Chapter Ten – Sky Rise Eden Part One
Author's Note: In honour of the Seventh Season Premiere I'm posting this part even though the revisions are not completed, in essence nothing in the revisions will change this chapter and I wanted to get something out there after so long. I have been working on this since I started my holidays and am making a fair amount of progress. When the next chapter is posted the revisions should be done and I'll be posting all of the changes at that time. Read and enjoy…
Hotch stood in front of the display case and diddled from foot to foot. There was no way that this should be this hard. Over the years he had done this dozens of times, picked up flowers on the way home from work or for a special day. But as he stood in front of the cooler holding the arrangements he was tempted to sneer at how cliché they all seemed.
Perhaps something else would be a better idea. She loved chocolate, he still had time. He could pick her up some chocolate. Maybe chocolate would be better. And he was starting to obsess.
Aaron was tempted to growl in frustration over his absolute inability to make a decision on something so simple. But there was too much riding on this night, everything had to be perfect. Tonight was the night he was going to finally have the talk with Emily. Tell her how he was feeling, what he wanted to happen with them and then pray that he had read her right and that she wanted those things too. So as a result, nothing was allowed to go wrong.
All he had to manage to do is pick a flower. How hard could it be?
"Can I help you sir?" came a soft, tentative voice from behind him.
He looked over his shoulder at the young girl and sighed. "I have a date tonight and I wanted to get her flowers but I don't know what kind to pick."
She looked horribly intimidated talking to him and he felt guilty. She couldn't have been eighteen yet and here he was making her job harder by sounding like a hard ass. He gave her a small smile and breathed a sigh of relief when she relaxed marginally.
The young girl, Tracy her name tag said, moved up so that she was standing next to him and looked in the case. "Well, roses are always a safe bet."
His eyes lost focus as he thought about it for a moment. "Too traditional, too common and she's anything but that and this night is important so it has to be different… special."
"Okay…" She looked about the shelves around her and shrugged. "Tell me something about her and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction."
"She's…" He floundered for a moment as he tried to think of how to describe Emily to the young girl. He knew a thousand things about her; could list her favorite music, favorite books, detail exactly how she smelt, the feel of her skin but to stand here and try and describe her…
"I don't know." he said on a sigh.
"Well, is she traditional or more modern?" Tracy's voice got a little more confident as she warmed up to the conversation. For as imposing as this man was when he walked in the door he really wasn't all that different from every other guy that came through the door. She just had to pin down what he wanted.
"A bit of both really." He scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor and frowned again.
"Practical or imaginative?"
Hotch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Who the hell said that he had to bring her flowers anyway? This really was too complicated.
"She's… completely rational and analytical, but at the same time she can get so excited by something new and different." His shoulders slumped as he glanced at the girl. "I wanted flowers but they are almost too transient, a plant is out of the question because she travels a lot."
He looked around him again and let out a grunt of dissatisfaction. "Never mind. This was a bad idea."
The girl stood there with a small frown of concentration on her face and Hotch was just about to leave with she flapped her hands at him.
She practically jumped up and down on the spot with excitement. "Oh! I have the perfect idea! She'll love it, I promise!"
With that she took off for the back of the store and left a bemused Hotch standing in the middle of the shop for several moments. He listened to her clunking around in the back of the shop and smiled at her muttered curses as she prepared whatever it was that sent her racing back in the first place.
After several minutes of him wandering around the small store examining the multitude of items littering the shelves, she finally came back and placed her offering on the counter, looking nervously for his reaction.
Aaron tipped his head to the side, considering it. A small smile crossing his lips as he ran his finger along the edge of the glass bowl, listening carefully to the information Tracy was giving him about the flower…
"If she keeps it watered it will last for months but at the same time if she forgets… it's still a cut flower, it's supposed to die."
"It's perfect." His voice was soft and he gave the girl a smile in thanks for finding this for him. She rang up his purchase as he looked at the flower, he was so glad he had come to this store, instead of going to another.
Tracy told him his total and he placed double the amount in the palm of her hand, gripping it for a brief moment before picking up the flower, giving her a warm smile.
"Thank you so much Tracy."
Hotch turned and left the store, smiling as she sputtered over the tip he had left behind. It was more than worth it, because he just knew Emily was going to love this. And it was guaranteed to last longer than chocolate.
Emily stood in front of the full length mirror and fussed with her dress, turning each way to get a good look at it before throwing her hands up in the air.
This would have been so much simpler if Hotch would have just told her where they were going… But since her birthday had landed when they were out of town on their last case, he decided that they needed to do something to commemorate it. But after securing her agreement to going out this night he had been dead silent ever since, refusing to divulge even the smallest detail. Instead he walked around with this small secretive smile on his face and it was driving her completely insane!
Of course in typical fashion he adamantly refused to tell her where they were going, just that it was formal. That was a lot of help to her. Inside, outside, political fundraiser formal or dinner formal, any of these things would have helped this process at least a little. In the end though she couldn't find it in herself to be upset about it because he seemed to get a great deal of enjoyment out of surprising her and god only knew the man could use a little more enjoyment in his life.
She looked down at her dress again before giving up on worrying over it. She was torn and of two minds at the moment. She had to remind herself that this wasn't really a date; he was only taking her out because it had been her birthday and he wouldn't care what she wore, so long as she was presentable.
But the other part of her, the young woman that still hadn't been destroyed by too many bad relationships, was a mass of nerves, wanting so badly to impress him and have him want to be on a real date with her, wondered with the way he had been behaving the last few months, if that's what this was.
Nothing with Aaron was ever simple and this was a perfect case in point. Aaron was always forthright and clear in what he was doing; he never left anyone to guess at his motivations. But this time, what he was saying and what he was doing were two completely different things making her feel unsure on her feet in how to act or re-act with him. She had moments where she was sure that it was just as he had laid out that day in the quad, friends and nothing more, and other times, when he touched her in a certain way, or smiled that little smile that seemed to be reserved just for her, she had to wonder if things were changing between the two of them.
Snarling at herself, she shoved both thoughts from her mind, determined that she would forget all of the confusion and worry and just enjoying the evening. And if there was one thing she had learned these past months, it was an evening she would enjoy. Aaron was meticulous in making sure that everything went exactly as he expected it to.
Control freak… one of the things she was learning to love about him.
Grabbing her clutch off the bed, she headed down stairs to wait for Aaron to arrive.
Hotch shifted from foot to foot before gently knocking on the front door, so quietly he doubted she would have heard it from directly on the other side. He rolled his eyes at himself before giving another, harder wrap on the polished wood.
He and Emily had been out dozens of times since the previous summer and this really was no different. There was no reason for him to be feeling this nervous, although he had great hopes of how things were going to change by the end of the night and that was feeding his anxiety.
And as the door opened that thought left his mind, along with every other senescent thought he had.
Emily stood before him, framed by the doorway, the soft light from the other room giving her an ethereal glow. All and all she looked amazing.
All of her long dark hair was piled up on the top of her head, held place by several glittery pins and cascaded down in soft curls, allowing soft tendrils to frame her face. She was dressed the in most remarkable deep blue evening dress, it landed just past her knees, slightly longer in the back than the front almost reaching her ankles and highlighted every long glorious inch of skin.
Rather than towering heels she wore simple, sensible black pumps and in contrast to what he would have expected they seemed to draw attention to how tall she was rather than minimizing it.
The dress was one of those off the shoulder type things that left her shoulders and neck exposed and rather than flashy jewelry that he was used to seeing on the women at events like they were going to, she had small diamond studs in her ears and a small matching pendent hanging from an elegant silver chain.
The thing seemed to be pointing at her cleavage and in that moment, he would have given anything to just back her into her apartment, forget the dinner, and keep her locked away with him forever, forget sharing her with the rest of the world.
The longer he stood there, gawking at her like an idiot the brighter her smile got. She finally saved him from having to say anything intelligent by opening the door wider and walking back into the main part of the apartment.
And good lord if the back didn't look better than the front. He could see every inch of skin from her neck all the way down to the curve of her lower back and he had to curl his hand into a fist to keep from reaching out and touching all of that soft skin.
How the hell did she keep the dress on?
He followed behind her and watched as she moved over to the island as she turned back to him he held out his hands in offering.
"This is for you." He placed the object carefully in her outstretched palms and watched closely for her reaction.
Emily reached out and cupped the small centerpiece bowl in both hands, holding it up to the light and marveled at its contents. It was small enough that her hands fit around it comfortably but not so small that it would get lost sitting on a table or counter. She got a soft smile on her face as she reached in a single finger and gently petted the baby soft petal of the flower contained within.
"It's called 'love's afterglow', it's a type of Japanese lily." His voice was soft, almost nervous as he moved closer to her so that his chest brushed up against her arm and again, fought the urge to reach out and touch her.
She held the bowl up a little higher and took in the gift that he had brought her. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and violently blinked them back. This was by far the most romantic flower she had ever received, it's certainly beat the crap out of the standard roses she would normally get.
Emily turned her head and smiled up at him, she was completely done for. There was no longer any wonder, no confusion.
She was in love with Aaron Hotchner.
Now she just had to decide how she was going to deal with that new knowledge.
Her voice was husky and soft when she spoke and there was a film of moisture over her eyes. "Thank you so much, it's very beautiful."
She moved away from him and set it on the counter before stepping back to look at it. The small bowl was half filled with a deep indigo blue gel, resting gently on top was a salmon pink water lily with a bright yellow center. The contrast of the two colors in the flower was remarkable, adding into that the blue water gel it was enchanting to look at.
"If you keep the gel wet it should live for several months yet."
She caved into the urge and reached in again to softly touch the silky petal of the lily and smiled. Only Hotch would choose a gift like this. Any other man she had ever known would have been happy to have gone with the traditional roses for a date but Hotch, she was learning, wasn't much like most of the men she knew.
Honestly, that was likely a good thing.
She wondered how long it took him to find something like this.
"I love it. Thank you." She leaned up and pressed a small lingering kiss to his cheek, licking her lips to savor the taste of him as she pulled her head back.
Unable and unwilling to repress the urge any longer Aaron wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his frame and enjoying the soft feel of the skin on her back under his hands for a moment before forcing himself to let go of her.
They couldn't stay here and if he touched her for much longer he wasn't sure he would be able to repress the need to just forget the rest of the evening.
But he still had so much more planned for the evening. He picked up her wrap from the counter and draped it over her shoulders, running his hands gently down her covered arms. "Are you ready for dinner?"
"Lead the way." After the start to this night and her wonderful gift, she honestly couldn't imagine what he had planned for them.
Aaron pulled into the parking arcade of one of the mid-sized malls in Georgetown and Emily turned her head, raising an eyebrow at him unable to figure out for the life of her what they could possibly be doing there, given how they were dressed.
He grinned at her but still refused to tell her anything. "Don't worry; it'll all make sense in a minute."
He parked the car and then hurried around to open her door before taking her hand and wrapping it around his arm, leaving his large warm palm over top of hers. He tried to prevent it but in the end he couldn't help it. A feeling of intense pride and possessiveness filling him as he once again took in her appearance. Everyone was going to know she was with him tonight, this beautiful, vibrant, charismatic woman. She was with stuffy, secretive, repressed, cold, Aaron Hotchner.
He couldn't help the smile the crossed his lips as they waited for the lift. She didn't see him that way and really, that was all that mattered.
As they entered the glass elevator he turned her so that she faced the windows and could look at the view to the top. Pressing the button for the seventh floor he stood with Emily and watched the world around them fall away. They both stood there, getting caught up in their reflection in the glass and the sights of the buildings lights winking in and out in the distance, highlighted by the black curtain of night as a background.
The first thing Emily noticed, that told her that something was different was the smell of moisture in the air when the doors behind her opened. Her eyes opened in stunned wonder when she turned around and couldn't repress the gasp from escaping her lips.
She stepped out, still attached to Hotch's arm and stared at one of the most unexpected and wonderful things she had encountered in a good long while.
Here, inside the top floor of a plain every day, seen everywhere mall was a tropical oasis laid out before her. Aaron stopped just outside of the elevators, moving slightly off to the side and allowed Emily to get a good look at where they were at, smiling softly at the look of pure wonder that was on her face. Most people who stepped off the elevator and didn't know what they were expecting had that look. But it was even more special because it was Emily and because of what this place meant to him.
In the center of the area, directly across from her was a cascading stairway waterfall. At the top, about fifteen feet up water shot into the air and flowed over large planks of rock, forming pools on the way down to the bottom. At the end of it, it emptied into a large pool that was filled with Koi of every shape, color and size.
The space was sparsely lit and there were small soft green laps under the water giving the entire piece a kind of otherworldly glow in the low lighting. There were large rocks surrounding the outside along with large leafy green plants. It really felt like someone had taken a tropical pond and transported it to the top of the building.
It was, in a word, incredible.
She gazed in awe at the wooden pathways that seemed to go off in every direction, each to another plant filled area, covered with masses of tropical trees and small ponds.
"How did I not know this was here?" Emily's voice contained such shock that Hotch couldn't repress his smile.
Aaron shrugged his shoulders in response and she could hear the disappointment in his tone. "Most people don't."
He opened his mouth to say something further when an older greying man, leaning heavily on an old wooden cane, came wobbling over to them. Emily almost shuddered at the practiced, political smile on the man's face.
"Aaron, you made it!" He attempted to sound jovial and welcoming but to Emily's practiced ears the gesture fell flat.
"Charles." Hotch's voice changed with the other man's presence and her head snapped to the side to gaze up at him.
Emily watched with no small amount of awe as a mask fell over Hotch's features. It was the most remarkable thing she had ever seen, aside from the garden they were standing in. She could see the way that her friend was shut away inside of the man next to her as he introduced her to the gentleman that was standing in front of them.
Later, she was sure she would be embarrassed by the fact that she had no idea what the man said to her but she couldn't get over seeing the change in Aaron. It made her wonder how much of the man she thought she knew was just his professional mask, much like the political one he was wearing at the moment. She thought she had gotten to know him fairly well over the last several months and now she questioned that knowledge. Emily ruthlessly shoved the idea out of her mind. She wasn't going to think about things like that tonight. Tonight, she was going to enjoy her night out.
"Well, it was lovely to meet you Ms. Prentiss." Emily put on a practiced smile and nodded to the other man. "Aaron, it's good of you to come. They'll be seating in about an hour or so." With that the wizened old man wandered off to greet the next guests to step off the elevator.
Emily tugged on Aaron's arm until she pulled him off to the side, away from the people milling about the small atrium area.
"Okay. Explain." Emily raised an arm to encompass the area around them. She just knew there had to be a story behind this place and why he had brought her here.
Hotch looked around him and pursed his lips in thought, he hadn't really thought how to explain this to her.
"About forty years ago they started the plans for this place, an oasis in the middle of the city. Some place for the everyday working people, shoppers and such to go. My Mother was on the Board of Governors that designed this place."
He took her hand and led her down one of the smaller stone lined pathways that led to a small cluster of wooden benches that all looked like they had been carved from the trunks of trees and polished to a high gloss shine. A small brook flowed past the benches with a soothing lyrical sound as the water flowed from one pool to the next.
He held her hand as she sat down and then took his seat next to her, turning towards her he continued with his tale. "Every year they hold a fund raising dinner that helps to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of this place. Either myself or my brother Sean, attends, whichever of us is free at the time. It's our way of paying respect for her. She was always involved in all sorts of projects but this one was her favorite."
Emily smiled softly at the thought that this man that she had always considered to be kind of cold would do something like this, all for the memory of his mom. He spoke of her with such open affection and admiration that she couldn't help but give him a sappy smile that caused him to look moderately embarrassed.
Hotch cleared his throat and looked down at their joined hands, allowing his thumb to drag across the skin on the back of her hand, enjoying the satiny texture. His other arm lay across the back of the bench and came to rest on the bare skin of her back.
For long moments the two of them just sat there and enjoyed the tranquility of the moment, the sounds of the flowing water, the noises of the small birds that seemed to live in small nests scattered about the glass ceilings beams. Emily tipped her head back and looked at the stars through the glass paneled roof, breathing in the warm, humid air. She glanced around at all of the plants, small trees, before glancing briefly at Aaron.
She lifted herself up from the bench and held out her other hand to Hotch. "Show me."
He gave her a bright smile and took her hand leading her around the labyrinth of pathways that made up the entire top of the building; all and all she would have to guess that this mall and its roof top garden was roughly the size of a city block. Each area flowed from one to the next, with the constant presence of small creaks and little ponds. Around one had a nesting family of little turtles that basked in the warm spray of water from any one of the many jets that shot up from the pools themselves.
As they walked Aaron shared with her bits and pieces of information that he remembered his mother telling him and stories of his many visits to this place when he was a child, long before his brother was born. Before they knew it the half hour was up and in that entire time Emily never said a word. She listened as he shared more with her in that small time than he had in the whole time she had known him and while she would have loved to have asked about a hundred questions, she didn't want to do anything that would stop him from sharing so much of his life.
Finally they made their way to a small gathering area filled with seats and a small courtesy bar was set up. People wandered around and chatted amongst themselves and Hotch scanned the area before moving off to one side, finding a small bench hidden in a grouping of trees with low hanging branches.
Often she found herself shocked by his behavior when away from work, although given what she knew of his upbringing now, she really shouldn't have been. He carefully held her hand as she took a seat and he stood next to her as she got comfortable. He truly was raised to be a perfect gentleman and in there day to day lives she tended to forget that, like her, this was a world that he grew up in.
His voice was soft and intimate when he spoke, causing her to smile. "Would you like a drink before we are seated?"
"That would be nice, thank you." She found herself without effort or discomfort falling into this role, one she often resented but tonight felt like a normal part of her skin and a lot of that had to do with the man next to her.
Aaron stepped away and glanced at the wet bar. "Glass of wine? Red or white?"
"Thank you, red would be nice."
She watched the picture he made as he wove his way in and out of the people standing about. He was dressed in a full tux, tapered to fit his frame and was clearly tailored for him. Each line of the dark fabric highlighted the inherent strength in his slim build and Emily's breath caught at the desire she felt flare in her blood at the sight of him.
Every once and a while someone would stop him and say a few words before he would untangle himself to continue his way. Always polite and friendly, smiling at the right moments, but always with that same plastic look on his face, the same political mask that he was wearing when they first arrived.
Emily let out a watery smile with the realization of why he had left her here sitting alone. She didn't have to 'politic'; which he seemed unable to avoid as he made is way across the room and with her name it would have been even worse. He left her sitting here to save her from the one thing she detested more than anything else.
Politics.
There were moments like this that she thought there might be more to them that he had originally planned and she honestly didn't know how to handle the change. He was her friend, one of the closest she had ever had, was it even worth the risk?
She wanted him, of that she was certain.
But what she didn't know was what he wanted from her. She knew what he had said in the beginning was that this was friendship and nothing more. Hotch had always been upfront with her and if something had changed in his feelings, wouldn't he have said something to her before now?
Or were all of the things she was seeing and feeling from him a product of her own desires? Was that desire coloring her interpretation of his actions, attributing motives based on what it was she hoped was happening between them and not the signals he was really sending?
She honestly didn't have a frame of reference to draw on for this. Every time in the past that she had been certain of a man's motives, she found herself on the other end of a nasty surprise. Not that she would ever expect that of Hotch, he was far removed from the men that she had known. He was honest, upstanding and a true gentleman. But could she honestly trust her own judgment in the matter?
And if it really was changing, what was she going to do with that?
Aaron finally made his way back to the place he left Emily and noted with a frown that the exuberance she had been showing up till now had faded a bit and he had to wonder at its cause. He hadn't been gone for that long.
He passed off the glass he was carrying to her and gave her a slight smile. "Is everything alright?"
Emily did her best to put on a fake smile but she knew he wasn't buying it when the crease appeared between his brows. Not wanting to explain the direction her thoughts seemed to be taking more and more often lately, she instead figured it would be best to try and deflect his attention from it.
"This place, it's just a little overwhelming. Standing in here you forget that you are actually on top of a building."
"It is remarkable." Aaron could see what she was doing and let it pass for now, taking a seat next to her on the bench. "My father was never around much when I was growing up, always at work, so this is what she did. She took care of me and Sean and did things like this. Over the years she worked on many projects but this is the one she was most proud of." Emily smiled at the obvious affection that once again came through in his voice as he spoke of his late mother.
She reached over and rested her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Your mother must have been a remarkable person. I wish I could have met her.
His eyes got a far off look as he spoke, thinking about his mom and how she would have reacted to Emily. "She would have loved you, if for nothing more than your absolute apathy for politics. She hated it too."
The two of them leaned back and watched the way that the people in the room moved around them. Although to be honest Aaron was spending more time watching Emily than he was watching the room. Emily got a bright look in her eyes and he attempted to figure out what caught her attention but couldn't.
Emily poked him in the side and whispered in his ear, "Got a quarter?"
Aaron gave her a slightly befuddled look but dug into his pants pocket and found a coin for her. Rather than following her he chose to sit back on the small bench and watch, to see what she was going to do. He almost had the temptation to laugh out loud when she headed for the small dispenser and put the coin in.
Emily held her hand to the bottom of the machine and allowed the small pile of fish food to fall into her palm. She made her way over to the small pond nearby and looked down from her dress to the small flat rocks the lined the side and back again before giving a small shrug of her shoulders and flopping down on one of the rocks, making herself comfortable.
He watched as she dropped the little pebbles in the water and the smile that crossed her face as the Koi fought over the offerings. Standing, he passed off their empty glasses to a passing server and made his way over to Emily. Digging another coin out of his pocket he got his own handful and sat down with her.
She gave him a slight blush as she dropped the last couple of pellets in the pool and he passed the fresh handful to her with an encouraging smile.
Emily pointed to the dispenser behind her before turning back to her current activity. "The whole time we were walking around I was trying to figure out what they were for."
The look he gave her was full of mirth. "The brown tops are for the fish, the green ones are for the turtles and the blue for the birds. I'm sorry I should have thought to tell you that."
And while with anyone else it would have seemed unnecessary, he should have realized from the time he had spent with her that what she was doing, right at that moment, was something she would have enjoyed. They garnered more than a few strange looks from the people milling about the reception area and he was tempted to snort because at least they were honestly enjoying themselves. Most of the people here couldn't say that, and with that thought in mind he tallied the coins he still had in his pocket before coming to a decision.
As she finished off the last of her handful, he stood suddenly and held out a hand for her, to help her up. "Come on, let's go find the turtles."
Aaron stood there for a moment, trying to remember which pool the turtles were at and headed back that way. After a couple of missed turns he finally found the right pool and headed for the small green topped dispenser. Digging out his last two quarters he got Emily to cup her hands under the small spout and put the coins in. Leading the way he headed over to one of the larger rocks and waited for her to get comfortable before taking a seat behind her.
When Emily was about to drop her little pile of offerings Aaron leaned along her back and grasped her wrist to stop her, whispering quietly in her ear as he did so. "Just hold out your hand near the ground and wait."
Emily did as she was instructed and just as she was about to comment that nothing was happening she spotted it. Out from under the hanging leaves and from every direction, paddled out a pile of small turtles, no one more than three or four inches in length. She let out a small laugh as they all scrambled over each other trying to get into her hand and at the small pellets first.
Aaron leaned along the length of her back and watched from over her shoulder as the tiny turtles feasted on the pellets in her hand. Several times Emily let out little giggles as the turtles nipped at the ends of her fingers trying to find more. Together they watched as the turtles, having finished their small snack, headed for the water. A couple of them attempted to climb up on the heating rocks to bask in the warmth and the mist from the jets and the others dove into the water disappearing from view.
For a long time they sat there and enjoyed the small pool, the quiet and each other's company before Aaron let out a quiet sigh. "We should be heading back to the reception area before dinner starts."
"I know." Her voice was soft and reflective, indicating that she was feeling the same thing that he was.
Neither one of them wanted to break the tranquility of the moment and neither one got up to head back the way they came.
Another Author's Note: This location is based in reality and is fairly unique in the world. For pictures of the garden on top of the mall you can Google the Devonian Garden Calgary, Google Images has piles of picture and it's a truly unique wonder and is a world renowned attraction. The dinner is hosted each year and helps to fund upgrades and maintenance. When I was there last, there was a plaque honouring the members of the Board of Governors that had passed away and this idea came to me.
Out of all of the chapters in this story this one is the most dear to me because I have so many memories of visiting the gardens as I was growing up. I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter and I'm working tirelessly on the revisions and hope to have another update out there soon… And I promise that it won't take me another two months.
Blessings, Brandywyne
TBC in Chapter Eleven – Sky Rise Eden Part Two