Chapter 39
All of the Hotchner kids visibly relaxed once they saw their parents come into the cabin. Hotch smiled. "Everything's fine," he assured them seeing the concern in their eyes.
Wyatt's eyes fixed on his mother and Hotch mentally cringed with the fevered intensity of his gaze. Wyatt went to his mother and grabbed her hand as she turned towards the kitchen. When his fingers trailed to her wrist, Hotch's stomach clenched because he could see Wyatt clearly checking to see that his mother still had a pulse. "You ok, Mom?" Wyatt asked in a hushed whisper as he followed her to the counter.
She smiled at him. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
He gave her a small smile but his eyes drifted to Hotch, but he quickly looked away from him when he saw Hotch watching them. "I was just checking," Wyatt tried innocently.
Kahlan shook her head at him and turned towards the family room. "So did you guys already eat or do you want me to fix us up some eggs or something?"
"We already ate cereal," Joey told her as climbed over the back of the couch.
Jack jumped up and went to his mother. "I'll make you and Dad something," he offered.
Kahlan smiled. "That sounds awesome." She went to the coffee pot. "Then I'll sit down and try to warm back up because unlike Dad, I got a little chilled outside."
Hotch licked his lips. "I'll start a fire." He fixed his oldest son with a look. "Come outside and help me bring in some wood, Wyatt?"
The wince that ghosted across Wyatt's face might not have been seen by most of them, but Hotch saw it.
"Ohhh, that sounds nice, too," Kahlan told them as she made her way to the couch.
Wyatt took a deep breath as he nodded. "Sure."
Once Wyatt was bent down and loading his arms with split logs, Hotch put his hand on his shoulder. "You don't actually think I would hurt your mother, do you, Wy?"
The wood fell out of Wyatt's hands and clamored to the ground as he turned to his father in a rush. "What?!"
"I saw you checking her out. I saw the worry in your eyes. I would never. . ."
"Jesus, Dad!" Wyatt yelled. "I know you would never hurt any of us, especially Mom!"
Hotch studied him for a moment. "But you thought I had changed her?"
Wyatt sighed as he wilted a little. "I thought with you two gone for so long that maybe that's what you were doing."
Hotch licked his lips. "But you apparently don't want me to." He mentally cringed with that thought because he wasn't sure Kahlan would still agree to be changed if her son was against it.
Wyatt's brows shot up to his hairline. "I never said that! Why would you think that?"
"Because you were obviously concerned about her, and the way you looked at me. . ."
He shook his head as he stood up tall, squared his shoulders, and locked eyes with his father. "I'm actually surprised that you hadn't already done it."
Hotch sighed. "I can't even do it yet, Wyatt, and we would never do something like that without discussing it with you all first."
Wyatt studied him and gave him a small smile. "With the way Mom is with all of this. . . Well, you can see why I thought that, but it's not because I think you would hurt her or force her into something she doesn't want to do." He reached over and squeezed his father's arm. "And while this has been a bit of a shock, I know you are still the great man you have always been, Dad. I'm sorry if I haven't been acting like the son you deserve."
Hotch pulled him into a hug. "Jeeze, Wy, you don't need to apologize. You guys have been awesome just like always. I'm sorry for putting you all through it."
Wyatt squeezed him even harder. "It's not your fault, Dad. We know you didn't choose this." He pulled away enough to look him in the eyes. "But nothing will ever change the way we feel about you. You're our dad, and we will always love you."
Hotch's eyes watered as he saw that love reflected in his eyes, and he pulled him back to him. "And I hope you all will always know that no matter what happens, I will always love you guys, too."
Wyatt sniffed as he nodded and pulled back again. "Yep." He wiped his face. "I guess we better go start Mom's fire so she can warm up."
Hotch took a deep breath as he put a hand on Wyatt's shoulder. "So you don't mind if Mom does join me eventually?" He had to ask to be sure, he had to know where he stood.
Wyatt chuckled. "No Dad. I know you couldn't live without her just as much as she couldn't live without you. We all know she'll be joining you."
Hotch almost collapsed with relief.
"And don't be surprised when Jack and Joey ask you to change them, too."
That made Hotch's heart skip a beat. He took a step back as his brows furrowed. "What?"
Wyatt laughed. "Oh, come on. You have to know they want to be one, too."
Hotch ran a hand down his face as his chest tightened. He hadn't even thought about that possibility. "But. . ."
Seeing how disturbed his father was getting, Wyatt felt bad for even saying it. "Well, they didn't actually say that. I just. . . I mean, I thought. . ." He wilted. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
Hotch shook his head. "No. It's alright, Wy. I guess there are still a few things we need to discuss as a family."
Wyatt nodded. "We'll get it all figured out."
Hotch gave him a small smile. "Yep," he agreed and then moved to grab some of the wood.
XXX
Hotch let Wyatt get the fire started as he took Kahlan to the bedroom. She searched his face wondering why he had pulled her away from the kids. "What?"
His swallow was audible. "We apparently need to have another conversation with the kids."
She sighed. Please don't let it be something bad. "What now?"
"Wyatt seems to think that Jack and Joe want to be vampires, too."
Her eyes slowly grew as big as saucers. "What?!"
He huffed as he sank down onto the cushioned chair. "Yeah."
She took a deep breath. "Aaron," she started and sat down in his lap and locked eyes with him. "We'll handle it."
His face showed his dislike. "I can't believe. . . I really didn't think. . ." He sighed as his leaned forehead down onto her shoulder.
She ran her fingers through his hair. "It'll be fine, Hun. We'll talk with them and let them know that that won't even be considered until they are much older, and by that time they may change their minds," she offered lightly trying to lessen the stress she could feel building in him.
"Yeah."
She lifted his chin to make him look at her. "We'll deal with it. Stop worrying."
He inhaled deeply as he sat up straighter. "You're right."
Jack yelled from the kitchen that their breakfast was ready, so Hotch lifted Kahlan off of his lap and gave her a small smile. "Better get it while it's hot."
She giggled, grabbed his hand, and led him out of the room.
When Hotch took a big bite of his omelet, he had to bite back the cringe at how bad it tasted. He forced himself to swallow it as he studied his wife to see what she thought of the dish.
She hummed as she nodded after taking her first bite. "This is wonderful, Jack. Thank you."
Jack beamed. "You're welcome." He looked at his father and frowned. "You don't like it, Dad?"
"What?" Hotch asked as he filled his fork again. "Of course I do," he tried as his stomach growled.
Joey giggled; apparently she heard the growl from where she was sitting beside her father. "You might even have to make Daddy another, Jack, with as hungry as Daddy sounds."
"Oh, yeah?" Jack asked as he got up. "I can make some more," he started.
"No," Hotch put in as he grabbed his arm to stop him. "This will be plenty," he assured him.
Kahlan's eyes studied her husband. Oh shit. He's hungry but not for food. Her eyes found Wyatt's and then moved to the other kids and then the door.
Wyatt frowned for just a second and then gave her a slight nod. "Hey, Joe. I saw the otters in the lake when I went out with Dad. You want to go watch them?"
Joey jumped up with a massive grin. "Of course I want to go see Fred and Ethel!" she exclaimed as she ran for the door. She had named the pair of otters after an old TV show her Poppi had been watching when they had first noticed them a few years before.
"Get your jacket!" Kahlan yelled to her as her hand went to the doorknob.
Wyatt grabbed Jack's arm. "Come on, Jack. We better make sure she doesn't try to go swimming with them."
Jack laughed. "Yeah. I can imagine how cold the water is now," he laughed as the boys joined their little sister at the door and they but their jackets on, too, and headed out.
As soon as the door shut, Hotch groaned as he slid his plate away from him.
Kahlan's brows furrowed as she studied him. "I thought you weren't supposed to feed until tomorrow morning."
He ran a hand down his face and then nodded. "I'm not. I don't know why it's hitting already."
Her lips pursed as she thought about it. "Maybe. . . Maybe being the wolf has something to do with it."
He sighed as he stood up. "Like maybe it takes more out of me?"
She shrugged. "Maybe. You brought some with you, didn't you?" she asked because she could picture him not bringing it because of being with the kids.
"Of course. I promised you I would always have some with me, didn't I?"
She smiled as she stood up. "You did." She draped her arms on his shoulders. "Then I guess. . ."
He pushed her away from him and took a step back as he moaned. "Don't get too close," he uttered as he tensed.
She frowned but she stayed where she was.
"I'm sorry, but your heart's calling out even louder than normal," he confessed as his stomach growled even louder and he cringed as embarrassment darkened his cheeks.
"Then go. Go to the bedroom and take care of it. I'll go outside and keep the kids busy and you join us when you're done," she told him as she turned towards the door.
As he watched her walk away, his mouth flooded with saliva as he imagined the taste of her blood on his tongue. His eyes slid shut as a shudder ran through him when visions of making love to his wife flooded his mind. He reached down and adjusted himself. Jesus, Hotchner. Get a grip! There's no way in hell that's happening with the kids here.
He went to the bedroom and shut and locked the door behind him. He leaned his back against it and shook his head. And you wouldn't even try to have sex with her being hungry! He forced down all of the urges coursing through him and went to his bag.
