The Boss' Niece (Spencer Reid)

43. No longer a Hotchner

For the first time ever, Spencer and Cassidy didn't care that they were being woken up at 8:45 AM. Usually, one or both of them would have groaned and begged to sleep in more, but the way in which they were woken up made the whole morning better.

At 8:25 AM, Jack sat up on the couch, letting out a big yawn before realising how early it was.

On one hand, he didn't want to wake up his cousin, as he knew that she worked the same job as his dad and probably didn't like waking up too early. But, on the other hand, he was hungry.

Deciding to listen to his body, he stood up and walked over to the bedroom, opening the door. Jack crawled up onto the bed, nudging Cassidy's arm.

"Cassie, I'm hungry." Jack whispered as Cassidy stirred.

Spencer opened his eyes, watching with a smile as Cassidy happily sat up, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"You head out to the kitchen. Uncle Spencer will get you some food." Cassidy smiled, watching as Jack nodded, leaving the room. Without a second thought, Spencer was out of bed, putting on a shirt as he walked out of the bedroom, shortly following Jack.

She had a few moments of pure peace. Resting her head on the pillow below her, she smiled, having a small daydream about waking up the same way, except the child not being Jack, but being her and Spencer's child. Her peace ended when her phone buzzed. Lifting her phone off her bedside table, her heart dropped when she saw who had messaged her.

A.H: Come to the office. Strauss needs to talk to us.

Cassidy saw this coming. She knew that eventually, the consequences for joining the BAU - especially when she was Hotch's niece - would come back to bite her in the ass. It was either Strauss finding out about the relationship between her and Spencer, or it was her finding out about her familial relationship with Hotch. Luckily, it was the latter.

She dressed herself in something that was work appropriate and still comfortable. She didn't know how long she'd be at the office.

"Hey, Spencer, I'm going to be out for a while. I'll let you know when I'm on my way home, hopefully with Hotch." Cassidy kissed Spencer's cheek before exiting the apartment, heading to work.

———

It made Cassidy feel weird walking through the almost empty FBI building. There were a few agents here and there, but anyone she knew wasn't around.

Before she knew it, she was sitting next to Hotch, in front of Strauss, who was looking at what Cassidy assumed was her personnel file. For two people who's job included studying people's behaviour, neither Cassidy nor Hotch could figure out what Strauss was thinking. To her credit, Strauss - having worked alongside some of the FBI's best and most experienced behavioural profilers - had learned how to keep her emotions to herself.

Cassidy didn't realise how long she'd been looking at Strauss until the file was placed onto the desk in front of her, causing Cassidy to blink a few times.

"Quite frankly, it is unheard of for two members of the same family to work within the same FBI location, let alone within the same team." Strauss removed the glasses from her face, clasping her hands tightly together.

"At first, I considered transferring one of you, even firing one of you. But, I soon realised that you're both talented and skilled in your job, and, in all honesty, it would be a mistake for either of you to leave the BAU." Strauss informed. Cassidy happily exhaled, knowing that she wouldn't be fired or transferred.

"Aaron Hotchner, you will remain the Unit Chief of the BAU. As for you, Cassidy, there is one condition that you must agree to if you want to remain within the BAU. You will need to legally change your name. Your personnel file said that you were Cassidy Marlow, but further investigation proved that within the legal system, you are still Cassidy Hotchner." Strauss informed both Hotch and Cassidy.

Somehow, Cassidy knew that something like this was going to happen. She knew that she'd stay within the BAU, but at a cost. Changing her name wouldn't be a big cost in the eyes of an outsider, but to Cassidy, it was a huge cost. There was a reason why she had never changed her name before. Yes, she was Cassidy Marlow to most people due to a small amount of shame that followed her dad's reputation and the reputation of her uncle, but she legally remained a Hotchner, knowing how upset her dad would be if she were to abandon her family name.

But now, she had no choice. It was either change her name, or say goodbye to the BAU. after a good hour of debating her choice, she knew what she had to do.

———

Surrounded by her closest friends - the BAU team, her family - Spencer and Jack, and her superiors - Hotch and Strauss, she stood in a courtroom, signing the appropriate documents and paperwork that would allow her to change her name. She wished that her dad was there, but considering how she knew he would be upset, and the fact that he had been off the grid for years now, she knew that she had to do this without him.

Soon enough, Cassidy looked down at the document that had been signed by a judge. She couldn't believe it. She was no longer a Hotchner. She was now Cassidy Marlow. She thought that signing the documents and legally changing her name would be anti-climactic, yet, as soon as she looked at her new name, she couldn't help but hear a huge sigh of relief exit her mouth. Finally, one of the more important issues within her career at the BAU was solved. Maybe now, the only issue she'd have to deal with was the possibility of Strauss finding out about her and Spencer, and that was a whole ordeal in itself.