Prompt: Snow Angel (part 2)

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x OFC (Danielle) / Fandom: Criminal Minds

Another week had ended. This case was gonna give him nightmares for days to come. He couldn't wait to see Danielle. She always made everything better and could always put a smile on his lips and right now that's exactly what he needed. They had been together for a year now and he was happy, really happy. After Haley's death, he thought he would never be that happy again, but he was. Not only did she love him, she loved Jack as if he was her own. That just made him love her even more.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Telling whoever it was to come in, he was happily surprised to see Danielle walking into his office.

- "Dany? Is everything okay?"

- "Hello to you too." – Danielle chuckled at his reaction.

- "Sorry, it was a long week. Hi." – He smiled and pulled her into a kiss.

- "I figured. The way you sounded earlier on the phone, I could tell that this was a hard one, so I decided to drop by and take you out to dinner, just the two of us. Jack's at a sleepover and we only have to pick him up tomorrow before lunch. So, what do you say?"

- "That sounds great, sweetheart. Let me just…" – Aaron is interrupted by his phone signaling a new text message had come in. Looking it over, he saw it was from Garcia and that she wanted the whole team to meet her at the bullpen.

- "Garcia wants the team in the bullpen. Wanna come?"

- "Sure, why not. It could be interesting seeing you all in action." – Aaron threw his arm around her waist and led her down to the bullpen.

Aaron saw Danielle greet everyone, before coming back to his side. They both settle in on a conversation with Rossi about Italian food. Danielle had Italian heritage, so the both of them were always trading recipes and cooking tips. He couldn't help but be amazed at how his team had quickly welcomed her into the fold.

The unmistakable sound of Penelope's heels was heard long before they even saw her. Aaron saw her coming into the bullpen with a smile on her lips. Penelope never ceased to amaze him. She could always find the light in the darkness that was their job.

Morgan was the first to speak, asking her if there was a new case. Aaron sure hoped there wasn't. He couldn't handle a new case just now. He saw Penelope avoid everyone's questions, not giving any direct answers. When she asked them to follow her, they all did. He knew Penelope would never do anything too outrageous, so he grabbed Danielle's hand and brought her along with them.

The plot thickened when they got to the lobby. She was talking as their made their way out the door into the snow-covered street. Aaron looked at Danielle and saw that she had this bright smile on her lips and he had to smile as well.

- "Do you know what Garcia is up too?"

- "Nope, but I have a pretty good idea." – Danielle answered him, a smile on her lips, before kissing him.

That's when he heard Penelope asking them to make snow angels with her. "Really? Snow angels?", he thought, "Well, at least is not to start caroling." Rossi was the first to go, followed by JJ and Prentiss and, finally, Morgan and Reid. He wasn't so sure it would be a good idea for the head of the BAU to be making snow angels just outside the offices.

- "You know you have to do it. If you don't, she will feel hurt. Besides, it's a good team exercise." – Danielle whispered.

- "Do you think I should? I mean, I'm their boss."

- "So? You're off the clock, babe. You all need this. Just do it." – That's the last thing she said to him, before pushing him into the snow and falling on her back right beside him.

She was right. He needed that. He could hear the laughter that something as simple as making snow angels was supplying. Danielle was laying next to him, looking at him, a loving look in her eyes. How could he not love her even more in that moment?

Suddenly, he's hit by a snow ball. Danielle was the one who threw it and looking over at his team, he saw that a snowball fight at began. Snowballs were flying everywhere. He threw a few, hitting Danielle, Morgan and Rossi and nearly hitting Reid.

That's when he saw Penelope, just standing there, completely lost in thought. Aaron grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at her, hitting her across the face. She looked so stunned, it was impossible not to laugh. She took that as her cue to attack him.

Eventually, they all went back to where the angels had been made.

- "Thank you, Garcia. We definitely needed this." – Aaron said to her, a smile on his lips, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a sideways hug, before saying his goodbyes.

He saw Danielle hug Penelope tight and whisper something in her ear.

- "Everything okay?"

- "Yeah, just thought she needed to know how amazing she is." – Danielle answered him, a smile on her lips.

- "Have I told you how much I love you?"

- "Not in the last hour, no." – Aaron grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Kissing her passionately, there were no words needed.

Aaron loved her deeply and he knew she felt the same. Despite the chaotic hours his job entailed, she was always there for him. And that night was just another reminder of how much she loved him. He had to be honest, he was scared to do something that might cause him to lose her. He couldn't go through that again, but he was determined not to make the same mistakes he did in the past. This time, he was gonna make it last.