Author's Note: Well...I never planned on writing this story, either. But I'll say it again: What my readers want, my readers get. (BUT, there will be no sequel for this story! Please!) So, I wrote it. All in all, Reid hates himself for being a jerk, Emily is really sorry for brushing him off, but she loves Hotch, and Hotch...is kind of blissfully oblivious. As long as Emily is okay and he gets the girl, pretty much everything is fine for him. (: So...yay! I'm glad you all are reading my stories, and by all means, continue! :D

Disclaimer: You have absolutely no idea how much I wish I owned it.

At the sound of knocking, Emily opened her hotel room door. And immediately felt like slamming it shut. Glaring at her visitor, she asked softly, trying her hardest to keep irritation from bleeding into her voice, "What do you want?"

"To apologize," Reid answered, looking at her with a pleading expression. "Can I come in?"

"If I said no, would you listen?" she retorted.

"No," he admitted.

"Then you might as well come in," she said, opening the door wider and closing it seconds later. "Let me guess," she began. "Aaron put you up to this."

He shook his head. "No. In fact, he's…kind of avoiding me."

"Hmm," she said simply, moving to the couch and watching as he sat in front of her.

He exhaled anxiously. "Emily…I don't even know how to say this. I was a jerk. I was a jackass. I deserve to be yelled at, and called names, and…" He ran his hands over his face. "I'm really sorry. I had no right to force you into anything, and I was way out of line. I dostill love you; that much is true, and will probably never change." He paused, searching for the right words. "But for me to say that I love you more than Hotch does was wrong. I mean…I can't possibly know how much he loves you. I take back everything I said earlier, Em. It was really stupid of me, and…I really hope that you will forgive me."

"You take back everything?" she asked warily.

"Yes."

"Everything?" she asked knowingly.

Reid let his head fall back against the couch. "No," he said quietly. "I take back everything except for the fact that I still have feelings for you. There. Better now?" he asked sardonically.

"Not really." When he said nothing, Emily took the chance to speak her mind. "Look, Spencer, I'm sorry for how I brushed you off earlier. It's just…it was a lot to absorb. I'm torn, okay? I'll say that much. I love Aaron so much, and…I love you, too. Like a friend," she clarified. "I don't want to do anything to hurt you, but…this is just way out of hand."

"Yeah. I agree," he said quietly.

"I don't want to hurt him either, Spence. If we broke up, it would ruin him." She sighed. "And me."

He nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yeah," he said truthfully. "But…will you forgive me, Emily?"

She looked at her friend. "I don't think it's possible for me to stay mad at you for very long," she admitted. "So…yes. I forgive you."

He closed his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.

She attempted a small smile, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Of course."

"I would be lying if I said I didn't want this to end a different way," Reid said. "But everything happens for a reason, right?"

"Pretty much." She cleared her throat. "I'm really sorry, Spencer."

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Emily. Absolutely nothing," he said, thinking that the kiss they had shared was more than he could have ever asked for. "So…um…are we good?" he asked, his gaze tentatively meeting hers.

She smiled back. "We're good."

Relieved, he couldn't help but hug her. "Thank you so much," he said. Pulling away quickly, he added, "And I'm sorry for everything."

"Yeah," she mused. "I'm sorry, too."

~.~.~

"Hmm…taking a swim at night surrounded by stars and bathed in beautiful moonlight…isn't that a bit too romantic for you, Aaron?" Emily teased.

He waded through the lukewarm water and grabbed her around the waist. "Nope," he answered, chuckling. "Besides, it's worth it; I get to see you in that sexy bikini."

"Aaron Hotchner, I swear, if you even try to get me naked…"

"Well, I don't really have to try that hard, do I?" he countered smartly, kissing the underside of her jaw.

She splashed him with waves of salty water. "I'm not in the mood for skinny dipping."

"Really?" He pouted. "Now I'm disappointed."

She laughed loudly. "You and your caveman tendencies…"

"Caveman?" That caught his attention. "I am so not a caveman."

Looking him over, she said seriously, "Then, I take that back. Besides, I think you're right; you're too sexy to be a caveman," she said, giving him a sultry smile.

"Well, that makes me feel mildly better," he joked. Sobering, he voiced a question that had been nagging him all night. "Did you talk to Reid?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Did he apologize?"

"Of course."

"I kind of feel sorry for him, you know," he said.

"Hmm?"

"I would be pretty depressed if I didn't get the girl of my dreams," he clarified.

"Oh, stop it," she said, giving him another face full of ocean water.

He splashed her back. "But you two are okay now, right?"

She smiled slightly. "Yeah. Yeah, we're okay."

"That's good." There was a pause. "So, really, Emily…what is it going to take for me to get you naked?" he asked seriously.

She smirked. "Well, we would have to go some place other than the beach. Having sex in the sand is not as great as it sounds."

He laughed. "You would know."

"I would," she agreed. "I've had more than my fair share of…experiences," she said, winking.

"Why am I suddenly jealous?"

"Oh, don't worry. All of my best expressions came from you. When I met you, my whole world was knocked off its axis," she answered sincerely, shooting him a sweet smile.

"Now you're just stealing the words from my mouth, Em." Pulling her closer to his body, he said, "So…some place other than the beach. Like…a hotel room?" he asked pointedly.

"Exactly," she said, trailing her fingers across his bare chest.

"Then, in that case, let's get you to bed, Agent Prentiss," he said seductively, gathering her into his arms and carrying her out of the water.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a passionately scorching kiss. "Yes," she murmured. "Let's do that, Agent Hotchner."

Author's Note: Please, please, please leave me a review. Honestly, they really help me shape my stories. (: