For the Love of a Daughter (A Criminal Minds Fanfic)

Chapter 4: Ready for the Walk of Shame

After yet another exhausting day of work, Aimee quietly let herself into the manor. It was nearly 10pm which was surprisingly early for her. She dropped her bags in the foyer then made her way into the kitchen. She reached for the bottle of red wine and poured herself a glass, then took a sip. Setting the glass down on the counter, she heated up a plate of food left in the oven for her, no doubt by her daughter.

Aria. My sweet girl. Still taking care of me, even when I don't deserve it. She thought to herself.

Things had been shaky between the two of them for the past couple weeks, ever since that night.

The night where her biggest secret had finally come out.

Thinking back to that night, she couldn't help but feel guilty about what she had done. Keeping Aaron away from his daughter for 16 years, letting Aria grow up without a father. At the time, it made sense to her. But in all fairness, she was a confused and scared 18 year old making the biggest decision of her life. She felt like she had no one to turn to, no one to confide in. Her friends had their own lives. The first year of college was exciting and free.

Too free. She thought. She was supposed to be having the time of her life. Away from her overbearing parents, meeting new people and going to parties but still finding the time to study. Then she met him and everything changed.

She found him charming and attractive. He was older but still acted like a typically college kid. Something about him intrigued her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something mysterious about him. That just made him even more interesting and she wanted to know everything about him.

They met at a campus party one night. She really didn't want to go but her friends dragged her along. Apparently getting invited to a frat party as a freshman was a big deal. She really didn't care. All she wanted was to get her Medical degree and find a job at a decent hospital so she could support herself instead of depending on her parents.

Her parents. Yet another reason why she felt as if her life was slowly falling apart. If they hadn't put so much pressure on her, things would be different. If only they were more supportive and actually took an interest in her life and feelings. But no. Their work was more important than their children. No wonder her older brother Matt dropped out of Med school. He became a paramedic instead of a medical doctor and joined the army.

Lucky him. She thought.

Now it was up to her to fulfil her parents' dreams of having a doctor in the family. In a way she resented him for putting that extra pressure on her but she also envied him. At least he was out there living his life without their parents constantly looking over his shoulder.

She admired him mostly, for being able to take that step. She knew it wasn't an easy decision and even though she was scared he might get hurt over there, she supported him. They kept in contact as much as possible but it wasn't the same as seeing him every day in person. She missed him terribly.

Her eyes fell on a framed picture of her and Matt when they were teenagers. It was taken at the beach on a rare family vacation. They were dressed in their swimming clothes, goofy smiles on their faces as the sun shone brightly in the background, illuminating the clear blue water behind them. It made her smile.

She made her way up the staircase to check on her daughter. Reaching Aria's room, she was just about to knock but noticed the door was slightly open. She slowly pushed it wide enough to see Aria sitting at her window seat, books and stationery scattered across the floor below and around her. She also heard Aria speaking to someone on her cell phone. Her back was towards the door so she didn't see her mother standing behind her. Aimee watched her for a while, while trying to figure out who she was talking to. She heard Aria laugh and it made her smile. She continued to listen to the conversation. Aria mentioned dinner and a movie. A date, maybe. She thought, frowning.