Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and it's characters are not mine. Simply borrowing them for entertainment sakes!
AN: So, this story is written for Rogue Storm. It took almost a year to write because my muse was finding it hard to write Reid/Hotch slash. Because of that, this will probably be the last time I write this pairing in any romantic form. Rogue I hope you enjoy your story!
Prompts: New pet, first snowfall, career day at kid's school.
Aaron Hotchner, consultant for the FBI and part-time defense lawyer for a local DC law firm, stared out the front window of his home and watched the first significant snowfall of the new year fall from the sky. Already, the safe little gated community in which he now lived with his son and boyfriend was coated in white. It would have been a perfect January afternoon except for one thing - he was alone right now. As it was a Friday, Jack was of course at school and although Spencer and the rest of the team had been given the day off, following the spooky case down in Florida, he wasn't home right now. Instead, Spencer was at the school with Jack this afternoon for career day.
Though reluctant to admit it, Aaron was at first bothered by the fact that Jack had asked Spencer to participate in career day over him. Jack was his son. He should be the one at the school talking to Jack's peers about his job, or jobs as it stood now. Despite often missing normal social cues, Spencer had either picked up on his feelings or felt the same way he did, as his boyfriend had asked Jack if he wouldn't rather his father go to career day with him. Aaron still remembered his son's reply - "but Daddy doesn't chase the bad guys anymore like you do."
Remembering his son's words Aaron couldn't help but smile. Of course the five-year-old was going to find Spencer's job more exciting as would his peers. Still, Aaron didn't regret giving up his position as Unit Chief, which he had done shortly after the team had returned from Alaska, as it gave him more time with his quickly growing son. It also meant that he and Spencer could be together without trying to hide it from their superiors. Not to mention, he was still helping to make the world safer for his son through his work as a consultant for the BAU.
Yes, life was good.
Now if Spencer and Jack would just make their way home, he could rest easy and enjoy the falling snow.
But the snow on the front yard remained unmarred, its pristine whiteness bright despite the storm clouds that darkened the skies. Aaron sighed, and turned from the window, returning to the files that lay strewn across the coffee table. Worrying wasn't going to accomplish anything and perhaps concentrating on work would keep him from worrying instead.
As he reread the same material for the fourth time, Aaron realized that trying to work wasn't going to happen. With a sigh, the former BAU profiler started shuffling his papers together and putting them away. He'd just have to work on the case later tonight after Spencer and Jack were safely at home and Jack was tucked into bed.
Instead of staying inside pacing or staring out the window, Aaron donned his hat, gloves, and coat and headed out to shovel the driveway. The physical work was good for his nerves as he was finally able to focus on something other than the fact that Spencer and Jack weren't home yet. In fact, he had most of the driveway cleared of snow, other than what had fallen after he had passed over an area, when Spencer pulled Hotch's SUV into the driveway. With the threat of snow today, Hotch had insisted his boyfriend take it.
Hotch waited by the side of Spencer's old car as his boyfriend brought the car to a stop in its cleared off spot. As Spencer turned off the car, Hotch laid the shovel down on the ground and walked toward the back door.
"Daddy, can we keep it, please?" Jack pleaded as soon as Hotch opened the back door. " Spencer said we could if it was okay with you! Pretty please!"
"Keep what?" Hotch asked as he began to unfasten Jack from his safety seat. He wasn't about to commit to anything until he had details.
"The kitty we found! Please, say yes!" Jack pleaded.
"What kitty," Hotch said, glancing over his shoulder at Spencer.
The young genius had his messenger bag over one shoulder and was standing in clear view of Hotch now. Spencer flipped open the flap on the bag and withdrew a small ball of black fur. "This kitten," he said sheepishly, as he held the tiny critter close to him to protect it a bit from the weather. "Jack and I found it near the dumpsters in the school parking lot when we left. With the weather the way it was, I couldn't just leave it but if you don't want to keep it then Jack and I will find it another home," he added quickly.
The way Spencer was talking and holding the kitten, Hotch knew his boyfriend wanted to keep the animal as much as his son did. In fact, as soon as Hotch looked into the pleading brown eyes of the young genius, he knew he was a goner. There was no way he could say no to that look.
Hotch let out a long sigh. "We can keep it," he said, turning back to his son.
"Yeah," Jack said, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Spencer, why don't you take the kitten into the house. Lock it in the laundry room fro now, and then the three of us will take a trip to the pet store to get the necessities the little guy needs."
"Okay," Spencer replied, heading toward the house with the kitten.
Hotch fastened the safety belt he had undone, closed the back door and climbed behind the wheel of the vehicle.
"So what are we going to name the kitten, buddy?" Hotch asked, turning sideways in the seat to face his son.
Hotch was expecting Jack to have to think about it, but the young boy surprised him by quickly replying, "Jar-Jar."
Hotch chuckled. Jar-Jar had captivated Jack since Spencer had introduced him to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Whether the kitten was male or female, Hotch knew there was going to be no talking Jack out of the name.
"Jar-Jar it is," Hotch replied.
Before long, Spencer was returning to the SUV. Reaching over, Hotch unlocked the passenger side door, noticing that books and files that were normally kept in Reid's messenger bag were on the seat. Spencer must have taken the stuff out when he had put the kitten into the bag.
Spencer opened the vehicle's door and handed Hotch the keys before picking up the pile of things. He quickly put the stuff back into his messenger bag, before climbing into the vehicle, tucking the bag on the floor beside his feet.
"Thanks for saying we could keep the kitten, Aaron," Spencer said quietly. "I've always wanted a pet but it never seemed like it would be a good fit before. Now though, you and Jack are still home when I've got to go away on a case and I'm sure Garcia would be happy to watch it when we go on vacation."
Hotch reached out and took one of Spencer's hands in his own, giving it a squeeze. Hearing those words made Hotch glad he had said yes as well. He knew what a joy a pet could be from when he had a dog as a child.
"You're welcome," Hotch replied, smiling at Spencer. "Now, what do you say we go pick up what we need so we can come home and get Jar-Jar settled into his knew home," he added, dropping Spencer's hand and reaching for his seatbelt.
"Jar-Jar?" Reid asked, as he reached for his own seatbelt.
"The kitty's name is Jar-Jar. I named it!" Jack interjected happily from the back.
Hotch glanced over at Spencer as he turned the key, the engine coming to life. "That's your influence coming through," he informed Spencer quietly, smiling at his boyfriend.
"That's a great name for our new family member," Spencer said, glancing back at the young boy. Even though he knew the kitten was a girl, he wasn't going to try to persuade Jack to change the name. He was kind of flattered that Jack was taking to the Star Wars characters as it gave him something to bond with the boy over. He had known that being with Hotch meant being another parental figure for Jack and was glad things were going well on that front.
In the driver's seat, Hotch saw Jack beam at the praise via the rear view mirror and smiled. No, the three of them didn't make a conventional family but Hotch was happy with what they did have. Perhaps soon he would get up the courage to ask Reid to make their union official, even if the law wouldn't recognize it. For now though, what they had worked and he had never been one to rock the boat. Hotch saw no reason to change that now. After all, being happy was what was important and right now he knew the two most important people in his life were just as happy as he was.
Life was good, snowstorm and all.