"Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me." Sarah Bernhardt
Hotch, against his usual nature, had gone to sleep relatively quickly. This had also earned him an ungodly early morning, in which he had enough time to go over the case. When an idea formed in his head after his shower, he checked the clock again. It was still early enough that Alex wasn't in the office yet, but she could be awake. His idea felt too urgent to wait, so Hotch decided it was worth a try. Dialing her number, he impatiently listened to the ringing while doing his tie.
"Evans?" she picked up breathless. It took him a split second not to think about what she might have been doing that had her this out of breath.
"Am I interrupting?" he asked, his voice deliberately light. Alex answered with a surprised laugh.
"Sorry, I jumped out of the shower because I thought it was important."
Hotch found himself chuckling lowly, something he was doing an abnormal amount around her.
"Am I not important?" he gave back, finishing his tie. The good-natured snort on the other end was answer enough, telling him he better got to the point in the next minute. "I had some ideas about the case and need your input, that's why I called," he said, "When will you be in the office?"
He heard Alex breath in deeply, a little 'uhm' on her lips.
"I still need to...Shit, I left my car. It might take a while actually." There was a short silence before he could hear a sigh of hesitance. "This might be a bit much, but if it's important, why don't you come here before we go to the office? If you give me a ride, I'll promise breakfast."
This offer shouldn't make his stomach flutter as it did or make him smile slightly. They were talking about serial killers, but the prospect to see her in her home in a bit significantly improved his mood. Because she's a friend, and you like her. Nothing more.
"What's the address?"
****
What he didn't expect was that Alex was still, or probably again, out of breath when she opened the door.
"Hi," she breathed, a wide grin on her face, "Come in."
The house was far enough from the workplace to tell him she was trying for distance, and close enough to be there quickly in an emergency. Smart.
Alex was still in a tank top, her cheeks flush, her blonde hair seemingly freshly blow-dried.
"Good morning," he answered, following her invitation to get inside. Hotch could still smell the mix of freshly applied perfume, shower gel, or shampoo, and he wondered if it would be weird if he would lean in to hug her. Running a hand through her hair, Alex looked as hesitant about it as he did. Another time then. Hotch took a look around to break his sudden nervousness.
The hallway was painted in a bright yellow, with a big picture of a city he hadn't seen in eight years on the wall. Alex followed his eyes.
"Took that before I went back to the US," she said, clearing her throat. Hotch took a step closer to study it.
"It's beautiful," he mumbled, "I still dream about it once in a while."
Their eyes met, and he knew there was pain behind her last memories. A pain he didn't know the meaning of but also knew she wouldn't share if she wasn't ready. Not commenting any further on it, giving him his answer, Alex nodded towards another room.
"I hope you like croissants, I'm out of eggs."
"I usually don't eat breakfast, I take almost anything," he commented with a raised eyebrow. That earned him a little smile and a shake of the head.
YOU ARE READING
And If I Fall, Let Me Part I: At Your Service - A. Hotchner x OC & Jemily
Fanfiction"Look who the cat dragged in," she directed at Hotch, smirking. To her surprise, Emily watched as her boss' lip twitched in what was suspiciously close to a smile. Now that was unusual. She had never seen that woman before. "Surprised they let you w...
