The Concrete Angels

Aaron Hotchner smiled as his son, Jack, ran up the steps of his new home. It was early October and the little boy was so excited about finally living in a house again. He hadn't lived in one since his mother died, three years ago. It was a rare treat for the father to see his son so happy, since the boy had long ago stopped smiling. For the first time in months, Jack looked like a little boy. The eyes that had grown cold over the years were gone, replaced with a beautiful sparkle.

"Hi, you must be the new neighbor, Mr. Hotchner," a young girl with long, brown hair said as she walked up the brick walk.

"Yes I am, but please call me Hotch," he said with a faint grin as he shuck her hand.

"Stacey Burcks," she stated with a grin as she looked over to the small boy. "How old is he?"

"Seven," he said as he glanced over to his small son.

"He's darling Hotch," she said dreamily. She turned to face him, a weak smile on her pink lips. "Do you have anymore children?"

"I wish I did, but it's only Jack. How about you? Are you a sister?" he asked her.

"I used to be," she said softly. Her crystal blue eyes turned a few shades darker as anger and sadness clouded them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what happened if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

"Mathew was five years old when it happened. You see, dad's a cop. He came home so tired one night he forgot to put his gun in the safe. Mathew started playing with it and it went off," she said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago," she stated. "So, what do you do for a living Hotch?"

"I'm an FBI agent," he told her.

"Wow, that's cool. Make sure your gun is always locked up," she turned to look at Jack, "he's precious." Hotch opened his mouth to speak when a woman's voice rang through the air.

"I better be going, it was great meeting you Hotch," she said before disappearing through the bushes.

~.~.~

"Hi Stacey," Hotch said with a smile as he spotted the teenager sitting on a bench in the park. He rest his hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up. He sat down next to her.

"Hello Hotch," she said as she turned to face him. Worry and concern crossed his face as he noticed her pale skin and thin body.

"Stacey!" Jack yelled as he threw his arms around her.

"Hi sweetie, how are you?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"I'm great Stacey. You look sad. Why are you sad?" the small boy asked her. Stacey gave a humorless laugh.

"My aunt is very sick, my mom and dad are going to go stay with her for a few weeks," she said with a grim smile as she kissed his forehead.

"Wait, so you're going to be home by yourself?" Hotch asked her.

"Yes, but I'll be fine," she tried to tell him, but he didn't listen. He told her he was going to talk to her parents about letting her stay with him. A friend and her son were going to stay with him for a month while her husband went to New Orleans and he had an extra bedroom she could stay in.

"Hello Aaron, how are you?" a beautiful woman with long red hair asked as she got up from her seat on the porch.

"Hello Anne, I hear you and your husband are going away for a few weeks and Stacey won't be staying with anyone," he said in his most friendly manor.

"Yes, we couldn't find anyone to take her for so long; she is a bit unruly." Hotch's gaze swept over to the young teen to see her head bow.

"Well, if it's all right with you, I'd like to ask if Stacey could stay with me. I have plenty of room and a friend of mine, JJ, and her son, Henry, will be staying with me for a month while her husband's away. She loves children of all kind; she'd love to have Stacey as well."

"Why thank you Aaron, that is rather nice of you. Stacey, you should be grateful he'd take you in, say thank you," Anne said sternly as she looked at her daughter.

"Thank you very much Hotch, I'll try not to cause too much trouble," Stacey said in the softest of voices.

"Well, we all know that no trouble is impossible for you dear, but please do try and behave." Anne turned to Hotch with the fakest smile he'd ever seen. "Now come darling, it's time for dinner and the chores have yet to be done."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good evening Aaron," Anne said with a grin as she laid her hand on her daughter's shoulder and steered her through the door.

~.~.~

It was late that very night Hotch was shaken awake by his son. "Daddy?" Jack asked him as he continued to shake his father.

"Yes Jack? Is something wrong?" Hotch asked as he sat up in his bed.

"Daddy, I heard Stacey screaming. She was asking someone to leave her alone and stop," he told him, fear in his young eyes.

"It was probably a nightmare," Hotch told his frightened son as he led him back to his bedroom. He laid Jack in his bed and tucked him in. It was completely by chance Hotch glanced out the window. He saw Stacey in a white nightgown with thin straps, her brown hair was let down in soft curls, she was an angel, but she looked so broken. She had her legs propped up and her head in her hands. Her shoulders were still but she seemed to be shaking with tears.

He sighed as he shuck his head before turning the lights out and going to bed.

~.~.~

Before Hotch knew it Stacey's things were packed and she'd no longer be living under his roof. Her parents would be their any moment, but Hotch didn't want her to leave. Stacey had blossomed while in his and JJ's care. She had gained a healthy weight and color had returned to her skin. Her smiles were stronger, her laughter was real, and she was perfection. What confused him was that she was the most well behaved child he'd ever met, nothing like her mother had implied. He loved her so much he wished it was his blood that colored her cheeks. She was so great with Jack and Henry it was like she was their mother at times.

"It was wonderful having you, come any time," JJ said with a smile as she embraced the teenager.

"Thank you JJ," Stacey said with a smile that quickly faded.

"Stacey, what is it? Are you alright?" JJ asked as worry crossed her face. Stacey opened her mouth to speak when the door swung open and she was ripped from JJ's grasp into the crushing hug of her mother. Without warning Stacey pulled herself from the woman she called mom.

"Let me go you wretched woman," Stacey screamed as she launched herself into Hotch's arms.

Anne's blue eyes filled with fake tears and Christopher's eyes filled with anger.

"Stacey Lucinda Burcks!" he hollered. Stacey flinched and shrank back in fear.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Stacey pulled herself from his grasp and encircled her mother with her arms. "I'm sorry momma."

"Sorry does not excuse what you just did you foolish girl!" Christopher hissed.

"Christopher that is enough, she is just a child," Anne stated simply. Stacey looked at her mother with caution before turning to her father. "Let's go home now Christopher," she said with a quick grin at her daughter before continuing, "We are home now and lets go home and unpack." She turned to Hotch and smiled happily. "Good day Aaron, Jennifer, thank you so much for watching her, you are too kind."

"She was a joy to be with," Hotch said with an unsure smile. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the anger that sparkled in Christopher's eyes.

"I'm sure," Anne said with a stiff smile before taking her daughter and walking towards the door. Christopher was the first to leave, Anne right behind him with her hand around her daughter's arm. Stacey gave him one last tearful gaze before being pulled down the white steps.

As JJ closed the door she looked up at Hotch with tears in her eyes. "Hotch, Stacey was begging us not to let her go, something is seriously wrong with those people she calls parents."

"I know, but we need proof, all we have is what we've seen."

"I know, but when I picked her up from school the teacher, she was looking at her so fearfully… and she kept giving me dirty glances. Hotch, that means she's never met Stacey's parents." JJ grabbed both his hands in hers. "We have to help her."

"I know."

~.~.~

It was the middle of the night when Hotch heard the scream. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt before exiting his room. JJ also came out of her room with a robe thrown over her nightgown. Henry was in her arms and Jack was clutching the skirt of her nightdress. Blue and red lights were dancing on the walls from the window at the end of the hall. "Stay with Henry and Jack!" Hotch yelled as he ran down the stairs and out the back door. He ran towards Stacey's house in time to see police cars racing down the street. Hotch jumped over the bush. He stopped when he saw Stacey lying in a flower bed with glass shards surrounding her. He gasped when he saw the broken window over her. He ran to her side and immediately tried to find a pulse. He felt tears start to slip down his face as he pulled her dead body into his arms. Her head fell back as he did so. He heard Anne and Christopher yelling at the police but he didn't care. He protected people, caught bad guys for a living, and he couldn't save one little girl! He held her close to his heart and cried.

~.~.~

"Daddy, whose that?" seven year old Stacy Hotchner asked as she sat on her papa's favorite chair. She was looking up at the picture of a fifteen year old girl with crystal blue eyes and dark brown hair.

"That is Stacey Burcks," thirty year old Jack Hotchner said as he entered his father's living room.

"Stacey? Like me?" she asked him as he picked her up and sat her on his hip.

"Yup, we named you after her."

"Where is she?" the little girl asked as she ran her hand through her own brown hair.

"She's in Heaven with the angels," he said sadly.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We weren't quick enough."

"I hope she's happy," the small girl whispered.

"Me too, but I'll bet anything she's in a garden surrounded by flowers."

"Like the concrete angels?"

"Yeah honey, like the concrete angels."