A/N: Happy Pride Month! I'm obviously excited, even if it's all from home, but yay! Here's the next chapter, I don't like it but I re-wrote 3 times and this is the best version. Hopefully it'll get better in the next one. What can I say, writer's block is a bitch.
He opened the door and walked to the kitchen. What he saw was worse than he imagined. Luke was playing with JJ and Spencer as Haley and Derek were carefully wiping the blood off of the 2 girls faces. They had an array of different colored bruises on their face, as well as some cuts on their skin. There was so much blood. Why was there so much blood?
"Jesus Christ," he said under his breath as he rushed to Haley's side. "You said they got beaten up by some guys from school?"
"And the high school. We didn't even know most of them," Elle said as she winced in pain as Derek tended to the large cut on her forehead.
"If most of them didn't know you then why did they hurt you?"
"Because the ones that do know it have a personal vengeance against us. Last year, Jake, the leader, asked me out and I rejected him because…"
"Because why?" Derek probed.
"Never mind, it's not relevant."
"Elle, we wouldn't be asking unless we thought it was important," Aaron said quietly. She sighed.
"I didn't go out with him because I'm gay," she mumbled quickly.
"Elle, if they targeted you because you're a lesbian, this could be considered a hate crime." Hotch told her.
"But why Emily?" Luke asked from his spot with the 6 year olds. Derek looked at Emily as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Because she's lesbian too," he informed them. Her head snapped up to glare at him.
"How on earth does everyone keep figuring that out?!" She exclaimed as she blushed a deep red.
"Emily, calm down, I saw you and Elle holding hands earlier. And we accept you both, don't worry," Derek told her.
"This is ridiculous! That's my business, why does everyone keep finding out?! And they didn't beat us up for that, they couldn't have known and they've had it out for us since I got here. So why does it matter?" She told them angrily.
"Emily, Emily, it's ok. Calm down. I need you to calm down. I'm sorry that you couldn't tell us on your own terms, but it's in the past, and it's ok, and we accept you exactly who you are. We still love you just the same, ok?" She nodded.
"So, why did they beat you up then?" Luke had come back with Spencer in his arms and JJ at his side. Apparently they had gotten bored of coloring.
"Well, they said it was to 'teach us a lesson,'" Elle told him, shuddering at the memory.
Aaron looked to his wife. "I think we need to call Rossi."