Title: Ghost Stories
By: realityaskew
Pairing: Hotch/Prentiss
Rating: PG-13
Warning: WiP
Disclaimer: I own nothing from CM.
Summary: Some ghost stories are true.

***

A flash of lightening in the dark grey sky cast an ominous glow over house number 123 on Ash Drive. No one really knew who lived there and they were too scared to find out. Many said it was abandoned. Occasionally shadows would be seen through the closed curtains but the residents of Ash Drive would either say it was ghosts or their eyes simply playing tricks on them. Some of the older folks who had lived on the street a long time would tell stories of a happy family who lived there a long time ago. The father went stark raving mad and had brutally murdered his wife and two children. He could be heard playing the old organ in the house for days before the police finally broke the door down and took him out. House number 123 was the one that kids from the neighborhood would throw rocks at when the rode by on their bikes by. They would dare each other to ring the doorbell and then run away screaming for their lives. House number 123 at the end of Ash Drive was run down and a strange smell always seemed to come from it. House number 123 at the end of Ash Drive was haunted.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

The door to Jack's room flew open and a drowsy Aaron Hotchner came running in. "It's all right Jack I'm here." Hotch reassured his son. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"There's a ghost in here." He whispered looking around the room frightened.

Hotch ran one large hand over his face trying to get rid of the grogginess. He sat on the edge of his son's bed. "Buddy there is no such thing as ghosts. It was probably just a bad dream okay?"

"No there was a ghost, he talked to me. I want mommy."

"You'll see mommy tomorrow when I drop you off at her house."

"But daddy there's a ghost in here! I saw him!"

"Pal your dad's here now and he wouldn't let anything happen to you. You only had a bad dream, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"But dad…"

"Go back to sleep buddy, everything will be okay." Hotch kissed Jack's forehead and tucked him back in. As he left he switched on the nightlight and left the door open a crack.

"Bad dream?" Prentiss asked as Hotch came back into the bedroom.

"Yeah it was about a ghost." Hotch said getting back under the covers.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that there is no such thing as ghosts."

"Hmm"

"What?"

"Hotch Jack's only three. It doesn't matter how many times you tell him ghosts don't exist. He's still going to believe in them just like he believes in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny." Prentiss smiled softly at him.

Hotch let out a loud sigh. "It is wrong to be wishing for the rebellious teenage years already?"

Prentiss gently cupped his jaw in her hand and kissed him. "Try and get some sleep."

Jenna Carmichael ran down Ash Drive as fast as her skinny legs would carry her. If she was late again her parents would ground her for a month. She sped up as she approached house number 123. Picking up her pace she ran past it as fast as she could, swearing that she heard an old organ playing.

***

"Hey buddy I heard you didn't sleep so well last night." Prentiss said to Jack as he came over to the table with his bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice.

"That's because there was a ghost in my room, he was going to hurt me." He told her.

"Well I don't think you have to worry about anything you know that your dad wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt you." Jack shook his head not really believing her. Prentiss tickled his side and he began giggling. "I won't let any ghosts hurt you either."

Hotch walked into the kitchen and smiled. He was truly grateful that Jack loved Emily so much and even though he would never say it out loud he was happy that Jack hated Haley's new boyfriend. "Good morning." He said taking a seat next to Emily stealing her cup of coffee and taking a sip. She rolled her eyes and got up to pour herself another cup. "Are you feeling better this morning buddy?"

"No, a ghost was in my room last night."

"You just had a bad dream Jack." Hotch told his son. "There's nothing to worry about, now why don't you go get your bag and I'll take you to mom's house."

Jack rolled his eyes and put his spoon down next to his half eaten bowl of Cheerios. "Okay."

Emily watched Hotch help Jack with his things and leave. He really was a great father. She was about to finish off her coffee and take a quick shower when her cell phone rang. She reached for it and answered it knowing it was most likely bad news. It was never good news.

"Prentiss." She said into the tiny phone.

"Em, it's Morgan. You better get in here quick. You know the Ryder case we were working on that started becoming cold?"

"Yeah?"

"Well it just became red hot."

"What happened?"

"A few hikers found some articles of clothing that the two Ryder children were seen wearing the day they went missing two months ago."

"I'll be right in." She said closing her phone.

When the Ryder case had begun to go cold Emily was heart broken. Any time children were involved she took it personally and even if both of the Ryder children had been murdered she still needed to know for the closure no mater how depressing it might be. If there was any chance she could get that type of closure she was going to go for it.

The plane was soaring 30,000 feet in the air headed towards the sleepy little town of Lincoln, Kansas. Morgan, JJ, and Reid were playing cards and both JJ and Reid were cheating. Rossi was sitting by himself at the back of the plane scribbling down a few notes. Prentiss was staring out the window lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Hotch asked taking a seat across from Prentiss.

"I'm thinking…that if ghosts really do exist and they're constantly watching us I feel really violated." She said with a small smile.

Hotch couldn't help the little laugh that escaped his throat. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Yeah well my parents told me there was no such thing as monsters and we deal with them everyday." Prentiss said, the mood suddenly changing between the two of them.

"You're right." He said. "I'm dreading the day that Jack will find that out."

"Every kid does eventually Hotch. It's a part of growing up; it's a part of life."

"Attention team I have some breaking news." Prentiss was interrupted as Garcia appeared on the laptop screen and the team turned their full attention to her. "It looks like the mystery of the missing Robert and Jean Ryder has been solved."

"What do you have for us baby girl?" Morgan asked.

"I just received some gruesome information from the Lincoln precinct and it looks like Robert and Jean Ryder's bodies were discovered a little over an hour ago at the local graveyard, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Their bodies were badly mutilated and dumped over two specific or maybe non specific graves. I don't know yet I still have some deeper digging to do."

"Any sign of the Ryder children?" Rossi asked.

"Unfortunately no, they're both still M.I.A." Garcia answered him. "Good luck, Garcia out."

The lap top screen went black and the mood of the team had become even more pessimistic than any of them was willing to admit. The case had just gone from hopeless to miserable.

***