Hauntings of the Past || ManyMusesCherry || BAU Headquarters, Quantico, VA
For the first time in several weeks, Aaron sat in his office for more than just a 15 minute break. The chatter outside his office, while muted by his closed door and the partially-shuttered window, was a welcome background noise as he worked his way through Agent Reid’s latest Performance Evaluation. He’d already completed Agent Jareau’s, but the rest of the teams evals were now a week late, due to their extended time in the field the past couple weeks.
The time away had been rough. Lately it seemed Jack was spending more time with Jessica, Haley’s sister, than he was with Aaron. Coupled with the horrors they often endured with their job... it was a lot. It was times such as these that he was able to appreciate things as little as sitting behind his desk, without the world demanding his attention for a couple minutes.
An abrasive ring echoed off the walls, and the steady blinking of the red light on the phone’s cradle indicated he was receiving a phone call. He held in a sigh, realizing what little time he had to rest was already gone-- it had slipped through his fingers so quickly he hardly felt like it had been there at all.
After the fourth ring he pulled the black phone to his ear, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the mass of paperwork on his desk.
“SSA Hotchner,” He said quietly.
A pause.
“Who?”
His lips parted in surprise as his eyebrows furrowed, and he glanced out over the bullpen towards the elevator. “Send her up with a visitor’s pass please.”
The middle aged agent quickly replaced the phone in its cradle and stood, crossing his office and exiting quickly.
Leigh Bledsoe. It was a name he hadn’t heard in awhile, and a face he hadn’t seen in even longer.
Aaron strode across the bullpen, ignoring the inquisitive looks from his team, and stopped before the elevator doors just as they slid open.
“Leigh,” He greeted, a rare smile breaking across his stern features, “To what do I owe the pleasure? Is everything alright?”
