EndGame || Aaron Hotchner

Epilogue

5 years later

Olivia
"Dinner is ready!" I announce as I turn the oven off

"We'll be there in a minute" Aaron replies from the living room.

I take three plates out and I serve us our portions. At the same time, I heat up some of my frozen breast milk. I hear Scarlett's little footsteps approach. "Mom, can you make a knot, please?" she asks, giving me a bead bracelet

"Of course" I reply and do it for her. I tie a few knots and hand it back to her when I know it's secure. "Here you go, love"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, baby. Where is dad?" I wonder

"He is trying to tie his bracelet" she answers and runs back to the living room.

I chuckle to myself. I finish plating the food, pour my now heated breast milk into a bottle, and join them in the living room. I find Aaron sitting on the floor with Scarlett making friendship bracelets for the concert we are going to next week. I smile to myself and sit on the couch, right besides them.

"My hands are not designed for this" Aaron admits as he fails to tie another bracelet

"I can see that" I chuckle.

He gives it to me and I tie it. Once it's ready, he puts it into the box with the other ones and comes to sit with me. I put my hand on his shoulder and massage him softly.

"How many did you make?" I wonder

"I made 3. Scarlett was very specific on the words and the colors. She's a bit of a drill sergeant when things don't go her way, just like her mother" he smirks, and rubs my knee

"It sounds like you want to sleep on the couch tonight..." I threaten.

He chuckles. "Are you excited for next week?" he asks

"I am already counting down the hours for this concert" I admit, not able to hide my happiness

"Well, I have to come clean about something..." he mentions

"If you tell me that the tickets were a prank, you will be served with divorced papers tomorrow" I say in full seriousness

"No, no" he laughs, "I just lied about getting the tickets myself. I had Garcia do it. She made a program that got us the tickets as soon as they opened"

"That's it? I already knew that"

"You knew?"

"Yeah, she told me. She is coming too, remember?"

"None of you let me forget it" he shakes his head

"I am going. And Scarlett is going. I couldn't let her fairy godmother out of this"

"Of course" he chuckles.

We hear crying from the baby monitor. "You're going to take care of that, daddy?" I ask him, offering him the baby bottle

"Yes, Chief" he answers. "Start lunch without me. I'll be back when I get him down" he kisses my cheek and heads upstairs.

I just love retirement.

The last 6 years have been a dream. I found out I was pregnant a few months after our wedding. I went through a high risk pregnancy with lots of anxiety. But in the end, I was rewarded with a perfectly healthy babygirl after an emergency C-section. At that time, Aaron was working on and off from home. It wasn't ideal but it was working for us because I couldn't be by myself with a newborn 24/7. When Scarlett turned two months old and we started feeling more comfortable with guests in the house, he went back to work full-time and I was having our moms for assistance whenever I needed.

To celebrate, we traveled to Costa Rica again. We actually bought that vacation house we were talking about, so we travel there plenty of times every year for some family time, or even a child free weekend -luckily, grandmas are always willing to babysit.

Last year, I got pregnant again. It was totally unexpected because Aaron had gotten a vasectomy a few months prior. The doctors were positive about this so we decided to have another baby. However, after the 4th month, things took a turn. My heart and my age were making this pregnancy even more risky than expected. I was in and out of hospitals all the time.

That was when Aaron took the decision to retire from the FBI. He had just completed 25 years in the bureau and was eligible to retire with all benefits. As hard as it was, I believe that was the best decision for us. He was taking care of all of us while I was in the hospital, and he was making sure Scarlett never missed out on anything. I had to deliver our baby boy via C-section at 34 weeks under sedation, while he was trying to keep Scarlett entertained in the waiting room.

After all that, we are here today...
Our little family of four.

Aaron
At night, once the kids are asleep, it's finally time for me and Olivia. Today, she had to put down Scarlett while I put down Mason. We rotate kids every night so only one of us will have to get up for the baby later and the other can sleep without fighting.

I walk down the stairs and I find Olivia watching TV on the couch. I sit with her and pull her close to me. She lays her head on my lap and continues to stare at the screen, focused.

"I feel like I'm turning into my mom. Like, this soap opera is so stupid, yet I need to know what happens!" she says

"Maybe that is the mom effect" I tease

"Oh, yeah? And what's the dad effect?" she chuckles

"Dying first"

"I don't have to worry about that. I'm going first" she states

"Why?"

"Do you remember my medical history? Pacemaker or not, my heart is not going to surpass yours in years" she mentions

"Now I regret starting this conversation..." I admit

"Good. There will be no death. We didn't survive 20 years at the bureau, just to die only 5 years out" she states

"You're right" I rub her back. "But for now...", I pull out of my pocket a gift for her, "Happy anniversary"

"You remembered!" her eyes light up

"Of course, I did. I was just caught up with making friendship bracelets all day".

She chuckles and opens the jewelry box. It's a third ring to complete her wedding rings set. It is basically a band with tiny gemstone that is identical to her wedding ring, but instead of diamonds all around, it has with our family's birthstones; Aquamarine for Mason, ruby for Scarlett, pink tourmaline for her, citrine for me.

"It's beautiful, I love it. I love you" she says and leans in for a kiss

"I love you more. Thank you for our family" I reply.

Her eyes fill with tears. "Thank you for always keeping us your first priority. I want you to know that I recognize all the sacrifices you've made for us and I am forever grateful" she tells us

"They were all worth it" I reassure her.

I pull her in my arms and I kiss her head. "You were the greatest risk I've ever taken, and brought me the greatest rewards. I wouldn't want it any other way" I say as I hold her

"Maybe a little less arguing in the beginning would have been nice" she mentions

"No, it was all part of the plan" I state, causing her to laugh.

~

There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment. ~ Sarah Dessen

The end.