Breathing Room

A.N. I love you guys! I get so overwhelmed every time I get reviews for these chapters. I'm so glad you guys love the idea of Brooke and Reid as much as I do.

000000000

Hotch could do nothing but stare down at the cellphone in his hand, his brow furrowed as he recounted the conversation he'd just finished. Once upon a time, Peyton Sawyer had been Brooke's best friend. They hadn't gone anywhere or done anything without each other. Sometimes it had almost appeared as if they were two halves of the same coin.

But, clearly, things had changed.

"Hey, Mr. Hotchner! It's Peyton Sawyer."

Hotch closed the door to his office as he made his way towards his desk. "Peyton, thank you for returning my call." He left off the part that it was four days ago that he'd left the message for his niece's blonde haired friend.

"Yeah, I'm sorry it's taken so long. Things have been crazy around here. It's good to hear from you, though. I don't think I've seen you since graduation."

Tree Hill High graduation was the last time he'd been in Tree Hill. And he had to admit, the perky, happy voice on the other end of the phone line was a complete contradiction to the broody, sullen one he'd heard for over a decade.

"It's been awhile," he replied, settling down into his chair.

"Yeah. How's Brooke? We keep missing each other every time I call."

She'd been avoiding Peyton, it would seem.

"Actually, she's the reason I'm calling," he broached, his eyes traveling to the small picture of Brooke and Jack that was taped to the back of his file folder. "Can I ask you why she decided to visit D.C.?"

He heard murmuring in the background, and the deep voice of Lucas Scott could be heard. Peyton broke away for one moment, laughing and bidding the man goodbye. She was back a moment later, barely murmuring an apology. "Uh, you know, I'm not sure. She just said she hadn't seen you in awhile and that she kind of needed a break. Her mom's been a real bitch lately. No offence," she added quickly, seeming to remember that he and Victoria shared a blood relation.

"No, I'm familiar with the situation. She's been a bit…withdrawn lately. I was just wondering if anything else has happened recently?"

"Um…no…I mean, one of Lucas' ball players got killed in a robbery, but Brooke didn't know Quentin. I mean, this thing with her mom has been weighing on her. And then there's the fall down the stairs."

Hotch frowned. "What fall down the stairs?"

Peyton laughed. "Geez, Brooke was doing laundry and got tangled up in a sheet and fell down the stairs. She can be a real klutz sometimes, you know? Anyway, she was a little down for awhile after that, but she perked up a bit. Then she said she was going to go visit you for awhile, and I told her I thought it was a great idea. Kind of get away, maybe not be so reminded of Victoria and all that. She sounded awesome on the phone message I got yesterday. She called to say she was emailing a couple sketches she did for my wedding dress. I mean, she sounded fine. Said she was having a good time."

"She mentioned that," Hotch replied absently. "Congratulations, Peyton."

"Thanks. It all happened pretty fast, you know? But Brooke's been great about the whole wedding planning thing and all that. I mean, I don't know, Mr. Hotchner. She's been doing pretty great the last few months. I really don't know why she'd be depressed. She could be homesick, I guess, but I don't really know. But listen, I've got to get off here. I've got a meeting at my label I've got to get to."

He nodded. "Of course," he said. "Well, thank you for the input, Peyton. Maybe I'm just reading a bit too into it."

"Yeah, maybe. I mean, it's Brooke, right? She's pretty resilient."

"She is. Well, congratulations again. I won't keep you any longer."

"Thanks! Hey, maybe we'll see you at the wedding? I know Brooke would love it if you were there."

000000000

And that was it.

He found it hard to believe that after over a decade of friendship between the two girls, Peyton could be so nonchalant about whatever trials Brooke was going through. Despite Peyton's misgivings—the Lucas-Brooke-Peyton love triangle was enough to give him a migraine for a week—Brooke had been adamant that she and Peyton would be best friends forever.

So why did it seem like she was being left behind in the dust while her so-called best friend got her happy ending?

Hotch sighed, leaning back in his chair and raising his eyes to the ceiling as he crossed his hands over his abdomen. Peyton's comment about the fall down the stairs baffled him. It was true, Brooke wasn't the most graceful of people. He had lost count the number of scraped knees and bruises he'd bandaged over the years. It certainly hadn't dwindled with age, either, when he recalled her trip and slide down the hill of the park with Jack a year ago. Of course, Brooke being Brooke had brushed it off and turned it into a bit of a game for his son, one that Jack had constantly tried to replicate with him and his mother, much to their despair. After all, they weren't as young as Cousin B.B.

But a fall down the stairs, followed by a period of depression? It rang oddly similar to cases of domestic violence he'd come across over the years. A fall down the stairs. Ran into a door. Slipped in the shower.

The fact that she'd left this little tidbit unmentioned just added to his suspicion.

He closed his eyes, his face tightening with final resignation.

He had to find out what happened to her.

00000000

"What. Happened?"

Brooke couldn't help but smile as she walked along the sidewalk at the side of Penelope Garcia, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, no, no," Garcia interjected, shaking her head adamantly, her multicolored hair bobbing around her face. "You do not get to blurt out 'I've got a date with Reid,' and then just jump into 'how about pasta for lunch?' No can do, fashionista. Garcia does not roll that way."

"What do you want me to say?" Brooke asked, laughing even as she felt a little flutter in her chest at the thought of the geekish, handsome genius she'd propositioned just yesterday. "It just kind of came out of nowhere…I really can't even tell you exactly how it came about, it just did and we just…did."

Garcia stared at her as they kept their slow pace, her bespectacled eyes wide behind their thin frames, her ruby red lips upturned in an astonished smirk. "Oh, Sweet Pea…if you knew just how juicy this all is."

Brooke laughed again, rolling her eyes as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

She was coming to realize just how much she enjoyed spending time with Garcia. She was so different from any other friend she'd had. She didn't care about how different she may look to other people. She wore bright colors, changed her hair on a weekly basis…she was confident in who she was, no matter how other people perceived her.

Brooke was envious of her.

But Garcia was also kind, with a bigger heart than anyone she'd ever known. She'd suffered a horrible loss when she was younger, losing both of her parents in a split second, and yet she walked with a bounce in her step and smile on her face. It made her start to realize that everyone survived, and they didn't have to be so sad about it.

"Why is it juicy, exactly?"

"Because, the last girl that Reid dated—IF you can even call it 'dating,' considering it was a girl involved with a case that just happened to fancy our young genius doctor—was quite a while ago. Like…A WHILE ago. Lyla something or other from Los Angeles. An actress, if I recall correctly. Anyway, minor details. The point is, is that Reid doesn't do the whole girl thing. As much as I love Boy Wonder, when it comes to women and flirting and all that jazz, he is very much an emotional retard. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you. I honestly find it rather…"

Brooke smiled softly as Garcia searched for the proper word. "Endearing," she filled in softly.

Garcia grinned. "Endearing," she echoed. "My God, Brooke Davis…you are blushing."

"Ugh," Brooke groaned, raising her eyes to the sky as Garcia linked her arm with hers. "Okay, let's just…skip the whole embarrassing conversation for a few minutes. Let's talk about something else."

Garcia laughed even as she nodded, before she launched into a conversation about Kevin Lynch, her not-so-secret boyfriend at Quantico.

Brooke was ashamed to admit that she was only half-listening as they walked on down the road, her mind drifting back to that night she and her uncle had been driving home from the sports bar. He'd looked over at her with such concern that night. His voice had been soft, betraying just how much he truly cared for his only niece. He'd told her he was there for anything she needed—that if there were anything she needed to tell him, he would listen.

She was starting to think she hadn't fooled him at all.

In that moment, she'd wanted nothing more than to confess, right then and there, just what had driven her to flee Tree Hill. She'd wanted to scream and cry and ask her uncle how she was ever supposed to feel safe again when nightmares plagued her every night.

"Garcia," she asked softly during a lull in conversation, watching from the corner of her eye as the blonde woman turned her head to look at her. "You've been working with Uncle Aaron for a long time, right?"

"Yep," Garcia answered happily. "I've been apart of the BAU since Hotch took it over years ago."

"And he seems pretty fair, right? I mean, when it comes to the things you see, and the people you come into contact with. The victims. He keeps a pretty level head, right?"

The tech analyst frowned slightly. "No…not always. The thing about this job, Brooke…if you can look at the things we do everyday, listen to the stories, talk to the people…if you can do all that and not be affected by it…it's time to find a new profession. Hotch feels our cases more than J.J. does, I think sometimes. So…no…I don't think he's always level headed and fair when it comes to the cases we work."

Brooke nodded, letting her eyes travel across the street in front of them as she walked.

If he couldn't be level headed with strangers, how would he be handle the truth about what had happened to one of his own?

"Why do you ask?" Garcia inquired, brows furrowed as she studied the lovely girl next to her. She'd be a fool to say that she didn't recognize those shadows in her eyes. Something was plaguing Brooke Davis, and it was so big that it had sent her running to her uncle for help, whether she realized it herself or not.

Brooke took a deep breath. "Garcia, have you ever had a secret?"

"Are we talking dirty movies hidden in the underwear drawer or dead body hidden in the basement?"

Brooke laughed and shook her head at her companion. "God, what kind of secrets are you hiding, Penelope Garcia?"

Garcia shrugged. "I'd tell you, dear, but then I would have to kill you." She smiled. "See? A pretty smile like yours should never be absent from your face. Now…secret? Have I ever had one? Yes. Everyone has. Some more severe than others. And I'm assuming you have one?" The young girl pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping her gaze focused on the street ahead of them. "Is that why you're in D.C.? Because of your secret?"

Brooke sighed, shrugging. "It's eating away at me, Penelope," she said, her voice cracking as she spoke softly. "The last few months have been so hard, and I just thought…'If I can just see Uncle Aaron and just talk to him about it all…'" She shook her head. "But I can't. It's like there's this constant fear is gagging me every time I decide to talk to him about it."

"Brooke, are you in trouble?"

"No," Brooke laughed, swiping at her damp eyes. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just that…something happened to me. And I think it's changed everything. And I'm starting to worry that I'll never get back to who I was before it all happened."

Garcia stopped them in the middle of the street, grasping the younger girl's shoulders and turning her so they were face to face. "Okay…despite the fact that all this skirting around your secret is killing me—and it truly is, mind you—I'm not going to push. But I am telling you, Brooke, that this fear you're talking about? It only gets worse if you don't talk to someone. Take it from someone who's been there, okay? You have no idea the relief it is to pour your out to someone. You came here for a reason. Deep down, you know that Hotch is the one person you can do that to. It is clear to anyone that has a pair of eyes in their noggin that you mean everything to him. However bad you think your secret is, it's not going to change the way he feels about you. You're still going to be the same amazing, beautiful, kind hearted niece of his that you've always been. No doubt in my mind. But you have to take that first step. Because I'm telling you, as someone who has worked for profilers for a long time, he already knows something is up. So…make the first move. Free yourself from that fear."

Brooke nodded, her eyes fixed on Garcia's. She knew the perky tech analyst was right. In over 22 years, the only place she'd ever felt safe—the only person who'd ever been able to make her feel safe—was Uncle Aaron. Uncle Aaron, with his kind smile and his hugs that could make it seem like no monster under the bed could ever come near her. This was the first place she'd thought of to run to. And she knew it was because if anyone could help her—if anyone could make her feel safe again—it was him.

She smiled, nodding her head. "You sure Reid's the genius around here, Penelope?"

Garcia scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Why take that away from him? It's the only thing apart from his cutie-patootie looks that he's got going for him." She smiled when she heard Brooke laugh, and she took the girl's hand as they headed on their way. "So…what exactly do you wear on a date with a boy genius?"

0000000

"What do you wear on a date with a fashion designer?"

Reid sighed as he looked over at Morgan, seeing his friend staring intently at the blank projector screen in front of them.

"I mean, she could judge every article of clothing you have and you'd never know it."

"Could we change the subject please?" Reid asked, throwing up his hands in agitation. His dinner with Brooke was all Morgan had been able to talk about for days.

Morgan grinned, his white teeth cutting a smile across his dark face. "What? Am I messing with your nerves there, Reid? Getting a little nervous? Hey, I don't blame ya. I mean, dating a smokin' girl who just happens to be Hotch's pride and joy of a niece? I'd sure as hell be nervous, too."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Morgan saw the abrupt change on Reid's face, and he couldn't help but grin. "Ahhh…you didn't think about that, did you?"

And he hadn't. How hadn't he? After all, that was how he met Brooke in the first place. He was taking Hotch's niece out to dinner on Saturday.

He was dating his boss' niece. His niece that he clearly viewed as a daughter.

For the first time, Reid was actually questioning just how much a genius he was.

000000000000

*Grin* I love Reid.

So I was going to put their date in this chapter, but for some reason they just didn't want to cooperate. Instead, you get a little glimpse into the dynamics of the characters. I'm glad to see that Brooke really isn't fooling a lot of people, trying to keep her secret under wraps.

And sorry if some of you didn't like how Peyton was on the phone. I used to be a huge Breyton friendship fan, but I've since learned that Peyton was always a little selfish with Brooke. So that's just kind of how her and Hotch's interaction turned out. Hopefully you guys don't mind.

Let me know what you all thought!