A/N:So here we are! Back again! Thank you again to anyone who's favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! It keeps me motivated, especially comments! It takes no time at all to drop a review and they encourage me to write more! This chapter takes place right after the ending of chapter two, and we have the beginning to some baby angst! I originally had a plan for this story to be 32 chapters, but my outline is already much longer than that. Sorry for posting this so late, I meant to post it earlier but time got away from me! Anyways, please read and review!
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me,
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see.
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me,
If you will have a say my goodbyes to me?
Lord Huron, Ends of the Earth
"Alright, we've got cheese, veggie, and pepperoni, take your pick," Alex announced as she walked into the store again, James on her heels with three pizza boxes in hand.
"Can we use the coffee shop plates, Tara?"
"Sure, they're here for a reason. How much do we owe you?"
"It's on me, don't worry about it," James spoke up. "We're having a late night in a bookstore to help a student with her homework, and she's not a med student so I can't help much. So, I paid for the food."
"I tried to make him let me pay for it, but he wouldn't listen. He said that since the rest of us are helping tutor, he has to pay for pizza. I think that he's being chivalrous, but he insists he just wants to pay for it, so…" The others looked at each other knowingly. This was James trying to show his feelings to Alex, and she was incredibly blind to it.
"I'm gonna feed Serg and then I'll be right out," Emily called out from behind the books. A 'meow' told them Sergio was already with her. The rest of them dug into the pizza. Derek got pepperoni, of course, while Penelope got veggie. Spencer downed a dairy pill and took two pieces of cheese. James took one of all three, and Alex got a cheese and veggie. JJ followed Spencer and got some cheese. Hotch decided to get a veggie, to be some semblance of healthy, and a pepperoni. Elle, Kate, and Tara all went for cheese and pepperoni, and when Emily came back out she got two veggies.
They all ate their pizza before getting back down to business. JJ's teachers had no mercy on the student body, and so she had 5 exams tomorrow, as well as an overwhelming amount of homework. Penelope started typing up all of her papers for her to save time (they were required to type up essays at her school), Elle and Kate put a pot of coffee on, Emily and Alex dove into the shelves to find the best books to help her study, and the rest of them started checking what she had already done.
To any bystander, it would look very strange, but to the family of workers, this was simply what they did to help out a friend.
It was almost 2 in the morning when they had finished getting JJ studied up for her tests and helping her through the ungodly pile of homework. Alex and Emily were the only ones who were, miraculously, not falling asleep on their feet, so they offered to drive everyone home. No one wanted someone to fall asleep at the wheel. They were currently deciding who would ride with who.
"I've got a 5 seat, so I can take 4."
"I have a 5 seat too, but JJ's place is really close so we can just cram the other 5 in. I'll take JJ, Kate, Elle, and Spencer in the back of mine, and then either Derek or Hotch can take my passengers," Emily concluded.
"I can ride with you!" Hotch offered a little too quickly. When Emily looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, he quickly added, "Because Penelope and Morgan will probably want to ride together." Emily nodded, but she didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Ok, so I've got Tara, Derek, Penelope, and then James in my passenger's seat since he's too tall to fit in the back with the rest of them. JJ's house is less than 5 minutes away, so just don't get pulled over in that time," Alex went over their plan, and they proceeded to start packing everyone into the cars.
"It's times like these that I wish I was short," Tara said as she got into the back of Alex's car with Derek and Garcia.
"You would look so weird as a short person," Kate told her as she got into Emily's. "Being super tall is, like, part of your personality. That would be like me being your height. It's just weird."
"I guess." Over in Emily's car, Elle was against the window, Kate was sitting in the middle, and then the two smallest, JJ and Spencer, were sharing the other window seat. The seat belt easily buckled them both in, and Emily and Hotch got into the front. Emily's car wasn't new, but it was clean and in good condition, so you didn't really notice.
They stopped at JJ's apartment a few minutes later. Emily made sure she got in safely and relocked her door before she left. Hotch was waiting in the car with the other three. Even though Elle wasn't that much younger than him, and Kate and Spencer were only a few years, he felt like he was responsible for the others. Looking into the back, Kate and Elle were both sound asleep. Kate was sleeping on Elle's shoulder, and Elle was passed out on the window. Spencer was just gazing out the window, thinking.
Emily came back to the car a few minutes later, and started driving to Elle's place. It wasn't that much farther than JJ's, and soon she was pulling into the building's parking lot. She did the same thing she did for JJ, making sure Elle was safely in her apartment with the door locked before she left. She wasn't going to let her friends get hurt because of an unlocked door. Kate had moved to the other window seat now that Elle wasn't there, and promptly slipped back into unconsciousness.
Kate and Spencer's places were a little more out-of-the-way, so it was about 10 minutes before they pulled up to Kate's place. Just like the last two, Emily walked her into her home. Reid appeared to finally be coming off of the seemingly infinite caffeine high, and started to give into the exhaustion. He was out cold in minutes.
When Emily came back and saw that Reid had fallen asleep, she took extra care not to wake him.
"Spencer has really severe insomnia, that's why he drinks so much coffee, so please try not to wake him," she whispered quietly as she started the car once more. When they pulled up to a house in the suburbs, she parked and gestured silently for him to step out.
"I wouldn't normally ask this, but he's out cold, and I really don't want to wake him. He has the worst case of insomnia I've ever seen, and it's really rare for him to be able to sleep like this. I would do it myself, but even though he's skinny I'm not strong enough. Would you mind carrying him in? It would mean a lot."
"Of course," he said and he could see her visibly relax.
"Thank you so much," she told him as she carefully opened the car door. He picked up the fourteen year old with ease- he was very light. Emily pulled out one of the keys from her keychain and opened the door to the house.
"His room is the first one on the left. As soon as you put him in the bed, close the door and wait for me in the car, understand? I'll handle the rest." His eyebrows furrowed at her strange instructions, but he nodded.
"Spencer? Is that you?" A woman's voice said from inside the house, and Emily instantly disappeared towards it. He followed her instructions and set Reid in the bed gently, closing the door behind him.
"Diana, it's Emily. Spencer's asleep, his insomnia streak finally broke. But he's safe. I promise." Of course he's safe. Why wouldn't he be?
"Oh, hello Emily. Where's Spencer?"
"He's in his room, he's asleep," she repeated.
"Who are you?" Diana had seen him standing in the hall, and Emily spun around to glare at him. He had not followed her directions.
"That's Aaron, he's a friend of Spencer's and I. Now, let's get you to your bedroom, ok?" She put her arm around Diana's shoulders and led her somewhere else in the house. He managed to catch the last part of what Diana was saying to her.
"... Emily, I don't like it when you bring people I don't know into my house, you know that."
"I know Diana, but Aaron's a good person, and he's gone now, ok?" What? He thought. He felt like he was missing a very important piece of a puzzle, but not wanting to anger her more than he already had, he slipped out and back into the car.
Emily came out a minute later, her face portraying the slightest amount of anger that he was sure was multiplied tenfold inside her.
She didn't say anything for the first few minutes of the drive, until she pulled into an empty lot and parked the car. She turned in her seat to face him.
"I specifically told you that as soon as he was safe in his room, to get out and wait for me. You are so lucky that that wasn't worse than it was, or else you would be in a lot hotter water than you are."
"I think I'm missing something."
She sighed and put her head in her hands. "You can't tell a soul that I told you this, understand?"
He nodded, looking concerned.
"Spencer's mom has paranoid schizophrenia. No one knows but Alex and I, and Spence doesn't want anyone to know, so you will carry this to your grave, ok?"
"Ok."
"Diana doesn't trust easily because of her condition. It took months for her to trust Alex and I. That's why you were supposed to get out as soon as possible, because I didn't want her to freak out, but you clearly don't know how to follow instructions." Oh yeah. She was mad.
"I'm sorry."
She bit her lip. She didn't want to forgive him, but he didn't know any better and he was still new and seemed genuine. She sighed heavily. "It's fine. Just don't do it again, and if Alex or I tell you to do something, you do it. We both know most of the stuff that goes on around here, so listen to us, alright?"
"Alright." She put the car into reverse and started to pull out of the lot, when she promptly stopped it again. "I take the others home all the time but I haven't taken you home yet. What's your address?" He rattled off his address and she started driving again. They drove in silence until she pulled into his driveway.
"Here we are."
"Are you going to be fine? I mean, all the others had someone to make sure they were alright. You're going home alone." She snorted.
"I'll be fine, Hotch. Go home. It's not my first time doing this." He was hesitant, but he got out of the car and watched her drive away. He knew that he was being stupid, but he couldn't help it. She protected all of her friends, walking them inside and making sure their doors were locked before she would even consider leaving. But who protected her? Rossi did, but he wasn't here right now. Morgan? Sometimes. But not really, not always. And of course, they all protected each other as friends, but that was expected. So who looked out for her? Who walked her to her car at night? Who walked her into her apartment? Who made sure she locked her door?
As he stepped over the threshold of his house, he realized the answer was no one.
A/N:Thank you for reading! Do you... see that... that box down there? Would you mind dropping some words in it? Please? It means a lot. My Tumblr is thestrawberrygirl, so if you have any questions or just want to chat shoot me an ask or message over there! It would mean a lot! Thanks to Jean-Moddalle, functionderivatives, victoriacostiveira, and sweetkid45 for reviewing the last chapter! It means a lot!
