Hey all. This is a response to the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum "The Strangeness of September Challenge." I chose "Teddy Bear Day' and as you can see, it's a Hotch/Emily fic. Read and review, even if it's just a simple comment. Thanks!
"A Teddy bear's virtue is that he cannot love himself... only others." – Ted Menten
Emily laughed as she pulled Hotch along the crowded streets of Washington, even as she apologized offhandedly to a pompous woman with her nose high up in the air for stepping on her bright pink nails. Emily wrinkled her nose a little at the garish colours the woman wore, then shook her head and shot a brilliant smile at the man next to her. Hotch grinned a little and tightened his hold onto the brunette as he dropped a kiss onto her head. "Will you please tell me why you dragged me out of the office?" He snorted at the memory of the whirlwind that was Emily Prentiss barging into his office and dragging him out with neither a word nor warning. They blew past the staring bullpen and Hotch winced when he caught sight of Strauss's tightly pursed lips at the agents' unseemly conduct. No doubt the Section Chief would have words with him when they got back.
Emily snuggled closer to him, "Nope. It's a surprise." Rolling his eyes, he tugged at their joined hands, "Well can you at least tell me why you thrust this bag at me? What's inside it anyway?" The duo were currently holding onto two brightly coloured bags which were bulky in size but weren't all that heavy. His companion pouted at him, "Impatient, are we? And I'm not telling you what they are until we reach the place!" The place; the elusive place Emily had refused to tell him since dragging him out nearly half an hour ago. Of course, they did stop for ice cream, something Emily could never seem to resist having, which took up 10 minutes of their journey. Not that he was complaining. Any time spent with Emily was time spent well.
Hotch cocked a brow when he saw that they were standing outside the George Washington University Hospital. "Uh, Em, you do realize we're at a hospital, do you?" Emily rolled her eyes and trudged up the stairs, nudging at her lover to do the same. "Thank you, Einstein. I didn't know it's a hospital." She smiled softly at the consternation on his face and patted his arm, "Come on, we're going to do something really special today."
Hotch just stared at the beauty next to him, speaking to the nurse softly. He shook his head; every day, he wondered just what made Emily Prentiss even want him. He was broken and scarred beyond repair. A divorced single father who was married to the job and a barely-there sense of humour didn't exactly scream 'perfect' to any, if not most, women out there. His hand reached out absent-mindedly to caress her hip, his fingers curling around her slender waist. She shot him a quizzical look even as she continued her conversation with the nurse, her hand reaching to tangle his fingers with hers.
Emily beamed at the nurse, befittingly called Joy for she had an ever present smile on her face, as she led Emily and Hotch further into the hospital. Hotch's brows furrowed as he noticed the cold white walls transform into softer, pastel colours indicating they were now entering the children's ward. Nurse Joy opened one of the doors and motioned for the agents to enter, "I'll just be outside if you need anything, Agent Prentiss."
Emily beamed and nodded, "Thank you."
Hotch's gaze swept around the room, and his heart clenched a little as he took in the sickly children, worried parents trying to put on a brave smile fussing around them, mothers pushing their child's hair back tenderly. He swallowed thickly, imagining Jack among them. Shaking his head, he pushed the unsavoury thoughts out of his mind, turning back to his lover. She squeezed his hand and smiled sympathetically, and his eyes softened as he squeezed back. His Emily always knew what was going through his mind.
Clearing her throat, she tugged for him to put the bags on the floor and Hotch's brow rose when she pulled out a teddy bear. Meeting his gaze, Emily shrugged and her mouth tilted a little, "You didn't know it was Teddy Bear Day today?" He laughed a little, shaking his head, "I wasn't even aware there was a Teddy Bear Day." Pouting, she crossed her arms, and Hotch had to restrain himself from laughing at her, a grown woman pouting like a child with a furry teddy bear hanging from her hand petulantly. She stuck her tongue out, and this time he rolled his eyes at how child-like the seasoned agent could be at the most unsuspecting times.
Gesturing towards the bags, he was well aware of the curious stares they were receiving by the occupants of the room, especially from the parents. A breathy little giggle from his companion, however, brought his attention to the slight tugging at his trouser leg. A little girl with short blonde hair who looked to be no older than 4, looked up innocently at him, and his fatherly instincts kicked in. Hotch knelt down and smiled gently at the child, "Hi there, what's your name?"
Her large, slightly sleepy eyes blinked once and she removed the thumb that had found solace in her mouth. "Cassie." Hotch nodded solemnly and held his hand out for her to shake, "My name is Aaron, nice to meet you Cassie."
Young Cassie's eyes lit up as she shyly shook the man's hand, her tiny ones dwarfed greatly by his larger grip. She cocked her head towards the teddy bear in Emily's hand, and the two brunettes shared a look even as a woman hurried forward to take Cassie's hand. "I'm so sorry, has she been disturbing you? Cassie, I told you not to run away! You need to take your medicine now or you'll never get better!"
Emily's brows furrowed as she stepped forward, hand reaching out to touch the woman, Cassie's mother, on the arm. "I'm sorry, are you Cassie's mother?" At her nod, Emily gave her a warm smile as she gestured to herself and Hotch. "I'm Emily, and this is my friend Aaron. What's wrong with Cassie?"
The blonde woman who shared the same pale green eyes as her daughter, grimaced as she ran her hand through her hair tiredly, and Emily took note of the dark circles beneath her eyes, as if a testament to the long hours she must have spent caring for her daughter, fighting, along with Cassie, the virus that plagued her daughter's frail body.
"Linda." She offered a smile to the duo, "Cassie has neuroblastoma. She just got diagnosed a month ago, and they've started chemo two weeks before." Hotch, slightly uncomfortable and not knowing what to say, let Emily take charge. The words "I'm sorry" flashed through his mind, but he refrained from saying them out loud. 'Sorry' couldn't make all the sick children in that ward better; hell it couldn't even make him feel better and he wasn't the parent. He could only imagine the agony and fear that Linda must be feeling.
Emily grinned a little as Cassie wandered back over, thumb back in her mouth. She ruffled the child's soft hair and called out to her, "Hey Cassie, do you have a teddy bear at home?" The blonde girl shook her head and removed her thumb long enough to reply the brunette, "Mommy bought one for me when I was a baby, but I lost Mr Twinkle a year ago." Emily bent down and motioned for the child to come closer, as if telling her an important secret, "You know, I had a teddy bear when I was a kid too, only I called him Cuddles."
Linda and Hotch looked on at the two, and Linda directed a smile towards the stoic man. "Your wife is being extremely kind towards Cassie. How long have you been married?" Hotch cleared his throat and shrugged a little, "We're not married, at least, not yet." She glanced at him, "Ahh, well, I'll just say congratulations in advance." He raised a brow and let out something that tilted between a smile and a grimace, "Thanks, I guess."
A delighted squeal had most of the ward's occupants look up in curiosity, and many a parent gave an indulgent smile when they saw a little blonde girl clutching a brown teddy bear running to her mother to be swooped up in a hug. The other children, catching sight of the stuffed toy, started chattering to their parents, each no doubt missing their own furry companions waiting for them at home. Some just looked dejected, perhaps remembering how a beloved bear that had stood by them through the nightmares and fears of the Boogeyman, was lost over the years. These mournful looks soon turned to excitement and joy when the two newcomers who had ignited much of the fuss, came around and gave each child a teddy bear. Some had bows neatly tied around their necks, some wore vests and some even had fedoras perching between their ears.
Several parents thanked the duo, who introduced themselves as Emily and Aaron. No one knew they were FBI agents who saw horrors that no one wanted to deal with every day. They didn't know that he heard his ex-wife killed by a psychopath; they didn't know she crafted an elaborate façade of a relationship with an international arms dealer. They only saw two good, kind people who had made their children smile more than they had since being diagnosed with various types of cancer. Suddenly, the fact that the children had lost their hair, that they had to fight nausea and pain each day as the chemo brutalized the cancer cells and along with them, their bruised and battered bodies. It was a wonder what a little kindness, and of course, the comforting warmth of a teddy bear could do.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Touch the ground.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Turn around.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Show your shoe.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
That will do.
Hotch snaked a hand around Emily's waist as he rested his chin on the soft cushion of her hair, smiling as he heard the sound of the traditional rhyme being taught patiently by the parents to their children. "You, Emily Prentiss, are the most wonderful, loving woman in the entire planet." She twisted around in his arms, a content smile gracing her lips. "Well, you're not too bad yourself, Agent Hotchner." Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he tightened his hold around her, and the only thing on his mind then was the thought that she'd be a wonderful mother to their children one day.
Emily slipped onto the couch, snuggling into the warm form of her lover as he settled his long legs beneath him. They had just tucked Jack in; the little boy bouncing with glee when Emily presented him with a teddy bear from her back with a flourish.
"A magician bear! Thank you so much Em'ly! I'm gonna call him Mr. Abracadabra!"
The light-colored fur bear was indeed dressed as a magician, complete with a top hat, vest and bright red kerchief peeking out from the vest pocket. The adorable little boy, worn out from the excitement of his new friend, fell asleep in the middle of the bed time story he insisted Emily tell him, Mr. Abracadabra safely tucked in his arms, looking over the boy. Emily felt silly for thinking this, but somehow she felt a little safer, knowing that the furry animal would be standing guard over her Jack's slumber.
Hotch traced the porcelain skin on Emily's shoulder, his eyes glazing over some movie they had playing on the DVR player. Emily's eyelids drooped, but she started a little when Hotch spoke up quietly. "How did you get that idea to celebrate Teddy Bear Day?"
She pursed her lips and softly combed through Hotch's dark hair. It was a while before she answered him, and her voice was so wistful that he wished he could kiss away all of her yearnings. "When I was a kid, we were back in the States for a few months. It was one of the rare times when my dad wasn't called away for some emergency posting or diplomatic negotiation. I guess I was about 9 then, and one morning, my dad woke me up early in the morning, before mother was awake." She took a deep breath and smiled at the fond memory, "He had this look in his eyes, it made him look so much like a kid as he told me to get dressed and bundled me into the car. He drove us off to the GWU along with a few bags. He told me, before we entered the children's ward, that it was Teddy Bear Day and that we needed to spread the cheer that only a teddy bear could bring. After that year, it became sort of a tradition, only for the two of us, for when he was home and we could get away without my mother knowing."
Hotch chuckled and squeezed her shoulder, "I'm sure your mother wouldn't have minded; you were doing a kind deed." She shrugged and winked at him, "Oh she wouldn't, but it was way more fun to sneak under her radar." Tossing her hair behind her, she kissed the corner of her mouth, "I guess I just didn't want her to take something so innocent and pure and turn it into this huge political affair. I wouldn't be surprised if she threw an entire gala for distributing the teddy bears, and even invite the President over just so he could see how saintly she was."
He smiled haplessly at her; he definitely wasn't going to get himself involved into the messily tangled mother-daughter relationship of the Prentiss women. Emily would sort out her issues with her mother someday, and he'd stand by her. Tugging her hand, he stood and pulled her into his arms, "Come on Wonder Woman, it's time for us undercover superheroes to get some shut eye. We can leave saving the world for tomorrow." The brunette rolled her eyes and smacked his chest lightly, "I guess that makes you Superman then." He smirked and slung his arm around her shoulder, "Well, I've always been more partial towards Batman, really. Superman's too tacky." "Whatever, come on Bruce Wayne. Even bats need to sleep."
"There's just something about a Teddy bear that's impossible to explain. When you hold one in your arms, you get a feeling of love, comfort and security. It's almost supernatural." – James Ownby