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4x02
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Gale couldn't contain her excitement as she prepared to officially join the team at the BAU. The past few weeks had been relatively calm after the chaos of their last case in New York. However, her happiness was mixed with worry for her brother, Hotch. He had just lost his close friend, Kate Joyner, while on their last case and was still recovering from the effects of the explosion had on his hearing. Gale had taken it upon herself to check up on him once in a while, despite to his protesting.
JJ had called the team in for another case while Gale was at her apartment. She quickly packed her belongings in her go bag and went to pick up Hotch along the way to the BAU. He had been at a doctor's appointment to check out his ear and Gale hoped everything had gone well.
The second her car rolled up to the office, Hotch walked out of the building and stepped into the car. Gale couldn't help but notice the weariness in his eyes. They drove up the the BAU, only listening to the faint sound of the radio. Once she had parked the car she mustered up the courage to address her concerns. "Hotch, I are you sure you're okay going on this case?" she asked.
"I said it before, I'm alright." he replied. When his hand went to open the door, Gale pressed the button and locked it.
Hotch's eyes momentarily flickered with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and glared over at Gale. "There is nothing you need to worry about Gale," he replied tersely, his tone guarded.
Tired of treading on delicate ground, Gale said. "Hotch, please... I care about you. You've always been there for me and Sean. Let me be there for you now. My place is always open," she pleaded softly. "I think think you might get lonely without Haley and Jack always around."
Hotch reached acrossthe vehicle and unlocked the car door from the driver's seat. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, we need to start working on the case."
Gale nodded, trying to hide her disappointment, and watched as Hotch turned and walked away, disappearing into the BAU headquarters. She knew that his divorce wasn't easy for him. Now with an empty home to return to, he had been spending all his mornings and nights at the BAU. No one deserved to hold that much stress, but the siblings weren't people who could really settle down.
She hadn't even had a chance to stop by her desk when she entered the BAU. Most of the team was already assembled at the roundtable. Trying not to draw attention, Gale slid into her seat after she entered the room. However, her observant eyes caught a subtle movement from Reid. He discreetly pushed a coffee cup towards her. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, she mouthed a silent "thank you" to him, a flicker of appreciation passing between them.
