Match Made in Virginia [s. reid]

one

A knock on the classroom door made her look away from the computer screen, stopping her from double checking that it was the correct PowerPoint. She looked at the small window on the door and raised an eyebrow at seeing a dark haired man she didn't recognize. She looked at the slide and saw that it was the right one as she stood up and moved away from the desk.

"Alright, go ahead and start copying the first slide down," she tapped the smart board with her finger as she walked passed it, "I'll be right back." Natalie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she opened the classroom door and stepped out to meet a man with dark hair and eyes to match. He was tall and looked tired as he stood there in the suit and tie he wore. He looked to be older than her by around a decade. "Hi...uh...?"

"Hi, I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner. I'm part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI," he introduced himself, the two shaking hands. "You and the sociology teacher had called asking if someone could come in and talk about a few things with the students?"

Natalie's eyebrows rose. "Oh! Yes, that. Yes, Mr. Rogers and I would love if you could do that. If not, I totally understand, you're busy people over there." Her ears picked up the growing volume in the classroom through the cracked door in that moment, and it seemed that Aaron Hotchner had noticed as well, eyes glancing towards the door. She stuck her hand in and snapped a few times, the sound quieting down almost instantly.

"That's why I'm here," Aaron told her. "I could have called, but I was nearby so I figured I'd stop by and get an understanding as to what you would like a few members of my team to talk about."

"Anything, really, um... The different types of disorders, like schizophrenia and depression, and a few others. They're learning the basics of everything right now, but in Mr. Rogers' class the students are learning about how things can affect a group of people. Society. Like, a murder. How it can affect the town or city, or even the state. Both classes are doing a project at the end of the semester where they're supposed to do a short presentation on what they learned, and I figured you guys coming would help them learn a few things better. It'll peek their interests a bit more."

The man smiled. It was a small, but it there. "I'm glad to see that you're putting effort into this," Aaron told her. "Not many teachers would be so serious about an elective."

Natalie shrugged and folded her hands together. "Psychology and sociology might just be two electives for them, but in some ways it could help them better understand the world and get ready for it. Plus, I just want what's best for my kids. I want to see them grow academically and learn all they can." She could've went on. She could have talked about how they were already learning more and that already were most of them growing academically, and she could've gone on a ramble about how she's proud of them and how she loves teaching. But she prevented herself from doing so. Those words were mostly reserved for her parents and Amanda Bentley, and occasionally the random few teachers who share her love for the kids.

"I can tell you're a great teacher, Ms. Dolan," Aaron said.

She grinned and told gave him a thank you, eyes shining.

"I'll tell my team what you told me about what to talk about. And it's during the class before lunch, correct?"

"Yes, sir, it is. It was nice meeting you, Agent Hotchner, thank you for stopping by."

"My pleasure. See you tomorrow, Ms. Dolan."

With that, once the two exchanged goodbyes, Aaron turned to leave and Natalie entered her classroom, demanding the room full of teenagers to pay attention. It wasn't easy; it was rather difficult, and Natalie could tell it was going to be a long morning.