"Don't you want me?"

Hotch tried his best not to roll his eyes at the question, seeing the tears immediately enter his wife's eyes. "Darling," he tried to soothe. "You know it has nothing to do with that."

Emily shook her head, waving her hand before her eyes to stop the stinging.

"Sweetheart, please don't cry."

"it's these damn hormones," Emily huffed, taking the napkin from her lap and wiping it at the corners of her eyes. "I had the baby a fricken month ago and I still feel as if I'm this big, bloated emotional thing."

Hotch put down his fork and reached beside him to take her hand. "You've never been so beautiful."

The brunette glared. "Stop lying," she cried, looking down to her lap and shaking her head.

"Emily, how am I supposed to prove this to you?"

"I just don't want to feel like this anymore."

It had been a good twenty-four hours since that moment at dinner and Hotch was screaming at himself to take his eyes off the beautiful woman in front of him. He couldn't believe he had married someone so out of his league, and here he was, standing and swaying with that very woman.

How had he gotten so lucky?

Emily blushed underneath the older man's gaze. "Stop it."

"Stop what? Fawning over the gorgeous woman who is my wife?"

The new mother forced herself not to roll her eyes. "You're just saying that."

Hotch's eyes practically fell out of his head at the statement. What was he supposed to do to prove his love to her? "Emily, we're here doing one of your favorite things. You love salsa dancing, you love me in this tie and these tight jeans, and I gave you your favorite colored tulips. Every single thing that you love, and you still don't see it?"

Emily squeezed her husband's shoulder and smiled as best she could. "I love that you did all this," she said truthfully. "I just don't think I'm up to it."

"Do you want to go home?"

"No," she denied. Hotch had put so much effort into this night, she didn't want to ruin it. "Just dance with me?"

Sighing, Emily closed her eyes and set her face in the crook of the older man's neck. She breathed in his scent, loving the familiar, musky scent of her husband to bring her back, make her stable. Ever since she had their beautiful baby girl, she just didn't feel like herself.

JJ nodded in understanding, looking pitifully to her unit chief who stood before her desk at work a few days later. "Haley didn't have post pardom?"

The older man felt relief hit him. "That's what it is?"

"Don't look so calm," she laughed. "I had it for a good six months after having Henry. I didn't want to do anything, talk to anybody, and don't even get me started on sex."

Hotch could feel himself making a face. "Could you not?"

JJ laughed. "Let me just tell you, I wanted it from Will but he knew I wasn't up for it. And then when he wanted it, I was disgusted with him. It's normal."

"Would you please tell her that? She thinks she's going crazy."

"It can feel that way," the blond frowned. "Get her to call me later and I'll talk to her."

Walking into his house later that evening, Hotch was surprised to not hear anything coming from the living room. When was there no TV program blaring to ease Emily out of her fourth emotional craze of the day? "Darling?"

Emily came around the corner, a gentle smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks. "Hi."

"How was your day?" he asked carefully.

Biting into her bottom lip, the brunette woman stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her husband's strong neck. "I love you," she whispered.

When he felt her hugging with all her mite, all Hotch could do was squeeze her back, his nose buried in her dark hair.

He had his wife back.