It's been almost 3 months since Aaron left and nothing felt right. Whenever you got home it was quiet.

The amount of work you've been doing is insane. You've been pulling 12-13 hour shifts for a couple of weeks. You would go home more tired than the previous day. Today was one of those days.

When you finally got in your car you could feel the ache in your feet start. You debated if you should take your shoes off or not. Before you could decide against it your phone was ringing.

Skype call from Aaron.

You accepted the call as you pulled out of the parking garage. You were met with his face. He had started to grow a beard and you weren't against it.

"Hi." You smiled and placed your phone on the dashboard.

"Hi. Where are you?" He couldn't see you only from the street lights.

"In the car, I'm going home." You lifted your hand to the clip that was in your hair. You unclipped it and threw it in the direction of your purse.

"Isn't it 10 o'clock over there?" He asked. The time zone thing caused a lot of headaches but you both made it work.

"9:47." You corrected.

"And you're just going home now?"

"Yeah, JJ isn't supposed to come back for another couple of weeks, so we're down 3 agents." You rested your arm on the middle console.

"What about the full-ins?"

"The full-ins are interns that have only been with the bureau for a week and don't know where the filing room is." He laughed at your annoyance.

"Weren't you an intern?" He asked.

"Yeah but I'm me so I don't think that counts."

His face was clear on your phone. It was hard to see his dimples from the growing beard. You missed poking them whenever he smiled.

"I miss you." You said softly, you didn't even think he could hear you.

"I miss you too. We're trying to get things turned around fast but they had nothing when I got here."

"I know." You said. From the corner of your eye, you could see his eyebrows were together.

"We get consistent updates about open tasks forces to make sure our resources are in the right places." You explained and he nodded along.

"For example, I know that right now you're supposed to be reorganized officers, but you're talking to me instead." You stopped at a red light and looked to your phone just in time to see him holding up a clipboard.

"I finished and I called you cause I haven't talked to you for 3 days." He defended.

It had been a long 3 days since you guys had talked. Even when he did call it couldn't last for long. You knew that he had major work to do and so did you. But you missed just hearing his voice.

The longest you went without talking was close to 2 weeks. It may not seem like a long time, but going from seeing each other every day to not talking for two weeks was driving you crazy.

The two of you had been together for the last week he had. Which made it harder to watch him leave.

But knowing that he was there- even though it may be on the phone- made you feel better.

"You know you're supposed to drive with both hands on the wheel right?" He said.

"Yeah I know, but it doesn't matter anymore because I'm home." You put the car in park and turned on the car light. You leaned over the center console to try and look for the clip that you threw.

"You got home that fast?"

"It's gonna be 10 o'clock on a Tuesday, no one's up and about." You smiled and found the clip on the floor of the passenger side. You grabbed it and started to fix your hair again.

"Besides you." He clarified.

"Besides me." You grabbed all the files that were spilling out of your bag. Finally grabbing your phone you started to make your way to your apartment.

When you got upstairs you dropped everything at the front door and walked straight into your room. You let out a loud groan when you threw yourself onto your bed.

"You ok over there?" You could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah." You forced yourself to sit up. You stood and placed your phone up on the dresser so he could see you moving around the room. You went to the bathroom to start the water for your shower.

"Is that my sweater on the bed?" He asked. You turned to your bed and saw the sweater that you had stolen from his house.

About a week after he left, the clothes that he has at your house didn't smell like him. So one day after getting back from a case, you drove to Aaron's house and rated his closet. Also successfully stealing- borrowing his cologne.

Thankfully that's what was holding up your phone.

"Uh," You walked over to your phone and moved it so he was looking at the ceiling." No." You went to the bed and threw the sweater in your closet.

"That was my college hoodie." He said.

"No, it was not." I picked your phone back up.

"Then what was it?"

"That was my new boyfriend's sweater," you joked. "I was waiting till you got back to tell you." He didn't question you, he just laughed.

"Where did you get it? I don't remember leaving it at your place."

"I may have ransacked your closet a few days after you left." You clarified.

"I figured it would happen sooner or later." He shrugged and smiled.

"What do you want me to do? I miss you."

"I miss you too, I'll get back as soon as I can."

The want for him to be laying next to you again was so bad. Truth be told the only reason you had been staying at work late was that you didn't want to walk into an empty home. That's besides all the crazy amount of work to do.

Before you could say anything else you heard some yelling from the other side of the phone. It was muffled but it caught Aaron's attention.

"Hold on." He stepped away from the phone and walked to where the voice was coming from.

You distracted yourself by getting the things for your shower ready. You were spraying his cologne on his sweater when he came back into the frame. Once you hear his voice you hide your arms behind your back.

You didn't think he saw anything, but then he gave you a knowing look. You called it the I-know-exactly-what-you're-doing look.

"I have to go." He said bluntly. Your face instantly fell.

You nodded trying to find the words. "Be safe." That was all you could come to say.

You couldn't didn't have the will power to hang up the phone and neither did he. The two of you just say in silence for another minute. There was another yell and Aaron quickly grabbed his phone.

"Ok, I have to go." He said

"Bye."

"Bye." And just like that, he was gone.

"I love you." You said to your locked phone.

After taking a deep breath you grabbed your phone and walked to your bathroom.

~~~~~

When you opened your eyes you heard your phone ringing. You uncurl yourself from the blanket and reach to your night stand.

"What?" You answered.

"Good you're awake." Derek's voice was cherry.

"Actually I'm not." You groaned and rolled over in your bed. Your hand fell to the empty spot where Aaron used to lay.

"Get ready."

"Get ready for what? The suns not even up." You pulled the phone from your ear to see the time.

6:45

"Derek it's 6:45." You threw your face into a pillow.

"I know what time it is and we're gonna go for a run before the sun comes up."

"Why would we do that?" You didn't sound enthusiastic.

"Because I checked the time you got on your mile, and you went from a 5:38 to a 6:49, and I won't allow that."

"Derek I have enough case hours so I don't have to even have to do the mile."

"I know that, but if you're going to continue to be my partner you need to step it up and I'm here to help." You could tell he was smiling through the phone.

"But it's too early." You complained again.

Before you could give an actual reason there was a knock at your door. You chuckled knowing to damn well it was him.

"Your kidding me right?" You asked anyway.

"Come on." You heard a yell from the door.

You reluctantly got out of bed to answer the door. You were met with an overall happy Derek who was wearing a muscle t-shirt and gym shorts.

"Go away." You said.

"Never." He walked into your apartment.

There was no way you were gonna get out of this so you went to go change. You found a pair of leggings that you were going to die in. You threw on an old shirt that you didn't care if it got dirty.

When you walked out of your room you saw Derek standing in the kitchen. You walked past

him and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

"Let's get this over with." You said and walked to your door.

"What no water bottle for me?" He hadn't moved from his spot.

"You wake me up at 6:45, you chose dehydration." You said and waited for him to walk out of your apartment.

Derek was focused on the road and you were watching the sunrise. It was taking everything in you to keep your eyes open.

You clearly didn't have time to drink your coffee. And there was a high chance you would be in too much of a rush go make some before heading to the office. The coffee at the office wasn't the best but it did the job.

"You look exhausted." He said.

"Oh you really do know a way to a girl's heart." You smiled.

"I'm sorry." He laughed. "I mean it's just looked like you haven't slept. Especially because you've been working late."

"How do you know I've been working late?"

"One night I forgot a file and went back to the office. I saw you at your desk, but I didn't dare tell you to go home."

"Wise man." You rested your head on the back of the seat.

"Y/N, you need to get some sleep."

"I know, I just hate coming home to an empty house." Your voice was soft.

"I get it. Savannah and I only see each other once in a blue moon."

"You both have demanding jobs, I'm not surprised. But you guys make it work." You said.

"So do you."

"Well considering Aaron is on the other side of the world, I don't think it really counts." You smile

at the thought of it. How much you just wanted to lay in his arms.

"You're still doing your best even when he is here."

"I guess you could say that."

You got quiet when you mind drifted to the moments when you were with Aaron and not Agent Hotchner.

There was enough to hold on to, enough for you not to lose your mind.

Your guy's anniversary was right around the concern and you had no idea what you were gonna do. You both had talked about going out to dinner and having a day to yourselves. That back when. you both thought he was going to be here.

"But we got each other right?" Derek said and parked his car next to the hiking trail.

"Yeah I'm not going anywhere." You got it if the car and looked at the trail ahead of you.

The sky was painted of oranges and pinks as the sun popped out of the clouds.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Oh you misunderstood, when I said I'm not going anywhere I meant I'm gonna sit my happy ass on that bench," You pointed to the bench across from the car. "and watch as you run around."

He laughed but grabbed your arm and dragged you up the trail.