Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds. The original character Hannah is mine.
Author's Note: It's just after midnight where I live, so this is a Sunday chapter, but this is also the fourth chapter within twenty-four hours! (Of course, these are just clean-ups of a previous version; once I get into the teens, then it will be a week or more between chapters.) Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like the story:)
Chapter 8
Natural Born Killer
Hours after the Perotta interrogation, Aaron stood outside Hannah's classroom and checked his watch again. Ten minutes until this class finished and over an hour until her next class began. He tried to wait, but after he glanced at his watch three times inside a minute, Aaron gave up and knocked. When Hannah peered out the small window on the door, her eyes widened and she joined him in the hallway. When the door clicked shut behind her, she glanced down the hall, and, when she saw no one else, loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. The sight of his red and blue neck stole Hannah's color.
"How in the hell can you keep your tie on after what happened, Aaron?"
"I don't want anyone to see. How did you know?"
"Spencer called and told me what happened between you and Vincent Perotta in that junkyard. He sounded worried and thought you might head over here at some point to talk to me. Aaron, have you gone home to Haley yet?"
"I can't. Not yet. I thought after a couple hours paperwork I could, but I can't."
"You're angry. Or upset. Sometimes I can't tell the difference with you."
"I'm both."
"Because of Perotta?"
"Yes." Aaron breathed deep and said, "I can't take my anger home to my family."
Hannah removed a beaded carabiner off her belt, detached a key attached by a braid of golden ribbons, and pressed it into Aaron's hand.
"Key to my office. Wait for me in there. My class has less than ten minutes left. I'll come straight there."
Hannah kissed him on the cheek and slipped back into her classroom before he could speak. He stepped back, turned and walked down the hallway to her office. The next time he looked up, Aaron saw the nameplate for Dr. Hannah Darrow on her office door. His feet carried him there on automatic.
He knew her office well. Last year he'd helped her move in a love seat sofa and rearrange after Spencer opted to go to a convention with Garcia instead. Neither of them blamed him. Spencer hated furniture shopping and rearranging. He left decorating the townhouse to Hannah and didn't care where she put things, so long as the arrangements made sense, and she didn't leave any more tables in the middle of the hallway.
Hannah relished the opportunity to spend some private time with Aaron, and Aaron relished the chance to spend quality time with Hannah. Nothing happened then, well before their second encounter outside the gun range and the second spark that dogged their steps ever since. Everything became complicated between them since then. Aaron let himself into her office and shut the door behind him, but he didn't lock it. The moment he saw the love seat he sank onto it, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
"Aaron." Hannah said as she shook him awake. "I've let you sleep for at least fifteen minutes, but you have to wake up now."
"I'm awake." Aaron opened his eyes and blinked several times. "I'm up."
"I'm surprised you slept at all given what happened last night."
"I haven't slept in two nights. My adrenaline levels crashed." Aaron scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head. "Or however you say that scientifically."
"You really are exhausted if you're talking like that." Hannah tried not to laugh and just smiled instead. "Do you need me to drive you home?"
"No, I can make it."
"Okay." Hannah reached into a teapot, pulled out a wet handkerchief, and rung it out as Aaron watched her. "I heated some water. Let me look at your neck. Take off your tie."
He grinned at that and pulled it off.
"Do you need my shirt off as well?" Aaron said and winced when Hannah smacked his elbow.
"Do not tempt me Aaron."
"I'm not trying to tempt you. I don't want to get my shirt wet." Aaron found his top button as he said, "The real question is, can you contain yourself?"
Hannah stared as long as she could bare it before she replied.
"Can you?"
"I can if you can."
"Take the shirt off."
"Lock your door."
Hannah started and looked up from the handkerchief.
"Excuse me?"
"You don't want a student to walk in on this. The rumors will spread faster that STD's in a co-ed dorm."
"Fine." Hannah left the sofa and locked the door. "But no more sex talk out of your mouth."
"It's an accurate comparison."
Hannah sat back down beside him and helped him unbutton, but stopped after just one button and played with the handkerchief instead.
"Aaron, we can't talk sex. It's too much. You know that."
"Sorry." Aaron said as he unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it halfway down his arms, and exposed his upper chest and bruised neck.
"Apology accepted." Hannah's eyes lingered a few moments on his bare chest, but she gasped when she saw his entire neck. "Oh, god, Aaron. This looks terrible."
"It looks worse than it feels."
"Really? Are you serious right now?" Hannah said as she raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Because you are the only person I know who's ever been garroted."
"Okay, I feel like an abused rag doll." Aaron closed his eyes and breathed deep. "I feel like hell."
"Your voice sounds fine." Hannah said while she pressed the hot handkerchief against his battered skin with a soft touch. "A little soft, but you sound okay."
"Thanks." Aaron sighed and settled deeper into the sofa cushions. "The hot water helps."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Hannah arranged the handkerchief over his neck and left it there. "Perotta's interrogation. Why did he make you so angry?"
"He didn't. His circumstances did."
"What does that mean? What circumstances?"
"An abusive father."
"That got you thinking about your own father."
"He wasn't anywhere near as bad as Perotta's father, but he was a hard man." Aaron opened his eyes and and looked into Hannah's eyes. "I would never raise a hand to my son."
When she looked down, Hannah saw Aaron's left hand an inch away from her knee. She grasped his wrist in her hand and counted out the beats of his heart for fifteen seconds before she looked back up.
"You'd rather cut it off than raise it to him."
"Yes." Aaron glanced at his wrist and smiled. "How do you know me so well Hannah?"
A quick smile appeared on Hannah's lips, but vanished as her face became unreadable. She lifted Aaron's arm level with her face, and studied his pulse. But while she spoke her eyes looked past his arm and into his eyes.
"Oh, I just figured out the alcohol combination that unlocks your soul, so now you have no more secrets from me."
"You're scary." Aaron said as his eyes widened and the corners of his mouth twitched.
"You know I'm kidding!" Hannah dropped his arm on his lap and giggled. "Well, a little."
"I am officially terrified of you now." Aaron grinned as he said it.
"Oh shut up." Hannah cracked up and giggled harder, but when Aaron grabbed her leg and pulled her on top of him, she stopped. "Aaron! What the hell?"
The answer arrived when Aaron grabbed her right hand and placed it over his heart, placed his left hand over her right and his right hand over her own heart. His heart raced faster than one minute before, and so did hers.
"Hannah."
"Stop it Aaron."
"Hannah?"
She pushed him and almost lost her balance on his lap, but Aaron held her hand tighter. That just angered her even more.
"Have you completely forgotten what you said to me just feet from here only a few weeks ago? I'll remind you. You chose your wife and your marriage and your son over a mistaken affair with me. You made the right decision that night. I'm not going to let you go back on that and you know damn well I'm not going to sleep with a married man, so knock it off!" Hannah said before she reached into her jean pocket. "Hold on. My phone just buzzed in my back pocket."
"Don't answer it. Please." Aaron reached for the cell phone, but stopped when he felt fingernails settle over the skin on his chest.
"Aaron, stop it. I don't want to leave marks your wife will question, so shut up." Hannah looked at the phone and discovered a new text message from Spencer that sped up her heart rate even more. "Oh my God."
"What's wrong?"
"Quiet." Hannah put a finger over her lips as she turned the phone toward him. "Look."
Aaron's eyes widened as he read the message: I just parked outside your building. I'm on my way in and I can't wait to see you.
"He's here?" Aaron said in a whisper that traveled no further than Hannah's ears.
"In the building. In the hallway by now probably." Hannah said in the same soft whisper. "Put your shirt on and keep that wrapped around your neck."
As Hannah removed the handkerchief, Aaron looked at her, confused.
"Why?"
"Just do it. And button up." Hannah helped get the first button done before she climbed off his lap. "I have to let him in when he knocks. Hurry."
Aaron closed the rest of his buttons as he watched Hannah pace in front of the door and cast him dirty looks. When she changed directions and started towards the wall farthest the door, he stood and grabbed her by the elbow.
"Hey." Aaron mouthed.
"What?" Hannah mouthed back.
He pulled her away from the door until they stood at the back of her office and could talk a little bit louder.
"What the hell is so wrong with wanting just a few minutes close to you, Hannah?"
"We can't open that door and just stand in the doorway. We both want to go through and we cannot do that Aaron! Stop tempting me."
"You stop tempting me."
"What are you talking about?"
"You were sending me all the signals."
"That I what, wanted to make out and screw on the loveseat? Get your head out of the gutter."
"We would never have gone that far!"
"Do you seriously think either one of us has that much control?" A knock at the door cut their argument short. "I'm letting him in. Just smile and act like everything is fine."
"Smile?" Aaron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because Reid will find that perfectly natural."
"When you're in my company, or Haley's, they always do." Hannah said of the whole team.
At that, she walked away and opened the door, a perfect smile on her face. Aaron smiled too, and walked as far as the teapot before he stopped and touched the handkerchief that covered up his bruises. He couldn't hide the handkerchief, and Reid looked inside the office and saw him just as Hannah announced his presence.
"Look who beat you here."
"Hey, Hotch. What's on your neck?"
"Hannah's idea. It helped." Aaron said as he looked at Hannah and removed the handkerchief.
Reid swallowed, and turned a light shade of yellow.
"That's what Perotta did in the junkyard?"
"Don't worry. It looks a lot worse than it feels." Aaron glanced at Hannah with a look that said stay quiet about my lie, and handed her the handkerchief. "Thank you Hannah. I should get home to Haley and Jack now."
"Tell Haley I'm working on the beach trip." Hannah folded the handkerchief and didn't look at him. "I'll call her when I have something more concrete."
"I will. See you tomorrow Reid."
"See you tomorrow." Reid said, "Put some muscle ointment on your neck. That should help."
"I will." Aaron gave them a small nod as he left. "Have a good night."
The last thing Aaron heard as he left Hannah's office stopped him mid step as he turned to look back.
"Do you want to go out on a date tonight?" Reid said.
Hannah grinned, this one not fake, and embraced him.
"Yes!"
Then she glanced up, saw Aaron standing in the hallway watching them, and her eyes widened. So did her pupils.
