Here we go, finally another installment in the BAU High School universe! This particular one-shot was inspired by a conversation I had with my best friend last week about the uselessness of schoolwork at this time of year. I know how stressful it's getting even when it shouldn't be, so I decided to write this to let it all out. I love ya, girl! I hope this helps you relax. =)

I hope everyone enjoys this! Let me know what you thought at the end. =)

This takes place after Prom.

Aaron Hotchner didn't mind homework. It was a known fact. While it could be very annoying, impossible, and mind-numbing at times, he liked being able to put all his effort and focus into the task at hand. Also, he always felt better once it was done, since he knew he accomplished his task.

However, today, on this gorgeous May day he hated homework. Or better yet, he despised it.

He really didn't see why he had to worry about History when he was graduating next month. Why should it matter? He was a senior, for Christ's sake. It seemed so pointless.

Yet, Aaron had never missed a homework assignment. Ever. Not in elementary school or middle school. Not even when he started high school and teachers made it known they could care less whether the students did it or not.

And that was why he was sitting inside, at his desk, reading about the Vietnam War while every other kid in his grade was out enjoying the day.

Sometimes he really hated his dedication.

Homework should be illegal this time of year, he thought.

His phone buzzed from somewhere in his room, breaking his concentration. Grateful for the momentary reprieve, he dug around in his backpack and pulled out his phone. A smile crossed his face when he read the text message.

Come outside. -E

He didn't question her, just hurried downstairs and out the door. He stopped short at the sight in front of him.

Emily Prentiss, his beloved girlfriend, was leaning against her car, dressed in jean cut-offs and a dark blue tank top. This was different from what she wore to school, which had been a black skirt and red blouse.

"Hiya," she greeted.

"Hi," Aaron said cautiously. "Whatcha doing here? I thought we were hanging out tomorrow."

"We are. Today's different."

"Okay... Why?"

Emily smiled. "Do I need a reason to see my boyfriend?"

"Of course not." He crossed the lawn and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "But I have homework."

"You sound like a nerd when you say that."

"I thought you liked that about me," he countered.

"I do, but not when it's keeping you inside. Come on." She slipped from his grasp and tugged his hand, nodding towards the car. "You're coming with me."

"Em..." he hedged, "I really do have work to do."

"Screw it. You're a senior! And, to be more specific, you're the only senior still doing work."

"Spencer probably does," he pointed out. Emily shot him an irritated look.

"That doesn't count. He's a genius; he does everything in ten minutes."

"Emily, sweetheart, I can't."

A fierce look appeared on Emily's face. "No. You CAN. You just won't. But you're going to. You're going to come with me right now and ignore the schoolwork for once in your life. People always say high school is the best part of our lives, and that senior year is the time to spend with friends. And damnit, that's what you're doing now."

Aaron was a little taken aback by her mini-rant. He got what she was saying, honestly, but the student in him was saying no...

Emily could tell he was about to reject again, so she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, leaving him breathless.

"You won't get another if you stay home."

"Are you kidding?"

She raised her eyebrows as if to say "do you want to test me?"

"Emily..."

She pouted and turned on the doe eyes. Aaron was putty in her hands, and she knew it.

"Oh, fine! I'll come. Happy?"

"Yes!" she squealed. She kissed him again. "And there's your prize."

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"Now get in." Aaron obeyed and climbed into the passenger seat. Emily gave him a vibrant smile, and he felt a surge of warmth inside. He would do anything for this girl.

Emily drove them away from town. Aaron kept looking out the window, trying to figure out where they were going. Ten minutes turned into twenty, then thirty.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked. Emily gave him a mysterious smile.

"You'll see."

After a while Aaron realized they were headed to the coast. Soon after that Emily pulled into the parking lot at the beach. Since it was early in the season and the middle of the week, the lot was empty, save for two cars parked next to each other. Aaron knew whose cars they were and smiled in anticipation.

"You guys are crazy," he announced once he and Emily stepped onto the sand.

"You say crazy, I say genius," Derek declared, leaning back in his beach chair. Penelope, JJ, and Spencer sat in chairs like Derek's facing the ocean. A giant cooler was wedged into the ground beside Derek's chair.

"We're having a picnic!" Penelope chirped.

"I can see that." Aaron gestured to the cooler, and the bag of chips on Derek's lap.

"So glad you two could make it. I heard someone was unwilling to part from their text book," JJ teased, a knowing glint in her eye.

"Sorry I care about my education," Aaron muttered, flopping onto a blanket they had spread out earlier. Emily settled down beside him.

"You already got into Harvard and Yale," she pointed out. "There's no reason to worry about little things like homework."

"I could still fail the class."

"Right, Mr. Straight As, you could totally fail because of one missed assignment." Derek snorted derisively. Aaron reached over and punched him in the arm.

"Hey, no fighting you two," Emily warned. "We're here to have fun."

"Sorry, Emily," the two boys chorused together. The corners of her mouth twitched.

"So, now what?" Spencer asked. A smile spread across Derek's face.

"I have an idea." Once everyone was looking at him he said, "Football. Boy versus girls."

"Don't have a ball," Spencer said immediately.

"Nice try, Pretty Boy, but I've got one in my car."

"Wait, but that won't be fair!" JJ protested. "You guys have Aaron, who's like a pro."

"And Derek, you played football when you were younger," Penelope spoke up, glaring at her boyfriend.

"We also have Spencer," Derek replied. "Advantage: ladies."

"Hey!"

"He's doesn't mean it, Spence," JJ said, ruffling his hair a bit. Spencer rolled his eyes, but looked pleased at the gesture.

"So are we playing, or what?" Derek asked.

"We'll play, but not boys versus girls," Emily said firmly. "We'll split up." She bit her lip as she considered the group before her.

"Aaron, Penelope, and JJ on one team," she said finally. "Derek, Spencer, and I on the other."

"Fair enough." Derek leapt up and jogged back to his car to get the football.

"Do we have to do this?" Spencer asked.

"C'mon Spencer," Aaron said, standing up. He extended a hand to the younger teen. "It'll be fun."

"I'm just not good at sports," Spencer said quietly.

"And I am?" Penelope asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Compared to me, yes."

"It's for fun," Aaron insisted. "You'll do fine."

Spencer did not object after that, mainly because Derek had returned with the ball.

"Alright, rules," he said. He stood before the group like a captain organizing his soldiers.

"No tackling!" Penelope called before Derek could say anything. Derek rolled his eyes.

"Fine. No tackling. To stop a player, you have to tag them. We'll position the chairs to act like end zones. Score seven points by running it through the end zone." He opened his hands to the group. "Simple enough?"

Everyone murmured their agreement.

"Alright. We get two minutes to strategize."

They broke off into the two teams after dragging four chairs into end zones.

"Aaron's quarterback," JJ said immediately once they were all gathered. Penelope nodded.

"Uh, okay," Aaron replied with a chuckle.

"So what do we do?" Penelope asked.

Aaron was silent as he thought about it. "Okay, what we'll do is this..."

Meanwhile a similar thing was occurring on the other end of the makeshift field.

"I'm quarterback," Derek decided. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Of course you are."

"What, you want to go up against Hotch?" Derek challenged.

"I can take him," Emily said bravely.

"Maybe Derek should be quarterback," Spencer interrupted. He glanced over at the opposite team where Aaron was instructing the girls on what to do. One look at the tall boy had Spencer gulping.

"Fine," Emily huffed. "I'll cover JJ."

"Pretty Boy? You got Penelope?"

"Sure." He was secretly glad he had been assigned to guard his old friend. He knew he could handle her.

"Okay," Derek said authoritatively. "Here's the plan..."

"Time's up!" Aaron hollered.

The two teams took their positions on the sand. Aaron and Derek met at the center.

"Rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets possession first," Derek said.

The two boys bounced their fists on their palms three times before revealing their weapon of choice.

"Damnit," Derek swore. He had flattened his hand to represent paper, but Aaron had picked scissors, thus beating his friend.

"Winner gets ball," he teased, prying the ball from Derek's hands.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Derek muttered.

The game started once JJ hiked the ball to Aaron. Derek charged toward him, but Aaron passed the ball to Penelope, who had been waiting with open arms.

"Spencer! You're on Pen!" Emily shouted, sticking close to JJ. Spencer blinked, then ran over to Penelope. His arms began to stretch out in an attempt to tag her, but at the last second she threw it to JJ. Emily tried to intercept, but JJ was fast thanks to years of playing soccer. She snatched the ball out of the air and sprinted away.

Thinking on her feet, Emily hurried after JJ, keeping her eyes on Aaron. Derek was running alongside him, but Emily had a feeling her boyfriend had an idea of how to slip away.

Sure enough, Aaron stopped running altogether. Derek had been focusing too much on keeping up with him, so when Aaron stopped Derek kept going. He soon realized he was running alone, but in that short amount of time JJ had passed the ball to Aaron.

Once he had the ball, Aaron took off. He sprinted straight towards the end zone, Derek right on his tail. Aaron darted left and right to throw Derek off track. Derek followed as best as he could, but Aaron sped up at the last second and crossed the end zone.

"TOUCHDOWN!" JJ cried victoriously, jumping up and down. Penelope cheered, and Aaron just smirked and threw the ball at the ground.

Derek's team had possession next, and once Derek had the ball he flat-out ran to the end zone. Aaron stepped in front of him to stop him, but right before he ran into Aaron, Derek tossed the ball to Emily.

JJ was tracking Emily closely, and Emily knew it. The blonde girl would overtake her in seconds. Looking around, Emily spotted Spender standing close to the end zone. Penelope was close by, but not too close.

Emily locked eyes with Spencer and tilted her head towards the end zone. Spencer's eyes widened, and he gave a little nod. Emily threw the ball to him, and to his surprise and happiness, he caught it.

"That's it, Pretty Boy!" Derek crowed. "Now RUN!"

Spencer didn't need telling twice. He took off, his long legs stretching as far as they could. Penelope tried to catch up to now avail. Within moments Spencer was across the end zone, and he didn't stop running.

"Spencer! SPENCER!" Emily yelled. "You can stop!"

The younger boy froze in his tracks and spun around. His friends were grinning at him, even the opposite team.

"TOUCHDOWN!" Derek pumped his fist into the air and did a little dance. Emily gave Spencer a big hug once he walked back to the group. Aaron even gave him a high-five.

After that the game was evenly matched. If one team scored, the other did soon after. Derek took pleasure in being able to stop Aaron whenever he could, and Emily and JJ began taunting each other. Spencer and Penelope were just happy to be with friends.

"Alright," Derek said after a half-hour of playing. "Next touchdown wins."

"Fine by me," Aaron responded. His team had possession, so he expected an easy win.

Derek realized that too. He called Emily over to strategize.

"I need you to do something," he whispered. Emily just raised her eyebrow and leaned over so she could hear. After a moment she grinned devilishly and nodded.

"29! 87! 52! Hike!" JJ yelled, tossing the ball between her legs to Aaron. He caught it easily and started running down the field. Penelope and JJ blocked the path Derek would have taken to intercept Aaron, and Spencer and Emily were not fast enough to get him.

It was a clear shot to the end zone, just like Aaron had planned. Of course, he had not planned on Emily falling down with a pained shout.

"Emily?" He slowed down and turned around. His girlfriend lay on the ground, holding her ankle. Spencer had knelt down beside her to get a better look at it.

"What happened?" JJ asked, moving closer to them. Emily bit her lip.

"I-I don't know. I think I twisted it." She winced. "It really hurts."

Aaron was already making his way over to her, a concerned look on his face. He was so focused on Emily that he didn't notice Derek creeping up behind him. He plucked the football from Aaron's grasp and took off like a bullet. Emily grinned and stood up, her ankle holding her weight without problem.

"What the hell?" Aaron's eyes narrowed as it dawned on him. He glared at Emily. "You lied!"

"Derek told me to," she replied innocently. The boy in question let out a loud whoop from where he stood in the end zone.

"That's cheating!" JJ screeched.

"All's fair in love and war," Derek said.

"And this is neither," Aaron said firmly.

"It's love," Emily tried to say. She walked over to Aaron and wrapped her arms around his waist. He remained still.

"C'mon, guys," Derek said. "It's a game!"

Aaron stared at Emily, his face expressionless. Emily started to feel anxious.

"Aaron? Look, I'm sorry, baby. I didn't think it would be that big of a de- AARON!"

Without warning, mid-sentence, Aaron grabbed Emily and threw her over his shoulder. Turning, he started to walk directly towards the ocean.

"AARON! Put me DOWN!" She thrashed around desperately, but he held on tight. Their friends exchanged looks, then started to run after them.

"Hotch, think about what you're doing!" Derek called.

"This is your doing, Derek," Aaron shot back. Water rushed around his bare feet as a new wave came in.

"Wow," he said. "That is cold."

"Aaron, please, I'm begging you," Emily pleaded. "What do you want me to say?"

"That what you did was wrong, and that my team is the rightful winner."

"What I did was wrong, and your team wins! You're the best football player! You're so great! You're so hot!"

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "All that wasn't necessary." Swinging her around, he gently placed her on her feet. She let out a little yelp once she felt the temperature.

"Come on." Aaron extended his hand, and Emily took it. Together they walked back to the group. They had stopped right at the edge of the water.

"You scared us for a second, Hotch," Derek said. He licked his lips. "We cool?"

"Yeah, we're fine." He raised his eyebrows. "That was a low move though."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry."

Before anyone else could speak, a rough voice shouted from behind them. "HEY!"

The teenagers spun around to see a state trooper staking across the beach toward them.

"Oh, no," Penelope whispered. Her face paled, as did JJ's and Emily's.

"Something wrong, sir?" Aaron asked, standing up straight.

"Yeah. This beach is closed after seven on weekdays. It's seven-thirty."

"But I've been here past ten before," Derek objected.

"That's for summer months. It's still considered spring." The trooper glared at them. "You have to leave."

"We're sorry for intruding," Aaron said smoothly. "We'll leave right away."

The trooper just shot them another irritated look before stomping off.

"Now what?" JJ asked once they had packed everything up. They were all standing around their cars.

"Well," Aaron said, checking the time on his phone, "It's almost eight. It's about a half-hour drive back home, and I still have a lot of homework..."

"Oh, not again," Emily muttered. She stepped in front of her boyfriend and looked him square in the eye.

"I've spent the last few weeks without you. It was hell. I missed you so much... There are no words to describe it. They missed you too," she gestured to the group behind her, "and JJ as well. Now that we have you back, can't we just have fun together? Can't we just make these memories, and not worry about school?"

Aaron was silent for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her. Derek let out a wolf-whistle, and JJ and Penelope said "Awww."

"Alright," he said when they pulled apart. "Let's do something."

"What?" Spencer asked.

"Can we get ice cream?" Penelope asked. Derek looped an arm over her shoulder.

"Whatever you want, Baby Girl."

"Trying to get on my good side, I see," she teased. "It'll take more than that."

"There's a Dairy Queen a few blocks away," JJ offered. "My family goes there all the time in the summer."

"Perfect!" Penelope clapped her hands together. "We shall meet up there."

Derek drove Penelope, and JJ drove Spencer. Aaron was, of course, with Emily. They pulled into the Dairy Queen parking lot ten minutes later. They ordered their Blizzards and went to eat them at a park across the street.

"Mmmm," Penelope sighed. "I love ice cream."

"Who doesn't?" JJ asked.

"You'd be surprised," Spencer said.

"Anyone who doesn't is crazy," Emily said around a spoonful of Reese's Peanut Butter Blizzard. She glanced sideways toward Aaron, who was staring intently at his Oreo Blizzard. She gave him a little nudge.

"Hey," she said quietly. The others started a debate over the best ice cream flavor, so they were not paying attention to them. "What's up?"

Aaron didn't say anything for a moment, choosing instead to stir his ice cream. Finally he stopped and looked at her.

"Am I that bad?"

Emily furrowed her eyebrows together. "Bad at what?"

"Letting my work go. Am I such a stickler when it comes to that?"

"THAT'S what you're worried about?" When Aaron nodded Emily let out a giggle.

"It's a serious question!"

"I know, and I'm sorry." She grinned at him. "You're adorable."

"Gee, thanks."

"Aaron, it's okay if you care about your schoolwork. In fact, it's great. But I don't want you to get so caught up in it that you can't relax. That's what you need to do, you know. Relax."

Aaron smiled and pulled her close. "I love you."

"I know."

"Cocky, aren't you?"

"I prefer confident."

"Same thing."

"Not really."

"Says you."

"Says everyone."

Aaron rolled his eyes, picked up his spoon and plopped a bit of ice cream on her nose. "Says no one."

"Aaron Hotchner! You did not just do that!"

"That's a great look, Emily," JJ said.

"Shut up."

Spencer handed her a napkin. She accepted it gratefully, then slapped her spoon against Aaron's cheek.

"Take that."

"What are we, four?"

"You started it."

"And I'm ending it," JJ interrupted. "Behave you two."

"Where to now?" Spencer asked. Everyone was done their Blizzards, and they were looking for a new place to go.

"There's an arcade down the street," Derek suggested. "I saw it on the way over."

"Shall we?" Penelope asked. Emily glanced at Aaron to see if he would object, but to her pleasure he didn't.

"Let's go," he said, standing up.

They left their cars where they were and walked towards the arcade. The girls locked arms and skipped the entire way, much to the boys' amusement.

Luckily, the arcade was still open, and the high schoolers spent a good half-hour there. Derek challenged Emily to a race car game and refused to admit he lost. Penelope worked hard to win a colorful pillow in one of those drop-claw games and screamed incredibly loudly when she did. Aaron tried his hand at one of the gun-simulation games and got the new high score. JJ convinced Spencer to play Dance Dance Revolution, and the rest of the group had way too much fun watching. Penelope videotaped it on her phone for posterity.

Finally, and reluctantly, they left the bright arcade with vows to come back in the summer. They said goodbye in the Dairy Queen parking lot, and the couples got into their respective cars. By now it was well past nine, and by the time they would get home it would be past ten. All Aaron would want to do once he got home was sleep, he was so exhausted.

And he didn't care.

"Well, I'm sorry I pulled you away from your homework," Emily said dramatically as she pulled into Aaron's driveway. Aaron offered her a wry smile.

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not. It's just polite to apologize."

He laughed. "It's fine. I'd much rather spend time with you and the team then do History." His voice became very soft. "The time we spend together is important to me. I don't want to waste it."

Emily smiled and kissed him. "We still have all summer. There will be more nights like these. Don't worry."

"There better be." He kissed her again, this time bringing his hand up to cup her face. He stroked his thumb across her cheek.

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He climbed out of the car and hurried to his front door. On the top step, he turned and looked back at her. She gave him a little smile, and he waved. She stayed outside until the door shut.

These nights were the best for Emily. They were what kept her going during the hard times, and she knew there would always be more.

She couldn't be happier.