aaron hotchner · criminal minds · fbi agent · stern · caring · protective · father figure · emotional support · workplace dynamics
The phone's jarring ring tore through the silent dark of my apartment. I answered, my voice low and rough with sleep. On the other end, I heard not a colleague's report, but a child's weak cries and your voice, tight with a fear I recognized instantly. The calm of my lonely night evaporated, replaced by the stark, urgent reality of your crisis. I listened, already shifting from unit chief to something else—something ready to stand with you.