A/N: Don't ask me where this came from because I really don't know. I was reading about Paget's special return to CM and go excited. This is really big, the biggest single chapter I've ever wrote. I even thought about splitting in two but I thought it wasn't fair since I had everything ready already. I don't like this artifices to get more reviews. I did this because I loved it. If you think it's worth you're time to press the review button it would make me very happy.
This is a two-shot. The second part will be up soon and no, it won't be not even near something rated M. This is just so pure and cute that I can't bring myself to do it. I really hope you like it because it was one of the works I enjoyed the most writing... Anyway, I hope you'll like it. Let a review, please.
Disclaimer: I own Bethanie.
PRINCE AARON
"Guys, really, thank you so much. We were on this damn case for more than two months. It was already pissing me off". Emily said while the team was gathering their things on the Conference Room.
She was working on a case involving an international prostitution network and her team was nowhere near from a lead. When the bodies of some of the women missing started to be found in different locations in London, Paris, Rome and finally on DC she decided to call Hotch and ask for the BAU's help. She then grabbed her own team and flew back to Quantico and worked with her friends for eight days before they managed to solution the case.
"No problem, Prentiss. We're always available to help an old friend". Hotch said smiling slightly.
"Thanks anyway. Although… are you calling me old, Hotch?" She asked with a mock tone, joking.
The team smiled at her and Hotch shook his head. "Absolutely not. If you're old then Dave is what?" He asked serious and the team laughed at the Italian's indignant face.
"Just remember that you're older that her too, Aaron…"
"Yeah, five years, not sixteen". He said smiling.
They laughed and Garcia spoke nostalgic. "I really missed this… all of us, together…"
"Me too, PG. Me too". Emily smiled.
"Please tell me you have more than six hours this time?" She asked and squealed at Emily's nod. "Then let's go party!"
"I vote for a quiet dinner and I have to make a phone call first". Emily said taking her cellphone. She dialed a number and smiled when the other person answered. "Hey babe!"
Everyone looked at each other curiously.
"Yeah, we just finished. We're going to have dinner, are you hungry? Good, than come real fast because I want you to meet my friends… Of course he's here. Didn't I say he would be? Okay, love you too honey. Let me talk to Jane. Hey, is everything okay? Good, I'll text you the address. See you, bye".
She turned back to the team and smiled at their faces. "Who was that, Princess?"
"The love of my life". She said smiling.
"OMG, are you in love? How come I don't know this?" Garcia asked indignantly.
"Here, take a look". She took her purse and grabbed her wallet, opening and showing a picture to the team. They all looked at the picture confused when she clarified. "This is Bethanie, my daughter". It was a little girl with a green dress and pigtails, her toothless smile wide and her hands holding a Snow White's doll tightly.
"You have a daughter?" Hotch asked confused.
"Yes, I do. I adopted her six months ago. You guys know that I've always wanted to be a mom and when I realized that I just wouldn't find the right guy and my time was ending I decided to do something about it. I looked for some clinics but the procedures didn't work. I made some tests and they found out that I had very slim chances of getting pregnant so I gave up. I still wanted to be a mom though, so I decided to adopt. I looked for some agencies and when I found Bethany I just knew it. We clicked. Since she is already six they didn't have anyone interested on her so it made thing easier".
"She is so beautiful Emily!" JJ commented.
"She is my everything. I finally feel complete, you know. Of course I would love to give her a real home, with both parents, but I honestly rather be alone with her than put some jackass in her life".
"She's where right now?" Dave asked.
"At the hotel with the nanny. They're just waiting for the directions to meet us at the restaurant".
"Carmine's?" Dave suggested at the others. They agreed and Emily texted her nanny the directions. They grabbed their things and went to the elevators.
"Hey Em, when you were talking with Bethany you said to her 'of course he's here'. Who is he?" JJ asked curious.
Emily just smirked. "Oh, you guys will see. I just warn you, when she sees one of you guys she will freak out".
HPHPHPHPHPHPHP
They got into their cars and went to the restaurant. Just as they were parking Emily saw her daughter getting out of a cab with her nanny. She went to them and called her daughter. "Hey sweetheart!"
"Mommy!" The girl squealed and ran to her mother, who picked her up and hugged her tightly. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, baby." She smiled to the girl and turned to her nanny, who was handing her the girl's bags. "Hey Jane. Aren't you staying for dinner?"
The nanny shook her head and smiled. "No, I actually have some friends waiting for me in a pub downtown. Do you mind?"
"Of course not, our flight is tomorrow at two pm. Have fun!" She and the girl waved at the nanny while she got back into the cab. "Okay, let's go. We have to meet mommy's friends…"
"Where is he? Where is he, mommy?" The girl asked excitedly.
Emily laughed and turned back to the team waiting in front of the restaurant. "He's right here, sweetheart… Hey guys, this is Bethany. Baby, these are my friends". She looked at the girl who was staring at the dark-haired agent with her mouth wide open and her eyes wide.
"He's here…" The girl whispered in awe. The whole team looked at the object of the girl's attention. He was confused too, not understanding why the girl was looking at him like that. Suddenly she snapped out of her trance and squealed at her mother. "Pull me down, pull me down mommy!"
Emily chuckled and put the girl on the floor. "Go for it, honey". She laughed when the girl took off towards her former boss and started to ask for him to pick her up.
"Prince Aaron!" She shrieked, her arms held up to him saying the she wanted him to pick her up.
Even confused, Hotch couldn't help but smile at the sweet girl and picked her up. "Hello sweetheart".
The girl gasped when he smiled and turned to her mother. "Mommy! He's even more pretty!" Emily stiffed a laugh and nodded to her daughter.
"He is, isn't he?" The girl nodded excitedly and Emily laughed. "Okay, let's get a table and I promise I'll explain everything about Prince Aaron…" She said smiling at the team's faces.
They got a table and sat down. Emily turned to her daughter. "Come here baby. Sit beside mommy…" She patted at the chair on her side.
The girl pouted and shook her head, tightening her grip on Hotch's neck. "No mommy. I want to stay with Prince Aaron. I promise I'll be good".
"He can sit on your other side, honey". She reasoned but the girl didn't let him go. "Bethany…"
"It's okay Emily. She can sit with me". Hotch said smiling at the little girl and sat beside Emily. She smiled at him and caressed her daughter's hair.
"She'll sleep soon. Jane already gave her dinner…" She said quietly looking at the girl playing with Hotch's tie, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes already closed.
The waitress came and everyone made their orders. Once she'd gone Garcia turned to Emily and clapped her hands. "Okay sugarplum, now explain. How did boss-man turn into Prince Aaron?"
Emily laughed and shook her head. "It's all your fault, you know?"
"My fault? How is it my fault?"
"Do you remember that picture you sent me when I was in the bad time?" Emily asked.
"Of you and boss-man? Of course, I love that picture…" She answered smiling.
"What picture?" Hotch asked curious.
"Oh, it's one of us dancing at JJ's wedding. You have this big full-dimpled smile…" Emily said to him smiling. "Garcia sent it to me in an email when I told her I wasn't feeling so good. She said 'you're amazing, look at the smile you put on boss-man's face!' I loved it and printed. I put it on my living room, along with the other pictures of the team that I have. So, one day, two weeks after she came to live with me, I was telling her stories about my friends and I showed her our pictures. When she saw that one she just freak out. We had watched Snow White the night before and when she saw you she said 'look mommy, it's the Prince from last night, you know him!' I tried to tell her that you were my friend Aaron but she didn't take it. From this day you were officially Prince Aaron". She finished the story and the team was laughing, looking at the girl on Hotch's lap.
"You're kidding…" JJ smirked.
"Oh, not only it's true, but she actually stole the picture and took it to her room. She put it on her nightstand". She said and everyone chuckled. "She's completely smitten. When I told her we were coming here she said she didn't want to come. But it only took for me to say that she was going to meet Prince Aaron that she ran to her room. I swear to God, I'd never saw anyone pack a bag so quickly".
"I can't believe it…" Hotch shook his head, caressing the girls back and hair, smiling when she snuggled closer to him.
"Believe me. Every night I have to tell her a story about Prince Aaron. In fact, can you guys update me on your recent cases? I'm running out of stories…" She said smirking.
"You tell her stories about me?" Hotch asked surprised.
"Of course I do. You're her hero, her prince. Her favorite one is the one when you saved a little princess from her evil aunt. She loves it!"
Morgan snorted. "You mean Kate Jacobs? On Potomac Mills?"
"Exactly". Emily nodded and everyone chuckled. They continued to talk about other things and ate their dinner when it arrived. By the end of the night they split the bill and gathered their things to go. They were outside the restaurant when Emily turned to Hotch and reached for Bethany. Just as she tried to get her from Hotch the girl tightened her grip on him again and pouted. Emily sighed. "Sweetheart. It's time to go back to the hotel. We have to go".
She tried again but the girl didn't move. "No". She said stubbornly, making everyone chuckle.
"Baby, Aaron had to go home. And we're going back to London tomorrow. We have to rest". She said soothing the girl.
"Can we take him home? I'll take care of him, I promise". The girl asked innocently.
Dave and Morgan snorted and the others tried to stifle their laughs. "Darling, he lives here. We can take him home. He's not a pet".
"But I like him. He's comfy and he smells good. And he's pretty!" She whined and everyone chuckle.
"Handsome, sweetheart. He's handsome. And I already said we can. He lives here. And he has a little prince, remember?"
"Prince Jack?" She asked sadly.
"Yes honey. He has to go home to Prince Jack".
The girl snuggled closer to Hotch sadly and sighed. Suddenly she widened her eyes and gasped. "I know! You can marry him! You're just like Snow White and he's like your Prince! So you marry him and we could be happily ever after. I would be Prince Jack's sister! And Prince Aaron would be my daddy! I want him to be my daddy, mommy…"
Emily looked at her daughter dumbfounded for a few minutes, opening and closing her mouth, trying to figure out what to say to her girl. The whole team also stayed in silence at the young girl's innocent request, looking between Emily and Hotch and wondering what she would do now. After a few minutes of silence, Emily sighed defeated. "Honey, I can't marry him".
"Why not?" She pouted.
"Because I can't, baby. He's just my friend. And he already has his Princess… She's very nice and pretty and he loves her very much". She said trying to convince the girl.
"Actually Emily, he doesn't. Princess Beth isn't in the picture anymore…" Dave said smugly and smirked when she glared at him.
"Dave, you are not helping". Emily groaned, turning to Hotch. "I'm sorry, I didn't know". She said apologetically.
"It's okay…" He murmured quietly.
"See! You can marry him!" The girl grinned again.
"No Bethany, I can't. It doesn't work like that. And we have to go because it's way past your bedtime and we have a full day tomorrow. Come with mommy, darling…" She asked but the girl shook her head and gripped Hotch harder.
"Bethany…" Emily sighed but Hotch interrupted her.
"How are you going to the hotel?"
"JJ is giving me a ride".
"I can take you. You drive and she stays with me and when we get there we put her in bed. It'll be easier".
"Are you sure? Jack…"
"Is with Jess in his grandparents for the weekend. Really, it's no problem".
"Well, okay then. Thank you, I'm really sorry for that".
"No problem at all". He smiled at her. "Let's go sweetheart". He said smiling to the girl in his arms.
They got into the car and she started the engine. She looked at the rearview and looked at Hotch smiling at her daughter and smiled sadly at the girl's chuckle. She sighed and put the car on the street with her head spinning. Her daughter's words played on her head over and over and she felt her heart constrict. She was being serious when she said that she wanted to give her daughter a real home, with mom and dad and stability, like she deserves. And if she was going to be honest with herself, she didn't know a better man for the job than Aaron Hotchner. Anyone who knew him was aware of the great father he was and she really thought that he was the most amazing man she'd ever met in her life.
Sighing she parked in front of the hotel she was staying. She was starting to regret having brought her to this trip. Even if she was so obviously deliriously happy for meeting Prince Aaron, it would just break her heart when they got back to England and didn't see him in a very long time. She turned off the car and got out, taking the girl's bags on the passenger seat. Hotch got out to, with the girl still tightly wrapped around his arms, giggling at something he was saying.
They got inside the hotel and then into the elevator and she stayed in silence, thinking. She tried to ignore the joy in her chest for the news of Hotch's break up with Beth. The woman had been one of the reasons she accepted the job offer in London when Clyde called. She had been in love for her boss for over four years and the sight of him with another woman was just too much for her to bear. She wasn't selfish. She wanted him to be happy and if Beth did it than she was fine with it. But seeing them together made her realize that she needed to get over him. And she couldn't do it being near him eight-five percent of her time.
So she went to another continent, another country, another job. When she told him the offer and he was completely supportive and told her that if she thought it was the best for her she should go, she knew it was the right decision. He wouldn't miss her, at least not like she wanted him too. So what was the point of being here? She was struggling after Doyle. She had lost part of her. She had suffered so much and her job wasn't feeling right for her anymore. And the only hope she had to build something real, something right, wasn't going to happen.
"Hey, are you okay? You're so quiet". His quiet voice started her when the elevator rang indicating that they were on her floor.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired". She lied and looked at her daughter, seeing that she was already falling asleep. She opened the room's door and turned on the lights, dropping the bags on the near wall. "Let's just put her in the bed". She said directing them to the king sized bed on the bedroom's area. She had got a semi-flat, with a separated bedroom and a small kitchen and living room. She saw Hotch place her daughter carefully on the bed and then went to take off her shoes.
She looked up just as Hotch was caressing the girl's dark hair and pressing a light kiss on her forehead. "Good night, sweet princess…" He whispered and Emily couldn't avoid the tears welling up on her eyes. She put the blanket on her and pressed a kiss on her head, whispering her good night. When she turned to Hotch again he was staring at the frame placed on the nightstand. "So this is the picture?" He asked in a low voice.
She nodded, gesturing for the door, afraid to waking up Bethany. "Yeah, that's the picture".
They went to the living room and he smiled at her. "It's a really good picture".
"It is". She nodded, avoiding eye contact. She turned to the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee?"
"Sure". He nodded, approaching her. He had noticed that she was avoiding eye contact ever since her daughter's words in front of the restaurant and was too quiet since they got into the room. "Are you sure you're okay, Emily?"
He saw her sagged her shoulders and gripping the counter tightly, dropping her head. "I'm fine Hotch, it's just…" She sighed and turned to him with tears in her eyes. "It makes me question myself if I'm being good enough for her, you know. I mean, she's asking for a father… maybe I should try harder to find someone who could help me to raise her, who could be this fatherly figure to her. Maybe I'm just being selfish thinking that I'm everything she needs…"
"I don't think that's what she meant Emily. She was just excited for meeting me and… I don't know…" He tried to easy her worries. "If you want to, maybe we could come up with something. You could call me sometimes and I would talk with her… maybe even Skype…"
But she shook her head. "No, Hotch… I don't think it's a good idea… it would be just encouraging her into something that would never happen… this won't happen…" She said gesturing between them. "She just has to understand that and… get used to it…" She said with a small voice turning back to the counter and resuming staring the coffee maker, trying to control her tears. She was really regretting about inviting him to stay for coffee.
Hotch closed his eyes and dropped his head at her words. Even though nothing had ever even got remotely close to happen between them, he had always had eyes for her. He just couldn't not to. She was so captivating, charming, joyful, funny and so damn beautiful. There wasn't a man who didn't notice her. It was just impossible… So he resumed himself into his spot as her boss and occasional friend, admiring her by distance, enjoying her company for as long as he could and trying to bury inside the prospect of having any sort of feelings towards her.
When she had been hurt by Doyle and he had to fake her death it tore him apart, not for lying to his team, but because of the huge gap she let inside her chest with her absence. It was so unbearable being in the BAU without her, without knowing if she was okay, if she was alive, if she was safe, that he had jumped into the first opportunity to run, going to Pakistan for an eight weeks assignment.
When she came back he was so happy and relieved and even with all the trust issues with the team and the risk he took for her in his job, he couldn't regret not even for a second what he had done. Then Beth came up and he saw in her an opportunity to try to erase the so suffocating feelings he had for his brunette subordinate. And she was so easy and light and reminded him of Emily in some ways. So he let himself go for it. He tried to forget about Emily like this. He allowed himself to learn to love Beth, and he did it, in some ways. But never, ever could he forget completely his feelings for Emily.
But he couldn't help but notice the tone of sadness when she said that they wouldn't ever happen. And behind the horror on her face when Bethany asked her to marry him there was that sadness too. Almost a mourning, dejection… why would she feel this? Could she feel something too? Could she want him like he always wanted her? Could she also think that they could build something together, as a family, with Jack and now Bethanie?
He cleared his throat and took a few steps towards her. He was tired of post-pointing and just wondering what could have been… "Emily?" He called her. When she hummed at him in knowledge he continued. "If I ask you a question you promise to give me an honesty answer?"
She turned to him curiously and raised an eyebrow to him. "Yeah…"
"When you say that this couldn't ever happen" he said mentioning between them "you say it because you don't want to and never thought it could happen or because you think I never want it and never thought it could happen?"
He saw her eyes widening and her jaw dropping and thought that maybe, just maybe he had a chance. Maybe she wanted it just as much as he did. "Wh-what?" She stammered weakly.
He thought for a few seconds and said screw it. She was going away tomorrow. If she laughed at him or told him he was insane he wouldn't have to face her tomorrow or any time soon. He took another step towards her. "Because I did. I thought about this, about you, over and over and over again so many times, that I honestly don't remember a time when I didn't thought about you…" He smiled when her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and took the last few steps between them. He brought his hand to caress her cheek and smiled even more when her eyes fluttered closed. "I never allowed myself to even think that you could think about me the way I thought about you. I mean, why would you? I'm an old, divorced, workaholic man who never smiles and don't have any sense of humor. I don't know what is to have fun and just let it go for so damn long… why would such a wonderful and beautiful woman think about me like this? But I always wondered… would your skin feel so soft and smooth as always appeared to be? Would your lips taste as sweet as I've always imagined it would be? Would you squirm and whimper under my touch as I've always wondered you would?"
She tried to suppress a moan but couldn't. How could she? The man of her dreams was right there, touching her, saying that he thought about her over and over and over again and saying that he wanted to know how she felt, how she tasted, how she sounded? How could she resist this? Why should she resist this?
"I have loved you for so damn long…" She whispered and heard him sharp a breath. "I've always thought about you, about how wonderful you are, how thoughtful, how caring, how sweet in your own way… how straight-headed, how determined, how honorable… how so ridiculously handsome with your hazel eyes and your freaking cute dimples that always melted me into a puddle in just seconds…" She opened her eyes and met his staring right back at her with such a tenderness and intensity that made her knees go weak. "I tried so hard to not think about you this way… I never thought you would look at me as more than a co-worker and maybe a friend… and when Beth came along…" She closed her eyes again. "It was the push I needed to decide that I needed to let you go. I needed to get over you. I was happy that you were happy even if it was with her… but when Clyde called and offered me the job I found the opportunity to really let it go. Have a fresh start, you know". She opened her eyes. "But every time I was on a date, every time I met someone I couldn't avoid comparing with you. And there wasn't even a doubt, no one could be as good as you. And I saw that I couldn't ever find anyone because I knew how the best was… but I couldn't have…"
He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. "Did we really waste all this time?"
"We're idiots…" She answered and before she could think his lips were on hers and she was on heaven.
He circled her waist with his arms and pressed her tightly against his hard frame, moaning when she opened her mouth to him and her tongue made contact with his. They kissed lazily for several minutes and let their hands roam around their bodies, mapping their curves and traces, memorizing every inch of the other they could.
When they parted for breath they just held each other and occasionally stole sweet kisses. He sighed contentedly and pulled back to look at her. "I love you…" She let out a sob and grinned at him, a single tear running down her cheek. "And Emily… I'm not letting you go. No matter what it takes. I'm not letting you go, ever again…"
"How were going to make this work, Hotch? We have an ocean between us and we can't just drop everything. We have our jobs, you have Jack, I have Bethanie. How can we make this work like this?"
"Emily, do you love me?" He asked serious.
"I do, so much". She said truthfully.
"Then we'll make this work. Let's sit and talk, okay?" He said guiding them towards the couch.
"Okay". They have a lot of things to discuss. And only one thing on their minds. Finally.
A/N: So? What did you think? I'm really curious to know. The second part will be some kind of Epilogue and I'll post it very soon.