Chapter LVI
Ana grunted as she landed hard on the floor… again.
"You've got to anticipate your opponent's next move." She heard Emily instruct from over her. Opening her eyes, she saw the woman standing, arms on her hips, and staring down at her. More annoyed at herself than anything else, Ana swung her legs around in an attempt to knock Emily off her feet. The woman simply jumped over them. Ana stood, a scowl on her face and sweat pouring into her eyes.
"How could you have possibly guessed-"
"There was nothing else you could do." Emily shrugged as she explained. While Ana's loose tank top and sports bra were almost soaked to the bone in sweat, Emily looked as if she hadn't even begun her workout.
"This is hopeless!" the teenager exclaimed as she allowed herself to plop back down. Emily smiled and joined her on the mat.
"No it's not." She patted the girl's back. "I've been doing this for years and you've advanced faster than I did when I first started learning." It was the truth. Although she still had a long way to go, Ana had learned a lot in the two hours they had been there. Emily was proud of her.
"Really?" a small spark of hope lit in the teenager's eyes. Emily smiled and nodded. Just then, the door to the padded room opened and in came JJ and Morgan, both dressed for a workout while Reid and Rossi trailed behind them in jeans and t-shirts.
"I have a meeting with Strauss and Hotch to discuss my getting back in the field." Emily explained as she stood. Ana had a little trouble making it to an upright position. "JJ and Morgan are going to help you out while I'm gone."
"Uh, ok." Ana glanced nervously at the giant man before raising an eyebrow at Emily. The woman laughed.
"He's just a really big teddy bear." She assured her before saying goodbye and heading to the showers.
"Alright kid." Morgan finished stretching and approached her on the mat. He wore red basketball shorts and a grey wife beater that showed his large biceps. Ana gulped.
"This isn't exact a fair fight." She mumbled. The team chuckled.
"We're just here to teach you." JJ assured her as she stretched her arms. Ana couldn't help but think that the form-fitting, black top she wore seemed to hold her in all the right places. "Not hurt you." Ana couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the blonde actually hurting someone. It didn't escape JJ's notice.
"What did Emily show you so far?" Morgan asked as he waited for JJ to join them. Rossi and Reid made themselves comfortable in the corner of the room. Clearing, they were here for entertainment purposes. Ana listed the things that Emily had attempted to teach her. Morgan nodded in approval before turning to JJ.
"Ladies first." He bowed for show. JJ bent over and tied her hair into a ponytail before approaching Ana on the mat.
"Ok. I'm going to come at you. Keep me from getting my arms around your neck for 3 minutes." As JJ began to bounce on the balls of her feet, Ana couldn't help but smile.
"JJ, you're like 5 foot 1 and 90 pounds soaking wet." She stated the obvious. The blonde didn't see a point in correcting her almost accurate observation.
"So it should be easy for you." JJ shrugged as she waited for Ana to resume a stance. Sighing, the brunette readied herself and made a mental note that if anything happened to the woman, she would never hear the end of it from both Hotch and Emily.
"Ready." She said and before she knew it, JJ was on her. The blonde ducked underneath Ana's lunge and was behind her in seconds. Ana spun on her heels at the last possible moment, keeping her head low just like Emily had taught her. Waiting for JJ to approach, she could've sworn she saw the ghost of a smile dancing on the woman's lips.
"Predict her next move." She heard Morgan instruct. "Look at her footing." Ana glanced down. "The foot at the back is her dominant. Watch which direction it goes in and anticipate the attack from there." Before Ana could even comprehend what the man had told her, JJ's left leg swept underneath her, knocking her to the ground with a thud. Morgan winced. JJ waited for her to begin to stand before weaving around her and grabbing one arm, forcing it behind her back. Ana gasped. She hadn't even seen the woman move.
"Twist out of it!" she heard Rossi call from the back of the room.
"As you twist, take her arm with you." Ana got the sense that the blonde allowed her to complete their set of instructions. Surprisingly enough, she didn't need directions for the next part. As she wiggled out of the hold and grabbed JJ's pale arm, Ana knocked JJ's legs from under her, sending the woman tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately, JJ had seen the move coming and taken her down with her. Ana landed first, her cheek hitting the mat, and felt JJ's weight on top of her. Before she knew it, the blonde's arm was out of her grasp and around her neck, the other being used to hold her in place. After holding her there for a few seconds, Ana felt JJ release her hold and stand up. The girl simply rolled over, an exasperated look on her features.
"Rule number one." JJ righted her ponytail. "Never judge a book by its cover." Ana sighed and accepted the hand she offered. It was going to be a long day.
Every ten minutes or so, JJ and Morgan would trade. One would spar with Ana and the other would offer the girl help from the sidelines. She progressed quickly and less than two hours after they had begun, she actually managed to complete her objective and avoid Morgan's grasp for 3 minutes.
"That's some great defense." Morgan patted her on the back as they both rose from the floor. All three of them were now drenched in sweat. JJ had even taken off her shirt and remained in a light blue sports bra while Morgan had changed his three times. Ana debated copying the blonde but decided against it. She was rather surprised that the men in the room weren't affected by the blonde's action but a part of her understood. It only reinforced the claim that there were a closely-knit family.
"The best defense is a good offense." Ana told him with a smile. She was anxious to learn not only how to defend herself but how to take care of an opposition she came across. Her two instructors seemed to debate the idea.
"You've been at for," JJ glanced at the clock on the wall. "four hours. We can start offense another day if you'd like." Ana already had an answer prepared.
"One more round." She said, eyes pleading. JJ and Morgan smiled at her dedication and quickly gave in.
"Alright." JJ cracked her knuckles. "We'll show you the basics. Just watch." Ana watched as the two faced one another and grinned.
"Don't hold back on me Barbie." Morgan's grin widened as JJ raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"I'm pretty sure Barbie couldn't kick your ass like I'm about to." Ana, Reid and Rossi chuckled as the two began to dance around each other. Ana guessed that Morgan would be the one to attack first and watched his every step closely. She wasn't disappointed. As the fight progressed, Ana was once again baffled by the man's strength and JJ's agility. Just when they thought it was over, the tables turned and the two were back on equal ground once more. She watched as Morgan blocked several of JJ's hits and, using his superior strength to his advantage, grabbed a fist and held her arm behind her back. Ana saw JJ wince momentarily before allowing her body to drop the ground and roll out of the man's grasp. Both were panting heavily by the time Emily and Hotch made their way to the floor.
"How long?" Emily asked as she approached the group of bystanders.
"About twenty minutes." Reid told her and Emily shook her head. Whenever JJ and Morgan decided to spar against one another, the match went on for far too long. Neither would ever give up and they were evenly matched in terms of skill. There had never been a clear winner. Just as Hotch opened his mouth to get them to stop, they saw JJ dodge Morgan's fists and tackle the man. There was a loud thud as both bodies hit the mat and began to roll around, each trying to get the upper hand. Ana and rest cringed for them. The two ended up rolling right into Hotch's legs, nearly taking the man with them, and immediately stopped.
"I think that's enough for today." The man said with a shake of his head. JJ and Morgan huffed as they separated and started to stand.
"And that's how you kick someone's-"
"Ha!" JJ interrupted. "Are you kidding? I totally had you!" The remaining members of the team groaned. They knew all too well that this would be the discussion of the week- each one insisting that they had won until finally, someone had to tell them that no winner could be possibly decided.
"What?" Morgan cried as the two made their way to their perspective locker rooms. Ana followed JJ with a wave to the others. "Sunshine, I hate to break it to you but that was definitely a win in my books."
"Well it seems like your book is…" the conversation thankfully trailed out of earshot for the remaining members. By the time the three had showered and made it back upstairs to the BAU, it was time for the group of eight to leave for dinner. It had been a long time since the entire team had done anything other than chase serial killers together and they all needed a little time to wind down. No one failed to notice Ana's sluggish movements and winces as they got into their vehicles.
"You good?" Morgan turned around from the passenger's seat of Emily's car and asked. Ana nodded.
"I will be in about a month." She ached in places she didn't even know she had places. The three laughed.
"Wait until tomorrow." JJ patted her back slightly harder than need be. Ana groaned. The group of eight arrived and were quickly joined by Henry, Will and Jack who had spent the day with the LaMontagnes. They took their seats and ordered a vast array of food- most of it for Morgan- and drinks. Ana enjoyed meeting Hotch's son and immediately noticed how much the boy liked Emily. The thought gladdened her. After the night the two had spent together, Aaron and Emily had become a lot more open about their relationship with the team. Everything about them seemed to radiate happiness and love and it didn't take a profiler to notice. Ana excused herself to go the restroom and was quickly followed by Henry and Jack, who had almost immediately echoed Henry's admiration of her. Taking the boys by the hand, she led them towards the bathroom before being stopped by a hand to the shoulder. She turned and saw Hotch behind her, a serious look on his face.
"I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment." The man said causing her to frown. What could he possibly want to talk to her about?
"Sure, let me just get the boys-"
"Jack can take Henry." Hotch told her and the older boy immediately took the younger by the hand.
"Come on, Henry." He led him inside the men's bathroom and closed the door. Ana raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Is everything ok?" she asked, concerned. The look on Hotch face told her that something serious had happened but why would he possibly want to talk to her about it?
"Everything's fine." The man nodded. "In fact, I think it's more than fine. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"About things being…fine?" Ana crossed her arms, ignoring the soreness.
"Well…yes." Hotch shifted his stance awkwardly. Whatever was bothering- or not bothering- the man was clearly important if it had him, of all people, nervous. "I love Emily."
"I…know." Ana smiled slightly. Hotch inhaled deeply.
"I love her very much and I want to spend the rest of my life with her." Ana nodded slowly, still not understanding the significance of the conversation. "And Jack loves her."
"I know." Ana nodded again. "Hotch, why are you telling me this now?"
"I know you love her too and I know that you want her to be happy."
"Yes." Ana drawled out, rolling her wrist in the universal sign for him to get on with it.
"And I was wondering if you thought that she could be happy with me…permanently." It took a few moments for Hotch's meaning to get through but when it did, Ana's eyes widened in surprise. She did everything she could not to squeal.
"You're gonna propose?!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone, glancing around nervously for any sign of the brunette in question. Hotch fiddled with something in his pocket before taking out a red velvet box and opening it. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring Ana had ever seen in her life. The band was thin and silver surrounding one large diamond that was encircled by several smaller ones. It shone brightly even in the dim lighting.
"Only if it's ok with you. You're like the sister she never had." Hotch explained slowly as he watched the girl's impressed expression.
"Are you asking for my approval?" Ana asked, surprised. He honestly thought she didn't approve of him after all these months? Ana knew that he was the best thing that had ever happened in Emily's life. Besides that, she knew that the woman she know thought of as a sister loved him with every fiber of her being.
"I'm asking for your blessing." Hotch gave her a half smile before closing the box. Ana remained motionless, her face still in shock. "Well?"
"Of course!" She cried before launching herself into the man's arms. She hugged him tightly and felt him chuckle against her. Just then, the boys emerged.
"Are you going to do it, Daddy?" Jack asked excitedly. Of course he knew. "Is Emily going to be my mommy?"
"Yea buddy." Hotch nodded as he patted his son's shoulder. Henry smiled as he took in his friend's overjoyed expression. "Come on, let's go ask her." Ana could barely contain her excitement as she and the men returned to their seats. She avoided looking at the brunette but made an effort to alert JJ who was sitting beside her. The blonde frowned, confused, as she resumed the ever-so-difficult task of feeding her picky son. Before Ana had a chance to explain, the group heard the clanking of a wine glass and turned towards it. Hotch rose from his seat and cleared his throat. Ana heart began to gallop wildly in her chest.
"I'd just like to take this moment and appreciate everything that's happened in the past year." He began, immediately drawing everyone's attention. "We've had our good- and our bad times. We even managed to add a new member to our ever-growing family." Ana smiled as JJ patted her leg. "It's been a hard year but we've come out stronger and more united than ever."
"Hear, hear." Rossi raised his glass and the group chuckled.
"Unfortunately, it's not too often that we get together like this so I'd like to take advantage of the opportunity." Hotch took his glass and walked around the table, stopping directly in front of a confused looking Emily. "I love all of you with all my heart but there is someone here that holds a special place in it."
"Aaron, what are you doing?" he heard Emily whisper, slightly embarrassed at such a public display of affection. Ana felt JJ grab her hand and squeeze as the woman understood what was about to happen.
"Emily, I've loved you for longer than I care to admit aloud." He continued and the others, including Emily, chuckled. "You're the most beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman I have ever laid eyes on. You make me feel like I can do anything in the world and a life without you doesn't seem like much of a life at all."
"Aaron." Emily lowered her head slightly, a furious blush taking over her cheeks.
"So I wanted to ask you, in front of our friends and family," Hotch placed his glass on the table, took her hands and began to lower himself down to one knee, the velvet box already in hand. He opened it and Emily took in a shaky breath. Penelope's gasps could be heard throughout the table as the entire restaurant went silent, waiting for the question to leave his lips.
"Will you marry me?"
Everyone watched as Emily's eyes widened and her chest heaved. She swallowed hard before allowing a single tear to escape down her cheek. Smiling widely, she let out a shaky laugh before nodding adamantly.
"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." As she finished the sentence, she launched herself into his arms, the entire restaurant erupting in applause and cheers. The BAU and its additions all held back tears as Aaron laughed wholeheartedly and spun Emily in a circle before placing her gently on the ground. The couple kissed and Ana turned to JJ who was openly crying. The two women laughed and Ana placed her arm around JJ's shoulders. Jack was already around the table and headed full-speed towards Emily.
"Emmy!" he cried as she caught him mid-jump. Emily held the boy close, several of her escaped tears falling onto his shirt. "I love you Emmy!"
"I love you too, Jack." Emily said, watching as Aaron Hotchner- her fiancé - wiped tears off of his cheeks. He stepped closer and enveloped the two in a crushing embrace before Emily finally placed Jack back onto the ground. Taking her hands in his, Hotch removed the diamond ring from its box and slipped it on Emily's finger with shaky hands. The two laughed once more and kissed again, the sounds of their family's giggles behind them. Jack wrapped his arms around the two sets of legs and smiled. A white flash went off and the beautiful scene was captured forever on Penelope's camera.
Finally, they were a family.
Wow guys. It's basically over. Stay tuned for the epilogue!