A/N I don't own anything. But I want to thank the producers for letting me borrow their characters. And I am here if you want to give them away.

"On three. One. Two. … Three." Morgan kicked open the door and rushed in. His eyes frantically checking the room. They saw nothing. "Clear." The house was illuminated only by small windows allowing in small pools of sunlight. Shadows were everywhere. The light made almost no difference.

Hotch followed behind his gun pointed low towards the floor and to his right. Emily brought up the rear, she mirrored Hotch, but with her gun to the left. Morgan and a SWAT Officer went to check the other rooms down the hall. Hotch and Emily went up the stairs. Their breaths short and quick. This UnSub was going to fight it out with them. He would not surrender. Marines don't surrender. They cautiously worked their way up the stairs. Their eyes darting back and forth on the stairs. They reached the top of the stairs, a long hallway with three open doors before them. The upstairs was even less illuminated than the downstairs only two windows provided light. They were equidistant in between the first and last room. The center of the hallway was dark. With shadows spilling out everywhere else. They looked at each other. There was a trace of fear in their eyes. But there was also something else. Something unspoken. Something deep. The nod they gave each other was imperceptible. They slowly moved down the hall. One foot barely in front of the other. They approached the first door. Hotch paused for a brief moment before kicking the door down and rushing into the room. He went right Emily went left. Their eyes taking in the room in a few long seconds. There was no one in the room. "Clear." They both yelled. They exited the room and continued down the hall.

Morgan and the SWAT Officer moved past the staircase. The flashlights hanging from their guns providing visibility but also creating more shadows. Morgan's adrenaline was pumping into overdrive, he wanted to make sure everyone came home. This sick bastard wasn't getting anyone from his team. He leaned up against the wall to the right of the kitchen door. The SWAT Officer to the left. SWAT nodded and then they burst into the room. "Clear." They started towards the Dining room. They paused before charging in. "Clear." Reid and Rossi came rushing in from the other side. They looked up. "Oh Crap."

Hotch and Emily had just exited the second room and were coming out of the darkness into the final pool of light. A shower of broken glass came crashing in front of them followed by a black blur. The blur raises his assault rifle and fires. Hotch took three in the chest A red stream exploding out of him.

"No." Emily raised her gun and double tapped the black mass in front of her dead center. He spun backwards blood spurting from his body.

Morgan had already been rushing up the stairs and had reached the top. He whirled and witnessed the whole scene play before him. Emily collapsed onto Hotch's body. He rushed past her and checked the UnSub. His pulse was nonexistent. He was gone. Morgan wanted nothing more than too wipe the smile that was frozen forever on the UnSubs face clean off. But he didn't. He turned back towards Emily. "Is he alright?"

Emily world was crashing all around her. She saw the red that stained what was once a pristine white shirt. Her heart was breaking. She wasn't breathing. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. She looked at his face. His eyes were closed. "Hotch. Open your eyes. DAMMIT AARON DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME." Somewhere far far away she could very dimly hear Morgan's voice, but that was far important right now. All she cared about was getting those brown eyes open and looking at her. She needed to see him again. She could not lose him. Not with so much between them unsaid. Not when there was so much happiness waiting for both of them. "AARON YOU WILL OPEN YOUR EYES RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD I WILL FOLLOW YOU AND KICK YOUR ASS."

His eyes opened and finally she was able to breathe. His eyes locked with hers. "Kick my ass huh? Sounds like you got it bad." He chuckled and smirked at her.

"You don't know the half of it."

A wave of pain hit him and their eye contact was broken. She was lost once again she needed to get him back, "Aaron, don't go. I can't do this without you."

He chuckled his voice filled with pain. His teeth were blood stained. "So much wasted time. … Emily … I … Lo..ve you." He grunted out with his last breath.

"Aaron I" His eyes close for the final time.

She woke up screaming. The room was dark, the only light coming from her bedside clock. Her breath was coming out quickly and raggedly. She held her hand to her heart it was racing. It was going so fast it hurt. Although that wasn't the only reason it was hurting. The pressure from her hand prevented it from bursting from her chest. After a few minutes she managed to get her heart rate and breathing under control. She looked over to the clock it read 1:43. She threw off the covers and put on a pair of shoes. She raced down the hall grabbing her purse and keys without missing a step. She was out the door and into her car in a matter of moments. She had never moved this fast. Usain Bolt had never moved this fast. She gunned the accelerator and kept it down. She wasn't stopping for anything. Damn them all, just let them try to stop me. Then she was at his apartment and in his front of his door. She had to see him, there was no going back now she needed to know it was a dream. That he was still alive. She pounded on the door.

He had tried going to bed early, but he had tossed and turned. His mind had only one thought. Emily. She had bewitched him. And he was hers. He loved everything about her. But he couldn't have her. He was her boss. And he wouldn't do that to her. She had worked to hard to get where she was too have an unfair reputation that she had slept her way to the top. He loved her too much to force that upon her. He would suffer in silence. That was what you do for those you love. You put them ahead of yourself. He hadn't done it for Haley. But he had learned his lesson. And if he was honest with himself he would do things for Emily happily that he would have never done for Haley. Emily had captured his heart in a way that his ex-wife never had. And even if he did do something, there was no reason to believe she reciprocated his feelings. What would she see in someone like him? He was a workaholic divorcee. Could an amazing woman like her look at him like that?

After a couple of hours of wrestling with his thoughts and feelings; he got up and walked into the kitchen and pulled out a tumbler. He pulled his bottle of Jack from the freezer. He poured a generous amount into glass. He walked into the living room and plopped down on to the couch. He turned on the t.v. hoping that there was something on that would distract his mind. After fourteen minutes of some mindless sitcom. He was startled when he heard a continuous banging on his doors. Who in the world would be at my door at two in the morning banging on my door? He opened the door, and came face to face with the object of his fantasies. Her hair was disheveled, she wasn't wearing any make-up, and she was wearing a pair of sweats and t-shirt. God she was beautiful. "Prentiss what are you doing pounding on my door at two in the morning? Is something wrong?"

All of the courage and conviction that had driving her from her home to this door abandoned her. Relief flooded her body that it had all been a dream and he was standing before her. She couldn't resist she hesitantly reached out a hand and touched his chest. The hard muscle underneath his t-shirt didn't give. God he's so hot.

He saw the relief that flooded her face when she saw him. That was unusual; her poker face was almost as good as his and Rossi's. Something must really be wrong. His heart went out to her. He wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't do that. He knew if he held her he would never want to let her go. I can't do that to her. He saw her hand reach up and slowly move towards his chest. It took all of his considerable self-control to not flinch when she touched him. "Prentiss are you all right? Would you like to come in?"

She heard him asking if she wanted to come in; his words where far away like in a dream. Her hand was still on his chest. Her eyes stared long and hard at the spot where her hand lay. She was lost in another world. His hands lightly grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her back into his world. "What? Yes. Yes. I would like to come in." Her voice was soft. She couldn't meet his eyes.

As he moved aside to give her passage, he couldn't help but stare at her. Something was definitely wrong. She had been staring at him with a faraway look in her eye. What was going on? "Would you like something to drink?"

She nodded. A drink might do me good. Maybe it will calm these nerves. I hope this isn't a bad idea. … But I have to see this through. No matter what.

"What would you like?"

You. All of you. "A drink would be nice. What do you have?"

"I have some Jack. Would you like some?"

Typical guy drink. "Yeah that would nice."

He returned a minute later with a Jack on the rocks. She downed it one shot. No drink had ever tasted so good. As the drink burned its way down, she could feel her resolve slowly creeping back in. It was moving too slow. She could only stand mute staring at the glass.

Ok something is definitely wrong. This is the second time she has been staring off into nowhere. "Emily. … Please tell me what's wrong. I promise you I will do everything I can to fix it."

Everything? You promise. … Please be telling the truth. "Something happened."

"Are you all right? Did someone hurt you?"

"No nothing like that. I… I…" Her breath caught in her throat and then she released it. She breathed in and out trying to catch her breath.

Hotch was in agony. All he wanted was to put his arms around her and hold. He just wanted to tell her that it was going to be all right. He wanted to tell her that he was her for her and he would always be here for her. But he didn't; he stood like a sentinel silently watching as she struggled. Inside his heart was breaking, and tears flowed free.

"It was horrible Hotch, we were raiding a house. You were in front of me. All of a sudden the guy burst through the window and shot you. And then I was holding you in my arms and you were dying. I swear I could smell the blood. It was so real. And I tried to tell you. But … but it was too late. You were already gone."

It was a dream. Oh thank God. Wait, what is she talking about? She wanted to tell me something? "What did you want to tell me?" He stepped closer to her. Anticipation flooded his body. Is she going to say it? Please God, if ever you loved me, let her say it.

She felt him draw nearer. She turned and looked into his eyes. Her vision was a little blurry from the tears in her eyes. "I love you Hotch. I have for a long time I don't care about the rules or any of that stuff. All I care about is you. I want to be with you for the rest of my-."

His lips prevented her from saying anymore. It looked like that scene from a million and one movies, but to them the movies were a pale imitation. He took her right there against the wall. It was hard and fast and dirty. There was only need, need to feel, to touch, to affirm that they were alive and this was real. They came down slowly. Each staring into the other's eyes.

"Is this real?"

"Only one way to know for sure."

"Ow. Hotch why did you pinch me?"

"Now we know. Also I think after what we just did, you can call me Aaron."

"Aaron. I like the sound of that."

They lay in each others arms for a long time. They talked about all sorts of things discovering new things about each other. They also lay in silence, each absorbing the other and marveling in their great fortune. After a while Aaron took her to his room. They did it again. It was the antithesis of what they had done before. It was slow and thoughtful. It was full of feeling and love. They loved each other and they knew from that moment on, they could face the world. Because they had each other.

A/N Ok before any of you cry "deus ex machine" this was my intention from the beginning. I have read countless stories where tragedy, usually horrific violence, is the catalyst for these two to admit their feelings for each other. I just had a little fun with the idea. I got to admit though, I played a little with it hoping you would think it was real and not a dream. Did it work?

I can't write smut, but I wanted those moment s to say very specific things that's why I wrote the summary.

Also bonus points for anyone who figured out that they got out of bed at the same time. They really are soul mates. Please review and let me know what you thought.