SOMETIME IN THE BEGINNING
OF 2015

  THIS WAS A SHIT SHOW, correction, it was a disastrous shit show. Here he is, on his knees with his hands behind his head as most of his team members point their guns at him. Well, everyone besides Garcia who didn't have a gun, and Spencer, who was frozen in disbelief.

  Where had everything gone wrong?

  Was it when he figured out Maria's killer escaped prison and no one told him or when he discovered that, that man was coming after Sarah? Was it when he let himself become vulnerable? So vulnerable that he let go of all of his worries and started to focus more on his family, on Sarah and Spencer.

  Or was it because of right now, with a knife impaled into The Cleanser and his blood dripping from Atlas's raised hands? Making it look like Atlas stabbed and killed the serial killer.

  Maybe it all started to go wrong when he became an agent.

SECOND HALF OF
2011

    "Here's your badge and you can pick up your issued gun later, right now it's time to meet your team," The agent led Atlas through the halls of the building, "I will tell you, though, that they are a little protective of each and don't really like others coming into their 'territory'. Although I don't think it matters with you, since you know, SSA Hotchner personally vouched for you."

  The agent tried to mumble that last part to himself but the hall was strangely empty and it was quiet. Atlas understands, many try to get in with Aaron's team but it always ends up not working for them, at least that's what he thinks.

   Aaron Hotchner, his mentor, says differently. He says that they are simply not qualified, physically and emotionally for the job, and the ones that are hired usually resign a few years into the job.

Aaron did warn me some rumors would be going around.

"SSA Hotchner simply vouched for me, he didn't hire me, Section Chief Erin Strauss did, if you have a problem with that then I suggest taking it up with her." Atlas glanced at the man while clipping his badge to his dress shirt and stepped into the room full of agents.

It wasn't exactly his first time at the offices but it will be as an employee. He had visited once when he was picking up Aaron, late at night when hardly anyone was in the office, as a favor for Haley when their car was in the shop after it had unexpectedly broken down.

The only person of importance that was there that night, was Aaron's colleague but he was busy with other things so Atlas didn't interact with him.

Although the agent didn't need to tell him that the team members probably wouldn't accept him, he knew coming in now would lead to some resistance from the other agents. Not only because he was new but because one of their own had passed not too long ago, two months ago to be exact.

Atlas had heard of Emily Prentiss from mostly Jack but on the rare occasion where Aaron did speak about his coworkers to him, he had sensed that she was a good person, one that everyone loved after getting to know her when she came to the team.

Coming to a stop at the door labeled 'AARON HOTCHNER', Atlas lifted his hand to knock when a harsh voice from inside interrupted him.

"Two months, Hotch! It's barely been two months and Strauss already hired someone else," A deep voice was heard from behind the door loudly causing the two people at the desks below on the lower floor to stop and look up.

"I'm not arguing about this with you, Morgan." Aaron's voice was cooled, no emotion peaked through his voice.

"We don't need another one of Strauss's people coming in, look what happened to the last one." The man named Morgan let anger seep into his voice.

The silence was painful.

"That's enough, he's already been hired and should be starting today," From what he could hear, Aaron started to move things on his desk around, and the sound of paper came through, "Actually he should be here any moment."

Taking it as his cue, Atlas knocks on the door, and the other man in the office opens the door. He looked at Atlas before stomping off, the two that were in front of the office on the lower floor took off after Morgan.

Aaron told him to come in and close the door. Atlas sat in the chair in front of Aaron's desk and just completely deflated, "I take it, that was the welcome committee?"

"Hm, I would say it's good to see you under any other circumstances but as you can tell—"

"It's not a good one, right?" Atlas tilted his head and stared at his mentor now boss.

Aaron nodded his head then sighed, "How are you? It's been a few months since we last saw each other, how's Sarah?"

He sounded apologetic for not contacting him. Atlas waved his hand, he knew how busy Aaron got so he wasn't annoyed, "I'm fine, just getting settled in the new apartment."

"And Sarah?" Sarah, on the other hand, wasn't.

"She—she's kind of annoyed?"

"You say that as if it's a question." Sarah loved Aaron. When she was a baby, she had somehow got it into her head that Aaron was Atlas's 'father', so she would call him grandpa even though he was just eleven years older than him.

"You know she thinks of you and Jack as family, she said that family should see each at least once a week," Aaron visibly softened, "And she's mad at me for enrolling her into private school but you know how I am."

"Paranoid?" Aaron's lips twitched.

"Yea—no, careful," Atlas rolled his eyes at the older man, "As long as that man is alive, I can't have her being connected to me, that's why everything is under her Tia Alexia's name. Which is not illegal, I had someone look into that."

  "Only Strauss and you know about her, I just hope it stays this way." He looked down at his hands which were covered in callouses from the training he'd been through.

  Aaron once again sighs, "Good luck with that. Though I don't know if working with profilers was the best occupation to have when wanting to keep a secret. We do uncover—"

   "Secrets for a living, yeah I know." Atlas cut Aaron off.

   After a few minutes of talking to Aaron, he turned his head to the window, where the blinds were open. He could see the other members of the team in the kitchen area, every few seconds they would very unsubtly look into Aaron's office to glance at Atlas.

  "We should get the introduction over with." Aaron stood up and gestured for Atlas to follow him.

"Okay, I'm ready." Atlas straighter his black suit top and followed Aaron.

  He wasn't, not really.

"What! Does this mean I get to call you Hotch?"

an
Pls ignore the timeline, it's a mess other than that please enjoy this short first chapter which takes place just before hotch leaves for a few months and after emily 'dies'

also just letting everyone know this is actually going to be a slow burn meaning they aren't getting together in the first act (s7-s8) it's going to be yeeeaars before they even kiss lol