Emily exited her car with tears in her eyes and her go-bag tight in her grasp. She quickly shook her head and glanced up to the sky as she made her way to the group that was gathered on the tarmac, just below the stairs of the jet. "Why isn't everyone on the jet?"
Hotch looked to his wife and realized she hadn't yet looked at him. She was staring at her feet, her voice thick. "We were waiting for you. Is everything alright?"
Emily's head immediately shot up, the curls from the ponytail bouncing, just like the small wave by her eye. "You have to be the dumbest man I know if you'd even think to ask that question."
JJ looked between the two and quickly patted Reid's arm. "Okay guys, lets get on the jet. Leave them alone for now." She looked to Hotch. "I'll tell the pilot to delay takeoff for another ten minutes."
Hotch watched as the team slowly walked onto the plane without them before he glanced at his wife, watching as she bit her lip and a tear fall down her cheek. He felt his heart ache as she looked up to him and gave a sob, her chin trembling uncontrollably. "Sweetheart I know it's hard, bu-"
"Oh don't you use that bullshit with me!"
His eyes widened as he watched he face flush and anger spread over her features. "What?"
"Don't you pretend to know how I feel because you don't! You have NO idea, Aaron! That little girl sobbed into my neck for twenty long minutes before I finally said I had to go back to my home. And do you wanna know what she said to me? She asked me why I got a home and she doesn't. Why I have a loving family and she's now left alone. YOU don't know how that felt because YOU weren't there! The woman of the house had to pry her off of me so I could run back to my car without having her breakdown, once again, in front of me. So you tell me Aaron, do you know how that feels? Do you know how it feels to have your heart ripped from your chest?"
Hotch looked to his angry brunette with tears in his eyes before stepping closer, thanking God when she didn't back away from his hand when it cupped her cheek. "Emily I am so sorry. I never wanted you to go through that and that's why I didn't want you to get close to her in the first place."
Emily nodded as her bottom lip quivered and her tears fell onto his knuckles, her cheek snuggling into his hand. "I know but I can't just turn off my feelings and emotions, Aaron. I've done that my whole life and you know how much I hated it. How much I'm sick of not showing people how I truly feel. And right now, I hate you so much for making me give her away." She squeezed her eyes shut as she let out a small cry. "I miss her already."
…
Mrs. St Charles looked up from the sleeping girl when the doorbell rang before getting up and walking to her front door, frowning when she saw the person through the door's window. When she opened the door a slight breeze hit her face. "Can I help you?"
"I need Halie Winters, please."
The old woman shook her head. "I'm sorry but she just fell asleep."
"I have a court order for you to give her to me and I'll do it either the easy way or the hard way. One way or the other, she's coming back home with me."
"You have no right!"
The man gave a smile as his wife ran past him and into the house, headed for the young girl's room. "I have every right." He took out his badge and showed it to the woman. "I'm Special Agent Aaron Hotchner."
Emily ran into the little girl's room and smiled wide when she saw the tiny brunette sleeping against a soft white pillow. She slowly knelt down beside the bed and ran her fingers through the girl's wavy, silken hair, whispering calming words as she laid a kiss to her small forehead.
Halie's eyes slowly opened and she looked up to the blurry woman in her view. "Emily?"
Emily nodded and smiled into the girl's hair when small arms were thrown around her neck. "It's time to go home, sweetheart."