Last time we met Evelyn's old friend Callan and the Prentiss family had a moment with Hotch; this chapter involves a big change as the Prentiss family starts thinking about moving out of the apartment and into a home, plus we see a bit more of what Cassandra may be suffering from as a result of her time with the Banns.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Criminal Minds…at all.


Memories

June 25th, Saturday

"You have got to be kidding me…"

Emily muttered, letting out an irritated sigh as she glanced out her window; she and Nathan were heading to pick up Cassandra from her art therapy, only to find themselves stuck in traffic.

Evelyn was in the process of finishing up her degree, so she was taking a bunch of exams and Emily really didn't want to bother her.

"Mom, won't Cass freak out if she doesn't see us there?"

Nathan wondered while Emily bit her lip, tapping her fingers nervously on the steering wheel; her eyes widened as a thought came to her, quickly grabbing her phone and dialing Hotch's number.

It rang for a few minutes before a click was heard, a confused Hotch answered.

"Emily, what is it?"

"Hey Aaron, look I know you have Jack but I need a favor; Nate and I are stuck in traffic, and Cassie's getting out of her therapy soon, so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind picking her up and keeping her until we get there?"

"Sure, no problem; where do you want to meet us?"

Hotch replied as Emily smiled softly, she glanced around before turning her attention back to Hotch.

"How about at the Ben and Jerry's in Georgetown? There's a park nearby for Jack and Cassie."

"Sounds good, see you then."

The call ended and Emily stared at it for a moment, smiling before putting it back and looking over her shoulder at Nathan.

"So, how do you feel about ice cream kiddo?"


Hotch glanced around the small therapy practice, trying to find the brunette little girl while keeping a tight grip on his son's hand; his mouth turned up in a grin when he heard a familiar voice.

"Mr. Hotch!"

Cassandra squealed as she quickly left her therapist's side and ran to Hotch, who released Jack's hand and bent down to pick her up.

"Hello Miss Cassie, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, I drew and twaked a lot with Dr. R-Roosifelt."

Cassandra replied, stuttering a little when she tried to pronounce the unusual name; Hotch felt his dimples show, listening to the little girl chattering.

"So, you're Mr. Hotch?"

Hotch looked up, startled when he saw the blonde therapist approaching with a smile.

"Yes, you must be Dr. Roosevelt."

"I am, you'll be happy to know Cassandra is progressing wonderfully; however there is a few pictures I would like to show you…"

The therapist trailed off, letting the words hang in the silence; Hotch nodded stiffly, adjusting Cassandra so he could take his son's hand as the four entered Dr. Roosevelt's office.

The room was fitting for an art therapist, Hotch thought, the walls were decorated in a light blue and the carpeting was white; various pictures hung on the walls and shelves filled with art materials were above a white desk with a computer.

Hotch moved to sit in a white chair, placing both Jack and Cassandra on the ground; the dark-haired man smiled when he saw the two children run over to where a play area had been set up, turning his attention to the woman in front of him.

"Now, I asked Cassandra to draw things that made her happy…"

Dr. Roosevelt placed three pictures on the desk, Hotch took a deep breath when he saw exactly what the pictures were.

The first was rather basic, he could see it was of Emily, Evelyn, Cassandra and Nathan with Sergio purring contently at their feet.

The second one, however, was of the whole team minus himself; Cassandra was perched on Derek's shoulders with Nathan seen playing chess with Reid.

The third one was the one that stunned him the most, it was similar to the first but with the inclusion of him and Jack; he could clearly see the drawing of himself holding the hands of Jack and Cassandra.

"The fact that she drew you separately from the others, whom I'm under the impression she views as her aunts and uncles, it implies that she views you and your son as a separate entity; she obviously puts you in a more paternal role."

Dr. Roosevelt explained as she clasped her hands together and studied the expression of the man in front of her.

Hotch traced the final drawing, feeling a lump form in his throat; he knew Cassandra adored him, given how happy she was whenever he visited, but to see how much of an impact he had made…

"I'm assuming these aren't the only things you wanted to show me…?"

Hotch trailed off, looking up to meet the gaze of the therapist; the woman nodded, her face taking on a grim expression as she grabbed another folder.

"Recently, Cassandra and I have started talking about her nightmares, trying to get to the root of them,"

Dr. Roosevelt began, pulling out a single picture to place on the table; she slid it over to Hotch who frowned and moved to pick it up.

"When I asked Cassandra about what she saw…that's what she drew as an answer."

The blonde therapist finished, watching quietly as the man before her paled; his hands started shaking, clutching the paper tightly.

A man, completely black with red eyes, was laying on top of a little girl with red hair and blue eyes; in the corner there were five other children watching in fear.

"I was hoping you could explain exactly why Cassandra drew that."

Hotch placed the paper down, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees as he ran them down his face.

"I'm not sure how much Emily told you about how Cassandra came to be in her care…?"

"Agent Prentiss only informed me she met Cassandra on one of her cases, not much else."

Dr. Roosevelt stated, clasping her hands together as she leaned back.

"Cassandra's foster parents were Michael and Karen Bann, UNSUBs linked to the kidnapping, rape and murder of nine children under the age of ten,"

Hotch started, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he looked over at his son and Cassandra innocently playing.

"We were under the impression that Cassandra hadn't witnessed their crimes, because she lived in their attic, but unfortunately that wasn't the case."

Dr. Roosevelt nodded, keeping a stoic façade despite the bile turning in her stomach.

"It's possible the reason Cassandra is having these nightmares is because her subconscious buries the memory during the day, but at night it manifests in her dreams,"

Dr. Roosevelt offered, adjusting her glasses as she took the pictures back.

"However, given that Cassandra revealed it to me, there's a good chance she's slowly learning to deal with it; add in the fact she now has people who love her and I'm confident she'll overcome it."

Hotch nodded, checking his watch; his eyes widened when he saw how long they had been talking.

"I'm sorry to rush you like this, but I really should take Cassie back to her mother."

"It's fine Agent Hotchner."

Dr. Roosevelt replied, smiling softly as she watched the man collect his son and the brunette little girl.

"Dr. Roosevelt…thank you, for showing those pictures to me."

Hotch stated, holding Cassandra to his right side while his left hand was holding Jack's; the blonde therapist waved a hand, brushing off the compliment as she watched them leave.


"Mommy, Nate!"

Cassandra squealed, rushing towards her mother as soon as Hotch put her down; Emily smiled brightly, catching her daughter and hoisting her up.

"Hello sweetheart, how did your session go?"

Emily questioned in a soft tone, bouncing her daughter up and down while shooting Hotch a grateful look for picking up her daughter.

"Ok…can Jack and I pway on the park mommy?"

Cassandra asked, looking up at her mother with doe eyes; Emily laughed, placing her daughter down as she watched her and Jack run to the park.

"Thanks for picking her up again, and also for…"

Emily trailed off as she sat down with Hotch and Nate; Hotch nodded, releasing a deep sigh as he looked over at her.

"A part of me wishes I had hit Michael Bann harder, knowing that Cass had to witness the atrocities he and his wife performed…"

"But if you had, you would have gotten in trouble wouldn't you?"

Nathan protested, his face heating when he saw Hotch glance at him in shock; he'd never really talked much to anyone outside his family (besides Reid and Hotch), mainly because he was still feeling a little distrustful, and even in the presence of Hotch he could still be quiet if he wanted to.

"Yes, but it would have been worth it."

Hotch replied, looking at Nathan; he had his suspicious about why the boy was so distant but he knew better than to push.

"Hey Mom, did you tell Agent-Hotch about the house?"

Nathan questioned, stammering slightly; while Hotch had insisted Nathan didn't need to use his formal title, it was difficult for the boy to shake the habit.

"Oh, right; my great-aunt had a large home in Washington and my mother offered it to me since I'm thinking about moving us into a bigger home."

Emily stated, looking at Hotch who looked confused as to why she was thinking of moving

Truth be told, Emily had been considering this for a while now; when she was just a single woman her apartment was fine but now that she had two kids (and was thinking about taking in more) plus her sister it just wasn't practical.

Plus, Cassandra had been asking for a dog and Evelyn mentioned that their great aunt's home had a lovely pool and hot tub to enjoy.

"I see, well if you need help moving in let me know."

Hotch finally said, a small smile forming as Emily beamed at him; his profiling instincts knew why Emily was moving, she wanted to show that she was now a proud mother.

"Hey Jack-Jack, Cassie! Come on, let's go get ice cream!"

"Yay!"

The two children squealed as they ran back over to their parents; Nathan gave his mother a smirk.

"I call dibs on mint chocolate chip!"

"Hey, that's mine buddy!"

Emily warned, shooting a teasing glare at her son while ruffling his hair.

Hotch laughed as he watched Nathan protest, though he knew the boy didn't mind it.

Personally, Emily is already a good mother…


So, the Prentiss family is moving to a new home; next chapter I will be introducing another foster child and will combine it with the whole moving in thing.

Enjoy and review please!