Anonymous Caretakers - Aaron Hotchner

11. It's Time

Samantha thought about Aaron a lot. She knew that last week on Aaron's birthday, she set a new tone for the way they communicated. It was terrifying, but Aaron reacted pretty okay to it. Their contact existed out of parental messages, jokes, and a bit of flirting. However, she wanted more. But the thought of seeing him in person scared her. She feared that Aaron's expectations were higher than what he was getting. Besides, she wasn't sure how seriously he took it all.

While she was painting with Nathan, Samantha's phone buzzed.

[Aaron:] Hi there

[You:] Afternoon, Daddy Hotch

[Aaron:] We talked about the daddy dilf thing, Samantha.

[You:] Sorry baby, ur right. How's my lovely Aaron feeling today?

[Aaron:] Normal, I guess. I'm in Dallas at the moment for a case.

[You:] Ooh, exciting. Found any clues yet?

[Aaron:] That's classified

[You:] I watched Sherlock once, let me deduct.

[Aaron:] No.

[You:] Aww

[You:] So, why are you texting me?

[Aaron:] Can I not just ask how you're doing?

[You:] Of course you can, but you've never done that before

[Aaron:] You're right.

[You:] Sooo?

-

[Sam:] Sooo?

Aaron had a specific reason to text Samantha, as she suspected. But he couldn't say it, he was scared. He felt like a coward when he came up with a poor excuse.

[You:] Actually, I just wanted to ask if you could send me the school schedule, I lost mine.

[Sam:] Oh, of course.

She added a picture of the sheet he already had on his fridge.

[You:] Thank you, I have to leave for work now.

[Sam:] Good luck, my agent!

He went back to his team at the local police station and got back to work. While the rest of the team discussed theories, Rossi once again decided to bother Aaron. It had become a habit.

"So, how's life at home?" Aaron sighed. "My life at home is fine, Dave." The Italian chuckled at his grumpiness. "Aaron, you're having feelings for someone, and that's completely normal." Aaron wanted to hit Rossi, but that'd be unprofessional. "There is nothing to talk about," he hissed.
"Alright, if you say so." Then Garcia called with a lead, and they went back to work. 

The case ended with suicide by cop, not the most satisfying end. Morgan had no choice but to shoot the lady. The team had one more night at the hotel. While Aaron was showering, he got an idea—either a terrible one or a brilliant one. Because, he realized, the person who knows the most about social media and technology was right in this hotel.

After he got out, he started to question his idea, but it wasn't like he had any other options. 
He left his room to go to another one, and he knocked on the door.
"Sir?" Garcia asked surprised. Suddenly, Aaron didn't want to go through with it anymore.
"Garcia," he answered quietly, before inviting himself in.

"Are you alright? Can I help you with something?" Aaron took a big breath.
"So, you may have heard people talking about how I apparently behave differently than usual," he started, and a big grin appeared on her face. "Yes I do," she said with a devilish smirk. He immediately regretted coming here, but there was no backing out now. There was a long silence.

"So, hypothetically speaking, if I were to ask a woman out through text, what would be the best thing to say?"
"Well sir," Garcia said excitedly, "I know just how to help you. Hypothetically of course. I do have to read every single message."

"Absolutely not."

-

Samantha hadn't had the time to talk to Aaron, it was a busy day. Firstly, Nathan had lost his day trip form, meaning that she had to drive all the way back to school. Then, the power went off in the entire neighborhood. And last but not least, she got a flat tire on the way to soccer practice. 

But it did disappoint her that Aaron had not sent a message. She knew he was busy, more than her for sure, but she looked forward to hearing from him. 

After Nathan went to bed, her thoughts went back to Aaron. To his serious behavior, the jokes, the way he could be so sweet out of nowhere... Samantha had already accepted that she had a crush on him last week, but now she realized how big it was. He was on her mind the moment she had a moment of peace. She found it terrifying, to care for someone she'd never met. 

But it was also nice, to have someone to go to whenever she wanted, someone she trusted and who knew the struggles of raising a child. Plus, people noticed she was more cheerful in the last few months. 

When Samantha heard her phone buzz, she waited a few minutes to look a little less eager. So, she opened a bottle of white wine before opening the chat.

[Aaron:] Samantha, I have been thinking. A lot actually, but most of those thoughts were all about the same person.

[Aaron:] You.

Her entire body burned up as she started to realize what was happening.

[Aaron:] And I came to the conclusion that I had to take a risk and ask you something. 

[Aaron:] We keep asking each other what we look like, but I think it's time to find out in person.

[Aaron:] Would you like to go to dinner with me?