Moving On

Some months later they were all sat in a cafe meeting Beth. They'd just seen Aaron ran in the FBI triathlon and were pretty proud of him. Emily was surprised she didn't feel any jealousy or heartbreak considering when they started dating she'd felt so heartbroken. Didn't she love him anymore? Had she really moved on?

Suddenly her phone started ringing and when she saw the caller ID she couldn't stop smiling and her heart skipped a beat. Oh god, that's why? She didn't love Aaron anymore. She had moved onto Daniel. It only seemed right. After all he'd helped her through her pregnancy and adopted her son. He still even let her see him though he didn't have to. She knew he would do absolutely anything for her. She'd do anything for him.

"I love you," she shouted down the phone when she answered it.

He laughed and answered, "I love you too, Em." He asked how meeting Beth was going and filled her in on his and Adam's news. He'd always let her be part of Adam's life. After all this time he still thought of Adam as Emily's son as it should be if fate hadn't been so cruel. He missed when they'd lived together. It had been the best month of his life. They'd felt like a family.

What a fool she'd been! She'd been so determined to get her old life back and convinced she was in love with Aaron that she'd forgotten what a wonderful life she'd actually had in Appletreewick though she was hiding. Maybe she hadn't convinced herself she was but she'd wasted all this time being in love with Aaron when she could have stayed with Daniel and their son.

She loved her family here so much but she'd been happiest with Daniel and her little baby boy who was now one. She'd missed her own son's first birthday because she'd had him adopted. She was going to miss out on so much even if her friend had adopted him. They were in two different countries. There was an ocean between them all because she'd left.

She looked down at her glass as JJ asked, "So who was the mystery man?"

"Just a friend," she smiled sadly.

"He seemed more than a friend, wonder woman," Garcia smiled slyly at her.

"His name's Daniel," she smiled wistfully. "We've known each other since we were kids but he lives in England."

Hotch stroked her back and assured her everything would be alright. It was clear she loved this guy. Everything would sort itself out for the best. He knew she would never leave their lives.

She looked up at him guiltily. She didn't deserve this treatment from him. She'd denied his rights to his second son and he was still unaware they even had a son together. She didn't deserve his friendship. If he ever knew they had a child she'd had adopted it would kill him.