One Step Leads to Another [FanFic]
Title: One Step Leads to Another
Author: Tooks
Pairing: Hotch, adult!Jack, Jack/Cassidy
Rating: FRT
Summary: Jack admits applying for the FBI academy to his family, Cassidy admits a few things to herself.
Notes: This is another piece from my "20 to Life" AU which takes place about 20years in the future from the BAU now(ish). It contains the now adult OFC, Cassidy Keel, from "Suffer the Children".
Jack got to his parents house still on a Cassidy high. It wasn’t that he’d never kissed a girl, or a woman, before. He wasn’t that pathetic, no matter how much Henry teased he was. No, it wasn’t just the kiss, actually it wasn’t the kiss at all. It was her. He, Jack Hotchner, got to kiss her, Cassidy Keel. He’d taken a small risk in putting himself out there and gotten a major reward. It felt amazing. He needed to do it again. And again.
Jack’s mother left the porch light on for him, but there was no one waiting inside for him tonight. They must’ve had a long night and turned in early…or his dad insisted he didn’t need waiting up for and actually one the debate. Either way Jack stepped in, disarmed the security, turned off the porch light, rearmed the security, and headed upstairs to go to bed. It took him a little while longer than normal to get to sleep with thoughts of Cassidy and their date still fresh, but eventually Jack did doze off.
When he awoke he heard his family already downstairs for breakfast. He threw on some sweats and a tee shirt before heading down, checking his phone as he went. Three texts from Henry asking how the date went and making plans for later and one from Cassidy which he actually bothered to open.
“Now what’s that happy face all about?” Emily’s voice pulled Jack’s attention from his phone as she smirked a little at him.
“Nothing,” Jack turned a little red as he headed to his seat too thrown to remember his custom of offering to help.
Emily said nothing though as she poured her family their glasses of juice and milk…well she said nothing about Jack not offering to help anyway. “A smile like that never means nothing.”
“Emily,” Hotch finally spoke up from his spot at the stove where he was working on the food. It only was his wife’s name, but in the tone was his urging not to press Jack if he didn’t want to talk. He knew she meant well, but he didn’t want Jack feeling so awkward so early in the morning.
“What?” Emily played dumb.
“Dad, it’s fine,” Jack smiled a little before deciding to take a little leap. He looked at his mother and smiled, “I applied to the academy last night.”
“You what?” Emily was so stunned she nearly over poured Matt’s OJ which earned her an annoyed groan and complaints about not being able to drink it all. “Just drink what you can, Matt, your father will finish the rest.” The woman politely dismissed her teen son’s whining.
Jack’s smile stayed, but grew a little nervous, “Uh, yeah, I filled the forms out yesterday and the papers arrived to them this morning.” That was Cassidy’s message, she’d hand delivered them to the FBI academy when it opened. Jack cleared his throat some, “So…yeah…it’s done.” He wanted a reaction from his father, but Hotch remained focused on pancakes at the moment. Unable to help himself Jack pressed a little more, “I guess we don’t have to debate it anymore, huh, Dad?”
Hotch stayed silent, focused on the food, as he slipped the pancakes off the pan and onto different plates where Emily gathered them and set them before the children. “I’ll get the last two, Em, don’t worry.” He stated to his wife as he ran out of batter to cook before grabbing the last two plates and heading towards the table with the rest of the family. He set one plate before Emily and then other he kept for himself. He gazed over the others at the table some before giving a small, faint, smile as he focused in on his eldest. “No, we don’t have to debate it anymore.”
The family spent the rest of the breakfast with more relaxed chatter - school, the outlook for the family schedule the upcoming week, and other such things. As the meal came to an end Emily went to make sure Eva and Matt were going to be ready for the day, intentionally leaving Hotch alone to talk to Jack. By now Emily knew that her husband would prefer to voice some opinions privately.
Jack didn’t yet have the patience of his father though and began to clean from nerves of waiting. Then he began to talk, “I know you want me to be a lawyer, Dad, but I…just…” he shrugged a touch as he started to rinse off plates, “don’t.”
Aaron still took a few moments to put his thoughts in order so that he could be honest with his son…explain himself as he had to his wife the night before. “Jack,” he stood up to help with the clean-up, “I want you to be safe and happy. And, as a father, my desire to see you safe is utmost. I know that being a lawyer is safer.”
“Dad,” Jack almost sighed, but a hand raised by his father stopped him.
“That being said,” Hotch continued, “I don’t want my fears, or even my wishes, dictating my children’s choices. No matter what you chose, Jack, it needed to be your choice,” the father smiled at his son, “and now I know that being an agent is your choice. That you can weigh others opinions but still make the ultimate choice, which is crucial both in being an agent and in being a profiler.”
Jack had listened with a growing smile. “So you’re…not mad?”
“No, Jack, not at all.” Hotch set his hand on his son’s shoulder and looked him directly in the eye, “I’m proud.” The man then gave the faintest hint of a playful look, “But just because you’re my son doesn’t mean anyone at The Academy or in The Bureau’s going to go easy on you.” Except, Hotch imagined, they all would…even himself perhaps, just a little, though he’d never admit it.
Jack smirked back some a moment, then cleared his throat and tied his best at an utterly serious face. “Of course not, Sir.”
Jack’s serious face fell into a smile just before his father’s did the same. “I’ll finish up here, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure, Dad?”
“Of course.” Jack smiled and began to head out before Hotch spoke once again, “Agent Hotchner.”
“Dad?” Jack answered instinctually before letting out a short laugh, “Agent Hotchner.”
Hotch smiled proudly and gave a nod.
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Jack.” And while he was utterly terrified at the thought of his son hunting the same people he’d spent years hunting Hotch was equally proud.
***
Cassidy climbed back into her jeep and headed back to her loft to work on new pieces. She wanted to call Jack as well, to talk, to hear his voice, but it was such a strange first for her she didn’t indulge it. If he wanted to call, he would. She had to trust in that…and she had to no care if he didn’t. It was better, safer, that way. It was too early to invest much in them…him…she meant him.
Her loft was massive, but without much in the manner of furniture or even rooms. But it was cheap, allowing her to save her funds for necessities and supplies for her art which was all that mattered to her. In truth luxuries made her uncomfortable at times, and gifted things more so. They always reminded her of the gifts her father gave her over the years, the ones stripped from his young victims. The truth was there was only one real gift in all her years of living that she kept. A small stuffed bear that was kept tucked on a bookshelf in her room. It was worn and faded and the only sign Cassidy might’ve, once, been a child.
Cassidy stripped off her lightweight jacket, poured herself a cola with a bit of rum in it, and laid out a large canvas for a new piece. The only thing to pull her from her work was the ringing of her cellphone. She almost didn’t bother to answer but the thought that, maybe, it might be Jack made her decide to answer. Slightly out of breath, covered in paint and sweat from criss-crossing the floor as she worked, Cassidy answered, “Hello?”
“Cassidy, it’s Jack.”
“Hello Jack.” Cassidy’s lips curled into a smile automatically. “Did you get my text this morning?”
“Uh, yeah,” his smile was evident in his voice, “yeah, I did.”
“Nervous?”
There was a long enough pause on the other end Cassidy grew a little worried, but then Jack’s voice came across the line, “Sorry, what?”
Cassidy was a touch thrown a moment, “Are you nervous?”
“Oh,” Jack laughed a touch, “no, not really. I talked it over with my dad this morning, he seemed really pleased actually, and I wasn’t ever really nervous about the rest.” About the training or the job of being an agent.
“That’s good then. So…” she wasn’t sure what else to say and asking him why he called felt rude.
“Oh, right, uh,” it helped Cassidy that Jack sounded equally awkward, "So my friend, Henry, wants to go to this club tonight, a DJ he likes is working there, and I was wondering if you’d like to maybe join us?”
“You and your friend?”
“Yeah, and maybe a few others. I thought it might be fun…relaxing.”
“Unlike our last time together?” Cassidy wanted to sound teasing, but wasn’t sure she quite pulled it off.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” Jack insisted worriedly, “I just thought…” he sighed.
It wasn’t uncommon for her tone to be taken wrong, but it rarely bothered her how others took what she said. Cassidy had always had something of a chill to her, it was what kept her from getting hurt with her father and in the numerous foster homes after that. It was safer to not invest herself…people couldn’t hurt her if she didn’t care. Despite this general life view though, Cassidy found herself caring about Jack, about his feelings and even what he thought of her. While it’d be easier for her to decline and avoid the young man until he faded away, chalk their meeting up as something that needed to happen only to Jack so he could become his own man, Cassidy didn’t want to do that. “I’d love to go, Jack,” Cassidy assured him. She'd pushed Jack along a path he already wanted, she ought to do herself the same favor for once.
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." ~ Billy Graham
Author: Tooks
Pairing: Hotch, adult!Jack, Jack/Cassidy
Rating: FRT
Summary: Jack admits applying for the FBI academy to his family, Cassidy admits a few things to herself.
Notes: This is another piece from my "20 to Life" AU which takes place about 20years in the future from the BAU now(ish). It contains the now adult OFC, Cassidy Keel, from "Suffer the Children".
Jack got to his parents house still on a Cassidy high. It wasn’t that he’d never kissed a girl, or a woman, before. He wasn’t that pathetic, no matter how much Henry teased he was. No, it wasn’t just the kiss, actually it wasn’t the kiss at all. It was her. He, Jack Hotchner, got to kiss her, Cassidy Keel. He’d taken a small risk in putting himself out there and gotten a major reward. It felt amazing. He needed to do it again. And again.
Jack’s mother left the porch light on for him, but there was no one waiting inside for him tonight. They must’ve had a long night and turned in early…or his dad insisted he didn’t need waiting up for and actually one the debate. Either way Jack stepped in, disarmed the security, turned off the porch light, rearmed the security, and headed upstairs to go to bed. It took him a little while longer than normal to get to sleep with thoughts of Cassidy and their date still fresh, but eventually Jack did doze off.
When he awoke he heard his family already downstairs for breakfast. He threw on some sweats and a tee shirt before heading down, checking his phone as he went. Three texts from Henry asking how the date went and making plans for later and one from Cassidy which he actually bothered to open.
“Now what’s that happy face all about?” Emily’s voice pulled Jack’s attention from his phone as she smirked a little at him.
“Nothing,” Jack turned a little red as he headed to his seat too thrown to remember his custom of offering to help.
Emily said nothing though as she poured her family their glasses of juice and milk…well she said nothing about Jack not offering to help anyway. “A smile like that never means nothing.”
“Emily,” Hotch finally spoke up from his spot at the stove where he was working on the food. It only was his wife’s name, but in the tone was his urging not to press Jack if he didn’t want to talk. He knew she meant well, but he didn’t want Jack feeling so awkward so early in the morning.
“What?” Emily played dumb.
“Dad, it’s fine,” Jack smiled a little before deciding to take a little leap. He looked at his mother and smiled, “I applied to the academy last night.”
“You what?” Emily was so stunned she nearly over poured Matt’s OJ which earned her an annoyed groan and complaints about not being able to drink it all. “Just drink what you can, Matt, your father will finish the rest.” The woman politely dismissed her teen son’s whining.
Jack’s smile stayed, but grew a little nervous, “Uh, yeah, I filled the forms out yesterday and the papers arrived to them this morning.” That was Cassidy’s message, she’d hand delivered them to the FBI academy when it opened. Jack cleared his throat some, “So…yeah…it’s done.” He wanted a reaction from his father, but Hotch remained focused on pancakes at the moment. Unable to help himself Jack pressed a little more, “I guess we don’t have to debate it anymore, huh, Dad?”
Hotch stayed silent, focused on the food, as he slipped the pancakes off the pan and onto different plates where Emily gathered them and set them before the children. “I’ll get the last two, Em, don’t worry.” He stated to his wife as he ran out of batter to cook before grabbing the last two plates and heading towards the table with the rest of the family. He set one plate before Emily and then other he kept for himself. He gazed over the others at the table some before giving a small, faint, smile as he focused in on his eldest. “No, we don’t have to debate it anymore.”
The family spent the rest of the breakfast with more relaxed chatter - school, the outlook for the family schedule the upcoming week, and other such things. As the meal came to an end Emily went to make sure Eva and Matt were going to be ready for the day, intentionally leaving Hotch alone to talk to Jack. By now Emily knew that her husband would prefer to voice some opinions privately.
Jack didn’t yet have the patience of his father though and began to clean from nerves of waiting. Then he began to talk, “I know you want me to be a lawyer, Dad, but I…just…” he shrugged a touch as he started to rinse off plates, “don’t.”
Aaron still took a few moments to put his thoughts in order so that he could be honest with his son…explain himself as he had to his wife the night before. “Jack,” he stood up to help with the clean-up, “I want you to be safe and happy. And, as a father, my desire to see you safe is utmost. I know that being a lawyer is safer.”
“Dad,” Jack almost sighed, but a hand raised by his father stopped him.
“That being said,” Hotch continued, “I don’t want my fears, or even my wishes, dictating my children’s choices. No matter what you chose, Jack, it needed to be your choice,” the father smiled at his son, “and now I know that being an agent is your choice. That you can weigh others opinions but still make the ultimate choice, which is crucial both in being an agent and in being a profiler.”
Jack had listened with a growing smile. “So you’re…not mad?”
“No, Jack, not at all.” Hotch set his hand on his son’s shoulder and looked him directly in the eye, “I’m proud.” The man then gave the faintest hint of a playful look, “But just because you’re my son doesn’t mean anyone at The Academy or in The Bureau’s going to go easy on you.” Except, Hotch imagined, they all would…even himself perhaps, just a little, though he’d never admit it.
Jack smirked back some a moment, then cleared his throat and tied his best at an utterly serious face. “Of course not, Sir.”
Jack’s serious face fell into a smile just before his father’s did the same. “I’ll finish up here, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure, Dad?”
“Of course.” Jack smiled and began to head out before Hotch spoke once again, “Agent Hotchner.”
“Dad?” Jack answered instinctually before letting out a short laugh, “Agent Hotchner.”
Hotch smiled proudly and gave a nod.
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Jack.” And while he was utterly terrified at the thought of his son hunting the same people he’d spent years hunting Hotch was equally proud.
***
Cassidy climbed back into her jeep and headed back to her loft to work on new pieces. She wanted to call Jack as well, to talk, to hear his voice, but it was such a strange first for her she didn’t indulge it. If he wanted to call, he would. She had to trust in that…and she had to no care if he didn’t. It was better, safer, that way. It was too early to invest much in them…him…she meant him.
Her loft was massive, but without much in the manner of furniture or even rooms. But it was cheap, allowing her to save her funds for necessities and supplies for her art which was all that mattered to her. In truth luxuries made her uncomfortable at times, and gifted things more so. They always reminded her of the gifts her father gave her over the years, the ones stripped from his young victims. The truth was there was only one real gift in all her years of living that she kept. A small stuffed bear that was kept tucked on a bookshelf in her room. It was worn and faded and the only sign Cassidy might’ve, once, been a child.
Cassidy stripped off her lightweight jacket, poured herself a cola with a bit of rum in it, and laid out a large canvas for a new piece. The only thing to pull her from her work was the ringing of her cellphone. She almost didn’t bother to answer but the thought that, maybe, it might be Jack made her decide to answer. Slightly out of breath, covered in paint and sweat from criss-crossing the floor as she worked, Cassidy answered, “Hello?”
“Cassidy, it’s Jack.”
“Hello Jack.” Cassidy’s lips curled into a smile automatically. “Did you get my text this morning?”
“Uh, yeah,” his smile was evident in his voice, “yeah, I did.”
“Nervous?”
There was a long enough pause on the other end Cassidy grew a little worried, but then Jack’s voice came across the line, “Sorry, what?”
Cassidy was a touch thrown a moment, “Are you nervous?”
“Oh,” Jack laughed a touch, “no, not really. I talked it over with my dad this morning, he seemed really pleased actually, and I wasn’t ever really nervous about the rest.” About the training or the job of being an agent.
“That’s good then. So…” she wasn’t sure what else to say and asking him why he called felt rude.
“Oh, right, uh,” it helped Cassidy that Jack sounded equally awkward, "So my friend, Henry, wants to go to this club tonight, a DJ he likes is working there, and I was wondering if you’d like to maybe join us?”
“You and your friend?”
“Yeah, and maybe a few others. I thought it might be fun…relaxing.”
“Unlike our last time together?” Cassidy wanted to sound teasing, but wasn’t sure she quite pulled it off.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” Jack insisted worriedly, “I just thought…” he sighed.
It wasn’t uncommon for her tone to be taken wrong, but it rarely bothered her how others took what she said. Cassidy had always had something of a chill to her, it was what kept her from getting hurt with her father and in the numerous foster homes after that. It was safer to not invest herself…people couldn’t hurt her if she didn’t care. Despite this general life view though, Cassidy found herself caring about Jack, about his feelings and even what he thought of her. While it’d be easier for her to decline and avoid the young man until he faded away, chalk their meeting up as something that needed to happen only to Jack so he could become his own man, Cassidy didn’t want to do that. “I’d love to go, Jack,” Cassidy assured him. She'd pushed Jack along a path he already wanted, she ought to do herself the same favor for once.
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." ~ Billy Graham