Finding A Way Home
A/N: Hello! I appreciate all your nice comments. I'm sorry for not updating as quick. I'll try to update this story whenever I can.
1993
What makes you feel loved?
Is it when he says "I love you?"
Or when he kisses you good night?
Is it when he holds you as you sob about a tv show character that didn't make it?
Or when he chooses you over everything else?
What makes you feel loved?
What makes you think it's love?
"Some things are meant to be." Emily smiled. "But most things aren't." The college student added.
"Good night, Agent Hotchner." She extended her hand for a handshake. Her smile was soft, almost innocent. Her deep brown eyes were glassy and kind. Her cheeks were a bright shade of pink. Maybe from the cold breeze. Her wavy brown hair fell perfectly on her shoulders.
"Why don't we stay a little longer?" Aaron asked.
Emily kept a stoic reaction. "What about your girlfriend?" She asked. He shrugged. "You know my mother will have some questions." She pointed out. Her arms crossed tightly to her chest.
"Only if we get caught." The agent joked. Emily cracked a smile.
"Tell me something." Prentiss requested. Aaron stared at her. "Anything." She corrected. He observed the softness of her expression. Her features were delicate and her pale skin made her look even more graceful. It was as if she was floating—ethereal.
She was in no way fragile, yet she seemed extremely delicate and light.
She seemed too perfect for this world.
"Doesn't have to be true," Emily added. Hotch chuckled.
"What's your favorite story?" He asked.
Her lips formed a thin line and her brows furrowed. "When I was little, I loved the stories that my father made up." The brunette seemed nostalgic and disappointed. Something tells him that she hasn't thought of this in a while. "But if you're asking for a book, my father got me a copy of 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' when I was 3. He read it to me whenever he could, and when he couldn't my mother read it." She smiled. "It was the only time we got along."
"You didn't strike me as someone who'd read that book," Hotch admitted. She tilted her head. "You just seem like someone that'll love those fairytales."
"Yeah well once you've heard Snow White in seven different languages, you'd get quite sick of it." The woman joked. "What's yours?"
"It was a book that I read in Middle school," Hotch explained. "I like anything by Kurt Vonnegut." He added sheepishly.
"And here I was thinking that you'd say Shakespeare." Emily teased.
"I know that I'm a nerd." Aaron bit back. Emily laughed.
God, that laugh.
Her laugh sounded so happy and carefree.
Something that he desperately needed to be.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Aaron suggested. A hint of plea gleamed in his eyes.
Emily knew that it would be a bad idea to sneak out this late at night. She hasn't done this since Rome back when she was 15. "Where would we go?"
"Anywhere." Hotch took a step closer to her. He placed his palm gently on her arm. She was cold. Her dark brown eyes were glued to his.
"Okay," Emily replied.
What makes you think it's love?
2006
"We brief new cases every morning at 10:00 AM." Agent Hotchner informs her
"Understood." She nodded her head. "You won't be sorry." The brunette smiled.
Tomorrow, she was his boss.
Tonight, he is an old friend.
"Um Aaron," Agent Prentiss said shyly. Her thumb was on her lips.
"You're biting your nails again." Hotch points out. She blushes and quickly tucks her hands behind her back. He smiles. Making sure that his dimples show.
"Hey Em?" Aaron called out. She looked up at him. Emily was looking through his things. The younger agent observed the dimly lit office.
He had multiple FBI awards.
The bulky bookshelf behind him was overflowing with manuals and law books.
He had a few trinkets here and there.
Everything was organized.
Although, there was a lack of personal items laying around.
He didn't have any photos. She observed.
"We have a rule against team profiling." Hotch sat gently in his seat.
"I'm sorry." Emily quickly apologized. "I guess I just wanted to see what you have been up to this past decade."
Hotch smirked. "Tomorrow, I'm your boss. Tonight, however, I'm just an old friend." Her face softens. "Why don't you sit on that couch for a while? I just have to finish this report. Then we can go out to dinner to catch up." He suggests. She looks at her watch to see if she can make it in time for her daughter's bedtime.
7:47 pm.
It's not late, but she would surely miss Sophie's bedtime if she agreed. Logically, she wanted to turn him down. It was her last night to hang out with her daughter before bedtime.
Tomorrow, she was his boss.
Tonight, he is an old friend.
"I won't be long I promise." Hotch insisted. He glanced back at the report. "This can wait till the morning. The rest of the team is gone." He rambled. He watched as her eyes twinkled with the faint light coming from the lamp beside her.
Ethereal.
That's the word he was looking for.
She was in no way fragile, yet she seemed extremely delicate and light.
She seemed too perfect for this world.
He let out a sigh. "Do you want to get out of here?" Aaron suggested.
"Where would we go?" She grinned.
"Anywhere." Hotch grabbed his briefcase. He noticed her shivering. She was cold. Her dark brown eyes were glued to his. He took off his suit jacket and offered it to her.
"Okay," Emily replied. "For old times' sake."
Much like it was over a decade ago, they only had one night.
2006
11:26 pm.
Emily tried to silently insert her key into the key slot. It was late and she knew Sophie would already be fast asleep. The brunette tried her best to tiptoe into the living room. She needed to be quiet so that she won't wake up the woman who has been watching her daughter for the past few hours.
"Where have you been?" Elizabeth turns the living room lamp on.
Emily sighed heavily. Cursing the fact that Brianna, Sophie's new sitter, couldn't make it tonight. "Hello, Mother." She said as she turned to face the older woman.
"You were out quite late Em." The ambassador pointed out. "I thought you were just supposed to introduce yourself to the team."
The younger woman rolled her eyes. "How was Sophie tonight?" She tried to change the topic.
"Delightful as always. Though, I can't seem to say the same about you." Elizabeth raised her eyebrows.
Emily sighed heavily. She wouldn't be able to get out of this. "I went out to dinner." She admitted.
"With who?" Elizabeth asked innocently.
"Agent Aaron Hotchner." Emily exhaled.
Her mother looked confused. "The same Agent that did that security clearance for us back when you were in Yale?" The older woman dragged her words. Almost as if she wanted her daughter to analyze every syllable.
Emily simply nodded. "He's my unit chief." The federal agent tried to keep it as vague and casual as possible.
"I see." The ambassador kept a pointed look. "Does he typically take his agents out to dinner?" She asked innocently.
"Mother" Emily glared. "We just wanted to catch up before work got crazy. Besides he's married."
"Uh-huh," Elizabeth nodded. "I'm not getting more out of you tonight am I?"
"Nope." The younger woman had already grabbed her purse and was making her way toward the stairs.
"You know I still don't know what you did that night you snuck out with Aaron." Elizabeth teased.
"You never will," Emily smirked.
The house that she purchased was the right fit for Emily and Sophie. It was a lovely four-bedroom house with a garage and a small garden. Elizabeth visits often and sometime would choose to stay the night. It was cozy, modern, and ticked off all of the things Emily wanted for her daughter. Emily's bedroom was direct across from Sophie's newly decorated fairy bedroom. The Agent silently made her way toward her daughter's bedroom. She gently pushed the door to peek into the sleeping preschooler's room. Emily observed as her daughter peacefully slept beside her pink butterfly nightlight. Her purple bunny stuffed animal was hanging by the side of the bed. The agent walked towards the foot of the bed to grab, Bonnie, the purple bunny. She tucked it in with her daughter. The littlest Prentiss' curly brown hair covered her face, so her mother pushed it aside. Her chubby pink cheeks were now visible. Emily kissed her daughter goodnight.
"Mama?" Sophie stirred.
"Go back to sleep Soph." Emily quickly responded.
"Can I sleep in your bed?" The little girl groaned. Her big brown eyes pleading. Not that she could keep her eyes open anyway.
Emily giggled. "As long as you don't tell grandma."
"I promise." Sophie smiled. She slowly sat up, kicking her white and pink striped sheets out of the way. The little girl raised her arms and wrapped them around her mother's neck.
Emily was grateful that her daughter had inherited her slim figure otherwise she wouldn't be able to carry her daughter for much longer.
"Don't forget Bonnie," Sophie whispered.
"Yes of course," Emily replied as she grabbed the bunny.
"I love you, Mama." Sophie kissed her mother's cheek.
Emily stood by her bedroom door. She had used one hand to carry her daughter and the other to open the door. "I love you too Sophie."
2006
11:28pm
Aaron Hotchner parked his car quietly on the driveway. He was accustomed to this routine. The federal agent was no stranger to long nights at the office, yet tonight it was different.
Tonight, he went back in time.
Not literally of course.
Tonight, he was carefree.
Tonight, he dwelled on the what if's.
What if he chose her instead of Haley?
What if she felt the same thing he felt?
What if they acted on their feelings?
What if they were different people?
What if?
The man quickly grabbed his things and locked his car. He turned his house key silently. Jack and Haley were probably sound asleep by now. Both tucked into their respective beds dreaming away the horrors that the man of the house sees daily. Aaron places his keys in the bowl and the briefcase on the table by the staircase. He quietly enters his bedroom. The man quickly makes a beeline to the bathroom. Haley usually places a set of sleeping clothes for him in there for nights like these. As he washes off the remnants of the day, he can't help but remember her words.
"What if tonight we weren't two FBI agents? What if tonight I'm not Emily Prentiss and you're not Aaron Hotchner? What if tonight we just are the happiest version of ourselves?" She suggested. He laughed.
It was a nod to their past.
Mirroring the words he said to her all those years ago.
"What if tonight we weren't who people thought we were? What if tonight you're not Emily Prentiss and I'm not Aaron Hotchner? What if tonight we just are the happiest version of ourselves?" He asked as he opened the car door for her.
The cold splash of water brought him back to reality. The lives they have lived and the choices they had made were too far gone to change now. Aaron put on his grey sleep shirt and his navy boxer shorts. He exited the bathroom to see his lovely wife fast asleep. She doesn't even know that he's home yet. Deciding that she could use a few more minutes of peace, he goes to his son's room. Jack was not even a year old, yet he already had the kindest soul. Hotch gently opens the door to see his 10-month-old wide awake.
"Hey G-man," Hotch rushed to his son's crib. "Why are you still awake?"
Jack cooed as he hoisted himself up.
"We have to be quiet so that we don't wake Mom, okay?" Aaron smiled. "How about a bedtime story?" The older Hotchner lifted his son off of his crib and made his way to the bookshelf. "What do you want to read tonight?"
Jack, although can't read yet, looked at his father doe-eyed.
"How about this one?" Hotch grabbed his favorite book. The pair made their way to the rocking chair at the corner by the window. The federal agent opened the book to where he placed a bookmark. "I know you don't understand it yet Jack, but a good friend of mine loved this book. I'm hoping that you will too."
Aaron strategically positioned Jack on his lap to see the pages. This copy didn't have any pictures and was just blocks of text. Nonetheless, Jack loved this book. The youngest Hotchner was always listening intently to the story. As the moonlight shined brighter, Aaron started reading the pages of 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.'
What makes you feel loved?
Is it when she says "I love you?"
Or when she kisses you good night?
Is it when she holds you as you sob about a case?
Or when she looks at you?
What makes you feel loved?
What makes you think it's love?
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