DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from Criminal Minds
A/N: Established Hotch/Prentiss. If you don't like that pairing please don't flame.
A flash of lightening in the dark grey sky cast an ominous glow over house number 123 on Ash Drive. No one really knew who lived there and they were too scared to find out. Many said it was abandoned. Occasionally shadows would be seen through the closed curtains but the residents of Ash Drive would either say it was ghosts or their eyes simply playing tricks on them. Some of the older folks who had lived on the street a long time would tell stories of a happy family who lived there a long time ago. The father went stark raving mad and had brutally murdered his wife and two children. He could be heard playing the old organ in the house for days before the police finally broke the door down and took him out. House number 123 was the one that kids from the neighborhood would throw rocks at when the rode by on their bikes by. They would dare each other to ring the doorbell and then run away screaming for their lives. House number 123 at the end of Ash Drive was run down and a strange smell always seemed to come from it. House number 123 at the end of Ash Drive was haunted.
"Daddy, Daddy!"
The door to Jack's room flew open and a drowsy Aaron Hotchner came running in. "It's all right Jack I'm here." Hotch reassured his son. "What is it? What's the matter?"
"There's a ghost in here." He whispered looking around the room frightened.
Hotch ran one large hand over his face trying to get rid of the grogginess. He sat on the edge of his son's bed. "Buddy there is no such thing as ghosts. It was probably just a bad dream okay?"
"No there was a ghost, he talked to me. I want mommy."
"You'll see mommy tomorrow when I drop you off at her house."
"But daddy there's a ghost in here! I saw him!"
"Pal your dad's here now and he wouldn't let anything happen to you. You only had a bad dream, there's no such thing as ghosts."
"But dad…"
"Go back to sleep buddy, everything will be okay." Hotch kissed Jack's forehead and tucked him back in. As he left he switched on the nightlight and left the door open a crack.
"Bad dream?" Prentiss asked as Hotch came back into the bedroom.
"Yeah it was about a ghost." Hotch said getting back under the covers.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that there is no such thing as ghosts."
"Hmm"
"What?"
"Hotch Jack's only three. It doesn't matter how many times you tell him ghosts don't exist. He's still going to believe in them just like he believes in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny." Prentiss smiled softly at him.
Hotch let out a loud sigh. "It is wrong to be wishing for the rebellious teenage years already?"
Prentiss gently cupped his jaw in her hand and kissed him. "Try and get some sleep."
Jenna Carmichael ran down Ash Drive as fast as her skinny legs would carry her. If she was late again her parents would ground her for a month. She sped up as she approached house number 123. Picking up her pace she ran past it as fast as she could, swearing that she heard an old organ playing.