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“I loved it!”
“You did?”
“You didn’t?”
“Well…”
“Its OK if you didn’t.” she smiled when Hotch laced his fingers through hers. Beth loved his hands, his fingers. She hadn't gotten around to expressing that yet, it might sound creepy to a profiler, but there was time. They walked out of the busy movie theater. “It won't change my mind one bit on how much I loved it.”
“But did you love it, or did you love Liam Neeson?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
Hotch looked at her and Beth laughed. He loved her big, goofy laugh. Sometimes she didn’t need to laugh at all, she just made these happy noises and he got butterflies in his stomach. Like the first time he asked her out; she made this sound. It was squeeful, that’s what Penelope would’ve called it. And Beth’s squee was awesome. It was also contagious.
“Can you tell me what the movie was about?” Hotch asked.
“Of course I can. There were some wolves in it, and a lot of snow. There were some dudes that died…and Liam Neeson.”
“That’s what I thought.” He nodded. “It was the Neeson porn.”
“Oh my God, did you just say porn?” her dimples went deep when she grinned.
“I said porn, and I’ll say it again. Porn…see, that wasn’t so difficult.”
“Aaron Hotchner, I'm going to have to wash your mouth out with soap. You're such a bad boy.”
They were both laughing walking down the street on a cold February night. The winter had been relatively mild but there was a wind coming off the Potomac tonight that wouldn’t be denied. Beth pulled her scarf a little tighter but it fell again. Hotch stopped walking, turned to her, and bundled her nice and tight. His efforts were rewarded with a kiss. If her kisses were money, Hotch would be a wealthy man. And he wouldn’t mind spending his time counting every one of them.
“The film was alright.” He conceded. “There was a beautiful, tortured sadness to it. I liked the undertones of man vs. nature, God, survival…that kind of thing.”
“I liked Liam Neeson.” Beth replied.
“Name one other guy in the movie.”
“There was the guy who froze in that one scene.”
“Ahh yes, we can’t forget about the frozen guy. I really enjoyed his last movie as well. Wasn’t he nominated for an Oscar a few years back? I seem to recall…”
“Stop it.” she was laughing.
“No, I'm serious. It was a period drama. He was starring alongside Judi Dench and that other British guy who’s in all of those movies.”
“You're playing with me, Aaron.” Beth smiled up at him.
“Yes,” he gave her a quick kiss. “I am.”
“Someone had to be the star of the film. It’s not surprising that I don’t remember the other guys.”
“I think the wolves were the stars. They were amazing. Have you ever seen The Edge; that’s another great outdoor adventure film? That Kodiak bear…”
“Bart.”
“The bear has a name? And you know it?”
“Bart the Bear is famous. He starred in just about every bear movie from like 1990 to 2000 when he passed away. He was honored with other animal actors at the Academy Awards. He and Anthony Hopkins were in two films together, Legends of the Fall and The Edge.”
“Wow, Legends of the Fall.” Hotch sounded breathless when he said it.
“That doesn’t seem like the kind of film you'd be a fan of. I probably shouldn’t judge you though. I like it when you surprise me.”
“I wasn’t. Haley and her sister probably watched it a million times though. They would argue about Tristan and Alfred. Tristan…I don’t think I’ll forget that name as long as I live. For two weeks that was almost Jack’s name.”
“Haley is your late wife?” Beth asked.
“Yeah.” he nodded. It seemed strange that Beth didn’t know her name but it wasn’t as if Hotch talked about her all the time.
That would be a very bad idea. Hotch told her that he and Haley were divorced and that she passed away. The rest was the rest. There would surely come a time, like right now, where memories of their life came to the surface. With all the years they spent together, anything else would seem as if he was purposely trying not to talk about Haley. In a way that was exactly what Hotch was doing.
“Well Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins also did two movies together. Do you know the other one?”
“It’s a remake of Death Takes a Holiday.” Hotch replied. “I don't remember the title.”
“Meet Joe Black…we should watch it together some time.”
“I’d love to.” he smiled.
“Really?” Beth asked. They walked up to the Espresso Bar and he held the door for her.
“Probably not, but I will anyway.”
“Why?”
“We’ll be together while I'm doing it and I like when we’re together.”
“You said doing it, Aaron.”
He laughed despite himself. Damn, there really was something about this woman. The café wasn’t overly crowded and they picked a nice table by the window. Beth loved the chai tea lattes there and Hotch was a fan of almost every caffeinated beverage they served. So he took off his coat, draping it over the chair before helping her out of hers.
“Do you want a scone or Danish?” he asked.
“I would actually love a warm apple cinnamon crisp.” Beth replied. “With extra whipped cream please.”
Hotch thought that sounded perfect; he would have the same. There were only two people in line but the second register opened and Hotch walked over to it. He ordered their dessert, the chai tea latte, and apple flavored tea for himself. The music was soothing tonight, Cat Stevens. He liked that the music catered to people his age. Having to sit for a few hours listening to something that gave him a headache wasn’t appealing.
Hotch and Beth had been there a few times. He was starting to think of it as their place. The smile on his face was inevitable as he walked back to their table with a tray. Putting down their snacks, Hotch returned the tray to the front.
“So Meet Joe Black, huh?” he said, sitting across from her.
“It’s fabulous. Anthony and Brad are incredibly dreamy in it, though I'm not sure that’s a major selling point for you. The love story is achingly beautiful and sappy. Plus, there's Marcia Gay Harden.”
“What about Marcia Hay Harden?”
“She’s a seriously underrated and amazing actress. Did you know she has both a Tony and an Academy Award? How she didn’t get an Emmy for her stint on SVU I will never know. She plays the neurotic WASP to a tee in this movie and Jeffrey Tambor still loves her madly. I adore that; I adore their love.”
“You’ve seen a lot of movies.”
“I doubt I've seen more than your average fan. I like to escape, Aaron. I like to be with friends or curl up and enjoy something with an actor I love. I love seeing if the movie is anywhere close to the book. I love to be away from the world, the insanity, and the telephone for a few hours and just get into someone else’s life. Movie magic can't be denied. From the first one I saw in theaters, which was Sleeping Beauty, to watching Liam Neeson tonight…I'm captivated.”
“Do you have a favorite? Have I asked you that before?”
“You asked me about my favorite Denzel Washington movie. I'm sure I have a favorite but that would take some time to think about.” Beth sipped her tea. “My immediate answer is Network. The film is perfect; flawless in its execution. Plus I went through a phase in my late teens when I wanted to be a slightly less apathetic version of Diana Christensen. What about you?”
“It’s To Kill a Mockingbird.” Hotch replied.
“Atticus Finch; I can see that.” Beth said.
“You can see what?”
“I can see the parallels. It’s an amazing book and a powerful film.”
“I tend to lean more toward the classics than the currents.”
“You're the same with music.” Beth said.
“I'm probably the same with everything.” He admitted.
“I’ll say…it’s clear I'm being courted. I love that, by the way.”
Hotch wasn’t sure what to say about that. He didn’t want to dive into anything head first. He’d never really dated before, which was sad, and it took some time for him to get acquainted with people. But he didn’t have to be “Hotch” with her. And that in itself was so damn attractive. It had been forever since he didn’t have to be him.
With his job taking him away as much as it did, everything about this was difficult. Hotch was grateful the triathlon gave them a reason to be together at least once or twice a week. He was grateful that Beth approached him and took a risk. He was very surprised that he did the same. Four months in, they were dating now.
They even spent one awesome night together. It was chaste but Hotch found himself thinking of it often. Did that night take their relationship to the next level? He had no idea. But he was here, she was here, and they both made the most of their time together.
“Well I love doing it.” he said. When Beth snickered Hotch just smiled. “I'm going to have to find ways not to say ‘doing it’.”
“I really don’t mean to turn into a twelve year old boy.” She replied, shaking her head as she laughed. “I don’t know why I can't stop that.”
“When something feels good you don’t often want to stop.”
“Ahh, so regressing to junior high feels good?”
“Of course it does.” Hotch nodded.
“What's your favorite memory of junior high?” Beth asked.
“I remember riding a bike through my neighborhood pretending to be Steve McQueen behind the wheel of that 1968 Mustang.”
“Seriously?” she was smiling from ear to ear. That was probably the cutest thing she’d ever heard. Not only that, Beth was nearly floored that Aaron so willingly gave that piece of information. Memories seemed to be an issue for him. She was getting used to it and walked through the thorny shrubs slowly.
“It was a Schwinn Stingray Grey Ghost. I begged for it, and that wasn’t usually my way. My father told me straight As and I’d get it for Christmas. So I got straight As. And I got to be Bullitt.”
“I had a fire engine red Huffy with cards in the spokes so I could make all kinds of noise coming down the street. I remember taking Dead Man’s Hill on it…I hated to turn down dares.”
“How many bones did you break?” Hotch asked, his dimples coming out to play.
“I broke my arm in two places.” Beth replied. “But I got my street cred, baby.”
They both laughed and Hotch looked at his watch. He hated having to do that but his schedule was tight. He didn’t spend as much time with Jack as it was…being out all night wasn’t good. The hour was turning late and Beth sensed it as well.
“Should we get going?” she asked.
“Probably.”
“We’ll I can grab a cab from here so you can get right home.”
“I hate for you to have to do that, Beth.”
“I'm a big girl, Aaron, its OK.”
“I still don’t like it.”
She smiled as they got up from the table. Bundling into their winter gear, they threw out their trash and headed back outside. There were still plenty of people and cabs around. Beth and Hotch walked hand and hand to the corner to hail one. It was never a good idea to step out between cars in DC.
“I had a good time tonight as usual.” She said.
“I did too. Oh, before I forget, I'm taking Jack to the Dinosaur Museum next Sunday. At least I hope I am. I thought it would be fun for you to come with us. I told him that you love dinosaurs too.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.” Hotch nodded. “I want you to get to know Jack. If you're uncomfortable I understand but…”
“No,” she shook her head. “I really want to. I just didn’t want to impose. I know we’re taking it slow and I assume Jack and I are going to take it even slower. That’s perfectly alright. Still, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to another adventure with the two coolest guys in DC.”
“OK. So, text me when you get home.”
“I will.” Beth held up her arm and a cab stopped. She pulled Aaron into a hug before kissing him. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Goodnight.” Hotch held her hand for a moment longer. He held it to his lips, let go, and watched her climb into the back of the cab. Stepping up on the curb, he waved as it drove back into traffic.
Smiling, he started the walk back to his car. He wanted to take her home but it was good of her to be concerned about him getting back in good time. He grabbed his phone off his hip and dialed Penelope’s cell phone. Jack was in bed, she was watching a movie, and all was well. He told her he’d be home within a half an hour. Then he opened his text message. Walking and texting could be dangerous but Hotch was willing to take the risk this one time.
‘I want to find another way of saying I had a good time.’ –Aaron
A message came back as he was walking into the lot and over to his truck. Hotch waited until he was inside before looking at his phone again. The city could be dangerous and he needed to keep his wits about his surroundings.
‘How about we just say lets do it again, and again and again?’ –Beth
‘You said doing it.’ –Aaron
‘Hotchner made a funny, lol. You keep this up and I might have to be crazy about you.’ –Beth
‘That would be alright too.’ –Aaron
‘You let me know when you're ready and I’ll do the same. Promise?’ –Beth
‘I promise. Talk to you soon.’ –Aaron
While he wasn’t entirely sure what the gravity of that exchange was, Hotch knew he would keep going with the flow. He liked her, he knew that and so did everyone around them. Moving too fast wasn’t a good idea but after four months he could probably speed up from slow motion. While Hotch was figuring out how to do that, they would have more good times together and even a few with Jack.
***