The Truth behind the Lies.

Chapter 1

"Your worthless, your nothing, your weak, and you will never be anything" Hotch yelled as he kicked her in the stomach multiple times.

"Stop... please stop" Ashley begged. Hotch knelt down in front of her and grabbed her face.

"I'm sorry" He whispered,Ashley closed her eyes and waited for the impact after that it all went blank for her.

When Ashley woke up she seen Hotch standing over her. She noticed that the man that made Hotch beat her was now holding a gun to Hotch's head.

"If you turn yourself in we can make a deal, you kill a fed you get 25 to life. We both know you don't want that." Hotch said trying to stall.

"'Kill me not him" Ashley said.

"No you can't" Hotch said trying to bring the UnSubs attention back to him.

"Aaron shut up. Just kill me, you know that you want to, its not him you want its me it always was." Ashley said trying to save Hotch's life.

"No, you know what, I'm not going to kill you, He is" John smith said as he handed the gun to Hotch.

"No I won't do it, I can't" Hotch said.

"Do it Aaron, you know that if you killed me you wouldn't have to deal with my pointless complaining, just pull the trigger back and you problems will all be over" Ashley said while getting to her feet, and putting the gun against her forehead. Just than a shot was heard and the lifeless body hit the ground with a thud.

"Aaron!" Ashley yelled.

"Don't move another step towards him" Smith said.

"You know I may not know how to fight, but you piss me off and I know how to use a gun" Ashley said as she grabbed the gun from Hotch's hand and points it at Smith and shoots. One shot one Kill.

"Why?" Ashley wondered to herself, why didn't he just do it, That was the question.

"Agent Reid, hes waking up and hes asking for you" The doctor said while coming out of his room.

"Hey, Hotch I'm here" Ashley said grabbing his hand.

"Are you OK" Aaron asked.

"Yeah I am fine, just a broken wrist and 3 cracked ribs, but ill be fine. What about you?" Ashley asked.

"I'm alright thanks to you, if you wouldn't have killed him, I could have died there" Aaron said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.

"You wouldn't be here if you would have just killed me Aaron." Ashley said as a tear rolled down her face.

"You want to know why I couldn't do it? It was because you can't ask a man to kill the one he loves, its impossible to make that decision" Aaron said.

"Wait, you love me?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, I never confronted you about it because I didn't know if you would feel the same" Aaron said. "Being Reids sister I thought that maybe you would pick up on it"

"Hey just because he is my brother doesn't mean I think like him. To tell you the truth I am glad I don't have the brain of Spencer" Ashley joked.

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"Because I can't see myself being that smart." Ashley said.

"Your just as smart as anyone, maybe not as smart as your brother, but your still smart, and I like smart girls" Aaron said. Ashley stood up and put her hand on the side of Aarons face she leaned down and gently kissed him. The kiss deepened. Ashley was the one who broke the kiss. Aaron buried his face in her hand.

Three days later Hotch was released from the hospital and he was back at work.

"Welcome Back" Everyone said as they stepped in the door to the bull pen. Than another little banner was placed above Ashley's desk. It read . " Happy Birthday Ashley".

"It's your birthday?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah" Ashley said putting her head down. Hotch lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers.

"Why didn't you tell me" Aaron asked.

"Because I don't like people making a big deal about it, its just another day" Ashley said as she walked to her desk.

"Happy Birthday" Struss said walking out of Aarons office.

"Uh, Thanks" Ashley said.

"I need to speak with both of you" Struss said.

"You two are getting suspended until we can find out what really happened" Struss said.

"You have got to be kidding me, what do you mean what happened?" Ashley said while getting out of her seat.

"What I mean is why this happened to you in the first place why this unsub choose you" Strauss said.

"Maybe he wanted to go to jail for the rest of his life, I don't know and now that he is dead you will never find out. You know what I am done with this. I am done with this job and particularly I am done with you Erin. I quit" Ashley said as she slammed her badge and gun down on the desk and walked out.

"You really have a way of treating people don't you Struss" Aaron said as he threw his badge at her and walking out behind Ashley.

"Ashley wait" Aaron called out. When he finally caught up to Ashley he turned her around and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry Aaron I didn't mean for this to happen" Ashley said.

"Ashley this isn't your fault" Aaron said before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Ashley whats going on?" Spencer asked.

"I quit Spence, I am no longer apart of the BAU" Ashley said while unlocking her car door.

"I have been suspended" Aaron said.

"I will do everything I can to fix this I swear" Spencer said as he turned back in to the office and walked straight into Strauss's office.

"On what grounds do you find it fun to place blame on people which you know, had nothing to do with what happen. What happened to Hotch and Reid, was not their fault, the UnSub had a psychotic break nothing that we would have done could have stopped it from happening" Reid said.

"Regardless Spencer they should have known what they were dealing with before just going in there" Strauss said while closing the door.

"It's Agent Reid, and they did know what they were dealing with, you know you wouldn't be able to do what we do. Tell me, you go to arrest the UnSub you arrive at his address only to find that he is gone but another two victims were left behind, what would your next move be?" Reid asked. But Strauss said nothing. "Exactly what I thought" Spencer said as he turned and walked out of her office.

"How about you and me go out to dinner for your birthday, just me and you" Aaron suggested.

"Yeah I would like that" Ashley said as she gave him a small smile. Just than her cell phone rings.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey it's me" Spence replied.

"Hey Spencer, whats wrong?" Ashley asked

"Nothing just know that if you ever want to come back your job is here waiting for you" Spencer said.

"Thanks Spence but I don't know if I want to come back" Ashley said as she hung up.

"Everything OK?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah everything is fine" Ashley said.

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked again.

"Yeah I promise you I am fine" she reassured him.

"Just know that I love you and if you need to talk I am here for you" Aaron said while grabbing her hand.

"I love you too Aaron" She said grabbing on to his hand.

After dinner they went back to her place.

"You want to come in for a bit, its not like we have to be at work early" Ashley said.

"Sure" Aaron accepted.

"You can put on a movie if you want, I have many to pick from" Ashley said

Aaron sat down on the couch waiting for Ashley, when she came out of her room, she was wearing a tight pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Come sit with me" Aaron said as he made room for her on the couch. She sat in between is legs. He put his arms around her and held her tightly.

"What movie did you put in?" she asked.

"500 Days of Summer" Aaron replied.

"My favorite movie" she commented.

She turned over so her chest was on his and so her face was right in front of his. Aaron leaned his head down slightly and kissed her. Ashley deepened the kiss, Aarons hand started moving towards her hips. She started undoing his buttons on his shirt. Aaron lifted hers off and threw it to the floor. She started undoing his pants, she unhooked her bra and threw it to the floor, Meanwhile Aaron slid out of his pants. She slid out of her pants and laid back down on his chest and kissed him again. Aaron stood up and picked her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed. As he lays her down on the bed she reaches between them and slides him into her. His movements were slow and at a steady paced. "mmm" a soft moan escaped her lips. Aaron leaned down and kissed her, he trailed kisses all the way down to her stomach than all the way back up. His movements started to quicken he knew that she was nearing the end when she started tightening around him, which in turn made him near his end to, she called out his name as she came. Aaron gently pulls out and lies down beside her.

"Happy Birthday beautiful" Aaron whispered. Ashley smiled as she started falling asleep.

The next morning Ashley woke up but Aaron wasn't in bed next to her. She sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Good morning" Aaron said as he walked to her side of the bed with a tray in his hand and sat it down on her lap.

"Hey" she replied. Aaron leaned in and gave her a kiss. "You didn't have to do this" She said as she picked up a piece of bacon and started nibbling on it.

"So what are we going to do today" Aaron asked.

"Maybe we could just spend the day in bed" Ashley said as she took another bite of her pancake.

"I like that idea" He replied as he crawled into bed next to her and put his arm around her.

Hotch looked down at the bruises that he caused her. He bent down and placed soft kisses on them. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that Ashley it wasn't my intention" he said as he looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"I know baby you did what you had to do, I'm just glad that your alright" Ashley said as he brought his face up to meet hers and kissed him passionately.

"I love you" he said after he broke the kiss.

"I love you too" she replied.

They spent the entire day in bed and talked. They talked about useless things and the most random stuff. The best thing about Aaron is that he always knew how to make her laugh even when he wasn't trying too.

"Your smile is beautiful" Aaron commented.

"Your Beautiful all together Mr. Aaron Hotchner" She replied.

"Not as beautiful as you" He said as he put both of his hands on the side of her face and brought it up to his and kissed her, the kiss lasted a while, neither of them wanted to break it. But the door did it for them. Aaron got up and went to the door while Ashley slipped into some clothes.

"Hotch where is my sister?" Reid asked.

"She just in her room she will be out in a second" Aaron said as he motioned for Spencer to come in.

"Hey Spencer" Ashley said as she walked into the living room.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Hotch asked.

"No, you can stay, it affects both of us, guys... Strauss quit" Spencer said.

"Spence, what are you trying to do?" Ashley said getting up and going to the kitchen.

"I'm not trying to do anything, they wanted me to come and tell you that they have offered you the job, it's yours if you want it" Spencer said.

"Ashley that is amazing" Hotch said while getting up and going to the kitchen as well.

"Spence I'll have to think about it" Ashley said.

"When you figure it out just let me know, I have to go back to work" Spencer said.

"Thanks for telling me Spence, I appreciate it" Ashley said as she gave her brother a hug.

"Your welcome just, please think about it, Ashley the team needs you, I need you" Spencer said just before giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"I will Spencer I promise" Ashley said.

"Bye Hotch" Spencer said as he walked out the door.

"Aaron I don't know, what should I do?" Ashley said while sitting on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"You'll figure it out in time, I promise, just give yourself sometime to think about it" Hotch said, as he sat down beside her.

"Spencer said something to me before he left that makes my decision a lot harder" Ashley said.

"What did he say?" Hotch asked.

"He said that he needed me" Ashley replied.

"He's your brother Ash of coarse he is going to need you" Aaron said while pulling her closer to him.

"Ever since Gideon left its almost like he lost a father all over again, and now with mom being where she is. I am the only one that he has left" Ashley said while leaning on him.

"What does your heart tell you to do?" Aaron asked.

"It says its time to listen to your brain, but your brain doesn't always make the right choice" Ashley said while falling over on the other said of the couch.

"You don't have to make the decision right away, I am sure Spencer doesn't want an answer right away... Come here" Aaron said as he picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom.'

"Aaron make me forget" Ashley said as he layed her down on the she pulled him with her. And as she asked he made her forget everything.

"No!" Ashley screamed as she sat up really fast.

"Ashley whats wrong" Aaron asked. She didn't say anything she just started crying "Shh calm down baby your ok" Aaron comforted.

"Make them stop Aaron, please make them stop" She said still crying.

"Make what stop, Ashley talk to me" Aaron said.

"These nightmares they are getting worse" Ashley said.

"why didn't you tell me about them when they first started happening?"Aaron asked.

"I thought that maybe it would just go away, but they never did" Ashley explained.

"What are they about?" Hotch asked.

"The team, each night it is a different person but I've seen, yours and I also have seen Reids" Ashley said.

"Baby I promise you I am not going anywhere, and neither is Spencer we will both make sure of that" Aaron. He layed back down with her head on his chest. She never went back to sleep that night, she was too scared. The next morning Ashley was the first one out of bed she was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee?

"I am starting to worry about you" Aaron said as he came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine don't worry about me" Ashley said while getting up. And trying to walk away but Aaron pulled her back and right into his arms.

"Your not getting off that easy" Aaron said as he leaned in to kiss her but she wiggled out of his grasp.

"Catch me" she said as she ran away and hid. She tried running faster but she tripped on something, and so did he, they landed on top of one another.

"Not really how this was supposed to happen" she said laughing.

"There is that smile I have been waiting to see" Aaron said as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Aaron do you think that I should take the job?" Ashley asked.

"I think that work can wait for a little while at least until my suspension is up, that way you get time to think about what you really want to do" Aaron said while laying on the ground beside her.

"I think that I can handle that" Ashley said while laying her head on his chest. Just then the door opened and Garcia walked in and seen them on the floor.

"Don't ask" Ashley said as she got up.

"Alright I wont" Garcia said. "I just came to see how you two were doing"

"Were doing just fine" Ashley said while nodding her head

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah I am fine, I promise" Ashley replied. Giving Garcia a hug.

"Garcia you want some coffee?" Aaron offered.

"Yes, sir that would be awesome" Garcia accepted.

"Please call me Hotch or Aaron, were not at work no need for sir here" Aaron said while putting the cup of coffee on the table .

"I'll stick with Hotch" Garcia chuckled.

"Anything but sir, when were not at work." Hotch said smiling.

"I can do that" Garcia said smiling back.

"Well, girls I gotta go out for a bit, but ill be back" Hotch said while getting his keys.

"OK I'll see you when you get back" Ashley said while getting up and walking to the door with him.

"Don't have too much fun without me" Aaron Joked.

"We Won't" Garcia laughed.

Two hours and Garcia decided to go back to work. Ashley sat by herself and thought about her brother and what he had told her earlier. She sat and thought for a while, but soon after Aaron came back home.

"Hey" He said while walking back in. Ashley didn't answer she gave him a small wave. "Is everything ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah, everything is fine, I have just been thinking about things" She replied.

"You mean what Spencer was talking about?" He said.

"That and other things" She answered.

"like what?" Hotch wondered.

"Nothing, ill be ok, I just need time" She said giving him a quick kiss and walking away.

"I am really worried about you, Ashley, I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you. Your everything to me" Aaron said while getting up and walking behind her.

"Aaron, I am fine, I love you, you know that and you also know that you are my world and that there is no need to worry about me" Ashley said while turning around and walking to him and wraps her arms around him.

Ashley needed a quick escape from her life. She needed out and the only way that she knew that was going to happen was if she left. Aarons two week suspension was over and he was getting ready for work. "Today is my chance" Ashley thought to herself.