Story I – Chapter 11
"Jack would love having a conversation with you," Hotch offered Sebastian feeling more respect for the man than he'd already had.
With Bartles' confused look, Kahlan smiled. "Jack is the younger of our two sons, and he loves history."
"Ahhh," Bartles offered with a grin. "The stories I could tell him."
Chuck looked at the Hotchners with a serious look. "Are you going to tell the kids?"
Hotch balked but Kahlan nodded. "Of course."
"What?!" Hotch and Rossi both asked at the same time.
"Well, not right away, but come on, Aaron, you know they will know something is off."
Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew she was right, but he really didn't want to have that conversation with his team so he couldn't even fathom having that conversation with his own children.
Kahlan pat his thigh. "We'll give you plenty of time to get comfortable with it before we discuss it with anyone else besides the team."
Hotch sighed and nodded.
"I could help you explain it to your team if you want. I can answer any questions they may have," Sebastian offered.
"Reid will have a thousand questions," Hotch told him dryly.
Bartles grinned. "I like Dr. Reid. I think that might be a very interesting discussion."
"That's one way to put it," Chuck uttered as he rolled his eyes.
"Be nice!" Kahlan ordered and Chuck stuck his tongue out at her and then looked at Hotch. "If you learn how to change into a wolf, that would be an easy way to prove it to them."
Bartles shifted in his chair and suddenly Chuck was staring into the yellow eyes of a light colored wolf that had its front paws perched on his thighs. He leaned back away from the snout full of sharp teeth but he grinned. "That was awesome!"
The wolf blinked and then jumped down and moved a few feet away and suddenly Sebastian was standing in front of them again. He shook his head in disbelief. "Normally that move elicits a scream or two."
Hotch huffed. "Not from these two." He looked at the massive grin Kahlan was trying to rid herself of and gave her the Hotch stare. "And I am not doing that for you every time you turn around just for your entertainment!"
She tried to look hurt. "I would never. . ." she started but Hotch raised one brow and she wilted. "Ok, maybe I would have, but I won't," she tried and when he raised his other brow, she wilted even further. "Ok, I'll try not to."
Bartles laughed, and Rossi shook his head. "That will give an all new meaning to 'That's my boy'."
"David Michael!" Hotch yelled as he turned his stare to him and Rossi cleared his throat and suddenly found the floor very interesting. Hotch exhaled through his nose slowly as he shook his head. "If you all are done having a fun at my expense, there are some more things I'd like to discuss with the detective."
Rossi and Kahlan shared a grin and she gave her husband an apologetic look. "You know we love you."
Hotch huffed, but Kahlan knew he didn't mean anything by it. He looked at the detective. "So how accurate are the stories on how I can die? I already know the sun thing isn't true."
Bartles looked at Kahlan for a second and then looked at Hotch with serious eyes. "You can be killed with a stake to the heart or by being beheaded."
Kahlan cut her eyes to Hotch and Hotch saw the 'I told you so' look, but she smiled. "I don't think you have to worry about that happening on the job."
Rossi chuckled. "No. I don't think that's going to be too big of a problem."
"The sun doesn't bother you?" Chuck asked them.
"It stings, but it didn't cause me to burst into flames if that's what you're wondering," Hotch told him knowing that was exactly what he was thinking. "I ran into you outside in the sun if you remember."
Chuck nodded as he considered it. "So you won't be able to go to the beach anymore?" Chuck asked and they could all tell he didn't like that thought.
"He can with really good sunscreen," Sebastian told him with a grin.
Hotch smiled. "Good." He didn't want to give up their family trips to the beach.
"So what else can I tell you about right now?" Bartles asked. "I would think you need to get to your team. I can take care of the officers who think you died, but I don't know how you are going to handle the hospital or anything. There are way too many people to try and take care of there."
Kahlan smiled. "The hospital has already been taken care of." With the detective's look of confusion she shrugged. "A couple of our friends are computer hackers. There is no record of Hotch ever even being in an ambulance let alone dying in the ER."
Sabastian smiled. "I think I like your little circle of friends even more."
Hotch nodded and squeezed his wife's thigh. "They are the best."
Sebastian chuckled. "I believe it."
Rossi stood up. "Bartles is right. We better go tell the team. The quicker they know the quicker we can move on. They probably have the case wrapped up by now and are wanting to go home especially after thinking you're dead."
Bartles stood up, too. "You can have them come here. Chuck was right in the fact that they may need a demonstration to truly believe, and there's no chance of the wrong person seeing anything way out here."
Kahlan smiled. "I like it."
"I can even make everyone dinner, if you'd like. Make this a little more welcoming if you would," Sebastian offered.
"I can help," Rossi agreed with a grin as he looked at Hotch.
When all eyes turned to him, Hotch nodded. "That's fine."
"Do you have a laptop?" Kahlan asked the detective. "I think we need to have Pen and Cam in on this conversation, too, so we don't have to do it twice."
Bartles smiled. "Of course. I'll set up the dining room for everything."
"And we can take a walk while we wait for the team to get here," Kahlan suggested as she grabbed her husband's hand.
Hotch knew she wanted to give him time to process everything and prepare for the team in private, so he nodded. "I'd like that," he told her as he stood up.
Chuck stood up and shrugged. "I guess I can help with dinner."
Kahlan laughed. "Or you can go back to the hotel."
Chuck balked. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss their reactions for anything! Penny is going to have a fit!"
Hotch sighed and shook his head some more. "You all. . ."
Kahlan giggled and grabbed Hotch's hand and started him towards the door. "Come on, Hun. Sebastian has plenty of trees to walk under."
Bartles smiled. "The garden is beautiful this time of year."
Hotch sighed again and let his wife lead him away from the others. As they made their way through the giant house, his eyes grew wide as took in everything. "I can't believe he has all this and it's just him."
Kahlan frowned. "You don't think he has anyone?"
Hotch shrugged. "He doesn't seem to have anyone. He doesn't wear a ring and there aren't any pictures or anything around here either."
She sighed as they made it to the door. "I feel sorry for anyone who has to face life alone," she offered softly and mentally cringed with the image of herself growing old and dying and her husband staying the he was for the rest of time.
Hotch took a deep breath as he looked at the expansive grounds surrounding the mansion. "Maybe it's a choice of survival."
She huffed. "Then he needs to find better friends." He chuckled as they made their way around the house and she giggled as she headed them towards a tall hedge maze. "At least it's not snowing," she offered and Hotch's eyes filled with confusion as he looked at her and she laughed. "The Shining?"
He shook his head. "You and your horror movies."
"Hey! That's a classic!"
He smiled slyly and before she even knew what happened, he'd let go of her hand and disappeared. "Bet you can't find me," he hollered from somewhere on the other side of the first set of hedges.
"That's not fair, Aaron! I couldn't catch you before this happened!" she yelled as she made her way to the first intersection.
She heard him laugh to the right and she turned that way, but after several steps she turned as she heard him to the left. "Damn it, Aaron!"
He laughed again from somewhere ahead in the distance. "I'm beginning to think this is as cool as you thought," he offered.
She stopped and squatted down to look through the bottom of the bush where they were the barest. "You better stop or I'll put extra garlic on all of the food!" she shouted and suddenly turned when she thought she heard him behind her, but he wasn't there.
His laugh echoed. "Sebastian didn't say garlic would bother me!"
She went to the next cross section and looked at the three options before her. "That's what I get for teasing him about not being able to find his way in the dark," she muttered as she searched the ground to see if it would lend any clues as to which way he went.
"Yep," he whispered into her ear and then was gone before the feeling of his breath on her neck even dissipated.
She bit her lip as her eyes narrowed. "You want to play, huh?"
His laugh came from somewhere to the left. "And I'm winning," he offered from the right.
Her head was snapping back and forth so fast that she almost suffered whiplash. "Keep it up and I'll have to start wearing that cross necklace Mom gave me," she bellowed.
"Now that's not playing fair!" he insisted as he came into view at the far intersection.
She giggled her evil giggle. "You know I don't like being at a disadvantage," she told him seriously as she advanced towards him.
He folded his arms across his chest. "I could always stay at Dave's."
She froze as her eyes went wide. "You wouldn't dare!"
He held his chin up in defiance. "If you're going to be mean, I'll have to, to protect myself."
She shook her head. "Now who's being mean?"
He grinned wickedly and disappeared again.
"Aaron!" she called out as she ran to the opening and looked all around for him. She sighed but then she smiled to herself. I love it when his devious side comes out! She continued to smile as she went to the left.
After about six turns and not seeing or hearing anything, she started to think that maybe he had gotten out of the maze. "Are you lost?" she hollered and then laughed.
"Here's Johnny!" he yelled as he grabbed her from behind and she actually yelped in shock as he pulled her off her feet. He laughed as he turned her around to face him, and she smacked his chest.
"Put me down!" she demanded.
He continued laughing. "Ha! I can sneak up on you!"
She smacked him again. "Give me a little time and you won't be able to!"
He chuckled as he lowered her back to the ground lightly. "We'll see about that."
She giggled as she wrapped her arms around him and then looked him in the eyes. "Are you going to be alright with all this?" she asked seriously.
He took a deep breath and then nodded. "I think so. It will take some getting used to, of course, but I think I can handle it."
She smiled. "You can handle anything, Aaron. You are an amazing man."
He smiled as he looked into her eyes. "Only because I have an amazing wife."
She huffed. "I'm just a simple human, you're a vampire."
He smiled. "Want to see something I can do?"
Her brows furrowed as she studied him and then nodded. "Of course."
He took a step back from her and ducked his head a little and she could see the mischievous look growing in his eyes and her heart sped up just a bit. He checked to make sure the coast was clear as he licked his lips.
After a blink, he was squatted down on the top of the hedge in front of her as lightly as if he were a bird. Her eyes grew as wide as her smile. "I bet you can climb up walls, too, just like the Count in the original 'Dracula'!"
He shrugged. "It defies science, but I feel like I'm on solid ground."
She nodded slowly. "Just think of how much this will help you on your cases. You were a formidable force before this happened, now the criminal world won't know what's hit them!"
He jumped down and landed beside her. "Can you imagine some unsub's face if I jumped up to their second story window?"
She giggled as she did imagine it. "He'll piss his pants."
He frowned as he thought about that. "I really hope not."
She chuckled and then got serious. "You need to be really careful doing stuff like that in front of other people, though, Hun."
He nodded as he put his hands on her waist. "I know."
"Cause some people wouldn't even take the time to see what type of person you are, they will just assume that you are a monster."
He nodded again. "You mean most people would."
She winced. "Probably."
He gave her a small smile. "I'll be careful."
She took a deep breath. "Cause losing you once was almost too much to take. I'm not sure I could handle it again," she confessed as her eyes teared up.
He ducked his head down and locked eyes with her. "I will do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again."
She sniffed as a tear escaped her eye. "You better."
He reached up and wiped her tear away with a gentle finger. "Yes, Ma'am."
She smiled and his head snapped to the right. She frowned. "What?"
"I think the team's here."
Her eyes grew wide. "You can hear them?"
He shrugged. "I hear a vehicle coming up the drive."
She smiled. "Then come on," she urged as took his hand and moved down the passageway.
He squeezed her hand. "Thank you."
She looked at him as he paused at the first intersection. "For what?"
"For loving me no matter what. You have always gone above and beyond our vows the whole time we've been together, but this. . ." He clasped the sides of her head with gentle hands and locked eyes with her. "This is so far off the map of normal that I can't even begin to express how much your support means to me."
Her deep love showed in her eyes. "Forever and always, no matter what."
He smiled. "Forever and always, no matter what," he agreed and then kissed her.
After a moment she pulled away. "Whoa, you better not start something you can't finish now."
A sly grin emerged on his face. "But I'm really fast now."
She balked. "That's not something you need to be fast at!"
He chuckled. "Come on, the team's probably already to the house."
She nodded. "Yep," she agreed as she nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. He stood up straighter and then looked at the three passageways in front of them and his eyes narrowed as he looked down them all slowly. She giggled. "You don't know the way, do you?"
He smirked. "I could just jump over them but someone has to go the long way."
She smiled. "He's a vampire and he still has no sense of direction when he can't see around him."
He huffed. "Shut up and show me the way."
She giggled again and then pulled him to the right. "Yes, Sir."
