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TWENTY THREE. THE BABY AND BEANIE

WITH THE CASE WRAPPED UP BY THE LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE QUARTET COULD RETURN HOME AND VISIT THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE BAU. It was unexpected when JJ went into labour the same day Spencer was reconciling with his missing father, especially since she was three weeks early. But that didn't stop Daisy from rushing into the hospital room with Spencer at her side. She gasped softly, grabbing Spencer's arm in shock at the sight of the tiny baby in JJ's arms. Will, her partner (who she'd only met once or twice), stood next to her, looking almost as tired. 

"Oh my god," Daisy whispered, slowly nearing the new family of three. She knew Hotch was staring at the back of her head, but she didn't have the energy or the patience to see him. "That's a baby. That's...that's a human being."

"It's nice to see you too, Daisy," JJ laughed, watching as the young agent walked over, linking arms with Penelope. She didn't want to get too close in fear she'd do something wrong, so she kept her distance and watched the tiny child. 

Family. Thinking about that struck a chord in the young woman, and she held Penelope a little tighter. The tech analyst didn't think much of it, assuming her friend was just excited. But, Daisy was thinking about Beanie, sitting alone in her hospital bed day after day. 

Daisy remembered the day Beanie was born. She'd been woken up by her Aunt in the middle of the night to go to the hospital, where she saw little Beatrice curled up in her mother's arms. Daisy's father had told her that no matter what, she had to take care of her little sister. Daisy planned to do that until the day she died. 

"Congratulations," Spencer smiled, shaking Will's hand. Daisy snapped out of her own thoughts, making brief eye contact with Hotch. He nodded at her, as if to see if she was okay, but she just forced a smile and looked away. 

"How is it that I just went through fifteen hours of labour and you look worse than I do?" JJ joked, looking at Spencer. He was exhausted after the case, which didn't come as a surprise.  

"Don't be ridiculous," Spencer chuckled, dismissing the comment. "You look beautiful."

JJ and Will exchanged a glance, before the latter looked around the small group. "Well, I could sure use some coffee. Anyone else? My treat."

Daisy, along with the others, took that as their cue to leave. Spencer walked over to JJ as the room emptied, a proud smile on his face. 

"He's beautiful," Daisy pouted, leaning into Penelope's shoulder as they wandered back down the hall. "Good job, Will."

Will looked over his shoulder and grinned in response. The team gathered around the instant coffee machine, punching in their orders. Daisy denied a cup, hanging back and looking around. She hated hospitals. The fluorescent lights had never been comforting to her, neither was the smell of cleaning products and plastic. The idea that people were living and dying in a single building made her feel uncomfortable, despite her job. It was just overwhelming, having everything packed into one place. They also reminded her of Beanie, and the accident. 

"Alvarez, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hotch touched her arm lightly, and Daisy jumped. She turned and saw her boss standing behind her, a little surprised at her reaction. "You know, as a federal agent, you should be more aware of your surroundings."

"Thanks," she huffed sarcastically, following him to the corner of the waiting room, sitting down on one of the chairs. He sat to her right, leaving a seat between them. Daisy closed her eyes and rested her head on the wall behind her, though there was no point considering how bright the lights were, even through her eyelids. 

"We need to talk about what happened," Hotch began, his voice quiet enough that no one would overhear him. Daisy turned her head towards him and opened her eyes, squinting a little. Hotch cleared his throat. "Between us."

"Wait, did something happen between us?" Daisy attempted a joke, but at Hotch's glare, she deflated a little and sighed, looking down at her hands. "Hotch, there's nothing to talk about, okay? We were drunk, we made out, it's not a big deal. Like you said: it's not like it's gonna happen again."

Hotch's lips flattened into a flat line. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt by the way she just brushed him off. Then again, he had done the exact same thing only a few nights before. He was quiet, observing her closely for a moment. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent, likely from the lack of sleep she'd have gotten on the flight back. She still wasn't a huge fan of planes, and that wasn't about to stop any time soon. He leaned forward a little, adjusting himself in his seat. "Daisy..."

"I'm, uh," Daisy pushed herself out of the seat, her eyes directed at the tile floor. She just wanted to forget about it, in all honesty. Maybe if she pretended it didn't happen, it would all go away. "I'm gonna head home, get some sleep. I'll see you at work, Hotch."

Hotch opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He forced a smile and nodded, watching her turn and leave the hospital, waving goodbye to everyone else. His jaw clenched a little, and he wiped his clammy hands on his knees, wanting to kick himself. 

★☆

"Those are my favourites," Beatrice chirped as Daisy slid over a multipack of Butterfingers. The nineteen year-old watched as her older sister opened one for her. Beanie watched the woman curiously, her perfect brows knitted together. "Rhea's been showing me pictures of you and me together. She said you're an FBI agent, which is why you never come to visit."

Daisy tried to ignore the stab of guilt in her stomach. Rhea had been visiting far more, especially when the agent was out of state - it was something Daisy was incredibly grateful for - her best friend was making sure her sister wasn't forgetting. 

She broke the chocolate in half and fed it to the teenager, trying to find the words to say. "Yeah, I get pretty busy with work. I was actually in Vegas yesterday, if you can believe it."

"I've always wanted to go there," Beanie hummed after she chewed and swallowed. "What did you do there?"

"I solved two cases with my team," Daisy smiled, reaching to adjust Beanie's blanket. Her fingers accidentally brushed the teen's arm, feeling the chill of her skin. It shouldn't still be shocking her, but it did. "We stayed the night and went out on the town, then started a cold case the next day."

"A cold case?"

"A case that no one could solve," Daisy explained. "Sometimes we can't figure out what happened, so we have to move on."

"That's sad," Beanie muttered. Her eyes fell to her lap, seeming quite deep in thought. "Is my case cold?"

Daisy froze. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find the right words to say. Beanie looked over, waiting for an answer. Daisy felt her eyes burn a little, and she cleared her throat. "Um, no. That case closed after three days. We got the guy who did this, Beanie."

Beanie didn't call her out on the nickname. She just nodded solemnly. "Good. That's good."

The sisters sat in silence for a little while, turning their attention to the television in the room. It was reruns of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which had finished earlier in the year. It was Beanie's favourite show despite it being aimed at children, and Daisy couldn't help but find enjoyment in the story and characters. It made for a nice change compared to the things she saw every other day. 

Beanie perked up a little as two of the main characters, Sokka and Suki engaged in a kiss. Her lips curved, and she sighed softly. Daisy looked over and chuckled. "You've seen this before, kid."

"But it's so perfect," the younger girl mumbled, her eyes still attached to the screen. "They've been apart for so long but they still love each other. Have you ever loved someone like that?"

Daisy shook her head amusedly. "Can't say I have. Love's a lot harder to find than a good television show."

"I don't think so," Beanie replied stubbornly. "I mean, if you have a connection with someone it shouldn't be that hard."

Daisy reached over and ruffled Beanie's hair. "Well, maybe not with that attitude."

Beanie grinned. "Is your love life really that bad?"

"Hey!" Daisy's jaw dropped, causing her sister to burst into a fit of laughter. Daisy couldn't help but join in, running her hands down her face in embarrassment. "And yes, for your information, it is that bad."

"Rhea told me you slept with your boss," Beanie wiggled her eyebrows, and Daisy groaned, throwing her head back, her cheeks flushing bright red. Beanie giggled. "Is he hot?"

Daisy hid a snort behind her hand. She wasn't a liar, however. "Yeah. Yeah, he is."

"Do you have a picture?"

Daisy pulled up the picture of Hotch with the cows. Beanie made a suggestive sound, and Daisy rolled her eyes, though the smile still played at her lips. "Shut up. Nothing else is gonna happen between us, kid. He's way too serious for someone like me."

"He's way too serious?" Beanie pulled a face. "More serious than you?"

"I'll have you know I can be a lot of fun," Daisy stuck her tongue out, and Beanie did the same. It was nice, to have these moments. Sisterly time had become scarce after Beanie ended up in the hospital, tetraplegic and clinically depressed. 

"You're so serious around me, though," Beanie muttered. "Rhea says we used to be best friends."

"We can still be best friends," Daisy assured her. "I know I don't visit a lot, but-"

"It's okay," Beanie smiled softly, before she looked back at the television screen. Her eyes, however, were rimmed with tears at the realisation of why her sister didn't visit so often. "You're busy. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Daisy blinked, a tear rolling down her cheek. She dipped her head and tried to wipe her eyes without attracting attention. 

Beanie noticed, but she pretended she didn't. 

★☆

two updates in a day baby!!!

the way,,, i want hotch and daisy to yearn but i'm really bad at writing that kind of thing so i just say that they met eyes for a second then looked away 

anywhom 

hope you enjoyed this chapter?? maybe??? pretend you did anyway please