A/N
Ah, nice you're here, so the curtain can be lifted. I am glad, you wanna join me on part 2 of CALLIE. It´s not essential, to know the first story. This one can stand alone, I guess. (But I won´t mind, if you read 'Callie', anyway *smile*)
We meet Hotch and the others again, one year after Callie 's death. Life had to go on, even it was painful. For those who don´t now part one, a small summary of the not yet known persons.
Callie Aimes - Hotchner : Children's book author and Hotch 's loved one, deceased, unfortunately.
Ike Malone : Callie 's former oncologist and something like a substitute father to Hotch.
Dr. Renee Malone : Ike's granddaughter, called 'Froglet'. She inherited Hotch and Jack, well, kind of.
Rebecca Jensen : orphan and Jack's beloved classmate, living with her grandmother Abby Jensen.
Kenneth Baker : Publisher, living in NY, but visiting DC very often. For a very good reason.
oOo
But enough babbling, here we go. English isn´t my native language, so please be patient. Reviews are always very welcome and desired, no inhibitions.
DISCLAIMER : Nothing of Criminal Minds belongs to me, I do not earn any money with this story, it is written just for fun.
oOo
Prologue
oOo
Prof. Georg Dietrich stopped at the store-room of the department for the second time. I wasn´t wrong, Dietrich thought, the storage room is crying. Or rather, someone who is in it, he corrected himself. Dietrich knocked gently and heard the sobs stop briefly. Yet only to immediately begin again. Determined Dietrich opened the door.
"Dr. Malone? What are you doing here? "
Renee sat on the floor, clutching a small pillow. "Sitting," she informed Dietrich and pressed the pillow tighter.
Dietrich closed the door behind him and sat down as well. " Do you want to talk about it, or do you want to...um...stay 'seated'," he asked.
"I don´t know," Renee said undecided.
"Can I keep you some company while sitting and not knowing?"
Renee had to laugh. She had become friends in the last recent weeks, with the supposedly gruff neurosurgeon Prof. Dietrich. She found out that he was a very sensitive man, with a passion for art and literature, more than once Renee and Dietrich were visiting various exhibitions and museums.
"Callie is dead, right? " Dietrich asked. He knew, Renee had a lot of phone or Skype contact, lately.
Renee nodded. "Grandpa has just called me. This morning at just after six. Least she could see the sunrise." Renee sobbed again. In the short time, she knew Callie Hotchner, she had become a real friend to her. Dietrich put his arm around her shoulder.
"Remember what I told you? "
"To keep my feelings in locker? I remember, Georg. But it´s quite hard. Callie, she had a request. A serious one. But I don´t know, if I can do that. I mean, I do not know yet, whether he ever wants. I mean, I´m sure he knows nothing about it, and if he knew, would he want, then?"
Dietrich smiled, this was slightly confused and so typical for Renee Malone, one of the reasons why he had taken the American to his heart. She was working in the psychiatric ward here at the Charite in Berlin, and she was asking him for a second opinion some time ago. A patient of her grandfather, a young woman with a brain tumor. Sadly there had been no hope at all.
"Maybe you tell me, what´s actually up."
A nurse opened the door to the storage room. "Hier ist besetzt!" Dietrich growled and the door immediately closed again.
"So? " Dietrich handed Renee a tissue.
" A few days ago, Callie asked me, if I had someone I meet regularly. And if I want to have children, how I imagine my future life, stuff like that. She asked me to take care of Aaron and Jack. Callie was so scared, Aaron would become an eremite. He promised her not to, but Callie wanted to play it safe. " Renee turned her phone on, "she sent me a photo, you would like to take a look? "
Dietrich glanced at it. There was a very serious-looking, dark-haired man and a little boy, maybe five or six. You could tell that the man had probably seen more than he ever wanted to see, the professor thought. He understood, the now deceased had plagued the well of her husband. But to inherit Renee a husband and a little boy, was not necessarily a very conventional way. On the other hand, you didn´t attach great importance to conventions anymore, when you´re facing death.
"I think you should get to know the two of them at least." Dietrich sighed softly, he knew, Renee Malone had made her mind up, actually long ago. He stood up and held out his hand to help her get up.
"You´ve got a heart of gold, Renee. If I was a younger man... women like you are very rare. I loved someone like you, a long time ago."
Renee looked at the professor with huge eyes.
"Don´t you look so surprised, although I am already an old bone, I recognize a piece of gold, when I see it." Dietrich rose his brow, " but you should not tell anyone, I would deny everything and lock you up in pathology. " Dietrich said with a small smile.
"You may imprison me everywhere, Georg." Renee smiled back and leaned against a shelf.
The warning of Prof. Dietrich, of course, came too late.
"Don´t worry, I'm okay," Renee said a little later, when Dietrich had freed her from the dressing material and the shelf had been put from a lying to a standing position again. This Aaron would need nerves of steel, Dietrich thought. He just was not sure if he should envy or pity him.
oOo
12 Months later
"Jack, Rebecca, we want to go to the movies, you remember? Don´t dally around."
Hotch decided to check on them and knocked at Jack´s room. Jack's new room was Callie 's former guest room. Hotch had made only a few changes since he and Jack moved in Callie 's apartment. The most had remained as it was, only a little of his own furniture found a way into the new home. "Get the hell rid of the dark stuff", Jess said and disposed it.
He felt at home here, also because he liked the feeling that Callie still was here somewhere. Hotch couldn´t believe, it was almost a year ago, that she was gone. It still hurt, but Hotch had made his peace, somehow. Callie was a wonderful person who enriched his life incredibly, for a very short time, but Hotch thought with gratitude on every minute with her. And she changed his perspective. Hotch returned to the BAU, he was working again for five months now.
But he took a lot more time for Jack and for himself. Overtime had been reduced to a minimum and Hotch delegated more now. He also maintained his hobby, Hotch photographed a lot. Ike urged him formally, to present his work to the public, but Hotch wasn´t ready for that, yet.
Even his relationship with Sean turned out to be something, one might call brotherly. Sean had tracked him down at Sandbridge Beach and the brothers finally had a heart-to-heart-talk. Since then, they saw each other often and whenever Hotch found the time or simply took it, they went for a ride on their motorcycles.
Between Callie's former doctor Ike Malone and Hotch a very friendly, family relationship had grown. Ike was always there, especially in the first period after Callie's death, when the pain was almost unbearable. For Ike also, Callie's death was a dramatic experience. He decided to hand over his practice to the younger generation. With almost 70 it was about time, Ike stated. He was helping out with Jack, very often. Jack, who now called him Grandpa Ike. Or he indulged his passion and played golf. Jess had to step in less and finally took care of the wedding preparations. It was time for David and her, Hotch thought. When Callie's death had learnt him anything, it was not to postpone anything. Life was so damn short and true happiness was as rare as white elephants.
oOo
" Jack, can I come in? "
"Hm," it sounded from inside.
"Hm yes, or Hm no? " Hotch asked.
"Becca´s crying," Jack informed through the closed door . "I think you should come in, Daddy. "
Hotch made it through the door. Becca spent the weekend with him and Jack to give her grandmother Abby a little rest. Mark Jensen, Rebecca's father had died three months ago after a long illness, and because the two children were almost inseparable since then, Hotch took care of Rebecca, as far as it was possible.
Becca sat in a heap on Jack's bed, something reminded her of her father and made her cry.
"Becca, honey, what is it?" Hotch asked gently and sat down beside her.
"I've already told her, it's not so bad if she misses her Daddy, we are also still often sad, because of Callie." Jack sat down at Hotch 's other side and sniffled a bit. Since Callie 's death, Jack had the feeling, the good Lord was not fair and Jack wanted to maintain a balance. Becca must have a family and he and his Dad would be this family, no matter how difficult that was.
"Jack is right, Becca. You can be sad," Hotch stroked Becca 's hair and the little girl clung to Hotch. "And if you do not like the movies, we also can do something else. Eating ice cream, or ride a bike? "
Becca shrugged her shoulders, then she had an idea. "We can go to the zoo? " Jack nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! To the zoo, Daddy. "
oOo
"I don´t have to tell you, how much I 'll miss you, Renee. Who is spilling coffee on my scrubs now, or imprisons me somewhere? " Prof. Dietrich stood with Renee Malone at the Berlin airport´s departure hall.
"I have given nurse Melanie precise instructions, Georg. I 'm sure she can replace me worthy." Renee laughed. She was happy to come home to DC, after 2 years, but there were things that she would really miss. Conversations with Georg Dietrich for example, who had become a real friend for her.
"You must promise me, to visit me in Washington, Georg. Otherwise I won´t step into this plane."
Dietrich smiled, "Obviously. I promise you a visit, Renee. "
"Thank you for everything," Renee embraced the professor warmly and then quickly ran towards the boarding gate, it was the last call.
Renee ignored the poisonous glances of the other passengers, one of them even had the audacity to call her first-class-dawdler, throwing chewing gum paper after her. She certainly was not the last, Renee overheard a conversation. The plane from Leipzig was delayed, they had to wait for another passenger. She took her seat in business class and pushed her hand luggage under the seat. Renee didn´t want to take the risk to stow the baggage on the top tray, on her last flight the bag fell on her head.
Fifteen minutes later, the real reason for the delay popped up. He sat down next to Renee.
No wonder, he came unscathed through the rows, Renee thought. The man was ... wow. Tall and dark-haired, with angular facial features, Renee was sure under the tailored shirt was hiding a six-pack. A low sigh slipped over her lips. The trouble with men like him, they had always a hitch. Renee sighed again.
"So, I understand the first sigh, you were just overwhelmed. But the second one? " Kenneth Baker gave Renee a big smile. Renee turned red and Baker began to laugh, this reminded him of his boyfriend, who also turned red at every available opportunity.
"Kenneth Baker," he introduced himself and held out his hand.
" Dr. Malone " she replied, shaking the offered. Deja vu, Ken thought, apparently this was Tic, to conceal the given name, common among doctors.
" But it is not Dr. Dr. Dr. Malone, right?"
Renee chuckled, "God forbid, I 'm just a simple Renee and a simple doctor. Who in the world is a triple doc, one of them was already hard work. "
"I'm afraid, my boyfriend wouldn´t agree on that."
"Your boyfriend? " Renee repeated, there it was, the hitch.
Ken nodded, "Oh, I understand, you were sure that I have a cloven hoof, right?"
"Gotcha," Renee grinned. The flight would certainly not be boring at all.
How small this world is, Kenneth thought. After a second, closer look, he was sure the pretty brown-haired was Ike Malone's granddaughter. Aka 'Froglet'.
oOo
Hotch and the kids were about to leave when the doorbell rang.
"I´ll open up," Jack rushed to the door. " Who's there? " he asked, he kept scrupulously to the rule that had been set up by his father, never open the door without asking and keeping it closed in any case, when he did not know the visitor.
"It's me, Uncle Derek, you'll let me in? "
"Which Uncle Derek," Jack chuckled and kept the door shut.
"How many Uncle Derek's you have, Jack-man? I am the one who often takes you to softball games. "
"Oh, this Uncle Derek " Jack opened up, still chuckling.
"Naughty toad" Morgan laughed and ruffled Jack's hair. "Where is your Dad, partner?"
" I had to help a lady into her jacket ," Hotch said, and came up with Becca from the kid´s room.
"Hey, my sweet-pie is here! Hi Rebecca." Derek felt great respect for Hotch. He took care of Jack's little friend, to relieve her grandmother a little. It had been a tough year for Hotch. Callie 's death had been terrible for him. Derek remembered the weeks after Callie´s death. Hotch was hiding in Ike´s beach house for almost four weeks, not talking to anyone. Everyone had been so worried and Morgan finally called Sean, Hotch 's brother.
Hotch got back on track and when he had come back to work about five months ago, there was still this aura of sadness that surrounded him, but in some ways he was more open and liberated than ever before.
" Morgan? Don´t you say, we got a case. We were on our way to the zoo. "
Derek laughed, "no case, Hotch. Well, maybe. I miss Emily. "
Hotch chuckled, Derek Morgan and heartache, had to be a completely new experience for him. Emily had moved to London shortly after Hotch´s return, she took over a post that had been offered by a former colleague from Interpol. Since then, the telephone wires between DC and the United Kingdom were glowing.
"And you think, I can help you with that?" Hotch asked doubtfully.
"Maybe Uncle Derek can join us? " Jack asked and Becca nodded enthusiastically. Jack's Uncle Derek always said funny stuff. And he always called her 'sweet-pie', Rebecca liked that.
"And the convention? Didn´t you want to accompany Reid?" Hotch said, dimly remembering it.
"Yeah, but that was before his Mr. Right has decided, not to stay another day at the book fair in Leipzig and is coming back today."
Derek rolled his eyes, "You know, he has a completely transfigured face when he speaks of him?"
Hotch had to laugh, "Kenneth's a nice guy, Derek. And you have to admit, he´s good for Reid. He has grown in this relationship, got a lot more self-esteem. That´s distracting you, isn´t it?"
Derek frowned, "for this analysis attempt you owe me an ice cream. A huge one. So, what is it now, zoo or zoo?"