Apologies for the late posting! Been busy getting costumes and pumpkins ready for the girlies!
Anyways, thank you! Thank you! To everyone for your wonderful reviews! Especially all the guest reviewers whom I couldn't thank personally, THANK YOU!
Happy Halloween to everyone!
Happy reading!
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She's A Keeper! – Chapter 4
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"Haley?" He gasped as he began to tear up as emotions began to well up within him, "Haley, I missed you." He whispered.
She turned to look at him and her face lit up with a bright smile. "Hi honey! I saved you a seat." She held her hand out.
"You look so beautiful." She was wearing an emerald green gown, and her hair was perfectly coiffed up.
"You're not so bad yourself." She replied with another smile.
"I'm wearing a go…" He looked down at himself and discovered his gown had changed into a smart tuxedo with tails. "I…thank you." He muttered as he looked up and watched her. "I miss you." He kept his gaze on her as he sat beside her.
She gave him a knowing smile, "I know."
As the screen darkened and the film began, Haley turned towards the screen excitedly, "Oo, they're starting!"
It was a film clip of Jack cheering for Hotch at his FBI marathon.
"Look how happy he is!" Haley commented cheerfully.
Another scene came up where the BAU team were there at the same event cheering for him as well.
"Oh look at them! They're still here with you, Aaron."
"They are my team, and I'm very proud of them." He said.
Haley turned to face him briefly, "Yes, you're, Aaron, and they're your family too."
Another scene was Emily hugging and congratulating him as she winked playfully at Jack who began to giggle.
"Jack likes Emily." Haley observed.
"Yes, she is very good to him." Hotch was looking at Haley. "But she's not you. And I've not done enough." He sniffled.
"Oh hush, she's wonderful to Jack." She was watching Jack holding Emily's hand as well as Hotch's on the other side as the three of them left the park with the team. "Stop beating yourself to death, you're a great dad." She turned to glance at him, "You've always have been."
"It's getting so hard and I'm alone."
"No you're not."
"Jack misses you too." Hotch couldn't hold back his tears as he said them.
Arching a brow, "Well, you should talk about me more." Then she added, "You should talk period." She reached up and wiped his tear as she continued, "He's not like you. He needs to hear the words."
They watched more of Jack playing soccer as she cheered him and looking so proud of him when he scored a goal.
Hotch couldn't help but smile sadly; how he wished Haley was still alive, she would have been at his soccer games, every one of them.
…..
The team had arrived at the crime scene in Wichita, with a team of LEOs.
Earlier, Dave, Reid and Morgan were at convenience store where the latest murder took place; the clerk was fatally shot.
"What I don't understand is the clerk's shotgun was right there, why didn't he use it?" Dave was looking at the weapon that was now being tagged by the crime scene unit.
"Maybe he didn't get the chance to use it before he was shot?" JJ speculated.
Dave nodded, agreeing with the sound logic. "What did you get from the mother?"
JJ shrugged, "Just your typical rebellious teenager; mom and daughter fighting constantly."
"It is when there is a lack of a dominant father figure in the household." Alex pointed out.
"He was locked up when Samantha was 6. Mother didn't know about his true 'career', she said he had a bad temper but had never struck her."
"Any contact between father and daughter?" Dave asked them.
"Garcia is obtaining Samantha's phone records." JJ replied.
"Nothing was taken, robbery was certainly not the motive." Blake pointed out as she looked around them.
"Not exactly…"Reid muttered as he was going through the receipts in the register and named the items purchased, one of them being 5 postcards.
"Post cards? Isn't that old school and nostalgic?" Alex turned to Reid.
"It looks like he's headed due South, looks like he's headed to Mexico." Morgan pointed.
"I'll extend the Amber Alert and set up road blocks." JJ said as she headed out.
….
"Captain, this is the Interpol officer. Emily Prentiss." The flight attendant introduced Emily to the pilot and co-pilot.
Emily looked around in the confined space of the cockpit where the two men were staring at her expectantly.
Showing them her badge, Emily nodded, "I presumed you received a phone call from my boss in London?" Emily smiled at them.
The Captain, James Staley, shook her hand and explained, "No exactly." He glanced at his co-pilot. "Scott and I were pleasantly surprised to hear from the Director of Interpol in France who's in charge of Safety and asked us for our co-operation which we gladly give to you, so how can we help you?"
"Thank you, Captain Staley but I have to be able to access my phone inflight and in fact…"
The Captain cut her off, "It's okay, Officer Prentiss. You may use your phone, as long as it's within the cockpit. We do not want the rest of the passengers to start using their cell phones if they see you using it in the cabin and the Directeur had informed us the importance of your work at the moment…terrorist, huh?"
She nodded, "Yes, in fact I do need to make a phone to my supervisor."
He nodded, "Certainly, go ahead."
Emily took her phone out and began to dial the number to Clyde.
"Easter." He answered. "Em? What do you have?"
"You would not believe what the text contained and it contained a lot," she turned her back to the two men who were listening in unashamedly. "You have a sleeper cell there in High Bridge Court that is about to be awakened. Three men from Tehran and one from Afghanistan who's supposedly the leader. He has ricin contained in two aerosol sprays. I don't know where he intended to use it, Clyde."
He was quiet for a moment as he let the information sunk in, "We must evac the park nearby the location. There's supposed to be a children's art fair tomorrow."
"Okay," Emily breathed out with a sigh. "I hope that's the right locale and we're in time."
"Good work, Em. And thank you." Clyde replied. "My regards to Hotchner, I hope he gets better."
"Yeah, call me and let me know the outcome."
"Will do, darling, ciao!"
"Bye." But she was talking to a dead line. Turning to the pilots, she said, "Thank you, Captain Staley and co-pilot Scott."
"You're most welcome, Officer Prentiss. I hope you'd averted a potential disaster." He stared at her unabashed.
Emily nodded, "I hope so too, bye." She left the cockpit hurriedly.
As they taxi'ed out of the tarmac, the Captain grinned as he held his microphone away and said, "She's rather dishy…pity I'm happily married to my Emma."
The co-pilot nodded, "Yes, she is very pretty but I think she's taken."
"Oh? Now how do you know that?"
"I just do…she just had that look." He smiled at his friend and colleague.
"Oh right."
Back in her seat, Emily yawned as she buckled in and leaned back, preparing for take-off. Before she realized, she was fast asleep. Her neighbor was clutching the armrest with a death grip and marveled at her coolness as she began to feel panicky.
"Please don't crash! Please don't crash! I want to see my loved one…oh god!" She shut her eyes tight as she felt the large 'metal container' began to lift off in the air.
….loved one…
…He was standing by the office at the BAU, just like he did every day.
He was reading a file intently when he sensed someone was staring at him, he was still wearing a hospital gown.
He saw her look and smiled encouragingly.
Emily who was sitting at her desk when she looked up and grinned.
He walked down to the bullpen and to her desk, "What can I do for you, Agent Prentiss?" He leaned against the edge of her desk as he placed the file down.
Emily looked around and saw they were alone, "I'm trying to get to you."
"Well, I'm here."
"I know and I know this is not you. I'm just dreaming."
He nodded as he placed his hands around his chest, "What are you going to do when you do?"
She frowned, her brows a deep furrow, "I …what do you mean?"
"I mean, you coming all the way across the ocean just because I collapsed?"
"Hotch, that's not funny. I'm concerned about you."
"Just concerned? Or are you regretting something?"
"Regretting something?" She repeated. "No….yes…I don't know, Hotch."
"Look Emily, be honest with yourself. You left me. You didn't want to stay. Are you so scared of commitment?"
She shook her head, "No…no…I'm not…don't say that.
"Say what? That you're afraid? Tell me, what are you afraid of?"
"A…a…ghost." She uttered softly.
He straightened as he frowned, "A ghost? You mean Haley?"
She nodded.
"But she's dead, Emily. You don't believe in ghosts. Come on tell me the truth."
She took a deep breath, "I'm jealous of her love for you."
"But I thought you said earlier, that you no longer do?"
"I lied…I realize she's still very much alive in your mind, Hotch."
"She will always be but she's not you and I want you." He leaned in close to her again, he reached out and caressed her cheek softly. Then he stopped, "Emily, I want to be with you. I don't understand why you ran from me."
"I was afraid, Hotch." She admitted.
He suddenly sneered at her as he placed both hands down on her desk and leaned close to her, "You can't even say my name." He leaned closer, their lips almost touching.
She leaned away from him, "Your n…na…name?"
"It's Aaron. Say it." He said it seductively as his lips lightly touched and teased her. "Say it; Aaron."
"Aaron," she whispered. "Aaron."
He smiled, "Yes babe, I like it when you say it…so soft, so passionate, Emily…" He pressed his lips to hers.
"Aaron…" She said it again as she closed her eyes, his lips…her whole body began to vibrate with sexual tension as she began to respond back to his kisses.
The vibration…
She suddenly opened her eyes and realized it was her phone! It was Garcia!
….
End of Chapter 4
A/N just wanna let ya know, the convo between Haley and Hotch are taken from the episode 'Route 66' – I do not own any part of the episode or the TV series Criminal Minds.
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