

"It's not often I get days by myself. Even on my days off I'm still working." He continued and met her gaze, watching as she smiled softly at him.

I could get used to this, he thought. Talking with someone like her, not getting judged. It felt easy speaking with her, and what a relief, he hasn't freely talked like this in so long.

"Jack sounds like a nice kid."

"He is. All thanks to his mother, I know."

"I'm sure some attributes can be attributed to you." She affirmed, taking the glass of whiskey to her lips. He watched as some escaped from the corner of her mouth and dripped down her neck. He was sure it was the alcohol in his bloodstream, but he was tempted to clean it up.

"Thank you, I'm sure there's some."

The silence stretched between them, but it was comforting. There's not many people in the world that you can sit in silence with and not feel the need to fill the space. They listened to the cars below or the sounds of other people in the building, each with their own individual lives. If only they knew this pair and what they did for a living, they would think it a lie, for who would believe that an FBI agent would interact with a bounty hunter?