(If y'all know me from my old stuff. Welcome Back! I had a dream and it was a piece of this story and I wanted to build in it and make it come to life! I'm gonna say it's probably around season 6/7/8ish. I haven't fully decided. Please feel free to leave a review and do whatever else! Love y'all! Thanks for the read!)

Special Agent Kara DeBruin had been a part of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit for over a year now. Before that she had been a cop over in Dallas for a couple years. But now she couldn't see her life any different. A year ago, she was immediately accepted into the team. Of course there was the familiar teasing to the newbie, but once they were all on the case the switch was flipped and it was all business.

The entire team became her family over that year. They all had each other's back in and out of the field. It was an unspoken trust between all of them.

Just like it was on this last case. They had been chasing an unsub who's main focus was home invasions. He would come in and take on the role of the father, even if there was one already present. He would end up tying him to a chair in another room for the night before ending the lives of everybody in the house, animals included.

It was a brutal case, the bodies mutilated, almost beyond recognition. Sadly, a strong stomach is recommended with this job. The unsub was caught in about two days. It was hard to track him down, but in the end the BAU team was able to put him behind bars.

They were currently on their flight back from Omaha, Nebraska. Morgan and Reid sat across from each other, the brainiac's nose buried deep within a novel written by Freud. Meanwhile Morgan was knocked out, headphones on and loud.

Rossi and Prentiss were sitting and playing poker, trying to pass the time and forget about the images they had seen the days before. JJ was asleep against the window beside Emily.

That left Hotch and DeBruin. Both sat on opposite ends of the plane. Hotch had a file splayed out in front of him on the small table. He was getting a head start on the report so that way he would be able to head home as quickly as possible. After a case like this, he really wanted to see his son.

DeBruin was digging through her bag, looking for her own headphones so she could get a good nap on before heading home. She tucked a strand of her hair, blonde, behind her ear. She grabbed her headphones and put them in. She set her bag back on the table, catching Hotch's eye as she did. She raised her eyebrows, a silent greeting, before she leaned her head back and shut her eyes.

Hotch met DeBruin's eyes. He didn't say anything, only nodded before looking down at his files. He tapped the side of his pen on the table, his mind wandering. DeBruin was a good asset to their team, he was glad they snagged her from Dallas. She was an athlete all through college, while keeping her grades up. Went to Dallas for police work and it finally brought her to the FBI. She was smart and good at tracking unsubs and getting inside their head, but also quick on her feet. She fought with Morgan at the chance to kick down a door.

She melded well with the rest of the team almost immediately. The first couple weeks were rocky, but with her getting used to everyone and the mechanics of it, he wasn't surprised.

He looked up from the file once again, the woman had fallen asleep quickly, but he couldn't blame her with their past case. He was glad she was able to get some sleep before they made it home.

He looked up as Rossi made his way over. The older man sat in front of Hotch. He raised an eyebrow and then looked over his shoulder, following Hotch's eyes. He turned back to the team leader. "Whatcha staring at?" He asked, a hint of a smirk on his face.

Hotch's brow furrowed. Had he been staring? He didn't think so. He frowned and shook his head. "I don't understand..." he mumbled, searching David's eyes for a minute as to what he was getting at.

Rossi tilted his head and shrugged. He knew his friend had a bit of a thing for DeBruin. He had since he saw her. Wether or not Hotch saw it, it was there. Dave didn't think anyone else on the team realized, but it was probably because he knew Hotch the longest.

He shrugged again and glanced over his shoulder. "Go for it. What have you got to lose?"

Hotch's face tightened. "Dave, whatever you're implying, stop." He said sternly, watching as Dave held his hands up in defense.

"Suit yourself, kiddo."

The jet landed an hour later. The time in Quantico was 22:10.

Hotch stood up, looking over his agents as they woke up. Him and Rossi didn't catch much sleep, but it seemed like everybody else had. Rossi continued to send him glances, almost as if trying to get him to confess to something, a tactic they used in the interrogation room several times. Hotch never gave in and instead kept his focus on the report.

"Head on home everybody. Great job tonight. I'll see you at eight tomorrow morning." Hotch stated as he looked around his tired team. They had done a hell of a job back in Nebraska and he wished he could give them a day to rest, but serial killers rarely slept.

Everyone shuffled off, leaving Hotch, Rossi and DeBruin behind, the young blonde taking a second to pack up her bag. She threw it over her shoulder and stepped out in front of Rossi, quietly thanking the older man as she headed off the jet.

Hotch was surprised Rossi didn't speak another word on the topic as they shuffled off the jet. Rossi said a quiet goodbye to the two before heading off in his own direction, adjusting his bag over his shoulder.

The team leader adjusted the grip he had on his briefcase. He looked down at Kara, the woman about a head or so shorter than him.

"You're heading home early." Kara commented, hooking her thumbs under the straps of her backpack. "Jack?" She asked, looking over at him.

Hotch nodded. "I've only been away for two days, but after a case like this, it feels like a lifetime."

She nodded in understanding. Sure she didn't have a kid or a significant other waiting at her apartment for her to come home too, but she understood the idea of it. She had tried a couple relationships here and there, and it didn't work out for many ways. There had been a point where she just decided to focus on work and whatever was meant to happen will happen.

"Good job today DeBruin. I'll see you tomorrow." Hotch said, offering her the best smile he could muster. She returned it and nodded. "Tell Jack I said hi."

"Will do." And with that, Hotch was out the door.

Kara grabbed a couple things from her desk and tossed them into her bag. Her body ached from the past couple days. She rubbed the base of her neck, looking up as she heard the elevator ding.

Hotch stepped back into the bullpen, holding up the report he wrote on the jet. "Forgot to drop it off." He headed up to his office and set the piece of paper on his desk.

Kara met him at the elevator, holding the door for him as he stepped inside. "Thanks." He nodded, clicking the button on the door.

(I know the first chapters short but it's just a bit of an intro, plus I was really excited to get this out. Hope y'all stick around. Thanks!)