Summary: This is a sequel to 'Clarity'. As quickly as it had appeared it disappeared again and Hotch's heart sank even deeper into the dark depths it had been slowly sinking into over the past four months.

Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Purely for entertainment purposes.

Serendipity

The night air was cool and crisp as it blew through the tree branches above where Aaron Hotchner stood staring across the street at Emily Prentiss's second story apartment window. Something had been drawing him back to this place. Whether it was his own need to feel something or some psychic power calling to him, he didn't know. All he knew right now was that someone he cared deeply for needed someone right now and he wanted that someone to be him. As he leaned against the tree trunk all he could think about was the woman he cared deeply for had almost died. That her friends and family now thought she was dead. Only JJ and himself knew the truth.

He didn't know where Emily was or what she was doing to pass the time but he knew that she was alive and that was all that was important. He didn't care how many people he had to lie to to keep her safe, he would do it. She had run to protect them and it was the least he could do to try and protect her. Sending her away from the mess that was here, away from the man that had tried to kill her, was the only option he had.

It had been four months since Emily Prentiss had 'died'. Four months of lying to his friends. Four months of not knowing if she was safe or not. Emily had not called the phone he had given her the number for. Nothing in four months. Hotch went about his everyday life like he was in a fog most of the time. Sometimes he wasn't even sure that this wasn't all some sort of nightmare that he just couldn't wake up from. His thoughts went back to his team and how he told Strauss that he would do their grief counseling sessions. What had he been thinking? With Penelope's first tear all he wanted to do was tell her that 'It's okay Pen, she's alive. She's in hiding, but she's alive.' But he couldn't do that with any of them. He couldn't ease their pain anymore than he could ease his own. Even with the knowledge of knowing that she was out there somewhere, alive, did nothing to ease the pain of losing her. He had to mourn her loss just like the rest of the team did. Only his mourning wasn't for her dying in a sense, he mourned for the love they could have had together. He mourned what might have been. He mourned the endless hours of her being scared and alone and having no one she could trust to turn to. He mourned the not knowing. Was she safe? Was she still alive? Had Doyle found out she was alive and somehow hunted her down?

He thought about when JJ came back from her meeting with Emily to give her her new identities. JJ had said that she looked well. She cried for a while and then went home to Will and Henry. He should have been the one to go, should have had that one more goodbye that they both deserved. For a split second he had almost gone, but Jack needed him and if he would have gone he wouldn't have been able to let her go again.

The rain started to fall but Hotch didn't seem to notice. He just stood there, in the rain, looking up at Emily's old apartment. For just a moment he could see her outline in the darkened window and his heart stopped. As quickly as it had appeared it disappeared again and Hotch's heart sank even deeper into the dark depths it had been slowly sinking into over the past four months. Maybe the pull he felt was because he had finally gotten her things packed up and put into storage. Maybe it was just the finality of letting go of her old life that drew him back here. The others had been trying to get him to let them clean her place out for months but Hotch kept telling them he would do it, that they didn't need to put themselves through that. So he finally did it alone. The team assumed he would take her things to some charity and donate them, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't just give her things away like they meant nothing. He had been the one paying the rent on her apartment, of course no one knew that either. He finally realized that he had to let that part of her life go so he told her building manager that he would have her place cleared out and cleaned by the end of the week. Now here he was two days later, standing in the pouring rain outside of an empty apartment just so he could feel a little closer to her. His thoughts went back to two days ago when he packed up Emily's life into boxes. Packed away like she had never really been here at all.

He had kept a few things of Emily's when he packed her things away. He saved Reid an early publication of Chaucer's Parlement of Foules, he remembered Reid speaking of it years earlier. He knew that Emily and Reid had shared a lot of interest and he knew Reid would find it very touching so he had put in a box of things that would be given to the team. Penelope had insisted on taking Sergio after she left the hospital that fateful night all those months ago. He had also found a really unusual looking journal that he assumed had been given to her by Penelope giving the style and flamboyant colors decorating it. He had opened it up and read it. It was of her first days at the BAU and it was about her friendship with Penelope. He knew it would break Penelope's heart at the same time make her very happy to read what Emily had thought about her. He packed it away in the box beside the book for Reid.

He found Dave an unopened 1926 bottle of The Macallan Fine & Rare Scotch. He knew Dave would love it so he put it in the box beside the books. JJ got the scrapbook Emily had been making for Henry. Morgan got her copy of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5 book and what looked to be an old Ruger Army Pistol in a glass case. He knew all of these things did nothing to replace what they had lost but he thought it might give them a little comfort and help the healing process.

He remembered walking through the empty apartment after he had loaded all of her things into the back of a U-Haul to carry to a storage locker he had rented indefinitely. He didn't know how long she would be gone. He didn't know if she would ever be back but he had to keep those things for her. She had to have something to come back to. After doing the last walk through of her apartment he stopped at the door to her now empty bedroom. The impressions from her furniture still visible in the carpet, even after a good vacuuming. He wished he would wake from this nightmare to find her here, but he knew it was no dream.

The lightening flashed across the sky a spilt second before the thunder rumbled through the night air, pulling Hotch from his thoughts. He looked back up to the second story window one last time before he turned and started to walk that familiar path back to his own apartment. He could make the trip back with his eyes closed because he had done it so many times since the day he had watched her disappear in the black SVU. It had become almost a nightly ritual, walking in the quietness of the night. It had started out as way to take his mind off of things but it really didn't work because he always ended up at her place. Hotch pulled the throw away phone from his inside jacket and looked down at the black screen. He had no way to call her and he had honestly thought she would have already contacted him. His heart would break every morning he would wake and know that another day had passed and he had not heard from her.

Putting the phone back into his pocket, Hotch walked the six blocks back to his place in a daze. The rain had finally let up as he reached his apartment building. Hotch let himself into his apartment and shut and locked the door behind him. He went straight to the bathroom and changed out of his wet clothes. After a quick shower Hotch went to the kitchen and poured himself a tumbler of scotch and went back through the livingroom, stopping and looking at the picture he had placed on the fireplace mantel two days earlier. It was a picture of Emily and Jack that Emily had had on the nightstand beside her bed. Jack was sitting in her lap with his arms around her neck laughing as she tickled him. Emily's smile was from ear to ear as she held his son. It felt right... looked right, her holding him so intimately. Hotch went over to where he had hung up his jacket and took out the phone again. He checked for any missed calls or text from her. There was nothing. Of course there was nothing. There was always nothing. He tipped the tumbler up, draining the remaining liquid from the bottom. Putting the empty glass down on the coffee table he turned and headed for his bedroom. He was glad that Jack was at Jessica's for the weekend. He loved his son and his son really didn't need to see him like this. No his son didn't need to see him wallowing in his own misery.

Hotch walked down the hallway toward his bedroom and stopped outside the bedroom door when he felt the phone in his hand vibrate. His heart began to race as he checked the phone. He opened the text message, walking slowly toward the bed as he read it.

'Hi, it's me E. I'm doing okay. I miss you.' was all the text said, but at least it was something.

Hotch read the message again and he could have sworn that he could smell her scent floating around his bedroom. That sweet intoxicating scent that he had smelled a thousand times.

'So glad to hear from you. I miss you too. How are things where ever you are?' Hotch typed back and hit send.

'It has been good. Staying safe. How is everyone?' she replied.

'Everyone is good. Dealing with things. It's been a long four months. Why haven't you contacted me before now?' he asked her and then picked up the other picture he had gotten from her apartment. It was a picture of Emily, Jack and himself. It was taken after the tickle fight. They looked like they were a family. Hell they should have been a family. He traced over her face and sighed deeply as he waited for a reply from Emily.

'Yes it has been a long four months but it won't be forever Aaron. I'm glad that they are dealing with everything okay. So, where is Jack?' she replied back.

'Jessica's. Weekend sleepover. How did you know he wasn't here?' he sent back quickly. He could still smell her scent. The more they talked the stronger it smelled. Was it psychosomatic or was it real, he couldn't tell and he didn't care. Her scent comforted him. It wasn't the first time he had smelled her in the air.

'Just know you is all. You don't drink if he is home.' was the reply he got.

How did she know he was drinking? Was he that predictable?

'Where are you?' he typed and hit send.

A/N: Okay please don't kill me. Don't panic. Yes this is the end of this one but I promise there will be one more story to finish this out. So please don't be to mad at me. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think might happen or just to let me know if you like it. Thanks to everyone for all the follows I have gotten and thanks for leaving reviews. For those of you who don't review please consider leaving a review for any of the stories that you read not just mine. Writers love the feed back. It helps push us to keep going. Thank you anyway if you don't review. I am just happy that you took the time to read. Thanks again.