Full Summary: When Aaron Hotchner meets Maizy Tibbs for the first time she is definitely not what he'd expected. He soon finds himself attracted to Jack's young school teacher and struggles against developing a relationship that he considers inappropriate with her. Everything he learns about Maizy only intrigues him further; from her own tragic past to the difficulty she's had garnering and maintaining meaningful relationships with the opposite sex. When the unlikely news of Maizy and Reid's developing relationship hits his ears he has to decide if he's willing to back off or go for the woman who intrigues him. Hotch/OC/Reid
A/N: Hey! So this is my entry for the OC challenge over at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. This isn't the first time I've written an original character before, but it is the first time where they will be a main character. I hope you'll all let me know how you like Jack's elementary school teacher, Maizy Tibbs. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to CBS, except for Maizy who belongs to the forum, I guess. Lol.
Chapter 1:
Aaron Hotchner stared at the clock on his wall in disbelief. Three pm. When had it gotten so late?
Three? Seriously? he thought, annoyed at himself.
He glared at the pile of work on his desk; he hadn't even made a dent in it and he'd so wanted to finish it today. Yeah, that was not happening.
Hotch stood up letting out a defeated sigh. He grabbed his briefcase and began to slide in some take-home documents for some 'light' bedtime reading, that's when Rossi suddenly poked his head in the open doorway.
"Whoa," he exclaimed in surprise. "Has hell frozen over?"
Hotch shot his old friend a wry look. "Funny, Dave."
Rossi took this as invitation to come inside. Hotch tried his best to ignore him. "No, really, you're actually leaving? You know it's only three o'clock, right?"
He let out a long-suffering sigh. "I've got a meeting at four-thirty."
Rossi grinned. "Please tell me 'meeting' is code word for a hot date with Beth."
Hotch couldn't help the grimace at the woman's name. He glanced at his watch, wondering if he should say anything, if he even had enough time for the questions that would surely come.
"Dave, Beth and I ended things months ago," Hotch stated briefly, snapping his case shut.
"What?" his friend exclaimed loudly. His eyes practically bulged out in shock.
"Look, I don't have time to go into detail, so let's just say that running was about all we had in common," Hotch answered, coming around his desk. "Now, I've got to go, Jack's teacher wants me to meet with her and I don't know why…"
"She wants to meet you?" Rossi emphasized, brightening at the prospect of another female in his life. "What's her name?"
"Mrs. Tibbs," Hotch offered.
Rossi actually cringed at the name. "Name even sounds like an old matronly elementary school teacher…"
Hotch chuckled. "Jack says she's my age."
Rossi shot him a raised eyebrow. "Already fishing, I see."
"Funny, you should become a comedian, you know that." He shrugged his shoulders in answer. "I just asked Jack what his new teacher was like, that's all."
Rossi nodded his head, losing interest fast. "Well you should go…" And he started to turn to go.
Hotch stared after his best friend, wondering why the man had never been diagnosed with ADD. "Wait," Hotch halted him. "You needed something?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Rossi began, looking sheepish. "I'm placing bets."
Hotch frowned. "On?"
"When Reid will blow up at Morgan next," Rossi added, shrugging his shoulders. "They're at it again."
Hotch didn't cover his sigh. Sometimes it felt like Jack wasn't his only child.
Hotch checked his watch as he approached the open doorway to Jack's fourth grade classroom; it was four-thirty-five. He was a little late but not too late.
He still had no idea what Mrs. Tibbs could possibly want to see him about. It wasn't that far in to the new school year; parent-teacher interviews were officially a month off. His biggest worry was that Jack was possibly being bullied again.
He stepped into the quiet classroom, quickly taking in the colorful décor of the welcoming room. He gave it a quick scan for the teacher and found her in the farthest corner of the room in the carpeted area. She had her back to him, standing on a stepladder, attempting to post some artwork to the wall. From what he could see, she was a petite woman with long wavy, dark hair.
"Excuse me," Hotch spoke softly, not wanting to spook the woman; still she gave a little jump. "I'm looking for Mrs. Tibbs?"
The woman climbed down and turned to face him. She had what he could only describe as a brilliant smile on her face that sparkled in her large brown eyes. This can't be Mrs. Tibbs, was his instant thought. She was easily half his age, definitely not the woman Jack had described. Must be her assistant…
"You found her," she contradicted his thoughts. She extended her right hand and said, "Maizy Tibbs, it's nice to meet you Mr. Hotchner."
"But, you're so y—" he caught himself quickly, shutting his mouth abruptly.
"Young?" she finished, laughing heartily. "Don't worry Mr. Hotchner, I'm older than I look and qualified to teach."
Hotch looked down in the vicinity of his shoes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, aware of his suddenly hot face. He blamed Rossi completely for his lack of manners; the man had put it in his head that Jack's teacher couldn't be anything but older.
She offered him a smile, gesturing for him to take a seat at one of the kids' desks. "Don't worry about it. There's a reason why I switched from teaching high school to elementary…"
His mind was hazy; he stared at her blankly, not understanding. Hotch had no idea what was wrong with him.
"I was tired of being mistaken for a student," she explained slowly.
"Oh," he managed to get out. "So… I take it it's not Mrs., either?"
She shook her head. 'The kids add the extra suffix when speaking quickly, it's just Miss."
He nodded dumbly.
"Why don't we sit down, Mr. Hotchner?" she said kindly.
He was still standing he just noticed and quickly took the seat. She took the seat across from him smiling at his obvious discomfort, hoping to ease his embarrassment.
"Aaron," he blurted out.
She nodded. "Aaron," she echoed.
He managed to smile back at her, feeling extra pleased to hear his name come from her parted lips. And then he was silently cursing Rossi for putting such inappropriate thoughts in his head.
"Let me just start off by saying what a pleasure it is having Jack in my class. A more polite student I could not find," Miss Tibbs praised.
He beamed proudly at the fact that his son's manners were showing through. But, that couldn't possibly be the reason why she'd asked to meet with him.
"Why do I feel a 'but' coming?" he asked, frowning.
"No, no but's. He's a great kid. A model student," she assured. "The reason I called you isn't about Jack's behavior… I called to discuss Jack's struggles in math."
"Math?" he repeated, not able to hold back the disdainful tone it came out in. He couldn't help it, he hated math. It was easily his least favorite subject of all time.
She nodded. "Jack seems to be having some difficulties making connections with certain mathematical concepts… I've taken a look at his file, specifically previous report cards and I can see it's a recurring theme."
"He doesn't enjoy math," Hotch let her know.
She chuckled lightly. "I can see it runs in the family…" He opened his mouth to say something to the contrary, but she held up a hand. "It's all right, it's understandable. It also shows me where Jack is coming from. Everyone has a least favorite subject. Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of PE."
His eyes instantly trailed over her body. She was skinny without losing any of her curves. He didn't know if he could believe her, she was obviously in shape.
His eyes re-met hers and he could see them twinkling in amusement; he wondered what else he could do to embarrass himself. Thank God he didn't bring Jack to this meeting.
"Jack's like or dislike of the subject begins now and will dictate how he feels about math in the future and even what careers he may choose. I think we need to get to the root of the problem…"
"Which is?"
Hotch was surprised when Miss. Tibbs let out a sigh; it was the first time she'd frowned since he'd arrived. "I would like to have Jack assessed for a learning disability."
"What?" Hotch exclaimed sharply.
Miss. Tibbs held up her hands again, urging him to wait. He settled down, wondering what she could possibly be suggesting. There was nothing wrong with his perfect angel of a son and to have her even suggesting it… well, he was seriously wondering if he'd misjudged her.
"Mr. Hotchner—" she started.
"Aaron," he automatically corrected.
"Aaron," she revised. "I am only qualified to teach your son not diagnose him. But, as a teacher I am trained to catch certain warning signs of something going beyond just not getting it," she explained. "Jack is an exceptional student, otherwise. I only want to see him succeed to his fullest potential. If there is a LD in play, knowing will only further help me help Jack."
He frowned, understanding what she was trying to tell him. But understanding and accepting it were two different things.
"Listen, I understand, having a LD feels like you're labeling your son," Miss. Tibbs went on. "I get that, but please know that it's not to hinder or hurt Jack in anyway. It's only to help understand why he's struggling. And if we know why, we can adjust and help Jack in different ways."
Hotch let out a sigh, still not sure. "What would this entail?"
"I'd speak with Mrs. Jones, the school principal; she'll set up a few meetings with our school psychologist—"
"Psychologist?" Hotch interrupted, worried instantly.
"The psychologist will be the person qualified to assess whether or not Jack has a LD. The standard procedure is to administer a few tests. Then the results are discussed with you and, of course, I'll be there too."
"I see," Hotch replied slowly.
"Again, Mr—Aaron," she started. "This isn't something that will reflect negatively on Jack. He's a great student. With my help he's been able to keep up, but I think knowing if there are extenuating circumstances will benefit your son."
He nodded in understanding; he could clearly see that Miss. Tibbs cared about the wellbeing of his son. They really lucked out in the teacher department this year.
"Is there anything I can do in the meantime?" Hotch asked eagerly.
She nodded. "A tutor who can work with Jack once or twice a week would help. I, of course, will continue to help Jack in the classroom," she offered.
"Can't you just help Jack outside of school," Hotch wondered out loud. "It's obvious you care about him… and I'd pay you."
She gave him a gentle smile, shaking her head. "It's against board policy for a teacher to tutor their own student and accept payment for it. As a rule teachers are allowed to tutor but only students at a different school," she explained. "Here's our school list of approved tutors."
She handed him a list with at least ten different names on it. He couldn't help the disappointment he felt, but could understand her not wanting to go against the rules.
"Thank you, Miss Tibbs," he said, folding up the paper.
"Maizy," she said quickly.
He smiled. "Maizy," he repeated.
She stood up, declaring the meeting over. "I'll be in touch, Aaron. We'll try to set up a meeting with the psychologist in the next week or so and hopefully we'll see if there's anything to find."
He nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate the time and thought you're putting into Jack's education."
"Jack is a special boy," she complimented. "It's easy to see where he gets his caring and dedication from."
Hotch nodded, smiling. "He's my world."
She stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm, "It was nice meeting you, Aaron."
He stared down at her small hand on his arm and tried to contain the pleasure he felt at the simple touch. "Likewise."
Well that's it for this first chapter. I hope you enjoyed and I would love to hear what you think about it and the original character Maizy Tibbs. Thanks!