Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew.

7:00 AM

The rain was coming down hard outside. It got to the point that if your car was parked out on the side of the road, you were basically fucked. The water started to take over the roads, flooding the streets. Of course, she had work that day. There was a new case, and JJ had called everyone this morning at six o'clock. She still had an hour until she had to be at work, but she always loved to be early.

She felt her cell phone ring in her pocket.

CALLER ID: AARON HOTCHNER

She sighed. "Yeah,"

"Hey, it's Hotch."

"I know, I have caller ID, remember?"

Hotch chuckled into the speaker. "I know, I just wanted to make sure I had the right number."

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you're side of town is flooded. I'm watching the news right now, and it's saying there is a pretty wicked rain storm headed your way."

"Hotch, it's already here. There's no way I can get out of my street. I parked my car on the road, and I'm screwed. I'm going to have to walk to work."

"No, no! Don't do that. I'll pick you up, and we can stop for coffee on the way to the BAU. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"No! Hotch, you don't have to-"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes, Prentiss."

And with that, the line went dead. Emily sighed and slowly closed her phone. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of light grey sweat pants and a black tank top that clung to her, showing off her curves. Her dark hair was pulled up into a messy pony tail, and her bangs hung loosely on her forehead.

Emily stood still for a few moments and then in a flash, she was in her bedroom. She pulled out a pair of grey cargo pants and her purple t-shirt. She pulled the t-shirt on over her head and jumped into her pants. Her boots were nowhere to be found and she was about to lose it. She glanced at her alarm clock.

7:15 AM

"Shit."

Hotch was going to be here in five minutes and she still had to do her make-up and brush her teeth. She quickly rolled on her mascara and applied a light foundation to her face. Emily was still trying to remember where she put her boots. She threw her hair up in tight pony tail this time, making it look like she didn't just wake up. She grabbed her tooth paste and brushed her teeth. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"Prentiss!"

"Damn it," she growled, her tooth paste dripping out of her mouth. She ran out of the bathroom, her tooth brush still in her mouth and opened the door.

Emily looked and him, and he looked at her. She gave him an innocent smirk and a little laugh.

"I…uh, I was in the middle of…" she tried to say to him, but the tooth paste and the brush was causing her to fumble her words. Hotch took in the scene before him and he let his head fall. He chuckled at her.

"You sure are one of a kind, Emily."

Emily gave him a smile and held up her finger, saying she'll be one minute. Hotch smiled and nodded to her. Emily ran back to her bathroom and spit out the remaining paste in her mouth and wiped her mouth. She gave herself one last look and smoothed out her shirt. She ran back to the door, and spotted her boots by the front door. She chuckled to herself and pushed them on; tucking in her pant legs.

"Alright, ready?" she asked him, grabbing her go-bag in the process. Hotch nodded and headed towards his car.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to make it through the rain in your car?" she asked him, checking her phone for messages.

"Are you saying that my car is a piece of shit?" he asked her. She could hear the sarcasm in his voice, so she just laughed at him.

"I've never hear you swear before Aaron…I mean, Hotch." She told him, quickly correcting herself. She knew that he wouldn't mind, but she didn't want him to feel like she had the right to call him by his first name.

"You know, you're allowed to call me that, Emily." He told her seriously. Her smile grew and her heart fluttered vigorously.

"I know that, it's just…I've always known you as Hotch; the unit chief who is always serious and never smiles. The only thing I know about Aaron is that you have a son that loves you very much." She told him honestly.

"I know, I'm lucky." He told her with a smile.

They reached the car and both of them hoped in. Hotch headed towards the nearest Starbucks and they both ordered what they wanted. Hotch offered to pay, but Emily said she would pay next time. The ride to the BAU was quiet. They were both thinking about how bad this case was going to be.

Emily looked over at Hotch and noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed and his grip in the steering wheel was tense. His body language told her that he had something on his mind that was bugging him. His jaw kept clenching and he kept licking his lips. She thought that this was the right time to break the silence.

"Hotch?"

He didn't look over at her but he replied with, "Mhm?"

She took a deep breath and began. "You know that I'm always going to be here for you, right? No matter what's going on in my life, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be right here. I just want you to know, that you're one of the few people I trust with my life. I hope that you trust me with yours. I can honestly say that, you have been the closest friend I have ever had in a long time. I never grew up with those. I hope you know that I respect you so much, and I'll always be here for you."

Hotch stopped the car and pulled off to the side of the road. They both sat there in silence for a moment before Hotch hoped out of the car. Emily was confused at first when he came around to her side of the car and opened the passenger door. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the car.

"What…"

He cut her off when he pulled her into his arms. Emily was stunned at first, but then wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt him bury his head into her neck and he let out a shaky breath. She pulled him tighter and buried her face into his warm chest. He pulled back and looked at her. They were both the perfect height for each other. He was about six foot one and she was about five foot eight.

Hotch's eyes were watering, but he managed to pull himself together.

"It's just been really hard without Haley lately. Jack is always asking for his mom every night and he always watches those home movies. I don't know what to do anymore. I know that we were divorced and all, but I still loved her. I shouldn't have put my job first, I should have chosen her. If I had, none of this would have happened. It's just so hard to handle everything on my own, Emily. I don't know if I can do it all alone." He told her honestly. She could tell that he was going to break soon, and she knew that she could help him.

"Hey," she said softly to him, lifting her hand up to brush away the pieces of hair that hung down in front of his forehead. "I'm here. I want to help you, and if you're willing, we can do this together. And when you can't take it anymore, I'll be there to help you through it. Everyone breaks down in life; it's just part of deal." She told him with a smile. He offered her a sad smile and brought her into him again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. The rain was pouring down on them, but they didn't care. The moment couldn't be any more perfect.

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and pulled away, opening the passenger door for her. She quickly got in and checked her face in the pull down mirror. Her make-up was fine, but her bangs slung to her forehead. She let out a gentle sigh and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes, she took in the silence. She let herself fall asleep for the rest of the ride to the BAU.

"Emily, we're here." Hotch quietly told her. Her eyes slowly opened and she stretched her legs and arms. Emily let out a soft yawn and replied, "Okay, let's hope we don't have to be here for more than a week." The comment she made was mainly for her, but Hotch gave her a slight nod or agreement.

They both reached the glass door and punched in their security code. They both got to the office around seven forty-five AM, a bit later than usual, but they had a reason for being later than normal.

JJ appeared around eight AM and asked everyone to meet on the plane for briefing.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty bad one," Derek commented.

Emily placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm with you on that one, Derek."

"Has there been any other attacks?" Hotch asked the team, but the question was mainly appointed to JJ.

"Uh, no. Not yet." She replied. Hotch nodded.

"Darrin Call has been proven hard to track, he's never had a driver's licence, so he's most likely still on foot." Reid told him.

"Or public transportation…" JJ suggested.

"He's not going to take the bus, his face is everywhere." Emily told the team.

Hotch sighed, "What about a stressor?"

Garcia came into the conversation over the computer. "He just lost his job. He's worked at a factory since 1990. He made appliances since forever, and he never got a single promotion."

Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's a long time to be bitter."

"Or he doesn't care if he gets one or not." Reid told them.

JJ shook her head. "Not if he has a family to feed."

"Actually, he's of the hermit variety. As far as I can tell, he's got no one. No wife, no kids, not parents."

"He's got nothing to live for." Derek commented.

Hotch furrowed his brows and questioned, "So why hasn't he killed himself yet?" No one answered. "Spree's usually end in suicide, and if he has nothing to live for, why hasn't he ended his life?"

"Because he isn't finished yet. We know he has displaced anger, and he decided to take it out of the first victim." Reid said to him.

Hotch nodded. "The stock boy represents someone…and we need to know who." Reid nodded in agreement. "Is he military?" Hotch continued to question.

"Negative." Garcia said.

"Well, he's lashing out for a reason. This guy's got anger, endless targets and a gun…He's just getting started."

Emily and Hotch entered the crime scene at the local pharmacy in the town.

"I'm Agent Prentiss, this is Agent Hotchner. You work here right?"

The lady nodded.

"Can you tell us anything about Darrin Call? Did he come here a lot?" Hotch asked her.

She nodded. "Mr. Call was always so…quiet. He's been coming here for years."

Hotch looked around the crime scene, while Emily questioned her. "Had he ever had a run in with the stock boy?" she asked her politely. She shook her head. "No, John was new here. I didn't know what else to do, so I waved him over."

"He didn't turn violent until you gave him his prescription?" Emily asked confused.

The lady shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't his." Emily raised her eyebrows. "But…you handed him a bag?"

"Yes, but it was somebody else's. I just wanted him to calm down."

"But why didn't you give him his own medication?" Emily pressed on. She was starting to get angry at this lady. "Well, he didn't have any refills left!" The lady snapped.

Hotch cut in. "Woah, for what medication?"

"Uh…alprazolam. He used to be on uh…thiazine."

This changed the whole game.

"Woah, woah…wait, he was on an anti-psychotic?" He asked her.

"Yes! That's why I wanted him to calm down!" Emily was confused. "You said he used to be. How long has he been off of them?"

The lady thought for a moment then replied. "Oh gosh, at least a month."

Hotch let out a deep sigh and threw his hands up. "And…when were you going to tell us this?" The lady didn't reply. "He's armed…he's delusional…who's his doctor?"

The lady started to panic. "I don't remember. He shot my computer. I'm sorry." She apologized to both of them.

"Great, just great." Hotch said walking away and pulling out his phone.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am." Emily told her and walked after Hotch. "Hotch!"

"Call JJ and tell her about the meds."

"Okay, this is not her fault."

Hotch started to get angry. "Prentiss! He's in a psychotic break! This changes everything."

Emily sighed. "Do you want to talk about this?" she asked him, trying to calm him down.

"No! I want to find him, Prentiss." He yelled at her. Emily was taken back at his outburst. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Rossi, there's been a call about disrupted noise coming from a psychiatrist's office three blocks from here. Me and Hotch will meet you and Morgan there." She told Dave through the speaker.

When they got there, Rossi and Morgan were there, telling the cops to check the perimeter.

Emily and Hotch entered the room and stared at the scene. The room went silent and no one spoke.

"We're too late." Hotch spat out.

"Hotch!" Emily yelled, but he just kept walking. Emily looked at Rossi and shook her head.

Morgan's phone rang.

CALLER ID: PENELOPE GARCIA

"What do you have for me Baby Girl?"

"Okay, I just found out that Call was Bill Jarvis' son, aka the Hollow Creek Killer. He was forced to participate in the kidnapping, torture and killing of young boys. One day, a boy named Tommy, helped Call escape, but since Call was only about six years old, he couldn't get away quick enough. Tommy got away, but Call was still with his father."

"So, this is all leading back to this Tommy kid and his father. Do you have the address for Jarvis' house?"

"1457 Higgens Avenue."

"Thanks Baby Girl!" He yelled through the speaker. "1457 Higgens Avenue!"

The house was surrounded. Call was inside with a young boy.

"Call needs a distraction. If he wants to kill Jarvis, and he's on a psychotic break, no one will stop him."

"We have the house surrounded. No one is getting out of that house. If my team has the shot, they're taking it."

That was when it happened.

Hotch took for his vest and walked up to the door and entered the house.

Emily's heart began to beat faster. "Hotch!" she screamed at him. No…

It was about five minutes until they all heard a gunshot. Hotch didn't have his vest on, and they all knew it could be a possibility that he had been shot. Emily was the first one to enter the house.

There lied Hotch on the ground, a gunshot wound just centimeters from his heart. The blood was oozing out of the wound.

"JJ! CALL A MEDIC, NOW!" Emily screamed to her best friend.

"Hey, Aaron…stay with me." she told him softly. She didn't care if her team heard her call him by his first name. All she cared about was that he arrived back home safely and alive. "Tell me about Jack." She told him. This got him to open his eyes slowly.

"He's great…" he whispered to her. Emily smiled. "Maybe I can come over for dinner when we get back, and we can watch a movie." She told him, tears running down her face.

"Yeah. Jack would love that…" he told her. His eyes started to grown heavy. He closed them momentarily, but opened them when Emily grabbed his hands.

"Hotch, open your eyes for me. I want to see your eyes." She told him with a smile.

"Can I tell you something, Emily…?" he asked softly. Emily smiled and nodded. "I want you to know…" he began, and he squeezed her hands tightly. "That I think you're the most…beautiful woman…I have ever seen." He told her sincerely.

Emily stared at him, her mouth agape. "And I want you to know…that I love…your smile and your eyes…" he told her, gently bringing a smile to his face.

"Ma'am, I need to see him, please move out of the way." The paramedic yelled at her. She slowly got up and moved across the room. They were taking him away on a stretcher and they hooked up tubes and masked his face for oxygen. Emily was left standing there, tears streaming down her face. JJ came up to her and brought her into a hug.

"He'll be fine." She told him softly.

Emily cried into her shoulder and said something she thought she would never say in her entire life.

"JJ…I think I'm in love with him."

94 percent

Emily's mind was wandering. They had to do heart surgery on him. She kept telling herself that they got to him fast enough and that he was going to be okay, but a part of her felt like she was lying to herself.

95 percent

She was in love with him. She didn't know how it happened or when it happened, but she just knew that she was in love with him. She love the way his dimples showed when he smiled. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he talked about Jack and how lucky he was to have him. The way he is always so serious about everything, but deep down, he is a very passionate, lovable man. She loved him for his humor that he never showed, but she also loved him for his flaws. She thought they were beautiful. That was the Aaron she knew.

96 percent

She knew that falling in love always came with consequences, but she also knew it came with perks. The perks of falling in love were amazing. You get to experience a different side of person. The way they hold you when you can't stand up right, and the way they tell you they love you. When he tells you you're beautiful, no matter who tells you you're not. There were so many perks she loved. But she hated the consequences.

97 percent

There were going to be tears and there were going to be fights. She could handle those. But the only thing she can't handle is the heartbreak. She knew that when you fall in love with someone, there is always going to be consequences. Having your heart broken is just part of the deal.

98 percent

He can't die. He can't leave Jack. He will have no one if Aaron dies. Who's going to be there for him to wake him up in the morning for school, or feed him breakfast? There would be so much Aaron would miss. He can't leave the team, they need him. They need a strong man to bring them up, when they can't stand on their own.

99 percent

He can't leave her. She still has to tell him all the things she loves about him. She still has to tell him she is in love with him. But what if he doesn't feel the same way? They have been friends for a long time, and she doesn't want to ruin what they have. The only thing she wanted to do right now, was tell him how much she's so glad that he's alive. She just wants to tell him she's in love with him.

100 percent

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