Making A Stand For Love
Summary: According to old beliefs, Halloween is kind of a gateway between the worlds of the living and the dead. But can it also be a starting point for a new romance?
Notes: Answer to the "Halloween Horrors – A Salute to Stephen King Challenge" on CCOAC. I chose Aaron Hotchner and Jennifer Jareau as my pairing and "The Stand" as the book title. Sorry that it's late, but real life and writer's block teamed up against me. AU since Will didn't survive the season 7 finale and therefore didn't marry JJ. Story takes place after season 8 (October 2013). Main pairings: Aaron/JJ, Dave/Erin, Morgan/Garcia, Emily/Spencer.
Disclaimer: I already put them on my Santa's wish list. Ask again on December 26th,okay?
When Aaron Hotchner came home that afternoon, he didn't need a calendar to know which day it was. First, his son Jack was talking about that afternoon for a whole week, second, his costume for this year's Halloween party over at Penelope's hang very prominently on the backside of the small storage room door next to the entrance for some time now.
"Look, Daddy!"
The, if possible, even more joyful than ever sounding voice of Jack pulled Aaron from his reverie. He turned around – and had to put up a fight to school his features. His son was on a kind of a superhero trip for a couple of years now, but after "playing" him last year, Aaron for sure didn't expect that costume. It was not only that of a comic book hero without superpowers, it was also that of his personal favorite – Hal Jordan aka "The Green Lantern". Considering that Aaron planned to play Oliver Queen aka "Green Arrow" (his second favorite) later that evening, one could say that Jack was definitely his father's son.
"Wow, buddy. And who are you supposed to be?"
"Come on, Daddy. Take a guess!"
"Well", Aaron did take his time to continue, "I think you're going as a frog this year."
"No, Daddy. I'm Hal Jordan, a fearless air fighter and current owner of the Green Lantern ring. See!"
He held his right fist up, showing his father the fake green ring sitting on his ring finger.
"So, does that mean you take over from me? I mean, with the protection of the people."
"Yes, Daddy, I do. Aunt Jessica said that even modern-day heroes like you need a day off."
Aaron didn't know what to say now. He knew that his son saw him as his personal hero, but hearing it was even better than just knowing it for a fact.
"Daddy? Can we go trick-or-treating now?"
"Sure, buddy. We just have to wait for the others to show up."
Earlier this week, the whole team (minus Alex) had agreed to accompany Jack and Henry on their candy trip, if only for the excuse to help them carry their sweet loot.
Right that moment, the doorbell rang, and Jack ran over to open the door, revealing Spencer (no costume), Dave (scary pirate) and Morgan (Batman) standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Uncle Spence, Uncle Dave, Uncle Derek! Uncle Spence, where is your costume?"
"Don't worry, Jack, I have one, but I won't reveal it until later."
"Oh. Okay."
Morgan squatted down to Jack's height.
"Okay, Green Lantern. You're ready to strike?"
"Yep!"
Morgan and Spence led the boy down the stairs, where the rest of the team was already waiting.
"You're coming, Aaron?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, Capt'n Rossi."
Two and a half hours later, each and every single adult in their merry band of friends was not only carrying a basket filled to the brim with candies, they also were way more tired than the two kids running ahead of them.
"Does anyone remember if trick-or-treating was that tiresome when we were kids ourselves?"
To their big surprise, Erin Strauss was the one to utter that question. In earlier years, the whole team considered her as a cold-heart bitch, but after her stint in rehab they opened up their tight-knit circle, letting her in and giving her a substitute for the family she no longer had at home. And when Dave announced that she was coming with them for the trick and treat tour, none of them objected. Just like her lover, Erin was dressed as a pirate.
"No, Erin, I can't remember. The only thing I remember is my younger brother. After an afternoon like that, I practically had to carry him to his room. And it's not that much of a wild guess that this will repeat itself when we get home with both the boys."
"Yeah, I think so too." JJ, dressed to the nines as the Black Canary with a black mask, a short black leather overall, fishnet stockings and knee-high black leather boots, spoke up. "Thanks, Aaron, for letting Henry stay with Jack and for Jessica agreeing to watch them both."
"Don't bother, JJ. You know as well as I do that Jack adores Henry, and Jessica doesn't mind having him around too."
They made the rest of the way back to Aaron's house in silence, all of them reminiscing Halloween memories of their childhood.
A couple of hours later, they all were supposed to be at Penelope's apartment for her big annual Halloween part. Based on their experiences from the previous years, Penelope announced that it was a "costume only" party, so none of them could show up as themselves. The first to arrive were Dave and Erin, still dressed as pirates, seeing Penelope's this year's costume as the first ones. Matching Derek's Batman costume, the bubbly blonde chose to be Catwoman, her costume complete with a tail and a cat mask. One by one, the rest of the team arrived afterwards. Emily, who seriously considered a return to the States, as a stunning Lois Lane. Spencer, matching Emily's costume as Clark Kent, with the iconic Superman suit underneath. Ashley Seaver as Courtney Whitmore aka "Stargirl". Jordan Todd as Wonder Woman, closely followed by Derek as Batman. And last but not least, Aaron and JJ as Green Arrow and Black Canary.
The party already was in full swing, when Penelope and Dave, the "matchmakers from hell", finally managed to corner JJ and Aaron at different points within the apartment. The whole team had noticed a change in their dynamics over the years, even more so after Will's death during the hostage situation at the bank in May 2012. They decided to give her time to grieve her fiancée, but that was over one year ago, and so they all thought it was high time to set a plan in motion.
"Hey, bossman, nice costume."
"Back to you, Kitten."
"Meow. But tell me, Sir, are you Robin Hood or another famous archer?"
"What do you think?"
"Well, my gut tells me you're dressed as Green Arrow."
"Exactly."
Even with the mask covering half of her face, Aaron could see her eyes widen as if she had accidently discovered the greatest secret on Earth right that moment.
"So, JJ dressing as the Black Canary was no coincidence?"
"I thought you chose all the costumes."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
"Sure, I chose yours and Derek's and mine. And, yes, I gave advice to the others, but I surely did not choose JJ's."
"But you told her mine, didn't you?"
"Well, maybe I let a word or two slip. You know me, Sir. Sometimes I can't shut my cakehole, even if I want to."
"Yes, I know. And Penelope?" Aaron could have sworn her fake cat ears actually peaked up. "That's what we love you for." She gave him a quizzical look, even if it was slightly disguised with the mask. "For being just the way you are."
"Thanks, Sir. May I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead."
She fell silent, and Aaron detected a hesitance in her stance.
"Don't be shy, Kitten."
He deliberately used the nickname Dave had made up for her some years ago again.
"Do you have feelings for JJ? And with feelings, I mean deeper than friendship. Don't worry, this is a secret I will keep. Pinky promise."
She held out her pinky finger, and against his better knowledge he linked his with hers, answering her question without actually saying a word.
On the other side of the living room, Pirate Captain David Rossi was close to his goal, which was pretty much the same as Penelope's. Just like his favorite tech girl with Aaron, he had Jennifer almost at the point of confession. She already had confirmed his suspicions that her dressing up as Black Canary, matching Aaron's costume in the process, was not a coincidence.
"Bella, can I ask you a private question?"
"Sure, depends on what you're asking."
"Okay, fair enough. You don't have to answer though. I'm just curious: Do you have feelings for Aaron? Feelings that go way deeper than being in the same situation as him? And deeper than friendship?"
Her first answer was a gasp, but then she recovered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Of course you don't. Just remember you're working with a bunch of profilers."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Dave had to chuckle. Since she became a full-time profiler, the former media liaison was getting better and better at making a stand against her colleagues. And he was sure he wasn't the only one who liked that change in her.
"It means that we all, and I mean really all of us, noticed a change. In both you AND Aaron. Sure, you two always had a close connection, probably closer than to anyone else on the team, but in the last fifteen months you had to be blind as not to see that this bond between you two got even closer than before."
"You think so?" He answered with a nod. "Well, to be honest, and I dare you, Dave, to tell it anybody, yes, my feelings for Aaron have changed. Truth be told, as you already said, I always felt close to him, from day one on. But since those days in May last year, he became more than a colleague or a fellow single parent. We connected on so many new points that I see him in a completely different light now, and since this is what you want to hear, yeah, I think I'm falling for him."
As if on cue, Dave spotted Aaron showing up behind her, and if his friend's face was anything to be counted for, he had heard her last words.
"Who are you falling for?"
She spun around, sending daggers from her eyes first to Dave, than to Aaron.
"How long are you standing here?"
"One or two minutes, top."
"And you heard my last words?"
"Yes, I did, and I'm happy for you, JJ. You deserve to be happy, and to be loved."
They both didn't notice that Dave made his way over to Erin and Penelope, who were busy chatting away.
"Ladies, I think our plan is about to succeed."
"So they both "confessed"?"
"Yeah, Erin, looks that way."
"Well, finally. I thought I had to come up with a plan to lock them up in the building until they give in."
"Erin Strauss, what a devious mind you have!"
"Penelope, did you really think I would have made it up the ladder without it?"
"No, but I refused to believe it until now."
In the meantime, Aaron had led JJ out of the noisy living room over to Penelope's kitchen, where they both took a seat at the dining table.
"So, who's the lucky one? Do I know him?"
"Maybe. He's a fellow FBI agent."
"Oh. From our department?"
"Yep. And since the new director of the FBI announced that he would drop some of the regulations, including the frat rule, I think I will act on it, after checking that it is a two-way street."
"You have to introduce him to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not checking up on you, but I just want to make sure you don't act head over heels. You have to consider Henry's well-being as well as your own, ok?"
Unnoticed by him, JJ scooted closer to Aaron, suddenly feeling very brave.
"Don't worry, Aaron, I know for sure that he loves my son, just like he loves his own son. And I also know that he would move the Earth if he could, just to make sure he doesn't miss a milestone in his life."
"So he has a son. That narrows it down, I don't know many fathers in the BAU."
"Actually, we only have two. And since Anderson is married and has a daughter, only one is left."
Silence fell upon them, and it actually took Aaron a couple of minutes to mentally connect the dots she was pointing out for him. But when he finally concluded what she was implying, his face lit up, giving her a full-dimpled smile.
"So, I am the lucky one?"
"Yes, Aaron, you are. For longer than you might think. To be honest, I never felt for anyone else the way I feel for you, not even Will. Sure, I loved him, and we had a good time together, but my feelings for you are one of a kind. And they didn't start recently, they were harboring inside me since the day I walked into your office for the first time."
"Would you believe if I tell you that I have the same feelings for you since that day?" She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "But I constantly pushed them back, first because I was married to Haley, then because you were with Will and expecting a baby. And after his death I was afraid to let them loose because I wasn't sure how you would react."
Instead of an answer, JJ grabbed his face, kissing him with all her might.
"Now you know how I'm feeling."
"Yes, I do."
"But Aaron, I have one request. Two, actually."
"What?"
"First, we do everything we can to keep it out of the office. I'm not saying that we can't act on it in times of need, but I don't want it to change the way you see me as an agent."
"And number two?"
"That we take it slowly. I rushed things with Will to a certain degree, and I don't want to make the same mistake twice. Definitely not with you."
"Okay. I absolutely agree with you on number one. I know what you're capable of out in the field, but I'm not sure if I can help myself not to worry about you all the time. As for point two: We'll see."
"We'll see? That's all you have to say?"
"Yeah. And now I suggest we ditch this party and make this night a night to remember for both of us."
"Okay."
They sealed their agreement with a kiss, unaware of the gleeful faces of their colleagues at the glass door.