Hey I'm back!

This is the sequel to Lifes Trials, but can also be a stand alone fic, if you haven't read Lifes Trials first. Basically in this story Emily and Aaron are a lot closer now, but they have chosen to keep their relationship unknown to the team.

Now... On to the story!

Disclaimer: I don not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters.

Someone to Watch Over Me

Chapter 1

"Morning." Aaron greeted Emily by kissing her on the cheek when she arrived in the kitchen after having a quick shower before work.

"Morning buddy." Emily ruffled Jack's hair as he ate his cereal before school. It was hers and Aaron's last day of work before a week off of rotation so she was looking forward to the relaxing couple of days ahead.

"Morning Em'ly." Jack greeted her with a cheesy grin and a mouthful of food, which melted the dark-haired woman's heart just a little. Emily smirked at the superman apron Hotch was wearing as he made breakfast – She'd gotten him it for his birthday the weekend before.

"Dad?" Jack questioned his father after wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Yes?" Hotch replied with a raised eyebrow.

"What are we doing this weekend?" He furrowed his eyebrows as he handed his dad his empty bowl.

"Whatever you want to, okay?" Aaron was rewarded with a happy smile.

"Is Em'ly coming over?" Jack asked, his eyes wide in excitement.

"Why don't you ask her, bud?" Aaron gestured to the women sitting at the table with her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, smiling at the two men. Emily spent most weekends at the Hotchner's house and one or two weeknight per week, depending on the team's cases.

"Do you want to come over this weekend, Em'ly?" The seven-year-old climbed onto her lap without hesitation and she hugged the sweet little boy back.

"I'd love to, honey!" She replied enthusiastically and grinned at Aaron over Jack's shoulder, who was still wearing the superman apron.

Aaron stood and admired his girlfriend for a second. She was wearing a red shirt and he loved that color on her, but to be honest he loved any color on her. He'd not realized how long he'd been standing there until a small hand pulled at his sleeve.

"C'mon Dad, we're going to be late." His son tugged him towards the door.

"Okay, bud. You go wait in the car. I'll be out in a second." He walked forwards and wrapped his hands around Emily's waist from behind, placing a tender kiss behind her ear. Aaron placed the keys to his house in her pocket.

"I'm going to go drop Jack off at school. It's his last day today before the summer. Lock up in a few minutes and I'll meet you at work."

"Okay, Superman." Emily added with a sly grin before turning in his arms and kissing him on the lips.

"Yeah, I'd better take this off." Aaron reached around his waist and unfastened the apron and hooked it on the back of the kitchen door.

"See you at briefing." He gave her a wave before heading out the door. This had become the regular routine for when Emily stayed at his place overnight. She left a little later to give him time to drop off Jack at school and so they wouldn't arrive at the same time.

Emily spent her time collecting together her things before heading out to her car. It wasn't a long commute to Quantico so she stopped off on the way to get some coffee at Starbucks. The dark-haired woman wasn't usually one for flavored coffee, but their triple caramel frappuccino was her new love – apart from Aaron. She bought the team all of their regulars as well, so it didn't look weird that she bought one for Aaron. They hadn't exactly let their relationship status known to any of their colleagues - partly because of the FBI fraternization policy, but also for privacy. Since they worked with a group of profilers, secrets were few and far between so it was nice to have something to keep to themselves and then inform the team when they wanted to – not when someone profiled it.

From Starbucks it didn't take her long to drive to the BAU and luckily she found Morgan in the parking complex.

"Hey, Morgan!" She called over to him from her car, "Help me with these?" She held up the coffees she was juggling along with her briefcase.

"Sure Princess." He relieved her of the coffee, "Which one's mine?" He grinned at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

"That one." She pointed it out and he nodded his head in appreciation once he'd taken a sip.

They walked into the elevator and Emily juggled her bags to press the button.

"So what are you doing next week, then?" She looked at Morgan who shrugged. They had been taken off rotation for the next two weeks as personal time since for the last month they'd more or less had cases back-to-back.

"I'm just gonna get some work done on one of my new properties, maybe relax a little. What about you?" Emily tried to shrug as noncommittally as he had done.

"Oh, not much. Just relaxing." Thankfully Morgan nodded and dropped the subject.

HOTCHNISSHOTCHNISSHOTCHNISS

Emily had been sitting at her desk reviewing files for what felt like decades. She couldn't help her eyes from darting to the clock that hung on the wall every few seconds, and her brain wouldn't cooperate and finish the file she had been looking at for the past half hour. Emily looked up when a figure stopped beside her desk.

"Hey Hotch." They only used their nicknames out of the workplace.

"Prentiss." He briefly nodded, but Emily saw a familiar twinkle in his eye, "As soon as you have finished the last of your files you are free to go for the day."

"Okay," Emily frowned briefly but returned with a smile, "Thanks." It wasn't that Emily wasn't pleased that she could leave work early; it was just unusual for Aaron to be ready before her. He was usually holed up in his office and she'd have to drag him out of the building all together. It wasn't that he wanted to stay at work, time just usually got away from him and he didn't realize how late it was.

Hm, Emily thought, it seems that Aaron is as excited for this break as I am.

Thankfully, Emily soon finished the file, so her and Aaron left the BAU – One after another, of course.

HOTCHNISSHOTCHNISSHOTCHNISS

Later on in the evening Emily and Aaron were cuddled up to each other on the couch. Aaron watched Emily as her eyes were dazed and she wasn't really focused on the television in front of her. Not that he was paying much attention to House either.

"Em?" He asked as her eyebrows furrowed, "I know that look… Penny for your thoughts." The dark-haired woman's eyes drifted down to the wine glass that she held in her hands, tracing the rim of it with her fingertips.

"Well, I was just thinking…"

"That sounds dangerous." The corners of Aaron's mouth twitched as his girlfriend missed the hit on her completely.

"Well you know the saying 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people'?" Aaron frowned, not sure where this conversation was heading.

"Well doesn't that mean that toasters don't toast toast, toast toast toast?" Aaron placed his head in his palm as he smirked at her mercilessly.

"What… I don't even… Only you could come up with that." He teased and chuckled in her ear.

"Hey!" Emily mocked anger, "It was an honest question." She scowled, but Aaron could see her dark eyes dancing merrily.

"You know I love you really." He smirked and dropped a kiss on her temple, "Hey, where you going?" Aaron complained when she suddenly disappeared from his side.

"Just getting a snack." She waved at him over her shoulder as she turned to the kitchen. It was safe to say that they were comfortable enough around each other now to find things in the other's home, although they usually stayed at Aarons.

"It's a bit late for a snack, don't you think?" He checked his watch. Just gone midnight.

"Well, I don't want to get hungry in the night." Emily quipped from the kitchen. Aaron just rolled his eyes, used to Emily's random idiosyncrasies. He returned his attention to the television until she returned a couple of minutes later.

"Pop tarts. Really?" Aaron smirked and Emily just grinned in return.

"They're good!" She insisted with a mouthful of crumbs. Aaron just shook his head at the woman and accepted a bite when it was offered.

The pair had been sitting in silence for a while when Emily yawned.

"Time for bed?" Emily groaned melodramatically and snuggled deeper into Aaron's side, burying her face into his neck, "Come on…" He moved out of the way, forcing her to move.

"Can't we just sleep here?" She grumbled, making Aaron chuckle as he pulled her up into a standing position. She never was as agreeable as normal when tired

It wasn't long though before they were both lying together in bed… Although Aaron had been forced to carry his girlfriend up the stairs, else they would have been sleeping on the couch… Emily's head was resting on Aaron's chest and their legs were tangled together. Aaron laid there in the darkness, deep in thought, listening to Emily's slow breaths – she'd been out like a light as soon as her head had hit the pillow. It didn't take a genius to realize that she was exhausted; they hadn't had time off of work since their team building week and that was a while ago… Although Emily had been on desk duty for a few weeks after her little dive off of the horse.

HOTCHNISSHOTCHNISSHOTCHNISS

"Wake up guys! It's summer vacation so we can have fun all summer long!" Emily groaned as she woke up from someone jumping on the bed and managing to elbow her in the stomach.

"Jaaack…" Aaron whined, "It's also 7:30 in the morning."

"Exactly!" Jack exclaimed as Emily sat up, throwing his arms wide and almost knocking Emily out with his hand if she hadn't ducked in time, "So you need to get up!" Emily couldn't resist the excitement on the little boy's face, so pushed the bed sheets back.

"It's okay Aaron, you go back to sleep and I'll make breakfast." She patted him on the shoulder as she scooted to the edge of the bed, "Come on, Stinky." She called to Jack.

"Hey, I'm not stinky!" Aaron smiled as their voices faded away down the hall.

"Oh yeah? What's that smell then?" She grinned at the little boy at her side.

"It's you!" He exclaimed, poking her in the ribs.

"Hey, no abusing the person who's making your breakfast!" Emily tickled him belly, "What would you like Stinky?" The boy scowled playfully at her before replying.

"Can we have pancakes? You're pancakes are the best ever!" Jack exaggerated in a way that only kids could.

"Sure we can have pancakes. Chocolate chip?" Emily bend down and swiped some of the flour onto his nose that she had just retrieved from the cupboard.

"Yes please." Jack giggled as he stuck his finger into the flour and wiped it on Emily's face in tribal war stripes across her cheeks, and then jumped up onto a stool at the island to watch her cook.

"You and Dad aren't working this week, are you?" Jack mumbled as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"No buddy, or the next. We're all yours." She grinned at the cheeriness that just exploded on the child's face.

"Can we do something cool then?" Emily gave him the bowl full of ingredients to start mixing and popped a couple of chocolate chips in her mouth, "Because my friend Matthew is going camping with his dad next week. I've never been camping before." Emily looked at his hopeful face and sighed.

"It's not up to me, so you'll have to ask your dad. Stinky." She grinned as she took the bowl full of batter from him and began placing blobs in the frying pan, "Maybe you can ask him when we bring a couple of pancakes upstairs for him, alright?"

"Okay." He smiled at her.

HOTCHNISSHOTCHNISSHOTCHNISS

"Dad!" Jack shouted and launched himself onto Aaron's bed, making his father groan, "We made you pancakes!" Aaron suddenly sat up.

"Did someone say pancakes?" He gasped overdramatically, making Jack giggle as Emily passed the tray over and situated herself next to him on the bed.

"Morning." She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning," He replied, smiling at her, "How did you sleep? I like the face paint by the way." He referred to the flour all over the pair's faces, but Jack interrupted before she could reply.

"Daddy! Me and Em'ly have something to ask you." Emily leaned forwards and looked him in the eye.

"I believe this one is all you, Stinky." Jack stuck his tongue out at her, then turned back to his dad.

"Ask away, buddy." Aaron encouraged.

"Well, my friend Matthew is going camping and I thought it sounded really cool. I've never been camping before…" He trailed off.

"So you'd like to go camping?" Aaron asked his son, who nodded enthusiastically.

"With Em'ly too!" He added on the end of his father's sentence.

"Well we did say we would do whatever you want…" Aaron trailed off, then looked at the woman beside him, "As long as it's alright with Em."

"Of course it's alright with me," She told him over Jack's cheers, "I love camping! When I was younger I used to go camping in the Alps with my granddad. He wasn't the best company so I just entertained myself, but it was still amazing."

"When can we go?" Jack asked once he's stopped bouncing on the bed, "Can uncle 'pence and Morgan and Rossi and Auntie JJ and Garcia come?"

"Whoa, slow down buddy. We'll have to ask them all first, and then go buy some camping gear."

"I've got loads of camping stuff in storage at my apartment. And a quite a few tents to suit everyone that wants to go." She offered, almost as enthusiastically as Jack.

"Yay! We're going camping! I can't wait to tell Matthew all about it!" Jack cheered, then ran out of the room.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Aaron face palmed, but smirked to show he was joking.

"Hey, it'll be like another team building exercise, just with kids added into the mix." The corners of Emily's mouth turned up at the thought.

"But no diving off of horses this time." He scolded, albeit teasingly and pointed his finger at her.

"Well I didn't exactly do it on purpose… But I still won, so…" She drifted off, smirking and shrugging her shoulders. Aaron scowled at her playfully and she pressed a kiss to his lips; Aaron reciprocated, only breaking off when they needed air.

"I love you Aaron, but we can't share a tent." Emily pressed her forehead against his.

"And why would that be?" He questioned, pressing another kiss to her soft lips.

"Don't you think it would look weird to everyone else – me sleeping with my boss?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah," Aaron rolled his eyes, "That." Emily caressed Aaron's lips with her own, before pulling back and cupping his head with her hands.

"It'll still be fun, though. Me and you can go and just 'get lost' a lot." She air quoted, grinning.

"I can work with that." Aaron agreed and worked little kisses down her jawline.

Tell me what you think! This chapter basically set up the rest of the story where they go camping as a team. Hope you enjoyed it and...

PLEASE REVIEW!