Author's Note: In this story, Foyet only kills brunette women in their mid-30s, not both men and women. Also, Foyet doesn't have a personal vendetta against Hotch, so he never attacked him, and Hotch didn't kill Foyet. He was taken into custody where he DOES NOT escape. In other words, Haley doesn't die.
Just thought it would be helpful to explain. (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Blood.

That was the first thing he saw as he entered the relatively small hotel room.

Then he saw her body, the dark crimson blood gruesomely standing out against her pale, porcelain skin. Her body was twisted in an unnatural position, the only explanation being broken bones.

Her long eyelashes cast small shadows against her cheeks in the dim light, her lips parted slightly, and noticeably pale.

If you looked closer, you could make out each of her stab wounds.

Nine. Foyet had stabbed her nine times.

Had stabbed Emily nine times.

~.~.~

Aaron Hotchner was pulled out of his macabre reverie by a knock on the hotel room door. He checked the digital clock on the bed-side table. Nine o'clock.

Standing up from his location on the well-worn couch by the bed, he walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

It was Emily.

Pulling the door open, he was greeted by her sweet, warm smile. He smiled back slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. Emily noticed. Leaning against the doorframe, she sighed and said softly, "Hey. Can I come in?"

He chuckled quietly and said, "Yeah. Make yourself at home." He watched as she moved around the small room, looking for a place to sit. God, she was beautiful. Even in the simplest outfits, she always managed to look like a model. She wore faded dark blue jeans and a plain white button-down blouse. Her hair was down and curling slightly. Beautiful. She settled for sitting at the end of the bed, her deep brown eyes following him as he moved to sit beside her.

"So…" he started.

She sighed again. "Hotch…I know that this case hit you hard. Hell, the whole team knows." She paused, her eyes searching his. "You could get lost in those eyes," Aaron thought briefly. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, "What's wrong?"

For a few seconds he just looked at her, determining whether or not he should tell her. It had been a tough case for all of them, and the whole team deserved some rest. The fact that Emily had chosen to come to his room, to talk to him, to comfort him, instead of getting some valuable sleep…that meant that she was serious. And if he knew Emily Prentiss, he was pretty sure that she wouldn't give up. She'd find out either way. It was his time to sigh. Looking away from her, he said tentatively, "It's Foyet's victimology," he paused, looking for a way to continue.

"Women in their mid-30's, tall, brunette, brown eyes…abnormally beautiful in a way…what about the victimology?" Emily asked, curiosity etched in her features.

When he looked up at her, he looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Do you know who you just described?" Not giving her a chance to reply, he answered his own question. "You. Every time we found a body, I kept seeing Foyet standing over you, stabbing you over and over…I couldn't deal with it, Emily! …I'm just as good at compartmentalization as you are, but something like this…" he let his voice drift into silence.

Emily was shocked. Not because of what Aaron had just told her; that was shocking, yes, and slightly disconcerting. But this was Aaron Hotchner. This was their brave, daring, stoic leader. And right now his façade, his emotionless mask, was slipping. And slipping fast. It was frightening to see him like that. To see him in such a vulnerable state. She reached out and put her hand on his. If there was a line between professional and personal, they were on the border of crossing it. But she didn't really care. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't have feelings for this man. Because despite how cold hearted he could be she knew that inside, he was a person who would stop at nothing to protect his family. And that's what they were. The BAU was their own unbiological family.

It always felt nice to know that there was at least one person who cared about you.

~.~.~

Unconsciously, Aaron turned his hand over, palm facing hers, and laced their fingers together. He looked at Emily, and saw that she was watching him. Her eyes widened slightly, but not by much. He leaned closer, hardly two inches of space between them.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Just the fact that you're here…it means a lot. I…" his voice broke.

She didn't want to see him like this. It hurt her to see someone she cared about in this position, especially Hotch. The last thing that crossed her mind was, "To hell with this." She closed the distance between them, and pressed her lips lightly against his, their hands still held together, fingers still entwined. She was about to pull away when she felt Aaron's hand on the small of her back, holding her body to his. Oxygen soon became a necessity, and they pulled back away from each other, albeit reluctantly.

"Hotch…Aaron…" Emily said breathlessly.

"Emily, I…I'm not sure now is the best time to say this, but I've had feelings for you, and over time, they just became stronger, and I-"

Emily silenced him with another chaste kiss. "I know. It's the same with me." She laughed softly, "Ever since you stopped by my apartment and asked me to come on the plane to Milwaukee and do that case with you, even after the whole Strauss ordeal…I guess that confirmed it."

He smiled. Actually smiled. Bringing her in for another kiss, he murmured against her lips, "So beautiful…" He felt her smile against his lips as she brought her arms around his neck. One brief thought that flashed through his mind was that he needed this. Needed her, like every living thing needs oxygen. She was his sun, he realized. It was always Emily that offered him comfort after hard cases. It was always her that he paired himself with, because not only did her need her intellectual insight…he needed her.

Without thinking, his hands went to the collar of her blouse, undoing the top button. Expecting resistance from her, he paused for a moment. But when Emily's hands slid to the front of his shirt, he smiled slightly and continued. All of a sudden, Emily stopped, tensing almost unperceptively.

"What's wrong, Emily?" His voice was just a little husky from their early activities.

Pulling back so that she could look at him properly, she whispered, "What are we doing, Aaron?" The name sounded almost foreign against her lips; he was always Hotch, almost never Aaron, even outside of the job. "The BAU…fraternization…" she continued.

"Screw the FBI and the fraternization rules. Look me in the eyes Emily, and tell me to stop, and I will." He paused. "But I think we both know…despite the job, despite everything…I doubt that this is a onetime thing."

They looked at each other then, and Aaron realized that the intensity of emotion that was most likely showing in his eyes was mirrored in Emily's.

And that was a very, very good thing.