Mastermind || Aaron Hotchner

Chapter 24 - Aaron

"Time of death 8:27".

To my surprise, Sofia had arranged everything regarding her own funeral. She probably believed no one would care to do it for her and would end up with other unclaimed cadavers. I just took care of some needed modifications.

I was afraid that I was going to be the only person at her funeral. Until Elle walked in.

"You 'dropped' your second ID card when you visited the holding cells" I mention

"Did I? I didn't notice" she lies. "I think you were hoping I'd drop it when you came to me"

"Maybe I was...".

"How are you doing?" she asks

"I'm very confused" I admit

"I think that's normal for your whole situation" she replies. "By the way, I brought a few more people. Hope that's ok" she smirks and goes to welcome them.

By the end, they were almost 50 extra people. Every single one of them left a flower for Sofia. And then Elle brought a wreath of 27 roses.

"So, all these people..." I speak

"They're only a part of the people she freed" she confirms. "I haven't closed my investigation yet, because I feel like this is just the beginning of people coming out" she informs me.

Deep down, I know she invited them here so I can see how many people Sophia actually helped through her actions. But it still doesn't make it right.

"Well, thank you for everything" I say

"Anytime" she replies as we shake hands.

Afterwards, I decided to stay in the cemetery alone for some time. I sat on the bench, staring at the stone with her name on it. It is peaceful. I hope Sofia is will get some peace too. She needs it.

"I figured you'd be here" Dave says as he approaches

"How did the case go?" I ask, trying to avoid the difficult topic

"Everything went ok. Worked the profile. We kept the girl safe. It was a happy ending"

"Good" I reply, without looking away from Sofia's name.

He walks around the bench and sits on the other side with me. "Lots of flowers" he notices

"Yeah..." I breathe out. "Elle says there must be much more people Sofia helped. I find comfort in knowing that. I know it sounds wrong because she killed 27 people, but most of them should have died a long time ago. And, honestly, these thoughts are making me question my own judgement" I wonder.

"The world isn't always black and white, Aaron. There is a lot of shades of grey in between; some of them are lighter, but some are darker grey. Maybe there's no right or wrong here. And there's certainly no wrong way to feel. The Black Widow killed 27 people... But you're allowed to grieve the Sofia you knew before you learned all this. It doesn't make you a bad person" he explains.

I lower my head. "That's the thing... I still love her. Even after finding out about all this, even after all the interrogation process, I love her. And I fucking miss her" I wipe my eyes before the tears come out.

"When I think about her, I don't see a serial killer. I see the incredibly strong and impressive woman I fell in love with. And then I see a little girl who never felt loved or wanted" I explain. "We always catch bad people, but we never stop to think what drove them there. What made them hate everyone" I wonder.

"Unfortunately, many factors play in it. We always say that genetics load the gun, personality and psychology aim it, and experiences pull the trigger. Our job isn't to prevent their evolution, but to stop them afterwards and thats the hard truth" he reminds me.

"It's just that... I've been thinking how was she supposed to respect and be kind to the world when her world didn't respect or was kind to her growing up? That's all she knew, that was her normal...".

I bury my face in my hands. "What am I even saying?" I sigh, not believing that I'm justifying 27 murders right now. "I think I need a few more days off to figure things out" I say

"Of course. Take as much time as you need" he replies. "Take care of yourself. Go somewhere warm, relax. I hear Spain is nice around this time of the year" he suggests.

I turn my head and look at him suspiciously.

"What? You thought I wouldn't find out?" he asks offended

"Did Elle tell you?" I wonder

"No. But I have eyes and ears everywhere, Aaron. I know everything" he claims causing me to chuckle.

"Does anyone else know?" I question

"Not to my knowledge"

"And how did it come to your knowledge?" I wonder

"It was a closed casket funeral for no apparent reason. You pulled the same shit with Prentiss. And right now you are not grieving because she's dead, but because you'll never see her again".

"She's safer this way. She might be angry and hate me when she wakes up alone in another continent, but she'll be better. And if she slips into her old patterns again, I will take care of it" I state.