"Are you sure you should be coming back already?"
You'd run into Hotch at the entrance, and he wasn't very subtle with his concern.
"I'm fine. It never lasts that long. I promise. I wouldn't come back unless I was sure."
He had to take your word for it. You knew your body.
"By the way, thanks again for visiting."
He came in each day you were sick to help. In some way you felt a bit closer to Hotch. He told you a bit about his son, even showed you pictures. It was easy to see how much love he felt for the boy.
"You don't have to keep thanking me." Hotch said with a small smile.
"It was a bit comical watching you levitate every time you sneezed. "
"I knew you only stayed to watch me fly around the place. "
Hotch couldn't stop the laugh that escapes him at the accusation. As the elevator doors opened, the team turned at the sound of your laughs as well as Hotch's. You looked up, greeting them as you moved to your desk.
Garcia blocked your view with a cheerful smile.
"(Y/N) there's someone waiting for you, I think you'll be very happy."
You tilt your head.
"Oh yeah, is it a movie star or something?" She finally stepped to the side, and the man standing at your desk wore a smile.
Your face immediately changed into one of disbelief.
"Hello sweetheart."
The dark haired male said. Anger contorted your features. Your first instinct was to reach for your gun, but you control yourself. You couldn't threaten him, not here. It wouldn't do much good anyway, not against him.
"Why are you here?" Everyone could feel the tension, and Hotch moved to your side.
"Do we have a problem here?"
Hotch asked. Garcia now looked guilty. She'd been so sure you had a close relationship, at least that's how the man laid it out.
"No, he was just leaving. Isn't that right Manchester."
"That's cold. I just got here. I wanted you to give me a lay of the land."
"Leave!"
This time it clearly wasn't a request. Hotch was worried about you getting too worked up.
"Alright, I can tell when I'm unwanted. You know where to find me when you're ready to talk."
With a cheshire smile, he ran his hand over your desk before walking away. You turned your head to the side as he buzzed past. The second he's gone you could feel the team flock around. Garcia rushed over to apologize.
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea that you weren't on speaking terms. He just sounded so sincere and I-" You take her hands to calm her down.
"It's okay Penelope. You didn't know." Letting her go, you excused yourself. They watched you leave, a bit weary.
"Penelope, she called me Penelope. She never calls me Penelope." Garcia went on a rant, and Hotch's eyes watched you make your way to the elevator, the same direction of that mystery man.
When you got to the ground floor, there he was, standing next to your car.
"Why are you here? What do you want!!"
You screamed. It was stupid to make a scene, especially in plain view, but you were pissed. The lights blinking above your head should have been a clear indication.
"That's good, your powers are getting stronger. Just what I would expect from my daughter."
"Stop playing with me!"
You swung at him, and your fist froze. Grunting, you stared at him with a glare, trying to push through. Your hand wouldn't budge, and Manchester just smiled.
"You may be angry at me, but you're blood. Despite what you think, I care about you." Your hand dropped abruptly, and you took a step back.
"Yeah, right. Did you find some more criminals to kill. Want me to help you snuff out some more lights. Is that it?"
"Is it so crazy that I would just want to be with my daughter? "
"You lost the right to use that title the second you killed that man. "
"HE MURDERED YOUR MOTHER!!"
His yell made all the vehicles flash on, the alarms going ballistic. You held back the tears that threatened to spill. Manchester took two calming breaths, and they silenced. You just stood there, fighting to contain your own grief and anger.
"You were wrong. You can sit there and pretend that you did that for justice, but you're no better than him. Killing people, no matter how you try to justify it, it's wrong."
"Is that what you tell yourself now? This sanctimonious act is pathetic. What about Amber's killer? Hmm. If I hadn't been there that day, you would have killed him."
"That's different. I-I didn't kill him."
"You can keep telling yourself that, but I saw it. That look in your eyes. You wanted to rip his heart out. The second you realized you could do the things I could, you went after him. You weren't trying to bring justice for your best friend. If those agents hadn't been there he would have been as good as dead." You swallow, shaking your head.
"I would never...I-I'm not you.."
"You're worse. I don't hide who I am. But you're here playing pretend with the same team you met that day. Do they even know about you?"
"S-Shut up!!"
"Does he know what you are. I saw the way that man raced to your side like a guard dog. I could feel it. How much he adores you, how much you adore him. You think he'd feel the same if he found out?"
"SHUT UP!!"
His body was forced backwards, and he hit the floor with a grunt. Staggering back, you placed your hands to your lips. You took a shaky step forward, but he lifted his hand, getting to his feet as he let out a boisterous laugh.
"You're my daughter. No shield is ever going to change that."
When he was fully upright, you stumbled back, right before you turned, rushing to head back into the building.
