A/N: So I keep finding all of these stories on my hard drive. This is just a fun sorta one that I wrote after my best friend had a kid. I had this situation where I was baby-sitting for a whole weekend. I couldn't get him to settle and called up my guy friend who must've had the midas touch or something. Anyway, it inspired this story. Please read and review.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Hotch was sitting on his couch looking through case files when his cell started buzzing. It was a message from Emily. Help! Can you please come over?! Hotch jumped up off the couch, grabbed his gun, badge, and keys and took off. He was at Emily's door within 10 minutes. The door opened and Emily stood on the other side, dressed in her work clothes, covered in some sort of liquid and her hair was a mess. Hotch laughed. "Uh, you need help?" he said. Emily grabbed him by the tie and pulled him into the apartment. "I offered to baby-sit Henry for JJ and Will. He hasn't stopped crying. I don't know what to do!" she cried. Hotch chuckled. "Alright. Uh where is he?" Hotch asked, walking into the lounge. Henry was on the floor, crying and throwing toys around the room. Hotch walked in and picked Henry up off the floor. He stopped crying for a moment and Emily smiled. Soon enough he started crying again. "Uh, have you tried feeding him?" Hotch asked, simultaneously cooing Henry. Emily nodded. "I've tried strained spinach, meat and vegetables…I don't know what to do!" she cried. "Alright, let's try feeding him again," Hotch said, "You take him. I'll get the food ready." Emily took Henry and cuddled him. "Cmon buddy. Please stop crying," she pleaded. Hotch smiled when he saw her reflection in the microwave. Emily sat on the couch and tried to play peek-a-boo. "I don't do little kids. I wait until they're old enough to take shopping or have intelligent conversations with," Emily explained. "Don't you want kids?" Hotch asked. Emily glared at him. "Of course I do. I'm a woman…apparently it's supposed to be part of our DNA," she answered sarcastically.
The microwave beeped and Hotch pulled the bowl out, carried it over to the lounge, and sat on the floor. Emily picked Henry up and held him while Hotch tried to feed him. Hotch spooned some of the mush and put it in front of Henry. He grabbed onto the spoon and flicked the food into Hotch's face. Emily cracked up laughing and Henry laughed along. Hotch smiled and stood up. He carried the bowl to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of face wipes. "So I guess he just wants some entertainment," Hotch said, returning to the lounge and wiping Henry's face. He looked at Emily and smiled. They sat there for a moment, looking at each other. Henry managed to slip the wipe out of Hotch's hand and threw it at him, laughing. Emily laughed and Hotch smiled. "Hey, do you want me to entertain him while you go and have a shower?" Hotch asked. Emily nodded. "I would love that," she answered. Hotch reached out and took Henry from Emily and watched as she made her way up the stairs.
Ten minutes later, Emily made her way back down, dressed in cargo shorts and a singlet. Hotch was lying on his side, playing with Henry on the floor. He was still crying but not screaming anymore. Hotch looked up and smiled. "Feel better?" he asked. Emily nodded and sat down next to him. "He hasn't stopped crying?" she said. Hotch shook his head. "He'll eventually get tired and just crash," Hotch assured her. Emily smiled and lay down in front of Henry. Soon enough, Henry lay down and fell asleep. Hotch gently picked him up and Emily led him upstairs to the spare room where they'd set up Henry's port-a-cot. Hotch lay him down and Emily covered him with a blanket and put his dummy in.
They quietly made their way back downstairs and Hotch crashed on the lounge. "So where are they tonight?" Hotch asked while she picked up the toys. Emily shrugged. "They said something about a movie but my guess is a night on their own at home," she replied, gesturing for him to move his legs. He lifted them and when she sat down and lay back, he put his feet on her lap. She chuckled. "Thanks for helping me tonight Hotch," she said. He smiled and grunted. Eventually they both fell asleep.
"Emily," JJ called out, using her key to let herself in. She walked into the apartment and found Hotch and Emily lying on the couch, fast asleep. Hotch had his legs up on the couch and Emily was curled in a ball, leaning on Hotch. She laughed and walked upstairs. When she got back downstairs, Emily had woken up. "Hey," she whispered to JJ, gesturing towards the kitchen. "How was your night?" she asked. "How was yours…no wait. First question: what's Hotch doing here?" JJ smiled and winked. Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. I texted him last night when your son wouldn't stop crying. He helped me settle him and when he went to sleep we just crashed. It's nothing like that," she answered. JJ nodded her head and smiled. "Alright. We'd better get going back to Daddy. I'll pick up the rest of the stuff later," JJ said. Emily nodded and walked them to the door. After she said goodbye she put some clothes in the washing machine and gently closed the door. She went into the kitchen and started cleaning up the bowl and spoon from the night before.
She thought Hotch could use the sleep, even on a couch, so she grabbed her keys and walked down the street to get coffee and muffins. When she got back, he still wasn't awake. She went into the kitchen and pulled out a couple of plates and mugs, poured the coffee, and put the food on the table. With the clanking of the cutlery, Hotch woke up. It took him awhile to remember where he was but once he got his bearings he sat up. "Hey, you're awake," Emily said. "Yeah. Wow that was a good sleep," he replied, standing up. "So…" he said, nervously looking around. "Uh, I picked up some coffee and muffins from down the street. I mean, if you want breakfast. As a thank-you for last night," Emily said, hoping to reduce the discomfort but failing miserably. Hotch smiled and nodded. "Breakfast would be great," he replied.
They sat at the table and got started on the food. "So do you have plans for today?" Hotch asked Emily. She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Every Sunday that we're in town, Morgan and I meet for a run down by reserve. Then we normally go out for dinner. Sometimes, during the season, we have a football night. What have you got? Paperwork?" she asked. Hotch smiled. "No. I don't always do paperwork. I have stuff…" he said defensively. Emily smiled. "Ok, so what fun things do you have planned for your Sunday?" she asked. "Oh really exciting stuff. I thought I'd call my mom and have her scold me down the phone for not calling enough, or for failing my brother. Then I thought I'd relax with a few beers, in front of the television, by myself," he answered. Emily smiled. "You should come to dinner. Morgan's bringing Tamara tonight," Emily said. Hotch frowned, "Who's Tamara?" Emily took a sip of coffee. "Morgan's been dating her for awhile now. I've met her a couple of times. She's really nice," Emily answered. Hotch smiled and nodded. "That'd be good. Wow. An actual night out," he joked. Emily laughed.
That afternoon, after their run, Morgan and Emily went their separate ways to get ready for dinner. She stood in front of her wardrobe wondering what to wear. She noticed that she'd never cared this much before. And she knew why she cared this much now. Hotch would be there. And this was one of those chances for him to see her out of slacks or cargos or flack vests.
Once she'd dressed, she ran downstairs and gathered her things, throwing them in her purse. Just as she was heading down the hall to the elevator, Hotch stepped out. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked nervously. Hotch smiled, "Morgan told me where we were meeting for dinner. Thought it'd be a nice walk from your place," he answered. Emily smiled and nodded. "Great. Well, let's go," she said nervously.
They walked down the street in awkward silence. Even though it wasn't a date, it sure felt like one. Emily's dress flowed in the wind and, as they passed a group on the path, Hotch put his hand on the small of her back. "So, how's your mother?" Hotch asked. Emily smiled and shrugged, "She's my mother. She's perfect," Emily answered sarcastically. "Ever the diplomat hey?" Hotch asked. Emily smiled and nodded. "You know it's interesting how your mother bottles up her emotions so well, and you've mimicked that behaviour. But you've chosen a career in which you're constantly dealing with emotions, psychosis, behaviours," Hotch noted. Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. "What?" he asked. Emily shook her head. "It's just. Uh. I guess profiling is just a part of who you are isn't it Hotch?" she joked. Hotch nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "I guess so," he said.
They reached the restaurant and Morgan and Tamara were waiting outside. Hotch shook Morgan's hand. "Hotch, this is Tamara," Morgan said, introducing his girlfriend to his boss. Hotch shook Tamara's hand and smiled. "Uh, we've got a table waiting for us," Morgan said. Emily nodded and the foursome walked inside. The maitre-de led them to a table and they sat down. After they'd ordered their drinks, Morgan sat back and put his arm around Tamara. "So how long have you been dating?" Hotch asked. Morgan chuckled. "Wow Hotch, third degree time hey?" he joked. Hotch smiled and nodded. "Uh, we've been dating…three months now?" Tamara said, looking at Morgan who nodded. Hotch raised his eyebrows. "What?" Morgan asked. Hotch smiled. "I've known Morgan for what…8 years now. Never has he made it past 2 dates," Hotch said. Morgan laughed and sat back, "What can I say? Personal growth," he said.
Tamara smiled and turned to Emily. "So Emily, how was your date the other night?" she asked. Emily smiled and took a sip of her water. Hotch looked over at her. "Date?" he asked. Emily nodded. "It was awful," she said. Tamara smiled. "Awful?" she asked. "He kept talking about his job, and his Lamborghini, and his $1.5 million house. I just kept thinking to myself, "This guy is a narcissist, misogynist, and I can list 5 un-subs we've caught in the past 12 months that I would have a more intelligent conversation with," she said. The others laughed. "I don't understand why men have this incessant need to brag about their belongings or bank accounts," Tamara said. Emily nodded, "Over-compensating?" Hotch laughed. "We can't win. If we don't talk, we're damaged hermits. If we talk too much, we're over-compensating," he said. Morgan nodded, "I agree." Tamara shook her head. "It's not the amount of talking though. Obviously women want men to talk but it's conversation we're after not bragging," she said. Emily nodded, "That's it. I don't want to have a conversation about my 401k or how much I paid for my apartment. I want to know what a man's ambitions are, what experiences he's had, what his relationship is like with his family, if he enjoys his job, why he enjoys his job…" she said. Hotch sat back and smiled.
As they left the restaurant, they stopped on the sidewalk. "This has been great," Tamara said. Emily nodded and the women hugged. "Did you walk Emily?" Morgan asked. Emily nodded again. "Hotch parked at my building," she said. "Alright, well we're parked around the corner," Morgan said. "I'll see you Tuesday?" Tamara asked Emily. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Provided we're in town," she answered. Tamara nodded and they said goodnight. Emily and Hotch watched Morgan and Tamara walk down the street, then turned to walk back to Emily's. "Hey, you wanna get some icecream?" Emily asked, as they walked towards the Baskin Robbins. Hotch nodded and opened the door, letting Emily go in first.
They ordered their icecream and sat down on the stools near the window, looking out onto the boulevard. Hotch looked over at Emily, "To be a good father, worked for the State Department, DA's office, Law School, FBI. I talk to my mother every week, my brother every other-week, and my son every day. Yes, and because I really love putting abusers, murderers, rapists etc. in prison. And I really enjoy working with our team." Emily frowned and took another scoop of icecream. "What's that?" she asked. Hotch smiled. "My ambitions, my experiences, my relationship with my family, and my job," he answered. Emily laughed and nodded. "Thanks for that," she said. "So how about you?" he asked. Emily took a deep breath. "I'm pretty much where I want to end up. The BAU is a perfect fit for me. Do you really want to hear all of my experiences? Cause that's a long list?" she asked. Hotch smiled, "How about 1 or 2 anecdotes?" he answered.
Emily smiled and nodded. "Well, when I was younger I spent an entire year living with my dad and step-mom in France. They live just outside of Paris. I had a crush on a boy who lived next door. Each month his family went hunting so I told my dad I wanted to go. Dad said yes so we went with them. I was showing off and tried picking up the fox while I rode past. I picked it up and sat back up on my horse. I was pretty chuffed…until I ran into a tree." Hotch smiled and chuckled. "Edward was really kind and helped me up. But I've never lived it down," Emily finished. Hotch smiled.
After they'd finished their icecream, they left the store and headed back to Emily's. When they reached her door, Emily pulled out her keys. "Well, tonight was fun," she said, turning to face Hotch. He nodded. "Yeah, we should do it again," Hotch said. Emily smiled and nodded. Hotch opened his mouth to say something but stopped. "Alright well goodnight Emily," he said. She nodded and smiled. "Goodnight Hotch," she said as she walked through the door and closed it. Hotch paused in front of her door for a moment then turned and walked down the hall.