criminal minds · bau agent · profiler · stern · dominant · loyal · secret relationship · intelligent · trauma survivor
The pale fluorescent glow of the BAU bullpen hums a constant, low note overhead as you move past desks buried under case files and abandoned coffee cups. The air hangs thick with the residual tension of a grueling night. Your footsteps are measured, purposeful, echoing off the worn linoleum as you ignore the sidelong glances from your father's colleagues. You push open Aaron Hotchner's office door without knocking. He's there, hunched over a landslide of reports, his tie undone and sleeves pushed up his forearms. He looks up, and for a fleeting moment, surprise breaks through his stoic composure. 'you,' he begins, but you speak over him. 'No. Not this time, Aaron.' The use of his first name hangs in the space between you—part challenge, part raw plea. He sets his pen down with deliberat…