AN: I am going on record right now as saying that if Hotch seems 'out of character' it's only because this Hotch never became an FBI agent and therefore never saw the things he saw that turned him into the stoic, grim faced, hawk eyed man we all know and love. This Hotch went a different route and was able to hold on to some of his humor. He wasn't trained and somewhat forced to be this serious guy.
Chapter 5
The next day, Emily was at the office at the indecently early hour of 4am waiting for Aaron Hotchner to arrive for their meeting. After she had finished walking Ziva and Myka through the grounds and made all the notes about where they had to focus their energies on, she sent them home and called Mr. Hotchner.
He agreed to bring all of the originals of the letters and other assorted gifts that Jennifer's stalker had sent. Emily asked for the early morning meeting because today was her first full day of bodyguard duty with Miss Jareau and she wanted to get Oracle and Gate Keeper started on evaluating the letters and the gifts before she got entrenched in Jennifer's everyday life.
Emily was about to call Mr. Hotchner on his cell, the man was fifteen minutes late, when the door opened and he walked into the office. Emily put her phone back on its cradle and stood up to greet the man who looked like he'd just woken up. He was...adorably disheveled.
"Mr. Hotchner, thank you for meeting me so early."
Aaron Hotchner looked up from the box he was carrying and smiled at the dark haired woman, "It's not a problem. I'm sorry I'm late, but I accidentally woke up my son as I was getting ready and he took forever to get back to sleep."
Emily nodded, "I can understand that, he was probably disoriented at waking up so early and then seeing you about to leave. It's really not a problem." Despite not really having been around kids much, Emily could imagine how a child might react to something that wasn't part of their routine day.
Hotch nodded, happy that his tardiness, which was really out of character for him, wasn't going to be held against him. He lifted the box in his hands up a little and asked, "Um, where would you like this?"
Emily looked at the box, "Is that all of it?" At the man's nod, she motioned to a table off to the side, "You can just put it there. My tech team will be in soon to take command of it."
Hotch put the box on the indicated table and turned to Emily, "Miss Prentiss-"
"Please, call me Emily Mr. Hotchner."
"Okay, then call me Aaron, or Hotch. I was going to say that...Jennifer is very important to me. She's not just a client, she's my friend. I am Henry's godfather. So please, just find this guy and stop him before he gets close to them, okay?"
Aaron Hotchner wasn't normally this vocal or emotional, but he couldn't help it. JJ, Henry and Carrie were a part of his family and if anything were to happen to them, he didn't know what he would do.
Emily took a moment to process what Hotch had said and she nodded, "You have my word that I will not let this man or anyone else get close enough to harm Jennifer, Henry or Carrie." Emily took her job very seriously, because she knew what it was like to lose someone you love to violence.
Hotch looked into Emily's eyes and he saw the truth and determination in them and he nodded, knowing that his friend was in good hands. "Good. Well I have to get going. If there's anything else you need from me or my office, just ask."
"I'll remember that. Good bye Hotch."
Emily watched him leave and then walked over to the table with the box. She reached out and opened a drawer on the table. She pulled out two latex gloves and snapped them on before she opened the box. She didn't want to risk contaminating the evidence in the box but she was curious about this guy's mental state.
About fifteen minutes later, Emily was sitting at the table with all the letters spread out in front of her, arranged in chronological order. She studied each letter, focusing on the language and tone of each one. The profiler in her, which was ingrained in her, was mentally plotting the progression of this 'unsub's' obsession, and she wasn't liking where it was going.
This guy was well into the obsession stage of the stalker's triad and Emily knew that it was only a matter of time before he slipped into the final stage, destruction. Before she could get into the gifts he'd sent, the door opened again and two people walked in, talking and joking around.
Emily turned to face the new comers and smiled at her tech team. "Oracle, Gate Keeper...what's the joke?"
Oracle, otherwise known as Kevin Lynch, formerly of the BAU, looked at his boss and friend and tried to explain, "Gate Keeper was telling me about the time one of her former co-workers accidentally over-bleached his teeth."
Gate Keeper, Abby to rest of the world, chimed in, "It was so funny Emily. McGee was doing everything he could to tone down the whiteness of his teeth. He drank like ten Caff-Pows but nothing helped." When she noticed that Emily wasn't laughing with them, Abby toned it down, "I guess you had to be there."
"Yeah...or just watch Friends." Emily grinned, recognizing the situation as one that happened on the old TV show. "Guys, I just got the physical evidence from our current case. So, Oracle I need you to track the syntax and language and see if this guy has a blog or something online dedicated to our client. Gate Keeper, I need you to use your fancy forensic machines, that I shelled out a small fortune for, to check for prints, maybe even any DNA this guy might've left behind on the letters and the gifts. This is a rush job so, it takes priority, got it?"
Oracle and Gate Keeper looked at the table then turned to look at each other. After a few moments of silent communication, Oracle said, "I'll get the Caff-Pows if you take that back to the lair, deal?"
The Lair was what they called their lab/computer room. It was located at the rear of the building and was a blend of Kevin's old computer room at the BAU and Abby's old lab from NCIS only much bigger and with much newer, more powerful equipment. Gate Keeper took a moment to think about that and then nodded, "Deal."
Oracle left the office to procure the aforementioned caffeinated drinks. Gate Keeper had introduced him to the Caff-Pows when she first started working with him and he had to admit they were very good. Gate Keeper turned to her boss, "No worries Emily, we'll get this guy."
Emily smiled, "I have no doubt about that Gate Keeper. After today though, I'll only be reachable by cell, video phone or email, okay? I'm going to be primary guard on the client."
Abby smiled as she remembered who Ziva told her was the client, "You're going to be 24/7 with Jennifer Jareau? I am such a huge fan of her show City of Angels. It's such a great show."
"Yeah? Well I don't watch it enough to make such an assessment. But right now, whether the show is good or not is unimportant. We need to focus on finding her stalker and not get sidetracked by the celebrity, got it?"
Gate Keeper nodded, knowing better than to let her love for the show and its star distract her from the job she needed to do. She had experience with stalkers, and she knew that they never stopped until they were caught.
Gate Keeper walked over to the table with the evidence and, just like Emily before her, she got a pair of gloves before she began to touch the letters to put them back into the box carefully. When everything was back in the box, she turned to Emily, "So, you know where to find me. I'll call when we find something useful, okay?"
Emily nodded, "That works Gate Keeper. Just remember, this is top priority."
"You got it." With that, Gate Keeper picked up the box and began walking towards the back of the room where the hallway that led to the Lair was located. She slipped through the door and walked down the hallway.
Emily watched her go then walked back to her desk and got her things together. She strapped on her gun to the small of her back, and slipped her wallet into the back pocket of her jeans. She had decided to dress casual for the duration of the case, preferring to try to blend into the background as Jennifer's friend or part of her entourage rather than standing out as an obvious body guard.
Emily locked up her desk and shut down her computer before she began walking to the door to leave. Oracle returned before she reached the door, he was holding four extra-large Caff-Pows. She knew that they would last her tech team about an hour or so, and she made a mental note to look into getting them their own Caff-Pow machine for their Lair.
"Oracle, Gate Keeper is in the Lair. Please do me a favor and pace yourselves with the caffeine, okay?"
Oracle looked from the drinks to his boss, "Um, three of these are for Gate Keeper, and you know how she can be about her caffeine but I'll do my best." He smiled.
Emily nodded, very familiar with Gate Keeper's love for the caffeinated beverages. "Guess that's all I can ask. I'm going mobile now. The outside door will be locked and the alarm will be on. The others won't be checking in, they'll be heading right to the client's house later. But Derek's team might stop by, so just keep an eye on the cameras okay?"
Oracle nodded, familiar with the protocols for when Emily or Derek's team went mobile. It usually meant that no one on the team was going to be coming to the office to avoid being followed by any bad guys. The entire building was wired with cameras and when the teams were mobile it was up to him and Gate Keeper to keep an eye on the footage to make sure no one broke in or tried to sneak up on them. "You got it. Good luck boss."
"Thanks Oracle...something tells me I'm going to need it on this one." With that, Emily left the building and headed to her car.
Oracle watched her leave then he walked to the door and locked it. He then turned to the alarm pad next to the door and keyed in the code, setting the alarm. Once he was certain that the building was securely locked, he walked to the back of the room and followed the same path Gate Keeper had before him and entered their lair.
Before too long, both Oracle and Gate Keeper were immersed in their work, the music playing and their movements flowing in a coordinated dance that, to an outside observer might seem rehearsed, but that was really just second nature after the years they'd been working together.
As Emily pulled up to the gate that guarded Jennifer Jareau's house for the second time in as many days, she took a moment to mentally prepare herself for the task at hand. She knew that this assignment was going to be tougher than any that came before, for the simple fact that Jennifer Jareau was a beautiful woman and, if Emily's past relationships were anything to go by, she was exactly Emily's type. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and an underlying hint of vulnerability that was masked by a confident exterior...yup, exactly what always drew Emily to a woman. But this time, she couldn't afford to give in to her attraction, because to do so would mean certain disaster. She wouldn't be able to protect Jennifer if she allowed her emotions to distract her.
Emily took a deep breath, then lowered her window to press the intercom. Before she could reach it though, her cell phone rang. She reached over and checked the caller ID, smiling when she saw Ziva's face smiling back at her. She answered the call with a smile on her face, "Hey Z, where are you and Myka?"
"We are right behind you Emily. We parked on the sidewalk until you cleared the gate." Emily could hear Myka in the background correcting Ziva's phrasing, telling her they parked on the street not the sidewalk. She also heard Ziva say to Myka that the next time she corrected her, she was going to show her how she used to deal with annoying co-workers in the past.
Emily grinned at their antics. Despite being happily involved with other women, those two often bickered like an old married couple. It was often amusing to just sit back and watch them go at it, but Emily didn't have time for that today. "Ok, Z, just pull the van up behind me so you can pull in when the gate opens. I'll meet you two at the front doors." Emily hung up without waiting for a reply.
Emily reached out and pressed the intercom button and waited for a response. The voice when it came, was easily recognizable this time as being Carrie's. She had spent some time with the younger Jareau woman yesterday talking about what her routine usually was with regard to Henry and her own schedule. Rain and Nick had been there as well, learning what they needed to know so they would be ready today.
"It's far too early in the morning to be ringing the buzzer Miss Prentiss, remind me to get you a key to the gate. In the meantime, come on in."
Emily grinned, Carrie had sounded like she'd been sleeping when the buzzer sounded...she also sounded decidely grumpy. She watched as the gate opened and she drove through, checking her rear view mirror to see that the van Ziva and Myka were in drove in behind her. She also spotted two other cars that she recognized and smiled as she realized that Rain and Nick were here now too.
Emily pulled up to the front door and got out of the car. She waited by the hood of her car as Ziva parked the van and Nick and Rain parked their cars behind the van, able to get out when they needed to later.
The team met Emily at her car and smiled their good mornings, each of them holding a take-out cup of coffee from different places. Emily smiled and made a mental note to grab her own cup later. She already had a cup at home and one at the office but she knew she'd need one later.
"Okay, now that we're all here, we can get started. Rain and Nick, find Carrie and Henry. Nick, since you're Henry's guard you'll be taking him to school and staying there with him so I hope you brought a book or something to keep you entertained while he's in class."
"Yeah, I got my iPad. I also had Oracle hook me up with some cool toys for Henry. Mainly a panic button, and an A/V bug that will let me see and hear everything in the classroom from my iPad. This way, if the school doesn't let me sit in the actual classroom with Henry, I can still have eyes and ears on the room."
Emily nodded, glad that Nick had gone that extra step. "Good looking out. Go find Henry and explain to him about the 'toys'."
Emily jerked her head towards the house, dismissing Nick. She then turned to Rain. "Rain, you know the drill, you stick to Carrie like glue when you leave the grounds with her. No exceptions."
Rain just nodded, as the junior member of the team, she knew she still had a ways to go to prove herself to them and she was okay with that because at least they were giving her a chance to prove herself and not sticking her at a desk the whole time. Emily smiled and jerked her head again, dismissing Rain. Rain followed Nick to the front door and waited with him for someone to open it. "So, do you think the school will let you sit in the room?"
Nick turned to Rain and frowned, "Maybe, but I think for that to happen I'd have to tell them exactly why I need to sit in the room and that would mean disclosing confidential information. Can't do that, that's why I had Oracle hook me up with the toys. What about you? You going to have fun playing babysitter to a grown woman who, from the looks she was giving you yesterday, might just be planning on trying to get you into bed?" Nick grinned at that, remembering how Carrie had looked at his friend yesterday.
Rain didn't bat an eyelash but the blood rushing to her cheeks at the mention of getting into bed with her charge gave her away, "Regardless of what she wants, Nick, it isn't going to happen. We can't do our jobs if we cross that line and I am not going to put someone in danger just for a few hours of...fun." 'Even if she is a hot blonde.' Rain thought to herself.
Nick lifted his arms and was about to apologize for the innuendo when the door opened and the subject of their discussion smiled up at them.
Carrie saw Nick and Rain on the doorstep and smiled, already looking forward to the day she was going to spend with Rain. "Hey guys, come on in. Henry's still asleep but he should be getting up soon."
She led them to the living room and motioned for them to sit. They opted to stand for the time being. Nick kept throwing glances at the staircase which led to the upstairs bedrooms, hoping to hear the pitter patter of small feet on the stairs.
Emily waited until Nick and Rain were inside before she turned to Ziva and Myka. "Okay, so do you two have everything you need?"
Ziva nodded as Myka spoke up, "Yup, it's all in the van. We'll get started on that while you go greet Miss Jareau, okay boss?"
Emily just nodded. "Get to it. Call if you need anything."
They just nodded and waved her off, watching her walk to the door and, without knocking, enter the house.
Myka turned to Ziva then and asked, "So, how long do you think it will take Emily to realize that Jennifer is into her?"
Ziva turned to her partner and grinned, "Knowing Emily, it could be a while. As far as anyone knows, Miss Jareau is straight. I do not think that Emily has even thought of the possibility that Miss Jareau is anything else...and having a child does not exactly help her case, yes?"
Myka tilted her head and thought about that one, "Good point. Hey Ziva, how come you won't call her Jennifer?" Myka was curious, she didn't know that much about Ziva but she knew that the woman rarely stood on ceremony if she didn't have to.
Ziva took a breath as she realized that Myka didn't know about her past...about Jenny. "There was someone, a close friend, named Jenny...she died a few years ago in the line of duty. I cannot call Miss Jareau by her first name because it reminds me of Jenny and I cannot let myself be reminded of her anymore."
Myka nodded in understanding, knowing how hard it was for her at first to work with Sam Spade, because of her own ghost named Sam. She eventually got over it but she knew those types of wounds never really healed. "Okay. So let's get started with our tasks so that this place is up to Safe Haven standards, okay?"
Ziva nodded, grateful that Myka wasn't going to push for more information. They walked back over to the van and opened the back doors. Ziva climbed inside and began handing Myka the supplies they were going to need. It was going to be a long day but it would be worth it in the end.
Emily walked into the house without knocking, knowing that Carrie or Nick would've left it unlocked so she could get in. She followed the voices into the living room and stood in the doorway as she watched Rain and Carrie talking in a corner. She couldn't hear the words but she knew it was about Carrie's plans for the day, their body language screamed professional. Nick was standing by the couch, throwing glances at the stairs and Emily realized he was waiting for Henry to come downstairs.
Emily was about to walk into the room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around fast, already in defensive mode when she recognized Jennifer standing there looking amused.
"Relax Emily, it's just me." JJ smirked at the jumpy brunette.
Emily visibly relaxed and smiled back at Jennifer, "Can't be too careful Jennifer."
Before JJ could respond to that, there was a sound like stampeding elephants on the staircase. Emily went off in the direction of the sound, curious as to what was making that much noise. She stopped short when she saw Henry running down the stairs in such a way as to make the most noise possible. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he took a mighty leap and landed a few feet away on the solid wood floor. He looked up at that moment and saw Emily and his mom watching him. He grinned widely and ran to his mom.
"Good morning mommy!" Henry said as he threw his arms around JJ's waist.
JJ hugged her son back, already used to his big, noisy entrances. "Good morning honey. Did you sleep okay?"
Henry looked up at his mom, "Uh huh, nothing but good dreams."
"That's great! But sweetie, what did I tell you last night about the noise?"
Henry's brow wrinkled as he tried to remember the conversation they'd had when JJ was tucking him in. He looked around the room and noticed the look on Emily's face as she stood there watching him. His little face got red as he remembered what his mom had told him. "Not to do it anymore because Emily and her team weren't used to it and it might make them worried." He dutifully repeated as much as he could remember.
JJ nodded along, pleased that he remembered the words even if he'd forgotten to put them to action. "Right. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Henry looked at his mom for a moment then he sighed softly and turned to face Emily. He took a step closer then said, in a soft, shy but still clear voice, "I'm sorry if I worried you and your team Emily. I won't do it again."
Emily hesitated just a moment before she crouched down to Henry's level and looked him in the eye. She gave him a sly smirk and said in a playful tone, "Well...it's okay this time, but just remember that making that much noise makes the grown-ups nervous."
Henry looked at the dark haired woman and, seeing she wasn't mad at him, he smiled. "Okay Emily."
Emily smiled and stood up, looking down at the precocious young boy who looked far too much like his mother for Emily's comfort.
JJ decided it was time to intervene and she tapped her son's shoulder to get his attention. When he turned to look up at her she said, "Sweetie, why don't you go find your aunt Carrie and get some breakfast before school?"
"Okay mom. See you later Emily!" Henry waved at the brunette before he went off towards the kitchen where he knew his aunt was waiting for him, most likely clutching a cup a coffee like it was a lifeline.
Emily watched him go and smiled at the innocence of youth.
JJ turned to look at Emily, "Thank you for not...getting mad at him."
Emily shrugged as she looked towards the blond, "it's not a big deal Jennifer. He's just a kid."
JJ felt herself falling into the dark depths of Emily's eyes, she held the brunette's gaze for a few moments before she managed to tear her gaze away. She turned towards the kitchen. "I'm going to go get some breakfast." JJ hadn't felt this nervous and awkward around a woman in her entire life and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.
She left the foyer and went to the kitchen, determined to ignore the possibility that she might be attracted to Emily.
Emily watched her go and let out the breath she'd been holding. When she looked around the foyer she was glad to see she was alone. She took a moment to tuck the feelings that Jennifer's gaze evoked into one of her mental compartments. She locked it away, convinced that if she ignored it, it would go away and she'd be able to do her job and keep her client safe.
Once she was sure of herself, Emily walked towards the kitchen where she found Henry and Jennifer sitting at the small table having breakfast. Carrie was standing at the island drinking what looked like coffee, and Nick and Rain were standing by the walls just keeping an eye on everyone and waiting for their charges to be ready to start their day.
Emily caught Nick and Rain's eyes and nodded at them, confident that they knew their roles. She moved to the door that led to the back yard and stepped outside. She looked around and soon spotted Ziva and Myka going about their work and she smiled, glad her team was so independently competent.
JJ watched Emily leave the house and wondered what the woman was up to but she was soon distracted by her son as he began to talk about what he was doing in class today.
Emily stood on the back step for a few moments more before she went back inside, ready to get this day started and get everyone where they needed to be for the day.
TBC...
So sorry this took so long but I have been fighting a cold so it's been a little slow with the writing. Hope you enjoyed this long chapter!