Hey guys! Souvenir 2.0 is here! I'm really thankful for your support, and I'm super happy that I finally got this chapter done! If you see any mistakes, please let me know! I'm starting the new chapter right now, I'm hoping to have it done by next week, but if you've read my stories before, you know I update randomly. R&R, loves!
I don't own criminal minds or Alibi by 30 Seconds To Mars, but I do own the story that was inspired by both.
No warning sign, no alibi,
We faded faster than the speed of light.
Took our chance, crashed and burned
No, we'll never ever learn.
I fell apart, got back up again,
And then I fell apart, but got back up again,
Yeah.
We both could see crystal clear,
That the inevitable end was near.
Made our choice, a trial by fire,
To battle is the only way we feel.
I fell apart, but got back up again,
And then I fell apart, but got back up again,
And then I fell apart, but got back up again.
30 Seconds To Mars
Emily has been back at the BAU for three months now. It turns out that Emily really prefers Quantico over London. When Emily decided that she wanted to come back, the team of course immediately said yes, excited to get a member of their family back. Agent Blake decided to resign, stating that she has "Had enough excitement for two lifetimes."
When Emily arrived, the whole team noticed a difference in the woman. This quiet, timid women was not the Emily Prentiss that went to London. People say that the eyes are the window to the soul. If that's the case, Emily has blocked out any emotion that she is feeling, resulting in her big brown eyes missing that mischievous twinkle in them.
The thing that stood out the most, however, was the change of her style. One thing that really set off alarms was that Emily was wearing long sleeves to work every single day. Normally there would be nothing strange about that, but it's 85 degrees outside, no one in their right mind is wearing long sleeves, except Emily of course, and that made people question her psyche. Obviously, she's not cold, so that leaves one explanation: something was very wrong.
Only Emily and Hotch were left at the office, both catching up on paper work.
"Hotch?" Aaron's head snapped up at the sound of Emily's voice, pulling him from his analysis of Emily. "You asked to see me, sir." Aaron offered her an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else. Emily, I called you in because your behavior has been.. Different."
Emily had a look of pure shock on her face for a split second before it became her outstanding poker face. "I don't understand what you mean by that, sir."
Aaron wasn't buying the whole oblivious act. "Emily, you work with a team of profilers. Someone was going to notice that you have been unusually quiet, won't look me, and I'm sure the others, in the eyes, are wearing long sleeves to work every single day, not to mention the fact that you are biting your nails again. Emily this is coming from your friend Aaron, not your boss. I'm worried about you."
Emily's head snapped up to look at Hotch. "Thank you for your concern, sir, but I assure you that I am perfectly fine."
Aaron decided to take a risk, not knowing how Emily would react to his plan, but it had to be done for him to be sure of himself. Aaron gently grabbed Emily's face and forced her to look him in the eye. Emily, surprised by the sudden action, flinched in response, the action not going unnoticed by Aaron.
'Great Emily, if you were by some miracle convincing him earlier that you were okay, all that just flew out the window.' Emily thought, keeping her gaze on the floor instead of on Aaron's face.
"You're scared of me." Aaron stated, more to himself than to Emily. He let go of her face and leaned against the wall, lost in thought.
"It's not like that Hotch. I'm really not scared of you." 'I'm scared of everyone.' "I'm fine." Said Emily as she absent mindedly scratched at his arm.
Aaron's gaze followed Emily's left hand as she scratched at her right, and he put all the pieces together. Aaron looked up at Emily's face, then back to her arm. "Roll up your sleeves , Emily." Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner commanded.
Emily had a look of total shock on her face, and sighed. Of course he would ask her to do that. There was no point in hiding it any longer, she knew Hotch had already figured it all out. Ever so slowly she rolled her sleeves up, revealing numerous scars, some faded and white, others newly cut, still red. Aaron gently grabbed her arm and looked closely at the scars, running over some of them with his thumb.
He felt Emily tense up, so he gently released her arm, walking back to his desk. Aaron walked back towards her, then back towards his desk, the beginning of his pacing. His mind was going 100 miles per hour, trying to grasp the abominable situation. He abruptly stopped pacing, and turned to look at Emily.
"Cutting, flinching, avoiding eye contact and total personality change. All of this points to a recent traumatic event that you are either denying or not dealing with properly. Do you want to explain what happened, Emily?"
Emily's lifeless brown orbs looked up to Hotch, finally gathering the courage to look at her boss, her friend, in the eye. "If you are implying that I was assaulted, then yes, I was assaulted." Emily still couldn't bring herself to say the "R" word. Aaron sat in his chair as the deafening silence filled the room, tension thick enough that you could cut it with a knife.
"Emily, when did the assault take place?"
"Exactly three months and 16 days ago."
Aaron nodded his head. "That's why you requested to be transferred back to quantico."
Emily nodded her head, not trusting her voice.
Emily, why haven't you talked to someone? We could've got you some help. We still can."
Emily shook her head and laughed bitterly. "Help? Yeah, because all I want to do is talk about the worst day of my life. Thank you for the offer, but I am far beyond help."
"Don't talk like that, Emily. You are not beyond help. A traumatic event occurred in your life, you need time to heal. You are going to get through this, Em. I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Aaron. You don't know my situation, I'm not one of your damn victims, Aaron!" Emily yelled suddenly, surprising both herself and Aaron.
Hotch stood in silence, not knowing how he was supposed to respond to that.
"You know what? Forget I said anything, let's pretend this never happened, get on with our lives." Emily said, before she put a hand to her mouth and pushed her way past Aaron to get to the bathroom in his office, knowing that she wouldn't make it to the team's bathroom. Aaron ran after Emily, worried to death. He pulled her hair out of her face as everything that she had for breakfast made its way into the toilet. A few minutes of dry heaving and she knew everything was gone from her stomach. She reached up to flush, then leaned against the wall, moaning out of exhaustion. "Dammit." Emily breathed, her stomach cramping.
"Emily, are you okay?" 'Dumb question.' Aaron thought to himself.
"I'm fine, it's just morning sickness."
Aaron's eyes opened in surprise, not expecting that answer. "Emily, you're- You're pregnant?"
"Ding ding, we have a winner folks! Your prize is 7 months of dealing with an emotional wreck carrying a monster's fetus!"
Aaron stood up in shock, he couldn't believe that Emily was pregnant as a result of rape. It wasn't unheard of, of course. In fact, 32,000 women get pregnant as a result of rape every year. But he never thought that someone he knew would go through this.
You're sure it's his?"
Emily scoffed. "What do you think I am? Some kind of whore? Of course it's his! I remembered the day he tore me up from the inside, making me bleed, and no matter how much I screamed-" Emily let out a sob. -He didn't stop. He didn't stop. Why didn't he stop, Aaron? Why did he do this to me?" Emily finally fell apart, keeping it locked in for so long.
"I don't know sweetheart, I am so sorry, Emily." Aaron grabbed Emily and let her cry, trying to hold in his own tears. "you are going to get through this, Emily, no matter how long it takes, I'll be here for you."
Emily sobbed as she grabbed Aaron's shirt tightly, finally having someone to share her feelings with.
They sat like that for quite some time, sitting in the silence , save for an occasional sob. Aaron stroked her hair, trying to calm the woman.
'We're going to get through this, no matter what it takes.'