Your feedback on the last chapter was nothing short of wonderful. Many thanks. Your words keep me motivated to keep writing.

A new perspective for this one - Mr. I-Can-Bring-Out-A-Smile-in-My-Dad-No-Problem himself, Jack Hotchner. This one's nice and light-hearted, so no tissue warning necessary for it.

Happy reading (=

"Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves." – Euripides

"Hey buddy," Dad says with a big smile. "How was school?" he asks as we walk to his car.

"Awesome! We got the best homework ever!"

Dad looks at me like he's confused for a second, but then he shakes his head and smiles. "Yeah? What is it?"

"We're learning about different countries around the world, and we have to try and find someone who has visited another country and interview them to find out what it's like and what kind of things are different there," I say all in one breath as I jump up into my seat in the back of the car.

"Whoa, slow down buddy. What do you have to do?"

"We have to find someone who's been to another country and then interview them to find out how it's different."

"Who are you going to interview?"

"Well I thought you, because you've been all over."

"I've been all over this country, Jack. I did spend a bit of time in Pakistan a couple years ago though."

"Oh," I say, my smile fading. Chris Farkon's uncle had lived in Pakistan and he said he was going to interview him.

"What's wrong, buddy?"

"I wanted to find someone who'd been somewhere no one else in the class would have."

"Someone's been to Pakistan?" Dad asks, his eyes locking with mine in the rearview mirror.

"Chris' uncle lived there."

"And Chris told you that?"

"Yeah. We were telling each other who we were gonna interview and I told him I was gonna have a place that no one else would have."

Dad's eyebrow jumps up and he looks like he's trying not to smile. "Sorry buddy, but that's the only place outside of the country that I've really spent any time in."

"What am I gonna do now?! I already told everyone I was gonna have a really good place."

Dad looks like he's going to tell me something – probably that I shouldn't have told everyone that before I knew who I was going to interview, or maybe that I shouldn't have been boasting – but he just smiles. "I think I know a way for you to be able to still have a place that no one else has."

"How?!"

"Your Aunt Emily lived in a lot of different places while growing up."

"She did?"

"Yep. And I bet she'd be more than happy to be interviewed."

"You think?"

"Well, I can't say for certain, but I'm guessing she'll be thrilled."

"Can I call her? Where's your phone? I wanna call her!"

"Hang on, buddy. We'll give her a call once we get home, okay?"

"Can we call her now? Can we? Can we?" I ask as I bounce in excitement.

"Only if you sit still, buddy." I sit down on the couch and contain my bouncing to just my legs. Dad glances at them and then smiles. "Okay, remember to be quiet until I let you know, okay?"

I nod quickly. I wish he'd just call her already, because if she won't let me interview her then I've gotta find someone else and that was probably going to be very hard.

"Prentiss," I hear her answer. Sort of a funny way to answer your phone – using your last name – but Dad does it too, so I guess it isn't that weird.

"Hey, Prentiss, it's Hotch."

"Oh, hey. Do you need me for a case?" she asks.

"No, no. We're off of standby for a week. Morgan didn't tell you?"

"No…he apparently neglected to give me that piece of information."

"I just got home, princess!" I hear Uncle Derek yell from the background. "Gimme a break."

"So what did you need, Hotch?"

"I've got a very excited young man here with a question for you…" Dad says and nods to me, letting me know it's okay to talk.

"Aunt Em'ly?" I ask shyly.

"Hi Jack," she says. I can tell she's smiling from her voice.

"Hi," I reply, a wide smile on my face.

"So what can I do for you? Your Dad said you had a question for me…"

"IhavesomehomeworkforschoolandIhavetointerviewsomeonewhohasvisitedanothercountryandIwaswonderingifIcouldinterviewyoubecausemyDadonlywenttoPakistanandChrisisdoinghisonPakistanandItoldeveryonethatIwasgonnadoaplacethatnooneelsewouldhave," I say quickly in one big breath. I look up and see Dad covering his mouth, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Um, Jack?" she says.

"Yeah?" I reply nervously. She doesn't sound like she's going to say yes.

"Could you repeat that?" she asks. "A little slower, maybe?" she adds after a moment.

"I got an assignment at school to interview someone who has visited another country to find out how it's different, and I was wondering if I could interview you because Dad's only gone to Pakistan and Chris' uncle lived there and I told everyone I was gonna do a place that no one else would have," I repeat slowly, and then look to Dad who nods in approval at my speed.

"Of course you can interview me, Jack. When is your assignment due?"

"Monday."

"All right, well I happen to know your Dad has to go into work tomorrow morning for a meeting. I have a bit of paperwork I need to work on as well…so why doesn't your Dad bring you along tomorrow. You can interview me while he's in his meeting."

"Yeah, okay!" I say quickly.

"Hotch, does that work for you?" she asks.

"Perfectly. Jessica will love being able to sleep in. Meeting's at 9…okay if I drop him off in your office a little before then?"

"Yep. No problem. I'll see you two gentlemen tomorrow," she says cheerfully.

"See ya tomorrow Aunt Em'ly!" I say with a huge smile.

"Do you know all the questions you want to ask her?" Dad asks, turning his attention to me after ending the call.

"Uh…" I trail off. I hadn't thought things out that far ahead. "Not really."

"Then you might want to work on that while I sort out dinner," he suggests. I nod and run to grab my notebook and pencil case.

"Go ahead, buddy," Dad says with a nod.

I smile and run down the hallway to her office, stopping in the doorway. Aunt Emily is at her desk, reading a piece of paper and making notes. She apparently senses my presence because she looks up and gives me a wide smile. She gets up quickly and comes over to the doorway, opening up her arms and giving me a quick hug.

"You got taller," she says as she releases her hold on me.

"I did?" I ask excitedly.

"Definitely. I give it another year and you'll be towering over your Dad," Aunt Emily says with a wink as Dad arrives in the doorway. He holds out the bag holding the breakfast burrito we'd picked up on the way here. "You're a god among men, Agent Hotchner."

I scrunch my face in confusion, not really understanding what that means, but shrug as my Dad starts talking to Aunt Emily.

"My meeting shouldn't go longer than an hour. That okay for you?"

"Yeah, no problem. Don't rush on my account. Trust me, he's far better company than those consults," she replies with a grin.

"I bet," he says with a light laugh. "I'll be back in hour to pick you up, buddy. Have fun."

"Kay!" I say distractedly as I look at the huge wall of books.

"So, Mr. Hotchner," Aunt Emily says, getting my attention. "You wanted to interview me?"

"Yeah," I say with a nod.

"Well then let's get to it. Is it all right if I eat while we chat?"

"Did you forget to eat breakfast?"

She laughs. "No, but it wasn't as delicious as this, and I'm worried if I wait too long it won't be warm anymore."

"Oh. Okay."

"Did you want to have a seat?"

"Sure," I say with a nod, taking off my backpack and pulling out my notepad.

"Oh no, not there, sir. You gotta have a seat in the power chair," she says pointing to her chair behind her desk.

"The power chair?"

"Trust me, it gives you extra confidence and thinking power," she says, pulling out the chair and gesturing for me to sit. "Besides, if we're going to do an interview, we're going to do it right, and that means professionally."

"And that means using the power chair!"

"You catch on quickly, Mr. Hotchner," she says with a wink. "So, you ready to get started?"

I nod. "Dad and I wrote down all the questions I'm supposed to ask."

"Well then, by all means," she says, gesturing for me to begin as she takes a seat across from me. "Let's have at it."

"Dad says you lived in a bunch of places when you were little, is that true?" I ask, poising my pencil to take notes as best as I can.

"Yep. My mom is an Ambassador so we had to go all over for her job."

"Cool. Where did you live?"

She takes a breath before answering, "Italy, France, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Spain, the U.K., Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Israel, and Morocco. Oh, and here in the United States as well."

"Whoa. That's a lot."

"It is."

"Which one was your favourite?" I ask, the questions I'm supposed to ask long forgotten.

Her face scrunches in concentration. "Um, you know, I'm not really sure. I've never really thought about it before. I suppose France."

"Why?"

"My grandfather lived there, and we visited him a lot before he died. I guess I liked being close to him."

"Was he as cool as you?"

She chuckles. "Cooler. He taught me all about the stars, and we used to read together in a secret spot."

"A secret spot?" I ask, my eyes growing wide. "Where was it?!"

She leans forward and gestures for me to do the same. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?" I nod quickly. "Good. So my grandfather lived in a cabin on the side of a mountain in France."

"He lived on a mountain!?" I say loudly.

She nods. "Yeah, and he wanted me to have my own little spot for when I came to visit him with my mom, so he built me my secret spot."

"On the mountain?"

"Yep. Took a little while to get there from his cabin. You had to cross a small meadow and go around a mini-forest, but it was there."

"Do you ever go there now?"

She looks like she's thinking for a moment. "You know, I've only been back there once since my grandfather died," she says and it sort of sounds like she's a bit sad about it. She kind of sounds the same as when someone asks her about her time away.

"When did he die?"

"A long time ago," she says sadly. "Before you were born."

"Whoa, that is a long time ago."

"Hey! I'm not that old!" she exclaims.

I feel a little bit of panic as I remember Aunt Jessica telling me that girls don't like to be told that they're old, or to be asked how old they are. "Uh, well, you kinda are," I say honestly. "But that doesn't mean you aren't cool or beautiful, 'cause I think you're very pretty and super cool."

"Good save, sir. And thank you. Now, let's get back to your interview, yeah?"

"Right! So which one do you think I should interview you about?"

"That's up to you, Jack. It's your assignment, after all."

I scrunch my face in concentration. She'd lived in so many different places, and I wish I could do my assignment about more than one of them. Maybe there was a way to make it work, like how Dad looks at different clues and puts them together in his job to stop the bad guys.

"Are any of the places you lived the same?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…do they speak the same languages there? Or use the same money?"

"Well, the European ones for the most part use the same money, and some of them speak the same languages."

"Are they different?"

"Sure. There's lots of differences between them all."

I frown as I try to figure out a way to make it all work.

"What are you getting at, Jack?" she asks.

"Well I want to make sure no one else has the same place as me, so I thought maybe I could do more than one."

"What does your assignment say you have to do?"

"Interview someone who has visited another country and find out how the United States is similar and different to that country."

"Well I think you've got to pick one then, Jack. But there's no reason you can't ask me about more than one country…"

"Yeah!" I say in excitement as I realize what she means. "And then I'll just use whatever one the class doesn't do."

"Precisely."

"Okay! Which ones do you think my class won't know people from?"

She laughs. "Oh, I have no way of knowing that, Jack. But I think you're probably best to cover Morocco and the Middle Eastern countries. Those are probably less likely to have had people travel to them."

"Can I ask you about France too?"

"Of course, Jack."

"Good, 'cause I wanna learn about where you were when you were away."

Aunt Emily looks sad for a moment before she smiles at me. But the smile doesn't reach her eyes like it usually does. I feel bad that I've made her sad and get up quickly to run around the desk and give her a hug. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tightly as she picks me up and I settle onto her lap.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Em'ly. I didn't mean to make you sad. I just wanna know about where you were. I missed you while you were away. And I'm sorry I was so mean and angry when you came back," I mumble into her shirt as she holds me tightly.

"It's okay, Jack. I was just remembering how much I missed you while I was away. And you had every right to be frustrated, I did kind of disappear on you," she says softly into my ear.

"Only 'cause you had to though. Dad told me you didn't want to, but you had to."

"He's right, but it was still hard for you, and for me."

"Don't go away again, okay? I don't like when people I love go away," I say shyly, remembering how sad I was when Mom and I had to go away from Dad, and when Mom died, and of course when Aunt Emily had to go away.

"I know, Jack. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she says, and gives me a tight squeeze. "Now let's get crackin' on this interview, shall we? Your Dad's meeting isn't going to last forever."

"Mm 'kay," I say as I reluctantly jump off her lap and make my way back to the power chair.

"Knock, knock," Dad says as he pops his head into the office. "How are things going in here?"

"Great!" I say enthusiastically. "Aunt Em'ly helped me make a plan to make sure I do a country no one else does."

"Did she now?"

"Yeah, and she told me all about the place she was when she was away."

"Oh, she did?" he says, looking over to Aunt Emily, who is looking away from him.

"Yeah."

"Did you ask all your questions? Did you write down all the answers?"

"Yeah, and Aunt Em'ly let me borrow her voice recorder so I can go over my notes tonight to make sure I didn't forget anything."

"Wow, sounds like you're turning into quite the reporter, buddy," Dad says with a smile, looking again over at Aunt Emily, who is looking back at him now.

"And I got to sit in the power chair!" I say proudly.

Aunt Emily and Dad both laugh. "I see you took my advice to heart," Dad says to Aunt Emily. "Looks like a very comfortable chair."

"You bet. I spent a good three hours trying to find a comfortable chair, and ended up buying this one. It has a certain element of intimidation to it, so I call it the power chair," Aunt Emily replies with a smile and a laugh.

"You could say that," Dad says, staring at the large leather office chair. "You ready to go, buddy?"

"Yeah," I say, getting up from the chair and putting my notebook back into my backpack along with the voice recorder and my pencil case.

"What do we say to your Aunt Emily?"

"Thank you!" I say happily, rushing over to give her another hug.

"You're welcome, Jack. And remember, you're welcome to come use the power chair anytime you need!"

"And you promised to make me some…" I struggle to remember the dessert that we'd talked about. "Suh-fenge?" I ask hopefully, looking toward her.

She laughs. "Sfenj," she corrects. "But yes, you're right. Soon, I promise."

"Thanks for this, Emily," Dad says.

"It's no trouble, Hotch. I had fun. Besides, how can I say no when you show up with a breakfast burrito?"

"I'll keep that in mind for next time when he's struggling with Spanish and needs a tutor. See you around. Oh, and tell Morgan his paperwork needs to be in soon. As in yesterday."

"I'll pass the message along when I see him. You gentlemen have fun today."

"Bye, Aunt Em'ly!" I say with a wide grin and a quick wave. I realize just how happy and lucky I am that she came back. I really missed having her around.

I will admit, I had a great time writing this one. It was just so fun and happy. Had me grinning and laughing as I wrote it.

Reviews are oh so appreciated. Always.

Plenty more conversations to come...I've been working hard in my spare time.