Author's Note: Hey guys! Enjoy…
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
I found God
On the corner of First and Amistad
Where the West
Was all but won
All alone, smoking his last cigarette
Said 'Where you been?'
He said 'Ask anything'
Hotch leaned back in his seat, a cigarette rested in between his fingers. The smoke wafted from the opening and floated around him. Jack stood silently in the doorway, watching his father's intake of the toxic substance. Jessica came up behind him, placing her arms on his shoulders.
"Where've you been?" she asked, trying not to sound clingy. After all, this was her dead sister's ex-husband.
"Out," Hotch replied hoarsely.
"Daddy, I thought you said you stopped…" Jack finally said softly. Hotch turned in his chair and waved the cigarette absentmindedly, spreading smoke around the room. Jack stepped back.
"I'm sorry, buddy. It's just been a bad day," Hotch explained. He held out his arms to give Jack a hug, but Jack shook his head and stepped back into Jessica, his eyes welling up with tears.
"No," he said silently, running to his room and shutting the door behind him. Jessica gave Hotch a hard stare.
"Where have you been?" she repeated.
"Did you not hear me the first time? I said I was out," he said gruffly. She sighed and pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose.
"I heard, Aaron. I heard." She stepped forward and snatched the cigarette straight out of his mouth, along with his lighter and his last pack.
"I need those," he glared at her.
"No, you don't. You need your son. Did you hear him? 'I thought you said you stopped.' Does that not mean anything to you?" she seethed. He threw his hands up.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked back, equally angry.
"Look, Aaron. I know it was ridiculously hard for you when Haley passed away, but what could've happened that was worse? You weren't like this when she died. What's going on? You never talk about it. And there's no way for either of us to know."
"I don't want to talk about it, Jessica."
"Well, try! This isn't for me, Aaron. This is for your son. This is for Jack."
"I said I don't want to talk about it."
"Aaron, for Christ's sake, how many times do I have to tell you? This. Is. For. Jack."
"I said I don't want to talk about it, damn it!" he yelled, slamming his hands down on the desk in front of him. Jessica's eyes widened, and she stepped back in shock.
"A-alright. I'm sorry," she trembled. She backed up, but regained her composure.
"I'm taking Jack out right now. Call me when you're ready to talk to your son," she said, slamming the door shut behind her. From his seat, he could hear Jessica gathering up Jack's things; she was probably anticipating him to stay with her for a few days. He heard the front door shut and lock.
Where were you?
When everything was falling apart?
All my days
Were spent by the telephone
It never rang
And all I needed was a call
That never came
From the corner of First and Amistad
Ring, ring! He turned in his chair, groaned, and picked up the phone.
"This is Aaron Hotchner," he answered professionally.
"Aaron," Emily Prentiss's voice sighed into the phone. Instantly, his heart stopped.
Emily Prentiss. Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss.
How the hell was she alive? His mouth was dry, and his mind immediately flashed back to the day he had found her:
"Emily? Emily, look at me. Please," he begged, his hands covered in blood. He was desperately trying to stop the bleeding coming from her pierced solar plexus.
"Let… me… go…" she whispered, her eyes closing.
"The hell I'm not letting you go," he growled. He kept one hand on both of hers and the other on her bleeding stomach.
"Let me go, Aaron," her voice was completely diminished by the pain.
"Emily, I am not letting you go, you hear? I am not letting go of your hand. Now you stay alive until we get you to the hospital," he demanded.
"Let me go…" she repeated, her breath less steady.
"Where the hell is my medic?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. JJ and Morgan immediately ran out of the dingy warehouse room and tugged at the medics' collars.
Lost and insecure…
You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor
Surrounded
Surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you?
Where were you?
Just a little late
To find me, to find me
-At the hospital-
Pacing back and forth in the room, Hotch's heart was pounding. The minute JJ walked into the room with tear-stained eyes, he knew.
He knew Emily didn't make it.
JJ shook her head. "She never made it off the table."
"No… no…" Garcia whispered to herself and shook her head.
Hotch's stomach tightened.
"She's gone," he whispered to himself. Finally, he broke down.
"She-she's gone," he repeated to himself. Rossi came over and patted his shoulder.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered into the Unit Chief's ear.
-Emily's funeral-
Hotch gently placed the fresh white rose on Emily's coffin and stepped back, the tears coming back up.
"We have gathered here today to celebrate the life of Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss," the priest started.
The dam that was his eyes finally burst, followed by a flood of tears.
Finally, they lowered her coffin into the freshly dug grave.
That was it. She was gone for good now. There was nothing he could do to bring her back to life.
In the end,
Everyone ends up alone
Losin' her
The only one who's ever known
Who I am,
Who I'm not,
And who I wanna be
No way to know
How long she will be next to me
"Emily?" he repeated.
"Aaron… It's… Yeah, it's me, Emily," she replied quietly. His mind was completely blown.
How was this possible? They had buried her seven months ago. JJ had walked into the room and said that she never made it off the table.
What was happening?
"Emily… I thought… I thought you were dead," he managed.
"I know, but… You found me. I did make it off the table, Aaron, all because I knew you found me, and I knew I was letting you down by slipping away. It was you that got me through."
You found me,
You found me
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
To find me
"Emily, you…" he searched for the right words to say, "You died. We buried you. H-how… How are you alive?"
"Aaron, I know… I know I have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. But… Just open your door," she said, sighing. He leapt up from his seat and yanked the front door open.
There she was, standing in front of him. Whole, pure, and… Alive.
"Emily," he sighed, crushing her into a hug.
"Aaron… I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry," she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Shh, Emily, don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for," he said, rubbing his hand over her back, trying to soothe her.
"Aaron, please, forgive me," she broke down in his arms.
"How could I not?" he said, pulling away. He looked into her tear-filled eyes and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He pressed his forehead down onto hers. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Then, in the heat of the moment, he pressed his lips to hers, taking her into his apartment.
The kiss went on as long as they could hold their breaths.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too."
Why'd you have to wait?
To find me,
To find me
The End