A/N: Thanks to those who read the first chapter, and thank you for the reviews! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave one after reading? Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Chapter 2.
An hour later, Aaron sat on the couch in Emily's living room, pretending not to listen as Emily talked to the advisor at the White House over the phone. He had managed to bring her back to her apartment without anymore reporters jumping at her. Emily's voice lowered as she walked into the bedroom, her phone clutched to her ear. Aaron flipped through the channels on her TV, not paying attention in the slightest to the actual screen.
"Lisa, I'm okay." He craned his neck to hear the next part. "Yes, I'm with him. His name is Ryan. It was just the usual being attacked by the media." He couldn't quite make out the next part, but thought she said something along the lines of, "I trust him. He helped me get away from the reporters."
His stomach flipped at that. He was done for.
Then again, wasn't this his mission? Direct orders from the President himself, to the FBI. The FBI pulled him from security detail. Aaron was supposed to befriend the First Daughter, and be her bodyguard, making her think she had a bit of freedom while at school. She had asked her father for less security. This was what he thought of. Honestly, what could go wrong?
Pulling him from his thoughts, Emily walked into the room, holding her phone out to him, "Lisa wants to talk to you." She shrugged, looking nervous. "Says she just wants to thank you from The President."
He accepted the phone and put it to his ear, expecting to hear a feminine voice. It was quite the opposite. "Hello?" Aaron recognized it as The President's voice at once. He shot up straight, his eyes never leaving Emily's curious face.
"Hello, Agent Hotchner. This is Christopher Prentiss." He decided to drop the title and formalities for now.
"Hello," Aaron cleared his throat, speaking clearly, trying to avoid Emily's dark eyes now. She huffed and walked over to the refrigerator, opening it slowly as she tried to eavesdrop.
"Yes, this is Ryan," he lied, glancing down at his hands.
The President caught on, "Ah, she's right there, isn't she?"
"Yes, of course." Aaron said, his eyes shifting over to Emily, pretending to look busy in the fridge.
He nodded, lowering his voice just a bit. "Agent Hotchner, I received a…" He worked his jaw for a moment, trying to remain professional and emotionally detached. "A threat against my family this morning. I have reason to believe that my daughter is in danger. Please keep her safe." He sucked in a breath, hoping he was wrong. "If anything happens that you have reason to suspect anything, I ask that I know immediately."
Aaron's eyes turned to Emily again and he smiled sadly as he watched her dig through the fridge. He tore his eyes away from the beautiful brunette and chewed his lip slowly, his chest aching, praying that everything would be alright.
The FBI were working on tracking the threat. Christopher wasn't 100% sure of who it was from, but he had a pretty good reason to believe it was someone from his past. Someone very dangerous who wanted revenge.
"Of course. You have my word."
The President breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Aaron." He continued, changing to a more lighthearted subject. "I heard you made quite the rescue today regarding my daughter and the press. I'd like to thank you dearly for this." He hummed softly, "You seem to be a great asset to the FBI, I'll keep this in mind. Keep my daughter safe, that's all I ask."
Aaron nodded, wetting his lips and lowering his voice, "Understood, sir. Thank you." He felt Emily's eyes on the back of his head.
She didn't actually think her father would be talking to him. She swallowed, her stomach in knots as she watched him sitting on her couch. He hung up once he heard a click from the other line, and placed Emily's cell phone down on the coffee table. She walked back into the room and stared at him with wide eyes, "What happened? What did he say?" She probed, trying to get any information.
"Not much," he shrugged, not entirely lying. "Just that he is glad I happened to be there, and he told me to tell you he can't wait for you to visit next month." Emily's stare didn't let up. She raised an eyebrow.
When he didn't add anything else, she considered what he had said, nodded slowly, and finally decided to accept his answer. Taking her seat on the couch next to him, Emily yawned.
Within half an hour, she had her hand underneath her head, holding it up, her legs resting on top of his as they both laid on the couch. She stared at him sleepily. "Favorite dessert?"
They had been playing 20 questions, both asking the other questions, and answering them. Aaron didn't find anything wrong with her game, and if there was a question he couldn't give a truthful answer to, he tried to improvise. She found out that his favorite board game was Sorry, he had a younger brother, he enjoyed the fall weather more than the summer, and his favorite childhood memory was going apple picking with his mother and grandmother and then baking them into apple pie.
He rubbed her arm with his fingers subconsciously, not really noticing when he had began to do this. "Hmm" He was starting to feel just as sleepy as she looked. "Apple pie," he smirked.
She snorted, nudging him. "Wow, so original!"
He laughed with her, "Okay, then what's yours?"
"Chocolate covered strawberries!" She moaned softly, imagining one. "I love chocolate."
"Hmm. Good to know." He smirked, "What's your favorite animal?"
"Pet or just any animal in general?"
"Both," he clarified.
Emily blinked, sighing softly, "Well, I've always wanted a dog." She shrugged, "My mom isn't a fan. My dad and I have been trying to convince her for years to let us get one." She thought for a moment, "And my favorite animal in general… giraffes." She glanced up at him, "You?"
"I've always had a soft spot for the panda bear. I think they're cute-" He trailed off as a giggle bubbled from Emily's throat.
"Ryan Hughes. Did you just say 'cute'?" She teased, a dimple peaking out.
"I may have." He liked her more and more with each passing second.
A few minutes passed, and they continued their game. Finally, he heard the sleepiness start to take over in Emily's voice.
"Favorite First Daughter joke?" She said unhumorously.
He had a sudden intake of breath at her question and his fingers stopped brushing the spot on her arm. "Must be hard." His eyes trained on her face, wondering how anyone could hurt such an amazing woman.
"'s'not so bad," came her groggy reply. She half shrugged, "Biggest pet peeve?"
"Really, I'm sorry." His movements restarted on her arm, tracing circles on her soft skin. He didn't know how to answer her question. He pondered for a while, and decided to go with, "slow walkers."
She hummed her agreement and closed her eyes, barely awake now, "mine's liars." and with that, she fell asleep.
He swallowed hard, his heart beating loudly against his chest. He watched her sleep, noticing how peaceful and small she looked, curled up on the couch. He shook his head slowly, knowing that he would hurt her once she found out the truth. In that moment, he hated himself. He also currently hated his job. He couldn't bare the thought of hurting her. How could he ever be the one to inflict pain on her? He just hoped she wouldn't find out anytime soon, and when she did find out, he hoped she would have someone else. Someone else to hold her, someone else to tell her deepest fears to, and someone else to protect her. The woman in his lap was not his. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of the best way to go about his mission without inflicting too much pain.
And now The President was sure someone was actually after their family, including the brunette? He shook his head, working his jaw quietly as he stared down at her, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
The door opened suddenly and he spun around so fast, he nearly jumped in surprise. He reached for his firearm, his hand hovering over his bag as he watched someone enter the room. "Emily?" Aaron flopped back against the couch, letting his gun fall back into the bag. He shut it quickly and gave a small nod to Emily's roommate.
"She's over here, sleeping." he called quietly, and Vivian proceeded forward with caution.
Once she got around to the other side of the couch, she observed the male's features, her eye's raking in his face and comparing it to Emily's description. "You must be Ryan, I take it?" He nodded, stretching out a hand and offering to shake. Vivian sent him a thin smile, accepted his hand, and shook it firmly, gripping it a bit tighter than necessary. "Pleasure. I'm Vivian Kensington." She glanced down at Emily, lowered her voice, and stared back at him, fire suddenly in her eyes. Her grip tightened on Aaron's hand. "You best know, Emily is my best friend. If you hurt her in any way, I will find you and hunt you down."
She squeezed his hand even tighter, Aaron tried not to cringe at her vice-like grip, "Not only will you be dealing with the president, but you will be dealing with me. And that's a promise." She hissed, eyeing him carefully before letting go of his hand.
"I assure you, it is not my intention to hurt her," He choked out, before nodding down at the sleeping brunette and shifting his focus back to the blonde. He had to hand it to her, she was protective over Emily, and he liked that about her. He liked that she warned him, only taking Emily's best interest into account, even if she did just threaten a federal agent. He chuckled to himself.
She smiled fully this time, "Good. Now that we understand each other, I must say... Emily was… definitely right."
His eyebrows knit in curiosity, "About?" He tilted his head and stared at her.
Vivian's lip quirked up and she beamed at him, "You."
Slowly growing nervous, Aaron looked once more at the brunette in his lap, his fingers slowing on her skin, "What did she say about me?"
The blonde smirked, putting her hands on her hips as her grin spread even wider than before. "Wouldn't you like to know." They both turned their attention to their sleeping friend as she stirred, moaning quietly in her sleep. "Em, you awake?" Vivian tapped her shoulder gently and the brunette opened an eye.
"Hm?" She rubbed at her eyes and rolled over. Suddenly realizing where she was, she came to, "Viv, hi. Uh… sorry." She glanced up at Aaron, wide eyed. "You two met, I take it…?" She cringed, but relaxed as Vivian nodded with a soft smile.
"Ryan and I are good friends now, isn't that right, Ryan?" she replied, aiming the last bit at Aaron.
He nodded, offering the two women a smile. He checked his watch and sighed, "I should head out, unfortunately." It was getting late, and he had been with Emily far too long. He had neglected his phone long ago, and he could only imagine how worried her other bodyguards were.
Emily nodded, pulling her legs off of his, and sitting up. She stretched, yawned, and walked him to the door. "Thanks," She smiled, "For everything."
Aaron bowed his head politely and gave her wrist a friendly squeeze, "Take care of yourself. I'll see you tomorrow?" Grabbing his bag and swinging it over one shoulder, he smiled down at her.
His voice was warm like silk as Emily stared into his eyes. Her knees suddenly went weak as she felt his finger brush along her cheek. How could he have that effect on her? He made it so easy to trust him.
He took one last look at her before nodding his head, "Goodnight, Emily." He turned to the blonde roommate, watching in the corner, "Vivian."
And with that, he left, the door shutting behind him. He heard the lock click and he ran a hand through his hair as he started down the hallway. He saw a shadow around the corner of the hallway, and walked passed, nodding his head at Sampson. The two locked eyes for a brief moment, Aaron silently sending him a message, letting him know all was well so far. He continued down the stairs, and out of the apartment building.
Vivian waited for the footsteps to disappear out of earshot before turning to her best friend, still standing by the door, "Damn, girl!" She grinned at her friend, taking the spot Aaron had been sitting in on the couch. "I mean, wow. You said he was cute, and damn, Em! That boy is fine!"
"Shut up, Vivian," Emily laughed softly, shaking her head. She moved back to the couch and sat down on the arm rest, hugging her knees to her chest. "Today was crazy." She shrugged, "It started by getting serenaded by a group of guys, then getting followed at the cafe on York St, and that's where Ryan showed up. He just happened to be in the cafe at the right time… He kinda helped me outrun the reporters and photographers."
"Em, you do realize, he's saved you 3 times now, right?" Vivian thought about this, "Either he really likes you, or you have a stalker on your hands," She snorted. "However, I think it's the former." She glanced over at her friend, as if thinking of something. "Hey, don't you usually have like ten secret service guys on you at all times? What happened?"
"Ah, I asked my dad if we could tone it down a bit. He actually agreed to have just one at a time with me!" The brunette smiled, sighing softly in content.
"Woah, what?" Vivian was shocked. She knew Emily's father, and she knew how tight the security was. "How'd you manage that?"
The First Daughter shrugged, finally happy for the first time in a long time, "I don't really know, I guess he trusts me."
Or so she thought.
The next day, Emily managed to wake up on the earlier side, unable to sleep any longer due to the sun's strong rays, shining through her bedroom window. She slipped into a sports bra and pulled on a pair of yoga pants. Careful not to wake her roommate up, she grabbed her earphones from the dresser drawer, laced her running sneakers up, and headed out the door. She snuck past the secret service's apartment, hoping they would still be asleep, and made her way down the hallway, towards the elevator. Once down in the lobby, she filled her water bottle, and headed out into the morning sunlight, ready to seize the day, beginning with a morning run.
Her apartment was close to a park, just around the block, so she headed in that direction, stretching her calves and hamstrings. She was just about to start her pace when a sudden voice captured her attention, causing her to spin around.
"Need a partner?"
She stared at the person who spoke. "Oh, Hi." Her lips turned up into a shy smile. A young man with brown hair eyed her over, closing the distance between them.
"Well hello to you too," He grinned, showing her perfectly white teeth. "I'm Wren."
Emily returned his smile and nodded, "Emily."
"Well, Emily. It's nice to finally meet you." He glanced around the empty park, "Do you usually go for a run this early in the morning?"
"Not often, only when I can wake up early enough," She let out a soft laugh and eyed him curiously.
"Well, what do ya say, wanna race?"
Emily shrugged, always ready for a competition. Also she couldn't think of a reason why not. He was just a boy. "Sure, why not?"
Wren nodded, "Okay, how are you with running in the woods?"
She shrugged, not really having an issue with the course. "I'm fine with whatever."
"Okay, we start on 3. Ready?" They both got into runner's position and Wren counted them down. "Go!"
Emily shot off, Wren close on her heels. "Wait, where's the finish line?" She kept her lead, but slowed down, not knowing just how much they would be running.
"How about two loops around the park, finish at the trail at the edge of the woods?" He caught up to her, both of them running side by side for a few moments.
Emily grinned, enjoying the freedom of running, nobody chasing her, no bodyguard. "Works for me!" She called, passing him and taking the lead again.
He chuckled, increasing his speed. The two of them dashed through the woods, kicking up leaves and dirt. They ran over the small bridge by the creek, and down the hill, looping around the playground. Wren had managed to pass her while they ran down the hill, however, Emily knew she could pass him on the next incline. She was fast, running up hills. She kicked up her speed just a bit, coming closer to him. She nearly had him. The incline came, and she sped up it, passing him once again.
Once they were over the hill, she heard a yelp from behind her and turned around to see he had slipped in a large mud puddle. She let out a laugh, turning back to help him up. She reached her hand out for him to take, but he pulled her down, splashing her with mud. She landed on top of him with an 'oomf' and she grunted. "Hey! You play dirty." She smirked, wiping the mud from her face. The two of them sat up, aware that they were completely covered in the mud. What they weren't aware of, however, was someone taking pictures of them, behind the giant oak tree.
He grinned, "What can I say?" He sent her a small shrugged, managing to stand up, and pulling her to her feet. "Couldn't resist."
Emily laughed at him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Come on, are we gonna finish this race, or not?" She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her mud clad chest. Before she knew what was happening, Wren shot off again, leaving her behind. "Oh, that's just rude!" She sprinted after him, trying to pass him, but he kept zigzagging in front of her, blocking any opening she could get.
"You, sir, are cheating." She pointed out, laughter bubbling in her chest.
"Maybe, maybe not. Prove it." He stuck out his tongue and laughed, rounding the playground again.
In the end, they had to determine the winner a tie, as both of them came barreling towards the trail opening, Emily nearly crashing into a thick tree, and he sliding into a bush, due to Emily pushing him gently to the side.
"We should do this again sometime," he nodded, panting. He offered his hand to hers and she shook it.
"Definitely. It was nice meeting you, Wren." And with that, she walked back to her apartment, the mud now completely dried and caked onto her body.
Emily returned to her apartment building, passing Tony and Sampson in the lobby. She swallowed, suddenly nervous. They looked angry.
"Little Sparrow has returned" she heard Sampson call into his com unit, while Tony stared down at her with sad, disapproving eyes, shaking his head.
Emily sighed, hanging her head in shame as he looked her over, noticing all of the mud and small scrapes on her legs, as well as the leaves in her hair. "Guys, I'm sorry."
Sampson shook his head at the sound of her phone ringing. She glanced at the number and internally groaned, knowing she would definitely hear it this time.
"Emily Prentiss, your father is livid right now." Lisa, the White House advisor hissed into the phone, "The agents couldn't find you, and now pictures of you going viral all over the internet?!"
Emily ran a hand through her hair, "Pictures? What do you mean? Of what?"
"Emily, it doesn't look good. You're alone with this boy and-"
"-and you're covered in mud, wearing nothing but a bra and pants," Her father finished.
Emily gasped quietly, hearing the anger in his voice. "But… That JUST happened. Half an hour ago! We were running in the park alone…"
"Obviously you weren't alone, Em. You need to be careful. Your image does not look good right now. Emily, what happened?" Her father's voice was stern, disappointed.
"I'm sorry. I-." She sighed, taking in a very soft breath. She glanced at the clock on the wall and chewed her lip, "Dad, I'm really sorry, we'll talk more about this later, but I really have to go. I have class in an hour, and I still need to shower."
She heard her father sigh over the line, "Alright, Emily. But please make better choices, and next time, please tell Sampson or Tony you're going out. I can't have you out there alone. I love you." And with that, he hung up, trying to think of how to remove the photos from the internet. No doubt, they would still show up in the paper later that day. She'd probably even make the front page.
Later that afternoon, Emily still felt like she had mud caked on her body. She couldn't stop scratching herself all during class. There was one point where the professor even called her out, asking if she were alright. Yep, that was definitely pretty embarrassing.
As soon as her last class was done for the day, she bolted to her apartment, throwing her bag down by the door. She stripped her clothes off, throwing them into the hamper in her closet. She jumped into the shower for the second time that day, standing in the hot spray, scrubbing herself raw. "Serves me right." She muttered, rolling her eyes at her idiotic behavior from that morning. Hopefully this time she could wash the remaining mud off entirely.
When she was no longer itching, and her body was now red, practically glowing, she hopped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel. She exited the bathroom and walked to her bedroom, suddenly remembering the bonfire later that night. The clock on the wall told her she only had a few hours left to get ready for the event. Although she had never asked 'Ryan' if he were going, she hoped she would see him there. This time though, hopefully she wouldn't need any type of rescuing.
"Em?" It was Vivian returning from her class. "Hey, what happened earlier today? You weren't here when I woke up, and Sampson nearly banged the door down, looking for you."
The brunette sighed softly, "I went for a run, met some guy, we ended up racing, and then slipped in mud. My father wasn't too pleased." She rolled her eyes, "Pretty much it. Sorry if I worried you."
Vivian nodded, only catching part of the story. "Wait a minute, you met a guy?" She arched an eyebrow, "Who? What happened to Ryan?" Her lip quirked upward slyly, "Was he cute?" All of her questions caught Emily off guard, and she began to laugh.
"Yeah, he apparently is a runner." She shrugged her shoulder, still gripping the towel around her, "I mean, he was cute. I don't really know much about him though… And Ryan, well, Ryan is Ryan."
"Mhmm" Vivian nodded her agreement, "Ugh, so what was his name?"
"Wren. His name is Wren." Emily pondered for a moment, "I don't know, Viv. I don't really know if I'll see him again, and if I have Ryan, I don't really care to."
"Damn girl, you are SO into him!" Vivian grinned, giggling as a blush sprung to Emily's cheeks. She eyed Emily in the towel and smirked, "As much as Aaron would like it, surely you're not going to wear that towel to the bonfire tonight?" She tugged on her arm, "Let's get you ready for Mr. Perfect."
A/N: Thank you so much for choosing to continue on with this story! Hopefully you'll enjoy what I have next in store. Anyways, please leave a review below? They really help!
Chapter 3 will include the bonfire, and should be posted within the next few days.
Thanks!
-Emily