Hotchniss One-Shots

Piece By Piece

Emily had stayed home from work since the team didn't have any case and had finished any paperwork the night before. Though Aaron had gone into work so he could do whatever he needed to do for the rest of the paperwork and he had a meeting as well. 

Jack was out of school and over at a friend's house. Their eighteen month old daughter, Serena Grace Hotchner, had been laid down for her nap about two hours before. 

She had been relaxing on the couch when her phone rang. She answered it, not bothering to look at the number. She said," Hello."

A voice she hadn't heard in a while answered back, " Emily, it's your father."

He paused for moment," I want to see you again."

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Matthew Prentiss walked towards the front door of the house, his suitcases in tow. Elizabeth had tears flowing down her cheeks, knowing she couldn't keep him from leaving. She had tried. Six year old Emily had been standing in front of her  mother. She chased after father as he made his way to his car. She got him to stop when he heard her running after him. She said," Daddy, please stay. Stay for me if you can't do it for Mommy."

Matthew looked at his daughter. He said," I can't. Mommy and I just can't be together anymore. We don't work together."

He wasn't going to tell his daughter that he had cheated on her mother and he was leaving because of that. He placed his suitcases in the trunk before he looked back at his daughter. He wiped a few tears from her cheek with his thumb. He got in the car and drove off.

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Sure she was older now and had a family of her own but she still remembered the day that her father had left. She sighed when she realized that her dad was still on the phone. She said," Are you sure?"

He said," Yeah, I want to see you."

She said," I mean the last time we actually saw each other face to face was a little over five years ago when I got the job at the BAU. You sent a note when you couldn't make it to your only daughter's wedding two and a half years ago. And the only reason you knew I was pregnant was because you talked to my mom. That was two years ago. I thought maybe you'd want to see me then but nope, you just sent a card saying congrats about the baby and thirty dollars."

She didn't mean for it to all come out at once but it did. 

He said," Yes, I know. And the time before that you had just turned twenty-one."

He paused," So do you want to see me, because I understand if you don't."

She sighed," I don't know, I have to think about it."

She heard her daughter call for her through the baby monitor. She said," I have to go. Call me tomorrow and I'll let you know."

Her father had barely said bye when she had hung up. She placed her phone down on the couch before she went and got Serena out of her crib. Bring her back down soon afterwards.

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Aaron arrived home around seven o'clock that night, his meeting had ended not long before he went home. He knew that Jack was staying over at his friend's house. He walked in the house and set his stuff down before looked around. He headed upstairs after he saw that his wife and daughter weren't home. He checked the time and figured that they were in the nursery.

He leaned against the open door frame. He heard a song playing on low, which he quickly identified as Piece By Piece by Kelly Clarkson, since he had heard it before whenever Emily played it. He moved closer to her and he saw the tears as she sat in the rocking chair with their sleeping daughter. 

He turned off the song before he gently took their daughter out of her arms. He placed her in her crib and placed a light blanket over her before he turned back to Emily. He picked her up from the rocking chair.

Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and then wrapped her legs around his waist. She soon quickly placed her face in the crook of his neck as he walked out the nursery and turned out the light.

He said," Your father called today, didn't he?"

He felt her nod, not lifting her head from where it was at. He walked from the nursery to downstairs. He sat down on the couch with her still wrapped around him. He kissed her head before he said," We can talk about it you want, it's fine if you don't want to. I can just hold you."

Soon enough she calmed down and lifted her head off of him so she could look at him. She kissed his lips before she said," I love you, Aaron Hotchner."

He smiled and said," I love you too, Emily Hotchner."