The Promise

If you need a friend

Don't look to a stranger

You know in the end

I'll always be there – When In Rome

If there was any open hostility between the two, it was muted. Aaron knew he was asking a lot. But he rather hoped that she would see reason. Haley was staring at him, and it was as if she were waiting for him to retract the request.

But he didn't bat an eyelash.

"You want Jack." It wasn't a question. It was a statement and it was said in the flattest tone Aaron had ever heard. "How?"

"To be honest, Haley, I'm not sure. But I'll make it work. I'll figure out a way. I always do."

"Like you figured out a way to spend time with me?" Haley snarked. "Oh wait, you never did."

Aaron wasn't falling for her taciturn mood and simply sat at the dining table across from her. There was a dozen or so papers spread out on the surface. He threaded his fingers together and placed them on top of the table and waited patiently for her to get it out of her system.

"We could come to some sort of arrangement where you can see Jack whenever you wish. It is true, I am gone quite a lot. But there are times when I can stay back and work from the office."

"You never wanted to do that before," Haley said coolly. "You were always gone, rarely ever home. You didn't want to be home."

"I guess I didn't," Aaron finally admitted.

"You didn't want to make the effort with just me involved." Aaron didn't agree or disagree. But the answer was there and it was hanging thickly in the air. "You would get the house."

"Unless you wanted it."

Haley glared. "What would I need a whole house for?" she scowled visibly. "If you take Jack there is no need for me to have such a huge house and a mortgage on top of that."

"I'm willing to pay for you," Aaron said honestly. It was the least he could do.

Her eyes narrowed. "Think I can't take care of myself?" she snapped.

"Not really," Aaron confessed and Haley reared back in her seat as if she'd been slapped across the face. "But I would like to be proven wrong. However, I'm not a bastard of a man who is going to leave his soon-to-be ex-wife with nothing. I don't want this to be a hateful divorce," he said plainly. "Neither of us get along. We are worse now together than ever. You resent me and I think I've figured out why."

She sneered. "Do tell."

Aaron remembered his conversation last night with Spencer. The words had been truthful and they hadn't hurt quite as bad as he thought it would. It actually made perfect sense. "You see me as your father. I've taken care of you ever since we met. I never gave up on that and in my heart I never will. But the fact that you see me as someone you detest but deep down still love. It drives you away from me. I know I can be a control freak and things have to be a certain way. It was how I was raised. I always took charge of every situation because I had too and you were no different. You resent me because you've had to go all your adult life depending on me, and I wasn't able to always be there. I suppose I have neglected you more than I should have. I am sorry."

Her eyes dilated in understanding and her shoulders sagged. She pulled the documents close. "I'll take Jack when you're working. But, you should have custody. It's the least I can do." Her tone was quiet and apologetic. She didn't have to say the exact words but he knew that she was sorry. "Jack is happier with you anyway. It's my fault for feeling so much resentment. Perhaps some time away will make our hearts grow fonder. I love Jack, I really do, and that's why I'm giving him to you. He deserves to be with the one he loves most."

"He loves us the same, Haley."

"Oh please." Haley rolled her eyes. "That's not true. He rarely ever cries when he's in your arms. I gave birth to him, but you nurtured him in a way that I didn't. I'm hoping I can fix that in the future. But first, I need to learn to be independent."

"We both have a lot of learning to do, Haley. I think it's for the best. I want the best for you, and despite everything I will always care for you."

"I know, Aaron," she replied remorsefully. She took the stack of papers and signed each dotted line, finalizing it all.

It was strange; some people would feel fury, and some would feel sad. But for Aaron Hotchner, a humongous weight seemed to have lifted off his shoulders and he suddenly felt light. He gazed around the room in sudden wonder.

"I have a friend who wants me to move in with them," Haley said biting her lip. "I – I've been seeing him the last couple of months, Aaron."

"Your professor." He was not at all surprised, Spencer had warned him of this. Aaron was actually a little relieved. It made him feel less like an asshole.

Haley flinched. "How did you?"

"Haley, I'm a Profiler. You saw him a year or so ago. When you went out for dinner."

Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry."

Aaron shook his head. "I'm not exactly innocent either."

Her head snapped up, shocked as she was to hear his confession. "What? When?"

"A few months back. I've never slept with anyone while we were married," he assured sincerely. "But, when I leave here, I'm not always at the BAU."

She nodded in understanding but she still had no words. He could see the mixed emotions; the sudden flash of jealousy and hurt. But she obviously knew that she too wasn't innocent.

"I guess this is it."

"Yeah, it is. I'll make everything work out somehow. I always do."

oOo

The clock was ticking away the seconds until it turned into minutes and soon morphed into an hour. Spencer laid there under a plethora of covers wide awake, for some reason he had been unable to fall asleep. Not even Mozart could put him into a slumber and he had turned it off halfway through one of his favorite symphonies.

He wondered why his mind refused to give into the need for rest. It was like his subconscious mind was telling me something but he couldn't quite hold onto the tether of information before it slipped from his mental grip. His mind had always been a very scary place to venture into; he always knew that without any hint of narcissism that he, Doctor Spencer Reid had the involuntary makings of an Unsub if he allowed it.

His whole disconnection with other people's emotions scared even him at times. He knew by the way he said things, he sounded like a heartless insane genius. But knowing that, Spencer was also the aware of the fact that his strange little family at the BAU had filled an emotionless void in his life.

Most importantly, Aaron Hotchner and baby Jack by proxy. They made him feel more than he had ever felt in his life and it was becoming less and less fearful to venture into the web of knowledge he had. He wondered if his mother ever felt anything like this?

A thread of longing shot its way through the core of Spencer's entire being and he shifted a little as he tried to find a comfortable position and quell down the overflowing desire that had been a little hard to handle.

Lately, whenever he looked at Aaron, he had the distinct feeling of a teenage boy in high school with hormones that went out of control. It was distracting and disconcerting on a whole new level.

His area of thought was interrupted by a familiar knock on the door. Spencer's heart instantly leapt for joy as he pushed the covers back and crawled out of the bed. He wondered why Aaron was even bothering to knock, the man had a key. He could just let himself in.

He got to the door and quickly undid the locks and when he thrust it open, his heart literally melted at the sight of Aaron standing there with Jack asleep across his chest and shoulder. Before Spencer could say anything, one free arm curled around his waist before him stepped into the room and he was filled with an intense kiss that brought out all of Spencer's inner desires.

Being careful not to wake Jack, Spencer pulled his partner into the warmth of the house, while still connected and closed the door.

"Why did you knock?" Spencer asked gaining his thought process back. Sometimes, it was hard to think when Aaron kissed him.

"It's late. I didn't want to scare you."

"Not that I mind that you're here, but what are you doing out so late?"

"I didn't want to be alone. The papers were signed today, Haley took a small bag with her and left."

"You got custody of Jack so easily?" Spencer asked taking the blue bag from Aaron's shoulder.

He shifted Jack carefully and removed the jacket and beanie from his head. Spencer helped him by taking off his little shoes. "How did you get him in these?"

Aaron grinned, remembering all the fits that Jack had when it came to shoes. "He was asleep, I snuck them on." He gently laid his son down into the playpen.

The child twitched and squirmed as Spencer laid a small blanket over his body.

"I thought you had to go through lawyers and courts."

"It was uncontested. Neither of us wanted a big show down," Aaron came up behind Spencer, his chest pressing into the slim frame of his back. "We didn't want to be alone tonight in that big house."

Spencer shivered when Aaron's hot breath slid along his neck line and up to his ear. "Hn… Aaron?"

"I just want to touch you."

A raging hungry need swept through Spencer as he spun around and crushed his lips to Aaron's. His long slim fingers pulled at the fabric of his shirt until they could slide effortlessly underneath, his tips met flesh, making their encounter more fiery and scalding to touch.

One by one bits and pieces of clothing were thrown and Spencer was pushed down onto the couch. He pulled Aaron down with him. Spencer gasped and struggled to keep quiet when Aaron continued to kiss and then nibbled down on his lower lip, chin, cheek, and back to his neck. A flood of desire caused Spencer's breathing to kick up and he moaned before he could muffle it when Aaron bit down on his collarbone.

That was definitely one of Spencer's more sensitive areas, he decided. If they didn't stop or move, Spencer could not be responsible for waking up Jack.

"Aaron, we should take this to the room." It took a lot to speak, his lips were swollen and bruised red, his body was covered in goose bumps and it didn't help that his hips were pinned down by Aaron's hips, and the friction was driving him insane.

"Should we?" Aaron grinned slyly and raised up fractionally to see Spencer looking up at him. "I like this."

"I… I do too," Spencer stammered with a little blush. "But – ah – I don't want to wake your son."

"I only want to feel you." He dipped down and sank his tongue into Spencer's slightly open mouth and the reaction was instant. He moaned again when Aaron's hips teasingly rolled sending a jolt of pleasure from his groin straight through the rest of him. "I've wanted to touch you ever since we first kissed. But it wasn't right. I didn't want to take advantage of you."

Spencer choked and he leaned up on his elbows and kissed Aaron softly. "Why would touching me take advantage of me? I'm not a kid."

Aaron smiled and pressed a kiss to Spencer's forehead. "I know but you are worth too much to me, Spencer. I want you in my life, our life. I want you to be a part of us. I would be dishonoring you if we were together before I divorced. I want our relationship to work and I did not want it to start wrong."

Spencer nodded, the high of desire had simmered in him now but he didn't feel cold. Not like he had before Aaron. In fact, he felt warmer and more secure. "You really mean that."

"I do. I want you not only in my bed, Spencer. But, I want you beside me, and I don't care about the rules in the BAU and I don't care what anyone else would think. All I care about is in this room."

Spencer bit his lip and glanced over at Jack's sleeping form. He could barely see the little figure through the net walls of the playpen. "Well, Jack does have me wrapped around his little finger. So, I suppose taking you too will have to do." He flashed a smile and Aaron chuckled and pulled Spencer in for a hug.

"Thank you, Spencer." Aaron buried his face into Spencer's neck. "For everything. You've put up with a lot. Most people wouldn't."

Spencer smiled. "I'm not most people. I'm very complicated."

"And I like a challenge."

oOo

A/N: By now I would have usually had them jump into a sexual relationship because I love constant chemistry between my pairings. But I am still trying to learn these characters. Sorry if it's a bit slow going for some of you. I want to write their relationship properly. Once I'm more comfortable with this fandom, my writing style will change to something much easier for me to deal with. XD Thank you!