Aaron hadn't felt this lonely since Haley divorced him. Somehow, since Y/N's leaving (only 4 days ago), Aaron's bed felt even emptier. He felt uncomfortable sleeping in it without Y/N by his side. So, he slept on the couch. Jack could feel the loneliness too, often laying on her side of Aaron and Y/N's bed if he felt sad, sick or upset.
As for work, Aaron would find himself glancing at Y/N from time to time, but she'd purposely avoid his gaze and focus on her other co-workers. He was unsure if anyone - but Penelope - had been told about their current situation, but decided to keep things on the down-low if she hadn't said anything.
A few nights after Y/N left, Aaron woke up at 1:45 AM, having just endured another nightmare about losing Y/N. He sat up on the couch, making sure not to wake up Jack, who had been sleeping beside him. He rubbed his eyes and exhaled, jumping slightly when he saw Haley sitting on the arm-chair near the TV.
"Haley?" Aaron whispered.
"You really messed up, Aaron." Haley shook her head.
"You don't think I know that? I can't even sleep in our bed because of how guilty I feel." Aaron rolled his eyes.
"Was Y/N right? Did you really stay with Kate because she looked like me?" Haley leaned back, crossing her arms.
"I don't know, maybe? I mean, she looked so much like you and when I saw her on the ground like that I...I thought that maybe I could save her, because...I couldn't save you." Aaron started crying.
"I love you, Aaron and I know you love me but, you need to get over me. I'm gone now. You have a son and a beautiful girlfriend who love you. I'll always be looking out for you, Jack and Y/N. If you lose Y/N, you'll feel even worse. You need to apologise to her. You need to make sure that you make her feel just as loved as you once loved me. And yes, I know that she's knows you'll always love me, but I can see that deep down, she feels like she's like a replacement and that you'll never truly love her." Haley walked over to Aaron and held his hand.
"You made a promise to me, that you'd show him that love is the most important thing. You can keep that promise by loving Y/N. Love her and Jack as much as you once loved me and I'll know that you kept your promise." Haley placed a gentle kiss on Aaron's cheek before disappearing, like a shadow in the night.
When Aaron got up the next morning for work, he felt determined. He wanted and needed to apologise to Y/N as soon as time would allow him to. Much to Aaron's chagrin, he walked into work and Penelope handed him a file, explaining that the team were on their way in for the next case in Boston.
"Beantown has turned into Chokeville. 3 victims, all male, wallets stolen. The unsub uses a garrotte to strangle his victims. He strikes at night and there have been no witnesses." Penelope explained as she put up images on the screen behind her.
"How much did he get?" Derek asked, curious.
"Well, it's odd. Each of the victims, socio-economically, is lower to middle class. It's doubtful there would have been much cash, and there have been no charge attempts on any of the credit cards." Spencer noted as he flipped through his case file.
"So the murder might not be about money at all. Taking the wallets could be a forensic countermeasure to delay victim identification." Emily exhaled.
"That could be the situation with the first two victims, but the latest one, Scott Delfino, he was on the phone with his roommate when he was attacked, call cut out unexpectedly, repeated call-backs went straight to voicemail. And Delfino's body was found an hour later." Penelope kept explaining.
"Indications were they'd been blitzed. Which speaks to the killer's prep work but also his desperation. He chose a location to lay in wait but wasn't capable of adapting to a target on the phone." Y/N swiped through the photos on her screen, trying to keep her gaze between her screen and her friends.
"That could be arrogance getting in the way and making his organization appear mixed." JJ suggested.
"To me that screams false confidence. Which means that desperation is what's driving him. It's not about the kills, it's about what the murder represent." Derek added.
"He's mission oriented. He doesn't want to kill them, he has to. Which suggests the unsub has no personal connection to his victims." Rossi nodded.
"Except choking as a kill method is extremely personal. He feels each victim take their last breath." Aaron focused more on the photos on his screen.
"What if the wallets are a form of depersonalization? He's stripping his victims of their identities. Which means he may feel stripped of his own." Y/N looked up, glancing between everyone - including Aaron.
"If the wallets are trophies, he could be seeking recognition for his work. And he may not stop killing until he gets that recognition. Wheels up in 30." Aaron exhaled as everyone stood up, getting ready to leave. In the 30 minutes they had before leaving, Aaron tried to talk to Y/N in his office, but by the time he got to Y/N's desk - having watched her walk there briefly - she was already in the elevator with Derek, JJ, Emily and Spencer.
———
Y/N was unlucky when it came to sleeping arrangements. There were only 3 single rooms and 2 double rooms. Derek, Spencer and Rossi practically raced to the 3 single rooms, shutting the doors to seal their room choices. As for Emily and JJ, they didn't mind sharing a room.
But Y/N minded. Having to spend multiple nights with the man she was mad at wasn't ideal, but she had no other choice.
"Look, Y/N-" This was Aaron's first time trying to talk to her in a while.
"-Stop. Just stop, okay? We're on a case. We need to focus, which means leaving this...conversation 'til we get back." Y/N shook her head, putting her bag down on her side of the bed.
"No. I can't do that. I know for certain that if we don't talk right now, we'll get back to Quantico and you'll go back to hating me and we won't talk. I'll end up going home to an empty bed and I can't take it anymore. I miss you too damn much to let you go again." Aaron exhaled.
"Fine. Talk." Y/N groaned, sitting down.
"I am so, so sorry, Y/N. I know what I didn't do and I've regretted it since New York." Aaron admitted, sitting down beside her.
"It really fucking hurt, Aaron." Y/N used his first name.
"I- I know. I'm so sorry. It- It all just happened so fast." Aaron exhaled.
"No, you don't know, Aaron. Don't get my wrong, I understand making sure that Kate was okay. I didn't care about that. What I care about is the fact that after the explosion, you didn't seem to realise that I was merely feet away from Kate, just as injured. It wasn't until Derek came that you probably realised that I was there. And even then, you stuck with Kate." Y/N shook her head.
"My brain didn't even register that you were nearby. I'm so sorry, Y/N." Aaron held her hand, but she pulled away.
"I had to go to the hospital by myself. I was alone, Aaron. While you were trying to keep Kate alive, I was a few feet away, pain shooting through every nerve in my body, waiting for you. I waited to see your face. I waited for you to lift me off the ground and hold me. I waited for you to tell me 'everything's going to be okay. I'm right here. You're gonna be okay'. But instead, I just listened as you comforted Kate. All you cared about was Kate's survival. You didn't even check up on me." Y/N cried, burying her head in her hands.
"I am-" Before Aaron could continue, Y/N stopped him.
"If you say 'sorry' one more time I will end you." Y/N glared at him.
"You're right. You don't need me saying sorry, or apologising over and over until you just give in and forgive me. No, I promise that I will make it up to you. I will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to prove to you that I love you." Aaron got onto his knees and held her hands, looking into her eyes.
"I love you, to the ends of the Earth, Y/N." Aaron placed a sweet and slow kiss on Y/N's lips, waiting for some sort of reaction. He - at first - worried that she'd slap him away or stop him, but to his surprise, she removed her hands from his and placed her hands on his cheeks, kissing him back. They both pulled away, Aaron immediately wiping the tears from her cheeks.
———
2 days later, the unsub was identified and soon, Spencer, Derek, Emily and Y/N were at his ex-wife - Hannah Johnson's - home.
"Aah! Aah! Aah!" Hannah was screaming in pain, and the three Agents could hear her from outside.
"Put it down." Spencer warned as Derek kicked down the door, allowing for Spencer to get in front to try and calm the situation.
"You can't be in here." Tanner was scaring Hannah, holding a pair of scissors to her throat.
"Tanner, think about what you're doing. You don't want to hurt your baby, do you? That's what happened to Jeremy." Y/N made sure to keep her fingers off the trigger.
"Go away! Just get out of here!" Tanner yelled.
"Aah!" Hannah screamed again, holding her belly.
"Hannah, how far apart are you contractions?" Spencer's eyes widened, concerned.
"They're constant!" She yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"The baby's coming now." Spencer exhaled, realising what he had to do.
"Look, man, your baby is about to be born. Now, we want to help you, but you need to put that weapon down." Derek insisted.
"No! This is my child. I'm not leaving it." Tanner demanded.
"Ohh! Ohh! Aah!" Hannah was groaning more and more, Spencer getting her down onto the nearest couch.
"Hannah, I need you to breathe deeply. Breathe deeply." Spencer insisted.
"Oh, my God." Y/N gasped, watching as Hannah got into position.
"Hannah, I need you to start pushing..." Spencer looked up at the worried woman, rolling up his sleeves. Y/N quickly grabbed a pair of gloves from her pant pocket and handed them to Spencer, who put them on.
"We need medics to Hannah Johnson's residence right away." Y/N looked at Emily, who nodded.
"They're already on the way." Emily confirmed, her gun still aimed at Tanner, who insisted on staying behind Hannah.
"I can't." Hannah breathed, sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Yes, you can, baby, just like with Jeremy." Tanner smiled at his ex-wife, who groaned again.
"1, 2, 3-" Tanner went to speak again, but Derek shook his head.
"This is not helping. Tanner, you need to let her go. The stress isn't good for the baby." Derek insisted.
"If Hannah doesn't start pushing now we could lose the child." Spencer looked at Tanner worriedly, Hannah's legs now propped up.
"I have to watch him. I have to keep him safe." Tanner insisted.
"Like you did with Ashley?" Y/N questioned.
"That was an accident. I didn't mean to." Tanner shook his head.
"I know you didn't. Accidents happen. What happened with Jeremy was an accident, right?" Y/N nodded.
"If I'd have been there I could have helped him." Tanner nearly cried.
"Aah!" Hannah screamed again.
"Guys, something's wrong. The umbilical cord's wrapped around the baby's throat." Spencer gasped, moving his head so that Tanner, Emily, Y/N, and Derek could see him.
"Well, Reid, do something!" Emily insisted.
"I need something to cut the cord with, quickly!" Spencer held out his hand.
"Use these." Tanner handed Spencer the scissors that he was previously using to hold Hannah hostage. The moment his hand was out, Derek quickly grabbed his arms and handcuffed him, pulling him away from Hannah.
"No! No!" Tanner yelled, struggling against Derek's strength.
"Don't worry, Hannah, your baby's doing fine, but you need to keep pushing. Ready?" Spencer looked up at the worried mother, who nodded. Spencer handed the scissors to Y/N, who put them on a nearby table.
"Medics on the way." Y/N kneeled down, unintentionally getting a view of what was going on below Hannah's skirt.
"We can't risk moving her now. We'll have to deliver the baby here." Spencer exhaled, looking up at Emily and Y/N, who nodded. Emily stood behind Hannah, holding the worried woman's hand for support. Y/N stayed by Spencer, just in case something happened.
"Oh, God!" Hannah groaned.
"Squeeze her hand as hard as you can and push." Spencer glanced at Hannah, who shook her head.
"Oh, I can't. I can't." She begged.
"Yes, you can. You're doing great." Spencer tried to remain calm as he focused.
"I need to see this!" Tanner begged, trying to get closer to what was happening.
"We can see the head. Keep pushing. Keep pushing." Y/N told Hannah while Spencer moved his hands again.
"You've seen enough." Derek glared at Tanner before getting him out of the house.
"Keep pushing, alright! Keep pushing." Spencer insisted as Hannah kept sobbing, doing what he said.
"Oh, God!" Hannah groaned. With one final push, Hannah's sobs and groans stopped and were replaced with the sound of a baby crying.
Spencer held the baby in his arms as medics arrived, taking over. After a few minutes, Spencer held a perfectly normal and healthy baby in his arms, bringing the child to their mother, who was breathing heavily, trying to calm down. Y/N, Emily and Derek (who had given Tanner to another officer) watched with joy as Spencer handed the baby to Hannah, who thanked him profusely.
Arriving back at Quantico, the team met up - including Penelope, who (by Y/N's request) had taken Y/N's bag to Aaron's apartment - at a the local bar, everyone discussing Spencer's brilliant quick thinking.
"And to Dr. Spencer Reid, who may be adding M.D. to an already impressive list of credentials." Aaron smiled as he lifted a drink into the air.
"And to Spencer Johnson, may he prove to be the child prodigy like his namesake." Y/N added, nodding to Spencer.
"How on earth did you know what to do?" Emily looked at Spencer, who exhaled.
"When JJ was pregnant with Henry, I memorized the delivery manuals just in case she went into labour in the field. I have to admit the practical application did not quite live up to the theory." Spencer furrowed his eyebrows, chuckling.
"No, you were great, kid." Derek nodded.
After a few hours, Aaron and Y/N headed home, having sorted everything out. Y/N was very excited to see Jack again, knowing he wouldn't let her go once he saw her.
"Childbirth is disgusting." Y/N noted as she and Aaron headed to his front door.
"You think so?" Aaron raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Yeah, I mean, people tell you about it and - for some reason - childbirth videos exist on the internet, but seeing it in person, and up close...I don't understand how Spencer - let alone doctors and nurses - deal with the mess." Y/N shuddered.
"I think it'd be easier to deal with considering a baby is the result. Do you want kids?" Aaron asked as he held Y/N's hand.
"Yeah, I'd like a kid or two. It's just...knowing how they come into the world, it freaks me out." Y/N admitted.
"Well, luckily for you, vaginal birth isn't the option." Aaron chuckled.
"The idea of someone opening me up doesn't bode well with me, either. Neither option sounds favourable." Y/N rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry Y/N. We still have time to decide if we want to have a kid, let alone which option is better." Aaron smiled, placing a kiss on Y/N's lips.
"Exactly. Let's deal with the kid we have already." Y/N agreed, hearing footsteps as Aaron unlocked the front door.
"Y/N!" Jack cheered as he jumped into Y/N's arms, a huge smile on his face.
"I missed you too, Jack." Y/N placed a kiss to Jack's forehead, enjoying the hug.