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"And your eyes keep saying things"
* * *
The bags underneath Bella's eyes were noticeable. The only thing more noticeable was the large bruise on her neck, covered weakly by a cream colored scarf. She prayed that no one would notice and bring it up. It was hard to come up with a story of how you accidentally bruised your own neck.
She walked into the small diner that the team was meeting at for a Sunday morning breakfast. The smell of cheap coffee and maple syrup was thick in the air. Large families laughed together as they filled their mouths with scrambled eggs and greasy bacon. The walls were covered in cheap, floral wallpaper. The kind you would see in a house in the year 1978.
Bella smiled as Penelope waved her over from the largest table in the restaurant. At the table sat the entire team along with Haley and Jack. Bella made her way over to the table and sat down next to Elle, greeted with many warm smiles and kind "hellos".
"I'm so sorry that I'm late," Bella said, shimmying out of her coat. "My sink was leaking this morning and I had to call some maintenance workers, it was all just one big headache."
"Don't worry about it," Hotch said. "We ordered you some tea and pancakes, Reid said that you'd like them."
Bella smiled at Spencer, who was sitting across from her, "Sounds perfect. You read my mind, Spencer."
Spencer grinned and nodded at her before drinking more of his coffee. Bella smiled over at Haley and waved at Jack, her heart warming at the sight of the adorable infant. She pitied herself for not having a baby, even though she knew that it wouldn't be the best decision. She thought about what her and Owen's kids would be like. It scared her to think of her children growing up with Owen as their father.
"He's precious, Haley," Bella said as the small infant slept peacefully.
"Thank you," Haley responded, looking over at her son. "He's a nightmare to put down, it's a wonder that he's sleeping right now."
"Maybe the smell of waffles lulled him to sleep," Hotch said with a grin, something still very unfamiliar to see on his face.
The team all smiled at the happy family. Hotch looked at Jack like he was the only thing left in the entire world. Jack was his entire world and Haley was the love of his life. Bella wished that Owen would look at her the way Hotch looked at Haley.
A small waitress with curly brown hair in a ponytail walked over to the table, her hands filled with the many plates the team ordered. Steam rose from the countless eggs and pancakes ordered. Bella's mouth watered at the sight of the stack of pancakes in front of her lathered in sticky maple syrup and warm butter.
Bella dug in, finally soothing her hunger. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon since she had been so busy. The fight she had with Owen delayed her hunger quite a bit. In that moment she was too upset to feel anything else. In the back of her mind she was still worrying about Owen, he hadn't called her or been home since the fight. She worried that they would find him dead somewhere considering he was so reckless when he drank.
