Hidden Family Secrets
5
The ensuing morning after Rosalie’s rescue, she woke up to find her father asleep in a chair beside her bed. She smiled and patted him on the shoulder; Morgan shook himself slightly and opened his eyes. He stared groggily at her before she saw his gaze sharpen and he could concentrate fully on her.
“Dad, you didn’t have to stay up here with me. Your friends took the man away” Rosalie said, smiling at him.
Morgan nodded slowly, then shook his head at her. Rosalie tilted her head to the side, confused.
“What was the head shake for?” she inquired curiously.
Morgan stood up and ruffled her long black hair, making it staticky.
“He’ll go away for a long, long time, but I wanted to make absolutely sure you were safe” he told her, trying to give her a smile.
Rosalie nodded and stood up on her bed, jumped off it onto the carpet. Morgan put out a hand to steady her, but she swatted it away.
“Dad, I’m not going to fall over. He didn’t do anything to me, okay?” she complained exasperatedly, grimacing at him.
She had her hands on her skinny hips and looked grim.
“Fine. I just worry! Do you want to go to school today?” Morgan asked her, folding his arms.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and reached out to lay her hands on either side of his face.
“Yes, Dad. I am definitely going to school today. You couldn’t keep me away even if you tried” she said determinedly.
Morgan gave a half hearted laugh and eased himself up from his chair. He kissed her on the forehead and walked out of her room, to leave her on her own to dress. But she knew he was just outside the closed door. Rosalie brushed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail and grabbed a blue day dress to put on. She smiled at herself in her mirror and hurried on downstairs, past her father. He followed her, yawning and stretching, into the kitchen.
Forty minutes later, Rosalie leapt out of her dad’s black SUV with her school backpack, and was immediately brought up short. She pivoted slowly and stared back through the car window at her father. He lifted a hand off the steering wheel, waved at her and then drove away from the curb, out into the early morning traffic on his way to work at the BAU.
Rosalie sighed and turned back to face the subtly armed FBI agent standing by the school gates. She watched how all the other kids gave the man a wide berth, and how their parents all eyed him warily. She walked straight up to him and stuck out her right hand. He shook it firmly, his grip not to hard on her small, fine boned hand.
“I’m Rosalie Morgan, sir. What’s your name?” she said politely, ignoring the bulge in the man’s black coat where his weapon was concealed.
“Andy Saxon. My job is to keep you safe while you’re at school, Miss Morgan” the agent told her, removing his black sunglasses and putting them in his pocket.
Rosalie waved a hand dismissively at him and smiled.
“I’m just Rosalie, Andy. Rose, if you like. And, if you don’t mind my asking and you’re allowed to answer me, how long will you be watching after me at school?” she asked, taking his hand and leading him inside the school grounds.
Andy shrugged.
“I’m really not at liberty to say, Rosalie. I haven’t been told” he replied, grinning at her.
His blue eyes were striking; she liked him already.
“Do you have children, Andy? How old are you?”
Andy laughed and nodded.
“I’m thirty four, and yes, I do. I have twin boys, Adam and Taylor. They’re six years old” he said, swinging their hands between them. “My wife is pregnant again at the moment, and this time it’s going to be a girl.”
Rosalie heard the obvious excitement in his voice and grinned up at him.
“Ooh, yay! Can I please meet her when she’s born?” she asked.
Andy nodded again.
“I’m sure you can” he said warmly, holding a door open for her.
She thanked him and went about her usual day, ignoring the blatant stares and glares she received from her classmates. All except for Alyssa.
:2009
Four years on and Rosalie was fifteen, playing the piano at concerts and dancing ballet every chance she got. She hadn’t stepped far into the world of boys yet, and Morgan was trying to keep it that way for as long as he could. Alyssa was still her best friend and despite all the time they spent together at sleepovers, their grades were high and never dipped below a B-. And on the weekends, Rosalie earned pocket money, what she didn’t get from Morgan, by babysitting for Andy Saxon’s three kids. Adam and Taylor were ten now and little Emma was a few months away from four.
Rosalie skidded her bike up their driveway and jumped right off it, unclipping her helmet and throwing it down next to the bike. She bounded onto the doorstep and pressed the doorbell down, hard. She heard manic laughter from inside and smiled to herself, just before Taylor flung the door wide open. She ruffled his pale blonde spiky hair and squeezed past him into the house.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” she said, shepherding him ahead of her down the hallway.
Taylor laughed and hugged her quickly around the waist.
“We’ve been playing Monopoly” he announced loudly, grabbing onto her hand and dragging her into the living room, where his twin brother was huddled up on a cushion on the floor.
He was studiously staring at the playing board in front of him, and Rosalie was reminded of how different the two were. Adam was much quieter, and was more inclined to climb onto her lap and just sit there, content to say nothing much and eventually fall asleep on her while Taylor roared around the place, disrupting card games and Emma’s ring of teddy bears and barbies.
Just now, Adam heard Taylor’s excited chatter and looked up to see Rosalie, his brother clinging to her left hand. He smiled and stood up, coming slowly over to her and winding his arms gently around her waist. Rosalie bent and hugged him tightly, stroking his hair.
“Hey, baby boy. Where’s Emma and your parents?” she asked, sitting down on the floor with the boys.
Taylor shrugged, but Adam turned to her with a look of absolute patience on his face.
“Emma will be downstairs soon, because Taylor’s been so loud all afternoon she couldn’t get to sleep for almost two full hours, and Mom and Dad are behind you” he said seriously, pointing to a spot over her shoulder.
Rosalie scrambled to her feet and smiled at Andy and his wife Bianca. They smiled back at her and Bianca opened her arms for a hug. Rosalie ran over to her; Bianca Saxon was like a mother for her, what she’d never had because her dad never settled with one woman he liked. She thought it was because he was afraid to lose himself in another person. He had been scared when she was kidnapped and might have been removed from him forever.
“Hey, Rosie. How have you been?” Andy asked, grinning at her as he always did.
Rosalie shrugged, copying Taylor unwittingly.
“Pretty decent. Where are you two going tonight?” she replied, tilting her head to the side and appraising Bianca’s dressy attire.
Bianca twirled a chestnut brown ringlet around her index finger and smiled over her shoulder at her husband.
“Andy’s taking me to dinner and then dancing” she said, bending forward conspiratorially.
Rosalie smiled and laughed, pleased with the arrangement, though she had no part in it. She started to herd them towards the front door.
“All right, go, go, go! Now, have fun and we’ll be fine” she insisted, grinning and waving as they got into their car and drove away.
She turned and walked back into the house, discovering that Emma was now awake and sitting beside Adam on the living room carpet. She glanced up, saw Rosalie and smiled, waving a tiny hand in her direction. Rosalie knelt down and hauled the little girl onto her lap, resting her chin on the froth of dark curls covering her head. Emma settled back and shut her eyes. A few minutes later, and she was fast asleep.
“Dad, you didn’t have to stay up here with me. Your friends took the man away” Rosalie said, smiling at him.
Morgan nodded slowly, then shook his head at her. Rosalie tilted her head to the side, confused.
“What was the head shake for?” she inquired curiously.
Morgan stood up and ruffled her long black hair, making it staticky.
“He’ll go away for a long, long time, but I wanted to make absolutely sure you were safe” he told her, trying to give her a smile.
Rosalie nodded and stood up on her bed, jumped off it onto the carpet. Morgan put out a hand to steady her, but she swatted it away.
“Dad, I’m not going to fall over. He didn’t do anything to me, okay?” she complained exasperatedly, grimacing at him.
She had her hands on her skinny hips and looked grim.
“Fine. I just worry! Do you want to go to school today?” Morgan asked her, folding his arms.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and reached out to lay her hands on either side of his face.
“Yes, Dad. I am definitely going to school today. You couldn’t keep me away even if you tried” she said determinedly.
Morgan gave a half hearted laugh and eased himself up from his chair. He kissed her on the forehead and walked out of her room, to leave her on her own to dress. But she knew he was just outside the closed door. Rosalie brushed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail and grabbed a blue day dress to put on. She smiled at herself in her mirror and hurried on downstairs, past her father. He followed her, yawning and stretching, into the kitchen.
Forty minutes later, Rosalie leapt out of her dad’s black SUV with her school backpack, and was immediately brought up short. She pivoted slowly and stared back through the car window at her father. He lifted a hand off the steering wheel, waved at her and then drove away from the curb, out into the early morning traffic on his way to work at the BAU.
Rosalie sighed and turned back to face the subtly armed FBI agent standing by the school gates. She watched how all the other kids gave the man a wide berth, and how their parents all eyed him warily. She walked straight up to him and stuck out her right hand. He shook it firmly, his grip not to hard on her small, fine boned hand.
“I’m Rosalie Morgan, sir. What’s your name?” she said politely, ignoring the bulge in the man’s black coat where his weapon was concealed.
“Andy Saxon. My job is to keep you safe while you’re at school, Miss Morgan” the agent told her, removing his black sunglasses and putting them in his pocket.
Rosalie waved a hand dismissively at him and smiled.
“I’m just Rosalie, Andy. Rose, if you like. And, if you don’t mind my asking and you’re allowed to answer me, how long will you be watching after me at school?” she asked, taking his hand and leading him inside the school grounds.
Andy shrugged.
“I’m really not at liberty to say, Rosalie. I haven’t been told” he replied, grinning at her.
His blue eyes were striking; she liked him already.
“Do you have children, Andy? How old are you?”
Andy laughed and nodded.
“I’m thirty four, and yes, I do. I have twin boys, Adam and Taylor. They’re six years old” he said, swinging their hands between them. “My wife is pregnant again at the moment, and this time it’s going to be a girl.”
Rosalie heard the obvious excitement in his voice and grinned up at him.
“Ooh, yay! Can I please meet her when she’s born?” she asked.
Andy nodded again.
“I’m sure you can” he said warmly, holding a door open for her.
She thanked him and went about her usual day, ignoring the blatant stares and glares she received from her classmates. All except for Alyssa.
:2009
Four years on and Rosalie was fifteen, playing the piano at concerts and dancing ballet every chance she got. She hadn’t stepped far into the world of boys yet, and Morgan was trying to keep it that way for as long as he could. Alyssa was still her best friend and despite all the time they spent together at sleepovers, their grades were high and never dipped below a B-. And on the weekends, Rosalie earned pocket money, what she didn’t get from Morgan, by babysitting for Andy Saxon’s three kids. Adam and Taylor were ten now and little Emma was a few months away from four.
Rosalie skidded her bike up their driveway and jumped right off it, unclipping her helmet and throwing it down next to the bike. She bounded onto the doorstep and pressed the doorbell down, hard. She heard manic laughter from inside and smiled to herself, just before Taylor flung the door wide open. She ruffled his pale blonde spiky hair and squeezed past him into the house.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” she said, shepherding him ahead of her down the hallway.
Taylor laughed and hugged her quickly around the waist.
“We’ve been playing Monopoly” he announced loudly, grabbing onto her hand and dragging her into the living room, where his twin brother was huddled up on a cushion on the floor.
He was studiously staring at the playing board in front of him, and Rosalie was reminded of how different the two were. Adam was much quieter, and was more inclined to climb onto her lap and just sit there, content to say nothing much and eventually fall asleep on her while Taylor roared around the place, disrupting card games and Emma’s ring of teddy bears and barbies.
Just now, Adam heard Taylor’s excited chatter and looked up to see Rosalie, his brother clinging to her left hand. He smiled and stood up, coming slowly over to her and winding his arms gently around her waist. Rosalie bent and hugged him tightly, stroking his hair.
“Hey, baby boy. Where’s Emma and your parents?” she asked, sitting down on the floor with the boys.
Taylor shrugged, but Adam turned to her with a look of absolute patience on his face.
“Emma will be downstairs soon, because Taylor’s been so loud all afternoon she couldn’t get to sleep for almost two full hours, and Mom and Dad are behind you” he said seriously, pointing to a spot over her shoulder.
Rosalie scrambled to her feet and smiled at Andy and his wife Bianca. They smiled back at her and Bianca opened her arms for a hug. Rosalie ran over to her; Bianca Saxon was like a mother for her, what she’d never had because her dad never settled with one woman he liked. She thought it was because he was afraid to lose himself in another person. He had been scared when she was kidnapped and might have been removed from him forever.
“Hey, Rosie. How have you been?” Andy asked, grinning at her as he always did.
Rosalie shrugged, copying Taylor unwittingly.
“Pretty decent. Where are you two going tonight?” she replied, tilting her head to the side and appraising Bianca’s dressy attire.
Bianca twirled a chestnut brown ringlet around her index finger and smiled over her shoulder at her husband.
“Andy’s taking me to dinner and then dancing” she said, bending forward conspiratorially.
Rosalie smiled and laughed, pleased with the arrangement, though she had no part in it. She started to herd them towards the front door.
“All right, go, go, go! Now, have fun and we’ll be fine” she insisted, grinning and waving as they got into their car and drove away.
She turned and walked back into the house, discovering that Emma was now awake and sitting beside Adam on the living room carpet. She glanced up, saw Rosalie and smiled, waving a tiny hand in her direction. Rosalie knelt down and hauled the little girl onto her lap, resting her chin on the froth of dark curls covering her head. Emma settled back and shut her eyes. A few minutes later, and she was fast asleep.