Airing Aaron (HotchxOC)

Harrowing Health of Haley.

Alessandra was stood in her smartest suit, her jacket was neatly steamed, and her shirt was almost creaseless as she paced around the large space of the court. There were two things that she liked about American courts so much more than English ones. For starters, she was allowed to not just look at the jury in America, but she could talk at them and sometimes ask them a question if it was the right time. In England, you couldn't even acknowledge their existence. The second thing was what she wore. Her training in England forced her to wear the silly wig, the large cape and a frown. For some reason, she couldn't smile in the English court without pissing someone off.

'My dear members of the jury. This is not a case of if this man committed these crimes. He said here in court, and we all heard it, that he did it. We have a signed confession. This man's actions led to the torturous end of eight lives. The debate is if he was psychologically capable of it, and I think we can all agree anxiety isn't an excuse. No behaviourist, no psychologist, no one could find anything wrong with Edmund Curry until someone said that he has borderline anxiety. Take his appeal for what it is, a last attempt to get out of prison. This is his last chance; he's out of appeals, he's running out of time, and he knows it...' Alessandra spoke for the remaining hour her side had on the case before sitting down and glancing at the jury; she knew they'd won. Even before they were walked out to the deliberation room, it wouldn't be too long before they came back with an answer.

Alessandra was one of the last ones out of the room, where she stepped out for a moment and sat on a bench with her head in her hands. Work. It was all too much. The BAU had, of course, caused more paperwork. But she felt guilty complaining. While she mourned the lunches she could no longer afford to take, Hotch grieved a loved one, and the team grieved the man they once knew. Out there was a young boy who had lost his mother, and his father wasn't even around frequently. 'Hello?' A woman asked quietly as she approached Alessandra.

'Can I help you? The jury shouldn't be long, so I'm just waiting. Do you want to join me?' She asked them kindly, but they shook their heads. They were another grieving family. Every few months or years, the family of Mary Kelley were pulled back into court, forced to relive their daughter, sister, and mother, be insulted and called a slut for wanting to hook up with someone, all in the name of getting Edmund Curry out of prison. But even that wasn't the whole truth. Every court case let him see his victims again, their pictures could be seen, and their families could be heard crying. He got off on it, but he was out of chances. There would never be able to relive the moments again, so she knew, when the jury came back with the guilty verdict, he would go back to prison, and he would kill himself. It was in his profile to do it.

'I just wanted to know what the likelihood is that he will be let go,' the oldest woman, tall and withering from the years of trauma at the virtual hands of Edmund Curry, anxiously gulped as she waited for an answer.

'He won't get out. I am so sure of that. You don't need to worry. It's almost over now, and he won't be able to bother you anymore. No more court cases and no more letters from his lawyers or the FBI,' she reassured, and with those words, the old woman dropped to the bench beside Alessandra, where she threw her arms around her and rested her sobbing face onto the pristine jacket that still smelt like it was fresh from the dry cleaners.

Patting her on the back, the old lady sniffed and sobbed until Alessandra's phone rang, and she had to take it. The jury was back already, and it couldn't come soon enough. Their anticipation grew, well, in the audience, but the judge and both the defence and the plaintiff knew what was about to happen. He was found guilty, and as such, he would have to go back to prison.

Celebrations were all but stopped for Alessandra as she left the courthouse, she had things to do, but she didn't want to do anything. In the back of her head, all she wanted to do was comfort Hotch. And as much as it pained him to say it, Hotch liked their relationship. They hated each other but would always be there for each other when alone. But only if work wasn't involved. There was one thing they could never talk about without fighting, and that was their jobs. It was an intense and emotional scene for more than just the two employees. But following Haley's death, Hotch hadn't even tried to spare a thought for Alessandra. He actually forgot that she even existed. Just like everyone else always did.