Chapter 4
She didn't want to walk out not to see her, the monster that she was supposed to call mom. The woman that beat her almost every day, verbally assaulted her, and made her life hell until the day she walked out the front door when she was sixteen.
The woman she knew as Sara blew right pass her going right to Jack.
"Emma, it's good to see you again." Her other brother said as he gave her a huge.
"It's nice to see you again, too Sean."
"Aaron, where did you find her?"
"She actually found me." Aaron said.
"Emma, I can't get over how much you've grown up." Sean said.
"Yeah, it has been a while. I know and I'm sorry. Sara still is the same, I'm happier if she doesn't notice me the whole night."
"So, Emma what you've been up to the last decade?" Sean asked.
"I've been around."
"Dinner," somebody called loudly.
Emma sat next to Reid and he started to say, "Actually Christmas was…" Emma stepped on his foot lightly.
He stopped and looked at her and her eyes darted toward Jack and Henry. Oh, he thought they are still young and innocent.
They ate dinner; Emma got her wish of Sara not talking to her once.
As profilers they could each tell that something was up between them. A daughter and mother that don't like each other wonder why.
After dinner Emma disappeared and when Hotch could not find her he got a little worried. Had she skipped town? He finally found her outside starring up at the moon. "Hello Emma" he said.
"Hi Aaron."
"Don't you think you should come inside it is a little cold out."
"It's fine, did you know that this will be my first Christmas that I was not in New York since I left Virginia."
"I think Reid has taken a liking too, you."
"I didn't mean it, I swear."
"He fits your parameters he is smart for sure."
"What are you trying to do big brother set me up with a guy I hardly know? I think you had a little too much to drink."
"I guess I have had a little and that is what my little sister is for to watch over me and Jack." Coming over and messing up her hair with his palm.
"When you profiled me for Donny did you find out anything you did not know beforehand?" She asked while trying to put it back into place.
"You loved somebody, you watched him die in front you, and then you turned an informant for the government. Donny figured out you were my sister and asked me to profile you but he could never convict you because there was never enough evidence but, you made a deal with him to be his CI by teaching him your ways for a year and six months. It will be a year in the early part of January. Right?"
"Right, it does get easier I mean losing someone you love. I miss him every day but every day it hurts a little less."
"I'm sorry-"Hotch said
Ring Ring Ring
"I have to take this it's just a few old friends." When he gave me an evil eyed look I added, "It is nothing illegal."
"Hi Chris its Josh,"
"Hi Josh Merry Christmas,"
"Merry Christmas, Chris. I thank you for that loan; I'll try to get the money back to you as soon as possible. Oh, the family wants to say hi especially little Tom."
He put his son on the phone and the first words that were out of his mouth were, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,"
"Tommy I guess you liked your presents."
"Yeah, thank you so much for the baseballs, glove, and bat."
"You are very welcome and Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Chris."
"I'm sorry Tommy but I have to go give everyone a big hug for me."
"Yes Chris, enjoy your holiday."
I pushed the end button and continued to stare up at the moon. I touched my necklace and went back inside."
I took off my coat and dusted off my boots just as Sara pasted. I heard her smirk and say something under her breath.
I walked into where to everyone was waiting Hotch said, "You must be pretty popular today with all your phone calls."
"Yeah on holidays."
"I'm going to go get some presents for my guests." He looked at me for a second longer.
I got down on my knees to play with Jack and Henry.
It did not take long time for him to come back. I watched as he gave presents to everyone around me as soon as Spencer opened the portable poker set I told him to deal me in.
Aaron came back in with a present for Emma. After not finding anything at Walmart for her. He remembered before she left Virginia he had been given her guitar to watch over and now he wanted to return it to her and maybe she would play again. He knew that his mother hated her playing a guitar, but he would protect her from their mother now because he, his father, and her brother never protected her from what their wife, or mother did to her all those years before.
He remembered around when she was ten Sara had pushed her down the stairs. Emma was lucky she had taken self-defense classes and gymnastics her whole life and she was able to move fast enough so she did not break her neck. He remembered times when she just wouldn't come home at all their mother didn't care what Emma go into and she learned many things from those nights.
He picked up the dust covered guitar bag. It had not been played in years. He walked in and Emma and Reid were playing poker. Aaron motion to his younger brother to come into the kitchen. He showed Sean the guitar and he knew his brother's plan as soon as he was the guitar case.
Point of view from Reid
Emma and I were laying down our cards. Everyone else had given up. I could tell she was an excellent player but with the hand I had she was going to lose. I took a drink of wine, I knew I had had quite a good bit of wine tonight but I don't care. She laid down a straight flush with a 6, 5, 4, 3, and a 2.
"Emma not much can beat a straight flush but I have a Royal Flush. I showed her an ace, a king, queen, jack, and a ten. I knew what I wanted in my drunken stare.
"It's okay Emma, he's from Vegas." Prentiss said.
"Yep, but Emma's math skills are impeccable."
"Thanks, so what do you want?" she said her beautiful red glossy lips were all I wanted.
"A kiss," I said drunkly. I saw Rossi, Morgan, and Prentiss exchange this weird look on their faces.
"A deal is a deal," she said and leaned in. She kissed my check when I really wanted it on my lips. She looked at me in surprise, "What you just said a kiss you did specify where you wanted it." She said smiling grabbing her half drunken glass of wine.
"You want to play again?" I asked her.
"No thanks," she said.
"Hey Emma," I heard Hotch say and she turned to look at both Hotch and Sean. In Hotch's hand was a beat up old guitar case,
"You kept it after all these years?" she questioned him. I began to wonder what is she not tell us about.
"I had too I couldn't give it away. So do you think you could play something for us?" Hotch asked.
"It will definitely need to be tuned first but, I'll only play if you sing, Aaron."
"Please Daddy," Jack said going over to where he was standing and hugging his leg.
"Fine, Em, start tuning. What will be singing?"
"Sorry, but I'm kind of sick of holiday songs so I'll do those last but I know what song I'm going to play first. It's called Fire and Rain by James Taylor you remember it Aaron. Sorry my selection is so old but I have not played in years." she played a chord "I think I'm still pretty good."
She started to play the introduction. She was pretty good I saw her mother snare at her for a few seconds. When Hotch started to sing he was nervous in the first verse but gradually got better.
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone /Susanne the plans they made put an end to you /I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song /I just can't remember who to send it to Thought I'd see you one more time again /There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now /Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now
I've seen fire and I've seen rain/ I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end /I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend/ But I always thought that I'd see you again
Won't you look down upon me, Jesus /You've got to help me make a stand /You've just got to see me through another day/ My body's aching and my time is at hand/ And I won't make it any other way
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain /I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end /I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend /But I always thought that I'd see you again
Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun /Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around/ Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things /to come/ Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain/ I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end /I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend /But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now
We all clapped, they were good together. Jack ran over to his dad and aunt. "Daddy, you can really sing."
"Jack, he was really good when he was younger." Mrs. Hotchner said.
"Hey sis I forget how good you are." Sean said.
She smiled at that and started to play something else but she did not sing along. It brought tears to her eyes but she quickly wiped them away.
As she finished playing that song something caught her gaze outside the window but she looked away after a few seconds when she noticed that we all were watching her.
She started to play softer noticing that Henry looked like he was about to fall asleep. We all are probably going to leave very soon because we each were getting very tired. I was sitting next to her with Jack in the middle of us with our backs resting against the coffee table. Morgan, Garcia, and Kevin were sitting in the kitchen island chairs. While JJ, Will, Prentiss were sitting on the couch with Henry in his mother's arms. Rossi, Hotch, Sean, and Mrs. Hotchner each were sitting in chairs position somewhere around the living room..
I heard something then two canisters flew through the front window facing the road. I grabbed Henry and Emma then pushed them to the floor with me on top of them to try to protect them.