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 hadn't expected Jack to ask questions about her for at least a few years; he did know that he would, at some point, ask questions as he was not careful with mentioning her. Whenever they lit the candle for Haley, he would always light a second one, explaining that it was to guide Annie home. In fact, Aaron knew he was lucky Jack hadn't questioned him about the woman already, but he hadn't prepared for that moment.
That was why he was late for work on the 27th of August. He had spent at least an hour explaining to his son that his friend had gone missing years ago; he even told him the stories of the musical. Jack knew the story of how his mother and father had met, but both had left Annie out, neither ready to explain why she didn't visit. However, something about that day told Aaron that Jack was ready, and that it needed to be said.
It wasn't until he was answering Jack's questions that he realised he was feeling oddly hopeful about his friend. Somehow, Aaron was beginning to forget about the hope he had lost or the statistics surrounding decade long disappearances. As he had a few months ago, he was going to ask Penelope to search for her again, and then he was going to find her. He wasn't going to give up until he succeeded.
Crossing the bullpen, he was trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible, being late was not something he would ever be proud of. However, he was not successful, as he had been seen by a member of the security team who had stopped him before he was even halfway to his office.
As Aaron grit his teeth, he noticed a figure in his office, pacing backwards and forwards as he watched. Presuming it was a member of the team, he tried to signal to the security that he was late, but he was still stopped.
"She said she knew you but wouldn't say how." The man stated, nodding towards his office. "She seemed paranoid, kept looking over her shoulder."
Even as he tried not to get his hopes up, Aaron was placing a name and face to the mysterious woman the guard was talking about. Looking back from his office, he asked, "Did she give a name?"
"Mabel Stanley." He stated, causing Aaron's eyes to become wide.
Muttering a quick thank you, the Unit Chief quickened his pace as he crossed the bullpen to his office. He could hear the voices of Spencer and Derek calling out but ignored them without any acknowledgement; Aaron had to get to her. Getting to the office was the priority for him in that moment, he had to see if it was her.
Hovering for a moment, Aaron wondered what state a woman missing for a decade could be in. Having not even given her own name, he also wondered what he was scared of. Mostly, he wondered what could have been so bad that she would deny his contact for over a decade.
Pushing open the door, Aaron was shocked by what he was greeted with. Annabel Brady had been an athletic and healthy woman before she had disappeared, now she was stood before him with barely enough weight to cover her bones. Additionally, her hair had been dyed and grown out since he had last seen her, but, despite those differences, he knew it was her.
"Annie," he whispered, his tone less declarative and more questioning. As she let a half smile fill her face, he was unable to believe what his eyes were telling his brain. "Is that really you?"
She nodded, her hand shaking at her side, "I'm sorry Aaron."
Shaking his head, Aaron closed the gap between them, taking her hand in his to try and steady it. It was at this moment, when he initiated the contact that Annie began to sob. Initially, she moved her hand to cover her mouth, but Aaron pulled into his arms, her sobs being muffled by his chest.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he whispered, allowing her to grip to his shirt. Feeling her hands still shaking, Aaron began to stroke her hair the way he always had when she would grow upset as a child. Letting out a sigh, the agent added, "I'm going to close the blinds now, and we can talk."
She sobbed harder, fearful about what she would be expected to discuss. Having interviewed many victims, Aaron understood her fear of reliving whatever she had experienced. He began to whisper to her, "It can be anything you want, it doesn't have to be related to where you have been."
"Can we talk about your son?" Annie questioned, looking up at him hopefully.
Aaron nodded, gesturing towards the couch as he closed the curtains, taking a moment to glance at the team who were each discussing something in great depth. It wasn't until he saw Jennifer's head flick towards the office that he realised it was most likely a discussion about Annie.
"He has Haley's eyes," Annie stated, staring at the photo that she had picked up from his desk as Aaron took a seat beside her. As she said his ex-wife's name, Aaron tensed beside her dreading the conversation that could follow. "What happened with Haley? You're not wearing a ring."
He sighed, before saying, "I was married to the job, so we split when Jack was four. Then she became a casualty of the job, I didn't get to her in time to save her. We saved Jack though."
"Aaron, I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that." Annie whispered; her breath having calmed down. She looked towards the photo in her hand as she added, "But you have that beautiful boy to remind you of her, and what your love was worth."
He nodded his head, his eyes brimming with tears as he said, "But I had nothing to remind me of you."
