The Agent and The School Teacher

Chapter Thirteen: Choice

Aaron had texted me and told me that, if it was alright, Jack could go home with me again and he would pick him up once their plane landed.

While they were waiting, they were currently sat on the living room floor playing Candy Land. I sat on the couch, trying to get my lesson plan for the next day figured out when the doorbell rang.

"Is that my dad?" Jack asked, looking up at me. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I don't think so, Bud. He's supposed to be another half hour or so." I put my papers on the coffee table, getting up and walking over to the door. I pulled it open and immediately wished I hadn't. I immediately stepped out on the porch, shutting the door behind me. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Its a crime for a dad to want to see his girls?" I scoffed.

"You made your choice four years ago, so it doesn't really matter what you want, Ben." I shot back. Ben Adler. My ex-husband. We met in college, a ridiculously pathetic 'first love' kind of situation. We had two kids before I found out that he was addicted to drugs, and I didn't want Charlotte and Sadie being around that kind of environment. So I asked him, flat out.

"Ben, we can work through this. There are groups, therapists, we can beat this."

"I don't think I can." He said, shaking his head.

"It's been done before-"

"No, I mean, I don't want to!" He said. I stopped.

"Well, I'm not letting the girls be exposed to that, so you're going to have to pick one. Your addiction or your daughters, which is it going to be?" He laughed.

"That's always the thing with you. You always think everything is so black or white, so simple. This isn't that simple, Lizzie-"

"The decision you make is!" I shouted. "You can either choose to attempt to recover or you leave, Ben, those are your options, so what is it going to be?!"

"I guess I'm leaving then."

I had never expected him to choose leaving. But he did. And now, he's standing on my porch, saying he wants to see the kids that he abandoned. Not on my watch.

"I know you're still angry-"

"Angry?" I asked. "Angry at what exactly? That you chose your addiction over your family? Angry that through every diaper, and bad dream, and first word, I had to do it on my own because of that decision? I'd say angry is an understatement."

"I just want to see them."

"They don't even remember you." I pointed out. Hurt flickered across his eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "Charlotte was two years old when you left. Sadie was one. They have noticed by now that they don't have a Dad like other kids, but they don't remember having one. That was another difficult conversation I had to have with them all by myself. You made your choice-"

"Well I made the wrong one!" He exclaimed. I shook my head.

"But if you could make it before, then you'll make it again, and I'm not going to let my kids get to know you so you can abandon them again. They are fine without you. We all are." I fought to keep the tears stinging behind my eyes from falling. I was not going to cry in front of him. A familiar black car pulled into the driveway, causing Ben to turn around. I looked up as the engine turned off and Aaron climbed out of the driver's seat, walking up to the porch. Ben turned to look at me.

"Who's this?" He asked.

"None of your business." I shot back. He turned, walking down the stairs towards Aaron. "Ben!"

"Hey man, I'm Ben Adler." He held a hand out to him, which Aaron shook.

"Aaron Hotchner." Aaron said, looking warily between us. His profiler mind could see that something was wrong.

"So um, how do you know Lizzie?" Ben asked, nodding over his shoulder. I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to get Aaron involved with this mess.

"I'm her boyfriend." My eyes widened. Why would he say that?! "And you are?"

"I'm her husband." Ben said. Aaron looked up at me.

"Ex-husband." I corrected. "I think its time for you to leave."

"So, you have a boyfriend now? Good-good for you Lizzie. Good job." He turned, getting into his car and pulling out of the driveway. Once he was out of sight, I sat down on the steps and let the tears I was holding back fall into my hands.

"I'm sorry if I crossed a line," Aaron told me. "It just seemed like he wasn't the type of guy that was going to go away peacefully so I figured-"

"Yeah, I know what you were doing." I said, wiping my eyes. "Thank you, Aaron. I didn't mean for you to get involved with that whole mess though."

"If um...if this isn't too rude a question...what happened between you two? The first day we met, you mentioned him being a drug addict." I nodded.

"He was given the choice between choosing drugs or choosing his family, and...he chose drugs. And not in the he tried recovery and then backslid kind of way, I made him choose to try to get better, or to leave and he chose to leave. And then he shows up after four years wanting to see his kids, who don't even remember having a dad, and I just...this is the absolute last thing I need right now." I buried my face in my hands. I felt him sit down next to me and press a large, warm hand lightly against my back.

"It's all going to be ok." He said softly.

"How do you know?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Because we're friends. And I'm not going to let him do anything that you aren't comfortable with." I smiled tearfully.

"Thank you, Aaron." He nodded.

"Now, what do you say we go get the kids, and we all go out for dinner together?"

"I wouldn't want to get in the way of your time with Jack." I pointed out.

"Actually, this was Jack's idea." He said. "He brought it up on the phone this morning. Apparently, he's become quite fond of you three." I smiled. "Plus, I'm not entirely sure leaving you three alone at the moment is a good idea." I nodded.

"Thank you, again." I smiled at him again before standing up. He stood up too, and we both made our way inside.

"What's going on, Mommy?" Charlotte asked, once I came in. "We heard yelling."

"Nothing sweetie. Everything's fine. Now, why don't you guys go get your shoes on, ok?"

"Why?" Sadie asked.

"Because we're going out for dinner with Jack and Mr. Hotchner."

"Really?!" Jack asked, jumping up. "That was my idea!" 

"Well it was a good one, buddy."Aaron told him as his son ran forward to hug him. He picked him up and Jack wrapped his arms around Aaron's neck.

"I missed you, Daddy." He said quietly.

"I missed you too." He said. "Now, go get your shoes on." They all ran upstairs to Charlotte's room, where they had left their shoes, and I took a deep breath.

"Its all going to be ok." He reminded me again. I nodded.

"I really, really hope that you're right."