Aaron Hotchner X OC

Hunched Huddles.

'Good job, you were having a nightmare. Is everything okay?' Cecile asked as she pulled away, still on her knees as she looked down at him. 'I thought the cold air might wake you up.'

Heaving with deep breaths, Hotch closed his eyes and tried to push his head further into the pillow behind his head. 'Fine, nothing too bad. Let's just get some sleep,' he suggested before pulling his hand from Cecile's hip.

Silently doing as she was told, Cecile turned tiredly and curled herself up in the bed beside him. As she got comfortable, Hotch calmed himself enough to try and sleep again as he turned on his side and wrapped an arm around her waist as his head moved just behind her, breath fanning across her back. Failing to notice her body tense, Hotch moved his head further into her back as he tried to block his thoughts of Haley from his mind. 'CeCe,' he began quietly.

Jumping at the chance to escape the situation, Cecile turned and wrapped an arm under Hotch's head, moving him to her chest as she moved to her back, getting his fanning breath away from her covered shoulder. 'What is it?' She asked sleepily as Hotch moved his head down to her stomach where her top was caught up, leaving her body exposed when his hand soon followed and spread out atop her skin.

'Thank you,' Hotch muttered before nestling his head into Cecile.

Running her hand to his hair, Cecile thought back to the last few weeks. She would leave for work, because killers didn't care for personal issues in their lives. Hell, a case pulled her away from Haley's funeral. Hotch's nightmares the second night were so bad that she fell asleep while comforting him, and as a result, they ended up in a bed together. Jack liked having her around, Jess wasn't as fond, but she respected the support Cecile offered when she couldn't be there. But Hotch was silently glad she was there, like a heavy mist, she directed him when he needed it. Because of her, Jack always had food to eat and a routine, as well as a shoulder to cry and laugh on if he needed it. Cecile didn't do the shopping or cooking, but she nagged Hotch until he did them. Sometimes she would sit in the corner of the room, scanning case files or knitting something she wouldn't disclose, while Hotch fought to parent Jack after so long of being away from his son. 

Subtle nudges were made behind closed doors from time to time if Hotch felt like he was going to explode, but she never mentioned anything in front of Jack. However, the young boy would often crawl into her lap, or climb into the bed they ended up sharing, and talking to Cecile like she was his personal counsellor for his daily issues. Haley's name was off limits in front of Jack, Hotch made that clear before Cecile even had the chance to ask. However, he had slowly learnt to say her name without crying, most of the time.

When morning peaked through the curtain, Cecile was pleasantly surprised when she woke up before Jack had the chance to jump on her and take the wind from her lungs. But as her hand moved out to nudge Hotch awake, she met nothing. A cold bed welcomed her, and she giggled at the thought of it. 'Like a cheap one night stand,' she joked while standing and rearranging her clothes before the sound of someone running around downstairs caught her attention.

Slowly walking downstairs while wiping her eyes, Cecile held the banister as her legs shook from the long sleep. 'CeCe,' Jack called as he saw her. 'I got dressed all by myself today. I even got my socks on,' he pointed out. Glancing at him, she smiled while biting back a laugh. His clothes were mismatched, his shirt inside out and his trousers backwards while his socks were odd. Despite Hotch rolling the pairs together, Jack managed to split the pair and wear two different ones.

'Good job, Buddy. Where is your daddy? Is he doing the washing like I told him to?' Cecile asked, purposefully speaking louder so that Hotch might hear her and do what she wanted him to do.

Jack pointed at Cecile, but as she tried to ask him what he meant, hands suddenly grabbed her sides and lifted her as they jolted her forwards, laughing at her surprise. Hearing Hotch laugh as he practically picked her up and pushed her towards the sofa while tickling her, Cecile burst out laughing as she tried to wriggle from his grip. 'Aaron, let me go. Stop it,' she squealed loudly as he threw her onto the sofa and then pounced, pinning her against the chair while tickling her once again.