"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." - Mother Teresa.
The Fighter
"Thank you so much for coming, it's really been a pleasure." I bowed my head and smiled, shaking the hand of another official who I wouldn't remember the name of later.
"Really, Chief Hotchner-Reid, what a wonderful conference. So informative." Another middle-aged white-man complimented me, shaking my hand and smiling eagerly.
"Excellent, thank you. Take care, now." I waved the last of them out of the conference room and turned to Annie with an exasperated smile, puffing the hair out of my face.
"You did good, Chief." She smiled, approaching me to pat me on the back.
"If you mean good in a 'you didn't cut their balls off', then thank you, I was tempted." She spluttered and laughed, shaking her head.
"We may be friends, Melanie, but you know within work, I'm still your boss," I gave her a pointed look and she laughed. "Yeah you're right, I would've had their balls in a vice too. Anyway, see you tomorrow." She laughed and waved as she left the conference room and I sighed, following suit.
"Hey!" Spencer's voice made me start as I locked the conference room door behind me.
"Hey." I grinned happily, approaching him to kiss his cheek.
"Director Liu and the board?" He asked in surprise as we made our way back along the corridor. "You didn't mention you had a board meeting."
"That's because I didn't," I smiled patiently and tapped the edge of my nose. "You know how these things work, love, some things I can share, some things I can't." I shrugged and he nodded, rolling his eyes with a smile.
"Good workday?" He asked as we stopped outside my office.
"The politics of the office will never cease to amaze me," I gathered my things and locked up. "It's nice for us both to be finishing at a normal hour for once." I laced our fingers together and he nodded as we walked towards the elevators.
"It makes it even better when it's family night." He grinned, reaching out to wrap his arms around my waist and pull me closer to him.
"I'm sure Beth will be thrilled."
Spencer smirked and leaned down, pressing a deep kiss to my lips.
"That part of family night isn't what I was referring to..." He whispered against my lips and my heart did a little flutter.
The elevator ding-ed as it arrived and the doors opened, interrupting our moment and reminding me that for the time being, I was still Chief Hotchner-Reid.
*
The music coming from the dining room was at a good enough volume to be background music for Spencer and I as we danced about the kitchen preparing dinner.
"It's not the same without her here." I whined and Spencer laughed, pressing a kiss to my neck as he stretched above me to reach the wine glasses in the cabinet.
"You'd think that spending time together just you and I was considered criminal these days." He joked and I scowled.
"Tell me you're not missing her?" I rhetorically asked whilst mixing the salad.
"Don't be so ridiculous," He laughed. "I'm missing her like I'm missing a limb!" We both laughed but were interrupted with the doorbell ringing.
We both shared a simultaneously excited expression before racing each other along the hallway to the front door. He elbowed me out of the way and I yanked the door open, Beth and my dad standing in the doorway grinning.
"Where's Tills?" I asked, wounded, Spencer's bottom lip jutting out.
"She's with Jack." Beth laughed, reaching forward to kiss my forehead and hug me briefly.
"But I thought Jack was collecting my mom?" Spencer asked worriedly, allowing my dad and Beth inside.
"Oh, he is. You know what Tilly and Jack are like." Beth rolled her eyes with a grin. Spencer and I both laughed as he led the way along the hall to the kitchen.
"How was your meeting with Director Liu and the board?" My dad asked, pressing a kiss to my cheek as Spencer poured the wine and threw a shocked expression at me.
"Not you as well!" I gushed, throwing my arms in the air in exasperation. "How can something remain top secret if everyone knows?"
"Sweetheart, two of three of the men in your life work in the same building as you," Beth reminded me carefully. "So long as that is the case, nothing, will remain secret." We all laughed and I rolled my eyes.
"All you have to know is that it was a success and everything is fine." I told both my dad and Spencer as they sipped at their wines and gave me a pointed expression.
"Anyway, no more work talk!" Beth demanded, wagging her finger at my dad.
"Have you decided what you're going to do for Tilly's birthday this year?" My dad asked as Spencer and I turned back to preparing the meal.
"We're not sure..." Spencer admitted.
"But you always do something joint with your anniversary!" Beth gasped.
"Yeah but..." I shrugged. "We've done that for the last few years, maybe we should do something different."
"No," Beth said, shaking her head. "I don't believe either of you. You always go all out at this time of year!"
Spencer and I threw each other concealed expressions without their knowledge, and a moment later, the doorbell rang again.
This time, I was first to the door, but when I threw it open, only Jack stood in front of me.
"Hey, sis." He grinned, stepping forward to hug me.
"Uh-uh," I said, taking a step back with my hand against his chest. "Where's Tills?"
"Oh, didn't she come with dad?" Jack asked apprehensively, pushing inside of the house.
"No, no she didn't." I said fiercely, my heart beginning to race.
"Where's mom?" Spencer asked, coming along the hallway whilst wiping his hands on a towel.
"BOO!" Two voices yelled and I jumped out of my skin as Diana and Tilly leapt onto the front-door-step, both of them laughing hilariously at our reactions.
Jack chuckled and went off down the hall shaking his head and swinging his car keys smugly.
"Tills!" I gasped, pulling her into my arms as she laughed hilariously.
"Nanny Di, do it again!" She was laughing as Diana entered the house, cackling.
"Mom," Spencer chuckled under his breath. "What have you been up to now?"
"Oh live a little, Spencer. C'mon angel." Diana turned to Tilly and extended her hand, my daughter wriggling out of my arms to put her little hand into Diana's.
"It's like we don't exist." I whispered in awe to Spencer, watching as our little girl skipped off down the hall with her grandmother.
"In this family, we don't, not when Tilly's involved." Spencer laughed, shaking his head and guiding me back along the hall to the kitchen.
The Protector
As always, Jack and Tilly were inseparable, our daughter sitting on her uncle's lap as he patiently helped her with her colouring, waiting on dinner to be ready. He was still able to join in on the conversations, and eventually, he had to pass her to my mom who was all but reaching a meltdown because she wanted a cuddle.
And, as ever, Tilly was entirely patient and played with my mom's hands, a peculiar habit she'd adopted after she'd learned to walk.
She'd only do it with my mom, and only when she was reaching heightened anxiety when an episode was oncoming.
It was as if Tilly could sense it. She'd toddle over to my mom, climb up onto her lap bravely, even if she was crying or shouting, despite our demands telling her no. She'd take my mom's hand into her own and run her little fingers over her palm, completely fascinated as she marvelled over the wrinkles and veins.
It acted as a grounding experience for my mom and calmed her straight down. The pair were inseparable.
And yet, Tilly was inseparable from us all.
She was an absolute superstar who drifted from one person to the next, spreading love and happiness and tranquillity.
The giggliest, most loving little girl.
We were entirely lucky.
Eventually, she climbed onto Beth's lap, yawning, and we knew it was sleep time. Beth smiled and, as always, patiently lifted her into her arms and took her upstairs to change.
When she brought her back down, Tilly sat with Beth and Aaron on one of the sofas, struggling to keep her eyes open as she insisted on being a part of the evening.
When she fell asleep, Aaron carried her upstairs to bed where we all watched from the doorway, each of us kissing her good night.
Shortly after, Jack drove my mom home, before coming back to join us again.
"So, any plans for squirt's fourth birthday?" He asked, sitting down on the sofa on Mel's other side.
"Hey!" She scolded, biffing him in the arm as he laughed and cracked open a can of soda.
"Obviously I'm joking," He smirked and Aaron shook his head with a smile. "You guys always go overboard on Tilly's birthday. What's on the agenda this year?"
Melanie and I looked at each other with a sigh.
"They're not planning anything, this year." Beth huffed, folding her arms dramatically.
"What?" Jack laughed, turning to look at us in surprise.
"We don't think so." Mel corrected.
"Don't be so ridiculous, her birthday is only like a month away." Jack said with a smile.
"You're normally planning months in advance." Aaron nodded.
"Well, maybe we 're hoping for a quiet one this year." Mel shrugged. There was a silence as they looked at us, not buying it for a second.
That evening once everyone had gone home, I found Mel leaning against the doorframe, watching Tilly as she slept.
"Where have the last four years gone, Spence?" She whispered as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
"They're lying right there, sleeping peacefully," I said into her ear, making her shiver. "Time flies when you're having fun, Melly." I kissed her ear and she shivered again, patting my hands on her waist and stepping away from our daughter's bedroom.
"I'd give anything to do it all over again." She said as we entered our bedroom and closed the door over.
"Well, isn't that what we're trying to do?" I asked, catching her hand and spinning her to me, flattening our chests together.
Where our bodies touched, it was like electricity sparked, and even after all of these years, even after all of the nights spent trying to conceive another child, our bodies still awakened under our touch.
No words were spoken as she smiled up at me, watching as her hands ran through my hair and my eyes softly closed beneath her touch.
I could feel her watching me as she leaned in closer, eventually pressing our lips together.
*The following content includes sexual scenes that may not appeal to all audiences, continue reading at your own discretion or until the next warning banner*
My hands were framing her waist, but ran up the sides of her torso, gathering the fabric in my hands until I could pull it over her head, breaking our kiss to do so.
Her hands were unbuttoning my shirt frantically, us both so desperate for each other even after so long.
Our naked chests slammed against each other as we hurried to continue our kiss, her delicate fingers fumbling with my belt as I backed her to the edge of the bed, gently lowering her to the mattress. She was able to loosen my pants far better at this angle, and smirked as I kicked out of my jeans and watched her slide back on the bed, wriggling out of her leggings as she done so.
As I climbed onto the bed, she giggled as I pulled her legs down so they were flat against the mattress, holding them steady so I could climb onto her body and straddle her waist, her chest rising and falling as she looked up at me excitedly.
I moved my hands up her body, trailing over her naked skin as I took her arms and pinned them above her head, giving me the chance to kiss along her shoulder to her throat, along her jaw and to her lips without her hands interrupting me.
She wriggled beneath my touch, delicate and quiet moans escaping her lips as I gently teased her, rocking my hips back and forth so my pelvis began grinding hers.
I smirked against the hollow of her throat as she gasped in desperation, her nails clawing at my hands as I held her still.
She moaned my name ever so softly and I brought my face up to look at her questioningly, to see her eyes sparkling at me with lust and affection.
Slowly, I let go of one of her arms to bring my hand down between our bodies, tracing the waistband of her underwear lightly.
Her free hand immediately went to my hair and she hastily brought our heads together so she could kiss me passionately, just as I pushed her underwear to the side and slid inside her, catching her by surprise.
She gasped my name against my mouth and I smirked, my hand coming up to the pillow to hold my body up as I worked inside her, feeling her relax into the taught movements.
She gasped for breath and pulled back from my kiss, frantically pushing me to the mattress next to her. She yanked off her underwear and scrambled on top of me, lowering her hips to mine and wincing as she eased herself onto me.
Dropping her torso onto mine and propping herself up with her hands at either sides of my head, she lowered her lips to my throat and began kissing along my shoulder, making me groan and run my blunt nails down her back, pressing her delicate body to me.
It always amazed me how beautiful and perfect our bodies felt together. We lost each other in the electricity of the moment, losing where one of us began and the other ended. We were so consumed by each other, so in love with the feeling of our bodies moving in synchronisation, that the entire world just faded to black.
There was nothing in the world I adored more than Melanie and the family we had created.
*End of sexual content*
The Fighter
I came out of the bathroom, Spencer sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently.
He looked up at me eagerly but I sighed and shook my head.
"Another negative." I said sadly, tossing the test into the bin.
"It's okay, Melly," He said, getting to his feet to wrap me in his arms. "We'll just have to keep trying." He said, shrugging his shoulders.
"But we've been trying for months!" I gushed.
We'd been having sex at every available opportunity as long as we were both at home, scheduling in times and tracking my ovulation, taking tests every week, praying for a positive.
"Well, I guess that means we'll just have to keep trying," He repeated. "And we can just have more fun whilst doing it." He insisted, pressing a kiss to my lips.
But, we were interrupted by our daughter running into the room.
"Finished!" She grinned, and Spencer laughed, reaching down to swoop her into his arms.
"Oh wow, look at those pearly whites!" He gushed, tickling her tummy and making her laugh.
"Okay come on sweetheart, kindergarten time!" I sung, grabbing my bag.
We all left the house together as always and dropped Tilly off at preschool before driving to work.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Spencer asked as we made our way upstairs. I gave him a pointed look and he raised his hands innocently with a cheeky smirk. "Can't I ask my wife what she's going to be doing at work?"
"No," I laughed. "Not when your wife is your boss and head-of-department."
"Okay," he laughed. "But there never used to be so much secrecy."
I sighed and nodded my head.
"I know, love," The elevator stopped at his floor. "But that's the nature of the job, I suppose." I shrugged and he turned, kissing me cheekily.
"A tout l'heure." He said against my lips before pushing out of the elevator.
*
I shook the candidate's hand with a professional smile and they left, closing my office door on the way out and failing yet another test I'd provided.
I got to my feet, sighing, crossing the room to open my door.
"Another failure?" Annie asked.
"All of the cadets are far too eager to please. So much so, they don't actually listen to what I'm saying." I sighed, crossing back over to my desk.
"Listen, Melanie, rules are rules. I can't just have you hiring anyone from off the streets. They have to be an agent, or at least in training." Annie lowered herself into the seat in front of my desk and I nodded my head sadly.
"Hiring cadets from the academy didn't really go according to plan last time..." I mused.
"Ainsley Hart?" Annie recalled. "She was hired straight into Anti-Terrorism from the academy. That's what I call a stellar performance. She's heading the department now."
"Don't remind me," I hissed, shaking my head in disgust.
"She may be a professional success story, but that's one bad egg I don't want to come across ever again."
"Melanie!" Annie laughed. "What on Earth has gone on between you two?"
"Oh, you mean besides sending nudes to my husband?"
"What?" Annie's face was priceless and I laughed, wishing I had my camera.
"I mean, he was my fiancé at the time, but I was also heavily pregnant."
"Oh my god..."
"So now do you see why I don't want to hire another PA from the academy?"
"Dear lord..." Her mind was clearly elsewhere as she processed this information.
A moment later, her own PA appeared in my open doorway.
"Ma'am, your twelve o'clock has arrived." She announced confidently, almost taking my breath away at how strikingly similar she was to Annie's younger sister.
As Annie thanked her and got to her feet, a thought occurred to me.
"Annie..."
She halted and turned to me apprehensively.
"That tone only means one thing, Hotchner-Reid." I laughed at her words and smiled innocently.
She arched an inquisitive eyebrow at me and her PA shuffled awkwardly outside.
"I'll meet you back at the office, Stewart," Annie said over her shoulder. "When you find a new PA, let me know so I can steal them from you." She joked quietly as the young woman hurried off.
"Well, that's what my idea is all about," I said excitedly, getting to my feet. "You remember my younger brother, Jack?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "Well, he's eighteen in a couple of months' time... I was thinking, he could maybe benefit from some work experience around here."
"Oh, Melanie..." She hissed in her displeased tone. "Three Hotchners on the same team?" She tutted. "That's also called nepotism."
"At least think about it? Please?"
"I thought Jack didn't want to be an agent?"
"He's still unsure," I admitted, walking her to my door. "One week he wants to pursue soccer, the next it's the academy, the next he's wanting to become an entrepreneur and invest in art." We laughed and she tucked her hands into her pockets.
"I'll think about it. Get him to write up a resumé and then we'll talk."
"You're an Angel!" I squealed. A moment later, my phone began ringing.
"Keep me updated." She said, nodding to the phone as she clicked off.
The Protector
We were sat at our desks, filing, when Mel came in.
"Do we have a case?" I asked eagerly as she made her way to her dad's office.
"Perhaps." She said quietly with a wink, clicking up the stairs and rapping her knuckles off his open door.
As she entered and pulled the door closed, I wanted so badly to be on the other side of that door.
"Hey kid one," Morgan came up behind me and rested against my desk. "You ever thought of going for promotion?" He inquired.
"W-what?" I stuttered, looking up at him preposterously.
"Well, Rossi's retiring in a few months and Hotch will need another lead."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's not in my nature."
"Reid," Morgan chuckled. "You've been in this unit for what? Twenty years now?"
"And?"
"Well, don't you want some ambition? Some more responsibility?"
"No," I said, shaking my head.
"My responsibility is my family. Mel's the one with leading in her veins, my ambition is my family and work is a bonus."
Morgan smiled and clamped a hand down on my shoulder as his eyes shone at me emotionally.
"I was hoping you were gon' say something like that."
After a while of Mel and her dad discussing the case, they both left his office and he called for us to join them in the conference room.
It became somewhat of a tradition that when cases were delivered directly to Mel, she would share the presentation of it with her dad. It made for more communication and a tighter relationship with our unit Chief, and it also meant we got to see her a little more often.
"So, I guess this means I won't see you guys for a couple of days." I pouted as I walked her to the entrance of the unit after the briefing.
"We'll be okay, love, you know that."
I heaved a sigh and nodded. It was getting harder and harder to leave, knowing we had little Tilly at home, knowing that we were trying so hard to have another baby.
Being away took away the chance to keep trying.
"I'll miss you." I said quietly.
"And we'll miss you." She smiled, reaching forward to press a quick kiss to my lips.
"I'll call every night."
"And I'll call every afternoon." She promised.
"Sorry, Chief Hotchner-Reid," A voice came from the door behind Melanie and she turned to see Director Liu's PA in the doorway.
"Your final interviewee has arrived."
Melanie practically hung her head in disappointment and my body tensed.
"Thank you, Stewart, I'll be right there." She nodded and the young woman smiled, hurrying off for the elevators.
"You're interviewing?" I gasped, folding my arms.
"Like I keep saying, you really shouldn't know..." She said patiently, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Is it a replacement?" I gasped, thinking back to Morgan's words earlier about Rossi's retirement.
"No," She said patiently. "Nobody's leaving, nobody's being replaced..." She sighed impatiently as she realised I wasn't going to drop it.
"I'm interviewing for another assistant," She gushed and I frowned in confusion.
Strauss never needed a PA.
"If we're serious about trying for another baby, then I want to make sure I have everything in order to help with the stress and pressure of work." She said sweetly with a bashful shrug, casting her eyes down to her feet.
My cheeks blazed and I threw my arms around her.
"We'll get there, Melly," I said softly. "I promise." I turned my face to hers and kissed her cheek one last time.
"A tout l'here."
The Fighter
I stood in the parking lot of the kindergarten, my palms sweating with nerves.
I hated telling Tilly her dad had to work.
Every time she'd run out of preschool and upon seeing me standing there she'd stop dead in her tracks, her beautiful little face would fall, and she'd slump over to me sadly, her shoulders hunched.
And, as she proceeded to do this exact same thing, my heart fell with her disappointment.
"I'm sorry baby-love." I said, pulling her up into my arms. She wrapped her teeny arms around my neck and buried her face on my shoulder.
"Will daddy be gone for a short time or a long time?"
"Hmm, hopefully a short time."
"Hopefully isn't a promise, momma."
"And you know daddy can't make promises with work, baby."
"But I thought you were the boss of daddy?" I laughed out loud as I buckled her into the car.
"I'm not the boss of daddy," I laughed as I climbed into the driver's seat. "Nobody is."
"Not even Nanna Di?" She gasped sweetly.
"Not even Nanna Di." I repeated, shaking my head as I pulled out of the parking lot.
"But Uncle Jack told me you were daddy's boss."
"Daddy's boss or the boss of daddy?" I asked curiously, glancing into my rearview mirror to watch her beautiful face screw up as she thought about it.
"Hmm... daddy's boss, definitely!" She cheered.
"Well, Uncle Jack shouldn't have said that," I said, sighing.
Spencer and I tried very hard to separate our work life from our personal life. That meant keeping Tilly out of it as much as possible.
She'd never been to the unit, not even as a newborn - although I'd struggled to avoid taking spontaneous day trips to see Garcia and surprise the team on paper days - and as far as we tried, she didn't even know we worked together.
"But why?" Her inquisitive voice asked.
"Well, Uncle Jack shouldn't be telling you about mommy and daddy's work."
"But why not?"
"Because it's our work to tell you about."
"But why can only you tell me about it?"
"Because we know best."
"So was Uncle Jack telling porcupines?"
I laughed at her adorable nickname for lies that Diana had taught her.
"No, he wasn't."
"So you are daddy's boss?"
I sighed again. This child was her father's daughter and would not give up.
"Yes. I am." I said finally.
"So does that mean you send daddy to work all the time?"
"No baby-love, I don't get to choose."
"But can't you just tell daddy to stay here?"
"I wish I could my sweet girl, but I've got a boss too who tells me what to do, too."
This seemed to satisfy her momentarily and then she remembered something else.
"So does that mean you're the boss of Grampsy too?" She gasped, her little hand covering her mouth.
"And how would you know that?" I asked curiously.
There was a little pause as she giggled devilishly, and then we both announced simultaneously,
"Uncle Jack."
*
"I'm not saying don't tell her stuff, it's just we'd agreed to try and keep her shielded from all of the work stuff." I explained down the phone to Jack that night once Tilly had gone to bed.
"Mel, you do realise she's the fiercest three-year-old on the planet, right?" We both laughed. "You say something even slightly interesting and she asks you a million questions and she never lets you away with anything!"
I chuckled and nodded my head, yep that was our Tilly.
"She just keeps going and going and loves making me sweat until I blurt it all out!" I laughed again, knowing it was true.
I was convinced Tilly loved Jack so much because she knew she could twist him into telling her as much gossip as humanly possible.
"In other news," I said, clearing my throat as I turned off all of the downstairs lights and set the alarm.
"I had a chat with the director earlier," I explained, heading upstairs. "I've been in need of an assistant for a while, you know, someone to help with calls and paperwork and filing, someone to help keep appointments organised and... basic office duties..."
Damn Mel, you're really selling this one!
"Oh cool, kinda like the crazy girl you had before?" I chuckled at Jack remembering Hart.
Well, in all fairness, she was a tough one to forget.
"Yeah, except less psycho," We both laughed and I checked on Tilly quietly, leaving her bedroom door open as always and padding along to the bedroom, turning lights off as I went.
"Well, I've been interviewing for the last couple of weeks, and I can't seem to find anyone suitable..." I trailed off, hoping he'd see the opening.
"Okay...?" He pressed.
"So I spoke with the director today and she's agreed to an idea if you'll hear it."
"Fire away, you've got me intrigued."
I cleared my throat one last time, sitting down on the bed.
"You can't say anything to dad, because I haven't spoken to him about it yet. But, I know you're stuck for what to do now you're leaving school. So Annie's agreed to read over your resumé and consider allowing you in as my assistant."
"What?" He gushed. "Me? Mel, no, what?! I haven't worked in an office before, I wouldn't know where to start! The FBI?! No way."
"Listen, Jack, I know. It's a lot to take in. But it's not definite, it's only a consideration. If you at least work on your resumé for the end of the week, let me do the rest."
There was a short pause.
"Oh... I don't know Mel. I mean, I'm thankful and everything but... the bureau..." he heaved a shaky sigh. "I'm not even sure if following in your footsteps is a plan for me."
"I know," I nodded. "And this isn't a move to make sure that you do. If anything, I'm hoping it'll put you off the idea!" We both laughed, knowing how hard we'd argued about Jack never joining the bureau.
Our dad agreed with me, Jack couldn't join the bureau. It was far too dangerous and he was far too precious.
He went through phases of thinking it was a wonderful idea and then knowing how much he'd hate it.
But, he was seventeen, he was allowed to change his mind. I was merely hoping that some work experience with his bossy big sister would show him how challenging the bureau could be.
"Will Spencer help me with my resumé?" He asked after a while.
"No," I said bluntly. "Because I don't want anyone else knowing about this. This is between you and me, because this is your decision to make. I'll help you with it after school tomorrow if you want to spend dinner with Tilly and I?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll pick Tilly up from kindergarten and meet you at the house."
"Okay, and you remember the password?"
I could practically hear him grinning.
"What? In amongst all of the other codewords we have?" He chuckled. "Of course. Sweet dreams, sis."
We said good night and I hung up, feeling all warm and loved.
Speaking with Jack done that for me, knowing that even though he didn't always make it to Family Fridays, and that we maybe clashed a bit more now that he was maturing, that we still loved each other immensely, and would stop at nothing to make each other laugh and feel loved.
And, at the end of the day, isn't that what family was supposed to be all about?
The Protector
If there was a plus side to working away, it'd be the feeling of returning home again.
We got back late, and so Aaron drove me back home, the pair of us lapsed into a sleepy silence.
I unlocked the door, a light on upstairs whilst Melanie waited for me.
"How are you?" She gushed, rushing forwards to give me a hug after I'd locked the door behind me.
"Better for being home." I sighed, squeezing her tight in my arms and pressing my face into her neck.
"Was it a tough one?" She asked, trying to pull away.
"Just..." I held her tighter, refusing to let go. "Just give me a sec." I whispered against her skin, just wanting to hold her for as long as possible.
Sure, it hurt to leave and made me sad to miss out on family life. But, it overwhelmed me each time I returned to my beautiful wife, knowing how strong and powerful she was for combatting each of her traumas every day and continuing to smash mom life and remain a boss-ass professional at the same time.
Every day, Melanie was my super superhero.
"I'm sorry, love." She said softly when I eventually let her go. She was looking up at me with those large blue eyes, her face a mask of concern.
"It's okay," I smiled, kissing her hands. "I'm better now that I'm home with you,"
She smiled at me emotionally and stretched to press a kiss to my lips.
"How's Tills?" I asked, kicking out of my boots and hanging my coat and scarf on the stand before following Melanie upstairs.
"She's good," She whispered. "She was missing you as always." She smiled, hugging her robe tighter to her body as she nodded towards our daughter's open bedroom door.
I leaned against the doorframe, peering inside to see our beautiful daughter asleep in bed, illuminated by her night-light.
From our bedroom, Melanie's phone began ringing.
"Who is it this late?" I whispered as her face fell. She didn't say anything as she rushed off, and I sighed, looking back at our daughter.
Well, if I had to go back out on a case, the least I could get was a quick snuggle.
I crossed to the bed and lay down beside our daughter, my long legs dangling over the end of her miniature bedframe.
She sighed in her sleep and I looked at her peaceful expression, so full of innocence and wonder.
Oh, what I'd give to be her age again, to get lost in the wonder of innocence and daydreams.
The Fighter
When I returned to the hallway, Spencer was asleep, sprawled on Tilly's bedframe as she curled against his chest.
Smiling at the sweet scene, I caught a picture on my phone, before crossing to wake him up. Even though I didn't want to, he'd sorely regret sleeping in such a tiny bed, and after the stress of the last case, he'd be desperate for a decent night's sleep.
*
"Hey, who was it calling you so late last night?" Spencer asked from the breakfast bar as he helped Tilly with her breakfast the following morning.
"Oh, uh..." I shook my head and turned my back on them, busying myself by fixing some coffee in our takeaway cups. "Just work." I said bluntly.
"So late? It was almost midnight." He said in disbelief.
"Yeah uh, it's just a case we've been working on. There was a breakthrough." I shrugged, turning back to place our cups on the counter.
"Daddy, I have a performance!" Tilly cheered excitedly, saving me from anymore grilling.
"A performance?" Spencer gasped, turning to our daughter with an excited expression.
"Yeah!" She grinned, showing her beautiful teeth.. "I'm going to be a pumpkin!" She cheered.
"A pumpkin?" He echoed with a laugh. "Wow, why?" He chuckled and our daughter copied him.
"It's for Halloween, silly!" She giggled.
Spencer looked at me questioningly and I laughed, passing him a flyer from the kindergarten.
"The preschool is putting on a Halloween performance mid-October. They've started rehearsals and Tilly is a pumpkin." I grinned at her and ran a hand over her cheek as she smiled angelically and finished her breakfast.
"It's a little early for that, isn't it?" He asked quietly, looking at the flyer. "Did you choose to be a pumpkin?" Spencer asked curiously and I refrained from rolling my eyes.
He was all about what Tilly wanted to do and what she wanted to be. If she didn't like what she got, he'd be damn sure to change it.
Which, let's be honest, wasn't exactly the way of the world.
"Yes, daddy!" She laughed. "Pumpkins are cute and so am I." Spencer and I looked at each other and shared a laugh.
"Yes sweet girl, you are." He grinned, sweeping her up into his arms and tickling her as she giggled.
I smiled lovingly as I watched them play, Spencer chasing her around the kitchen, trying to get her to put her shoes on.
"Okay, come on," I said eventually. "We're going to be late, let's go." I caught her in my arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, sitting down on the staircase by the front door so that Spencer could slide her shoes onto her feet as she giggled and squirmed the whole time.
"Okay, ready momma!" She called, standing proudly by the front door.
"Yeah momma, we're ready." Spencer grinned, grabbing his satchel and copying her stance.
"You guys..." I laughed, sweeping them out of the front door.
The Protector
We pulled into the parking lot at the kindergarten and we all climbed out. These days; it was a family affair.
I unbuckled Tilly's seatbelt and pulled her out of the car, relishing in her giggling as I done so.
"Okay baby-love, you be good now, okay?" Mel said, crouching down in front of our teeny daughter to straighten her jacket.
Suddenly, Tilly threw her arms around Melanie, almost knocking her backwards onto the gravel.
"Whoa," Meanie laughed, catching her in her arms and righting herself as I leaned down to balance them both. "Where'd that come from baby-love?" My heart warmed at her unique nickname, sounding beautiful on her lips and alien on everyone else's. It was her special little pet-name for Tilly, and we all adored it.
"I just love you so much, momma." She said in her cute little voice.
"Oh my baby-love," Mel choked up and closed her eyes as she straightened to a stance with our daughter in her arms. "I love you so much my heart just bursts." She said, squeezing her tighter to her.
"I love you all the way up to the sky, and down again!" Tilly cheered, kissing Melanie's cheek.
The pair of us looked at each other in awe.
"Have I ever told you that you're the smartest person I know?" Melanie asked as she kissed our daughter's cheek and fixed her long brown hair.
"Yeah," Tilly laughed. "But you can tell me again if you like." She gave a cute little shrug and we both laughed.
"Okay, my turn now." I said, reaching forward to take Tilly out of Mel's arms before she fell apart.
"Love you momma, love you daddy!" Tilly cheered before running off inside.
"What on Earth was that about?" I asked as Mel and I climbed into the car.
"I don't know..." She sniffled, wiping underneath her eyes. "She's just the best, Spence." She said in a thick voice.
"Aw Melly," I cooed, reaching over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She just loves us a lot, that's all."
The Fighter
"Is there a reason you're so fidgety this morning?" Spencer whispered impatiently as we rode the elevator.
"What?" I asked, fixing my jacket and staring up at him innocently.
"Fidgeting." He said, taking my hand from my lapel.
I cast a glance around the elevator to the other members of staff with us.
"No..." I whispered quietly, just as the elevator arrived at his floor.
"Have a good day." He whispered to me.
"Stay safe." I whispered back.
"A tout l'heure."
As I pushed out of the elevator on my floor, Stewart was there to greet me.
"Good morning Chief Hotchner-Reid, how are you?"
"I'm well thank you, Stewart," I smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"Director Liu needs to see you in her office, as soon as possible."
"Of course," I nodded. "Right away." We turned back to the stairwell and climbed the three flights of stairs to the top floor.
Whatever was going on, we couldn't wait for the elevator.
"Annie," I nodded as I pushed inside her office, Stewart closing the door over behind me. "What's going on?"
"Melanie," She sighed, shaking her head and gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. "It's not good, we have to call an emergency meeting this afternoon."
"An emergency meeting?" I echoed, unbuttoning my suit jacket to sit down.
"All heads of staff," She explained. "All heads of departments required."
"Heads of department?" I echoed. "Please tell me that doesn't include-"
"Not your father," She said, shaking her head. "He may head-up the BAU but you're the Chief," She explained. "This isn't looking good, Melanie."
"What isn't?" I asked, leaning forward with the deepest feeling of dread.
"A security breach," She sighed, whirling her desktop screen around so that I could see. "The FBI has been hacked."
I stared at her, unblinking.
"You're kidding?" I scoffed.
She looked at me pointedly, questioning why on Earth I could scoff and smirk in a situation like this.
"This isn't an emergency," I said, shaking my head. "We have Penelope Garcia. She can have this solved in an hour." I readied myself to rise to my feet, but Annie held up a hand.
"No," She insisted. "Garcia can't know about this," She said, shaking her head. "This is way above her pay-grade."
"Excuse me?"
"We were hacked, Melanie."
There was a long pause.
"Yes... you've said that."
"No... Not the FBI..." She sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "The resistance..." She all-but whispered. "We've been hacked."
*
My palms were sweating as I watched the heads of department pile inside the room one-by-one, each with a displeased and disconcerted expression.
"Chief..." Annie whispered, and when I turned to see what she was nodding at over my shoulder, I frowned as I laid eyes on Spencer outside in the corridor, peering in.
Groaning, I got to my feet and hurried from the room.
"What's going on-" I cut him off, grabbing his elbow and marching him back along the corridor.
"Spencer, you can't just show up here looking for me." I hissed with my cheeks flushing, clicking along the corridor to the elevators.
"But... it's lunchtime," He said. "I thought you might want to have lunch together."
My heart squeezed with guilt.
"Spence, love, I'm sorry," I said, skidding to a stop at the elevators. "But things are majorly happening right now," I held up a hand to keep him from questioning me. "I can't tell you what," I insisted. "But you have to trust me. When I say I can't be disturbed, I mean that," I looked into his eyes sincerely. "There are things I don't tell you for your own protection." I swept my hand across his face lovingly.
"Protection?" He smirked. "Melanie, what are you talking about?"
I cast my eyes back along the corridor where Stewart was waiting outside of the conference room patiently.
"I'm sorry," I apologised again. "I'll see you tonight." I pressed a quick kiss to his lips and hurried back off along the corridor to the conference room.
I dipped my head in an apology as I entered, just as Annie got to her feet to begin the meeting.
The Protector
I watched her hurry away from me with a lump in my throat, worry tinging my nerves and love overwhelming me in that moment.
"A tout l'heure." I whispered, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear me.
As always, I was consumed by her; the beauty and elegance with which she moved.
Her hair was back to her natural brown to match our daughter's and hung long down her back against her pale grey suit jacket. Her pencil skirt hugged her curves, and as always, I worried for her comfort in those high heels.
She was as always, the professional, and I was entirely proud of her achievements. Worried and concerned about what they meant for her health, but proud and excited nevertheless.
*
I was still worried about her later on that night once she'd eventually come home. I'd taken the metro and collected Tilly after work, and as always, she revelled in the opportunity to go on the metro.
We sang songs and skipped together on the way home, done some homework and read together. I made us dinner, and just as we were eating, Melanie finally came home.
She didn't say much as she retreated into her office and I went through the motions of bathing Tilly and putting her to bed.
"Mel... don't you want something to eat?" I asked, knocking on the door of the study. I cracked it open and immediately she wheeled the chair over to the door where I was stood, standing to avoid my view of the room.
I was able to quickly glance at the marker board to see sketchings and doodles and names, and at the desk to see that she had the desktop and two laptops connected, all screens whirling through something.
"I'll be right there." She said, gently guiding me out of the doorway to close the door on me.
I retreated back to the kitchen, but when she came out of the study, she closed and locked the door and hid the key in her pocket, proceeding to pick at her food opposite me at the dining table.
"I know you can't talk to me about it," I said as we lay in bed side-by-side, our hands clasped together between us. "But can I help in any way?"
She was silent as she thought about it.
"Honestly, love," She sighed, turning on her side to look at me better. "Just being here and supporting me is the best thing right now." I turned on my side too, and we watched each other in the darkness until we both fell asleep.
However, a few hours before our alarms were due to go off, Melanie's phone cracked the silence and awoke us both.
As always, she jumped up to answer it before the ringtone could awake Tilly.
"Chief Agent Hotchner-Reid." She answered immediately.
I groaned and lay back down, praying it wasn't another case.
"What?" She gasped, rushing to the closet. "What do you mean a code red?" Her voice was raised in disbelief and I frowned, sitting up now too. "I-I-I..." She was stuttering as she fumbled through drawers. "Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes max." She hung up the phone and proceeded to yank on clothes.
"A code red?" I echoed and she jumped slightly at the sound of my voice, as if almost forgetting I was here.
"Y-yeah..." She stuttered. "It's classified." She added absentmindedly and I gaped at her.
"Classified?" I echoed. "Since when did Unit Chiefs classify cases?" I folded my arms, beginning to grow defensive as she moved back and forth, getting ready.
"I'm sorry Spence," She said. "I can't tell you any more than that."
"Mel," I said, getting to my feet to approach her. I grabbed her by the arms as she avoided my eyes. "Melly, look at me," I insisted, shaking her gently. "What is going on?" I had enough of the secrecy.
She chewed on her lip with glazed eyes.
"Right now..." She said. "I can't tell you," I almost groaned. "But..." She sighed and rubbed her hand across her forehead as I dropped my hands by my sides.
"I need you to call my dad and get the rest of the team into the unit..." She said slowly, as if thinking on her feet.
"We'll need you all in there eventually," She shrugged, as if thinking out loud. "Take Tilly to Beth, give her the keys to get her ready for preschool tomorrow... Be in at the unit in an hour." She looked up at me, her decision made.
"Mel... Should you be doing this?"
She smiled and shook her head.
"No," She said, reaching a hand up to touch my face. "But I shouldn't have been doing any of the other stuff, either."
I didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but the look on her face and the way she said those words, sent a shiver over my spine.