She had just came back from work and as soon as her nostrils breathed in the scent of her home, all the stress and the horrors of the last case faded away and her shoulders felt lighter.
She kept her eyes closed for a second, enjoying the air of her sweet, welcoming home and only after it all sank in, she heard the soft music coming from upstairs.
She smiled and recognized the song.
She bit her lip at the memory and then ran upstairs, eager to see her family.
Her smile grew wider when she saw Aaron sitting on the floor.A 10 year old Jack at his side and a 2 year old Violet on his lap.
''Aren't you supposed to be in bad?'' She smirked from the doorway.
The three Hotchners looked up and immediately all their faces broke into big, beaming smiles.
"Look who's back!" Aaron exclaimed and Violet squirmed in his arms wanting to be picked up from her mother.
"EMMY!" Jack exclaimed and ran to hug his step mother. He was 10 now but still called her Emmy and she absolutely loved it.
Emily smiled and kissed his head before going to greet her husband and daughter.
She took the little Violet from his father's arms and sat down next to him, lettin Jack plop down between the both of them.
"Seriously Hotch, shouldn't you be in bed?" He was confined to bed rest because of a nasty gunshot injury to his leg and needed to recover.
"I've got my leg up and resting and I promise the walk from the bed to the here was the only effort I made" he gestured to the leg resting on a pile of pillows and she shook her head.
"Your Daddy is going to be limping for the rest of his life" she kissed her daughter's head and she giggled in her mother's arms "What's with the music?" She looked lovingly at him.
"Jack wanted to go through photo albums and I found a picture. It made me think of this song so I put it on" he returned the gaze.
Emily blushed slightly and asked him what picture he had found.
He turned to his side and picked the suspicious item from the floor next to him and handed it to her.
Immediatly her eyes filled with tears.
"Emmy, why are you sad?" Jack asked the brunette which wiped the tears and turned the photo.
Summer 1988
The smile was impossible to hold back now and she didn't even try. She gave one last look at Aaron before addressing Jack "I'm not sad Jack, sweetie. Those were tears of joy"
Jack seemed satisfied with the answer but then had another question.
"Who's in the photo?" He sounded very interesting and Emily and Aaron knew in that moment that they were up for some storytelling time.
"These" Emily showed him the old photo "are daddy and I"
The boy's eyes widened and Violet pointed at the younger versions of her parents "Daddy!" She giggled out.
"That's right sweetie" Emily kissed her head once more and then smothered her black curls.
"This is when Emily and I first met" Aaron said with a smile and Jack turned to him immediatly "Really?"
He saw his father nod his head and then heard him say that they met that exact summer at one of Grandma Elizabeth's events since he was working for her.
"Daddy saved Emmy from a nasty man" Aaron bragged and Emily rolled her eyes.
"I remember it differently"
"You were drunk honey so your version doesn't count"
Emily gasped and laughed, smacking his shoulder
"I used you to save myself" she argued and smile while her mind travelled back to summer 1988.
Flashback
"Mom, are you sure I need to wear this?" Emily was looking at herself in the mirror and feeling absolutely ridiculous
"Yes sweetie. Positive"
"But it itches and it squeezes my boobs. I can't breathe!" She complained while her mother clasped a very heavy necklace around her neck
"MOM!" Emily screamed when she felt the weight of the piece "IT'LL BREAK MY NECK!"
"You're a drama queen" Elizabeth laughed and and patted her shoulder "There there dear. Meet me downstairs with your father. We'll talk with the whole staff before the party starts"
Emily huffed, squeezed her boobs in the dress and followed her mother downstairs.
She knew her mother's event speeches by heart but her mother insisted that she's there everytime because she was their employer as much as her parents were.
Plus, she was getting older and needed to learn how to handle things.
Emily was only glad she could have free access to the champagne and that their parents were probably going to be too busy entertaining the guests to notice her.
That was the only chance she had to ignore where she was and who she was with and maybe try to feel a bit more comfortable in her own house.
The doubled security was pretty intimidating but her mother said it was necessary since there were important people.
She was hating it already.
She heard her mother dismiss them all and followed her outside where she was going to greet her guests.
Emily had to play doll next to her.
She usually hated interacting with creepy old men but if she had to do it, she preferred doing it with her mother or father because at least they weren't going to touch her or make creepy pervert comment on how beautiful she had gotten and what a fine young lady she was in front of her parents.
Or at least, if they did, her parents were going to prevent it from becoming gross and uncomfortable for Emily.
That's something she loved about them.
Especially her mother.
She knew the world she lived in and, and she knew what it meant to be a woman in that world.
Even though Emily felt like her mother didn't pay attention to many things about her daughter, she knew that her mom always looked out for her when it came to men from her job.
She knew her daughter was beautiful and she knew what those dirty men had in their minds.
So Emily knew she was pretty much untouchable when she was around her mom.
"Mom, can I go?" Emily asked while Elizabeth engaged a conversation with some woman she had never seen before.
Elizabeth nodded briefly at her and Emily flew away to the open bar where she got appetizers and drinks.
"Are you old enough to drink?"
"Ehy, this is my house. It's responsable drinking" Emily argued and smiled when the bar tender gave up and got her her drinks.
Much to Emily's dismay, since it wasn't dinner the appetizers weren't enough so she found herself tipsy sooner that she expected.
"Emily?" She turned around and felt like throwing up when she saw Ambassador Trent.
He was disgusting and had hit on Emily since she was twelve.
"Look at you!" He exclaimed and looked her up and down. Emily felt really uncomfortable and looked around to see if her mother was in sight, but she wasn't.
And neither was her father.
She was really hating their huge house and yard right now.
"You blossomed into a very beautiful young lady" he touched her shoulder and she smiled uncomfortably at him, thanking him politely but still looking for someone to save her.
"So tell me dear, you're 18 now, right? Are you starting college?"
'Uhm yeah, in Septem-Oh look, I've just found my boyfriend!" She exclaimed when she saw a security guy she had recognised from her mother reunion in the hall "I've been looking for him everywhere" she walked away from the Ambassador as if it was completely normal and went over to the guy she didn't even know.
"Please play along and get me away from him" she whispered in his ear and he immediatly got into action.
"Where have you been! I was looking for you everywhere" Emily wrapped her arm around his shoulder and giggled.
Now Aaron felt a bit uncomfortable but still tried to keep calm "I went to ask if dancing was starting soon since you told me you wanted to dance" saved by the bell.
A good song came on and Emily breathed a sign of relief.
"Oh! Well then, let's go! I'm sorry Kirk, see you later" she waved at the Ambassador, attached herself to the man's side and walked away as fast as possible.
When they were out of sight, a place she considered safe enough, she detached herself for the security guy and sighed.
Taking her time to regain composure she looked confused at the young man in front of her.
"You're not going to ask?"
"Not my place, Miss Prentiss"
Emily smirked "Good one, security guy but I can tell when someone's lying and you totally are. You know already, that's why you aren't going to ask"
Aaron chuckled "I picked up quickly. Are you okay?" He asked and she found herself totally charmed by him.
For some reason.
"Yeah. He's a creep. I feel like I need a shower" she shivered "But I'm good" she smiled at him.
Aaron nodded his head and stepped away to leave but she stopped him
"Hey, I don't even know your name. How am I going to make creepers buy it that you're my boyfriend if I don't know your name?"
She smiled at him.
"Hotchner. Aaron Hotchner"
She bit her lip and walked to him "So Aaron Hotchner" she knew it was the champagne kicking in "Are you going to give me the dance I wanted so desperately you had to leave me to the wolves to make sure I had it?"
"I'm working" he said politely and she pouted.
" Oh come on! Just one dance! Plus, my mom is really protective when it comes to touchy disgusting pervs so I can always say that someone tried to worm their way in her little girl's pants so I asked you to stay with me to keep them away which is the truth"
Aaron sighed.
She looked at his pensive expression and she knew she was about to win the argument.
"Look at it this way. You're a security guy, keeping me safe from old, filthy men" she bit the inside of her cheek and he chuckled but then stretched out his hand for her to take it.
They walked to the crowded dance floor and Emily laughed "Old people are crazy" she looked at all those people getting crazy on the dance floor dance almost forgetting who they were and then focused on Aaron.
He was pretty sure their dancing was fun and innocent for the most part, until Total Eclipse Of The Heart came on.
She smiled shyly at him and looked like she really wanted to dance but also like she felt like she was asking too much.
He smiled at her and pulled her closer to him so they could dance.
She tensed up in is hold "It's okay" he said "We can do it" he made sure she knew she wasn't imposing and that's when she relaxed in his embrace.
She rested her head on his shoulder, her face away from his neck.
His left hand was on her hip while the right one was holding hers in the air.
They swayed to the music and at some point, neither of them knew when, Aaron moved their hands between their bodies.
Emily rested her palm on his chest and his hand covered hers.
She closed her eyes and thought about how good it felt.
She felt warm and light.
She didn't know if it was the alcohol or Aaron.
Probably both.
But she was enjoying the dance and being held by him.
This is something she craved but couldn't commit to.
She didn't know how.
All the traveling she's done in her life had made it hard for her to commit to people and relationships and she trusted with great difficulty.
So she just let herself have this small piece of heaven without questioning it, or running away from it.
Because it was random and casual and she probably wasn't going to see him again.
It could do no harm.
A single slow dance could't hurt.
Aaron, on the other hand, couldn't help but hate himself because he was enjoying holding Emily.
He was the one who suggested and promoted the slow dance.
He pulled her to him.
And he wanted to.
He was liking it.
But it was wrong.
Because she wasn't Haley.
Haley was the one and only he was supposed to enjoy holding like this.
But at the same time, here he was.
Dancing with Emily Prentiss, the daughter of his boss, in a very intimate hold.
Breathing in her sweet scent and finding it hard not to touch her glowing skin.
He was in so much trouble he had no idea.
He tried to convince himself that it was nothing.
A pure innocent thing to keep the 'old, filthy men' away from her.
Basically work.
He thought that if he tried hard enough, he could fool himself into believing that.
And when he decided that it was simply work, he let himself enjoy the moment.
The little, perfect bubble they were dancing in.
He smiled and hid his nose in her neck.
She smiled and tried to keep the butterflies at bay.
The bubble, though, was quickly bursted by a flash.
They quickly parted and saw the photographer in front of them "Great one, guys" and then left to take other pictures of other guests.
Emily and Aaron looked awkwardly at each other.
She pulled a curl of hair behind her ear and avoided his eyes.
He cleared his throat and tried to come up with something to say.
His head was still spinning by the dance and the closeness of their bodies and he was still trying to wrap his mind around the mindblowing knowledge that she fit perfectly into his embrace.
"I should go-" he stuttered and she was quick on her feet "Yeah, sure. Of course"
He nodded, not knowing what to do with his hands and backed away slowly "I'll see you around" he said
"I guess" she smiled at him and watched him go
"Oh and Aaron?" She found the courage to call him again. He turned around immediately.
She smiled gently at him
"Thank you" she whispered.
She didn't know what happened for sure but one thing she was certain of.
He kept Kirk away from the rest of the evening.
And for that she was immensely grateful.
After that night she didn't see him again and didn't allow herself to think about him.
End flashback
Emily bit her lip to hide the smile that formed at the end of Aaron's story.
"You saved Emmy from a nasty man?" Jack giggled and Aaron nodded "Very much so. Emmy was too beautiful so everyone wanted to dance with her"
Emily smiled at her husband's words and leaned forward to peck his lips.
She then looked down at the picture one last time while the words of Total Eclipse Of The Heart player in the background and couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman on Earth.
That night she had felt something for Aaron and never once thought about him again after that dance.
She convinced herself that she was drunk and that's how she explained to herself the butterflies and the warmth she felt that night.
She let him go and went on with her life.
But when 17 years later she knocked on his office door and saw him again... she knew.
She knew that the summer 1998 party wasn't because she was drunk.
Because what happened that night, happened that day of 2005, when she arrived at the BAU.
Because her heart shattered when she found out that Aaron was married and had a son and that back in 1988 what would have been his wife later, was his girlfriend already.
So she smashed into the realization that that night was something completely different for him.
It was probably love at first sight for her.
But it was work for him.
Once again, she had to bury her feelings for Aaron Hotchner and pretend they weren't there.
And she almost didn't make it.
But she pushed through and they made it work.
Until Aaron Hotchner had her dead at the hands of Ian Doyle and she had to run away to simply try to stay alive and not get killed.
He had to let her go once more and once more he was sure he was never going to see her again.
That's why when she was back, and all the crazy Ian Doyle hunt was over, he walked up to her and kissed her senseless.
Because miracles were rare and they had been blessed twice.
There was no way he was going to risk it and challenge fate for a third time.
No.
This time he wasn't going to let her go.
So now, sitting on the floor, with an injured leg, a 10 year old son who was talking up a storm about how weird his daddy looked in that picture, a 2 year old little girl half asleep on her mother's bosom and quite the list of misadventures they both had, Aaron looked at his wife and almost teared up because he felt blessed.
Blessed to be right there with her and to be able to share moments like this one with her and their kids.
Blessed because she had given him another child and because every day she made him happier than the day before.
Blessed because they got to create memories.
Blessed because she was getting up, with a fully asleep baby girl on her hip, helping Jack up to hand him his baby sister and then reaching down to help him up.
"Back to bed daddy" her heard her say.
"Ehy wait. I didn't even get a hello kiss"
She chuckled and got him to lay down on the bed.
Once her mind was at ease, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips.
"Hello" she joked and Aaron laughed.
He then pulled her down to him and hugged her "I missed you" his voice muffled by her shoulder.
She whispered that she had missed him too but that she was happy to come home to such a good surprise.
She tried to pull away, claiming that she had to change Violet and prepare dinner but he held her still.
"One moment please" his voice soft and she knew he needed this.
He needed one more monent.
To let it sink.
To make sure.
To be sure.
To calm down.
To realize.
He took a deep breath and released her from his embrace.
She stayed there though and stroked his cheek.
"I love you security guy" she smiled and he did as well.
"I love you Miss Prentis"
One more kiss and she was out.
Aaron watched her go ad shook his head.
He couldn't believe he was living a miracle that began in Summer 1998