A/N: Okay so maybe my eyesight troubles were the precursors to the migraine that slammed into me on Friday. Ouch is the greatest understatement of the century. Then I had a crazy-busy weekend and on Monday, I got given a task that took up the entire day. Then Tuesday the same thing happened (all I can say now is papercuts in abundance). Yesterday was taken up writing this chapter. So many apologies for making you wait so long for the long-awaited connection between Emily and Alex. This chapter will answer that question and the one that I raised last chapter about Carrie and Mirkal.

Thanks to everyone who is still with me on this crazy ride and continues to encourage me chapter in and chapter out. The warm fuzzies you all wrote really got me through a tough five days. Kisses to HGRHfan35, Hazmatt, miaa29, HPforever-after, Wtiger5 and Jamnut for reviewing the last chapter. Also, thanks to the beautiful x-MJ-x for her gorgeous review of The Heart of a Man, which is still one of my favourite pieces to date.

And now without further ado, on with the chapter.

Rated M for violence, torture themes, drug use, coarse language and sex scenes. (yes, this is going to have a little bit of everything)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben.

Arabian Nights – Chapter 13

"Alex?"

"Hello Emily. So this is the guy you left me for."

Emily sighed and pushed away from Aaron's arms as he stiffened slightly, whether from the implication behind Alex's words or because of the seemingly random attack she didn't know. And considering how tired she suddenly felt, she wasn't sure she really cared either.

"Alex, please don't do this now. Please. I get released tomorrow and if you like you can yell at me to your heart's content and we can have a great big argument about it then; just not now with everyone listening."

"I see. So it's alright for you to do it in front of people, but not for me to do the same? Do I have that right?" When she nodded cautiously, he nodded as well. "That's a tad hypocritical of you don't you think Em?"

She closed her eyes as it sunk home that he was really going to do this, here and now, with everyone looking on. With Aaron looking on. The one person she had neglected to share this information with who actually needed to know.

She turned her back on Alex and looked up at Aaron. He looked confused and more than a little hostile but as his gaze came to rest on her, that hostility melted away and the love she was so used to seeing returned, tempered by his obvious worry for her wellbeing.

Oh good; he's not mad at me. Yet.

"Aaron, I'm sorry I never told you any of this. And that you are about to find out in the worst possible way. I'm sorrier than I may ever be able to put into words but if you can just bear with me, I promise I will tell you everything later in private."

"Oh that's rich. You married the man but didn't tell him everything? Seriously Em; first a hypocrite and now a liar. How times have changed."

"Hey," Aaron said angrily as Emily turned back to the angry man behind her who looked like he actually wanted to do her physical harm, though she knew he wouldn't. But as her 'family' bristled and growled around her as they went on the alert, she knew they didn't know that and it wouldn't take much to set everyone off.

"I never lied to Aaron; I simply didn't get around to telling him."

As Alex flinched in front of her, she closed her eyes and wished she could take back her words. She'd just as good as indicated their relationship hadn't been as important to her as it had been to him. And though she was sure he'd already figured it out for himself seeing as how she'd left, actually saying it in front of people he had to work with was the worst thing she could have done to cement that fact in his mind.

As an ugly look came across his face, she knew she was about to be cut just as deeply. "Well then Emily, why don't you go ahead and tell him now. In fact, why don't you announce it to the room while you're at it. After all, my guys know all about it and you, so you should share it with Cassie and Clare so they know what not to be like."

It was her turn to flinch, which caused several more growls from around the room.

Sampson stepped into the room from where he'd been lounging in the doorway. "Alex, maybe we should save this until you've calmed down a bit. None of this is healthy and we've discussed this before, that you shouldn't bring this up while tempers are high."

Emily shot Sampson a grateful look for his help but waved him back. The look on Alex's face said he wasn't going to let this go until the whole sorry story was out. She steeled herself for the rejection that was probably going to come from her team and waited.

"Don't worry Sampson; my temper is nice and cool." He looked at her with contempt and gestured between her and the man at her back. "Go on, or should I tell him for you?"

"Alex, please don't…"

"Okay then, looks like you get to hear it from me. We were together for three years, we fell in love and we were happy together." She started to shake her head with a warning look on her face, a last ditch effort to get him to stop though she knew it was pointless as he raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Did I get something wrong? Oh no, that's right; I left off the ending. But you keep shaking your head. Don't you want him to know the rest.

"Do you know, my family hounded me after you left until I finally caved in and told them why you left. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to tell the people closest to you that your woman left you because you weren't man enough for her?"

"I never said that," she denied fiercely as her hands bawled up into fists.

"But you did imply it when you left."

"You could have called me and I would have spoken to them; set them straight."

"Calledyou? You're kidding right? I could barely stand to hear your name mentioned and you're telling me now I should have called you?"

When she flinched again, she heard Aaron mutter something under his breath and the next thing she knew, he'd picked her up and was carrying her away from Alex and his hostility.

"Hey I'm not done yet!"

Aaron turned with her in his arms but kept walking backwards. "If you are going to continue to abuse my wife, who has just been through a severe trauma, then yes; you are done."

He started to turn back around with a soft apology to a nurse he almost ran into when Alex shouted, "And am I still done if I tell you she left me at the altar?"

New Section

Alex strode angrily out of view after shouting that last bit so loud everyone on the ward would have heard it and after muttering something under his breath about obstinate bosses who should know better, Sampson jogged off after the other three leaving behind a stunned silence.

"Did anyone know Emily was engaged to someone before Hotch?"

The men from the California team lifted their hands and Derek made to wave that away as insignificant when Penelope slowly raised her hand. He frowned at her.

"How'd you find out baby girl and why didn't you tell us? You told us everything else about her."

She shrugged. "It was in the personal section of her paperwork when she first came over here; the section that doesn't actually reach the boss that is. I found it by accident when I was putting the paperwork away and since she hadn't mentioned it and wasn't married at the time, I took it to her first and she asked me to keep it quiet. I figured it wasn't hurting anyone and it also wasn't really our business since I got the impression that it might be pretty painful for her so I filed it away, kept my mouth shut, and then completely forgot about it until just now."

"So what happened exactly?" JJ asked softly.

"For those of you I haven't met yet, I'm Mirkal Renhwah from the California team. Hello. Umm, okay; huge long story short.

"In the lead-up to the actual wedding day, Emily had expressed a couple of doubts about the two of them being happy in the long term together. He did his usual and told her it would all be fine without actually taking the time to listen to her and try to work it through with her. Now, not to badmouth the boss cause he has many wonderful qualities, but when he sets his sights on something as specific as marrying Emily Prentiss, he's pretty deaf, dumb and blind to anything that might change the expected outcome."

"So Emily wasn't sure about marrying him but he was going to force her to do that anyway?" Austin asked slowly, a frown on her brow. She wasn't the only one frowning.

"That's kind of low Mirkal. How come no one mentioned it to us before?" Clare asked.

He shrugged. "It was the boss's private business and it happened a good six months before both you and Cassie joined the team. We figured he'd tell you what was what when he was ready."

"Makes sense I guess," Cassie muttered, though she didn't look happy with what she was hearing.

"Anyway," Mirkal pressed on as he noticed everyone was now frowning, "They got all the way to the altar, though you could tell she wasn't that happy with what was going on, and then when the priest asked if anyone objected to the union, she was the only one who spoke up."

"How many guests were present?" Dave asked quietly.

"About 500, plus the choir so maybe 600 in total. She said she objected and she was sorry and she left. We didn't see her for another three weeks because that was how long she had off for the honeymoon and when we did see her, it was only long enough for her to say goodbye to us all. She said she'd been offered a transfer to DC, she'd decided to take it and was leaving that evening. That was the last time any of us saw or heard from her before just now."

"So how long did she work with all of you?"

"Maybe six years, I think. She was only with the state department for two years before she transferred away from them. She said when she first arrived that it was a delight to finally be in the position she'd wanted all along. But in the end, she couldn't seem to leave us fast enough and the haunted look she'd arrived with that had left over the intervening years was back in force on her face."

"So can your boss work effectively to catch the guys who did this to us? Because Emily is the only one of us who could actually understand what they were saying. They didn't speak to us much in English."

"Good point Jordan," JJ murmured.

"That's really interesting. And unfortunately the answer to your question depends on how well the rest of the conversation goes," Mirkal said with a shrug. "But if Sampson assesses Alex's overall condition and says he isn't fit for the rest of this case, Phil will step in and take it over."

Phil stepped away from the wall and introduced himself. This started the rest of his team into realising that they hadn't introduced themselves either so the next few minutes were spent doing that.

Finally Phil sighed. "Considering how touchy a subject this has been for the boss, let's treat it like we have to get along without him. How about we split you all up and we can get your statements. Don't worry so much about not being able to tell us all of what they were saying; just tell us what you know."

"I'm not doing this without Spencer. Not tonight."

Phil smiled at Austin gently. "Considering how pale you look right now, I'm thinking it would be better if you were returned to your room so you could get some rest. You can argue with the nurses over your husband staying with you and one of us will interview you tomorrow."

Austin tucked her head into the crook of Reid's neck and closed her eyes just as a nurse walked into the room. She moved directly over to the young woman and frowned at her with her hands on her hips. Seconds later, Austin let out a slight snort before she started to snore softly. Giggles escaped most of the girls before they smothered them and everyone else, including the nurse, was fighting not to grin. She disappeared long enough to grab a friend and then they wheeled both Austin and Reid out of the room with Austin snoring along happily.

"Why is there never a camera around when it is absolutely crucial to preserve the moment as proof for blackmail purposes later?" Penelope demanded, causing everyone to laugh before Phil split everyone up for interviews.

Carrie had been left with two wide-eyed and scared little boys clinging to her and two hungry baby girls needing to be fed. When Mirkal told her that he would be interviewing her but was happy to help feed the girls first, she softly agreed and followed him to the waiting room at the other end of the ward. It was thankfully empty and after speaking with a nurse, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him for privacy.

She had already settled the boys onto one the couches and watched as they almost immediately fell asleep as they snuggled in to each other for comfort. Smothering a smile, she agreed with Penelope that there was never a camera around when you needed it.

She pulled a couple of bottles of formula from the baby bag that had been left in the room and settled into a corner of the other couch with Chloe in her arms. Mirkal looked hesitant as he moved to pick up India but once he was similarly settled with the baby in his arms looking up at him with solemn eyes, he settled into the ease of the task.

She watched him settle India closer to his heart and felt a strange melting sensation she had previously only really felt once before she was married and then afterwards only where Toby, and now sometimes Jack, was involved. She continued to watch until he lifted his head and caught her gaze with his. For long minutes, neither moved or spoke, completely content to just look at the other. But then the moment was broken as Chloe finished her feed a few seconds before her sister. Then they were both busy with burping the girls, before she pulled out the change mat, changed both girls into fresh diapers and clean jumpsuits and then they were tucked back into their carrier where they too fell fast asleep.

She settled back into the couch as the realisation occurred that she was now alone with him and for the first time since then she could get answers.

"You want to know why, don't you?"

She looked at him, startled at the thought that he might be reading her mind. "It would be nice…I figured the attraction was both ways but maybe…maybe I was wrong," she finished softly as she dropped her head to stare at her clasped hands suddenly nervous beyond words.

"You weren't wrong." Her head snapped up and he smiled dryly. "The force of how very interested in you I was almost overwhelmed me. But you were young and I didn't think it was wise to start something that neither of us could finish."

She frowned. "I was 17; not that young at all and it wasn't as if you were that much older. And if you'd turned up the next day like you were supposed to, I was going to tell you that I was coming back a few months later to spend the whole summer. I waited for almost the entire day before it dawned on me that you weren't coming back and I never got to tell you. When I returned I went looking for you but I couldn't find you and when I spoke with your boss, he said you'd already left to start working in the US. I was dismayed to hear you lived somewhere in California. I knew there was no way I would be able to track you down, so I had to give up."

He sighed softly. "I don't know if there are words enough to express my disappointment in my actions as I looked back on that day throughout the years. I was there at the park that last morning but I was hiding because I was afraid of my own feelings. When I saw you turn up, I almost changed my mind, particularly when I saw how pretty you looked. Instead I stayed in hiding and when you eventually walked away, I told myself I'd done the right thing and I did my best to move on."

She tipped her chin up as hurt threatened to overwhelm her. "And how did that work for you?"

He smiled wryly. "Well, I lost a whole heap of weight in the months that followed because nothing appealed to me food-wise. Girls lost all appeal because I kept comparing them to you and the only thing that seemed to work was throwing myself into learning my new job. There were two women over the years I was with; one of whom I was with for almost three months before I realised the futility of it what with how frequently I was still thinking of you and the other one was over before it began. Nothing for the last five years."

"Nothing at all?" she asked in shock, aware only distantly of how wide her eyes must be in that moment.

He shrugged. "Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was a mass of chocolate brown curls, stunning blue eyes and a pair of lips I could have quite happily spent the rest of my life locked with if only I hadn't been such a dumbass. It just didn't seem fair either to them or to me to pretend that I felt something when my heart had been stolen a long time ago."

"And now? My life is a country away from you."

"I can't convince you to leave it?"

She looked down at her hands and said softly, "It's too close to some of the worst memories of my life." She saw the curiosity on his face as she lifted her head and after a hesitation, she explained, "I have an abusive relationship in my past."

He nodded his head to the boys on the couch. "Your son's father?"

"Yes. I ran away with Toby and got a job as a nanny for the Hotchner's and I figured we'd both be safe. But he followed us, nearly killed me and badly hurt Toby."

"Is he dead?" Mirkal asked fiercely.

She started at the look on his face and thought about moving away from him, but something was telling her his anger wasn't aimed at her at all.

"No. He's serving a life sentence after nearly killing a few of my friends as well, particularly since one of them is with the FBI. And because he was a cop and with the abusive history, he isn't liable for parole til he's almost 80. It's horrible, I know, but I'm kinda hoping someone kills him in jail first."

"I don't think it's horrible at all; it's only natural after all he's put you through. Are you still married to him?"

"No. Hotch used to be a prosecutor and so he hooked me up with one of his lawyer-friends who helped me get a divorce even though he wasn't willing. I've been a free woman for almost three months now."

He nodded slowly and said cautiously, "So if I was thinking of asking you out with the eventual intention of relocating from California in order to be closer to you and if I got down on my knees and grovelled for forgiveness over my atrocious behaviour 10 years ago, what would your reaction be?"

She studied him for a moment before moving a little closer to him on the couch. "Is this a hypothetical question?"

He moved closer as well as he shook his head slowly.

His very, very brown eyes always had been so easy to fall into. "Then maybe we should see if the attraction is still there or if this is all smoke and mirrors."

His eyes went wide for a few too-long seconds before he nodded. "You are so right about that."

For another second no one moved and later, neither would be able to figure out who did move first. Both decided, that for the sake of not arguing, they would both have moved at the same time and that was that.

Either way though, they both ended up right where they wanted to be. She shifted to straddle his lap as his hands tunnelled into her hair and they stared at each other from only inches away as they waited. With a suddenness that caused them both to gasp softly, the old connection snapped back into place and with eager little noises, their lips locked for the first time in ten years and the world around them faded away.

End-

A/N: Okay, so this totally wasn't going to be this long, but I just looked at it and decided I couldn't cut it in half if I tried and still have a chapter of a decent length. So here it is. Hope it answers several of your questions adequately.

Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker.