~~CM~~

Anna, no Emily, Aaron shook his head, was overwrought. She had kept it together, only crying a few times during the statement. Now she sat at the table, staring blankly ahead.

Every doubt he had about her was wrong. She didn't take the easy path. She had fought hard for justice and someone who had taken an oath of fidelity, integrity, and bravery had betrayed her. She had done right by her son, never mind they didn't share blood or legal status.

Aaron stood and coaxed her to join him on the couch, guiding her body until they were sitting together as they use to four months ago. Side by side, he reached out and took her ice cold hands into his, "Anna, or would you prefer it if I called you Emily?"

She shivered as he said her given name, the corners of her mouth upturned into a small smile, but she shook her head at him, "until we are safe, it's better if you continue calling me Anna."

"Anna, I am sorry I doubted you," he confessed, "I was distrustful and I hurt you."

Closing her eyes for a moment before squeezing his hand, "Aaron, your job is to uphold the law. It's a trait I admire and respect. I wouldn't want you any other way."

Not allowing his nerves to show, Aaron asked, "do you still want me, Sweetheart?"

Cradling his face, she kissed him, "Yes." Another kiss, "I." Another kiss, "Do."

He returned her soft kisses, slowly deepening them until he was mapping out her mouth with his tongue. Her whimpers had him throbbing as the intensity of their kisses increased. In a bold move that surprised him, he scooped her up off the couch and carried her determinedly to her bedroom.

Their lovemaking was slow and intense, their eyes burning into each other's. Aaron could hardly believe how lovely she was in his arms. Angelic with her pale ivory skin and dark hair spread out on the pillow like a halo. He couldn't believe he was aroused again, feeling like a young man. The second time was electrifying, making him buzz with energy afterward. She asked him to shut down the house as she slipped into a deep exhausted sleep.

After tucking her in, Aaron padded out to the main living area, checking the locks and turning off appliances. He stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water, enjoying the crisp cold liquid but still grimacing at the taste.

He wanted her with him, in Virginia, with him and Jack. He wanted Thomas, well, Declan, to be his; to be brothers with Jack. He wanted Jack to meet her, the woman who wove intricate enchanting stories.

Only one man stood in the way of making Aaron's dreams come true.

~~CM~~

Anna didn't mind getting up in the mornings but today was different. She was snuggled against the warm body of Aaron Hotchner. The night they had together was wonderful, Anna thought as she traced patterns on the arm that was wrapped around her. He murmured sleepily and pulled her even closer. His breath was warm on her neck, "mmm," he rumbled.

"French toast or pancakes?" She asked but he had already fallen back asleep.

Getting up, Anna moved through her morning routine including letting the dog out before starting breakfast.

Aaron appeared as she plated the french toast and sausage links. She slapped his hand away as he tried to sneak a link and set Nutella upstairs to wake Thomas.

"How much does Thomas know or remember?"

"He says he remembers his father being a bad guy and he knows he wasn't always Thomas and we moved a lot," Anna smiled, "he suggested we move near you and Jack if we had to change identities again."

With both his dimples on display, Aaron wrapped his arms around Anna, "I would want you both to move in, not just live nearby."

Thomas appeared in the kitchen, his curls tangled, "Hi Aaron!"

They spent the morning hiking together with Nutella, keeping the conversation light around the seven year old. They ended up at a mountain stream and the dog jumped in, splashing happily. Thomas removed his shoes and rolled up his pant legs so he could wade in up to his ankles.

Filling Anna in on the case, Aaron leaned against a tree as he watched Thomas look for guppies in the shallow water, "it turns out my looking into cold cases flagged the Assistant Director. He had a case ready against Olson when he died. The entire organized crime unit from Olson's time has been terminated. He does not take corruption lightly."

"I am relieved to hear that," she took off her jacket and set it on the forest floor ground before sitting down on it.

"Do you believe in destiny or fate as Penelope would call it?" Aaron asked rhetorically, "I met Walter over ten years ago when I ran security checks for your mother."

"What a small world. He's very important to me, I miss him," she chuckled, "I even miss my mother."

Nodding knowingly, Aaron replied, "she was a formidable woman. Perhaps time has softened her."

This set Anna off in a fit of giggles, "Aaron, she told Walter to hire a hitman with my trust fund, she said if I didn't have the decency to spend it on houses, horses, or fashion, then it may as well go towards making the world a better place."

Aaron found himself on the ground, sharing her tiny jacket, laughing about the Ambassador and her odd sense of propriety and justice.

Along the hike back to the cabin, Anna answered his questions about becoming a children's author, "I wanted to be a crime writer, true crime, so I thought my master's in Criminology would help."

"After everything we went through, I found I couldn't write about crime." Ruffling Thomas' hair, she continued, "Thomas loved a good bedtime story. The tale of Fireball, the dragon, grew more elaborate each night and every single time I sat at the computer to write, I found myself recounting Fireball's story."

Thomas grew distraught as Aaron prepared to leave. He grew quiet and no amount of attention from Aaron, Anna, Nutella seemed to get through his funk.

His shoulders slumped and he hung his head when Aaron dropped his packed go bag by the door. Anna cuddled her boy but she hesitated in promising him that it would be okay, that Aaron would fix everything so they could be safe. While she had complete faith in Aaron, her faith in the system was still shaken.

As he headed out, Aaron hugged Thomas tightly. When the boy teared up, the tall stoic FBI agent dropped to his knees and gently wiped away a tear, "I will still call you and send you packages. I promise Thomas."

Then Aaron repeated the scene with Anna, wiping her tears, "Oh Angel," his lips caressed the shell of her ear as he whispered, "he will be arrested within a month, tops."

"I'm going to miss you."

"You won't have time to miss me. I will be sending you home listings to review each day."

Puzzled, Anna wrinkled her nose at him.

"You can't expect my apartment to hold four people and a large dog," he stated as he climbed into the car.

Aaron drove away, waving to them until they disappeared in his rearview mirror.

~~CM~~

A/N: Come chat with me on Tumblr. I'm on there as GoodGodHenry.