Thanks to all of you who took the time to review my other one-shots. I wish I always had the time to respond to each one of you personally, but most of the time I don't. I've been wanting to write this since the finale aired and finally found a couple of hours to do it. I'm really hoping we see more of this canon couple next season and that she doesn't just disappear like so many other storylines on Criminal Minds seem to. Hope you enjoy it!
"Can Beth sleep over?" Jack asked as he and the two adults lay on their stomachs on the floor inside their makeshift fort.
He was dumbstruck. Once again his six year old had managed to completely catch him off guard and he had no answer to the child's completely innocent question. If he said no, he'd be forced to explain why, but if he said yes….well, there really were no consequences for saying yes other than making his son very happy. Of course if his son were to go off to school talking about the weekend in which his dad let his girlfriend sleep over things could be a bit uncomfortable at the next parent teacher conference. He looked to her, but she was no help, smiling and teasing him with those "this one's all on you buddy" eyes, but he wasn't going to let her off that easy.
"I don't know buddy, I think that maybe Beth has other plans tonight." Hotch told his son and shot a mischievous smile her way.
"Do you got plans Beth?" Jack asked.
"No, I don't have any plans." She answered and looked back to him with a satisfied smirk.
"She doesn't have plans dad. Can she sleep over with us in the fort?" Jack asked.
Hotch shot her a pleading look, but she would have none of it. He was going to handle this subject and situation with his son in the way he saw fit, without any input from her. He was the parent after all. He looked between her and his son and took the out he leaned on the most when Jack asked him things he needed time to mull over, he simply changed the subject.
"Hey buddy, we need to get dressed. Beth brought us breakfast and we're supposed to spend the day exploring the city together, remember." Hotch encouraged the boy, relying on the fact that six year olds were easy to distract.
"Oh yeah! I'll go get ready now!" Jack said excitedly and scurried away.
"Smooth Hotchner." Beth teased and attempted to move out of the fort, only to be stopped by him quickly grabbing her and pinning her to the floor on her back.
"Did you really have to just leave me flailing like that?" He asked, pinning her hands to the floor on either side of her head.
"I did and I'll give you two reasons for why it had to be that way." She giggled.
"I'm listening." He said.
"Number one, what he's asking is a very touchy subject and one you need to handle on your own, based on how you feel about it as a parent." She told him in a serious tone.
"And number two?" He asked.
"What?" She asked.
"You said you had two reasons for hanging me out to dry." He reminded her.
"Oh, the second reason is that I enjoy watching you squirm." She laughed and then squealed as he began tickling her, before giving into her pleas for him to stop and kissing her passionately.
She moaned uncontrollably into his mouth and squirmed beneath him. He pulled out of the kiss and smiled at her.
"Yeah, and I enjoy making you squirm." He quipped and then quickly moved off of her, standing and holding his hands out to help her to her feet.
"Dad, go get ready!" Jack insisted.
"Okay, okay, I'm going." Hotch said and left the room.
An hour into their day together, Hotch got the phone call that would ruin their plans and keep him away from them for most of the day and part of the evening. When he arrived back at the apartment, worn and somewhat rattled by the events of the day, JJ's situation all too familiar to him, she could tell he wasn't the same man that had left them behind hours earlier.
"Where's Jack?" He asked.
"He's taking a bath. He said as long as a grown-up runs the water he's allowed to bathe by himself." She told him.
"Yes, of course, that's fine. Thank you." He said.
"You look like you could use a really strong drink." She told him.
"About 10 of them." He told her.
"Want to talk about it?" She asked.
"No, not really." He mumbled.
"I'm going to go home, let you spend some time with your son." She said.
"You don't want to stay?" He asked.
"Mmm…no, not really. You're moody and quiet and have chosen to internalize whatever happened today and you're not very good company when you're like that." She told him, her honesty snapping him out of his stupor.
"I'm sorry. Stay and I promise I'll tell you all about it, but later, after Jack goes to sleep." He offered, the morose tone from earlier almost gone.
"Aaron, I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with, which is why I'm offering to give you some space." She said.
He pulls her into his arms and kisses her softly.
"I don't want space. I've had years of space because of my unwillingness to leave my work at the office. Jack wants you to sleep over and so do I. Will you stay? Please." He asked, the man she was falling in love with starting to surface, his dark tormented eyes beginning to soften.
"Okay, but I need to go home and get some pajamas." She told him and kissed him quickly.
"I've got sweat pants and a t-shirt you can wear." He offered.
"I need to take a shower. Jack and I played hard today." She countered.
"You can take a shower here." He offered.
"I need clean underwear and I'm not wearing yours." She teased.
"Just don't wear any. It's one less thing in my way." He teased back.
"Yeah, dream on buddy. I'm sleeping over with Jack tonight, not you." She laughed lightly and tried to squirm out of his arms.
"He goes to sleep pretty early. There will be plenty of time for the grown-ups to play." He insisted, holding firmly to her and nibbling lightly on her neck.
"And if he wakes up alone in his fort while the grown-ups are playing, how are you going to explain that?" She asked.
"He's never woken up before. Are you planning on being extra noisy?" He teased.
"No, we aren't going to all three go to sleep together in his fort and then sneak away for sex while he's sleeping. It feels wrong." She refused.
"Yeah, you're right." He sighed, but continued nipping at her neck.
"Still want me to sleep over?" She asked and he pulled back to look at her.
"Of course I do, sex was the bonus not the draw." He said convincingly.
"I'm sorry. You know I want to right?" She asked.
"It's fine. We could knock out a quickie while he's in the bathtub." He offered and then chuckled as she slapped at his chest.
"You have had a bad day if you're wanting to get busy while your son is wide awake in the next room." She laughed and finally managed to break free from his grasp.
"I'm sorry. I'm being a bit of a pig aren't I?" He asked.
"No, you're not, you're being a man and I like it, but I'm all stinky and sweaty and not feeling very romantic at the moment. Can I get a rain check?" She asked.
"Always." He said, wrapping his arms around her and locking her up in a deep, passionate kiss.
As they lay together in the fort, Jack in-between the two of them, he began to go over the events of the day and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted and needed to be with her, if only just to sit close and talk. He glanced down at his sleeping son and carefully took hold of her hand, getting her attention. He nodded toward the exit from the fort and moved out of it. She followed moments later and found him headed to the couch with a fresh bottle of beer.
"Want something?" He asked.
"Yeah, one of those." She answered.
He handed her his beer and left to retrieve another for himself. He joined her on the couch a few minutes later.
"Thank you for lying in that uncomfortable fort with my son. He doesn't realize that sleeping bags on hard floors aren't as comfortable for adults as they are for kids." He said.
"It's fine Aaron. I haven't slept inside a homemade fort since I was a kid. It's been fun. Jack and I had a good time today. Another year or two and we won't be able to keep up with him on the bikes." She told him, either seeing a lengthy future with him and his son or perhaps just making conversation.
"I like that." He said.
"You like what?" She asked.
"That you want to be part of our lives a year or two from now." He said softly.
She put her beer down and crawled into his lap, straddling his thighs and facing him. She leaned in and kissed him softly before drawing back and moving a gentle hand over the side of his face.
"Hey, what happened today? You seem so lost and unsure." She asked, genuinely concerned about him.
He explained everything that had happened, sparing her some of the gorier details and focusing more on the end results of everything that had taken place, dropping his chin and refusing to make eye contact with her when he was finished. She leaned in and hugged him and whispered softly into his ear.
"Please look at me." She said softly.
"I can't." He said.
"Why not? Aaron, what's the matter? It was a pretty terrible day, but it had a happy ending, so why are you so upset?" She asked.
"It was a happy ending and I was happy for JJ, I really was, but there was this small part of me that was jealous that she and her son got the happy ending that Jack and I didn't get. What does that say about me?" He asked.
"Um, that you're human." She stated with much certainty.
"Things are so great Beth and I'm happy and Jack is happy so why am I still wishing Haley were alive? I feel like I'm cheating on you or somehow being dishonest." He admitted.
"I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest." She said.
"Okay." He said.
"When we're together, the three of us, or just the two of us, are you thinking about Haley?" She asked.
"Sometimes when you make Jack laugh or make him get excited about something I think about her and I hope that she likes you as much as Jack does." He told her.
"I hope she does too. Are there any other times you think about her, times that might not be appropriate, like when we're making love?" She asked
"No, never, I swear." He told her, finally making eye contact with her.
"I believe you. Will you do something for me?" She asked.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Cut yourself some slack." She said.
"Is it really that easy?" He asked.
"I don't know but you need to try. You're so smart and you have all this training and the ability to get inside a person's head, but you can't seem to apply any of that vast knowledge to yourself. Aaron, she was your wife and the mother of your child and your best friend. You grew up together. Of course you wish that the awful thing that happened hadn't happened and that she was still a part of you and Jack's lives. I would worry about you if you didn't feel that way. Is this why you were so eager to jump my bones earlier? Were you trying to prove something to yourself?" She asked.
"I didn't want to jump your bones." He argued, a hint of the lighter side of him coming through.
"You wanted a quickie while Jack was in the bathtub." She laughed lightly and began kissing his neck lightly.
"That's just because spontaneity and the risk of getting caught are a bit of turn-on and not something we get to experience very often. It sounded like it would be fun." He explained in an amused tone as his hands slipped under the hem of her t-shirt.
"Well then I guess you're about to have some fun." She said and locked her mouth over his while grinding her hips into his.
He could feel her sucking on the lower part of his neck as her body began to slowly come down from the high he'd just taken her to. They were still sitting on the couch, her still in his lap and connected in the most intimate way possible. He'd thrown a blanket over her just in case Jack woke up and as he felt the child's hand on his shoulder he began to thank any deity that would listen for giving him the presence of mind to cover her up when he'd realistically been at a stage where there was not a single drop of blood to be found in his brain. Beth remained perfectly still, but still sucking slowly on his neck.
"Daddy why are you up?" Jack asked.
"Because it's too early for daddy to be asleep." He answered.
"Why is Beth sitting in your lap?" Jack asked.
"She was having a bad dream so I was making her feel better." Hotch answered, wondering if his son could detect the lie or see the beads of sweat he knew had to be forming on his forehead.
"Does she feel better now?" Jack asked.
"Not yet, but soon. What are you doing up?" Hotch asked.
"I have to go pee." He said and left the room.
"I think getting caught has had a very negative effect on you, definitely not a turn on." She giggled into his neck.
"I said the "risk" is the turn-on. Did I lie?" He teased.
"Mmm….no, you didn't. I still can't feel my legs." She sighed happily, making him chuckle lightly.
"Daddy, are you coming to bed now?" Jack asked.
"In a little bit Jack. I promise when you wake up tomorrow Beth and I will be sleeping in the fort with you." Hotch told him.
"I want you to come now. Please, just until I fall asleep again." Jack pleaded with him.
"Okay buddy. How about you go get us a book and I'll read to you until you fall asleep again." Hotch said.
"Beth too?" Jack asked.
"I have to go to the bathroom first." Beth told him.
"Okay! Yea! I'll go get my best book!" Jack exclaimed excitedly and left the room.
Beth quickly moved off of his lap, keeping the blanket around her and grabbing all of the clothes he'd taken off of her, which was pretty much everything but the sleep pants that were wrapped around one of her ankles.
"Here, don't forget these." He said, handing her a pair of panties and pulling his sweat pants up over his hips.
"You know if we're going to be "risky" in the future, we're going to have to set some rules about what clothes come off." She told him.
"Sorry, I like it when you're naked." He said with a grin and swatted her behind gently as she scurried away toward the bathroom in his bedroom.
He awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee, pancakes and bacon. He was alone in the fort and could hear Beth and Jack in the kitchen. He crawled out of the fort, went to the bathroom and joined them in the kitchen.
"Daddy look! Beth made me a pancake with a smiley face!" Jack exclaimed excitedly.
"That's great buddy. Did you say thank you?" Hotch reminded the boy.
"Thank you Beth." Jack said.
"You're welcome sweetie. Would you like one daddy?" Beth asked.
"No, I don't think I could handle whip cream and syrup first thing in the morning, but thank you." He said and gave her a quick kiss.
"Why do you always kiss Beth dad? Jack asked as he shoveled a fork full of pancake into his mouth.
"Because I care about her. Does it bother you when I kiss Beth?" Hotch asked sincerely.
"No. Does it bother you Beth?" Jack asked just as sincerely, causing both adults to bite back the laugh that wanted to escape.
"No, I like it." Beth answered honestly, unsure of how she should answer the question.
"Why do you like it?" Jack asked
.
"Jack." Hotch admonished.
"No, it's okay Aaron. Jack, how does it make you feel why your dad kisses and hugs you?" Beth asked.
"Good. Is that why you like it?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Beth answered.
"Good answer." Hotch spoke softly as he followed her deeper into the kitchen.
"It's the truth." She said.
"It is and it works both ways. You make me feel good too." He said.
"Dad, come eat with me! Beth made us bacon. We never have bacon. You always say it's too messy." Jack said excitedly making Hotch laugh lightly.
"Where did you get the bacon?" Hotch asked.
"Jack and I did some grocery shopping yesterday and he begged for bacon. Depriving that child of bacon because you don't want to deal with the mess, you big meanie." She teased.
"Actually I deprive him of it because once you've burned your eye with hot bacon grease you never go back. I just use "messy" as an excuse." He said and took a seat next to his son.
"That's good because I saved the greasy skillet for you." She teased.
"This is the best sleep over ever. Can we do it again?" Jack asked.
"I think we can have Beth sleep over if she wants to, but I think she would be more comfortable in my bed than on the floor in the fort. What do you think?" Hotch asked.
"Yeah probably, because my bed is too small for her, but sometimes can we make a fort and all sleep in it?" Jack asked.
"Yes, we can and on the nights we don't make a fort I bet Beth would still read stories with us." Hotch offered.
"And make us bacon?" Jack asked making both adults chuckle.
"Yes, lots of bacon." Beth agreed still a little taken aback by the fact that he had just taken their relationship to a whole new level without discussing it with her and that she wasn't angry about it.
"Dad?" Jack said again, seeming to have an endless supply of questions on this morning.
"Yes Jack." Hotch answered.
"What happened to you? Did the bad guys get you there yesterday?" Jack asked as he pointed to the large hickey on his father's lower neck.
Hotch looked at Beth who shot him a mischievous grin and turned away so Jack couldn't see her laughing. He hadn't been aware of the hickey, but he hadn't looked in a mirror yet that morning.
"No son, I think a really big, mean mosquito must've gotten me." Hotch lied to his son.
"That's going to itch really bad dad. I'll go get the stuff." Jack said and started to climb down from the barstool he was sitting on.
"Whoa, wait a minute, what stuff?" Hotch asked.
"The pink stuff you always put on my bites." Jack said and happily took off for the bathroom.
"You do realize I'm going to have to go to a wedding tonight with Calamine lotion all over my neck now?" He asked her in a disapproving voice.
"Oh come on, like you couldn't feel me biting your neck. What'd you think was going to happen?" She laughed.
"I wasn't exactly thinking while it was happening. How bad is it?" He asked.
"It's bad, but if you wear a collar tonight you should be safe. I'll cover it with some make-up jut to be sure." She offered.
"I've told my son quite a few little white lies lately." He said.
"Don't you think that sometimes that's necessary? I mean Santa Clause is a huge lie and when you think about it almost cruel, but all parents seem to go along with it." Beth reasoned.
"I do think that not explaining relationships and sex to my six year old is necessary and therefore requires some little white lies in order to maintain his innocence a little longer, but he needs to learn about love and all that it means eventually. I don't want him to grow up with hang ups about sex or think that it's anything to be ashamed of because I'm not you know." Hotch said.
"You're not what?" She asked.
"Ashamed of us, or of this big bite on my neck. I just don't think Jack is ready for that kind of information yet." He told.
"I agree. He's too young. So, does that mean you don't want me to conceal that from your friends tonight?" She teased.
"Not being ashamed doesn't equal wanting to brag either. Besides, I need to talk to Emily tonight and it'd be hard to get her take me seriously if I can't draw her attention away from the large hickey on my neck." He laughed lightly.
"I'm glad we did this Aaron, the sleep over." She said.
"I wasn't sure, but then it just felt right and it still does. I hope you'll consider sleeping over again sometime." He told her and smiled.
"I will, under one condition." She said.
"What's that?" He asked.
"We get a lock for the bedroom door. The risk is a turn-on, but getting caught…not so much and Jack never needs to walk in on that." She said.
"Agreed." He laughed lightly and kissed her.