It was a Friday night after a very long case and Emily Prentiss was currently cursing Reid in every language she knew. His gift had her racing around her house like a madwoman so when she answered her phone she wasn't entirely concentrated on the conversation.

"Prentiss." as she held the phone to her ear she waved a hand in front of her nose.

Hotch pulled the phone away from his ear stared at it for a moment before returning it to his ear. Prentiss sounded annoyed and he could only imagine why. He'd held her back on the last case more than he should have, even the rest of the team had noticed. But she'd resembled the victims just a little too much for his comfort. 'It's Hotch, you okay? You sound…"

Emily had to duck as at least five butterflies made a diving bee line for her nose. Nearly smacking her head on her counter as she moved she didn't answer as clearly as she wanted. "Yeah fine, look this is a really bad time. Can I call you back later?" Emily was absolutely certain she was going to kill Reid in one of the many ways she knew how.

On the other end of the line Hotch heard something he couldn't place in her voice, then a muffled "Get off me…" the sound of breaking glass and the line went dead. Flipping the SUV around he turned on the lights and siren hitting the accelerator trying to get to Prentiss' house as fast as he could. It took only minutes to pull up in front of her house, he'd doused the lights and sound a block earlier. Thoughts of who could be in Emily's home had him proceeding as quietly as possible as gun in hand he made his way to her door. Carefully he turned the knob cursing when it wasn't locked.

Whatever he'd expected when he'd stealthily walked in her door it wasn't to find her sitting on her floor looking annoyed covered in…..butterflies?

Emily had given up, apparently the butterflies had decided to investigate her thoroughly before moving on to do whatever butterflies did after they hatched. The multiple butterfly chrysalis' had been almost creepy hanging out on her living room highboy. He'd assured her that not all of them would hatch. He'd either been wrong or they'd multiplied somehow because there was now a ….swarm fluttering around her house.

Hotch slowly holstered his gun while trying to make sense of Prentiss covered in butterflies. Finally she saw him jumped a bit setting off a shiver of wings and fluttering insects in all directions. She looked briefly terrified then annoyed, at the butterflies he was guessing.

"Prentiss?" he began to walk toward her only to watch her hold up a hand.

"Hotch? Wait…watch your step." she pointed at the ground.

Stopping abruptly and looking down he saw pieces of broken glass scattered about. Well that explained the breaking glass he'd heard. "On the phone it sounded like you were in trouble, the glass…I heard you say get off me."

"Oh damn, sorry Hotch it was the butterflies." She started to get up remembered the large cut on her foot and winced as she did so. "Hell, I swear when I get my hands on Reid…"

"Stay put." carefully Hotch picked his way around the broken glass lifting her up in his arms he carried her to the kitchen counter and set her on it. He almost laughed when her eyes went wide as saucers as he did so.

"Thanks."

Hotch nodded, quickly he undid his tie and a few buttons then rolling up his shirtsleeves he lifted her foot into the palm of one hand giving it a quick once over. "First aid kit?"

Somewhere between the butterflies and Hotch picking her up his arms she had lost her voice or at least it seemed that way. "Cupboard next to the fridge." She watched him bend over to pull the kit out and had to shake her head to keep from staring at his very fine backside. When she stilled a butterfly found purchase on her nose, glaring at the offending creature she blew a puff of air at it. Startled it fluttered in place and then flew off in search of one of her many houseplants.

Hotch was grinning like a fool and for a moment didn't care, she looked to cute arguing with the insect that had landed on her nose for just a second she looked a little like the princess Morgan had nicknamed her. While she was distracted he took in the soft white shirt, the delicate edging of lace around the collar, the grey skirt that had swirled around her knees earlier at work. He shouldn't have been noticing anything of the sort but he was a man after all. Clearing his throat he watched her jump again and bit back a laugh.

Emily swiped at a few more butterflies before at least for the moment they seemed content to flutter in other parts of the room. She winced when Hotch probed the cut on her foot.

"You smell like flowers."

"What?" Emily wasn't certain she'd heard him right. Had he just commented on how she smelled?

Hotch clenched his jaw realizing how that could have sounded. "The butterflies probably like you so much because you smell like flowers."

"Oh, yeah I guess." Biting her lip more because of the warm tingle his touch was sending up her leg than any pain she was feeling. Her bare leg and foot pressed against his side as he tended the wound felt the brief rumble of laughter. Somehow despite her skirt he managed to maintain her modesty, she was grateful for that. "I'm sorry I worried you Hotch after everything that's happened, it's the last thing I'd want to do."

Hotch finished cleaning the cut and taping it up. Reluctantly he let go of her leg slowly watching as she crossed it over the other at the ankle. "Just a misunderstanding Prentiss, your foot should be fine but you're going to be glad it's the weekend"

"If we don't catch a case." She saw him nod.

"Broom and dust pan?" he saw her move to argue, instead she let out a breath and pointed to the pantry.

Emily watched in silence as amidst the butterflies Hotch swept up every trace of broken glass and dumped it in the trash can. Then he offered his hand and helped her down from the counter. Where their hands met a butterfly landed wings slowly moving up and down. For a moment they both just watched the creature until Hotch sighed and it took off.

Emily drew back her hand using it to brush back a stray hair behind her ear. "Thanks for your help and for coming to rescue me." she bit her lip smiling. "Even if it was just insects, I still appreciate it."

Hotch stuck his hands in his pockets uncertain what to do with himself. "So, I should go."

"I didn't make you keep Jack waiting did I?"

Hotch watched worry make her bite her lip again and found he liked that particular nervous habit of hers a lot. "No, he's got a slumber party at Jessica's for the weekend."

"Fun," He made to move toward the door but her hand on his arm froze him. The simple touch on his arm burned through the cotton of his shirt. "I could make dinner."

Emily pulled her hand away when his eyes shot to her fingers brushing his bicep. Uh-oh she'd crossed that line she'd been working hard to pay attention too.

"That would be nice. Haven't share a meal with anyone but Jack in a while, unless it was work related." he watched her mouth open in shock and this time he didn't hide his smile. "I do eat Prentiss and I can even cook so if you want an extra set of hands." He held his up and waived them in the air, almost smacking a butterfly in the process.

Emily giggled both at his smile and the butterfly. "Well it's just stew in the crockpot, so all I have left to do is make some cornbread."

Hotch leaned against the wall "Oh. I didn't smell anything."

She limped to the oven and opened it. "I keep it in here or Sergio likes to rub up against it." she pointed to the cord trailing out to the plug on the counter side. "Oh crap Sergio…the butterflies." despite her foot she raced into the bedroom to find said cat lying in her window sill staring lazily at the butterflies.

Hotch had followed her at much slower pace, standing behind her he snickered. "Ferocious beast you got there Emily."

She wasn't sure what startled her more the use of her first name, him standing so close behind her or the fact they were in her bedroom. "Well he's good for cuddling at least." behind her she heard him draw in a quick breath and release it on a chuckle.

"Maybe I'll go grab something to drink with dinner, beer or wine.?"

"Beer definitely beer." she saw his lips twitch wondered why but instead gestured at the butterflies. "And ya know a butterfly net if you happen to run across one." She didn't wait for his comment just left her room before she gave into the temptation to drag him to her bed.

The faint hint of flowers and the rustle of butterfly wings had Hotch wondering if he was going to wake up in his armchair once again having dreamed things he shouldn't have. When he was relatively certain this was reality he forced himself from her room and down to the SUV.

Only when he'd shut the door did Emily allow herself to really breathe. Staring around her house she saw his tie draped over her counter, the cluster of butterflies here and there and finally let herself laugh. Alice in Wonderland had nothing on her; she'd made Aaron Hotchner smile. Mentally patting herself on the back she turned her attention to making the cornbread.

Hotch didn't bother to knock, instead used the key she'd given him for emergency, he nearly lost his grip n his packages as he did so. Kicking it shut behind him he saw Emily poke her head from the kitchen hike a brow and then move forward to help him. "I thought you went for beer?"

"I did but then I thought desert would be good too, and I passed a pet supply store on the way back that happened to be open. And what do you know they had a net and butterfly houses. Considering the flock you've got going I bought the biggest one they had."

"Wow, thanks I was only kidding about the net." She grabbed one of the numerous bags in his hands and head into the kitchen. "Are they called a flock, or is it a swarm?"

"Honestly Emily I would have no way of knowing that, we could ask Reid." She pointed the smaller than he would have thought butterfly net at him and glared "I'm not speaking to Reid right now." He tried to ignore how pretty she was when annoyed.

"I'm sure he didn't intend this when he gave them to you." He gestured to the plethora of butterflies that had taken up residence in her houseplants. "How do you manage to keep house plants?"

She laughed lightly. "You have a son, keeping plants is easy."

Hotch laughed a bit saw her feign shock and laughed louder. "Just didn't figure you would trust someone to

come in here."

Turning towards the crock pot she ladled the stew into bowls, quietly she answered him. "I figured if you could find a way so could I."

He heard her soft words his own pain mix with hers, it fluttered about in the air as easily as the butterflies had earlier. "Are you okay Emily."

She was smart enough she knew he was asking about more than houseplants. "Some days are harder than others."

"I told you that I was here on the bad days." He rose from his seat almost ready to go to her side.

Emily shook her head turning around and forcing a smile. "Some things just make it hard to forget."

He knew there was more to what she was saying, but she sat at the table sliding a bowl across to him. Letting it go for the moment he ate quietly.

Emily watched him through the veil of her lashes wondering when he would ask her about what she'd said. He would that much she knew and when he did she wouldn't be able to lie, she was done with lying. Taking a sip of the beer he'd brought she watched him smile into his bowl. "What's so funny?"

"This is really good. Occasionally Jessica will cook up a few things and put them in my freezer but for the most part it's just me cooking, and I'm not anywhere near this good. Smart, Dangerous, and you can cook it's a trifecta." He chuckled at himself laughing harder when she joined him.

"Thanks." They pushed away their empty bowls at the same time and noticed the symmetry of it.

"Beautiful too, but when I added that in it made four things and I didn't have a word for that." He'd expected her to smile instead he watched the twinkle in her eyes falter, replaced by a quick flash of pain. "I'm sorry if I crossed the line Emily…."

"No. thank you, it's just me. Doyle isn't completely gone from my head." She cleared their dishes leaving them to sit in the sink. She knew the moment he came up behind her felt his presence long before she felt his touch on her shoulders. He'd been this close before of course but never in her home. The intimacy of having his presence, his touch interspersed with her personal things had her sighing. "I'm ok Aaron."

Aaron was grateful she was still turned away from him, this way she couldn't see just how hard he had to clench his jaw at the sound of his given name passing her lips. Barely a whisper yet it had his whole body reacting so fast he was lucky they weren't another inch closer. He was well aware they were both just standing there breathing together; finally he found the courage to turn her around. Just the gentlest push on her shoulders was all it took for those brown eyes to find his and damn if his breathing didn't labor at that.

"Talk to me Emily."

Licking her lips she pushed away from the counter, made it in to her living room before being forced to look back and make sure he'd followed her. She hadn't told anyone, not even JJ, presumably the doctors that had saved her life knew but she'd gotten copies of her medical file and the only mention of it was a single line buried in the rest of the information about her wounds. "Doyle left me with scars, sometimes all I see are the scars. And then I'm right back there in that room."

Hotch bridged the distance between them and despite the fact he was her boss trying damn hard to fight his feelings for her he took her hand and placed it against his stomach. Through the fine cotton it was easy to feel the raised skin of one of the nine scars Foyet had left him with. "I'm sorry." His scars despite the surgeon's meticulous work were still red and angry but thin and relatively smooth. She'd had a table leg shoved in her stomach he could only imagine.

"If it were just from the injuries I could probably get past it, but." She took in a deep breath saw confusion in his eyes. "Doyle wanted to make sure I wouldn't forget him, to never be able to look at me without thinking of him. I think he succeeded." She lifted her hands to her blouse slowly undoing the first three buttons.

Under other circumstances Hotch might have been turned on by the way her slender fingers were working the buttons free, but those fingers were shaking. As he watched her slide the fabric apart he thought it would be hard to look past the pale skin, the fact she was nearly baring her breasts to him but then he saw what had those hands shaking. He didn't hide well the ways his hands clenched tightly; barely bit back the curse that did little to appease his rage. There burned into the skin of her left breast was a four leaf clover, larger than a quarter it was far from crude. In fact it was even more obscene in its perfection. He hadn't realized he'd moved but before he knew it his thumb was tracing that mark, imagining just how much it had to have hurt. Not simply the pain of the skin burning but the violation of the mark. His eyes smarted and he had to blink hard to not let her see.

In an instant Emily went from feeling the shame of the brand on her skin to fascination. Aaron's thumb was grazing the ultra-sensitive skin of her breast. He hadn't intended it to be a sexual touch she knew that from the way he was nearly cupping her through her bra, knew it from his shakily indrawn breath. But, his reverent caress had sparked a slow burn under her skin. She knew the moment he sensed the shift in her mood. She expected him to pull away, step back perhaps even in disgust, she couldn't have been more wrong. To her breath stealing shock he lowered his head and pressed the softest kiss on that brand. His warm breath scorched over that mark only this time the sensation was the sweetest pleasure pain. It was the briefest moment yet it marked her more surely than Doyle ever could have.

Hotch lifted his head saw the tears tracing down her cheeks and couldn't stop from pulling her into his arms. He held her tighter than he needed to but the feel of her in his arms, the reminder she'd come back from hell had him hanging on. She saw the mark as something to be ashamed of where all he saw was the will to live, to endure no matter what. He felt her tears soaking through his shirt scalding the skin beneath and he swung her up in his arms. In a few strides they were in her room, gently he laid her in her bed, before she could protest he toed off his shoes and slid down next to her.

There among the butterflies, a lazy cat and the memories that had brought them to this moment they finally found a moment of peace.