Breathing Room
A.N. Thanks for the input, guys! I think I'm going to give this story a go. I love the pairing of Brooke/Reid, so I'm going to explore their relationship a little. Let me know what you guys think as it goes on.
"You think maybe she's being stalked?"
Morgan shrugged, leaning against his desk with Garcia as they watched the two figures through Hotch's partially obscured windows.
"She asked for him specifically," he said, frowning as he watched Brooke smile and say something, causing their superior to laugh.
Garcia glanced at him. "Affair?"
"She's a baby," he defended. "And isn't she your idol?"
"She's almost 24, Sweetcakes, and she can have an affair with an older, authoritive man and still be my idol. It works for a lot of people. Just look at Catherine Zeta-Jones."
Morgan laughed, shaking his head as he scratched his stubbled chin with his thumb. "I still don't buy it. Affairs aren't Hotch's style. Even it if it is a gorgeous brunette with killer legs."
"Good Lord, Morgan, I'm standing right behind you, and I know you attended that sexual harassment seminar."
The laughing voice behind them made them turn, and Morgan rolled his eyes as Emily Prentiss made her way to her desk, her face alight with a teasing smile. Her black hair hung around her face gently, coming to rest just below her shoulder blades.
"As great as your legs may be, Prentiss, they are not the subject of discussion today," he remarked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Prentiss arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh? Then whose are?"
"Whose what?"
All three of them looked over as two of their coworkers arrived, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau and Dr. Spencer Reid.
JJ--the blonde agent that worked as liaison between the team and the media--was shuffling the folders she carried in her arms as she spoke, stopping to lean against the desk next to Garcia as she peered at them from beneath her bangs.
Prentiss rolled her eyes. "Morgan's obsessing over some brunette's legs," she said, smiling when JJ cracked a smirk and laughed.
"Okay, so whose legs are in question here?" she asked.
"Brooke Davis," Garcia replied, biting the bright pink head of her pen.
Reid raised both eyebrows as he crossed to his desk, sliding the messenger bag off of his shoulder as he sat down, running a hand through his shoulder length brown hair. "Who?"
He couldn't help but flinch at the glare that Garcia sent over her shoulder, and he held up his hands in surrender.
Prentiss frowned as she sat down in her chair, tugging at the bottom of her button-up shirt. "Isn't she that fashion designer who started her company when she was, like, ten?"
Garcia made an disappointed noise in the back of her throat. "Sweet nectar, does no one know a thing about Brooke Davis?" she asked, shaking in her head is disapproval. "She was 17, mind you, and just kept getting more and more successful as time went on." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "God, help me with this feeble folk."
JJ laughed, pushing her hair behind her ear as she hugged the files to her chest. "I like her stuff," she said, nodding to the eclectic tech analyst. "I bought a dress of hers for a fundraiser last year."
"And did you not look smashing in it?" Garcia asked, her eyes traveling back to Hotch's window.
The blonde pursed her lips, nodding. "I pulled it off," she joked.
Reid shrugged from his seat. "Never heard of her."
Morgan chuckled, glancing at him from over his shoulder. "Why doesn't that surprise me, Pretty Boy?"
The younger man simply shook his head, sighing. "So why is this girl's legs being discussed?"
Garcia turned to them, excitement lighting up her blue eyes and making them seem twice their actual size. "Because she's in Hotch's office," she whispered conspirator-like.
The new arrivals whipped their head towards their superior's office, Prentiss nearly leaning over her desk as she squinted towards the blinds, each of them trying to get a glimpse of the brunette that was silhouetted in front of Hotch's desk.
"What's she doing here?" the brunette asked, finally settling back in her chair. "Is she involved in a case?"
JJ shook her head, frowning. "Nothing's come across my desk."
Morgan shrugged, standing and striding over to his own desk slowly. "Well, whatever the reason, she asked for Hotch by name."
"And she HUGGED him," Garcia chimed in, her eyes wide as if it were shameful to even mention.
"She hugged him?" JJ asked, her curiosity peaked. "Seriously?"
Garcia nodded, tapping her nails against the rainbow colored binder on her lap. "We're thinking affair or odd acquaintance."
Reid shook his head, scoffing. "It wouldn't be an affair," he said, his no-nonsense voice taking of the tone of a lecturer, something all of his coworkers were very used to by now. "Hotch is far too intelligent to parade a mistress around the BAU, no matter how pretty people may claim her to be."
"Reid," Morgan smirked, leaning towards him and pointing towards the office. "You look up there and tell me that Brooke Davis is not one of the finest women you've ever seen in your short, uneventful life."
"Considering that Hotch's windows are obscured by the office regulation blinds, therefore making my eyesight compromised, I couldn't tell you. And besides, I don't base the attractiveness of someone based solely on looks alone. There are other factors to consider and most of the time, looks are deceiving."
The three women could only manage to roll their eyes as their young friend continued on his rant, while Morgan scoffed once more, folding his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, turning it from side to side. "Trust me, Pretty Boy, Miss Davis has it all." He looked over his shoulder to Hotch's office, frowning. "But what the hell is she doing here?"
"I signed over the company."
Hotch frowned at his niece's words, folding his hands on top of his desk. He took a second to really look her over since she'd walked in the door, and he couldn't help the slight surprise he saw when he took in her pale face and thin frame. Brooke had always been a slight girl, but she had to have lost at least ten pounds since he'd seen her at Thanksgiving. Her hazel eyes didn't hold their usual shine that he'd always found so comforting in the young girl, and the bags under her eyes stood out against her pale skin.
She looked weak and vulnerable, two attributes she never revealed.
"Excuse me?"
"I signed the company over to Victoria." Brooke lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug as she bit her bottom lip. "It just wasn't worth it anymore, Uncle Aaron. All the negotiations and the lawyers and the stress, it just…" She shook her head. "Anyway, it's all her now. She wants it that bad, she can have it."
Hotch leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk as he looked at her. "Brooke, this company is all you've dreamt about since you were 17. It's all you've talked about. Just because Victoria's being a bully--"
"But she's right," she interrupted. "You have to admit that. She's always had the brains for the business side of things. She's the one who came up with the magazine and the make-up line, and the couture items…She's the real business mastermind and I'm….just the pretty face on the cover."
"And the designer," he pointed out.
Brooke laughed. "Like that matters. Anyone can design clothes nowadays. Even Miley Cyrus has a line now."
Hotch frowned. "Who's Miley Cyrus?"
Brooke arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "She's a…never mind," she said, waving her hand in dismissal as she sighed. "Look, I love my company. But I love my life more. And when I'm running Clothes Over Bros. and fighting with Victoria, I don't get to live it. I don't smile and I don't laugh unless I'm told to. I just…exist."
Hotch nodded, staring into her eyes and cursing his sister for the shadows he saw there. His niece was at the end of her rope, and he couldn't say that he hadn't seen it coming the minute she'd told him all those years ago that she had signed to contracts granting partnership to his younger sister.
Victoria had always been a selfish person, since they were young. And over the years, selfishness had turned to bitterness and greed, resentful of the life she'd fallen into her. All of her "failed dreams," as she'd called them. Owning a business, going to college, being successful.
Not once had one of her dreams ever included the daughter she had pushed to the backburner.
He sighed. "So what's your plan now?"
She shrugged, twisting the ring on her index finger. "I don't know," she said self-consciously. "Play it by ear, I guess. Just relax. I'm hoping the time away from Tree Hill will maybe help put things into perspective. You know, get away from the place that started it all, and maybe just…start over again with something new."
Hotch nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. Haylee offered up the guest room, if you'd be more comfortable there," he added, his voice low and strained at the mention of his now ex-wife.
Brooke shrugged, smiling the smile that could always bend him to her will since she was five years old. "I'm fine with staying with my cantankerous uncle," she quipped, watching as he rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'll stop in and see her and Jack, though." She paused, frowning as she looked at him sympathetically. "I am really sorry about you and Aunt Haylee. I was rooting for you guys."
Hotch nodded, smiling softly. "Me, too," he said quietly, his eyes falling to the picture of his son on his desk, and he cleared his throat at the emotion he felt climbing upwards. "Anyway, I'll give you the spare key to the apartment so you can get yourself settled in. And, unless a case comes up before the end of the day, why don't we plan on a takeout dinner? Chinese, right? That's the tradition?"
Brooke smiled, unable to help the feeling of comfort and relief she felt in her uncle's presence. He'd always been more of a parent to her than either of her own…and it broke her heart to see the toll losing Jack was taking on him. "That's the tradition," she echoed back, nodding. "Greasy, artery clogging goodness."
He cringed at her description, watching as she laughed, and rose out of his chair. He pulled open his desk drawer and handed her the keychain that was inside, the lone silver key shining against the fluorescent lights. She took it with a smile, rising to her feet and smoothing down her dress as she followed him to the door. She stopped him when his hand reached for the handle, gently placing her hand on his arm.
"Thanks for all of this, Uncle Aaron," she said, smiling up at him. "Letting me come and just…everything." She shrugged. "It means a lot more than I can say."
Hotch smiled down at her, nodding, and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Anytime, kiddo," he said softly, pulling open the door and motioning for her to go first. He glanced back into his office before he turned to follow her, stopping just in time before he plowed right into her. Frowning, he glanced over her shoulder from where she had frozen, his gaze falling on his team as they gazed up in curiosity at them.
Catching his gaze, the BAU task force quickly averted their ogling, seeming to suddenly find great interest in files or computers or nonexistent lint.
Hotch shook his head as he fought a smile, and he glanced over at Brooke when she looked up at him.
"Why were they all staring at me?" she whispered.
He chuckled, placing a hand on the small of her back as he lead her down the ramp into the bullpen. "Attention deficit," he said, hearing her snort softly. "They see something pretty, they can't help but stare." He felt her hand weakly smack his chest as they walked, and he couldn't help the small smile that crept across his face. He looked up as they reached the cluster of desks, and he couldn't help but notice to curiosity that was etched in each of their faces. He cleared his throat, letting the smile slip from his face as he stopped. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my niece."
"Niece?!?" Garcia exclaimed, her eyes wide and her high-pitched tone making Brooke jump slightly at his side.
"Yes, niece," he said, giving the tech analyst a look that told her to calm down. "She's in town for awhile and since she's staying in my spare bedroom, she stopped by to get the spare key. And since the second we stepped out of my office you've done nothing but stare, I thought it polite to introduce you."
The team had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed, and Brooke couldn't help but grin. She looked at her uncle, motioning to the two team members she's already met. "I met Morgan and Garcia earlier," she said, smiling at them. "They showed me the way up here."
Hotch nodded, rolling his eyes at the sheer joy on Garcia's face when she realized Brooke had remembered her name. "Well, this is Jennifer Jareau, Emily Prentiss, and Dr. Spencer Reid," he said, pointing to each of them in turn. They each smiled at her and she waved, her eyebrow raised when she came to Reid.
"Doctor?" she asked, looking up at her uncle when the young man only gave her an odd look.
"He's a genius," the four seated agents said in unison before Hotch could even open his mouth to reply, and she nodded, shrugging, before smiling at them.
"Well, it's nice to meet you guys," she said, playing with the key ring on her finger as she spoke.
Hotch nodded, placing his hand on her back once more. "Alright, given that everything goes smoothly, I should be home around 7 or 8. I'll grab the food on my way and we can catch up some more, alright?"
Brooke nodded, smiling at him, and looked over at the team once more, her hand raised in a wave. "It was nice meeting you guys," she said, turning on her heel with a last quiet goodbye to her uncle.
Hotch watched her until she'd exited the room and disappeared down the hallway before he heard an impatient throat clearing behind him. Turning, he raised an eyebrow at the disgruntled expression of his tech analyst's face, and he frowned. "Garcia?"
Clutching her binder to her chest, the short blonde rose to her feet and met his gaze defiantly. "While I still highly respect you, sir, and am overjoyed to be under your supervision, this horrible black mark of keeping the fact that Brooke Davis is your niece-- and therefore I could have met her LONG before now-- a secret, I fear that it may take some time before I am able to look at you without this glare that will now be permanently etched onto my face." With a curt nod, her pink highlighted bangs bobbing into her eyes, she turned on her heel and strode towards her office, leaving her boss stupefied in her wake.
Shaking her blonde head, JJ laughed, raising to her full height as she crossed the short distance to his side. "Brooke Davis, huh?" she asked, smiling when he glanced down at her. "It's just a surprise, that's all. I think the fact that you kept your bombshell fashion designing niece a secret is just a little shocking."
Hotch crossed his arms over his chest. "She hasn't always been a 'bombshell fashion designer,'" he said, nodding towards the way the girl in question had just exited. "I guess I just still think of her as Brooke, the sometimes overly perky cheerleading niece that can somehow always finagle some kind of shopping spree out of every visit." He smiled slightly when she laughed before his gaze fell on the files in her arms. "Do we have something?"
She nodded, sighing.
"Okay. Conference room in ten."
Morgan made his way slowly over to Reid's desk, a knowing smile creeping across his handsome face with each step. Since Brooke Davis had appeared in the hall above them, the young genius had been sitting in the same position, the same shocked expression on his face. Morgan knew that expression well, and he leaned a hip against the desk as he crossed his arms over his muscled chest, chuckling. "What do you think, Reid?" he asked, grinning when his young friend jumped slightly in his seat, his hands quickly moving to the messenger bag at his feet. "Did I not tell you she was a knock-out?"
Reid cleared his throat, embarrassed at having been caught staring at the brunette beauty that had been in front of them moments ago, and he furrowed his brow as he dug through his bag, avoiding the other agent's gaze. "She is pretty," he said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But, as I mentioned, looks can be deceiving."
Morgan scoffed and laughed as he shook his head, patting the man on the shoulder as he pushed away, heading to his own desk.
Reid licked his lips in thought as he raised his gaze to the front door, baffled at how two short minutes in the same room with a young fashion designer could so boggle his head in ways he didn't think possible.
Whew…I really didn't expect the "introducing the team" chapter would be hard to write, but it was a tad difficult. Hopefully I kept everybody in character. J
And, you know, it might be me, but I love when Hotch gets all…laid back around his family. It's a side of him I think we should see more often. And, honestly, who DOESN'T relax around Brooke Davis, right?
Let me know what you all are feeling!
Until next time!