Fic: A Limit to Generosity (1/1 Criminal Minds)
Title: A Limit to Generosity
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy
Author: Frogg
Beta: Adam and Nilandia
Rating: FRT-13, mention of rape/torture
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Word Count: 804
Haley scrambled, rising half out of her chair as she fished through her purse, Aaron's ringtone beeping out the 1812 Overture in muffled, tinny notes.
One-one thousand, two-one thousand.
The Tchaikovsky ceased as Haley flipped open the phone, giving way to Aaron's voice, distant and overlaid with the faint ruffle of skin over denim. "--moving like a rape victim when we got to him."
Six-one thousand.
Morgan's voice, frustrated, pained and unintelligible.
Ten-one thousand.
Debra slid her tray onto the table, raising an eyebrow at Haley. She opened her mouth to ask who was on the phone, only to be cut off with a curt hand gesture.
Twelve-one thousand.
"-would use that perfect memory of his-" The rest of Aaron's question was lost to the start of a series of tones and pauses.
Who. Two, monotone. Morgan.
Pause. "--been there--"
Where she was needed. Another two, the first held, then sliding into a higher note. Home.
Pause. Morgan's voice again, cracked.
"Haley?"
She almost missed the next set, then flashed her friend an angry look, pressing one finger to her lips in a request for silence.
Watching quietly from his high chair, Jack mimicked her, then smiled wide and banged his free hand on the tray. The blocks he was playing with jumped and toppled over.
Need and worry tightened her chest, making it hard to breathe as she struggled to translate the last three messages.
Call JJ. Jack.
The line went dead. Haley was slow in reacting, leaning back in her chair as she hit end, then snapped the phone shut and rested her arm across the table.
"What in the world was that about?" Debra asked.
"I need to make a phone call and go home," Haley said, shaking herself back to full awareness. She opened the phone again, scrolling through the numbers in memory.
"Wait. Aaron's calling you home? What about--"
"I told you, one of Aaron's team members was badly hurt and I might have to leave."
Debra's eyes narrowed. "Haley, they're Aaron's team. Let him take care of them. It's not like he hasn't left you behind to deal and gone running off on a case."
Muscles tensing in offense, Haley looked up from her phone. "Debbie, Aaron's team is part of his family. I've told you that before."
"Aaron's painted a huge bullseye on your back, and Jack's. You think the people he goes after aren't going to hurt him any way they can? Do you really think getting involved with the rest of his team isn't just going to make it worse?"
"I knew that going in." Haley didn't bother explaining the phone codes Aaron had worked out and made her learn, the other things he'd done to make sure he could protect her as much as possible. Debra couldn't come up with a sharp comeback for that, and Haley used the pause to hit talk.
The phone rang twice.
"Hello?"
"JJ, it's Haley."
"Um. Hi? What's up?" JJ sounded confused.
"Aaron asked me to call you."
"Okay?"
"I hope you know why, he didn't tell me. He just told me to call you. He's talking with Morgan at the moment--"
"Oh," JJ interrupted. "Yeah. Thanks. Let him know I'll have the arrangements made, but Morgan will have to come by the office to pick up the paperwork."
"I will."
"Um. Are you taking Jack home now?"
"If Debbie lets me."
Debra shot her an insulted look.
"I think Jack might be just what Morgan needs right now."
Pain sliced through Haley, making her fight to keep it off her face. Derek adored kids, and was adored right back; the whole team knew that, and knew that he should have some of his own. They also knew better than to bring it up as a subject of discussion. She choked regret down enough to answer. "I hope so."
"So do I," JJ answered quietly. "I'll let you go. Say hi to Hotch when you get the chance, ok?"
"I will. Bye."
Debra glared at her in affront. "So you're just going to let him run roughshod over you?"
"Aaron is my husband. He doesn't ask me to get a job, or follow any of the patterns of domestic abuse. Trust me, those, I know, and I'd recognize. He's offered to pass up cases, and I've blown hot and cold on him with passive-aggressive shit I can't take back and haven't been able to apologize for. All he's asking for is my support for the rest of his family." Haley felt the warmth leech from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but my family comes first. If you can't recognize that family is more than Aaron, myself and Jack, do us all a favor."
"What's that?" Debra looked suspicious.
"Don't marry someone in law enforcement."
~~~the end~~~
Previous: To Logical Conclusions
Next: Protecting Empathy
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy
Author: Frogg
Beta: Adam and Nilandia
Rating: FRT-13, mention of rape/torture
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Word Count: 804
Haley scrambled, rising half out of her chair as she fished through her purse, Aaron's ringtone beeping out the 1812 Overture in muffled, tinny notes.
One-one thousand, two-one thousand.
The Tchaikovsky ceased as Haley flipped open the phone, giving way to Aaron's voice, distant and overlaid with the faint ruffle of skin over denim. "--moving like a rape victim when we got to him."
Six-one thousand.
Morgan's voice, frustrated, pained and unintelligible.
Ten-one thousand.
Debra slid her tray onto the table, raising an eyebrow at Haley. She opened her mouth to ask who was on the phone, only to be cut off with a curt hand gesture.
Twelve-one thousand.
"-would use that perfect memory of his-" The rest of Aaron's question was lost to the start of a series of tones and pauses.
Who. Two, monotone. Morgan.
Pause. "--been there--"
Where she was needed. Another two, the first held, then sliding into a higher note. Home.
Pause. Morgan's voice again, cracked.
"Haley?"
She almost missed the next set, then flashed her friend an angry look, pressing one finger to her lips in a request for silence.
Watching quietly from his high chair, Jack mimicked her, then smiled wide and banged his free hand on the tray. The blocks he was playing with jumped and toppled over.
Need and worry tightened her chest, making it hard to breathe as she struggled to translate the last three messages.
Call JJ. Jack.
The line went dead. Haley was slow in reacting, leaning back in her chair as she hit end, then snapped the phone shut and rested her arm across the table.
"What in the world was that about?" Debra asked.
"I need to make a phone call and go home," Haley said, shaking herself back to full awareness. She opened the phone again, scrolling through the numbers in memory.
"Wait. Aaron's calling you home? What about--"
"I told you, one of Aaron's team members was badly hurt and I might have to leave."
Debra's eyes narrowed. "Haley, they're Aaron's team. Let him take care of them. It's not like he hasn't left you behind to deal and gone running off on a case."
Muscles tensing in offense, Haley looked up from her phone. "Debbie, Aaron's team is part of his family. I've told you that before."
"Aaron's painted a huge bullseye on your back, and Jack's. You think the people he goes after aren't going to hurt him any way they can? Do you really think getting involved with the rest of his team isn't just going to make it worse?"
"I knew that going in." Haley didn't bother explaining the phone codes Aaron had worked out and made her learn, the other things he'd done to make sure he could protect her as much as possible. Debra couldn't come up with a sharp comeback for that, and Haley used the pause to hit talk.
The phone rang twice.
"Hello?"
"JJ, it's Haley."
"Um. Hi? What's up?" JJ sounded confused.
"Aaron asked me to call you."
"Okay?"
"I hope you know why, he didn't tell me. He just told me to call you. He's talking with Morgan at the moment--"
"Oh," JJ interrupted. "Yeah. Thanks. Let him know I'll have the arrangements made, but Morgan will have to come by the office to pick up the paperwork."
"I will."
"Um. Are you taking Jack home now?"
"If Debbie lets me."
Debra shot her an insulted look.
"I think Jack might be just what Morgan needs right now."
Pain sliced through Haley, making her fight to keep it off her face. Derek adored kids, and was adored right back; the whole team knew that, and knew that he should have some of his own. They also knew better than to bring it up as a subject of discussion. She choked regret down enough to answer. "I hope so."
"So do I," JJ answered quietly. "I'll let you go. Say hi to Hotch when you get the chance, ok?"
"I will. Bye."
Debra glared at her in affront. "So you're just going to let him run roughshod over you?"
"Aaron is my husband. He doesn't ask me to get a job, or follow any of the patterns of domestic abuse. Trust me, those, I know, and I'd recognize. He's offered to pass up cases, and I've blown hot and cold on him with passive-aggressive shit I can't take back and haven't been able to apologize for. All he's asking for is my support for the rest of his family." Haley felt the warmth leech from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but my family comes first. If you can't recognize that family is more than Aaron, myself and Jack, do us all a favor."
"What's that?" Debra looked suspicious.
"Don't marry someone in law enforcement."
~~~the end~~~
Previous: To Logical Conclusions
Next: Protecting Empathy