(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
Suggested by Pechika. I've been so excited to write this.
Thanks to Pechika, Yeegaber, zelofhedaB, Hippiechic81, hime1437, Jesuslover123, CriminalSecret, and Guest for reviewing.
Please keep reviewing and suggesting. I'm going to start turning the story into its storyline, there are some hints to it, but I'm not diving in just yet.
"That's it. You're staying here."
"What? No, no, I'm fine, just... hold on-"
Aaron stuck his chin against the toilet bowl and wished away the sickness as it rose up his throat.
"I'm calling Strauss," said JJ, pressing her phone to her ear as Aaron groaned.
"No!"
"What else are we going to do?"
"I'm fine." Aaron smiled falsely at JJ who just lifted the phone up to her ear again.
"Hello, ma'am, Agent Jareau here. Yes. No, it's Aaron, I don't think he should be in this morning... or the rest of the day, actually. Food poisoning-"
"Jen-" whined Aaron uncharacteristically. He rolled his eyes as she went on. He was about to moan again when his stomach retaliated and he sat up and heaved. JJ muffled the sounds by talking over it.
"That would be great. Yes, I said the same. Thank you. I'll be in at nine."
JJ slipped the phone onto the bathroom counter beside the kids' toothbrush pot. She grabbed the washcloth from the sink, rinsing it with water before she went to her knees to stroke Aaron's shaking back.
"It'll be good to have some rest," she mumbled, patting Aaron sympathetically as he spat the bad taste into the toilet bowl.
JJ managed to persuade Aaron onto the couch with a blanket and a pillow from their bed.
The boys stomped in and out, getting ready for school while Aaron closed his eyes, only occasionally disturbing him with an unnecessary question. They stopped and he managed to keep his eyes closed long enough that he felt himself drifting off. When he next opened his eyes he saw JJ's legs in front of him. He looked up slowly.
She had her bag on her shoulder and keys in her hand and a glass of water in the other, which she set on the coffee table.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
Aaron shrugged and nestled down into the blanket again, feeling like a sulking child.
"Better if I could work."
"Whatever," JJ scoffed. She cleared her throat and Aaron heard the jingle of keys. "I called Spencer's nursery."
Aaron twisted his head slightly so he could squint at JJ with a frown.
"Why?" he croaked. He released the blanket he'd been clutching but snatched it up again when his arms withdrew and grew goosebumps.
"He can stay with you," JJ said, her voice soft. "Don't worry, I've warned him you're sick, he won't bother you."
Aaron let his head fall against the pillow again and he closed his eyes. "I am NOT watching Star Wars," he grumbled.
Aaron sighed as he tucked a pillow against him while Spencer sat on the edge of the couch, the only portion Aaron wasn't taking up. The toddler was leaning against Aaron's blanketed body, a big, dopey smile on his little face.
"Loot! Lute Stywalter!"
Aaron blinked dumbly at the tv. That had to be the eighth time the kid had made that announcement. Just a bit longer, he thought, the movie's almost done.
It did finally finished, much to Aaron's relief, and Spencer slipped off the couch and grabbed the Star Wars box set. Aaron touched his forehead as his vision spun for a moment, making his stomach twist angrily.
When he got himself together again he turned his throbbing head toward the TV as Spencer slapped his hands around the box set and squinted at the titles.
Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled himself upright with a groan. "Not another one, buddy," he said. Spencer glanced back and saw the grimace on Aaron's face. He dropped the box back on the carpet, the third movie slipping out of the set as Spencer scrambled to his feet.
"Awe you otay?!" he asked, his voice squeaking in concern. He pressed his body into the couch and looked up at Aaron with analysing eyes: ones Aaron knew from hours on cases where there seemed to be no leads.
"I'm fine," Aaron said, chuckling as he ruffled Spencer's hair.
Spencer pinched his lips together in a look that reminded Aaron far too much of JJ.
"Mommy said I had to loot aftew you."
Aaron closed his eyes and reached out blindly for Spencer. He scrunched his fingers in the kid's hair again and smiled weakly.
"Don't worry about me, buddy," he mumbled.
But Spencer did worry. Hotch refused to eat anything, even after Spencer got him a Twinkie. It had meant to be Spencer's snack since the treat cupboard had child locks on, but Spencer saw that Aaron needed a pick me up.
Aaron smiled and refused, insisting Spencer had it. He did but with a frustrated frown on his face.
Aaron fell asleep again after Spencer woke up from his own nap and he decided to make Aaron something he couldn't refuse.
Spencer hurried into the kitchen after being sure Aaron was asleep (a quick cheek-poke did the trick) with Rosie at his heels. He pushed one of the kitchen chairs to the counter with small huffs and puffs. Rosie wagged her tail as she pattered along beside him, watching as he wiped his brow and ascended the dauntingly tall chair. Spencer started to grab things from the fridge first, before hopping down, pushing his chair to the left and climbing back up.
He talked quietly to Rosie as he worked.
"Daddy loves gwilled cheese, Wosie. He lites when all da cheese goes gooey."
He carefully pulled several slices of bread from the packet, leaving it open on the side as he buttered the slices he took, making messy holes in some from forceful spreading. He dropped the slimy knife down and jerked his head around to make sure Aaron hadn't heard. Thankfully he hadn't so Spencer continued his mission.
Rosie stood at the legs of the chair, nibbling any scraps Spencer accidentally dropped her way.
The toddler generously doused the bread with cheese and finished it with thin slices of ham. He sandwiched the other pieces of bread on top, his tongue poking out as he did so until he had four sandwiches piled one on top of the other.
Oblivious to the mess he'd made, Spencer beamed at the sandwiches, putting his hands on his hips and straining on this tiptoes to get a good look.
He looked back down as Rosie and grinned.
"Now to gwill dem!"
Rosie's ears fell back as Spencer hopped off the chair and pulled a frying pan out of the unfortunately not child-locked cabinet. He pulled himself back onto the chair with a good deal of effort, wriggling his butt up eagerly.
Spencer knew how to work an oven, so he knew he could switch on the hobs. He dug his fingers into the butter and dropped a chunk into the pan which he heaved up onto the heat.
Rosie watched doubtfully as Spencer rocked on his tiptoes, dropping a sandwich at a time into the pan and manhandling a spatula to turn it after a few minutes of intense watching.
Surprisingly, Spencer managed to grill most of the sandwiches and he got to his last one and decided to get the plates for him and his dad. He clambered up onto the counter and grabbed two plates from the top cabinets.
He got the plastics ones, one for him with dinosaurs on and the other for Hotch which had an animated character that Henry liked.
Spencer jumped back onto his chair and dropped the plates onto the side. He put the finished ones onto his plate instead of on the counter and grabbed Aaron's plate. He wanted his father's first toasted sandwich to be fresh. He went to turn the saucepan when his fingers caught the white-hot metal instead. Spencer jerked back off the chair, catching himself on his feet, landing on his butt but managing to hold the plate in his uninjured hand.
He felt a throbbing beat in his fingers and his lip stuck out as he looked down at it.
The fingers in question were red, a line of white linking across all three. Spencer sniffled quietly, glancing back at the hallway to make sure Aaron hadn't heard. He pressed a quick kiss to the fingers and rubbed his wet cheeks with his other hand.
He then put the plate on the floor and scrambled up onto the chair. He squinted at the three knobs and turned the one on to off. He smiled through teary eyes at the three other grilled cheeses on the counter and he reached out with his good hand to get them when there was a clatter on the floor.
He looked down from where he was kneeling as Rosie, her tail wagging happily, finished eating the sandwich Spencer had made for Aaron.
"No!" Spencer yelled, nearly falling headfirst off the chair in his desperate scramble. Rosie jumped away when Spencer snatched the empty plate off the floor.
"Wosie! D-dose wewn't fow you!" he said.
Spencer stared down at the empty plate, his eyebrows stitched together sadly. He looked at his fingers which still hurt and then the plate, and he whimpered quietly.
Unfortunately, the noise had woken Aaron up and he hurried to the doorway. Rosie was quick to crowd his legs, her head held low as she cowered. Aaron looked into the room. Spencer looked up and his face fell even further.
"What's going on?"
Spencer looked back down and his lip trembled. He held out the empty plate and sobbed.
"Oh, buddy, what's wrong?" Aaron walked toward Spencer as the boy dropped his head and wailed.
"I-I made you lunch... a-an Wosie ate it."
Aaron looked from the dog to the mess on the counter then to the devastated look on Spencer little face.
He also saw the frying pan and he felt his eyebrows lower.
"Were you using the hobs, Spencer?" he asked seriously. Spencer sniffed, glancing up at the pan and then back at Hotch with the most innocent look on his face.
He nodded slowly, more tears falling from his eyes.
Aaron sighed and walked over to the oven, checking that everything was switched off. Spencer stared at his feet as Aaron put things away.
"What have we said about this? You can't touch the oven: that's the rule."
Spencer coughed and sobbed.
"I know... I-I just wanted to loot aftew you."
Aaron closed his eyes when Spencer looked at him sadly. Why did he feel like an asshole?
"Did you burn yourself?"
Spencer shook his head but Aaron gave him a severe look and his shake turned into a nod.
Aaron sighed loudly and knelt down, taking the hand Spencer was hiding and examining it. There was a white puffy line along the fingers and the skin was an angry red.
"Oh, buddy," Aaron mumbled in a resigned voice as Spencer whimpered. He lifted the boy up and deposited him by the sink.
"Keep your fingers under the water," he ordered, turning the faucet on cold and putting Spencer's fingers under the stream. Spencer yelped a the sudden coolness but his strained expression fell into one of relief.
"I made mowe..." Spencer pointed to the other sandwiches on the counter.
Hotch glanced their way and the smell hit him. He got ready to swallow thickly when the inevitable bile rose but instead his stomach protested in hunger.
"We can eat them, but," Aaron raised an eyebrow at Spencer who had started to kick his legs excitedly, the tears suddenly forgotten. "You are not to use the oven or the hobs again. Do you understand?"
"Yea-"
"No, Spencer, I'm serious. Look at me, do you understand."
Spencer scrunched his face up seriously and nodded again. "Yep."
They ate their toasted sandwiches to a series Aaron had started watching a while ago. Spencer watched with interest, forgetting he was supposed to be eating.
Once Aaron was done he took Rosie out to do her business, and to give himself some fresh air.
Aaron clipped on the dog's leash and pulled the latch off the door. His fingers were slow but he managed to squeeze himself and Rosie out the door. Rosie wandered off the steps and sniffed various patches of ground before deciding on one and doing her business. Aaron turned away and glanced across the street.
Karen, who lived across the road, was stood on her porch talking to another woman. She smiled sympathetically and shook her head, speaking in her fast-paced way until the other woman turned away, stuffing a ratty piece of paper into a bag. Aaron watched her march down the street and stop at a blue car.
"Hello, Aaron?" Aaron turned his eyes back to Karan as the other woman drove past them.
He raised his hand and gave an awkward smile, his hand shaking in a similarly awkward fashion. Karan walked to her bins. She checked inside, slamming them shut and grabbing the handle before opening her mouth. Aaron dropped his hand and sighed, so much for a quick escape.
"How are you?"
Aaron coughed unintentionally. "I got a touch of food poisoning but I'm much better," he said, grimacing at the concerned look on Karan's wrinkled face.
"Oh! You should really get to the doctors. My sister's old boyfriend ate a bad ham and he was in the ICU for a week! That's why I always cook until it's brown, I don't even mind a bit of black to my chicken, at least you know then."
Aaron forced himself to smile. "That's... I'll keep that in mind."
"How are the children? How's the little one?"
Aaron glanced backward. Spencer was still sat on the couch, pressing his fingers to his pouty lips.
He looked back toward Karen who was watching him intently.
"They're all fine. So is JJ."
Karen grinned then. "Oh yes! Your fiancé! Oh, I do love weddings." Karen laughed dreamily, and Hotch chuckled with the uncomfortable knowledge that Karen wasn't on the guest list.
Aaron took that as his cue and he called Rosie over from the spot she was enamoured with. He'd seen a cat poking around the fence early that morning and Rosie was wagging her tail at the intruder's scent.
Karen wasn't done yet. She saw Rosie and said, "has no one come forward for the dog?"
Aaron frowned a little as Rosie plodded to him. Karen must have read their posters... or JJ spoke to her... or the boys, in fact, they were happy to chat with their elderly neighbour when she was around.
"No, not yet."
"You haven't by any chance seen a ginger cat around?"
"No. Have you lost one of yours?"
It was Karan's turn to frown then. "Ernie and Holly aren't ginger."
"Ah... sorry-"
"No, that lady was asking if anyone's seen her cat. She seemed quite upset about it."
Aaron gave Rosie a nudge with his foot and she hopped over the threshold. "I haven't seen a ginger cat lately. But I'll tell you if I do," he called, sliding halfway inside the doorway.
"It's not me you should tell it's-"
"Okay, thanks, we will."
Aaron jumped the rest of the way inside and shut the door behind him.
"Thank god," he muttered, pressing his back to the door. A cold sweat had broken out on his forehead and he was ready to do nothing once more. He unlatched the leach and followed Rosie into the living room, dropping onto one of the couches as he did.
"Daddy?"
Aaron moved his head from where it was smothered by the couch. He looked at Spencer who had the ice pack back against his fingers. His expression was pained but he was smiling all the same.
"T-tan we um... tan you wead to me?"
Aaron watched quietly as Spencer struggled with a book he'd wedged down the side of the couch. A couple of nerf gun bullets and mini-cars came up from the hidden couch depths as Spencer laid the book out on his lap.
Hotch closed his eyes and breathed deeply into the couch.
Despite his clear reluctance, he got up and went to Spencer.
When JJ arrived home later that afternoon it was to Aaron sleeping on the couch with Spencer tucked in his arms, reading a book to him in his lispy voice.
JJ smiled at the sweet sight, barely able to appreciate it before Henry and Jack burst in and disturbed it.
Aaron jerked awake, knocking the book from Spencer's hands.
JJ watched as Spencer whimpered and clutched his left hand to his chest while looking up at Aaron with an affronted glare.
"What time is it?" Aaron said, his voice a little slurred from sleep.
"Relax, it's only four," JJ said as she kicked off her shoes, leaving them with the smaller scattered pairs, and a suspiciously tiny pair of slippers that someone still hadn't taken to their room.
Aaron leaned back into the couch and sighed. He looked up at the ceiling as Spencer shimmied down his leg and collected his book, checking it over for damage.
He nearly jumped when JJ pressed her hand to his forehead. He glanced at her with one eyebrow raised.
"You feel cooler," she said in assessment.
"I feel better."
"Well, I'm not surprised you've had a little doctor taking care of you."
JJ motioned to Spencer who turned with his book crushed against his chest and an embarrassed smile on his face, his cheeks were red too.
Aaron smiled weakly. "He's been very helpful."
"Has he?"
Spencer glanced down sheepishly, the pulse in his burnt fingers back with a vengeance.
"Yea he-"
The buzz of a phone broke the conversation. Aaron's phone twitched on the coffee table and he leaned over to grab it, a grimace gracing his lips as he put pressure on his nervous stomach.
"And it's back to work," JJ said as Aaron answered the call. She held her hand out for Spencer and he took it. "Let's go put that in your room for tonight, and you can take your slippers too, mister."
"Oh... I had socks on instead."
"You still need to put things away."
Aaron watched as the two left and began talking again.
"He's not available. I explained the circumstances."
He sat up on the couch and tilted his head to the side, trying to persuade a joint to pop.
The man on the other end on the phone talked quickly and Aaron felt something akin to dread fill his system.
"What happened?"
He lowered his head into his hand, letting his fingers caress the rough lines in his forehead.
"I can pass it on. Was it... quick? ... no, I understand, thank you for calling. It's best to know these things. Yes..."
Aaron lifted his eyes and found them in the mantle mirror opposite. If he wasn't sick he'd be worried about the sheer whiteness of his skin, but the peachy hues that had been returning had suddenly been absorbed by a dull gray. He half-listened to the voice as he watched himself wither.
Finally, the voice stopped and Aaron felt and saw himself nodding.
"Can I call back for that? I should... think about it." He paused, swallowing down a sick feeling in his throat. "Thank you."
Aaron heard the line drop but he continued to hold the phone to his ear. He looked back at his faint expression, the gaunt look in his eyes.
"Aaron I think Spencer needs a bath to- Aaron?"
Aaron pulled his eyes away from his reflection and he blinked up at JJ. Her face was a picture of concern and she started to wring the bath towel she'd been holding in her hands. Aaron dropped the phone slowly, his hand joining the other in his lap.
"You look awful... I thought you felt better?"
"Jen..."
JJ looked over at the phone, disregarded amongst the couch cushions.
Aaron scrubbed his hands up his face and grumbled softly.
"Something's happened."
JJ dropped the towel on the arm of the couch. She didn't reach out to touch Aaron as he stared ahead of him.
"What?"
Aaron took a slow breath in and then out.
"Diana Reid died last night."
JJ stared at Aaron and he could see her hands start to shake.
He was about to add something when a floorboard creaked behind them. They both glanced back to see Spencer's anxious face watching them. He was half in his pyjamas, the pants pooling around his feet.
He tilted his head up at JJ. "Mommy?" he said. "Who is daddy talking about?"
Thanks for reading. Please review.
Oh... you're probably wondering what I just did... sorry, I had an idea ;)
See ya soon.