Chapter 2: Guess Karma Comes Back Around

One week earlier

It was yet another cold and rainy night in DC as Aria stared impatiently out the living room window waiting for her mom, Aimee to get home from work. The two of them would have a movie night at least once a week and tonight was that night. If she gets here anytime soon, she thought. Aimee was a trauma surgeon at the local hospital and didn't always get to see her daughter as often as she liked because of her busy schedule. It had been just the two of them for a while until they moved in with her parents when Aria was five.

After staring out the window for a few minutes, she decided to sit down on the sofa. The rain was coming down hard and she secretly wished her mom would hurry up but hoped she wasn't driving too fast and would get home okay. The roads probably looked like a nightmare due to the heavy rainfall.

She flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch while she waited. After about five minutes she finally settled on a movie that had just started. The Nightmare on Elm Street. Perfect. She always loved watching horror movies. Especially on nights like these. What she didn't like was watching it alone. Usually she'd invite a few friends over and have a horror movie fest or she would get her mom to watch with her. Tonight however, she was all alone. Not even her grandparents were home. She secretly wished they had cancelled their business trip and stayed home to keep her company instead.

Nearly an hour had passed when she heard her phone vibrate. Message from Mom. It read:

Running late. I'll be home in half an hour. Traffic's a nightmare. Hope Chinese is okay for dinner. Love you:) Mom

She smiled then replied:

Chinese sounds good. Drive safe. See you soon Doctor Mom;) Ti Amo:) Aria

She placed her phone back onto the table and continued watching the movie. Why did I think watching a scary movie in this weather home alone was a good idea? She thought as she wrapped the throw blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Then the doorbell rang.

This is usually how a horror movie starts, she thought.

Aimee was at least thirty minutes away, her grandparents were only due back by the weekend and she was pretty sure it wasn't one of her friends at the door because it was a school night. She slowly got up from the sofa and walked to the door, trying to ignore the paranoia she felt. That movie was a bad idea.

Finally summing up the little courage she had, she slowly opened the door. Luckily the front porch light was on so it wasn't too dark out.

"Hi." She said to the unfamiliar man while holding the door half open.

He was attractive, tall and lean with dark hair and hazel eyes, and he was wearing a dark grey suit under his coat. He looked like he could be her mom's age maybe a little older.

"Hi". He replied while staring at the teenager. She looks just like her. He thought. Guess her parents had another daughter.

"Can I help you? She asked as friendly as she could, noticing how he was staring at her.

"Uhm, yeah. Sorry. My name's Aaron Hotchner. I'm looking for Aimee. Is she here?" He asked.

"No, but she should be home soon. Is she in some kind of trouble? She asked, glancing at his badge and gun.

"No, not at all." He assured her, noticing the slight panic in her voice. "It's just she called my office a few days ago but I was out of town on a case. She must have forgotten to leave her number so I thought I'd pop in on my way home. She does still live here, right? He asked.

"Yes, she does." She answered. "Do you wanna come in? She should be home any minute if you don't mind waiting." She continued.

"No, it's okay. I don't want to intrude. He said.

"You wouldn't be, it's just..." She paused, feeling slightly embarrassed by what she was about to say. "For some reason I thought watching a scary movie while I was home alone in the middle of a thunderstorm was a good idea. Clearly, I was wrong." He smiled, knowing what she was about to say. "I'd feel a lot better if there was someone here with me until she gets here."

"Are you sure it's okay? He asked. "I mean, I don't mind staying, it's just I know Aimee but we're practically strangers." He continued.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're not a serial killer, judging from your badge and gun, I think it's safe to assume that you're a cop." She replied.

"Agent, actually. I work for the FBI, so no, I'm not a serial killer. But I do put them away for a living." He informed her. Her expression changed from amused to serious.

"Seriously?" She asked, intrigued. He nodded.

She stepped aside, motioning for him to enter. He smiled at her, then walked through the door while taking off his coat. She closed the door behind him, took his coat and hung it in the closet.

The house was a lot warmer than outside and he felt his body slowly warming up. She showed him into the living room where the fireplace was burning.

"I'm Aria, by the way." She said with a nervous smile. Why did I just invite a stranger into my house and tell him that I'm home alone? She thought. Way to go, Marano.

"It's nice to meet you." He said with a smile. "And I'm sorry for staring earlier. You just look so much like her. I didn't know Aimee had a younger sister."

"Oh, she doesn't." She told him. He looked confused. "I'm her daughter." She stated. He stared at her, trying to process what he had just heard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"It's okay." She said, stopping him. "Trust me, you're not the first person to make that assumption." She told him, hoping that it would make him feel better.

It didn't. He felt like a complete idiot.

Noticing how uncomfortable he looked, she quickly changed the subject. "There's fresh coffee in the kitchen. Can I get you a cup?" She asked, while walking towards the kitchen. It was opposite the living room so she could still see him from where he was standing.

"Sure. Sounds good." He answered with a smile.

While she was busy, he stood facing the wall on the opposite side. It was covered with framed photographs of the Marano family. Most were of Aria at different ages. First day of school, ballet recitals, birthdays, Christmases and family vacations. He smiled. She really was a cute kid. Splitting image of her mother too. It was clear her family adored her.

One picture stood out for him. She looked about five or six and he assumed it was her first day of school. She was wearing a short purple jumpsuit with ballet pumps and her dark brown hair fell loosely past her shoulders. Aimee was in the picture too, crouched down to Aria's level with an arm around her daughter's waist while they both smiled for the camera.

"That was my first day of Kindergarten." He heard her say. When he turned, he saw that she was standing beside him with two mugs. Coffee for him, and green tea for her, he assumed from the teabag he saw. "I think she was more terrified than I was." She said with a smile as she handed him his coffee. He chuckled lightly.

"I know the feeling." He said, more to himself but she heard it too.

"You have kids?" She asked.

"I have a six year old son. Jack." He said with a smile.

They moved into the living room and sat on separate sofas adjacent to each other. A comfortable silence filled the room as they watched the remainder of the movie.

"So, you work for the FBI?" She said, finally breaking the silence. He smiled slightly.

"Yes. I work for the Behavioural Analysis Unit or the BAU." He stated. "We use profiling to catch serial killers."

"Profiling?" She said with a frown. "What does that mean?"

"Studying behaviour, mostly and trying to figure out how the criminal mind works so we can catch them." He explained.

"Sounds interesting." She said.

He smiled then nodded. "What about you? She frowned.

"What about me? She asked confused.

"I told you so much about me but I know nothing about you." He said with a slight smile. She shrugged.

"Not much to tell." She said simply.

"Try me."

"Well, I'm a junior at high school. I like watching horror movies, as you can see..." She pointed towards the TV. "I'm an only child. I've been dancing since I could walk. It's the one thing I can do for hours without getting bored. I'm also part of the drama club at school and I'm kind of obsessed with a certain British boy band." She stated.

He stared at her for a minute without saying anything.

"Sorry, was that too much?" She asked unsure.

"No, not all. I just wasn't expecting you to tell me all that." He said with a smile.

After that their conversation started to flow more easily. He told her more about his job and his son. She told him more about school, her passion for dance and drama and her mom's crazy work schedule.

"What about your dad? I saw a picture of you with him. Does he live here too?" He asked, referring to her grandparents' manor.

"My dad?" She asked unsure. He nodded.

He noticed her tense up and was about to change the topic when she spoke again.

"Daniel's actually my step dad." She said as she glanced at the picture he was talking about. "Well, soon to be step dad. He and my mom got engaged about three months ago." She stated.

"I've never met my real dad." She added quietly. "But Daniel's pretty much been like my dad for the past four years." She continued.

"You didn't have to tell me all that." He said.

"I know, it's just... You're easy to talk to." She said with a small smile.

They continued chatting about whatever came to mind. They both felt more relaxed and were so deep on conversation that they didn't even hear Aimee come in.

"Hey Aria, I'm home. Sorry I'm late. You would not believe the crazy day I've had." She said as she made her way to the kitchen first to put the take out on the counter. She shrugged her wet jacket off and hung it in the nearby closet.

"Aria?" She called out as she made her way to the living room. She heard talking but assumed it was the TV, until she heard her daughter laugh.

"Hey, what's so fun..." She started to ask then stopped when she saw him.

Oh no. She thought. What is he doing here?

She tried to hide the shocked and surprised expression on her face but he saw it. He still looked the same, just a bit older but he was still gorgeous.

"Aaron..." She finally said. She wanted to ask him what he was doing there but she couldn't get any words out.

"Hey Mom. I didn't hear you come in." Aria said with a smile

"Hi Aimee." Aaron said. Wow, she's still as beautiful as she was back then. He thought. Her hair was shorter, but other than that she still looked the same.

Aimee didn't respond and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out. Aria noticed how pale she had become and moved towards her mother.

"Mom, are you okay?" She asked, her face filled with concern.

"Yes baby, I'm fine. I just feel a little dizzy." She finally said.

Aaron walked towards her and guided her to a nearby chair.

"Here. Sit down." He told her gently.

"I'll get you a glass of water." Aria said before jogging to the kitchen.

Aaron looked at her. "I see I still have that effect on you" He said with a grin hoping to ease the sudden tension.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, ignoring his previous statement. He was about to answer when Aria came back in with a glass of water and handed it to her mother.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked worried.

"Yes. I'm okay. I promise. Thank you." She said with a small smile.

"Good, cause you have a visitor." She said gesturing to Aaron with a smile.

"I see so. Sorry about that. It's just been a long day." Aimee said.

"No problem. I understand." He said.

The home phone started ringing.

Aimee was about to get up to answer it when Aria said, "Stay. I'll get it. I'll leave you two to catch up."

She jogged to the phone in the foyer then answered, "Hello... Oh hey Taylor. No, I'm not busy. What's up?", while walking up the stairs to her room.

Back in the living room, Aimee was trying really hard not to pass out.

"So, I see you've met my daughter." She said calmly.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Great kid."

"Yes. She is. You still didn't answer my question." She said.

He sat on the arm of the sofa opposite her. "Well, my office said you called a few days ago, while I was out of town on a case but you didn't leave a message."

"You could've called instead of showing up here unannounced." She said annoyed.

"It was on the way home. I figured I'd just take a chance. Besides, you didn't leave your number."

"Oh come on. You're an FBI agent. I'm sure you could've tracked down my number if you wanted to." She said then stood up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was a big deal. I thought it would be good to see you again. It's been what, seventeen years since we last saw each other. Then you call me out of the blue. I thought you might be in trouble." He explained.

"Well, I'm not. You still could've called first." She said, walking away from him towards the window.

He smiled slightly. "Still as stubborn as ever." He said amused.

"You're one to talk." She retorted.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you called? Because, I didn't come here to pick a fight with you."

She remained silent while staring out the window.

"Aimee?" He said.

"It's nothing." She finally said, with her back still turned to him.

"I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's going on with you". He said, standing behind her.

"It's not about me." She paused. "It's about Aria."

He frowned. "What about her?" He asked confused.

She didn't answer him. Instead, she continued staring out the window, contemplating on how to answer that.

"Aimee?" He said yet again, trying to control his temper. "God, you're so frustrating sometimes. Look at me!" He yelled, clearly annoyed.

"She's your daughter, okay?!" Aimee practically screamed at him as she turned around. She looked as if she was on the verge of crying. "You're Aria's father."

He stared at her in disbelief and it was his turn to be at a loss for words. "I'm her what?" He finally managed to ask.

At that moment they heard what sounded like glass shattering. They both turned around. Aaron's hand instinctively reached for his gun on his hip but dropped it when he saw her.

Aria was standing just outside the living room, staring at the two of them in shock. Her eyes then went to the broken picture frame that she had accidentally knocked over.

"Aria..." Aimee started, walking towards her.

"Don't." She said shaking her head.

"Is it true?" She asked.

"Aria, please..."

"Is it true?!" She asked again but louder as she tried to hold back the tears that she felt forming in her eyes.

"Yes. It's true." Aimee said softly.

Aaron stood quietly watching the mother and daughter, while trying to recover from the bombshell Aimee just dropped. They had a daughter and she waited sixteen years to tell him that.

Aria's head was spinning. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She turned around, unable to look at her mother and could no longer hold back the silent tears that managed to escape. She walked over to the broken picture frame on the floor and bent down to pick up the pieces. Aimee and Aaron watched her movements, unsure of what they should do or say next. She remained quiet, too quiet. And that scared Aimee. She would rather have Aria yelling at her. She couldn't stand the silence.

"Aria, please say something." Aimee pleaded.

Aria closed her eyes and shook her head before standing up and turning around. She took a deep breath and then released it.

"Why Mom? Why did you keep this from me?" Aria asked while trying to keep her emotions in check.

Aimee stared at her, thinking how she could possibly answer her daughter without sounding like a bad person.

She settled on, "It's complicated."

"Complicated?!" She yelled. "Are you seriously gonna pull that card right now? What's so complicated about the fact that you keep who my father was a secret for SIXTEEN years? I missed out on sixteen years with my dad."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could change that but I can't."

Aria shook her head and looked away, wiping the tears that had fallen from her face. Then she looked back to Aaron, who had been silent the entire time.

"Did you know about me?" She asked him, ignoring Aimee.

"What..." He begun but she cut him off.

"Is that why you came here? To make it seem as if you were here to see her but you were really here to see me."

"No, it wasn't like that at all. I had no idea." He told her honestly, but she was too upset to see the truth behind his words."

"Right." She said unconvinced. "I can't believe you..." She angrily balled her hands into fists and winced slightly as she felt the broken piece of glass she had forgotten she was holding, cut into her right palm. She opened her hand, letting the piece of glass fall to the floor as she watched the blood start to flow from the wound.

"Oh my God, Aria, you're bleeding!" Aimee said as she rushed over to her daughter. Aria paused, temporarily shocked by how much blood there was. She was pretty sure she needed stitches. Aimee was about to wrap her hand to stop the bleeding but Aria pulled away from her.

"Don't touch me." She glared at her mother before running towards the kitchen.

Aimee remained in the foyer. Obviously hurt by her daughter's actions and words.

"I'll go make sure she's okay." Aaron told her with a sad smile. She nodded.

Aaron found his daughter by the kitchen sink, running water over her hand to wash the blood off before grabbing a small towel and wrapping it around her hand. He could tell she was in pain by the way she was wincing every time she put pressure on the wound. As for the tears that were running down her cheeks, he wasn't sure if that was from the physical or emotional pain she was in.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"I can't stop the bleeding." She sniffed and wiped her tears away with her other hand. Her back was still facing him as she spoke.

He walked towards her slowly, until he stood next to her. "May I?" He asked, while gently grabbing her injured hand. She nodded.

He carefully unwrapped the small towel which was already covered in blood, so he could look at the cut more clearly. "Where's your first aid kit?" He asked. She pointed to a nearby side cupboard. He quickly pulled it out, opened it and grabbed whatever he needed before gesturing for her to sit at the kitchen counter. He noticed her breathing was shallow and she avoided eye contact with him. She's just in shock, he told himself.

"This might sting a little." He told her as he applied the antiseptic to clean the wound. She nodded again then looked away as she felt a burning pain on her palm. When she looked back, her hand was almost bandaged again.

"Thank you." She said softly, looking down at her hand but still avoided eye contact.

He stared at her for a while, trying to think of something to say but came up empty. She could feel his eyes on her. Slowly, she lifted her gaze from her hand to his face. They stared at each other for a while, neither knowing the right thing to say.

"Aria..." He started while leaning closer to her but was cut off.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this right now." She said as she got off the chair and backed away from him then walked out of the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Aimee asked her as she walked out the kitchen into the foyer.

"I'm fine." She replied calmly yet slightly annoyed, while walking to the closet and grabbing a coat then slipping it on.

"Where are you going? We need to talk about this." Aimee said as she watched Aria walk towards the front door.

"I have nothing to say to you." She replied coldly.

"I'm not letting you leave the house in this weather."

"Like you care." She shot back as she reached for the door handle.

"Aria Isabella Marano, don't you dare..." Before she could finish her sentence, Aria was out the door and slammed it shut.

Aaron exited the kitchen after hearing the door shut and found Aimee staring at it, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Where's Aria?" He asked calmly.

"She's gone..." She replied. Her eyes still glued to the front door, praying that Aria would return any minute.

But she didn't. Her daughter was out there, upset and all alone in the pouring rain.

Oh God, what have I done?

"I hate that I let you down, And I feel so bad about it, I guess karma comes back around, Cause now I'm the one who's hurting" Jessie J - Nobody's Perfect