SSA Aaron Hotchner is stepping down from his Unit Chief position for a 6-month period due to an assignment in overseas. To his temporary replacement comes SSA Alexandra Barnes, Chief of the Child Abductions Unit. Both Hotchner and Barnes have their...
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Walking in the bureau this morning, I spotted Aaron a few feet in front of me.
"Hotchner!" I call as I rush a bit to catch up. He smiles as soon as he sees me and holds the elevator.
"Good morning" he says
"Good morning" I reply standing next to him.
He taps the 6 and 7 buttons. The doors start closing and I kiss him as soon as they shut.
"I'll miss you today" he breathes out
"Me too. Let me know if you're flying today, ok?"
"I will" he answers and kisses me one more time before the elevator opens. "Have a good day"
"With our job? Doubtful" I reply and he chuckles.
I get to the 7th floor and I find my office; my old office. I let my briefcase on the desk and I sit down.
The transfer is over. Everyone is going back to their positions and we are supposed to return to normal. But the new normal includes me and Aaron.
And what's scaring me most about it is the distance. Even though only a floor is separating us now, when the traveling starts, things can get really complicated. What if he is away one day and I'm away the next? And what if one of us is stuck with a case on weekends and we slowly lose even that?
Sure, we did 4 months without seeing each other at all, and I absolutely hated it. The truth is that I got used to having him every day.
But the moment new files arrived on my desk, I got carried away. After a couple of meetings with the team, paperwork, and many reviews of possible new cases that came in, I was once again last in our bullpen.
I hear a knock on my door and I lift my eyes from what I was writing. "Chief Barnes" he says as he walks in
"Yes, Chief Hotchner?" I answer without taking my eyes off of him
"I am heading out. Do you want to go get dinner while we still can?" he suggests
"Sure. Just give me a minute to finish this up".
He nods and takes a seat. "Busy first day back?" he asks
"We had a couple of consultations to work on and send out. You?" I answer as I keep writing
"Consultations too. But I think we'll be heading to Texas tomorrow if a third body turns up tonight with the same MO"
"How crazy?" I ask
"Bodies turn up with missing fingers. The second body had a finger pushed in his throat. But it wasn't one of his, it was from the first victim".
"Some times I wonder, why do we like this job?" I joke as I collect all the papers in the file and put it on a stack with the others.
