Ok so this is a follow up to my story "Foundations". If you haven't read that story you can still read this one, though some of the flashbacks may not make much sense and of course I would advise reading the story anyway because I wrote it, lol.
_
Hotch rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times in a bid to keep them open just a while longer. He then let his gaze fall on the clock that sat on the side table beside the couch in his sitting room, and read the blazing numbers of half four in the morning.
He sighed to himself and shook his head as he shifted in his seat slightly to find a comfortable position to sit in for the next few hours.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but let his mind wander... he needed something to do, or think about as the case was, while he sat there.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Morning." Hotch whispered when he noticed Emily's head begin to stir from where she lay, snuggled in tight to his side, with her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist and her legs knotted through his.
"What time is it?" Emily groaned after a moment, tilting her head up so she could look Hotch in the eye.
"It's just after nine Emily." Hotch replied softly. "How about you try and get some more sleep." He added then, knowing that she was probably still exhausted.
"Oh my god! It's nine and you didn't wake me." Emily gasped suddenly, jumping up in the bed, clutching her neck only briefly as the sudden movement caused the pain in it to flare up again.
"It's ok, don't worry." Hotch soothed, trying to pull her back into the bed gently, the task becoming difficult when he remembered the bruising that covered her shoulder and neck. "Strauss let us take the day off after the last case, you can rest for a while." He reminded her.
"No, no I have to go home." Emily informed him in a slight panic. "Allen's going to wake up soon and... and I have to be back by then!" She told Hotch, extracting herself from his loose grip as she spoke and sliding out of bed to look for her clothes.
"So you're still going back?" Hotch asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice, as he watched her scurry to the far end of the room and begin rooting, in the bag she'd brought, for clothes to wear.
"Of course I am." Emily replied, not even looking up from what she was doing as she spoke.
"You don't have to." Hotch whispered, never letting his gaze fall off her as the pyjama top she was wearing slid slightly off her shoulder and the bruising from the previous night became visible, reminding Hotch why she needed to stay.
"Yes I do." Emily whispered, waiting until she'd collected all her clothing from her bag before she continued. "Yes I do Hotch, I have to go back or thing's will get worse." She informed him sadly, looking away from the piercing gaze that was making her squirm.
"Then don't go back at all... please Emily, stay here with me... and Jack." Hotch pleaded, rising slightly from the bed.
"No..." Emily whispered, now not even attempting to meet his gaze.
"Why Emily, why do that to yourself, why let this happen?" Hotch questioned, not being able to understand why she couldn't just run away.
"It's so complicated." Emily sighed, letting herself slump into the seat in the corner. "I love him, and I don't want to leave him because I'm afraid to be alone, and... and if I leave people will ask questions... and I don't want to have to answer them Aaron, because if I do I'll have to admit that the brave, smart Emily Prentiss, the girl who never falters, the one who survived a beating from Cyrus, and a car crash and an abortion, that that woman is letting her boy friend hit her? Damn it I can't even admit that to me yet, so no... I'm going to go back there, because I'm afraid of what happens if I don't." She confessed bitterly.
"So you're going back..." Hotch said again, this time even quieter than before, almost as if saying it quietly would stop it from being real.
"I'm going back." Emily repeated, louder than Hotch had, as she rose off the chair and headed towards the bathroom to get changed.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
That morning had been six months ago, and Hotch hated the fact that since then things hadn't gotten and better... in fact there had been moments when things had gotten considerably worse.
It was after that night though, that Hotch made a vow to himself to look after Emily, and to do everything he could to protect her from Allen, not that this was an easy task, especially when the person he was trying to protect insisted that she didn't need protecting.
After that night he called her up every evening to ask her had Allen gone out drinking, and to remind her that if need be she could come over to his place, or even better, he could come over to hers.
At first she'd told him to just leave it, that she could manage things on her own, but after a month and a half Hotch had received a phone call that had changed the tune of what Emily told him.
~.~.~.~.~.~
"Hello?" Hotch murmured into the phone, which he now kept beside his bed just encase Emily called again.
"Hello, is this Agent Aaron Hotchner?" A friendly female voice responded.
"Uh yes, I'm Agent Hotchner... who is this?" Hotch asked, sitting up in bed and already looking around his room for clothes he could throw on if, and probably when, he was called into the office.
"Agent Hotchner, I'm Abby Reynolds, I'm a nurse at Virginia Hospital Center." The woman told him, her voice now sounding the slightest bit upset. "You're listed on one of our patients' emergency contacts." She informed him.
"Oh god... who is it?" Hotch asked quickly, the news that one of his team...because that's who he presumed it was due to the fact that Jack was safe in bed... was injured, always chilling him to the bone.
"It's Agent Emily Prentiss." The nurse replied. "She told doctors she got into a fight at a bar and her injuries were worse than she thought so she drove here. We've admitted her overnight to be safe, but she seems ok." She told Hotch quickly, trying to calm him down.
"Oh no." Hotch whispered, more to himself than to Nurse Reynolds. "She told me he was staying at home." He sighed.
"Excuse me?" The nurse asked in confusion, obviously thinking Hotch was talking to her.
"Uh... I'll be there right away." Hotch replied quickly, before jamming the phone back on the stand and leaping out of bed to find anything to wear.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
That phone call alone had been enough to chill Hotch to the bone, and the entire ride to the hospital had passed in a blur, all he really remembered was calling Jessica to come and look after Jack, adding a brief explanation for the rude wake up call, and then arguing briefly with hospital staff about whether or not he was Emily's family.
It was the conversation that had taken place once he was inside the room with Emily that stuck in his mind the most.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"What are you doing here?" Emily rasped once Hotch entered the room, her voice probably sore from yelling at Allen to leave her alone.
"Emergency contact, now where is the bastard?" Hotch growled, giving the room the once over before returning his gaze to Emily.
"Probably passed out on the couch by now." Emily replied sadly. "But please don't." She added pleadingly, holding out a hand to Hotch as if this would stop him.
"You can't still tell me that you love him." Hotch cried, moving to her bedside and grasping her small hand in his, looking over it and seeing defensive wounds running up her wrist. "I mean look what he's done to you this time."
"I don't know Hotch... It's harder than if I love him or not." Emily sighed, also looking at her scratched wrists.
"But Emily, you have to protect yourself, I mean look what he done to you." Hotch cried in frustration, motioning to her black eye, bust lip, scratched arms and two of the fingers on her right hand which were in a splint. "You're not always going to be lucky enough to get away with a few cuts and a broken finger." He told her sadly.
"But... I can't... I can't leave." Emily whispered, as a tear rolled down her face and she turned away. "I still can't go... I'm still not brave enough... I'm just not." She whispered in shame.
"I can be strong for you... we can do this together." Hotch answered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as it was what felt natural.
"All I need from you is to promise not to give up on me." Emily whispered against his chest. "If I have that then I'll be fine... I promise." She informed him.
"Then I promise I'll never give up on you Emily Prentiss... Never." Hotch whispered, as he kissed the top of her head.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
And Hotch was a man of his word... he'd never in a million years give up on Emily Prentiss, and this is why, four and a half months after that conversation, he was sitting by the door at half four in the morning, even though he knew he had work the next day, because he also knew that Allen was drinking tonight.
Sometimes it was ok though, sometimes he could sit all night and have nothing but bags under his eyes to show for it the next morning, but sometimes, the majority of the time, he had a bruised, and teary eyed Emily Prentiss to show for his late nights.
She'd turn up on his door, bag in hand, and without even talking now, he'd lead her to the couch, where he'd dress her wounds if they were bad, which they rarely were, and he'd then take her to bed with him and sooth her off to sleep as she lay in his arms, sitting with her through the nightmares and calming her down.
It was that, which scared him moist though, the fact that he called that scenario routine now, that that is what he done out of instinct... when really, no one should ever be used to cleaning up their friends cuts and bruises, especially if he loved Emily as much as he told himself he did.
If he loved her so damn much why was he letting this happen?
If he loved her why didn't he beat Allen to a pulp and save Emily?
If he loved her why not be a man and protect her?
Because he'd promised her he wouldn't and he was too much of a coward to break his word to her...
_
There, this is probably going to be three or four chapters long, so I hope you like it so far, and thanks for reading.