A/N: OhmyGod, I'm such a bad, bad, bad person. I can't believe it's been so long, I'm so sorry! I had a problem with my computer and I couldn't write or post and I'm sorry. This is the last chapter in Oblivion and I'm so proud. I decided to put the Epilogue here too to reedem myself with you guys... I'd like to thank you all for the suport in this fic; I honestly didn't think I would have so much response here. I loved writing every single part of this and although I'm very sad that it's over I'm very proud with the result. Thank you all again. I'm finishing This Thing Called Love and I'll probably post it by the end of the day. I'm also already working on my new fic so I'll be posting it tomorrow or the day after. Please, go take a look and keep reading and reviewing because I love it. Here is the end, I sincerely hope you guys like it. See you soon!
Disclaimer: I do not own CM.
Chapter 22
They were spooning at their bed that night, Hotch's hand caressing her belly, soothing their little baby and pressing little kisses on her neck and shoulders. "We have to make an appointment." He whispered to her.
"I know. I'll call first thing in the morning…" She whispered back. "Jack is so excited…" She said smiling. The boy had spent the rest of the night with his head resting on her lap, his hand caressing her belly and whispering stories to his little brother or sister. He had even picked one of his old books, from when Hotch and Emily read to him before sleep, and read to it, his voice quiet and warm, saying that it would make the baby sleep better.
"He is… he always wanted a sibling… he's very protective and caring and I know that he will be extremely protective towards the baby…" He said smiling. "We have to tell the team. I was thinking we could invite them for lunch this Saturday. We could tell them about the baby and our ceremony…" He suggested.
"Fine by me… I miss them… we used to have them over every week…"
He tightened his grip on her and pressed another kiss on her neck. "I know, babe." He remembered one decision he had made during the time she was on his mother's and thought about the better way to approach. "Sweetheart…"
"Hmm…" She hummed at him.
"I thought about a lot of things these last few days… I think… I think I'm going to retire…" He said quietly.
"What?" She asked surprised raising her head to look at him.
"I don't want to do this job anymore… look at what happened this time… I almost died, I lost my memory, I almost lost you… it's just so much risk, it's not worth it. Not anymore. I have more important things in my life, more valuable things… Jack, you, our new baby… why would I want to put my life in risk every single day when I have so much waiting for me, depending on me? Why would I want to risk losing everything? I want to be here, every day. I want to take Jack to school and pick him at the end of the day. I want to help him with his homework. I want to watch movies with you guys at night. I want to sleep all night, without worrying if I'll get a call in the middle of the night. I want to go all the appointments with you. I want to read baby books before sleep. I want to feel the first kick with you. I want to paint the guest room and make the nursery. I want to fill all your crazy pregnant wishes any time you need. I want so much, honey. I want to live my life and not my job…"
She had tears in her eyes in the end of his speech. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Our family is too much important for me to risk my life every day. I did everything I could these thirteen years, it's time to let someone else take the lead from now on… it's time to establish my priorities and you are in the first place. I'm not young anymore… It's time to let someone else do the job…" He said to her.
"Honey, you know I'll support you in everything you want or need and if you feel like this is what you need I'll be by your side… I told you when Strauss found out about us that you weren't ready yet but now… I can see that you are…"
"I am. I am ready to leave the Agent Hotchner behind…" He said smiling.
She smiled at him, partially relieved because he wouldn't put himself in danger on regular basis, and kissed him sweetly. "Love you, babe…"
"I love you too…" He whispered back.
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"I have to say that I really missed these weekly BBQs at your house, sugarplum…" Garcia said to Emily. They were in the kitchen, along with JJ and Tara, while the men and children were outside.
"I missed it too. We had a rough month but things will get better from now on…" She said smiling, looking at her son playing with Henry in the backyard and her husband laughing at something Dave had said.
"I told you everything would be just fine…" JJ said to her and she chuckled.
"I know…" She nodded. "It wasn't easy, though. I honestly thought we wouldn't make it. But I love him too much to just let it go… he's my everything… I tried to live without him these past two weeks and it was hell. Like he used to say, I need him to breath… it's like my brain can't function normally if he's not near or my heart constricts if I can't see him…" She said looking at him. When he spotted her and smiled brightly at her, winking and motioning for her to join him she couldn't avoid the flutter on her chest.
"I think your love for each other is so beautiful… like those sappy old movies with bad soundtrack that made us cry from beginning to end…" Garcia said smiling and all women chuckled.
"Let's go out there see what these men are doing…" Emily said.
"Care to tell me what you ladies were gossiping in there?" Morgan asked putting his arms around Garcia.
"Oh, you really wouldn't want to know my Chocolate Thunder…" Garcia said and everyone chuckled.
Hotch looked at Emily meaningfully and she nodded slightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and cleared his throat to call everyone's attention. "We'd like to thank you all for coming today… we all know how hard this month was for our family and now that we're starting to put things on their places we really appreciate your support…" He started. "But we also invited you guys here because we have a few announcements to make…"
He looked down at Emily and she smiled at him, kissing his jaw. "First of all, I know that it won't be something easy for none of us but I thought a lot about it and I know it'll be the best for me and for my family…" He continued and everyone frowned. "I still have one week off but when it's over I'll be retiring…" Garcia gasped and Morgan widened his eyes and the others, minus Dave, were equally shocked. "I'll go in to train my replacement and finish my paperwork but after that I'm out. This last experience was the breaking point for me… I can't put myself in danger like that anymore, I'm too old for that and I have too much to lose. This…" he said gesturing to the house, Emily and Jack "it's what matters and I can't risk lose everything for a job. It's time to let someone else to do it…"
"Are you sure, man?" Morgan asked.
"Positively".
"Then you have my full support". He said and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Thank you guys… everything we live together as a team was wonderful but it's time for me to focus on my family completely. Which lead us to the other two announcements…" He said smiling, bending his head to kiss Emily's cheek. "First… Emily and I decided to reaffirm our vows in a small ceremony".
"Ohmygosh, that's so cute!" Garcia said excitedly. "Another Hotchner wedding!"
Emily chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, I'll need my bridesmaids to help me to choose a dress…"
"No problem my dark-haired heaven beauty! We'll find the most shocking amazing dress that will leave the boss-man drooling!" Garcia said and Hotch chuckled.
"With Emily you don't need a special dress for this, Garcia… She's magnificent in anything…" He said smiling. "In nothing too…" He added quietly but loud enough to everyone hear and burst out in laugh, leaving Emily blushing.
"Aaron!" She smacked his arm before turning to Tara. "You weren't in the first wedding but now you're here and we love you and you're one of the bridesmaids too, okay?"
"Thank you Em…" She answered smiling.
"And what is the last announcement?" JJ asked curious.
Hotch looked at Emily and both chuckled. "Okay, for this one everyone needs to be prepared to Penelope's screams…" Hotch started and everyone frowned curiously. He laced his fingers with Emily's and put them on her belly, a full-dimpled smile on his face. "We're having a baby…"
"OHMYGOD!" Garcia squealed as expected and rushed to hug both brunettes. "Congratulations! I can't believe it! This is so incredibly deliciously amazingly awesome!"
"Thank you Pen…" Emily chuckled. "We found out this week. I'm almost ten weeks along. We went to the doctor yesterday and everything is fine… I have to be careful because of my age but other than that everything seems perfect…"
"Congratulations belíssima…" Dave said hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for you sweetheart… you both deserve this and so much more…"
"Thank you Dave". She said wiping her tears and looking at Hotch. At his nod she turned to him again. "I know it's early but we talked and we'd like you to be our baby's godfather…"
His eyes widened and he grinned at her, taking her in another bear hug. "Oh sweetie, I'd be honored…" He said with a hoarse voice. "Thank you…"
She smiled at him and shook her head. "Thank you… I don't know what we would have done these weeks without you… thank you for taking care of him…" She said tearfully.
"Always sweetheart. Always".
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By the end of the day everyone was still in the backyard talking when Anna arrived. "Oh babe, I'm sorry… I didn't know you have visitors…" She said seeing everyone.
"Oh Anna, please… you're home… we actually wanted to talk with you…" Emily said looking at Hotch.
"What is it, sweetie?" She asked sitting down beside her.
Emily smiled at Hotch and looked back at her. "We talked and we're very happy to give you another grandbaby but… we'd like to give you a title that we picked for you, for your meaning in our life and not for genetic…" She started. "So… we talked and agreed that we'd be very happy if you were our baby godmother too".
Anna looked at her with wide filled eyes and her mouth hanging opened. "Sweetheart…" She whispered. "But… but… I'm already old and…"
"And we don't care. Other than us we want you to be the most important person in the baby's life because that's what you are…" Hotch said smiling.
"So… what do you say?" Emily asked.
"I'd be honored darling… thank you so much…" She said hugging her tightly. "I love you so much, sweetheart…"
"I love you too, mom". She whispered back and smiled when she tightened her grip on her.
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"Okay, sugarplum. Ready to pick the perfect dress?" Garcia asked as they entered the store.
"Nothing too extravagant Pen… I'm forty-something, already a mother and with another on the way…" Emily said carefully.
"Right, because you don't need a dress to look magnificent… just your birthday suit…" She giggled.
"I'm gonna kill Aaron…" She groaned.
"No, you won't. Now, let's go. Mommy can do too much effort, we have to be quick". Garcia said rushing them inside.
They were greeted by a young sailor who showed them some models and they quickly chose some that Emily should try out. First, she tried a simple silk white dress with a low cut on the back, but Garcia said it was too boring and didn't match with her. The second one was a salmon-colored with small sleeves, but Emily didn't like it. The third one was a white strapless dress with a heart-cut cleavage and little sparkles all over the skirt. It was tight on the waist and hips and flow open above her knees, marking very well all her curves and chest. When no one said anything she turned to her friends.
"So…?"
"Wow…" Garcia gasped. "You look absolutely stunning Emily!"
"You guys liked it?" She asked excited. It was by far her favorite and it was very comfortable and slim. She knew she would be able to dance without a problem and it wasn't heavy so it wouldn't be a problem for the baby.
"I absolutely loved it, Em…" JJ said and Tara nodded. "Hotch will flip!"
"I really loved it too…" She whispered happily. "I still can't believe I'm going to marry him again…"
"You didn't tell us how he asked!" Garcia said excitedly.
"It was so…" She struggled with the words. "It was right after we found out about the baby. He was so happy and then suddenly he took off my rings and I was like, what the hell are you doing? And then he knelt down and said that this whole thing was like an opportunity of a second chance to him, to make things right, better. And he said that he loved me so much that he wanted to reaffirm that in front of our family and friends and make this a new phase of our lives together… it was so sweet, so romantic…" She said and Garcia awed.
"I honestly can't see Hotch as a romantic". Tara laughed. "I mean, he's great, honorable and very sweet when he wants to be, but romantic?"
"He is… he's very romantic… I remember this time, right after we start dating and we had just got back from a horrible case. I tackled the unsub but we had one hell of a fight before. I was so sore and grumpy and when we get home I just went upstairs and didn't even speak with him, just fell on the bed. A few minutes later I woke up with him picking me up. I didn't know what he was doing so I started to argue with him but he just continued his way to the bathroom. When we got in I saw that he had lighted up the whole room with candles and had prepared a bubble bath for me with my favorite salts. There was a soft song playing and he undressed me carefully and placed me on the bathtub. Then he was gone and I stood there like a stupid. Almost an hour later he came back and took me off the bathtub and dried me, then he dressed me in my favorite shirt, his shirt, and one of his boxers and picked me up again, placing me on the bed. He left the room again and then came back with a tray with my favorite pasta and a glass of wine. I ate while he was in the shower and then he took the tray back to the kitchen and came back, lying next to me and putting me in his arms because he knew it was all I needed to feel better".
"Wow…" JJ said. "That's just…"
"They don't do men like this anymore…" Tara finished.
"No, no they don't". Garcia nodded.
"Sorry girls… I have mine. And I'm never letting him go…" Emily said smiling looking at her dress. She could barely wait for their ceremony.
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"Are you nervous?" Dave asked at Hotch while they were waiting for Emily in the backyard of their house. The place was all decorated with flowers and little lights, a few white chairs arranged in front of a small altar and a long white carpet replacing the usual red one in the middle. There were tables arranged too, for the small dinner they'd serve. There was a band playing some of their favorite songs and a dancefloor, lightened with flashing lights.
"Not a bit. I can't believe that she actually accepted to marry me again after what I did but I'm happy…" He said with a sheepish grin.
Dave nodded at him and suddenly there was a change in the song and all eyes turned to the end of the aisle. The next few minutes were just a blur to Hotch, focused on the vision walking towards him. She was wearing the most beautiful dress he'd ever seen and the smile on her face was the most bright and glorious. Before he knew she was standing in front of him and whispering a quiet 'hey' and he swore to God he would spend the rest of his days making this woman happy. When he priest told him to recite his vows he took her hands in his and looked right into her eyes, completely oblivious of everything and everyone else.
"I honestly don't know why you're here, giving me another chance, giving yourself to me in front of God, our family and friends, but I'm not going to question your sanity right now…" he started and everyone chuckled. "I'm perfectly aware that I don't deserve you… you are so beautiful, so caring, so sweet and thoughtful and you stole my heart without I even notice. You sneaked your way into my life and embraced me and my demons, my baggage and all my flaws and made me feel like I just had born again. You took my son and made him truly yours without erasing his mother from his life and for that I'll be forever grateful. You brought the light back to my life and when a fatality tried to take it away again you didn't let. You fought tooth and nail to make us work and even when I hurt you and you had every right to leave you stayed. You make me see, every single day in every single thing you do how much you love me, how much even with my flaws I'm capable of making you happy. You don't care for my insecurities. You just brush them away and make me believe in myself again. You made me fall in love with you five years ago and now you made me fall in love with you all over again. This just proves me how much we're made for each other, how much you were sent by God to me. And here, in front of everyone who witnessed everything we've been through I promise you I will spend the rest of my days making you smile, giving you anything you want, filling your wishes, making your dreams come true, because by just being here you made all my dreams come true. I love you, sweetheart. I will always love you".
EPILOGUE
Hotch looked at his backyard through the window of the room and smiled. Everyone was gathered out there, talking and laughing, waiting for the bride. The band was playing and the priest was positioned on the altar, the nervous groom by his side, looking anxiously at the house.
He couldn't believe that twenty-three years had passed already. Running his fingers through his grey hair he thought about all the moments they passed in this place, all the small victories, all the disappointments, all the fights, all the reconciliations, all the celebrations, everything that guided them to this moment.
"Dad...?" He heard her small voice calling from the door and turned. There she was, her beautiful dark locks curled on her shoulders, her hazel eyes sparkling and her smile brightening and warming his heart.
"Oh, my little princess…" He whispered hoarsely, taking a few steps towards her. "You look so beautiful, Liv…"
She smiled at him and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you, daddy…"
"You look so much like your mother…" He said pulling apart. She chose to wear Emily's dress from their renewal, with just a few adjusts. "You know, when she wore this dress you were right here with us…" He said putting a hand on her stomach. "She was so beautiful and I was so happy… I know Mark is a good man and he loves you very much and I hope he knows he has to make you happy every single day or else I will have to kill him…" He said seriously but the slight tilt of his mouth gave it away.
"I'll tell him…" She chuckled. "You know that even after this, even after I have my own kids, even when I have grey hair just like you I'll always be your little princess, right?"
He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I know, sweetheart… Are you ready?" He asked handing his hand to her.
"Will you hold me?" She asked.
"Always, my princess. Always…"
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Olivia and Mark had just left for they honeymoon and Hotch took Emily's hand and lead her to the dancefloor. "Can you believe that it's been twenty-three years already since we dance right here on our ceremony?" She whispered to him.
"I was just thinking the same thing…" He whispered back and smiled at her. They swung quietly at the soft melody and smiled at the sight of Jack doing the same thing with his wife. He had gotten married five years ago with a beautiful English teacher named Sarah and they were now expecting their second child. Catherine, their first granddaughter was running through the yard with the other children, giggling and laughing nonstop.
Emily looked at the rest of the guests and family and back at her husband. Even after twenty-eight years together she still loved him and wanted him like the very first day. They had their rough times, they fought, they disagreed with each other but always, always they found their way back to the other. "Aaron?" She whispered.
"Yes, sweetheart?" He said looking down at her.
"You did it…" She said and smiled at his confused face. "You made all my dreams come true…"
He smiled at her and kissed her deeply. "I love you, Emily…" He said pulling apart.
"I love you too, Aaron… Always…"
THE END.