Annabel Bradey defined home as somewhere that love was in abundance and there was never a discomfort or burden to be felt; she hadn't felt like that about anywhere since she was 15. When Liam become her guardian, she had felt as though she had been pulling him away from his potential and her childhood home became four walls that she just so happened to live. The home she had once had no longer existed. The closest she had come to the feeling was the first few years with Gabriel, where he had convinced her that what he felt towards her was more than an ill guided obsession.
It had been those few years that she had learnt to see herself as a person, not as a mistake and inconvenience to everyone around her. That was why, no matter what he had put her through, the earlier version of Gabriel would always have a place in her heart. It was once he had become controlling that the compound had lost the relative feeling of home. It was then that Annie had begun to wonder if she would ever find the same feeling she had when she was living with her mother, father and little sister.
Yet, as Annie walked through the door of Aaron's apartment, being tackled by the youngest Hotchner as he called her name, she realised that, maybe, she had found an alternative definition for home. Dropping her go back to floor, she lifted the boy in a playful way that left him laughing as she twisted him onto her back, and he hugged her tightly. His father shook his head, sharing a look of surprise with Jessica as she bid them all a good rest of their day and giving her nephew a kiss goodbye.
Watching as Jessica pulled door closed behind her, Annie readjusted Jack on her back before telling Aaron, "If you want to go and do some of your paperwork, I can spend some time with this one while you do it."
"You sure?" Aaron asked, looking at the woman - who had appeared exhausted since their conversation on the jet earlier that day. "I can just go in earlier tomorrow to do it."
There was a slight audible sigh from Jack following Aaron's comment, the boy always finding that he missed his father in the morning. When he was at school, the other kids would talk about Sunday mornings with their parents where they would cook pancakes together and then spend the morning lazing around together. Jack couldn't tell any stories like that, instead he told them about how his daddy was a real-life superhero - who saved people for real. Sometimes, the other kids were amazed and asked him more questions that he could answer, other times they just laughed and said he was making up stories. But that didn't matter to Jack, he knew that his dad was a superhero and, now, so was his Annie.
Annie had heard the sigh from Jack, telling Aaron, "I've got this. What do you say we make some cookies, Jack?"
The boy nodded his head quickly causing Aaron to laugh, "Do I get some when they're done?"
"I don't know, let me consult with my boss." Annie mused, turning her back to the father as she whispered with the boy who was still on her back. The boy giggled just moments before they turned to face him again, Annie sucking air through her teeth as she added, "My boss says no, not unless you finish your homework."
"I guess I'd better go start it then." Aaron declared, picking up his briefcase as moving across the room to his office.
The man had left the door open, the sounds of Annie and Jack conversing, the boy laughing almost continuously, kept him motivated to finish the reports he had pending. It had shocked Aaron how quickly Jack had become comfortable with Annie, especially considering he had always been incredibly shy when he had been introduced to any of his other colleagues. However, given the amount that the boy had enjoyed Annie's company, Aaron wasn't about to complain.
It had been quiet for a while, Aaron become shocked by the disappearance of the normal buzz that surrounded the two. He knew that Annie didn't have the quantities of energy she always displayed as she played with his son, though she had never once allowed her facade fall in front of the boy. That was what worried him as the duo fell quiet for almost half an hour. He could hear the slight sound of the television, but that normally just meant to the conversation between them turned to whatever Jack had chosen to watch. That was why Aaron stopped his work prematurely, locking the files in his desk draw to keep them from being seen by his son.
Aaron walked into the living room to see Jack curled into Annie's side and the woman sleeping soundly for the first that he knew of in weeks. After the case had ended undesirably, he had expected her to be restless until her body became too exhausted to cope, as had happened many times when she had been interning with the Bureau. However, she was asleep against the arm of the couch while the tv buzzed with Jack's latest cartoon obsession. He was sure the young boy hadn't realised that Annie had fallen asleep, particularly as he was still babbling to her about the countless characters and all together narrating what they had both been watching.
Carefully, Aaron crossed the room, readying himself to take a snapshot of the moment before Jack saw him and posed for the camera or he woke the sleeping woman. However, with the rate that his son was talking at her, he was sure that she would remain asleep no matter how many creaking floorboards he stood on. After having taken the photo, he held his hand out for Jack to take, wanting to do everything he could to preserve Annie's rest. The young boy complied after being made aware of the sleeping woman, even going as far as to press his fingers to his lips as if to tell Aaron to quieten himself. This action caused Aaron to smile, overwhelmed by the caring nature of him son.
The two Hotchners moved themselves to the youngest's room, the boy pulling out his cars from under his bed. He passed his favourite fire truck to his father, muttering something about being careful with it. It was safe to say that Jack wasn't oblivious to the fact that his father was often away from the home, so he made the most of the time he had with the man. And, at five and a half, the best use of the time was playing cars.
Aaron watched as the boy pushed the small toys around on the floor, his policeman figurine stopping one as it went too quickly. There was a chuckle across Aaron's lips as he heard Jack mutter, "You're going too fast, if you keep doing that, I'll have to arrest you."
He continued to watch as his son played, soon becoming disinterested in the cars. Jack then looked up to his father and asked, "Is Annie coming back to live with us?"
"No buddy," Aaron answered, watching the boy's face fall slightly at the answer. "You know that she didn't leave because of you right?"
He nodded, "Annie told me that when she moved in with Emily."
"She did," Aaron nodded, recalling the woman's extended conversation with his son. "And you know that if you ever wanted to see her all you have to do is ask?"
The boy nodded again, his face becoming wrought with confusion as he asked, "Do you love Annie?"
Aaron went silent for a second, not knowing how to answer the boy's question. Children were the most innocent of interrogators, never knowing the land mines their questions had uncovered and never have intended to cause the panic. However, that didn't stop Aaron from being caught off guard by the boy's query.
Taking in a break, Aaron began to pack up the cars as he answered, "Yes, buddy, I do."
"That's good because she loves you too." Jack explained, without having looked up from the box of toys that he was no packing up.
"How do you know that Jack?" Aaron questioned, having stopped the cleaning up process. What Jack had said had been spoken in a tone that told Aaron the boy thought it was fact.
Jack stopped what he was doing as he looked at his dad, smiling as he stated, "She told me, when I asked her earlier." The boy paused. "She was sad, and I asked her what was wrong, but she said that she was okay. I asked if you had made her sad, she said no. Then I asked her if she loved you, and she said yes." The boy's eyes widened for a moment, "She said that was our secret."
Reassuring his son that everything was okay, that Annie wouldn't be upset that he had told him about their conversation, Aaron continued to pack up and place the box back under the bed. He guided Jack back out to the dining room where Annie was sat with a mug of coffee, smiling sweetly at the duo. Jack opened his arms for the woman and she happily swept him into a hug, confused by the continual apologies that were leaving his mouth. She turned to Aaron who shook his head, indicating that she didn't have to worry about it.
They shared a look for a moment, both smiling contently at the current moment they were experiencing. However, Annie wasn't aware that, by proxy, she had Aaron had shared how they felt. If she had known, there would have been a red glow to her cheeks that came from the knowledge that he had heard the truth from someone other than her. However, in that moment, the trio were a family bonded by nothing more than pure and bountiful love.