SET JUST AFTER MINIMAL LOSS
Hotch was worried about Prentiss and Reid, but mostly Prentiss because he had seen the affects of her beating. On the flight home, as everyone else slept soundly, he'd stayed awake and kept an eye on her. When she'd shift her position in her sleep, she'd wince visibly. It concerned him more than he felt like it should.
Words were not sufficient to express the agony he'd been in when he'd heard her being beaten by Cyrus. Even when she'd told them that she could take it, he wanted to bust through the front doors of the compound and kill that son of a gun. Kill him for what he'd just done to the woman that Hotch had secretly come to admire. Adore.
Emily had bonded with every member of the team in a way he hadn't imagined anyone could. They were all such a tightly knit family and, usually, outsiders weren't welcome. Somehow, Emily had managed to earn the respect of her teammates. She'd had Aaron's from the minute he learned she had given up her job for him.
Now, he sat outside her apartment building, trying to decide what to do. Should he go up and check on her, or just wait until Monday when she'd most likely be at the office. He worried that if he went to see her now, he wouldn't be able to hide his emotions very well, something that Hotch was normally very good at. He tried to keep work apart from personal life, but now he hurried to the office every day, just to catch a glimpse of Emily's smiling face and long brown hair swinging when she turned to greet him.
Swallowing hard, he got out of his car and went inside, then took the elevator up three floors, then strolled quickly down the hallway and knocked on her door before he lost what little nerve he had.