Authors Note- Hey! This is my first fanfic so please be nice. I don't really have a plan for this story so I'm just going to write and see where it takes me. I can't guarantee regular updates but if this works out and people like it then I'll get happy and love you all and I'll update regularly. Also if you are a hotchniss shipper then we cool because they're my otp and you can be expecting a lot more stories involving the two. Lastly (I think) if you're like me and hate grammar and spelling mistakes then we also cool (that was bad grammar) because I hate that too so I'll be sure to proof read my work before publishing! If you're still here…Enjoy!

Twitter: _CRIMINALMINDS

Disclaimer: I do not own criminal minds or any of its characters

If there's one thing Aaron Hotchner hated more than anything it was his birthday. He never really understood the point of celebrating becoming one year older and consequently getting closer to death. If he knew one thing it was that his family sitting in the bullpen were likely to come barging through his door any minute now.

He saw them ascending the stairs to his office and began mentally counting down 3, 2, 1…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOTCH!" exclaimed the team at once as they barged through the door without knocking.

Everyone was staring, waiting to see what his reaction would be minus Prentiss who had called in sick this morning. It was odd for her to call in sick because everybody who knew Emily Prentiss knew that she never got sick. He didn't think anything of it but he figured he would stop by her apartment to check on her when he had finished work for the day.

He wasn't in the mood to celebrate but he thought about his family who stood before him. They obviously cared enough to bring him what seemed like a chocolate cake with frosting. Emily's favourite. Hotch internally scolded himself for going off on a tangent. About his subordinate. Whom he had just referred to as Emily…what was wrong with him?

Once he'd regained control of his thoughts he looked up to a sea of raised eyebrows from the team. "Thanks guys!" Hotch managed to say before anyone else had the chance to ask him why he seemed so distracted. "That's kind of you but you didn't have to, really."

"Nonsense Hotch it's the least we could do" said Rossi immediately. He'd known Aaron too long to know that he had been thinking about something else just a moment ago. Or rather someone. David Rossi had a pretty good idea of who that someone was. He wasn't stupid, he could see his friend had feelings for his subordinate, heck anyone could! However, with Hotch being as straight a ruler and so wound up in his job he was too blind to see it or to act on it for that matter. Rossi was of course not one for rules, having broken a few fraternization rules himself however he knew Hotch would never break any bureau policies.

Rossi's thoughts were interrupted by Morgan. "Hey man, if you've not got any plans for tonight we wanted to take you out for a drink or two to celebrate."

Hotch considered Morgan's offer for a moment. He wouldn't have minded going out for a drink with the team but he knew it wouldn't be the same without Prentiss. He quickly decided he would drop by her apartment after work and ask her if she felt like joining them. He hoped she would say yes but if she said no…what harm could having a bit of fun with the rest of the team do?

Hotch realised he had been quiet for too long so quickly spoke up. "Um…Yeah that sounds great but I'll meet you guys there at around 7. I have to make a quick stop after work."

JJ eyed him, "Okay, great. We'll see you around 7."

The team were out of his office in five seconds flat, all but David Rossi who had just placed a slice of cake on the table in front of him. Aaron knew that look Dave was currently giving him. It was Dave's 'knowing' look and if Aaron was honest with himself it made him feel a little uncomfortable knowing Dave was the only one on the team who could read him like an open book.

Hotch looked up to see Dave smirking at him. "Can I help you with something Dave?"

Dave raised his eyebrow "I don't know Aaron. Can you?"

Hotch sighed. He knew Dave wasn't going to leave so he settled on something to tell the older profiler. "If you must know, I'm going to stop by Prentiss's apartment after work just to see how she's feeling."

"Aaron"

"Yes Dave?"

"You have a phone right? With Emily's number on it? If you need help dialling I can…"

Dave was cut off by Hotch's stare. Dave knew what that stare meant. It was Hotch's silent way of telling him to shut up and leave. So he did just that without any further conversation between the two men.

Hotch sighed.

Should he just ring Prentiss? It would seem a little odd for him to just show up at her doorstep. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He decided he would consider the outcome of his little visit later but as of now he had to finish reading through this case.

He picked up his pen and got to work.

Authors Note- There you have it. My first chapter. I had such a good time writing this. I know it probably seems a little boring and slow at the moment but I promise it will pick up speed in later chapters. I'm not quite sure how long I'm going to make this yet but we'll see. Thank you for reading! And please leave reviews so I know how to improve my work. Thanks veryverity_ and vale4453 on twitter for reading this before I published it, go follow them!