So, I've always been fascinated with plot lines involving Hotch as a fugitive. That's why I wrote this. But it turned into something much different than what I thought it was going to be. It may be kinda confusing, but I hope you enjoy it!

This takes place after "100" but before the Ian Doyle plot line.

She didn't know how it happened.

It started out as a normal Tuesday. Emily woke up early to go for a little jog, then returned to her apartment to take a shower. She fed Sergio after getting dressed, ate a quick breakfast, and hurried out the door. Within twenty minutes she was entering the BAU.

Garcia said hi as she was walking back to her lair, and Emily greeted Reid when he fell into step with her, coffee mug in hand. She could see Rossi and Hotch through the blinds of their respective offices, and Morgan arrived a few minutes later. JJ even stopped by the bullpen to say good morning.

Yes, it was a normal day. Nothing was out of place. That was why Emily was so confused with the turn of events. How could a day so typical change in a matter of moments?

Around lunch time, Garcia begged everyone to go out for food. Morgan agreed right away, and Emily right after. She was always up for spending time with the team, especially if someone else paid. Reid nodded after a moment, and JJ accepted the offer. Rossi was waiting for a call from his publisher, so he couldn't come. And no matter how much they prodded, Hotch politely refused.

Every time he turned offers like that down, Emily's heart sunk. She knew what he was doing. She had seen the signs. He was retreating even further into his depression, the darkness that had begun to consume him after Haley died.

Emily had tried to help him, to ease the pain. She hated seeing him so broken, and she wanted to help. Originally she thought it was because he was her friend, and friends didn't let friends fall apart. However, it didn't take her long to see what it really was about.

She was in love with him.

She didn't know when she fell, but she had. Hard. With her boss. Her very handsome, responsible, strong boss.

Ever since that realization, Emily kicked up her efforts to help him only to be rejected. He turned down her offers to babysit Jack or help out with paperwork. Any shreds of hope she had for him returning her feelings were crushed, and she herself retreated into sadness. She did what she always had done: Compartmentalize.

Still, she didn't stop praying that Hotch would snap out of his funk and return to the man she knew. He was still in there somewhere, he just needed to be found.

On that particular Tuesday, Hotch and Rossi stayed at the office while everyone else when out for lunch. They were gone for forty-five minutes, and when they returned, Hotch's office was empty.

They almost didn't notice. The blinds were drawn and the door was shut. They found out he wasn't there when Reid knocked on the door because he had a question for Hotch. He stood there for a moment before turning the knob slowly. A look of utter confusion crossed his face, and he stuck his head back out.

"Where's Hotch?" he asked.

"What, he's not in there?" Morgan asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No."

"Maybe he had an emergency meeting with Strauss," Emily suggested. Reid just shrugged and returned to his desk. Within a minute they were all working silently again.

However, as the minutes ticked by, Emily became more and more nervous. She kept glancing up at Hotch's office as if he would magically appear in the window. She told herself over and over that it was nothing, and he was fine.

Those thoughts were thrown out the window when Rossi came out and asked where Hotch was.

"You don't know?" Morgan asked, looking a bit worried. Emily licked her lips. If anyone was to know where their Unit Chief was, it was Rossi.

They asked JJ, and she said she had no clue. On their way to Garcia's office, they passed Strauss. She told them she hadn't seen Hotch since yesterday.

The entire team, minus Hotch, gathered in Garcia's office, frowns on all of their faces.

"So, he just disappeared?" Garcia asked slowly.

"He didn't disappear," Rossi answered firmly. "He probably just had to step out for a bit."

"Maybe something with Jack came up," JJ offered,

"We're making a much bigger deal out of this than we should," Rossi said. "Hotch can take care of himself."

"Still," Emily said quietly, "It's odd that he didn't tell anyone where he was going."

Any further thoughts were interrupted when everyone's cell phones rang. Apparently there was a body found a few blocks away, and the amount of injuries on the victim frightened the police department.

Even though they all wanted to find Hotch, they needed to work. JJ, Reid, and Garcia remained at the BAU while Morgan, Rossi, and Emily drove to the crime scene. The victim appeared to have been beaten to death, so much so that their face was unrecognizable. They would need to rely on finger prints for an ID.

Emily was walking the perimeter when she found it. Lying on the ground near a bush was a leather square. Picking it up, she quickly figured out what it was.

FBI credentials for one Aaron Hotchner.

Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, Emily called out to Rossi and Morgan. They were as confused as she was.

"What would his badge be doing here?" Morgan asked, shaking his head. "This is crazy."

With a shaking hand, Emily pulled out her cell phone and called Garcia. "I need you to track Hotch's phone."

"What? Why?" the technical analyst asked worriedly.

"Just trace it," Emily said forcefully.

She heard the clicking of computer keys as Garcia ran the number. A moment later she sighed.

"It's off. I can't find the location."

Emily exhaled loudly and hung up. She repeated the information to Morgan and Rossi, and Rossi patted her on the back consolingly.

"It's nothing. He's all right."

"But why are his credentials here?" Emily asked, staring at the badge in Morgan's hand.

No one had an answer, so they reported back to the BAU. When they stepped off the elevator Garcia, JJ, and Reid were waiting for them.

"Why did I have to trace Hotch's number?" Garcia demanded.

Rossi calmly filled them in on what they had found. Their eyes widened, and Garcia's mouth fell open.

"How did his badge end up at a crime scene?" Reid asked in confusion.

"We don't know," Rossi answered.

"Maybe we should check out his apartment," Morgan suggested.

Emily was about to volunteer when Strauss walked up. The look on her face told the team she didn't have good news.

"DC police found an eyewitness claiming they saw the UnSub leave the crime scene. They described him as a white male, over six feet tall with dark hair. Looks to be in his late forties."

The team exchanged looks, their stomachs twisting. To make everything worse, Hotch's badge fell out of Morgan's pocket at that moment. Strauss raised her eyebrows as she knelt to the ground to pick it up.

"Agent Morgan," she said slowly, "Why do you have Agent Hotchner's credentials?"

Morgan remained silent, staring at the floor in front of him. Strauss asked again.

"Erin," Rossi said softly. "Don't go there."

Strauss frowned. "He fits the description." She looked around at the team and took in their worried expressions. "I want him in here. Now."

"You can't think he did this," Morgan objected.

"It doesn't look to be in his favor," she replied. "Get him to come in." She strode away before anyone could say anything else.

Emily felt lightheaded. Her chest began to constrict, and her vision became blurry. She could barely make out Rossi's voice."

"Go home, Emily," he said gently. She shook her head slightly to clear her whirling thoughts.

"I can't," she said. "We need to find the son of a bitch who did this."

"You're not in the right frame of mind."

"We need to help Hotch!"

Rossi sighed, then nodded. "I know. That's what we're going to do. And you can help us by stopping by his apartment on your way home."

Emily opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. Sighing, she turned back to the elevators and made her way to her car.

It didn't take her long to reach Hotch's apartment building. Leave it to him to move close to work. After a moment of searching her bag, she found the spare key he had given her a few months back. It was important that they all had ways of reaching one another in case of an emergency.

Before using the key, Emily knocked on the door and waited to see if he was home. She prayed he was, but as the seconds passed without any response, her spirits were crushed.

Turning the silver key in the lock, she held her breath as she inched the door open. The apartment before her was dark and silent.

"Hotch?" she called. "Are you here?"

Not a sound.

Stepping farther in, she closed the door behind her and crept inside. Nothing looked out of place. In fact, it looked spotless. Pillows were arranged nicely on the couch. Placemats sat on the table, ready to be used. The kitchen counters were clear of any stains.

She walked through the entire apartment to the same results. Everything looked normal. It was like Hotch had simply left for the day.

And maybe he had. Just because they found his badge, his phone was off, and the witness account matched him to a T didn't mean he had done anything.

He's innocent, she thought to herself. He has to be.

She jumped when she heard a recorded voice shatter the quiet. It took her a second to realize it was the answering machine. After the beep a woman's voice began to talk.

"Aaron? It's me, Jessica. Look, I know I upset you the other night, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. Jack needs a stable household, and if you can't give that to him, then I will." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you want, but if you want to keep Jack, you need to get your act together. I'm… I'm really sorry, Aaron."

Another beep told Emily the messaged was done. Sinking onto the couch, she closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Jessica was threatening to take Jack away. She'd already given Hotch an ultimatum. He knew his time with his son was running out, so what did he do?

Don't go there, Emily, she thought, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get those words to go away.

His stressor. Something like the possibility of losing his son could have sent him over the edge he'd been standing on for a while.

Emily's head was spinning way too much for her liking, and she slumped over, lying on the couch. She squeezed her eyes shut even harder, willing herself to wake up from this nightmare.

Her cell phone ringing caused her eyes to fly open. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered without checking caller ID.

"He's not here," she whispered.

"I know," a familiar voice said. Emily sat up straight.

"Hotch," she breathed.

"Hello, Emily."

Normally the sound of him calling her by her first name would have made her giddy, but now wasn't the time for that.

"What… What's going on, Hotch? Where are you? Why were your credentials at a crime scene?"

"I can't explain," he said. "I don't have time." She could hear the sound of tires squealing on pavement in the background.

"Yes, you do," she said hurriedly. She stood up abruptly and paced the living room. "I can help you. The team can help you."

"I don't want you to be involved. It's too risky." He took a shuddering breath. "I messed up, Emily."

Again with the first name. "How?"

"It's not what you think. Really. I know it may not seem that way, but you have to understand that I did nothing."

Emily's mind flashed back to the crime scene that afternoon. "I want to believe you, but you're not telling me anything!"

"Can't you try to believe the man you love?"

She froze dead in her tracks. For a second all she could hear was Hotch's heavy breathing.

"What… What makes you think…"

"You're the one at my apartment looking for me. Just like after Foyet… Happened."

"Any of us would have come," she tried, listening for any sounds that could tip off where he was.

"Yes, but you're the one Dave sent home because you couldn't focus. Why's that?"

"How did you know that?" she asked sharply.

"That's not important."

"Neither are my feelings."

"So you admit you have them?"

Cursing under her breath, she walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds. Nothing. "You're not going to use those against me."

"Against you? Why would I do that?"

"To get me on your side," she hissed.

He paused briefly. "I had hoped you were already there. Emily, please. Try to understand."

"Why don't you explain?"

He sighed. "I can't."

"Then why did you call me?"

"I just… I needed someone to know that I'm okay and I didn't do what you think I did."

In that moment, Hotch sounded so alone. Emily dropped back onto the couch and rubbed her temple with her free hand.

"I don't think you killed that man, Hotch," she said softly. He sighed in relief.

"Thank you."

She bit her lip. "Please come home Hotch. We can help you with whatever is going on, you know that."

"I do. But this isn't your fight."

"I'll make it mine!" she cried, fighting tears. "Anything that hurts you is my fight."

"I knew you loved me." It almost sounded like he was smiling.

Choking back a sob, she whispered, "Come home."

On the other end, she could hear Hotch swear under his breath. "I have to go."

"Hotch, I'm begging you-"

"Don't believe anything you read about me," he said desperately. "Don't think any different of me."

"Don't."

"I'm so sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Aaron!" she cried. That got him to shut up.

"Emily…"

He sounded so resigned to his fate, like he knew what was coming for him. It terrified her, but she knew there was no convincing him.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked.

He hesitated. "I don't know."

She wiped away a stay tear that slipped down her face. "Then you need to hear me say it. Even if you don't feel the same way, I need you to hear it."

"Emily, I know. You don't have to say it."

"Yes, I do!"

"Emily, I love-"

His words were drowned out by a loud crashing noise. The sound of metal slamming into something unidentifiable roared in her ears before the line went dead.

"I love you, too," she whispered, clutching the phone tightly. "I always will."

Believe it or not, that's not the end of this weird little universe. I have some ideas to continue, but only if people want me to. If you do, let me know! I'd love to hear from you! If enough people want me to, I'll add other one-shots to this story.

And if you haven't checked it out already, the nominating period for the Profiler's Choice awards on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner is coming to an end soon! You guys should definitely check it out and nominate your favorite stories! =)