Awaken

A/N: Well, it's been almost two months since an update. I am a terrible author. I apologize for making y'all wait. I really need to finish this story..

Same disclaimer as in chapter one.

That being said, without further ado, I give you;

Chapter Ten

Emily's heart pounded in her ears, her breath hitched and she just sat, staring at him blankly. His voice was the only thing that pulled her from her reverie, "Okay… Um, I hadn't really expected this reaction.. Now rejection, yes, that was what I was prepared for.." Hotch shook his head and sighed, working his jaw.

The one time he let his gut speak for him, it screws him over. This was the main reason he always spoke with his brain and thought everything through.

Now blinking before him, the brunette gasped softly and squeezed his hand tightly. "Aaron… You can't just expect a woman to be unsurprised when out of the blue you tell her you love her." To his relief, the corners of her lips began to arch in a genuine smile, her dimples beginning to indent her cheeks. "I love you, too." She nestled her head into his neck as he pulled her closer and smiled, a full smile tugged at his lips as he rubbed her back gently.

"Emily, I think I always have.. I just-I didn't know it at the time." He sighed softly as she craned her head up and captured his lips with hers.

"I know." She smiled and moaned softly into the kiss, molding against his body.

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A few days had flown by, leaving Emily in Aaron's care as he continued helping her look for clues as she continuously regained bits and pieces of her memory, her past, her life.

"Aaron, where are we going?" She glanced at him across the car, sighing as his eyes avoided hers purposely. He had been ignoring her for the last fifteen minutes, and now it was starting to get rather irking. Emily groaned as he shook his head. She reached over and flicked his ear.

"Ow! Emily, did you just flick me?" He finally turned his head to meet her amused gaze and rolled his eyes. "You are so immature sometimes." He let out a soft laugh as she pouted, "Oh, come on. How old are you, six?"

Emily choked on her laughter as she stared at the man. "Five." She crossed her arms and smirked, "Actually, I'm five."

When he stopped laughing, Aaron twisted in his seat and eyed her. "Oh, is that why you're so good with my son? Because you're really his age?" He brushed his lips against hers as he stopped at a light. "Emily, I can't tell you where we're going."

She pouted again as his lips left hers and they continued on to their destination. "But Aaron…"

"No, Em, I will not tell you anything." He turned back to the road.

Within five more minutes, Aaron had pulled into a large driveway. Emily eyed him questioningly and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Um, care to explain the fancy place?"

Aaron shook his head as he placed a hand on her lower back and led her inside the place with a key. He held the door for her and let her enter. Immediately to their right was a grand staircase, as a twin staircase on their left as well. Emily's eyes traced over the marble flooring and the detailed walls.

She heard voices traveling down the hallway and then they stopped after a moment. The sound of heavy footsteps carried closer and she gasped softly, her eyes falling on the man as he stepped into the light. She turned to Aaron and glared, her heart beating rapidly. She slapped at Aaron's shoulder and shook her head, "How could you bring me here!" She looked at the man across from them and caught the way his thin smile quickly turned into an expression of extreme sadness. "I don't want to see you." She turned on her heel, but Aaron was faster. By the time she was close to the door, he had her hand in her grasp.

She turned to look at him, "Aaron, leave me alone. This man is a liar, I don't want to see him or talk to him and now you're going behind my back to-to arrange a "get together"?!" She shook her head and bit her lip as Aaron sighed softly.

"Emily, listen to him. Give him a chance. He's your father, and despite what you think, he has a lot to tell you." The woman groaned lowly as Aaron released her hand slowly. His eyes glanced down at Christopher Prentiss, Emily's CIA father and he nodded. "I'll give you two some space." He cupped Emily's cheek as he looked into her confused, dark eyes. "I'm sorry I brought you here, but you two need to talk. And you said you were ready."

She shook her head and dropped her eyes, "Yeah, ready to talk to you." She frowned as he caressed her jaw and dropped a chaste kiss to her lips, "Don't leave me." She whispered and he nodded.

"Always." He glanced around the room and sighed, "I'll be in the kitchen. Talk with him, Em. Give him a chance. I'll be right here."

She watched as he dropped his hands from her face and walked out of the room, his gaze lingering on Christopher.

"So, are you two dating?"

Christopher's words pulled her from her thoughts as he spoke. She turned to glare at him with her dark eyes and crossed her arms. "And what business of yours is it?"

He raised an eyebrow and backed up, putting his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Jeez. Agent Hotchner wasn't lying when he said you were touchy."

Emily gawked and stuttered, "I am not touchy." She looked at the man and sighed, "Fine, whatever. "Just get on with what you wanted to tell me." She rolled her eyes as she sat down on the leather sofa.

"Emily, I know you're upset. I can understand how you'd feel. I'd probably feel the same. But kids make their parents into Gods and we can't do anything but disappoint you." He paused, sighing, "I am no God, Emily. I am just a person, like everybody else. I make mistakes, big ones; clearly, that I should have handled differently. And there's nothing I can say to make you forgive me." He inhaled softly and shook her head, "But I sure as hell am going to forgive myself, because I have a little time left. And I am entitled to try and be happy, even if it's just for a little bit. You're my daughter. I want you to be safe."

He gestured with his hands and shook his head as he spoke, "And it took a lot of courage to come back to you," He quietly broke off before continuing. He inhaled deeply, taking in a shaky breath, "Cause I-I wanted you to taste a little bit of the happiness that I've had because it seems that all I've ever done is bring you misery. That's what I couldn't face… All the things I did to you. But I wish I could do it differently. But I can't turn back the clock. And apparently neither can you…" He paused before he nodded, "I'm sorry Emily."

Emily listened to him as she stared at the marbled floor. She sucked in a shaky breath and shook her head. "You were never there… My own mother was never there. Where were you for my high school graduation, college graduation, even when I turned sixteen? I didn't get to have a party of my own. Instead I had to spend hours at my mother's gala with people trying to marry me off. I just wanted to be ordinary."

Christopher shook his head as he dug through his wallet. "Emily… I was always there. Always." He pulled out a string of photos and glanced at them quickly before handing them to her. He slowly moved to her side and held them out for her to see. "Look, this was your tenth birthday. This was when you accepted that award in your freshmen year of high school for that science fair," He pointed to a picture of a young Emily on stage with a certificate. "And here-" He showed her a picture of a brunette in a cap and gown. "This was your high school graduation." He paused to look at the photo, his own eyes becoming a bit blurry. He was proud of his daughter, always had been. "You see, Emily, I was there. All along, I was there. I just didn't want you to know. I couldn't."

Emily sucked in a breath and slowly eyed him with puffy eyes. "But why? Couldn't you have told me?"

She handed him the photos back after pausing on a picture of her joining the CIA. "I couldn't, no. You see, Emily. The men after me, after you and your mother…" He shook his head sadly. "They would have found you and your new identity. They would've taken you away from me and your mother."

"-But they did, didn't they? They're the group who murdered my mother, aren't they?"

She waited for him to confirm her theory. Her heart sank as he nodded slowly. "Yes. They did. And they would've gotten you too if you hadn't gone to college that year." Emily closed her eyes and nodded.

"I remember. I got the call late at night.. That-that she was found in an alley." She sucked in a heavy breath and nodded, "That's why I became what I am. I never got answers, and I still don't have answers. I thought that if I became an agent, I'd help other families by knowing what happened to their loved ones."

Her father listened with sadness and nodded, placing his hand on her knee. "I'm sorry, Emily." He felt her tense up as his hand touched her knee, quickly, he pulled it back. She was a Prentiss. She didn't like to be touched much. Just like her mother had been. "

"The men who took you in Italy… They were the same men. They found you." He looked up at her with sad eyes. "I think it'd be best if you went into-"

"No." Emily surprised herself at the firmness in her voice. "No, I am not going into witness protection. I'm FBI, ex-CIA. I can handle myself; I don't need protection."

He shook his head and sighed, "Emily, listen to me. You're not safe anymore. They've been alive longer than you. They know what they're doing. I also suspect they know where you live now." She sighed softly and looked up as Aaron entered the room.

"I'm sorry for over-hearing that last part, but.. I can always protect her and keep her safe. I worked security for her mother years ago. I was practically babysitting Emily when she was in high school. There were death threats to her and her mother, and no one came near her when I was around." He shrugged and glanced from Emily to Christopher.

Christopher worked his jaw as he stared at the two younger agents. He nodded slowly and sighed, "…I suppose, but Agent Hotchner, I trust you to keep her safe. If that doesn't happen…" He shook his head and glared hard, letting him know he was serious.

Aaron didn't back down. He stood his ground and nodded, "Sir, I know Emily. I know how to keep her safe. I've been doing this job for years."

"Very well then." He stood up and looked at Aaron, "Care to stay for dinner? April is making dinner right now."

"April?" Emily eyed him and frowned.

"Relax. She's just the help. She makes the best steak." His mouth practically salivated as he led them to the kitchen.

Dinner was quiet, filled with only a little bit of conversation, mostly supplied by Aaron and Christopher as Emily ate in silence throughout the whole meal.

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"Then it's settled. Emily, you will be staying in Aaron's apartment for the next few months while I try to figure this out and hunt these guys down." Christopher stated after the meal.

Emily blushed slightly and glanced at Aaron nervously as she picked at her nails. "Relax, Em. Jack loves you. He'll be happy to have you around often." Aaron smiled and nudged her gently, "Besides. When Jack's at Jess' the apartment tends to get a little lonely." He shrugged as a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, causing her own smile to break out. She nodded and bit her lip.

"Alright…" She inhaled steadily and nodded as they got ready to leave the large building.

Aaron hadn't even realized that they had been followed to her apartment as they gathered the rest of her belongings. A good portion of her things was already located at his apartment from when he had nursed her back to health from her wrist and stayed with her during the nightmares.

As he locked her apartment back up and guided her to the car, he frowned, dropping his hand from her. She paused with him, sensing the same. "Aaron?"

He shook his head and worked his jaw, turning his head this way and that. "Come on." The hair on the back of their neck stood straight as he got her into the car. "Let's get out of here, shall we?" He started the car and drove down the block and into town, making a bunch of turns in case anyone was indeed following them. Something had felt off at her apartment, and it was not the fact that her apartment hadn't been lived in for a few weeks. Aaron made an illegal U-turn and then a few minutes later, a large K-turn as he maneuvered to his own apartment, hoping that nobody had managed to follow them.

He helped her with the rest of her bags from the car and led her up the steps, "Alright. I think we're good. Let's go." He nodded as he opened his apartment door and took her hand, setting her bags down in the room. The feeling that he had in her apartment hadn't faded yet. He still could feel the tension in the air, in his own body, and in Emily's as well. They both had sensed something off, and it seemed to stick with them.

A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger. We'll get there. I promise!

Remember to let me know what you think in a review.

-CriminallyCastle.