Hi! I feel like this one took me forever to get posted! Sorry, I kept changing my mind with how I wanted it to go, but I think I'm finally satisfied with it! Thanks as always for all your kind reviews, they're a great motivator! I started back my new classes this week, or I would have had this up sooner. It seems like it's gonna be a relatively easy semester, so hopefully I won't have to have any long gaps between updates for school work. Hope you guys enjoy this one! I really enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Hotch, Emily, Gabrielle, and Jack were all sitting on the couch in a house Emily wasn't familiar with. Though her surroundings were unfamiliar, she felt comfortable. Gabby was in Hotch's lap, and Emily was seated next to him. Gabby wasn't a nine year old girl, instead she was a baby, no more than 8 or 9 months old. Jack was sitting on the opposite side of Hotch. He should have been a teenager now, but he was still the same, sweet seven year old boy Emily had known ten years ago. Jack was smiling a toothless grin, as he'd lost some of his baby teeth as he helped Hotch give Gabby her bottle.
Somewhere deep in Emily's conscious mind, she was aware that this was a dream. There was no Ian Doyle. There was no danger. She never had to fake her death. She and Hotch were together; they were a family. Hotch looked over at her, smiling that famous smile, and leaned in for a kiss. When Emily pulled away an opened her eyes, she was horrified at the sight before her.
Aaron Hotchner no longer sat by her side, but instead, a very angry looking Ian Doyle. She gasped and reached for baby Gabby, but she was too late. Ian had her in his arms and stood with her in one hand, pushing Emily back down on the couch with the other.
"Hello, Love," he grinned evilly.
"Ian," her voice cracked. "What are you- no!" she said as he turned, placing Gabby in a bassinet located in the room. By now Emily had Jack sitting in her lap, holding him closely and rocking him back and forth.
"Give me the boy," Ian said firmly.
"Where's Aaron?" she asked.
"Aaron is gone," he spat his name.
"He was just here! Where did he go?" she demanded. Though she was terrified, she wasn't about to let it show.
"I told you, he's gone. You took my son from me, so I am taking yours from you,"
"No!" she screamed as he took Jack from her arms. He began crying out for her, but she couldn't move. She tried and tried to move, but she couldn't. None of her muscles were working. She was stuck there. Ian Doyle had both of her children, and Hotch was nowhere in sight.
Emily awoke to a slight shake of her shoulder. Opening her eyes wuickly, she saw Anthony Fisher standing in front of her.
"We're landing in ten minutes," he informed her. Emily looked around wildly. She was on a plane. She was going back to DC, she reminded herself. Doyle didn't have her, he didn't have Gabby, and he didn't have anyone she loved. She felt herself trying to catch her breath.
"Are you okay?" Anthony asked.
Emily nodded. "I'm fine, thank you," she said. Anthony gave her a look, but nodded and turned to go back to his seat.
Emily glanced to her left, where Gabrielle was still sleeping peacefully, and instantly she felt calmer. She wished she didn't have to wake the young girl up, that she could let her sleep until she took care of Doyle, and then she could wake up and everything would be fine, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. She did however, wait a few more moments to allow herself to calm down from the dream she had been having.
She sighed slowly, reaching out to brush her fingers through Gabrielle's hair. She stirred slightly, but remained sleeping. Emily smiled, Gabrielle could sleep through almost anything. While many children woke up scared during a thunderstorm, little Gabby always slept through the whole thing.
"Did you hear that storm last night?" Emily would ask the next morning, to which Gabrielle would reply: "What storm?"
Continuing to run her fingers through Gabrielle's hair, Emily spoke loud enough to wake the child, but kept an even, calming tone: "Gabby, wake up sweetheart,"
Gabrielle stirred again, but this time her eyes fluttered open. "Are we there?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"We're landing in a few minutes," Emily confirmed.
Gabrielle instantly looked more awake, and sat up a little straighter in the seat. "He's meeting us there, right?" she asked, referring to Hotch.
"Yes," Emily smiled. "He'll be at the airport, along with JJ. She used to be one of my best friends," Emily told her quietly.
"Okay," Gabrielle said.
"Are you excited?" Emily asked. This would be a perfect meeting, if only they weren't in danger.
"Yeah," Gabrielle confirmed. "I'm kind of nervous too… but I guess that's normal, right?"
Emily nodded. "Very normal, sweetie."
Minutes later, the jet was descending, and they had finally landed on American soil. Emily looked out the window. It was the middle of the afternoon here, which felt strange since it had only been 11AM in France when Emily got the call from Hotch.
Emily stood from her seat when she got the OK, reaching her hand out for Gabrielle to take. Gabrielle took it and stood also, and the two of them slowly followed Anthony out of the jet. They walked off the runway, into the airport where they were greeted by security guards that led them all to the lobby. Emily looked around frantically, partly for Hotch and JJ, and partly for Doyle or anyone who seemed suspicious, anyone who could be a threat.
Then she saw him, sitting at a table near an exit. There was Hotch, who looked older, yet still the same. His hair was starting to go grey. She couldn't believe he was standing just a few hundred feet away. He was sitting alone, and Emily wondered where JJ was.
Emily glanced down at Gabrielle. Her eyes were wide, not with only fear or only excitement, but a bit of both. She squeezed her daughter's hand in reassurance. Gabrielle looked up at Emily.
"This is it, huh?"
"This is it," Emily confirmed.
They reached the table, after what felt like the longest walk in Emily's life. Hotch was standing now, smiling happily.
Emily let go of Gabrielle's hand, who then grabbed onto her mother's shirt instead. Emily went to Hotch, and almost fell into his open arms. She was crying, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't try to stop the tears.
"I missed you so much, Aaron" she whispered into his shirt her face was buried in. She was gripping the fabric in her hands, hanging on tightly as if she were afraid he would suddenly be taken away from her.
"I missed you, Em. More than you'll ever know," he said, his arms wrapped tightly around the woman in his arms. He rubbed a hand up and down her back, reminding her that he wasn't going anywhere.
"I haven't been called that in years," she said, the once common nickname making her stomach flutter in excitement.
"You have an accent now," he noted quietly. She laughed softly.
"It's become second nature," she said. "I'm sure it will wear off the longer I spend with you,"
"And your hair," he commented, touching the ends that were now well down the middle of her back as he continued to hold her. "It's so long since the last time I saw you, and you've grown your bangs out,"
She smiled again. "It seems I haven't had much time to get it cut lately,"
"Don't cut it," he said, kissing the top of her head lightly. "It's beautiful, you're beautiful. God, Em. I love you so much," he said. Though she couldn't see his face, she knew there were tears in his eyes.
They continued to stand like that for a little longer, neither of them wanting to break the embrace. Emily was the one to pull away first, finally looking him in the eyes. She smiled, tilting her head to the side as she reached up to wipe away the tears that had fallen down his cheeks. Before saying another word, their lips met in one of the most passionate kisses either of them had ever experienced. The kind that only came to an end to take time to breathe. They broke apart, remembering they still weren't safe.
"There's somebody you need to meet," she said, referring to Gabrielle who was standing behind Emily, still clinging to the tail of her mother's shirt. Emily took Gabrielle's hand in hers as the former let go of the fabric she had been so desperately grasping, and gently pulled the girl in front of her. Gabrielle was looking down at her feet, biting her bottom lip intensely, a habit she no doubt got from Emily.
Hotch sat in the chair he had been sitting in previously, and pulled it up closer to Gabrielle. He was now just about eye level with her, as he slouched a little in the seat. He smiled. She was absolutely beautiful. He couldn't believe how much she looked like Emily. She looked nervous, wearing the same look her mother often wore when she felt the same. Hotch didn't want to scare her, so he looked up at Emily, who simply nodded, understanding Hotch's feelings though neither of them spoke a word. He watched as Emily crouched down, so that all three of them were on the same level. She wrapped an arm around Gabrielle, giving the girl a reassuring squeeze.
"Gabby," she said softly, feeling more tears brim in her deep brown eyes. "This is your Dad,"
Gabrielle finally looked up, and looked from Emily to Hotch and back again. She stepped out of Emily's embrace and sat herself in Hotch's lap, throwing her arms around his neck.
She pulled away and said as seriously as she could: "Mama's right, you know. I do look like you!" she said happily.
"I think you look just like your Mama," Hotch told her, brushing her dark hair behind her ears.
"I waited so long to meet you," Gabrielle said.
"And I've been waiting to meet you, Gabby," Hotch said. He already loved this little girl.
"What should I call you?" Gabby asked him.
"You can call me whatever you feel comfortable calling me, sweetie." He informed her. He, of course, hoped that someday she would feel comfortable enough around him to call him "dad" or some form of the word at least.
"Mama says your name is Aaron, and that before, people called you Hotch,"
"Yes, that's right," he confirmed.
"But… am I allowed to call you Daddy?" she hesitated, her voice barely audible.
Hotch smiled, and hugged Gabrielle, kissing the top of her head. "I'd really like that, only if it's okay with you, of course,"
"I wanted to meet you for my whole life!" Gabrielle said again. "But when I asked about you, Mama always changed the subject. I never understood why, but now I do. There's a bad man after her. She said you would keep us safe though. That's true, right? You won't let him hurt her, will you?" She asked, her forehead creasing with worry.
"I'm going to keep you both safe," Hotch said.
"Okay," Gabrielle smiled.
Emily sat in awe of the scene before her. Never had she seen Gabrielle take to someone so quickly. She had always been a shy child for as far back as Emily could remember. It took her time to warm up to new people, but she had just completely opened herself up to Hotch. Emily knew that would happen in time, but she's never expected to see it happen almost instantly. Despite the worry she still felt, she felt her heart warming.
"Emily, she's absolutely beautiful," Hotch said sincerely. He couldn't believe the little girl sitting in his lap was their daughter.
"She is," Emily agreed, standing up straight now, one hand on Hotch's shoulder and one hand on Gabrielle's, the three of them united as one family for the first time.
"Hey, where's JJ?" Emily asked.
"She and Jack are out in the car,"
"Oh…" Emily said.
"He's not… happy, about any of this. He's angry with me because I never told him you were still alive. So he's acting… well, like a typical teenager. I don't want you or Gabby to take anything personally, okay? Have you told her about Jack?" Hotch asked her.
"Briefly," Emily informed him.
"I hate to interrupt, but we should really get you guys back to Aaron's house," Anthony said suddenly.
"Okay," Emily agreed. "We can talk more there," she said as Hotch stood, picking Gabrielle up as he did so, making her laugh.
"Nobody's picked me up in forever! Mama says I'm getting too big for that now," Gabrielle said happily.
"I think we can make an exception now," Emily said, as the three of them and Anthony walked out to Hotch's car where JJ was sitting in the passenger's seat, and Jack in the back.
Upon seeing them, JJ smiled and waved frantically, opening the car door and running to Emily, nearly knocking her over as she hugged her.
"Emily!" she said happily. "Good God, it's so good to see you! Look at you! And your hair! God, do you age backwards or something? There's not way you're fif-"
"Hey!" Emily said, lightly smacking JJ's arm. "I just got back and you're already commenting on my age?"
The two of them laughed, and hugged again.
"It seriously is good to see you, Em," JJ said.
"It's good to see you too, Jayje," Emily replied. JJ looked exactly the same. Her hair a bit shorter than Emily had remembered, but still just as blonde as it had always been. "I wish the circumstances were a bit different,"
"I know," JJ agreed.
"Well," Anthony said. "I'll be around, Aaron has my number. If there's anything at all I can do to help, call, okay? Good luck," he said. They all expressed their thanks to him, and he left them alone.
"Let's get back to my place. JJ, do you care to drive us home? I'll sit in the back with the moody teen and Gabby," he offered, afraid of Jack attitude making the car ride home more tense than it needed to be.
"Okay, that's fine. Em, looks like you're in front with me,"
Everyone took their places in the car: JJ at the wheel, Emily next to her, Jack near the window behind Emily, Hotch in the middle seat, and Gabrielle next to the other window. Jack glared out the window, not speaking to or acknowledging anyone the entire way home. Emily and JJ were talking too fast for anyone else to get a word in edgewise, anyway. It was as if they were trying to fit ten years worth of conversation into the short drive back to Hotch's house.
Finally, they arrived at their destination. Jack nearly jumped out of the car before JJ had even turned the key all the way.
"Jack, wait," Hotch said, also getting out of the car. "Let me go in first, make sure no one else is in there,"
Jack huffed and rolled his eyes and spoke for the first time. "Really, Dad? Is that how it's going to be from now on? You're gonna go all FBI on me and "clear" the house every time I want to set foot in it?"
"Jack, please," Hotch begged. "Just wait here… and be nice!" he ordered as he went into the house alone, checking for any unwanted guests.
By now, the other three had climbed out of the car. Emily looked at JJ after Jack's miniature outburst, and Gabrielle grabbed onto Emily's hand. As they waited for Hotch to return, Emily couldn't help but stare at Jack. The last time she'd seen him, he'd just turned seven. He had lost one of his two front teeth, and she remembered how excited he had been about it. She remembered all the times he'd drawn her pictures that she'd stuck on her refrigerator back in her apartment. She recalled all the times they had spent together, all the night he had requested she come tuck him in. Now to look at him and see him so bitter and angry, Emily felt out of place. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, as she sifted her weight from one foot to the other, wishing Hotch would hurry back and allow them inside.
She noticed Jack glaring back at her, and quickly Emily put her focus on something else. He Didn't say a word to her, but she could feel him still glaring at her.
"Okay," she heard Hotch call from the door. "There's nobody here. Everything's fine," he confirmed. Jack nearly ran up the steps and into the house, as if he couldn't get away quickly enough. Emily took a breath and led Gabrielle inside as well, with JJ right behind them.
"This is your house?" Gabrielle asked as they went in.
"It's yours now too," Hotch reminded her.
"Wow," Gabrielle said excitedly. "It's so much bigger than our apartment in Paris!"
Emily laughed. "Much bigger,"
"Would you like to watch something on TV while your mother and I talk?" Hotch suggested. They had many things to discuss, and he knew neither he nor Emily wanted the girl to hear most of it.
Gabrielle looked hesitant at first, as if she didn't like the idea of being out of her parent's sight.
"I'll watch it with you," JJ volunteered.
"Okay," Gabrielle finally agreed.
Thank you. Hotch mouthed to JJ, who nodded in response as she led Gabrielle over to the couch, setting out the DVD's she felt might be appropriate for the girl to watch.
Hotch and Emily went into the kitchen, sitting down at the counter where Hotch fixed them both something to drink.
"Thank you," Emily said.
"Don't worry about it," he replied. "God, I still can't believe you're here, I my kitchen. Our daughter is in the other room watching TV. I just- I never thought I would see you again, Emily. I thought about you everyday… I visited your- your grave. You must think I'm crazy…" he trailed off.
"No, no, not at all!" Emily told him honestly. "I think that's sweet, actually. I thought about you all the time. Every single time Gabby had a "first" for something, I asked myself how I was going to raise her all by myself. When she took her first steps, I realized I would have to chase her around the apartment all alone. When her first word was "Mama," I realized I couldn't teach her the word "Daddy." When she started to school, when she learned to ride a bike, when she started piano… I wanted you there. For all of it. I'm so sorry you had to miss so much," she said, biting her lip, not allowing herself to get emotional, even though all she wanted to do was cry and have him hold her in his strong arms.
"Don't apologize. None of this is your fault,"
"I feel like it is," she said, putting her head in her hands. "I feel like maybe I could have done more… I should have gotten rid of Doyle when I had the chance, but I didn't. I fought him, and then he got away. I let you down, I let myself down, I let Gabby down, I let everyone down Hotch," she said, finally allowing herself to break down and release all the emotions she had kept inside for ten years.
"Em," Hotch said soothingly, running a hand up and down her back as she cried into his shoulder. "Please don't feel like that. You did what any of us would have done. Nobody blames you, Em. We're going to get him this time. He won't win," he promised her.
"But what about Jack, Aaron? He hates me. I could tell by the way he looked at me. He must think I'm a monster,"
"No, not at all. He's mad at me. He's mad at the situation. He worshipped the ground you walked on when he was a kid. He'll always remember all the things you did for him, he just needs time to process what's going on,"
Emily sighed, and pulled herself away from Hotch's arms. "You're right… sorry. Just a bit emotional is all,"
"Understandable," he said, as he handed her a paper towel to use in place of a tissue.
"Thanks," she said using the paper towel to dab at her eyes. "What are we going to do? How are we going to find him and keep everyone safe?" she asked, ready to get down to business and end this mess before it got ugly.
"Morgan's running his own team in Chicago. Everybody else has kind of also moved away, except Garcia and Kevin. If you want, I can call Morgan up, see if he can get his team on the case. I can get everyone else here too, for support if you wanted. If Morgan's team will work the case, that leaves us here to keep Gabby and Jack safe,"
"Do you think Morgan would even consider that? He thinks he was the last person to see me alive, right?"
"Well, yes…" Hotch said, remembering the looks of hurt and confusion that appeared to be permanently planted on Morgan's face surrounding Emily's "death."
"He'll hate me. He won't do it,"
"Emily, please stop thinking everyone hates you. Nobody hates you. We all love you. Yes, love, present tense. Nobody ever stopped,"
Emily sighed, biting her bottom lip again as she picked at her nails. "Okay… call him up and see. If you tell him, though, you'll have to tell everyone else. Are they okay?" she asked randomly, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"They've all learned to cope," Hotch told her, not willing to admit that none of them had taken her death well. None of them could walk past her desk after the fact without tearing up. They all found themselves just staring at her picture on the wall of other fallen agents killed in the line of duty. Morgan had been stuck in the anger stage of grieving for what felt like ages. Reid seemed to remain confused and lost, resembling a homeless puppy at times. Garcia never seemed to her all of her peppy zest back, and even Rossi had has his fair share of extended sadness. He wouldn't tell Emily this, it would break her heart.
"You can call him first thing tomorrow. Is it too selfish of me to just want the night for ourselves? Like… like a family?" she asked him.
He took her hand in his, and squeezed it lightly. "It's not selfish, Em. You've never been selfish; not since the day we've met. You'd do anything to keep the ones you love safe, and that's what you've done. If you want tonight to be worry-free, then that's what we'll do," he told her.
"I love you," she said for the first time since their last encounter.
"And I love you," he said back, leaning in to kiss her again. He felt like he could kiss her constantly for the rest of his life, but even that would never make up for all the lost time.
Once they broke apart, Hotch noticed the look on Emily's face. She was thinking about something, something that was worrying her, but she wouldn't admit. He knew the look well.
"What is it?" he asked her.
She shook her head.
"Em, it's me. I see through that. Come on, what is it?" he coaxed.
"It's just… I'm terrified," she whispered. "For Gabby. You know Doyle. She is going to be his target, not me. I took Declan from him, so he's going to try to get her from me. What if- what if he takes her? I can't fathom anything happening to her, Aaron. She told me on the way here that she wasn't worried for her, but for me. She has no idea, no clue at all that she's in more danger than any of us. I don't want her to know," Emily said, her voice still a whisper to avoid Gabrielle overhearing.
"Oh Em," Hotch said, taking her into his open arms. "We'll keep her safe. What if we take shifts at night? One of us sleeping, the other watching out for Doyle possibly coming here? It's not the best system, but it'll work until we can get Morgan's team here.. Or any team here to help us," Hotch suggested.
"That makes me feel a little better," Emily admitted. "I don't even want to let her out of my sight, let alone out of this house. What if he's watching us… what if he just takes her away? We've both seen it happen countless times! You can be as careful as you want, but it only takes a split second of distraction and bam! She could be gone,"
"Emily, calm down," Hotch said firmly yet calmly. "We're going to keep her safe. We're going to keep you safe. We're going to find him, and this will all be over," he told her, planting a kiss in her dark hair as she cried quietly into his shirt.
"I trust you," she said, her voice barely audible. She meant it. She did trust him to keep them both safe, but that just didn't seem to be enough to shake the uneasy feeling she felt in her stomach as she sat and cried as Hotch held onto her.
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"Ian! They've landed," Paul Connolly said into his phone minutes after he saw Emily and Gabrielle get into Hotch's car. "They're on their way somewhere, probably to the man's house," Paul said referring to Hotch.
"Good," Ian said into his phone. He was on his way into DC, but he'd been unable to get a direct flight from Paris, so he was stuck somewhere in between. He didn't know, he didn't care to know. All he knew was the flight number he was supposed to board next, and that he was going to end Emily Prentiss' life, for real this time. He was more determined than he'd ever been in his entire life.
"When will you land?" Paul asked.
"Few hours. Won't be long now, keep your eye on them," Ian commanded. "Let me know if anything changes, what they're doing for safety precautions… everything. When I land I'll come right to your hotel room. Then we make our plan, deal?" Ian asked.
"Deal," Paul confirmed.
Ian hung up his phone, sitting back into his seat at the airport lobby of wherever he was. He closed his eyes, wishing things were different. He wished he had been able to see through the lie that was Lauren Reynolds. He had truly fallen in love with her, and he had honestly thought she'd felt the same about him. He wanted to hate Emily. He wanted to despise her, to have the guts to just walk up to her, kill her, and walk away. But he didn't, he couldn't. His mind kept drifting back to the times when he thought her name was Lauren. He wished he would've listened to his old friend Liam when he'd told him that Lauren was too good to me true.
He was right. She was too good to be true. In fact, she'd never even truly existed at all.
Ian jumped when he heard the announcement for his flight to board. Opening his eyes, he gathered what few belongings he brought with him, rushing to get to the plane. He pushed people, ignoring their entire existence as he sat in his seat, tapping his foot wildly. He wanted to get to DC and end this whole thing before he changed his mind, before he let himself fall back in love with Lauren Reynolds; the woman who never was.