(6) Negotiations

"Resign?" Strauss stares at you, flabbergasted.

"You heard me."

"I cannot accept this." She pushes the badge back towards you.

"This is why I'd like to see the director. I made the deal with him, not you."

Her lips tighten and her jaw clenches. Unfazed by her demeanor, you stand still until she reaches for the phone on her desk. She doesn't take her eyes off you while she speaks with the director's secretary.

She puts the phone down louder than necessary and informs you: "In two hours."

You give her a sweet smile: "See you there."

When you step out of the office, you run into Garcia who is just making her way down the hallway.

"Oh my god, hi!"

"Hey." You open your arms to invite her for the hug you know she wants to give you.

She puts her head in your shoulder and holds you tightly. You saw her eye the scar on the side on your neck, but she did try her best not let her gaze linger on it for long.

"So good to see you."

"You literally saw me yesterday."

She takes a step back: "Yeah, but just for a minute. And I had to share you with everyone else."

It makes you chuckle. Then you remember: "You said you had something for me?"

"Right! Come with me." She tells you gleefully.

You turn to walk with her towards her office you've been only in like one time. Even in her ultra-high heels, she is faster than you. You try to not let it get to you. At least the clicking of her heels is louder than that of your cane. Nevertheless, you have to blink tears away when she manages to walk several feet in front of you. When she goes to tell you: "I saw it and just-" She realizes that you are no longer walking right next to her. She stops dead in her tracks. Pretending not to care, you close the gap on her. However, Garcia notices what she caused: "I am so sorry." She breathes out. "I didn't think, I-I-I got excited and-"

"It's fine." You assure her. "I need to get used to it anyways." With a lot of effort, you manage to keep your voice steady.

The both of you look equally sad.

"I'm sorry." She repeats. You know that she's not just talking about right now. She's referring to everything.

You simply nod.

In her office, Garcia scrambles to get something out of one of the drawers below her desk. You lean on the table to give your legs a break. With a small box in her hands, she explains: "I saw this and remembered that she was always my hero, and how much you remind me of her. So, it is kind of…well, me telling you that you are my hero."

Your eyes widen: "What?"

"Just open it."

Stunned, you let go of your cane and take the box from her. It's pink and square-cut and has chunky glitter glued to it. The box alone is a gift to you.

Careful not to rub off any of the glitter, you open the lid. Your mouth falls open. Inside is a figurine of Dana Scully. The brilliant, badass, death-defying TV-Agent Dana Scully. You gulp. With shaking hands, you take the figurine out of the box and marvel at it.

"You think I'm as cool as she is?" You ask quietly.

Garcia enthusiastically nods: "You're even cooler: Because you're not fictional."

"Am I though?" You chuckle and put it back in the box. "Thank you so much, Penelope. Really." You look up at her and she gives you a bright smile.

"I'm so happy you like it." She claps her hands.

Tears start form in your eyes. This time you cannot blink them away.

Her face falls: "Oh no, what is it?"

You shake your head, holding on to the box for your dear life: "I just resigned." She inhales sharply as you go on: "I did it to get Strauss to let Aaron alone. What happened to me is not his fault, and he needs to know that. Everyone needs to know that, and I cannot have him monitored, and besides, I don't think I can bear to work here right now, and…" You sigh. "But now I feel like I let the team down."

Penelope grabs you by the shoulders, causing you to look her in the eyes.

"Listen." She starts. "What is the reason we love Dana Scully so much?"

"She doesn't let others decide for her what's right and what's wrong."

Garcia smiles encouragingly. You chuckle and wipe the tears off your face.

"You're very wise, Penelope Garcia."

Instead of answering, she kisses your cheek.

- - - - - - - - -

"Come on in." You hear the voice of the Director from the others side of the door. Strauss is already there when you enter, which you consider rude. She must have made an effort to be early.

"I was told you want to resign?" He gets right to the point while he gestures at a chair at the conference table they are sitting at. You take a seat as you cannot be bothered to pretend, you're fine any longer.

"Yes, Sir."

"May I ask why?"

Your first thought is to just deny his request. However, since you want something from him, you should probably oblige.

"I don't think I am a good fit anymore."

"The BAU improved their success greatly because of your work, it would be an enormous loss to have you leave." He argues.

"That's very flattering." You smile at him as you see Strauss stiffen out of the corner of your eye. "Nevertheless, I don't think it fair for the team to have someone like me with them."

"Someone like you?"

You sigh: "Someone impaired."

Strauss and the Director fall silent after that statement. They obviously didn't expect for you to say it like that. Saying it out loud, however, feels liberating to you.

The Director clears his voice: "Do you see a possibility for you to keep consulting for us?"

It genuinely surprises you how badly they want to keep you. Maybe Strauss wasn't simply being an asshole about it. Obviously, you underestimated yourself. Being surrounded by all those bright minds of your team apparently made you forget that you are one of those bright minds as well. Which is quite out of character for you. It's funny how that is the difference the work here made that surprises you most, and that you didn't see until now.

"Can I think about it for a minute?"

"Of course."

You get up and walk over to the window. For a change, you can stand on your own. Apparently, all the stubborn effort you put in walking around starts to pay off.

Letting your eyes wander over the city of D.C. reminds you of what you love about this work. Being at the center of Agency, breathing in the air of the fight for justice, allying with a team that, by now, you consider your family. And – most of all – getting to work side by side with your love and seeing him do what he's so darn good at.

You cross your arms in front of your chest. This is your chance to shape your future. Shape the future of the BAU even. It's a lot to handle. You decide what's right for you. Not Strauss, not the Director, not your doctor, not even your team.

You turn back around, uncrossing your arms.

The Director looks at you expectantly.

"I will work for the BAU. No fieldwork. Only consultation. I will only fly out when it's absolutely necessary, otherwise I'll stay in D.C. If you require me to do an autopsy, you'll have the body transferred to headquarters. Is that acceptable for you?"

You put your hands on the table, relentlessly keeping up the eye-contact with the Director.

Strauss tries to speak up: "Financially that would-"

You interrupt her: "One last thing: SSA Hotchner will no longer be under special supervision."

The Director leans back in his chair, his eye darting between a very annoyed Strauss and you. Then he offers: "Since we'll save the expenses of another Agent traveling…If you'll work for two thirds of your current rate, we have a deal."

You offer him your hand: "Seventy-five percent."

He smiles brightly and shakes your hand: "Glad to have you back, Professor."

- - - - - - - - -

For the first time in literal months, you have a spring in your step. You can go back to work – under your conditions. You wish you would have asked for your own office, but that might have overstepped the mark.

It's just past five and you decide you don't want to go home just yet. Instead, you take the elevator to the first floor to get coffee for Penelope and yourself. The entire way, you cannot stop smiling.

Enthusiastically, you knock on the door of her office.

"Come in!" She answers in her excided, high-pitched voice. Obviously, she doesn't get many visitors. As soon as she sees the coffee in your hand, she jumps up from her chair: "I love you, I love you, I love you."

Now you kiss her cheek.

"Soooo…" She raises her eyebrow.

"I talked to the director and-"

"No, no. I mean, yeah that's interesting as well. But you said babe when I called you from Hotch's number."

"Yes?" You take a sip of your cappuccino.

"What do you mean 'yes'?" She pokes your chest.

"I said babe because I though Aaron was calling me." You tell her deadpan.

She can barely conceal her excitement: "You are back together?!"

"We never broke up."

"WHAT?" Now she really yells at you. "Sorry…" She mumbles.

"We never broke up. We just pretended so that potential threats would not connect us and use us against each other."

"Unbelievable." Garcia shakes her head. "I will never ever play poker with you or Hotch."

You chuckle.

Her phone rings and she scrambles back to her computer. Looking over her shoulder, you observe what she is doing at her computer. You see that Morgan is calling. You furrow your eyebrows. When she hangs up, you ask: "Morgan called you from D.C. I thought they were on a case?"

"Oh, they are. It's here. They're in D.C."

That makes you laugh out loud: "This is brilliant. I just got the Director to agree I can permanently work from here and now for the first case I'm back I don't need to travel anyways."

"Your first case back?"

You get out your badge: "Oh yeah, baby."

- - - - - - - - -

Your head shoots up from the files on your desk when you hear the ding of the elevator. The entire team enters the bullpen. They stop when they see you at your desk.

"We were gone for a few hours – what on earth did you do in the meantime?" Morgan asks grinning.

"Oh, so much, lover boy." You get up. He pulls you into a hug.

As soon as he lets go off you, Aaron steps forward. He gives you a bright smile. The sweet, lovely smile he shows so little when he's at work. Without hesitation, you lean in for a kiss. He grabs you by the waist and pulls you close. Then he presses a kiss to your lips. Innocent enough to do it in front of your colleagues, intimate enough to not appear cold. The team lets out a collective aww. Except for Prentiss, who comments: "Yuck, I hate watching mom and dad make out."

Chuckling, Aaron turns to her, his arm still around you: "You're lucky we're not actually making out."

"Okay, gross!" Prentiss raises her hands to make him stop.

Reid's cheeks are a little red when he asks: "Does that mean you're back?"

Smiling, you explain the deal you made with the Director.

"Well done." Aaron whispers in your ear and kisses your temple. "And thank you for making Strauss back off."

"Anytime." You whisper back.

"Now, I believe this calls for drinks." Rossi states. Aaron opens his mouth to object. Rossi quickly adds: "I know, I know, we're on a case. But as soon as this is over, drinks at the casa del Rossi."

"My man." Morgan comments.

Aaron speaks up: "Everyone knows what you have to do, get to it. I'll have a talk with our professor to bring her up to speed."

You want to tell him that that's not necessary, but you see something in his eyes that stops you from doing so. Quietly, you follow him to his office. He makes an effort to not walk faster than you. It's sweet.

He opens the door for you and lets you enter first. While he closes the door, you turn around to ask: "What do you-"

Your question gets suffocated by Aaron's lips.

"Oh." You hum against his mouth.

You haven't kissed this yearning and passionate since before you were shot. Slowly, he turns you around and corners you. Trapped between him and the wall next to the door, you look at him wide-eyed. You're in the corner of the office where no one can see you through the window. The door is locked. You see the lust in Aaron's eyes.

It breaks a dam inside you. In mere seconds you feel the wetness spread between your legs. You press your body against his and attack the side of his neck with kisses, trailing them all the way up to his ears. Aaron pushes your hair out of your face and smiles at you: "I cannot put into words how hot you are when you're assertive."

"You weren't even at the meeting."

"Well, thank god. Otherwise, I might have fucked you right in front of the Director."

"Holy shit, Aaron." You breathe out.

He lets out a dark chuckle that sends shivers down your spine. You have to lean against the wall as you fear your legs might give out. And not because they hurt.

Your heart starts to gallop when Aaron sinks to his knees before you. Expectantly, you hold your breath. With a wicked smile, he reaches for your belt.

"The suits have been driving me wild." He admits.

"Really?"

"Hmh." He hums and pulls down your pants, kissing your thighs in the process. It causes you to inhale sharply.

"Prentiss told me it's called Bi-Panic. Even though I'm not quite sure what that means, I agree."

"You told Prentiss about it?" You ask even though it's really hard for you to focus as Aaron pulls down your panties.

"Oh, I didn't. She just said it this morning. She apparently really likes you in a suit as well."

You chuckle: "Good to know."

Looking up at you, Aaron forces your legs apart a little further to gain access to your clit. Your hands fly to his hair the moment he begins to suck on it. Even though his dark eyes are intriguing, you let your head fall back to lean it against the wall.

He interrupts what he's doing to comment: "Already so wet. You really missed me, didn't you babe?"

When you don't answer, he bites the inside of your thigh and you let out a quiet yelp.

"Didn't you?" He repeats.

"Fuck. Yes, Aaron, yes I missed you."

"Hm, I think right now, I prefer the other name you often called me."

You stare at him while he slowly inserts one finger into you. It makes you sigh.

"Do you want me to fuck you like this?"

Frantically, you nod, holding on to his hair like your life depends on it.

"Then say it."

Good Lord, you missed this so much.

"Please, Daddy. Fuck me." You whimper desperately.

"Good girl." His voice is gravelly as he praises you. It makes your knees weaker than they already are.

Giving in to your plea, Aaron starts to move his finger, putting his wet mouth back onto your clit. Rhythmically, he moves his finger and licks you up and down. Pressing your lips together, you try to keep quiet. Which gets really difficult when he adds another finger and curls them to hit your g-spot.

"Can you cum like this?" He whispers.

You look down at him. You're definitely aroused beyond believe, but your legs start to throw you off. Aaron sees the answer in your eyes and scoots closer. With both hands, he grabs your legs and starts you lift them. Surprised, you oblige and put them on his shoulders. You are now sitting on him, your vulva right in front of his face, leaning against the wall to hold yourself up. The pressure being lifted off your legs, makes you moan as soon as Aaron returns to his task.

He interrupts himself one last time to tell you: "Quiet babe, or I'll have to stop."

"Yes. Sorry, daddy."

You using that name again makes him moan in return, smothered by your flesh though.

Him alternating between sucking on your clit, swirling his tongue around it, and licking all the way through your labia, has you squirming. Yes, you had sex with yourself the last weeks – pretty often to be frank – however, being touched like this again, right here in the center of the FBI, drives you insane.

Your legs start to spasm, and it gets difficult to keep yourself upright.

"That's it, babe." Aaron encourages you.

Clawing into his hair, you press his face against your core. Rolling your hips, you amplify the pressure of what he's doing to you.

Just when you're right there on the edge, Aaron manages to scoot back a little, still holding you up and working your clit, and rams two fingers into you. Relentlessly, he fucks you with them. That's it. Your body goes rigid, your hips push forwards, your back arches. Instead of moaning loudly, you manage to simply breathe in and out sharply, whispering a few "oh god, yes" in between.

Aaron slows down his movements before carefully taking your legs off his shoulders, pulling your panties up and helping you sit down on the floor. You barely feel any of this happening, as your mind is clouded, and you just stare at nothing in particular.

He sits down next to you and puts his arm around your shoulders. When you lean to the side, he kisses the top of your head and whispers: "Welcome back to the BAU."