Halie looked up from her lap as she watched the brunette that saved her from her daddy coming towards her, a small smile on her face. She quickly moved her dark hair out of her eyes as Emily sat down beside her. "Hi honey."
"Hi Em'ly."
Emily bit her lip as she moved a wave out of the little girl's eyes. "So, I just got off the phone with your Aunt Bethany and she's so sorry that she can't come and pick you up."
Halie looked up to the older brunette and squinted. "So where do I gots to live? I don't know no one else."
Emily looked down to the young girl and felt her heart clench, her anger not at all simmering as she remembered Haile's aunt telling her how she didn't have the room, nor cared about the 'little brat' who ruined her brother's life. "Sweetie we're figuring this all out, and I'm so sorry you have to go through this. You don't deserve it."
"Yes I do."
The brunette's eyes immediately widened as she looked down to the young girl that had no apart emotion on her face. "What do you mean?"
Halie shrugged as she looked down to her lap, her feet swinging since they couldn't yet reach the ground. "My daddy and Aunt never really liked me. They tolded me that I was a problem and the 'B' word."
Emily looked down to the young girl with sorrow in her eyes. "Is it the bad 'B' word?"
Halie nodded.
Emily felt herself choke back tears as the young girl quickly wiped a salty trail off of her cheek. "Halie you know that's not true, don't you?" Silence. "Oh Halie, they were so wrong to tell you that. I know that deep down you don't believe them, and you shouldn't. You could never be considered a problem, sweetheart."
"How do you know?" Halie looked up to the older woman as her chin trembled, her bottom lip quivering. "You don't really knows me."
Emily knelt down before the young girl and took her face between her larger hands, kissing the young girl on her nose. "You look at me, Halie. I know that you are so special, and you're here on this Earth for a reason. And whatever reason, no matter how big or small, it will change the world in some way. I know that no one is put here for nothing, and no one here on this Earth is a problem. We may have our problems, but that doesn't define you. What defines you is what's inside. What's inside your perfect little heart and mind. That's what you should focus on, Halie. Not from what others think or say of you, but what you think of yourself."
Halie looked down to the woman before her and felt her fingers wipe a tear from her cheek. Her bottom lip trembled as she threw her arms around Emily's neck, snuggling into the crook of Emily's neck as the older woman's arms surrounded her torso.
…
Hotch watched as Emily carried a sleeping Halie into their hotel room, and his eyes widened as he saw her throw down her go-bag and a small suitcase with purple butterflies. "Emily…?"
Emily shook her head as she set her hand under Halie butt to level her weight. "Don't say it, Aaron. I know what you're going to say, and don't."
"You know you can't keep her."
Emily glared as she set the young girl down, her hands taking off the small shoes of the young girl. "I told you to not say that, Aaron. She hasn't let go of me since this morning and she needed to sleep somewhere."
Hotch sighed as he shook his head, looking at the young girl next to him on the bed. "Emily, they called an hour ago. They asked where you were."
Emily looked up from the young girl, her teeth sinking into her lip as she removed Halie's small sweater. "Well that's fine. I was working, and they know our job has long hours and heavy material. They'll understand when I call them back later."
"Emily they're your children."
"I know that Aaron!"
Hotch looked to his wife as he got off the bed, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Emily, I'm just saying that you need to talk to them soon. They miss you, and so do I."
Emily felt her throat clog and her eyes water as she looked to her husband. But she quickly shook her head, smiling down to the young girl before slowly shaking her shoulder. "Halie sweetie, you need to wake up. You need to put on some pj's on, ok?"
Hotch watched as his wife picked up the sleepy brunette girl and placed her on her hip before picking up the suitcase in her other hand and walking into the bathroom.
Five minutes later Emily walked back into the room and saw her husband in the bed closest to the window, his back turned to her. She sighed as she set Halie's bag back down by hers before tucking the young girl and herself in the spare bed, letting Halie snuggle into her chest before closing her brown eyes and letting her breath finally even out.
…
A/N - Sorry to the reviewer Abc for making you feel that I don't finish anything I start. Well that's a lie. I start new things that pop into my head, and finish them to my schedule…not yours.