Disclaimer- I do not own any Criminal Minds characters; they belong to the CBS network.
This story takes place after Season 4, episode 1 – Mayhem.
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Criminal Minds
One Shot Story – Deconstructed
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She found him in the shower, and for a brief moment, wondered how long he had been in there?
According to Morgan, they had made it home four hours ago, yet he had not answered her phone calls. Worried, she decided to check in on him.
"Hotch?"
No answer.
She moved around his apartment and saw his clothes scattered about; unusual as he was a neat freak.
Bending down, she picked up his clothes and placed them neatly on the couch and his bags by a chair before she headed to his bedroom.
It was then she heard the shower running.
He had left the bathroom door opened; why not?
Living alone, he had moved out of the house he and Haley had bought when they married, and when Jack was born.
Turning back to the small kitchen, she saw he had left his Scotch on the counter, Emily poured two glasses and carried both to the bathroom and knocked on the shower door before opening it and extended a glass within.
A hand grabbed the glass with a grunt and a second later he handed it emptied back to her before closing the door.
She sipped her drink, "It won't work, trying to drown yourself."
No answer.
She shrugged, "It's no use, Hotch. We need you back at work Monday 730."
"Go away." He replied morosely.
"Can't. The team's worried about you."
"I'm fine. Go home Prentiss."
"Not till you come out."
A pause before he shut the water and came out, dripping wet.
Emily stared at him, "Okay." She left the room
Hotch sighed as he grabbed the towel from the rack and quickly wrapped it around his waist, "Wait, Emily!"
She was almost at his bedroom door when she turned around, "Yeah?"
"Just...stay for awhile."
She nodded, "I'll wait for you out there." She pointed at his living room.
He nodded as she stepped out.
Five minutes later, dressed in his sweats, he came out of his room to find she had brought Chinese take-out.
"Smells good." He nodded as he sat down by the kitchen counter.
"I figured you'd not had anything in a while and I'm hungry, and you know I don't cook." She shrugged as she began to dig into her portion of Shrimp and noodles.
He pointed at her container, "That's Jack's favorite Chinese, Shrimp and noodles. He could eat the whole thing."
She grinned, "He's a growing kid! I miss him, how's he?"
They began to talk about his son and other general topics as they eat.
After they had cleared the food containers, Emily changed her drink to iced water; she had to drive home.
Hotch, on the other hand, was on his fourth Scotch.
"You sure you won't have another?" He indicated the bottle.
"No, I have to get home, Hotch. I've got a load of laundry to do, dry cleaning to take to."
He nodded as he tossed the rest of the drink before he refilled.
"You're not going anywhere tonight, are you?" Emily watched him.
He shook his head, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, driving. You're pretty impaired."
He snorted. "Come on, Prentiss. I know my limits."
She frowned, "Maybe I should take your keys, just in case." She glanced at the set of keys on the low table.
He jerked his head up. "Why would you do that? You think I'm gonna drive in my condition?"
"I...don't. Hotch, I don't mean it." She shook her head.
He grabbed the keys and threw them across the room and they hit against the wall and fell behind a large bookshelf. "There. Now you don't have to worry about my driving drunk."
She sat in stunned silence.
He looked up at her, "What? Nothing to say?"
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"About what?" He glared at her.
She refused to take in his bait. "Kate Joyner."
"What's there to talk about? She's dead." He leaned over and refilled his glass.
"That's all."
She arched an eyebrow.
"What else? You think there's more?"
She didn't react but pursed her lips.
He saw her expression. "You don't believe me. You and the rest of the team. You believe what Morgan implied."
"I don't believe anything."
"You thought so."
She shook her head, "Don't profile..."
"Then don't profile me as well."
"I'm not, I just want you to talk."
"Don't be a shrink, you're not qualified."
"Neither are you. But you should..."
"I don't need a damn shrink, Prentiss."
She nodded.
"And I don't need your patronizing shit."
"I'm not, and I should go." She stood up.
"Just go..."
She walked slowly to the door.
He stayed where he was.
Her hand on the knob...
Before she realized it, his hand had covered hers.
"Kate was my friend." He had leaned his forehead against the door. "We didn't do anything...didn't go further...I wanted, thought of it."
She nodded, not looking at him as she faced the door. He released his hand and let it fall.
He spun around, back to the door now as he took a deep breath, "She looked so much like Haley. Every time I see her, I can see Haley again." He closed his eyes and slid until he was sitting down, one knee up as he rested an elbow on it.
She did the same, sitting by his side, shoulder to shoulder. "She's special to you."
He turned slightly to her and nodded, "Kate's father was a battling alcoholic lawyer, who was disbarred when he drove his car into a tree one night, her mother was killed instantly. She was only ten when it happened."
"I'm sorry."
He shrugged, "You didn't know. No one knew. She was not an open person."
"Just like you." She whispered. "She related to you."
He nodded slowly. "We have similar childhood, except she was an only child."
"Was she married?"
He shook his head, "Almost, but he was killed in a bank robbery over in England." He waved his hand. "They were to be married in a month, he was also a police officer in Scotland Yard where she had worked."
"That's why she decided to come back to America to work." Emily concluded.
He nodded sadly. "That was a year ago." He bent down and raked his hair with his hand. "It was so messed up, she was such a great person." He looked ahead.
They sat like that for a while until she felt his head slumped against her shoulder, and his breathing steadied, she turned slightly to check on him.
He had fell asleep.
Smiling softly, she nudged him, "Hotch...come on, let's go to bed."
"I am." He muttered.
"I mean, in your bed."
She shoved and poked, and finally he yawned and stood up, "...'kay...I'm going..." She led him to his room where he flopped diagonally face-down onto his bed.
"Oh come on, Hotch!" She shook her head as she began to struggle to move him to a more comfortable position and covered him with a comforter.
Turning off the light in his room, she left but not before she located the keys and set them on the low table and cleaned the drinking glasses in the kitchen.
As she let herself out, she paused and looked into the living room and spotted a bag; it was the shirt and pants that he had worn when it happened.
At the last minute, she grabbed the bag and hurried out door, and headed towards her car.
…...
Monday Morning, 715am:
Hotch was surprise to see a dry cleaner bag hanging in his office.
When he opened it, he saw it was his shirt, jacket and pants neatly cleaned and pressed.
He knew Emily had taken his clothes dry-cleaned.
Pulling his phone out, he text'ed her quickly, 'Thank you.'
A moment later, he received a replied text: 'No prob. '
He thought for a moment before he text'ed again, 'Lunch? My treat.'
As expected, she replied, 'def! Usual time.'
He smiled as he pocketed his phone and moved to his desk, grabbed a file and began to read.
…...
The End