Married to be Engaged – Valentine's Day Prompt
Summary: CCOAC Valentine's Day Gift Fic Exchange. Emily Prentiss gets a special proposal from her husband. Dedicated to Angel N Darkness.
Pairing: Hotch/Prentiss
Rating: K+ – T
Song: Back at One by Brian McKnight
Prompts: romantic dinner, candles lighting the bedroom, proposal
Disclaimer: Anything associated with Criminal Minds belongs to the producers and creators and not to me. I am merely using them for funsies.
This fic is dedicated and written for Angel N Darkness. Hope you enjoy it and it's everything you hoped it would be!
"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."
-Mignon McLaughlin
Emily Prentiss finally managed to unlock her door, immediately dropping her purse and shopping bags on the floor of her apartment. She threw her keys into the designated bowl on the coffee table before shedding her coat, hanging it on the her hook, calling out loudly enough to be heard throughout the apartment. "Hey honey! I found you the best tie to go with that new shirt I bought last week. Tell me I'm not the best wife ever!"
She began moving around the apartment, confused as to the whereabouts of her husband. Emily always joked that her husband had radar specifically calibrated to hone in on her entrance into their apartment; he could be across the apartment, music blaring, talking on the phone while in the shower and he would still instantly appear, a huge smile on his face, ready to give her a kiss and hear about her day. So it was a huge surprise that he didn't immediately show his handsome face the moment she walked in. Even as she maneuvered through the random rooms of the apartment, that handsome face was still no where to be found. Emily was positive her husband was home, considering his keys were in the bowl with hers, his coat was hanging on his hook next to hers, and his car was in the driveway parked next to hers. The question was: where in the hell was her husband?
"Honey?" No answer as she moved deeper into the apartment; she cleared the first floor and began moving up the stairs, calling out to her missing husband as she went. "Baby, where are you?"
Emily kept checking rooms, calling out as she went before hearing the faintest music coming from the hallway leading to their bedroom. Her heart skipped several beats as she realized it was her favorite song – Back at One by Brian McKnight – playing faintly in the background. She paused momentarily in front of their closed bedroom door, pressing her ear against the wood to hear the music for a moment longer before grasping the door handle and pushing the door open. Her jaw dropped and her eyes glazed over with a thin layer of tears as she took in the sight before her.
The entire bedroom was lit only by dozens and dozens of candles, giving the room a warm and terribly romantic glow. The room smelled like nothing but roses, thanks to the rose petals covering almost every inch of the huge king size bed in the middle of the room, and the few that had sprinkled onto the floor surrounding the bed; there were two vases of beautiful deep red roses on either bedside table, minus two roses that were lying on the bed in an x-shape. Brian McKnight's voice filled the background space of the room, but Emily could still hear her breathing over the soft music.
More moisture glistened in her eyes as she took in her husband, grinning at her from across the room. They had been married a little under five years, but he still knew exactly how to take her breath away. She was still marveling at all he had done to their bedroom as she stepped further into their bedroom, trying to maintain eye contact with her husband but unable to tear her eyes away from the perfection of his romantic gesture – her favorite flowers, her favorite singer, the candles. In all the years she had known him, her husband had never done anything half-assed, and he didn't fail to disappoint this time either.
"Honey what is all th-"
He swiftly crossed the room, grabbing her face and kissing her so fiercely her legs buckled beneath her. Her arms immediately grasped his forearms as she steadied herself, unable to stop the moan that erupted from deep inside her at the feel of her husband's lips against her own. It took her several moments and many deep breaths before she was able to open her eyes after he pulled away; when she finally managed to open her eyes, he was no longer in line of vision. Her jaw dropped once again as she looked down, staring into the eyes of her husband as he knelt before her on one knee. "Aaron-"
Aaron's entire face lit up, a huge smile on his face as he stared up at the woman he loved more than anything in the world. "Marry me." The smile on his face only grew larger as she stared down at him, utterly and completely confused.
Emily had no idea what the hell Aaron was doing. "Aaron, we're already married."
He laughed as though her statement was the most trivial piece of information in the world. "I'm well aware of the fact." He gave her a wink, making her laugh. "Will you marry me?"
Emily laughed again, still unsure of what her husband was thinking. "Aaron what are you doin-"
Aaron continued to stare at Emily, his smile still firmly intact on his face as he interrupted his wife. "Emily Hotchner!" Emily immediately shut her mouth and stared down at Aaron, her gaze just as intense as his. "Will…you…marry…me?"
Emily gasped quietly as Aaron somehow magically produced a black velvet box, opening the lid to reveal a beautiful white gold wedding band. Her eyes flashed back to Aaron's, his eyes still completely focused on hers as he waited for her answer. She glanced at the ring one last time before permanently meeting his eyes, a smile taking over her entire face as she laughed. "Yes, of course I'll marry you!"
Aaron laughed and jumped up, grabbing her to kiss her once again, both of them laughing as they kissed each other senseless. Aaron picked Emily up wedding style and threw both of them onto the bed; Emily laughed hysterically as Aaron continued kissing her before slipping the band on her left hand so it sat perfectly beside the wedding ring he had given her almost five years ago.
Aaron rested against the headboard of the bed as Emily propped herself up, grabbing some rose petals and throwing them at her husband. "What is all this?"
Aaron shrugged, a huge smile still on his face. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Tonight felt like the right time."
Emily threw a hand up, still confused and desperate to understand Aaron's insane actions. "Thinking about what?"
Aaron laughed and sat up, kissing Emily quickly before holding her left hand in his so he could stare at her ring finger that now held two rings. "Marrying you. Again." He looked up and met Emily's gaze. "I know it's crazy but…Em I love you…more than anything I've ever experienced in my life. Spending the past five years with you, waking up beside you each morning, falling asleep with you in my arms each night, loving you each and every day…it's been more than I could ever have hoped for in my life. Marrying you once, as perfect as our first wedding was just isn't enough for me. I want to marry you. Again."
Emily couldn't fight the tears as they fell down her face, but they contradicted the huge smile on her face. She laughed, tear marks still on her cheeks but her eyes clear. "So you proposed to me? Again?" Aaron nodded, making Emily laugh hysterical. "You idiot, I already married you once! What, was I going to say no this time?"
Aaron shrugged but couldn't get the smile to leave his face. "There's no law that says you have to marry me twice."
It was Emily's turn to lean forward and press her lips against Aaron's; it took her a bit more effort than she expected to pull away. She kept her eyes closed as she leaned her forehead against his. "I'll say yes every single time you ask me to marry you, Aaron."
Aaron sighed, his eyes closed as well as he leaned against his wife. "Marry me."
Emily chuckled softly, nodding her head against Aaron's. "Yes."
"Marry me."
"Yes."
"Marry me."
"Yes."
