❝ you're the best of us. ❞
in which the ex-agent with a therapy license decides to get back in the game.
CRIMINAL MINDS SEASON 4
OC X AARON HOTCHNER
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND ISSUES SURROUND...
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EIGHTEEN. VEGAS
DAISY DUSTED THE DIRT OFF OF HER PANTS AND WIPED HER SWEATY BROW WITH HER SLEEVE. She watched from beside Hotch as Michael Bridges reunited with his parents after almost two days being held captive. She couldn't help but smile, thankful for the happy ending. They didn't get those too often.
It had been almost three months since the Sepatarian Ranch incident. Time had passed so quickly at the BAU, each case more extreme and emotionally tolling than the next. The majority of Daisy's free time had been dedicated to sleeping, drinking and avoiding the fact that her sister was progressively getting worse. She hadn't visited her in a while, knowing that she'd only leave the hospital sadder than when she arrived. Still, she paid the bills and let Beanie think she didn't exist, as if that would make everything easier.
"You think he'll be okay?" she asked Hotch, shielding her eyes from the sun as she saw the mother and father embrace their son tight enough that he might never leave them again. They'd surprisingly been getting along on this case, which raised some eyebrows from Emily and Rossi, who saw them walking in together. Of course, Daisy had to explain the whole situation about the supermarket and the rain, but they just smiled and pretended she was telling the truth.
"Yes, I believe so," Hotch nodded. He couldn't help but think of Jack back home. He missed his boy every moment they were apart, and he felt stabs of guilt every time he had to leave for work. But, that was what the had always done. It may have been too much for Haley, but it was all Jack had known. "I can't say the same about the parents, though."
Daisy sighed softly, turning on her heel and walking around the house with Hotch in tow. She quickly found Derek and Spencer speaking quietly between themselves, and she tucked her hands in her pockets, joining them with a small smile. "Hey, guys."
"Hey," Spencer smiled back. Daisy could see that something was off with her friend. It had been the case the whole time they were in his home city; he'd been having nightmares, and had only mentioned the basic details to her when she asked. Something about a young boy being murdered in a basement, and him finding the body too late. She could tell that it was seriously effecting his mental health, but she knew better than to press the issue. "Hotch, do you think it would be possible to wait until tomorrow to return home?"
Hotch nodded, before looking at Derek. "Do you think you could find something to do in Las Vegas for the night?"
Daisy found herself staring at the side of Hotch's head, and he glanced back at her for a second. They then both quickly averted their eyes.
Derek looked over at Daisy with a grin, thankfully not catching the brief moment between her and Hotch. "What do you say, Alvarez? Ready to get your freak on?"
Daisy chuckled, trying to ignore Hotch's presence beside her. There had been a shift in the tension between them since the ranch. They still bickered, but there was something different about it all. She realised that since he'd accepted the fact that she was part of the BAU family, he didn't hover as much as he used to.
