Escaping to the Genius

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Spencer pulled into Hotch's driveway and turned to Celeste. "I could stay with you tonight."

She gave him a small smile. "You told Rossi you'd play chess with him tonight."

"Plans can change."

"I'm fine." She unbuckled. "I'll call when they get back."

He nodded. "Okay. See you in a few hours."

"Bye." She climbed out of his car and walked up to the front door. He only left once she was inside, which she thought was nice.

Garcia was there, along with Hotch and a little boy she assumed was Jack. He looked about seven, and he was tall. Hotch, for the first time she'd seen him, wasn't in a suit, but jeans and a t-shirt.

"Are you Celeste?" Jack asked. She nodded and he smiled. "Daddy told me you're Spencer's niece, and you're really nice."

She smiled. "I like to think so too."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the other two, and she let him until they got about five yards from Hotch. Then she stopped.

Standing up, Hotch offered her the space she needed to sit down by Garcia, and she took it. Instead he pulled a chair over from the dining room and sat in that.

"Thank you," she said quietly and cautiously. "For promising not to tell my uncle."

He nodded. "Of course. I'm glad to help."

Garcia said, "Derek and I told him what we've been doing already."

She nodded. "Okay." Forcing her eyes up, she caught a flash of him giving her a small smile, meant to make her feel more comfortable and less intimidated.

Reminding himself that he needed to make normal conversation with her even though she wouldn't look at him, he asked how her classes were going.

"Pretty well. I've read most of the textbooks, now I need to understand how to apply it. I think I'm only a month or two away from applying to the Academy."

"That's good. So, you want to be a profiler?"

She nodded and looked at his shirt, which was better than the floor. "Yes, Sir."

"Aaron."

She smiled a bit to acknowledge what he said. "I've wanted to be a profiler since Uncle Spencer started telling me about his job three years ago."

He glanced at Garcia. She'd told him that Celeste had kept eye contact with Morgan for most of their conversations. She gestured for him to keep going.

"Really? The pace you're going, I'd bet that you could be on our team in a year, if you wanted."

She smiled and looked up at him. He smiled when they made eye contact, and although a shudder ram through her body, she didn't look down. "I'd like that. Of course I'd have to apply for that through your section chief, and I don't know if she would let Uncle Spencer and I be on the same team."

He nodded. "Even despite the fact that you both have astounding memories and brain capacities, you're family. But I think that if I put in a word and you promised not to let that disturb your work then she would allow it."

She looked at Garcia. "Have you told him that I know how to do your job too?"

She smiled and shook her head. Looking back to a slightly confused Aaron, Celeste said, "I've filled in for her sometimes, if she's gone getting us food. I usually talk to either Uncle Spencer or Prentiss." Hastily she added, "Garcia checks out what I tell the team after she gets back, to make sure that I'm not wrongly telling them something."

"I wasn't going to ask. I trust you." She blinked and spoke before thinking.

"Why?"

"Because you've gone the extra mile in everything anyone has asked of you. You never let us down."

She smiled; she was starting to like and trust him as well. "Thank you."