𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘋𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘋 | 𝘈.𝘏. ✔️

• Fourteen

Hotch takes a large gulp, almost as though he is preparing to say something next. Your hands begin to sweat, you wipe them on your jeans and listen intently for his next words.

"Every night, I could be full of so much guilt, it nearly ate me alive. No one ever talked about it as a lawyer, they assumed that when the worst people walked free, it wasn't on us. I was young and didn't know what I truly wanted to do, I acted impulsively because I knew law would make me enough money to support Haley and it was still in the criminal justice area."

"How did you get past it?" you asked. Because you understood. You knew the guilt, the pain, the sorrow of disappointing a victim's family. They count on you, after the unsub is caught- they are out for blood.

Looks cross over their face when you fail. You can close your eyes and recount hundreds of them. Working with the BAU meant cases were always constant. You were overworked and tired. Even in the court, the satisfaction didn't make up for the demands you put on yourself.

A few people walked through the hotel lobby but didn't pay any attention to the two of you.

"I didn't," he says. "I made a decision to pick up my life and make it better and change. I had resistance of course, but I wouldn't change my choices. Seeing people be thrown in jail for the good is better then anything that happened in the courtroom."

You laughed dryly. Though it wasn't actually a happy laugh, it still brought a small smirk to Hotch's face. Your stomach swarmed with butterflies that you couldn't ignore. The kiss continued to play in your mind over and over. How his lips felt on yours was a feeling that was heavenly. The possessive grip on your hips, the small groan he had released just before you stopped.

Running through the tunnel, the glimmer of affection showing in his eyes when you stopped him from running. How he called you sweetheart and the warmth that spread across you when it happened. God, how did your thoughts get so off topic?

"Wouldn't leaving just cause you a whole bunch of debt? Law school isn't cheap," you teased.

A real smile pulls his cheeks. It brightens the gloomy room and you can't help but reciprocate. "I had a scholarship, Harvard Law. Now that you mention it, it may have been a waste but I can still use it as a weapon."

You chuckle at his poor attempt at a joke. A single brow on his face raises, waiting for you to explain the sudden burst of joy. "Hotch- you went to Harvard Law, on a scholarship?"

It was hard to believe but not at the same time. Hotch is a smart man, one of the wisest you've ever met. Still, Harvard doesn't exactly just give out full-ride scholarships for fun. You imagined that he worked his ass off, you would too. In more simple words, it's baffling that he would change career patches after that.

"Yes," he breathes, "I did."

For a while, you began to forget about your conversation from last night about Celia. You'd trust Hotch to handle it if he insists on keeping you in the dark. He clears his throat and continues on with what he was saying.

"After a homicide case that Rossi introduced me to, I was captivated by the crime. I was so intrigued how he was able to analyze and catch an unsub with studying behavior. The BAU was small back then, only two people: Rossi and Gideon. They created the unit but no one took it seriously but I did. "

You tilted your head to the side in a form of confusion. "The BAU wasn't an existing unit? By the praise it received from the state department, I assumed it was already standing for years."

"No, it wasn't," Hotch clarified your question. This was the most you've also seen him relaxed since the Axel accident at the mansion in Virginia. "Rossi said that I had a talent for crime."