Hey guys! Again, after one long month without a word, this chapter decided to come out lol well, next chapter will be the one before the last, probably, bc I really need to give another plots a go! I'll be updating DM tomorrow, and you should stay tunned bc the last two chapters are lit ;)
Hope you enjoy it and a huge thank you to Lisa for being an amazing beta!
Hard knuckles struck his cheek before the father of two could even register, leaving him out of balance with that latching pain of preciseness. His rough palm massaged the spot, attempted vaguely to dissipate it as his sight was filled with an almost not human velocity. Alvez better hurry up and get to that son of a bitch anytime soon, otherwise he'd fucking pummel him out of his damn senses.
A vicious grip to the nape of his neck bowed him, one violent knee connecting repeatedly to his upper abdomen, and he had never been more thankful that Kevlar indeed existed. Even though that protection softened her moves, his stomach twitched and turned and told him he'd lose his breath if it wasn't ceased.
"Emily!" he gasped while the grip on her forearms turned from sloppy to firm "Emily, it's me! This is not real"
He couldn't hurt her, couldn't hit her back in order to subdue her attacks. It was his wife, the woman he shared his life with. A plan, he needed a good one and fast. The stretcher to which she was previously attached – where he could only hope she remained somehow safe in those three weeks that they couldn't find her.
Surging forward with all the weight of his body pressed to her waist as his masculine arms enveloped it, Aaron stumbled towards the surface almost crumbling down in the process. Within seconds, confusing and uncoordinated, the brunette's back collapsed against the edge, making her whine with the burning sensation on her lower back that immediately ran up as the wheels of the stretcher gave in behind it and caused an unexpected motion.
Although he tried his best to protect her from the fall, bracing her on his chest while he struggled to turn them, it wasn't quick enough and they reached the ground in a loud thud.
"Fuck!" he hissed between gritted teeth, his whole body sore with hers apparently unawake by his side "Emily, are you…?"
His voice trembled, scanning her limp image through the corner of his eyes. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, heart thumping against his chest with the thoughts of losing her – again. Any possible rationality was fogged, hazy, as memories he ached to forget came back in a tidal, excruciating wave.
Still, every single time she had called him after a case that ended up with her beaten, bruises marking her fair skin, all he could think of was holding her close. And this tortured him slowly, because he couldn't go and she couldn't come. He had a life in D.C.; she, in London. Albeit they craved to be together, both knew perfectly part of them wanted to keep going on like that.
Because they loved what they did to survive more than they loved themselves. It was stupid, probably anyone with a pair of eyes would judge them for so, but those jobs defined who they were above all things. Once or twice, the brunette pair doubted, questioned life as a family over the phone. It was the night after their honeymoon was over, and insomnia took the best of them.
"I'm tired" it was more than physical, so much more than that casual weariness after hours.
"So am I" her reply was soft, nearly a whisper through the phone whilst she cradled Rosie on her arms "She reminds me of you"
"Sean said she looks like you" a smile graced his mouth, curved it in slow motion, sleepy yet genuine. Silence lingered, heavy sighs heard from both ends, measuring each word they wanted to say "I miss you"
"It's been two days, c'mon we've been through months" and she couldn't keep going on like this, matter-of-factly, but blocking her feelings was the easier way "I miss you too… we miss you"
"We don't have to keep going on like this" he offered sheepishly, conversation never ended as the raven-haired girl cried in her sleep.
Nightmares. The father of two wondered if that would be their eternal issue, generation after generation. He hung up, headed to his son's room, lead him to his bed even though he was big enough to handle it himself. Because he was lonely, he was family, and that's what they always did.
Hotch swallowed thick, convulsively, bending over to meet fluttering brown eyes. Full. Beautiful. And all the possible fear turned into his arms around her, pressing her so close she could barely even breathe. Her body was almost liquid, that not so foreign sensation of another life almost slipping through his fingers made him hold her even tighter.
A small hand on his dress shirt brought him back, balled the material as she clung to it in that dizzy state. The fall could have caused her a concussion, her head being the first one to collapse down the cement. But he couldn't quite come up with anything as a shot was overheard from downstairs.
"Rosie… Jack…" her whisper was ragged, rarely audible near his jaw, yet, he didn't fail to notice how her fingers dug into the fabric hard enough to draw blood from her palm, nervous, wicked in its own.
"They are safe, honey, I'm here, everyone is safe, everything will be alright" he was babbling, word after word into a nonsense sentence as he drowned in her mild brown eyes. "Help is on the way. Hold on, please, just hold on"
Although the father of two couldn't confirm it, his every thought was directed to soothe his wife, to keep her close and never let her go. This time, he would board that plane with her, he would go without complaining because he was more than done almost letting everyone that ever mattered walk away from him. And he couldn't lose someone like that woman - his Emily.
With an aggressive bang, one of his teammates burst through the room only to find his even so stoic chief crouched down a corner with the brunette draped against his body. It was visible, palpable his need to keep her close, like she would fade away if he let loose even the slightest.
Their blonde agent walked in shortly after, followed by an unsurprised Dave whose mind focused on calling the medics. She'd need assistance, fast. It was clear from her deft condition to that crimson spot staining his attire.
Luke holstered his gun, eyed the scene then casted a glance at the woman standing by his side. From what he could read, this was great damn news for her as well. They went through Emily's files throughout the three weeks she had been missing and, never, not even once, had their supervisor mentioned any of this. Of course, there were strange holes in her passports, credit cards, but none ever suggested she had been accompanied.
It was a conversation for later, questions would be natural and that family structure they called team would be in charge for those. For now, they would have another hard time separating the pair therefore EMTs could finally act.
"Aaron" Rossi poked his head through the curtains, his masculine voice echoing. They hadn't moved her to a private room just yet and this was starting to throw him off "The team, they are waiting"
Their goateed friend approached with his hands in his pockets, a knowing look that spoke volumes to the younger man. His fingers had been entwined with Emily's since they moved her from Scratch's rented house. It was an innate condition to keep going on, to keep moving forward during those hours.
He stood up after pressing his lips to her palm, promising her unconsciousness he'd come to back to her soon. Both men made their way to the waiting room side by side, not a single word spoken, still so much deduced from Hotch's defeated posture. She would heal, eventually, as she always did, but his guilt would eat him up in the same proportion.
Garcia had a worried tinge to her expression, relying on Luke's shoulder to don't break apart as dark remembrances plundered her thoughts. JJ, on the other hand, had Tara in front of her with those heart eyes and calmness only they could share. Their resident genius was alone, legs close to his torso as he sat down in one uncomfortable armchair.
"Kids" the older profiler announced their arrival, drawing everyone's attention as they immediately gathering around the Unit Chief for answers.
"Is she okay?! Tell me", Penelope sprinted on her high heels, almost tripping over a coffee table.
"She'll be fine" he murmured, eyes glazing as he replayed everything in his mind.
"Thank God" JJ completed, her relived sigh joined by most of her teammates. "What about you?"
Room filled with silence, each one of them focused on the man with his arms by his sides and those tears forming as a mere reflection of how emotionally drained he was. Except Rossi, no one had a clue about how intimate their relationship was, neither did they know about the little raven-haired girl crossing the ocean with her nanny as they spoke.
He had to tell them, now better than later while he still contemplated leaving this life behind to follow her everywhere. Collecting his courage, the father of two reached for that silver band inside his suit pocket.
As he wrapped it in his right hand, a vague smirk curved his thin lips with recollection stealing his every sense. His wife should be here with him, should be standing with red lips parted into a lightning smile.
"Emily and I…" he hesitated, looked down to peruse an A.H. & E.P. engraved to the piece he had chosen years ago.
"Excuse me, any of you is Aaron?" a low voice brought him out of his musings as he spun on his heels wearing his best confused frown "Sir, Mrs. Hotchner is awake and she's calling for you and a Rosie, she's pretty agitated about it."
"I see" his voice was lost, every shocked face he gladly couldn't see mixed in patterns of different sensations "I'll be right there"
And so he'd be, after quickly gazing over his shoulder to find nothing but JJ's bewildered blue eyes. Somewhere within, she saw this coming, scanned every action from both parts for the last couple of years. She couldn't help, though, a tiny betrayal screaming in her features.
'Go', she mouthed, enough to put him on the move with the only assurance that she'd have his back one more time.
Leave me some words, please! Btw, I was thinking about my next work and, besides 'And Three Makes it Home', I created a vampire AU and a partners in crime AU. Which one should I write first? Do tell!