A/N: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS. UGH YOU GUYS I'VE MISSED IT. PLEASE STICK AROUND FOR THIS CHAPTER IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE PLOT. I HAVE A FEW MORE CHAPTERS THAT I'M EDITING THROUGH AND THEY SHOULD BE POSTED IN THE NEXT WEEK! EEEEEEEEK I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO READ ALL THE FLUFF, ANGST, AND SEGGSY POTENTIAL COMING UP. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! (note: This is a flashback chapter, so it will resume in present day, picking up where we left off last chapter, in the next chapter. I hope that makes sense!)
Two Years Ago, two weeks after Haley passed...
I don't think I've ever saw Hotch as distraught as he was when Haley died. At the funeral, he was in such a state of shock, anger, and stoicism. He pummeled Foyet to death before Morgan pulled him away. I've never seen someone feel their emotions so deeply than in that moment. A man who I had never seen lose his cool, was breaking down and coming apart in front of the people he unintentionally swore to never fall apart in front of.
We all knew he needed space, but I knew that the abruptness of single parenthood could become overwhelming and fast, especially in our work. When I first got the job at the BAU, I realized very quickly that if I didn't have an on-call nanny who could be there whenever I had to leave was as necessary as water is to live. Unfortunately, as much as it would benefit having a routine schedule, serial killers aren't as perceptive or understanding of certain limitations. They just do and we follow.
So that is how I found myself outside Aaron Hotchner's house with a bottle of wine from Prentiss, pasta from Rossi, homemade baked goods from Penelope, along with Reid's favorite comfort book, JJ's gift of giving their Nanny's number until he's settled in, Blake's favorite comfort movie as well as a plethora of gifts for Jack. Then there was me, with my gift of...presence I guess?
I knocked lightly on the door, it was only 8:00 but I wasn't sure what time Jack went down to bed.
"Um, Hi Sydney." Hotch said surprised to be greeted at the door by one of his agents.
"Hey Hotch, I just wanted to stop by, is it an okay time?" I ask quietly, bouncing on my toes a bit.
"Yeah of course, Come on in" he says before backing up to let me inside his home.
"These are just a few gifts from the crew. We've been thinking about you and Jack a lot," I say quietly not sure where to proceed with the conversation, "I know it won't do any miracles, but we are here for you." I conclude while handing him the basket of gifts.
"Thank you," he says quietly. I can tell he's unsure of how to express his sadness without showing it. He doesn't want to show it, "Don't profile me Evans." he says with a hint of anger.
"I'm not Sir, not at all..." fuck come on Sydney, "I just know what it's like to be pushed into single parenthood abruptly and I was just trying to figure out how to tell you that, without being too direct I guess." I say backing up a bit towards the door, fearing that I've overstayed my welcome.
"God, no, I'm sorry Sydney, I don't..." yes?, "I don't know why I said that," he says with a huff "Thank you for stopping by and bringing us this, what is this?"
"That is Rossi's Carbonara, he made it to pair with Emily's favorite red blend" I say giggling a little bit at how our team interacts with each other outside of work.
"That was very sweet." he says, softly. Hotch? A soft side? Hmmm...,"Would you like to share with me?" he asks throwing me off guard
"Oh no, no you don't- these are your gifts Hotch, for you and Jack"
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Sunday Morning// Aaron Hotchner
Fanfiction"You can hear it in the silence... You can feel it on the way home... You can see it with the lights out... You are in love. True love. You are in love." 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘.
