Nicotine // Aaron Hotchner

Vingt-sept

Time seemed to blur by as snow blanketed the city. The difficult trial had come and gone. Aaron had ensured that George Foyette was in a supermax prison with minimal contact to the outside and absolutely no chance for parole. He had done everything but put the man in solitary confinement. The man given life in prison although there was some debate over putting him on death row. With the past in the past he was able to focus on moving forward. For once he allowed himself to rely on some one else. He allowed Victoria to assist him and confided in her his worries for the future. Jack was now in school while he was still adjusting. Aaron did house work, cooking, laundry, everything in order to keep their lives in order. His plan was to utilize the time Strauss had given him to do some self reflecting and contemplate what he wanted from life.

It had been so easy for him to get caught up in the sea of work and politics that he had begun to lose himself. He was beginning to feel like he didn't even know himself. The overwhelming sense of emptiness was undeniable and so was the lack of self gratification. What kind of legacy did he want to leave his son?

Aaron went back to the BAU and worked along side the team. He did not ask Morgan back for his position as Unit Chief as he tried to figure out why he fell in love with the job in the first place. Eventually he did remember exactly why he had fallen so deeply and that came in the form of of a case. He realized that he wanted to help people, but he didn't want to be a hero. There was a thin line he didn't want to cross. If he could be a force for good and catch the bad guys then he would be creating a better life for his son. A better world. But maybe that was the idealist in him.

Before he knew it Christmas was upon them and like Thanksgiving, everyone was gathered together except they were at Rossi's mansion. JJ and Will had gone to spend Christmas with her parents but promised to spend New Years Eve with them. Aaron didn't expect much. Victoria's kindness had been enough for him and everyday he saw her determination to do better. He saw how much his son had grown to love the woman and how close he was growing with Takuma. He could see that his son was happy and that was all he needed and wanted for Christmas.

Of course the members of the BAU had something else in mind. With the paperwork that resulted from his leave he had been left giving all his extra time for Jack and hadn't had a real conversation with her in a long time. Everyone knew he was overwhelmed even with the current situation with Takuma as Jack's caregiver when he was away.

As the team gathered after Christmas Eve dinner and played charades and karaoke in David Rossi's living room. Jack was off playing with Victor who had been invited by Victoria. Evan hadn't been invited and he had seemed okay with it to his knowledge. Aaron sat back in a couch as he watched everyone have fun. Victoria approached him with two mugs of hot chocolate. As he looked at her he noticed how long her hair was. When she had started it was above her shoulders, but now it cascaded as long as Prentiss's hair. Her true blonde color had come out as a light blonde. She was beautiful dressed in a baggy Harvard hoodie she had stolen from his closet during one of her many visits. He knew that under the hoodie she was wearing formal attire but had sacrificed beauty and style for warmth. She was beautiful regardless.