Prompt: Song
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x OFC
It was the end of the night at Derek's new home. Everyone had been laughing, talking and singing, with the help of Garcia's new karaoke machine, all through the night. Now, they were just relaxing, some on the couches, others on the floor. They were still talking, but it wasn't like just a few hours before, where they had been a lot louder than they were in that moment.
Aaron was talking to Rossi about his plans for Christmas and what he had gotten for his son, when he saw Parker make her way towards one of the large windows that led to the backyard, the fairy lights that decorated it before her. He knew that she loved that view.
The mood all around was calm, you could tell everyone was tired and content. That's when they heard Parker. She was so taken with the view in front of her and so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize she was starting to sing out loud. They could hear her starting to sing "Silent Night" and the sound of her voice was as smooth as velvet, lullabying them.
At first, they just let her sing, smiling at memories that that song brought back to a lot of them. Parker was almost done with the song when his friends decided that it shouldn't end like that, so what they did next surprised him. He heard JJ ask her to sing it again, since it was one of her favorite Christmas songs. Parker smiled and nodded, starting the song from the beginning, before turning back towards the window.
That's when JJ, Prentiss and Garcia joined her, much to Aaron's surprise. What happened next took Parker by surprise as well, he could clearly tell. Everyone decided to join in on the song and soon they were all singing in choir. She continued singing, now with the help of everyone in the room. Some better than others, but it was still a sight to be seen. His entire team, sitting around in the living room of Derek's living room, singing a Christmas song.
Aaron looked around the room, seeing his friends scattered around. Will had JJ in his arms, in one of the couches, singing into each other. Next to him was Prentiss and Garcia, both women looking pensive as they sang, but with smiles on their faces. On the floor was Reid, and on the couch behind him was Rossi, Derek and Savannah, most of them lost in their own thoughts, while singing.
He couldn't help but think that, despite everything they had been through together, this group of profilers could still find a bit of serenity in a simple song. Never would he have thought that he would hear all of them singing a Christmas song as a choir.
Aaron took one last look around the room before getting up and walking over to where Parker was, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, singing along with her and their friends. He felt her resting her arms on his and leaning her head back into his chest while singing the last few notes of the song.
When the song was over, they looked back and everyone was smiling at them. In Aaron's mind, this had been the perfect way to end the night.