No-one had seen Annabel Bradey in a decade, that was until she resurfaced in SSA Aaron Hotchner's office in Quantico. She was carrying scars both physical and mental, but wouldn't share her story. Or at least not until everyone she loved was in dang...
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Aaron Hotchner didn't want to scare Annie as he walked through the door of his apartment. Earlier that day, he had told her to take his room, primarily as he wasn't even certain he would be home before she would wake, but much like the night before she had refused. No matter how much Aaron tried to convince her, Annie was sure she was a burden on him. Though, having watched her interact with Jack that day, he was sure that she was become increasingly accustom to the idea that she was a member of the family.
As he opened the door, careful not to jerk it in the way that cause it to hit the back wall, Aaron was shocked by the sight. On the couch, Annie seemed to be sleeping peacefully, the subconscious filches and momentary sobs he had witnessed as she rested in his office were nowhere to be seen. It was this that made him adamant he wasn't going to wake her, despite desperately wanting coffee or the microwave meal he knew was waiting in the fridge he was going to cross the living room straight to the bedroom.
After closing the door, the agent slipped his shoes off, the impact of the sole's being more than he wanted to risk on the dated floorboards. He moved slowly, keeping an eye on the woman as he moved through the room. It wasn't until he found himself in line with the couch that he noticed the redhead shivering, her arms wrapping around herself instinctively.
The blankets were in the living room, Aaron knew that much, but he wasn't aware of where she had put them when she cleared up the previous morning. He scanned the room, catching sight of the fabric on the armchair. Once again, he tried to remain quiet, but, unlike Jack, Aaron was unaware of the floorboard that always creaked under any amount of weight. The noise, while not substantial, was enough to wake the sleeping woman.
Annie shot up, her breath picking up as she held her hands out in front of her defensively. Remembering where she was, the woman dropped her hands, the shaking in her limbs continuing despite her anxiety levels dropping. When she saw Aaron, she forced a smiled onto her face, shaking her head at his apologies, "It's okay, I'm fine now."
"Annie, I was trying to get through without waking you, but you were shivering." He explained, picking up the blanket and cursing as he stood on the same floorboard on the way back. "I tried everything to be quiet."
Taking the blacker, and wrapping it around her shoulders, Annie laughed lightly, "I wouldn't have mind if you did wake me, I don't now. It's nice to know that you're back."
"You seemed peaceful," he muttered, putting his arm around her as she continued to shiver. "I thought you were finally resting properly."
She had a smile on her face as she closed her eyes, leaning into Aaron's embrace, "I was having a nice dream."
There was a form of relief in Aaron's mind as she spoke, it was as though she was radiating her relative happiness. It had always been the case growing up, Annie's feelings were contagious. If she was mad, he was mad with her and for her. What was worse, was when Annie was hurting. The moment there was any pain in the girl's life, he felt it tenfold braking him apart atom by atom. Though, at that moment, he didn't feel pain, he just felt content.
However, he knew he had to break that cycle. Neither Penelope nor Jennifer would tell her what they had found in their search of Gabriel Martyr, they only gave him another name. They told him to ask her about his wife, Mary Martyr. The secrecy concerned him, but they reassured that there was no malicious intent, towards him or Annie. They just wanted him to hear whatever they had learnt from her.
"Annie," Aaron whispered, shifting so that he could look down at her. She bummed in response, her eyes still closed, as he asked, "Who's Mary Martyr?"
He felt the change in atmosphere, Annie's eyes flicked open at the name and she inhaled sharply in shock. In less than a second, Annie had pushed herself away from his chest, stood from the couch and begun pacing before him. She was muttering words under her breath; her finger twisted the crucifix around her neck - which she hadn't removed since she was twelve. The change worried the man who had now stood, closing the distance between them.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her still as he reassured, "Annie, you're safe here."
"Me." She whispered. Aaron was visibly confused as he watched her, still twisting her necklace between her forefinger and thumb. "I'm Mary Martyr." He remained silent, waiting for her to continue. "Gabriel, he convinced me that we had both been divinely chosen, that he'd found me through what the lord had told him. He said that I was his Mary, a woman sent to preach by his side."
That wasn't all, he could see she was holding back. Having guided her back to the couch, Aaron asked, "Martyr? Did you marry him?"
"I don't think it was legal." She confirmed. "It wasn't even a proper ceremony, he said that in the Lords eyes we were already a union. He said that we couldn't exist without one another, but he lied. The worst part is I believed him."
Aaron let out a sigh, holding her hand in his, "Annie what was this church called?"
"Church of the Archangel Raphael, he's the patron saint of healing. That how he sells it to everyone, that they can find peace with the church." Annie explained, being open with Aaron for the first time since she had returned. He had found Mary; it was only a matter of time before he found everything else. "Aaron," she began, her voice dripping with anxiety, "you can't go and play hero."
"Why not?" He snapped slightly, causing Annie to flinch slightly. "I'm sorry, but the leader of that church he forces you to stay, didn't he?"
"Not for the entire time," she announced, the truth shocking Aaron. "I was there for two and half years before it was forced. It wasn't until, um, I found out that I was-" She trailed off, but Aaron offered supportive squeeze of her hand and she continued, "It wasn't until I had his twins, that I realised I was in the wrong place. When you sudden have someone else to worry about, your logic and your rationing kick in."
"Annie, does he have your children?" Aaron asked, and she nodded her face screwing up as she sobbed audibly.
"That's how he kept me there for the last seven years." She explained, taking her hand from Aaron's and forcefully wiping her eyes, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "Every time I mentioned leaving, or talked against him, he'd put me in this room. It was so small, and he'd leave me there hours, until he was sure I wasn't going to separate from him again. But he started to realise, that putting one of my girls in there was a better way to keep me by his side. So, every time we had to leave the compound, or he thought I was going to act out, he would put one of them in there."
She swallowed back her tears, the hurt she had felt for her daughter not having subsided with time. Her hands shook as she lowered the, Aaron taking them in his once again as she added, "One day, he had been called to talk to the police, one of the boys who had joined, his parents had accused Gabriel of holding him against his will. I had to play the part of the perfect wife, accompanying him, while Elisha, the youngest of my girls, was locked in the room."
"Annie you don't need to say anymore," Aaron declares, but she shook her head.
"You need to know." She mumbled, holding her head high at an attempt to stop her tears from flowing. "We were gone longer than was expected, one of the officers saw a mark on my arm and took matters into his own hands. I didn't know my baby was ill, but if I had I could have recognised the symptoms. I could have seen what I saw with Maiya and told Gabriel about my families genetics." She took yet another deep, composing breath. "She had a seizure in the room, no one knew so, when we got back to the compound, I found her there. The walls and the floor were concrete, there was blood everywhere."
Aaron didn't need to here anymore to understand that Annie had been through more than her fair share in the last few years. He simply pulled her into his chest, allowing her to cry into his shirt once again. Part of him was certain she had more to tell him, but there had been enough candour for that night. He just held her as she mumbled, repeatedly, "I failed her. I failed them both."
