Hey guys! This popped into my head after last week's episode (I can't wait for tonight's) and absolutely demanded I put it on paper. Maybe I'm the only one who saw something in that "moment" near the end with Hotch and Emily; please tell if you did or didn't see it as well. I love reviews, please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and, as if you didn't already know this, I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. However if anyone feels the need to give me the rights to them, Christmas is coming up and there's always my birthday.

"What?" He asked, half turning as he walked away.

She couldn't hold back a laugh. "Nothing." She said as she shook her head, but in that moment nothing was everything. The very beginning of everything.

Nothing was a realization and an epiphany of sorts. Nothing was seeing a new side of Aaron Hotchner that she had never before noticed, not that she had been looking for it. And maybe it was the atmosphere and the adrenaline, maybe it was knowing that they had caught the bad guy, or maybe it was knowing that a young woman was able to go home to family and friends and a future, because of them. Because of him.

She knew that had he still been their superior, Hotch would have probably given a little more thought to waiting for backup, but then again, maybe he would've done things exactly the same; she also knew that in spite of having to reprimand Hotch, Derek would've done the same if it had been him in the position. It's what any one of them would've done.

And she could see the difference in the man who was asked to explain his actions to Morgan and the superior she had worked with for so long. He could be just a little bit more reckless and a little less controlled now that he was a part of the team, but not leading the team.

Yes. Nothing would be the start of everything, whether Emily knew it yet or not.

Okay, so yes, I know it's horribly short, but that's just how things ended up. I'm not sure how I feel about it honestly, but that's me, never really happy with what I write, always critiquing . . . Anyway, it didn't turn out exactly as I'd planned, but what can you do, right? Give me a review and tell me what you think.

Thanks,

Halle Alexis