In The Light

Bloom and Grow Part 2: Grow

Tor was convinced that everyone could tell something was different about her. She had carefully covered the edelweiss blossom with a bandage before putting on a camisole beneath her blouse, the extra layers like armor to protect her tender secret.

She was in love with Aaron.

It had taken her most of the night to process that fact. She knew she felt differently toward him than the rest of the team, but she had always assumed that was because she saw so much pain behind his dark eyes. He hid his suffering from the world but could not hide it from a creature of the shadows like her. She had dedicated herself to sparing him and Jack from the darkness, and when he smiled at her, she had written off the pang in her heart as nothing more than pride in her accomplishment. After all, there weren't many people that Aaron trusted with his smiles. Let alone a stranger like her.

Because she was a stranger to him. Aaron knew nothing about her, and it was for his sake she kept it that way. Because if he had any idea of the sort of monster he had let into his life-

No. No, he would never know who she was. Just like he would never know that she loved him. It would make him feel guilty because he did not love her back.

So she went into the office wearing extra layers and blamed it on her time in LA not preparing her for a Virginia autumn. She smiled politely when Aaron entered the briefing room and called him "Hotch," just like everyone else. She stayed late with him every night to help him clear his backlog and be free of her, even if it broke her heart to do so. Because that was what loving someone meant. Watching the edelweiss bloom across her chest and knowing that she would do whatever it took to protect Aaron from the knowledge of their existence.

When the Christmas party came, she was covered from her clavicle to her stomach. The flowers no longer grew in single buds but in bunches, spreading from the green stems that followed the curve of her breast and the arch of her ribs. She had hoped to wear her red dress to David's party but opted for another high-necked, long-sleeved black cocktail dress. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to wear anything that didn't reach her knees come summertime. It would be harder to hide the blossoms in the warmer months, but Tor would wear woolen long johns during a heatwave if she had to.

When Aaron finally arrived at the party, she swore she could feel new blossoms opening across her stomach. He quickly walked to stand beside her, and she nearly fainted at the burning sensation spreading across her skin.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, placing a steadying hand on her elbow. With her luck, there would be a flower there by morning.

"I'm fine," she promised, giving him a winning smile. "I just didn't realize Emily had snuck another bottle of gin into the punch."

Aaron's eyes crinkled with amusement, but he did not remove his hand.

"I was going to suggest a darts rematch in David's game room, but I guess that will have to wait for another night," he teased her lightly. She shook her head if only to spare herself from another moment of meeting his gaze.

"Have a glass yourself, and we'll be evenly matched," she retorted. That earned her a chuckle, and she thanked her slacker of a guardian angel for the sound. It masked the whimper of pain fighting to break through her lips as she felt a new stem shoot around her arm.

Aaron accepted a glass of punch from JJ and drank it slowly. Tor saw the moment the alcohol registered on his tongue, and she let out a breathless laugh at his widened eyes. He let go of her so he could clench his fist to fight through the sensation, but he did not look away as he downed it in one go.

"I guess we're even," he said with a distinct rasp as he set aside the empty glass.

"I guess we are," she murmured.