EPILOGUE. SEVERAL YEARS LATER

"JACK, GRACE, WE'RE LEAVING!" DAISY CALLED AS SHE RUSHED OUT THE BEDROOM, FIXING HER COAT SLEEVES. She wove through the apartment in search for the ten-year-old and his sister, following the smell of freshly baked cookies into the kitchen to find the half-siblings fanning the goods with the recipe box. She chuckled at the sight, ruffling the boy's blond hair and kissing the side of his head, before moving onto the younger of the two. "Those look amazing, guys!"

"Thanks," Jack beamed, speeding up the cooling process by waving the box up and down even faster. Grace was sitting on a dining room chair she'd dragged over in hopes to see what he was doing, though she was just tall enough to look over the countertop. "I'm trying to get them cold enough for you and dad to eat before you go."

"Well, in that case," Daisy trailed off, reaching for the cookie on the end of the tray, only for Jack to swat her away. She laughed, rubbing her wrist with her other hand. "Hey!"

"They're too hot," the boy insisted, his thin brows furrowed in concentration. He looked a lot like his father when he did that. "Aunt Jess says they could burn your mouth."

"Too hot, mommy," Grace repeated, shaking her head vigorously.

Daisy pouted, looking up to see Jessica Brooks walking into the room. The woman tapped her watch to indicate that they were running late, and the ex-agent blew out a spout of air from her cheeks, before leaning back to call down the hallway. "Aaron, we're not gonna get there in time for the first round!"

The man sped through the home, his footsteps loud and purposeful - something that had stayed the same over the years. He had changed from his suit to a pullover and jeans, though the casual look he was trying to achieve was thrown off by his worried expression. "Have you seen the team badges?"

"They're right here," Daisy grabbed her purse on the kitchen counter and pulled them out, tossing him one. He sighed in relief and clipped it onto his collar, the bright blue words of their trivia team name, the BEANIE BABIES unmistakeable. Daisy grinned, remembering when Penelope had brought them around to each of them to honour the stupid thing her sister requested be named after her.

Aaron walked around to the kids, reaching for one of Jack's cookies, only for the ten-year-old to smack him away as well. "They're not ready yet, dad!"

"Seriously?" he groaned dramatically, before picking Grace up and balancing her on his hip. The toddler wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into him, so he bounced her up and down with a smile on his face. "But they look so good, buddy. You gotta let us have a couple for the road."

"Wait," Jack hummed, reaching for some napkins and wrapping the two biggest cookies up tightly. He gave them to Daisy, making sure she didn't burn her hand. "Here. You can't have them until they've cooled down, promise?"

"Promise," Aaron chuckled, leaning forward and pulling his son into his other side. Daisy put the cookies in her bag and grabbed the car keys, before making a surprised 'ooph' sound as Jack leapt onto her to say his goodbyes.

The young boy always had trouble parting with the woman he'd now come to know as a maternal figure. As much as he missed his mother, the late Haley Brooks, he had completely embraced the support and love Daisy had given when she entered his life. After Grace's birth, she'd left the BAU to return to therapy, wanting to help survivors cope and still make it home on time. It gave her some peace of mind, and let her finally have the life she wanted - a life with a family.

Aaron was still on call for cases, but she never once complained. She knew exactly how it felt, and how hard it was to leave. They still had moments together, and that was all the mattered to the both of them.

Bending down so that she could hug him properly, Daisy cradled Jack's head. "I'll see you in the morning, okay honey?"

"Okay," Jack muttered into her shoulder, holding her tight. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Daisy smiled, kissing his forehead before she straightened up once more. She didn't notice how Aaron was watching them with a wide smile. Jessica did the same, thankful her nephew had someone to take care of him the way her sister would have wanted. "C'mon, we've really gotta go."

Daisy patted Aaron's shoulder and kissed Grace's cheek, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she prepared to finally leave.

"Are the geniuses coming?" he asked between the kisses he peppered against his giggling daughter's cheek. Once he put her down, he gave Jack another hug and kiss, before rushing after Daisy. Over the years it seemed they had finally balanced out - she wasn't so scatterbrained, while he wasn't so intense. The spark that brought them together was still there, but it had matured into a calming fire.

"I've got no idea," she called over her shoulder, waving to Jessica as she opened the front door. She let Aaron out before her so she could shut and lock the entrance, using her free hand to give him her phone. There weren't any messages from Spencer or Rhea, seeing as they were either both busy, or had forgotten to respond (Spencer was likely the former, while Rhea was the latter). "They're both awful at texting me back. Y'know, for two smart-asses, you'd think at least one would figure out how to work a phone."

Aaron hummed, reaching for Daisy's hand. He put her phone back in her pocket, then tightened his grip. "You said earlier that you wanted to talk to me about something. Is everything alright?"

Daisy looked up and hesitated, before pulling him to a halt in the corridor of the apartment floor. Aaron's brows dipped in concern and his head tilted to the side curiously. She sighed, her shoulders tensing. "I was talking with Jack the other day...and he asked if he could start calling me 'mom'."

Aaron made an 'ah' sound, managing a sad smile. He'd lost a part of him after Haley died, and both he and Daisy knew it was never going to return. She was his first love and the mother of his first child - she was so incredibly important and could never, ever be replaced or forgotten. However, remembering her got easier as the years passed, and it wasn't as hard to talk about, especially with Daisy's constant support. She knew she was important too, and that she was loved just as much. She and Haley were different people, and there was no comparing the two. "And what did you tell him?"

Daisy averted her eyes, staring at the ugly carpeted floor. "I told him he can call me whatever he's comfortable with, because I'll love him no matter what. So...he decided that he'll give it a try. I know I'm not Haley, but-"

"He knows that, too," Aaron said softly, reaching up to cup her cheek. The roots of her hair had gone a little grey, as had his, though they still loved each other. It had been, what, six years since they'd shared a kiss in the rain? And here they were, forever intertwined as fate had planned. "But he sees you as someone who cares for him just like his mother did. You may not have given birth to him, but you've helped raised him into an amazing kid."

Daisy leaned into him, the softness of his sweater bringing a familiar comfort. "Are you okay with it? Jack was nervous about saying anything."

"Really?" Aaron's mouth was downturned. He understood why, but that didn't make it any easer. He exhaled and gently kissed the woman before her. "I'm glad he has you, you know. I'm glad Grace has you. I'm glad I have you, Alvarez."

Daisy smiled against his lips.

"I'm glad I have you too. And you can stop calling me Alvarez. It's Hotchner."

★☆

:')

HAPPY ENDING BITCHES

thank you so much for reading

all of your comments have been so lovely and supportive and ngl i've cried reading some of them and i'll try to reply to as many as i can but just know that i've read them all and I love each and every one of you

i'll hopefully post my spencer book in the next few days, and that'll be set during daisy's pregnancy and there's a couple of fun scenes about that which you guys will hopefully enjoy

also grace hotchner is my BABY no i don't take any criticism i love her so much and FINALLY one of the bau members has a baby girl (besides joy) cause for some reason they all keep popping out boys??? huh fuck that

anyway

i was thinking about doing like a graphic gallery or something for this book?? so if you're good at designing graphics like gifs/moodboards/posters/covers/etc/etc feel free to make something and send it my way and i'll make a lil chapter for all of the artwork!!!

bye guys, i love you all x