𝓬𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 .ᐟ

22. family is not about blood

Maeve watched as Haley placed a blanket over her shoulders. The woman was kind, so much so that it made Maeve think that she is the opposite of Hotch. But if there is one thing she has learned, it is that opposites somehow work, maybe better than two people. completely equal.

The woman handed Maeve a cup of tea, she accepted it, both women were silent until the eldest of them could see her son peeking curiously on the stairs.

The Hotchner family was having dinner before a not-quite-planned guest arrived. Jack being the couple's son, familiar with his father's unit team, as much as the woman did not know Agent Hunter beyond those times of Aaron coming home with a headache for her, Maeve was no longer the new member, months had passed since she was no longer considered the new member. However, Maeve had not had any opportunity to get to know her boss's family.

— Hey. — Maeve whispers with a shy smile towards the boy.

Haley turns to the stairs looking in the same direction as Maeve.

— You should be in bed. —Says the woman, carrying the child when he was in front of them.

Jack, Hotchner's son. She knows it's him because of the light locks of hair like his mother's, Maeve assures that he is about eight years old.

— Maeve this is Jack. — The girl smiles at him, shaking her hand, he does the same perhaps with more emotion than her.

Haley listens to her husband needing her help upstairs. She asks Maeve if it's okay to leave Jack with her in the meantime and she says it's okay.

Maeve plays with the blanket covering her shoulders, watching the boy in front of her silently. Jack moved his feet that didn't reach the floor as he watched Maeve. She occasionally glanced at the stairs waiting for Haley to arrive.

Now she understands how Spencer feels around new people. She doesn't know what to say or feels like she will say the wrong words, but unlike Spencer, Maeve was faced with an eight-year-old boy who she felt was going to judge her just as much that his father did say something.

— Are you a friend of my dad? — Jack asks, taking Maeve by surprise.

— Oh. . .He-He is my boss.

— Are you a friend of my dad? — Jack asks again and she just nods, not knowing what to answer. — Do you want to meet Squishy? — Maeve doesn't know what to answer or what he's talking about so she decides from now on to just nod to whatever he asks her.

Maeve loses sight of Jack which makes her question if she should go looking for him since Haley has left him in her care.

But he was in his own house, it's not like he's going to get lost. Maeve thinks.

When Jack returns he brought with him a plastic toy, it was a starfish, a little bigger than Maeve's hands with a shiny happy face, he squeezes the toy and it makes a squeaky sound and also stretches every time he does it.

— I'm pretty sure that's for dogs. . .

— Hunter. — She stands up at the boss's voice.

Maeve follows Hotch up the stairs, Haley makes sure to leave Jack in his bed, he should be sleeping by now.

Her boss points out the inflatable bed in the attic. Haley had tried hard to make the place not look so frivolous, putting up some sheets and several of Jack's dinosaur-shaped bed lights. Even though it didn't look like a comfortable place, but Hotch does not have a guest room, since that would imply that he would accept people to sleep in his house and that has never been his plans.