Snapshots of Experiences: Part I
Word of the day: ameliorate – v. become better; make better; improve; enhance
Aaron Hotchner looked at his watch and sighed as he realized that he would not be home in time for dinner. Like many nights, he still had a large stack of papers in front of him. he ameliorated the safety of the world by taking down criminals; however, doing so was often extremely time-consuming. He wanted to be a good father to Jack. Many of his team members would argue that Jack was happy with life, but Aaron still wished for the amount of work on his desk to decrease.
"Hotch?" Prentiss knocked softly on his open door, waiting for him to give her permission to speak. He nodded quickly without taking his eyes from what he was doing. She continued, "Since you've got a lot to do and I will need to stay late as well, do you want me to pick up some Chinese?"
He was surprised to have her extend that offer to him. He knew that she had brought food to share with Reid before, but she had never done so for him, even though they were the ones that stayed overtime the most. He nodded once more, not knowing what to say.
When she left, humming "Never Say Never" by The Fray as she walked, Aaron finally looked up. Prentiss was the strongest member of his team and he had come to respect her a great deal. Dave had once commented that Aaron was slowly growing attached to her, but he had brushed it off at the time. Now, Aaron wondered if his friend had been right.
In need of some background noise, he turned on the radio. He smiled slightly when he heard the opening notes of "Never Say Never." He returned to his work and the world felt a little brighter.
Prentiss returned with several white cartons in her arms. She handed him one with a couple of light brown grease spots on the side. Then, she sat down cross-legged on the other chair in his office and opened up a chicken lo mein carton. They ate in companionable silence and she later got up to bring her work into the office. Aaron realized that although he wanted to be at home more, he could get used to such comfortable times with Prentiss. He only hoped that she would be willing and would let him buy the take-out next time.
A/N: This is a part of a series of extended drabbles using vocabulary terms of mine as part of SAT prep. I realize this one was really fluffy and no real H/P action occurred, but the next one should have a bit more romance. They are going to be related although there will be time jumps, and this one was mainly to show Hotch's realization.
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.