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

Chapter 5: It's Never Simple, Never Easy

The rest of the week flew by remarkably quickly and it was the start of yet another weekend.

Aaron had kept his promise to Aria about arranging dinner and a movie when he called her the following day. They had agreed it would be this coming Friday night and he had kept his fingers crossed hoping that he wouldn't have to leave for a case on the last minute. By some miracle the week had mainly consisted of paperwork and consults which he was extremely grateful for.

That same Friday morning, Aria woke up with an uneasy feeling in her stomach, but shrugged it off. It's just nerves. She told herself. Tonight will be fine. You just have to get through this day in one piece. You can do this.

She showered, got dressed and grabbed her bag before making her way downstairs towards the kitchen. By the smell of it, breakfast was ready.

She entered the kitchen to find her grandpa, Eduardo, sitting at the kitchen counter, coffee cup in one hand and the morning paper in the other. Their housekeeper, Luciana, had the table set out with pancakes, cereal, fruit and juice. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Bella." He greeted.

"Good morning." She replied, then kissed him on the cheek and went over to do the same to Luciana.

"Smells good." She said to her with a smile then sat down next to her grandfather. Aria poured herself a glass of orange juice while Luciana placed a serving of fresh pancakes in front of her.

"Grazie, Luciana." She smiled.

"Sei benvenuto, mia cara." She replied then left the kitchen.

Aria was halfway through her breakfast when she suddenly felt a little queasy. She pushed her plate aside then downed the last of her orange juice.

"You okay, kiddo?" He asked. "You usually finish that and then ask for seconds."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Prometto. I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

"You sure?" He asked. She nodded.

Aimee, then walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee machine.

"Good morning." She said with a yawn.

"Morning." They both replied.

Aria got up from where she was sitting then grabbed her bag and car keys.

"I have to get going." She said. "I'm supposed to meet the guys for a quick rehearsal before class starts."

She quickly kissed her grandpa and mother on the cheek, said goodbye and was out the door before either of them could respond. Aimee leaned against the counter behind her and sighed. Ed looked up from his paper, sensing his daughter's irritation.

"I take it you two have talked?" He asked. Aimee rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding? She can't even stand to be in the same room as me for five minutes." She told him frustratingly.

"Well, at least she's not ignoring you anymore. That's a start." He told her encouragingly.

"I guess." She sighed. "I really need to fix this."

"Yes, you do." He told her.

She glanced at her watch. "I gotta get to work. My shift starts in 20 minutes." She grabbed her coffee then kissed her dad goodbye.

"Addio, mio amore." He replied.

*Beautiful.

*Thank you.