The night sky was almost pitch black with only the lighting of the iridescent moon as Hotch and his fiancée walked hand in hand down the sandy pier. He had only proposed moments ago and the lovely brunette next to him wanted to celebrate by the water. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She immediately nodded, her hand gripping his just a bit tighter. "Oh honey, don't you think it'll be fun? Just me, you, the moon and the sand beneath us."

Hotch gave a laugh as he helped the woman down the stairs and onto the stand, helping her balance as she slipped off her heels. "Sweetheart, what if you get sand in your…crevasses?"

"Then I'll just have to deal with it."

Two minutes later, the pair lay on the bank of the beach, the cold water coming up to chill their toes. Hotch laid atop his beautiful brunette, kissing his way along her neck when the woman beneath him realized the water just a few feet away from them began to reseed. "Honey?"

He grunted as he tried to reposition himself. "I'm trying dear, but you have to give it a minute."

Her brown eyes were frantic as she saw a huge wave begin to rise not to far from where they were sprawled, and she began to push him off of her. "Honey, the water."

"What?"

"The water!"

…

Morgan was the first to the hospital with a panting JJ by his side, their badge already in their hands when they made their way to the front desk. "We're Agents Derek Morgan and Agent Jennifer Jareau. We're with the FBI and we need you to tell us where Agent Hotchner is."

"Oh sir, I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to give out that information."

JJ's eyes hardened on the older woman behind the counter and her hand immediately tightened around her badge. "Alright, I don't think you heard him. We're AGENTS with the FBI and AGENT Hotchner is our boss. So if you could please let us know what room he's in and his current status, you'd be much help."

The woman shook her head, her gray hair bouncing from side to side. "Sorry ma'am. Not allowed."

Both agents had their hearts beating out of their chests when heels were heard against the hard tiles of the hospital floor. "Agents?"

JJ and Morgan both turned their heads to see a dripping wet Beth Clemmons with her sash in her hand, a doctor quickly racing after her. "Beth? What happened?"

The brunette's eyes watered as she looked at the two. "We were celebrating our anniversary and Aaron proposing. But then this huge wave came for the start of a damn tsunami and now the doctors wont tell me where my fiancée is!"

Morgan nodded quickly as he heard the rest of the team file in behind him and JJ, their breathing hard just as theirs had been a moment ago. "Ok, Beth I need you to go with the doctor so he can check you out. Is that ok with you?"

Beth nodded slowly before letting the bald doctor take her back to the examination room. Once she was no longer visible, Morgan and JJ both turned to the worried faces of their team. "Guys-"

"What happened?"

"Where's bossman!"

"Is Hotch ok?"

"The tsunami almost swept us away, too!"

"Did they tell you anything?"

JJ's eyes almost bugged out of her head when all of her teammates began to talk at once, and she quickly shushed all of them. "Ok! First off, the stupid old hag behind the desk is giving us nothing, so I have no idea where Hotch is or the state of his status. And yes, we all know the storm is still going on outside. Everyone just stay calm, ok?"

Emily was the first out of the bunch to walk up to the blonde, her dark hair sparkling with the drops of dirty rain. "Well how's Beth?"

The blonde smiled softly at her brunette friend in front of her, knowing how much she tried to care for everyone she met. "The doctor just took her in for an exam to make sure she's ok."

Emily bit her lip before giving a quick nod and walking past the rest of her team and flashing her badge at the gray haired woman behind the desk. "Hello. My name is Agent Emily Prentiss and I'd like to know the status of Agent Aaron Hotchner please. He was brought in just a little while ago from being hit with the first tsunami wave."

The older woman shook her head before smiling. "Sorry. Boss said I can't give out information."

The brunette let her eyes harden, her hands resting on the cool surface of the counter. "Alright, lets see how I can say this without you fearing for your life." She knew when the woman's eyes widened, she was already getting somewhere. "I'm Emily Prentiss, daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss and Navy Lieutenant Charles Prentiss. Either you give me the information and status of Agent Aaron Hotchner, or I'll make sure you life is a living hell from the moment you leave your shift tonight."

Betty, what her nametag stated, immediately handed the tall brunette agent a file, her hands shaking before she gave a hesitant smile. "There you go Miss Prentiss."

Emily gave her sweetest smile as she took the file into her hands. "Thank you so much."

…

Twenty minutes later the team was surrounding their chief's bed, their eyes wide with worry when they saw a bloody bandage around his head and a tube coming out of his mouth.

A moment after awkward silence, his doctor came in with a clipboard in hand. "You all must be Aaron Hotchner's co-workers. I'm sorry to say that I don't know when he'll awaken, but I can tell you that he has severe brain trauma and a broken wrist. The 'tsunami' as people are calling it was not as severe as most cases. Your boss was very lucky. He could wake up from any time between now and a week. Maybe even two."

Dave nodded to the doctor as he left the room, and looked to the brunette on his team. Her eyes were red and watering, her lip being licked by her pink tongue as her fingers played in her lap. She was sitting in a chair just next to Hotch's bed, her hands itching to grab his.

Dave quickly turned to the rest of the team and gestured for them to exit the room. "Let's get out for awhile. Go see how Beth is doing."

Once Emily was alone with her boss in the crystal clean room, she let her shaking hand hold his broken one, her tears falling onto his blue cast. "Aaron please wake up. You have a beautiful son waiting for you back in Virginia. And your girlfriend is crying her eyes out right here in this hospital." She sucked her lips in as she tasted salt on her tongue. "Sweetie you're my friend and I love you. I've known you forever, and you can't just leave us all like this. We can't survive without you and you know it."

She laid her lips to his forehead before brushing her fingers through his short hair. "Please wake up for me."

…

It was three hours after Hotch was brought into the hospital when his eyes slowly opened, the crust in the corners of his eyes causing him to squint. His blurry vision let him look around the room before his brown eyes landed on a brunette sleeping in a plastic chair beside him, a magazine in her lap. As he tried to sit up he let out a groan, pain radiating through his back.

Emily's eyes immediately popped open before looking to her friend, her smile wide as tears quickly flooded her vision. "Aaron! You're finally awake."

"Where am I?"

The brunette reached for the glass of water beside her and helped him take a sip, hearing his voice raspy and husked. "You're in the hospital. We're in Tampa, Florida on a case."

"What happened?"

Her eyes blurred even more if possible when she reached out to rub her fingers over his hairy arm. "You were hit by the first wave of a small tsunami. You have brain damage, sweetie."

Hotch shook his head as he sat back on his pillow, feeling awkward under the woman's gaze. "Please don't call me sweetie."

Emily felt her heart clench as she let out a sob, her eyes still soft on the man in the bed. "Why not?"

"I don't know you."