Men don't overreact – part one

A/N: I just want to say thanks so much to all who reads and reviews this series! You're so great I can hardly believe it!

I'm so happy that you like this series because I'm just having the best time ever writing it! Whenever I have a bad or boring day I just jump into this world and my day gets so much better! And all the lovely reviews just make me want to write more and more and more... Thanks so much!

Here's a two-shot for ya! This is about 6 months into their relationship.

Last time I checked I did not own Criminal Minds... and I'm pretty sure that's still the case...

/

The front door to Hotch's apartment swung open and Hotch made his way in followed by a silently steaming Emily.

"Why are you so upset?" Hotch asked glaring at her."Don't think that I haven't been noticing those little angry looks you've been sending my way the whole ride home."

"Good! You were supposed to notice them." Emily answered crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

Hotch shot her another glare but didn't respond.

"I just can't believe you!" She exclaimed at her boyfriend slash unit chief. At the moment though he was only her boyfriend Aaron. And in her opinion Aaron had screwed up. Royally.

"I really don't see the problem." Hotch shot back much more calmly. He knew he could be terrifying if he wanted to but he didn't want to. He also knew that one of the few people that never really found him terrifying was Emily.

"You wouldn't, would you?" Emily snapped. "I'll have you know that I am a fully trained FBI agent and I can take perfectly good care of myself. You know that! You see me in the field almost every day."

"This was different!" Hotch snapped back. "This wasn't on the job and he was harassing you!"

"I could have handled it myself. I'm not some weak damsel in distress that you have to rescue. You just had to go all Hotch the caveman on me!" Emily's eyes were glowing dark as she stared down Hotch.

"Yeah! Because you really looked like you were handling it!" Hotch couldn't help but bite back.

"Aaron, you know what? Screw you!" She knew that it was childish and stupid but she just couldn't get over the fact that he didn't seem to think that he had done anything wrong.

And with that as her final remark she stormed out of his apartment leaving him by himself looking at the slammed shut door.

/

As she was driving the short way home Emily replayed the offending events of the night in her head. It had just been a simple team outing. They were just going to grab a beer and have some quiet fun. Nothing else.

She'd noticed the creep staring at her fifteen minutes or so into the night. She had also noticed Hotch noticing him maybe five minutes later. She'd felt him tense up next to her and when she turned she could see that his eyes were dark and she followed his gaze straight to the creepy guy at the bar who seemed to have no intentions of backing down.

At first she had kind of liked it. Seeing his eyes get all dark and knowing that he got possessive of her. She was sure that his caveman side was one of the many reasons he was so incredibly good in bed.

But then it just seemed like he couldn't let it go. He had kept glancing over at the man. Every time piercing through him with the Hotchner death glare. She on the other hand had just decided to ignore the pervert. And to go on having a great night. She just wished that Hotch had had the sense to do the same thing.

When she had gone up to the bar to grab Hotch, Rossi and herself one last round it had taken less than thirty seconds for the creep to approach her. She had politely but firmly turned him down. But he had had no plans to leave. This had to have been either the stupidest or the most wasted man ever. Or possibly both. He'd grabbed her by the waist and tried pulling her with him. And just when she was about to kick his ass. And she was going to enjoy it too. Someone did it for her.

He had pushed the guy up against the bar and stood hovering dangerously over him burning holes through him with his blazing stare. Then he'd snarled a threat to arrest him if he didn't back off. She'd been thoroughly surprised that the guy hadn't wet himself out of sheer fear. He'd just spluttered something unintelligible and hurriedly stumbled away shooting a glance over his shoulder every few steps to make sure that the big scary man wasn't following him.

The ride back to Hotch's apartment had been strained to say the least. She had not enjoyed that particular display of possession and he knew it. But the stubborn man just couldn't see why. He just couldn't see that she was perfectly capable of getting rid of ogling drunks by herself.

/

Hotch didn't try talking to Emily the next morning. He'd heard Morgan greeting her through his open door when she arrived an hour after he had gotten there. But he'd taken a careful look out through his blinds at her and seen her tense posture and the furrow between her eyes and decided to stay well away. At least for another few hours.

Quietly making his way out of his office Hotch made a point of not looking down into the bullpen as he walked over to Rossi's office. Rossi had helped him with his "lady problems" before and perhaps he could be of assistance again. He was pretty sure that Rossi had a lot more experience arguing with women than he had courting them.

"Hey." Rossi greeted Hotch when the younger man slipped through his door after giving it a firm knock. He immediately noticed Hotch's set jaw and creased brow. This couldn't be good. "Why do you look like someone forgot to press your favorite suit?" He asked trying to keep the conversation lighthearted.

"Emily and I had a fight." Hotch said glumly.

At Hotch's words Rossi's warning lights immediately started to flare. He distinctly remembered the last time Hotch had come into his office looking much like he did right now. That time he had been at the receiving end of a stupid prank. He just had to make sure.

"Is this for real, Aaron?" He asked cautiously not wanting to step on any toes and release the wrath of Aaron Hotchner. "I'm not being Punk'd again, like the kids like to call it?" Again trying to keep it light and breezy.

"Of course it's for real, Dave!" Hotch snapped. Then he regained his trade marked emotionless calm and shook his head at Rossi. "Sorry, Dave. Didn't mean to snap at you. It's just so frustrating."

"What is?" Rossi asked silently accepting his role as agony aunt once again.

"Emily!" Hotch exclaimed. "Why is she so damned stubborn? Why can't she see that I was only trying to help?"

"Wait." Rossi said with an eyebrow raised in question. "Is this about last night? About that drunk who tried to feel her up."

"Yes." Hotch confirmed. "Apparently I did something wrong by trying to protect her from a pervert that was all hands." Hotch's eyes got even darker as he for a second flashed back to the previous night.

He'd seen this creepy guy undress Emily with his eyes. Then even after several angry glares he'd still approached her when she went to the bar. So he'd decided to give her a hand. To show the moron that she was there with someone. With her boyfriend. But then on his way over he'd seen how the guy had put his hands on her and he'd had this overwhelming urge to introduce the guy to his Glock. That creep was lucky that all he did do was push him up against the bar.

He'd been completely astonished when he'd realized that Emily was angry with him. He had helped her. Contrary to what she apparently thought he knew that she was an excellent agent who was beyond capable of defending herself. But they had not been at that bar as SSA Prentiss and SSA Hotchner. They'd been there as Emily and Aaron. And Aaron protects Emily. Always.

He was pulled back by Rossi clearing his throat a little louder than necessary.

"I get where you're coming from, Aaron, I really do but look at this from Emily's perspective. She's never been in a real long-term relationship. And she is, if you don't mind me saying, quite attractive." He said raising an apologetic eyebrow. "She's probably had to fight off her fair share of drunken buffoons before. And if what I hear is true she's pretty good at it."

Hotch sighed. He knew that. But he didn't want to have to apologize for his decision to help his girlfriend out of a tricky situation.

"I know that Dave, but..."

"No, buts, Aaron." Rossi cut him off. "I know both of you and believe me when I say that the two of you are the most stubborn donkeys there are. Why don't you just be the bigger person here and get her some flowers and tell her how very sorry you are." He gave Hotch a smirk. "Then you might actually see some action other than your left hand before the end of the month..."

Hotch let out another sigh. God, he hated when Dave was right. And apparently now the old man could read his mind too because he met Hotch's sigh with an even smugger smirk.

"Sucks when I'm right, doesn't it?"

/

Just as her key hit the lock in her front door Emily felt her cell vibrate and heard the characteristic ding of a new text message.

Fumbling with her keys, her go bag, purse and cell she decided to just drop her stuff on the nearest flat surface which happened to be the kitchen island. Pulling out her cell phone she saw directly who the text was from.

Em, we need to talk. Please come by my apartment.

I got that wine that you love...

xo

Aaron

She also realized that they needed to talk. She was just procrastinating a little. Because she knew that he hadn't meant anything bad by doing what he did. She just didn't want to admit that just quite yet. But she actually was glad that he wanted to protect her. He loved her.

But that didn't mean that he didn't need to understand that she could take care of herself. And she needed to know that he wouldn't spend the rest of their years together (that she hoped would be plentiful) walking two feet behind her brandishing his gun at every man that looked twice at her.

Grabbing her purse and keys off the kitchen island she made her way out of her front door again. Heading for Hotch's apartment and a talk.

/

He knew that she was coming before he heard the knock on his door. He'd been looking out his living room window since he sent her the text. When he'd seen her car pull up he'd felt a nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach.

During the five minutes it took her to walk up to his apartment he'd fiddled with the bouquet of pale pink roses that stood in a vase on his dining room table making sure that they looked just right. Then he'd felt the bottle of Chardonnay for the fifth time making sure that it was chilled to perfection. He just wanted everything to go as smoothly as it possibly could.

At the sound of her knock on his door Hotch took a deep breath and steeled himself as he walked over to the front door and opened it. There he was met by two uncertain brown eyes and a weak smile.

"Hi, Em." He bent down and kissed her on her cheek not really daring to do anything else before they'd had their talk. "I'm so glad that you came." He told her earnestly.

"Of course I came, Hotch. It's not like I want to have this dumb fight with you." She answered giving him another small smile and stepping into the living room.

"Are those for me?" She asked indicating the dozen pink roses in their vase on the table. The roses that he'd spent half an hour picking out at the florist.

"Yep." He gave her a dimple. "Just something to tell you that I'm sorry that I overreacted yesterday."

A wide smile spread across her red lips and her dark eyes twinkled as she closed the distance between them. Then she pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. He responded in kind pressing himself as close to her as he possibly could. When they broke apart her voice was a little shaky.

"You can't believe how happy I am that you're seeing this from my side." She told him giving him a squeeze. "That you realized that you just can't go all caveman-y like that on me." She gave him another squeeze but his arms fell limp along his body.

"What do you mean caveman-y?" He asked shooting her a small glare. "That wasn't caveman behavior. That was common sense!" He took a couple of steps back. "That guy had his hands all over you. I helped!"

Emily's eyes grew darker. He really still thought that she couldn't fend for herself?

"You just don't get it, do you?" She growled at him. Then she swiftly tore the front door open and left Hotch once again looking with stunned eyes at his closed door.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review... I've had a drop in reviews and I just want to make sure that people are still enjoying this little tale...

Second part should be up in a few days...stay tuned!

/ Sussi