The Stone Wall and His Weakness [A.H.]

IX

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"ALEX!" I looked to my left, Jack running straight for me. I knelt down and caught him in a hug, holding him tightly to me, "I missed you so much!! Daddy said you had to go on a trip!"

"Yeah, I did, but I'm back now." He pushed against me, signaling that I had to let go.

"Promise you won't leave again?" He took a step back, looking at me sadly.

"Well, I can't promise that, sweetheart. I go back to work in two weeks, but how about this. I promise that for the next two weeks, you're stuck with me. Okay?" He nodded happily, hugging me once more before walking off to his room.

I stood up and looked over at Aaron, who was standing stiffly by the couch. I walked over and sat down, pulling on his hand so he would sit beside me.

"Are... we okay?" He spoke softly, looking at me as if I would disappear any moment.

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'm sorry, again. I never should have talked to you like that, you're just as much Jack's parent as I am."

"I appreciate that, because what you said really hurt. I get it, though. You're protective of him, and your automatic response will always be to protect him and yourself. It's going to take some time for your brain to rewire itself around the fact that I'm in the picture now." He nodded, lifting my legs up to lay across his lap, pulling me closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, his free hand tilting my face up.

"I love you so much, and I know you deserve so much better than how I've been treating you, so I want to make it up to you. A grand gesture, to show you that I'm all in," He kissed me softly, "I want to get a place with you. A house, preferably. This apartment was never meant to be forever."

I stared at him in shock, "Are you sure? I mean- You said you wanted to go slow, we both agreed that would be okay."

"I know, but I don't care anymore. I want to be able to come home after a long day and see you and Jack, to be able to have a place we can call home. Our home. What do you say?"

"Yeah! Yeah. My lease is up in a few months, so we should start looking, huh?" I grabbed his face between my hands and pulled him down, kissing him slowly, "Does this mean I get my master bath with a large tub?"

He laughed, "If that's what you want, then yes. Just as long as we get a big kitchen, because the team is going to be inviting themselves over all the time, now."

"Why would you say that?"

"It's Derek and Garcia, there's no way the rest of the team doesn't already know."

"Oh, shit, you're right... Sorry about that, by the way."

"It's alright, we would've had to tell them anyway. This way is easier."

I laid my head against his shoulder, cuddling against him, "I missed you."

He kissed the top of my head, "I missed you too. Let's never fight again."

"Agreed."

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By the next day, we had checked our financial situations and contacted our banks, seeing what it would take to buy a house and what our price range would be. Since we weren't married or sharing a bank account, it took a bit of extra work to figure out the financial part of it. We spent hours looking at listings, making a list of what we wanted and didn't want. Most of the stuff we agreed upon, such as number of bedrooms and size, but we didn't see eye to eye on the cosmetics. He wanted carpet, I wanted hardwood. He wanted one story, I wanted two.

We were both surprised that he hadn't been called in for a case, so by Tuesday we found a realtor and had a meeting set up. Her office was far enough that we had to drive, so we all climbed into Aaron's car and left.

The building was located in the heart of the city, so it was near impossible to find parking. We made our way through the building, until we finally found the office. I knocked as I opened the door, entering the small office. There was a desk set up across from the door, two full bookcases behind if. There were two chairs in front of the desk and another in the corner. In the corner behind the door was a small table, covered in toys and books. Jack made a beeline for it.

"Hi! Mr. and Mrs. Hotchner? I'm Maisie." A small woman stood up. Her blonde hair was pinned back and she was dressed in a grey pantsuit.

"Oh, no, we aren't married... Please, call me Alex, this is Aaron." We took turns shaking hands, sitting down at the desk.

"Oh, my mistake. So, I looked over everything you sent me. Your financials combined are very good, I saw your price range was three hundred and fifty thousand. I also saw what you were both interested in- I'm sure you've both realized you'll have to make some compromises, but I think I've found a few listings you'll both like."

We spent the next two hours looking at the different listings she had found for us. We were starting to lose hope, until she showed us the last house.

"Now, I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but I thought you might like it... It's four bed, two and a half bath, on two and a half acres of land. The master has a rather large ensuite. This is a two story, the office and half bath being on the first floor, the bedrooms and bathrooms being on the second. When you enter the house, you go straight into the living room. To the right is the office, which can be closed off from the rest of the floor. The living room leads into the dining and kitchen, the kitchen being large and updated. There's a door leading out to the fenced in backyard, which has plenty of space for playing with your son." She scrolled through the pictures as she spoke, showing the entirety of the house. "I do have to warn you, it has just hit the market a week ago. So far, there aren't any bids, and it will be at the top of your budget. The good news is, it has been completely renovated and is move-in ready. If you go in full price, you have a very good chance at getting this house."

"What do you think?" Aaron looked at me and I could see the joy in his eyes.

"I think it's perfect." He nodded, both of us breaking out in smiles.

"Great! I'll start on the paperwork. I do recommend that you keep looking, however, as not everyone can get the first home they bid on."

"Of course, yes, thank you." At that moment, Aaron's phone rang and I could hear him sigh, "Case?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you so much for your time," we stood up and shook Maisie's hand once again.

"No, thank you. You two have been some of the easiest clients I've ever represented. I'll email you the paperwork and any other listings I come across."
We made our way out of the office, Jack trailing between the two of us. The drive back to the apartment was silent, but our joy was palpable. Aaron was in and out of the apartment in a matter of minutes, his go bag in hand.

"I love you," He kissed me quickly, "I'll call you when I find out more."

"Thank you, I love you too." I shoved him back, laughing as he scrambled to straighten his tie, "Go, you're going to be late. Make sure to ignore any and all questions Garcia and Derek direct at you." I winked as he rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him. This was going to be a good week, I could feel it.