Unforgettable Nights, Unforgivable Mistakes

Chapter 6: Mothered

A few minutes later, Emily picked up the stick she had placed on the table, ready to prove to Clyde that he was wrong and smiled at the fact she had won the bet they had made.(They had bet a thousand euros that she wasn't pregnant...that was how he had been able to convince her to take the pregnancy test in the first place.)

Emily's was stunned, and her mouth dropped open as she watched the two pink lines on the stick flashing back at her! "Oh my God!" She gasped in shock!

"Congratulations, darling...or, should I say 'mommy'?" Clyde teased.

Emily, however, was still stunned and couldn't utter a word. She simply couldn't believe she was pregnant. This was not possible, well, it was possible because she was pregnant, but how had it happened? She had so much trouble in her past conceiving when she had wanted a baby so badly, and now when she least expected it, she was pregnant...she simply couldn't believe it!

"How did this happen?" Her voice barely audible from the shock.

"Um...you know when a man and a woman...do the horizontal mambo...a man usually puts his..." Clyde could barely stop himself from laughing at her.

"Cut the shit, Clyde...that is not what I meant and you know it" Emily snarled.

"And the pregnancy hormones are already kicking in." He bit back.

"I can't be pregnant." Emily said quietly.

"Well, it's a little late for that, darling." He said, sitting down next to her.

She just shook her head, still trembling.

"Em...talk to me...what's the matter?" Clyde asked, concerned at the brunette's reaction.

He squeezed her hand gently making her look at him.

"I thought this was what you always wanted...a baby." He said, looking at her intensely.

"It was...it is...I...just...I wasn't expecting this right now..." She said, looking down, trying to hold back the tears.

"Why not, Em? You and Max are perfect for each other, you always were...you were almost married...a baby is just going to make your fairy tale finally come true." Clyde offered, smiling at her.

Emily nodded in agreement, smiling at him, but not yet making it all the way to her eyes.

It was true she had wanted a baby for many, many years...it was one of her biggest dreams, to be a mother and to have a family of her own. She had wanted that with Max more than anything in her life a few years ago, but right now, she wasn't sure if she wanted this anymore. Max was still a great guy, the perfect man that had made her fall in love with him all those years ago, but she just wasn't sure anymore. She still wanted the baby more than anything in life, in fact, a part of her was ecstatic, but there was another part of her that was scared and worried...worried about the "what if''s"?

"Max is going to be so happy when he finds out he's going to be a daddy." Clyde said, pulling Emily in for a hug.

She couldn't stop her heart from beating very fast. Max's baby. It had to be Max, it simply had to be. She had been with him for the last two months, and they had been actively intimate, and they never used protection, since she knew she would never get pregnant, and she trusted Max enough to know he was clean. Maybe that had been somewhat irresponsible, but she knew him well enough to know he would never put her at risk for anything. Max was the father, it only made sense that way; there was only a small possibility to the what if , but she truly didn't want to think about that, and she knew the possibilities of that option were even lower. Why torture herself with something less possible, maybe it was selfish and maybe it was wrong, but right now for her own sanity and well-being, she needed to think this way. She and Max were going to have a baby...a real baby.

"Yes, he will." She finally smiled widely...a real smile.

"Oh my, Clyde, I'm having a baby." And, Emily couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face.

"A little Emily." Clyde said, still holding her close to him.

"Or a boy." She said, still unable to process the news.

"Congratulations, Love." Clyde said, pressing a kiss to Emily's forehead.

"Thank you, Clyde, thank you for always being there for me." She said, hugging her friend again.

It was truly great to have Clyde by her side during the most important moments of her life. She was having a baby...something she had always dreamed of...she could worry about everything else later. Right now, she wanted to enjoy her little moment.

Washington D.C.

Aaron Hotchner walked into his apartment a little after ten o'clock. He and the team had just returned from a very long case in Alabama...one of the longest cases they had ever worked, where seven women had been murdered. They had been targeted outside of where they worked, and the unsub had kept them kidnapped for almost a week. After a week, he killed them and placed their bodies near the river. While he had them, he sexually assaulted them, physically abused them, leaving them with several lacerations and when he was finished with them, he marked their bodies in their own blood with a symbol of the meaning of his name. The team had been in Alabama for almost two weeks because the unsub didn't leave any other leads or any other traces. He didn't have a partner, or an MO...he simply kidnapped these women outside their workplace at different hours and different places. Their bodies were also placed at different locations on the river on different days. Nothing was consistent and had no pattern, so it took them a lot longer than they had expected to solve the case. But, after two very long weeks, they finally caught the perpetrator putting him behind bars, and although a lot of lives had been lost, they had finally gotten him, and he would never get out of prison, if he didn't get the death penalty.

So, when Hotch walked into his apartment, he had no energy for anything, he just wanted to have a few drinks and forget that the entire world even existed. He placed his go bag by his desk and loosened his tie, walking to the mini bar and pouring himself a glass of scotch hoping he could wash the two weeks away. He wasn't sure why this case had affected him so much, he had done this for a long time, and he had seen it all, so what was it about this case that got to him. Sure, it had taken a lot more time than they had expected, and he was absolutely sure Strauss was going to have his ass, but that wasn't anything new, so, why was he upset. He took off his coat and hung it on the back of the chair then he poured more scotch into his glass and sat down on the couch rubbing his eyes tiredly. It felt like an eternity since he had last closed his eyes and got some sleep; he had been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and he wasn't even sure why. He finished his drink and stood up walking to the mini bar to pour another drink. He didn't have to drive anywhere, and he was off for the next couple of days, so he would surely relax with his latest best friend Johnny Walker Black Label. He poured another drink and walked into his room...if it was going to be one of those nights he'd better change into comfortable clothes. His whole body was in pain, and he couldn't move his neck without the stiffness that had been bugging him all week; he took off his tie completely and slowly removed his shirt and placed it at the edge of his bed holding the black and gold cufflinks in his hand. He went to his dresser and opened the top drawer placing the cufflinks in the silver box that contained his collection of cufflinks...he was about to close the drawer when another item caught his attention.

He picked up the red silk bag and opened it, softly taking out the gold locket, Emily's locket; he had forgotten about it completely. He opened the locket again smiling at the younger version of Emily Prentiss. Then it hit him...why this case had affected him so much...all those women from the case, the women that had died at the hands of a pig, they had all had something in common, they were all brunette, beautiful, highly successful and intelligent women, they all reminded him of Emily. His smile vanished when he thought of her again; he had avoided thinking about her for a reason, it pained him too much to think about her, to remember her at all. He placed the locket back in the small bag and closed the drawer again. He then reached into his next drawer, his underwear drawer, he looked at the perfectly aligned and color arranged boxer briefs, then he picked up the only item that was foreign to his belongings. He picked up the lace thong and brought it to his nose, her thong, Emily Prentiss's underwear, the one she had worn the night they had been together, the night he had experienced one of the strongest orgasms of his life. He took in the smell of the fabric completely; he knew he officially looked like a sexual pervert, or a horny teenager, but he couldn't help himself, the fabric still smelled like her...it still smelled like them, like passion and desire. He closed his eyes as the pictures of that night slowly flew through his mind, scenes of him making love to her, of her moaning his name. Dammit Emily Prentiss, why in the hell couldn't he get her out of his head.

He truly had tried, he had spent the last two months buried in his office until sunrise, or taking one case after another...he knew he was overworking his team, but he couldn't stop himself. He needed to do whatever it took to get her out of his head, even if it meant spending each minute of his life working, which, of course, wasn't helping because work was what reminded him the most of her. Every now and then, he found himself staring at her empty desk...they still had not found a replacement for her, and he doubted they ever would, but he knew he needed to move on as painful as it would be, he just needed to let go of her and move on with his life. After all, she had done just that, she had moved on with her life and forgotten that he even existed, he admitted that night probably had meant nothing to her, and she was probably happily living her life in London, and he knew that for a fact; well, not for a fact, but he had heard the girls talking about her on a daily basis, Emily was happily settled down and loving her job and new life in London, she had gotten back with that stupid boyfriend of hers, and she was doing great. She talked to the girls as much as their jobs allow, she skyped with Morgan and Reid and even sent letters and emails to Dave, she kept communication with everyone, everyone but him, hell! she had even sent an email to Strauss thanking her for everything and letting her know she was finally settled and doing well.

She, however, not even once...had bothered to call him, text him, or email him, nothing, not even to say "hi" through one of the girls, it was as if he was dead to her, or he had never existed, and that bothered him so much; he had been horrible to her, and it was probably his own fault she hated him, but at least a greeting through someone as a courtesy would have been nice and the polite thing to do, but no...nothing. He needed to get her out of his mind no matter what, he had obviously fallen in love with the wrong woman, and he needed to get over her for his own good. He placed the lace fabric back in the drawer and closed it. He continued changing into a FBI academy t-shirt and sweat pants, and he went back into his living room and poured another drink. Yes, this would definitely be a Johnny Walker night, even if he drank himself to death, he would forget about her...

...no matter what!

London

Emily was pacing around the living room...she had been since Clyde had left a few hours ago. She thought she was fine now, and she had felt better, but as soon as Clyde left, she began to get nervous and anxious again. She and Clyde had spent all morning and part of the afternoon talking about the news, and even though she was happy, there was still something in the back of her mind that kept bothering her. She had wanted to avoid thinking about it, but she couldn't...it was like something that was starting to haunt her. Could she live with this for the rest of her life? What if this was what she was thinking? Could there be a possibility? She wasn't sure, but it sure bothered the hell out of her. She was trying to be strong, and she was usually better at dealing with situations like this. but right now she couldn't even concentrate. She was pregnant and she was much more emotional than usual and her mind was playing tricks on her big time. She kept trying to convince herself that she was just freaking out for no good reason, that she was just overreacting. She needed to convince herself that Max was the father of her baby, and she was going to finally have a happy life, the one she always dreamed of. She has to just move on and accept that he was no longer a part of her life...she was with someone else now and about to have a baby with that someone else. She simply needed to get Aaron Hotchner out of her head.

Her heart ached so much every time she thought about him, about that night they shared. She hated herself for so long, how could she had been so stupid to get drunk and let him take her to bed, when she knew for a fact that he hated her and thought the worst of her. He had never accepted her as part of the team, and he just wanted to play with her that night, and by now, probably all his friends knew about her, and they were probably laughing and making fun of her. Her eyes filled with tears just to think about him, how could she had been so stupid as to let him seduce her, how could she have been so stupid as to fall in love with him? He never accepted her, and he treated her like crap all the time she worked with him, so why in the hell was she still thinking about him, why couldn't she get him out of her head?

She knew she had to forget about him no matter what and move on with her life. She was pregnant now, and even if there was a slight possibility that maybe, just maybe, he was the father of her baby, she knew he would never accept her or accept the baby as his. So why torture herself with something that was highly unlikely and almost impossible. She was sure Max was the baby's father, and she had to just move on with her life. God had given her an opportunity to have a new life, a precious baby and a family, and she wasn't going to let the reminder of a ghost from her past destroy what could be her whole life's happiness. It was time to let go of her past and just focus on her present and her future. She smiled as she rubbed her still flat stomach, there was a baby in there...her baby.

A few hours later, Max walked into the apartment. He had been working all day, and he had left Emily with Clyde because he knew Clyde would take care of her because she had been a little sick. He was hoping she was feeling better so he could spend some quality time with her and pamper her. He knew she had been working a lot lately, and he was hoping that was why she had not felt well, but he was willing to do whatever it took tonight to make her feel better and make her smile. He was planning to make dinner for both of them and then give her a massage and maybe they could take a nice long bath together, then he could take his time taking care of her in bed.

He opened the door to her condo slowly, and he was surprised to find Emily in the living room sitting down on the sofa. She looked very tired and like she had been crying all day, and he immediately was worried about her.

"Hey, baby, are you alright? I was hoping you would feel better by now." Max said as he rushed to her side kneeling down in front of her by the couch.

"I'm okay, don't worry, we just need to talk, Max." Emily replied in a worried tone.

"What's going on? Is everything all right?" Asked Max in a very worried tone.

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them..."I'm pregnant." Emily cried, as a few tears rolled down her beautiful face.

"Oh my God, Emily! Are you for real?" Max's face lit up like he had just won the lottery.

Emily just nodded as he held her hands in his. She had so much to say but she wasn't sure how to start, she was happy, of course she was, this was something she had wanted her entire life before she had even met Max and before when she was with Max. There was a part of her that just wanted to bury that part of her past and never tell Max, but she knew it wasn't fair, and he deserved to know. Another part of her wanted to take this secret to her grave and just live her life to the fullest with Max. She was riding an emotional roller coaster...she was happy because she was going to be a mother, she was scared for the future and for the what if's, she was heartbroken and sad for what Aaron Hotchner had done to her, she was terrified for the idea this baby could possibly, maybe just be related to him. This was good news but very unexpected, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for this kind of commitment and more than that, if Max was ready. This was a very big change for both of them; their lives would forever be changed. Max pulled her into his arms, almost crying from the happiness this gave him.

"Oh, baby, this is the best news ever, you just made me the happiest man in the world." Max said, as he kissed her hands.

"You're happy with this?" Emily asked shyly.

"Of course I am, Em, I love you, I've always loved you. I've wanted this more than anything in life." Max's eyes were full of love and light.

"I want this, too, but we need to talk, honey." Emily said, but he cut her off.

"I know, Em, I know what you're going to say, this is so unexpected, but we wanted this in the past. I'm going to be there for you and for my baby always. I love you more than anything, Em." Max pleaded looking at her.

"I know you do, Max, but there is something I have to tell you." Emily once again tried to speak.

"Listen, Em,...I know you're worried and scared, but I promise you that everything is fine, we'll be fine."

Emily wanted to let the words out, but suddenly she couldn't, she was frozen and Max was so happy and excited he wasn't letting her get out what she wanted.

"Max...I..."

"Marry me..."

"What...!" Emily asked in shock.

"Marry me, darling, we're going to have a baby, it's just the right thing to do."

Emily felt dizzy and all of a sudden her whole world stopped spinning around and the next thing she knew Max was rushing to his briefcase and then returned and knelt down in front of her, this time with a small velvet box in his hand.

"Will you marry me, Emily?" He asked, opening the box and revealing the white gold engagement ring.