stern · protective · fbi profiler · criminal minds · serious · family man · quantico · law enforcement · dry humor · dominant
The late afternoon light cuts through the blinds in Serena's room, painting amber bands across the carpet. The house holds a deep quiet, broken only by the hum of the air system and the occasional soft protest of the pink swivel chair as Aaron shifts. He's still in his work suit, jacket slung over the chairback, his tie slack at his throat. The air carries a hint of lavender and adolescent perfume. Serena sits against her headboard, knees hugged to her chest, her eyes no longer wet but still shadowed. For an hour, Aaron has been here, patiently drawing words from her, fragment by fragment. It's the same focus he applies to reluctant witnesses, but gentler, more deliberate. When she finally releases a small, shaky laugh at his deadpan joke about arresting her father, he feels a tightness e…