Hotch's Niece | Criminal Minds

Steve

Reid and I chat for a little while, but all falls silent when the food comes. We've both gotten cheeseburgers with pickles and fries, and I've ordered Izzie chicken tenders and fries. She's a tad young, but it'll have to do.

"Mmmmm," I moan as I bite into the juicy burger, crunchy pickles sour-tasting on my tongue. Izzie is happily working away at the french fries, and Spencer takes a few moments to chop her chicken tenders into Izzie-safe bits, and when he pushes the plate back her way, she picks up one little piece of chicken with her chubby little baby hands and plops it in her mouth.

It doesn't take Spencer and I long to finish off our burgers, and the conversation starts back up as our eating is whittled down to just picking at the remains of our french fries.

"So Avery, what did you want to be? I mean, what was it that you wanted to do before all of this?" Spencer asks me, and I take a breath, choosing to lick my lips before answering. I always feel like choosing my words carefully around Spencer is important, because he is important, to me at least.

"I wanted to be a veterinarian," I tell him, stirring my glass of ice water with my straw.

Spencer smiles. "Why?"

He's staring at me, and his eyes alone make my skin light on fire.

"A friend of mine from back in Georgia, Callie, her mom was a vet, and I would go over to their house when they were fostering kittens or puppies, and her mother was just so good with them. I found it really interesting." I explain.

Spencer watches my lips move as I speak, staring right at them, and I can't help but realize that there is awe in his eyes, like I am the most amazing thing that he has ever seen.

We chat for a while longer, and before I know it, the food is gone and our check has come.

Ding!

My phone buzzes in my purse, and upon pulling it out I find a text from Uncle Hotch.

Izzie's family are in town, Morgan has gone to pick them up at the airport. Meet us back at the precinct in fifteen, bring Agent Reid and Izzie.

I sigh, unwilling to let go of the cute toddler.

"Well, Spence, duty calls." I tell the brunette man across the table from me. "Izzie's aunt and uncle landed. We've gotta get back to the precinct to meet them."

He stands immediately and slips on his jacket, swinging Izzie into his arms.

"Woah, why so quick to head out?" I laugh.

"You said duty calls, and well," Spencer turns to me, a smirk on his face. "I'm Batman,"

By the time we reach the precinct, I've only just stopped laughing at Spencer's idiocy. "Batman," I mutter to myself as I unbuckle Izzie from her car seat.

When we enter the precinct, an officer points us to the conference room.

As Spencer, Izzie and I approach we can see that our team is on the side of the conference table that is facing the window, and Hotch nods at us as we get closer.

Facing my team with their backs to us are a man and a woman. The man has blonde hair and the woman, who is considerably smaller than him, has deep red hair the same shade as Izzie's and it is cut in the exact same chin-length curls. I take a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering the room, knowing that when I leave it again Izzie will be on her way to a new life.