Your phone rings. You look down and see it's Aaron calling. Smiling, you answer.

"Hey there," you chirp.

"Hi, y/n," he replies. You can hear his smile. "I was wondering if you could babysit again?"

"Mmhmm, sure! For how long?"

"How long can you stay?"

You laugh. "Aaron, I have absolutely no social life. I just need to know how much clothes I need to pack."

"About a week's worth?" His voice is almost scared.

"Noted. Okay. You want me there now or..."

"Tomorrow morning around 9. Is that alright?"

"Sure thing, boss." You jokingly call him 'boss' sometimes, seeing as he is your primary babysitting client. "See you tomorrow."

The next morning you pull up to the Hotchner household and are eagerly greeted by a five-year-old Jack.

"Hey, kiddo!"

"Y/n, y/n, y/n, y/n!" he shouts, running into your open arms.

"Ooooooooh you're getting so big!"

"You saw me last week!" he insisted.

"Well, you've gotten even bigger." With a little smirk, you add, "and older too! I think I see some bald spots!" adding a fake gasp as you 'search' Jack's head. "There's one right there!"

You and Jack laugh as you look up at Aaron, standing up to give him a hug.

"Be safe, okay?" you request.

"Always. You too." Aaron looks down at Jack. "Okay, buddy. Be good for y/n, alright? I'll see you soon, bud." He leans down to hug Jack and kiss him on the forehead before getting into his car.

"BYE!" Jack shouts, waving at Aaron's car until he can't see it anymore.

"Alright, Mr. Man. What shall we do?"

. . .

It's the end of the week. Aaron calls to let you and Jack know that he is coming home soon. After several laps around the living room, Jack tires himself out enough for you to take him to bed. You tuck him in and kiss him good night. You climb into the guest room bed and start to drift off to sleep when you hear a noise.

"Damn it," you hear someone whisper. "I told you to watch your step!"

You panic. You call Aaron. No answer. You try him again. No answer. You muster up the courage to leave your room and go to Jack's.

"Buddy? Hey, wake up, Jack."

"Hmm?" he sleepily mumbles.

"Everything's gonna be okay. I just need you to be real quiet and help Daddy work the case, okay?"

Jack nods, tiptoe running to Aaron's office the next room over.

Suddenly, your phone rings.

"Did you hear that?" one of the voices downstairs asks.

"Shit!" you whisper shout as you answer it.

"Aaron, there's someone in the house, get here as fast as you can. I'm gonna hand the phone to Jack. He's working the case. Okay, here he is. Hey, Jack? I need you to listen to Daddy, okay? Good boy." You hand the phone to Jack and leave the room.

"Wait- y/n!"

"Hi, Daddy," Jack whispers into the phone.

---

"Well hello there," a sickening voice coos, interrupting your pacing. "I was under the impression that no one was home," he continues.

"Please," you beg, "just take what you want. We don't have a safe or anything. Everything is in the bank. Please, just take what you want and go. I- I haven't called the police. No one n- needs to k- know about—" your tears prevent you from continuing.

"Mmm. Now, who's this 'we' you mentioned?"

"M- my, my," you searched for a lie. "My boyfriend and I. I- I don't l- live here. I was just watching the house- house plants while he- he's away."

"I see. Well, you make a tempting offer, and I am a reasonable man... but, my partner here isn't," he finishes with a cruel smile. "Sorry darling, nothing personal, but um, MORRIS!" he shouts. Moments later, a much smaller man with a gun is standing in front of you. "Do what you will. I'll be loading the car."

"P- please- please do- don't do this." Every molecule in your body screams at you to run, but you stay put for fear of leading the perpetrator to Jack.

"Shut up," the man says as he fires the gun.

---

"Jack what was that??" Aaron presses. He's 10 minutes away, trailed by a squadron of cops.

"I- I'm scared, Daddy," Jack whimpers.

"I- I know, I know. You're doing really well, buddy. Keep helping me work the case, okay?"

---

You lie on the hallway floor, hands pressed against the wound in your side, gasping for air, for how long you don't know. Eventually, you hear police sirens and the slam of car doors.

"Help... please... Jack's..." you weakly call.

"Y/N?" you hear Aaron's voice boom.

"Up here," you softly reply.

"Y/n! Oh god, y/n!" Aaron kneels beside you, putting one hand on your side, the other one your cheek.

"Get... Jack... Make sure... okay..." you sputter.

"No no no y- you need help. J- Jack's fine I was—"

"Jack... now..." you meekly insist.

"Okay, okay. I'll be right back." Aaron runs into his office and pulls Jack out of the trunk he was hiding in. Moments later he comes back.

"Y/n, keep your eyes open, come on, come on!" he urges.

"I- I—"

"MOMMY!" Jack screams.

"Jack!" Aaron calls in alarm. "I told you to stay in there!"

"Mommy Mommy please don't die!" he cries, running over to you. He collapses next to you and holds your face.

"I- I'm sorry, baby. M- Mommy's..." you begin to feel light-headed, black dots clouding your vision.

"Y/n! Y- y/n, please. Pull through and I'll marry you," Aaron quickly says.

Your eyes close as you hear the offer. You see blue gloves lifting you up before you completely black out.

. . .

You wake up in a hospital bed, a bag of B+ flowing steadily into your arm. You look over to see a card on your bedside table. You pick it up and see it's from Jack.

Tears streaming down your face, you whisper, "So it wasn't a dream." You press the card to your chest and close your eyes.

"You got the card, I see."

You look up to see Aaron standing in the doorway.

You nod.

Aaron sits next to you and wipes your tears. "Why are you crying?" he asks.

You show him the card. "He called me 'mommy'," you choke out.

Aaron smiles. "Well, that's who you are."

You shift in your bed a little, reasoning that if Jack calling you 'mommy' wasn't a dream, then neither was Aaron's proposal.

"I guess I have to buy a ring now, huh?" Aaron says with a smile.

"You- you weren't serious, were you?"

"Completely. Y/n I love you more than I've loved anyone in a long time. Jack needs you, I need you, we both love you..." Aaron paused. "And I have a sneaking suspicion that you love us too. We- we don't need to get married right away. Just, consider it?"

You start to answer when Jack runs in.

"Mommy Mommy you're okay!" Jack cries, flinging himself onto the bed.

You wince, scaring Aaron a little.

"Hey, buddy lets calm down a bit, okay? Mommy's not 100% right now, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Jack whispers, sitting still on the edge of the bed.

"So, what do you say?" Aaron asks.

"Are you gonna marry Daddy, Mommy? Are you gonna take the deal?"

You chuckle at the question.

"Well?" Aaron asks again. "Do we have a deal, Mommy?"

"I think you mean Mrs. Hotchner."