This is my February challenge for Live-4-CM. My prompts were: Candlelit dinner, card from a secret admirer and 3 dozen pink roses. The song, "Dangerously in Love" by Destiny's Child. I hope you like it.

This is a sequel to "Midnight Kiss" in Prentiss' POV.

I do not own Criminal Minds. My thanks for Somone_aka_Me for being my beta. Please read and review!

Dangerously in Love

Prentiss woke up in a warm bed, next to a warm body. She turned her head, smiling at Hotch who was still sleeping next to her with his arm slung over her waist. She knew that she had to get up, get dressed, and leave before Jack woke up. But she didn't want to. She wanted to stay in bed with him for just a few more minutes.

It was over a month since they became a couple on New Years. It was one of the happiest months she had experience, but it was also one of the most difficult months she had. No one knew that Hotch and Prentiss were dating.

At first, she understood why they had to keep it a secret. Strauss would no doubt to use that an excuse to punish Hotch. And then there was Jack. He was still dealing with his mother's death and now, he was spending more time with her. The last thing, she wanted was to make that little boy even more confused.

Now, she was tired of the hiding, the secret rendezvous, and the dodging of questions from Garcia and JJ. They knew that she was seeing someone, but she couldn't tell them who. It was getting to the point where she could tell that they were getting irritated with her. After all, both JJ and Garcia confided in her about Will and Kevin.

He stirred in his sleep, opening his eyes, when he smiled at her. She smiled back, rolling on her side to face him.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning. What time is it?" he asked.

"It's almost five. I should get going," she said.

Hotch tightened his hold on her. "You've got time," he said before he rolled on top of her. He started nibbling on her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying it.

"Daddy," Jack cried out through the close door. She knew that the little boy had had a nightmare.

Prentiss softly cursed under her breath when she saw the doorknob turning. She jumped out of the bed, picking up her clothing off the floor as she hid in the closet.

Through the door opening, she watched Hotch quickly put on his boxers, picking up the remaining clothes off the floor where he threw them on top of the bed, pulling the blanket over them.

He opened the door, seeing his son, holding onto his teddy bear with one hand and his other one was rubbing his eyes.

She quietly got dressed inside the dark closet as she watched her boyfriend picking up his son, and carrying him away.

She didn't know of how long she waited when the closet door open, "You can come out now, he is sleeping again," he said, holding the door.

Prentiss came out, wearing her clothes from the night before minus her bra and stockings.

Hotch pulled the blanket back where she found them. She dug them out and then found her shoes on top of his bed as well.

"Jack had a nightmare," he explained. He pulled out a drawer from his dresser, picking up a t-shirt. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"You can still stay," he offered.

"No," she said flatly. Hotch looked at her as he threaded his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

"I agreed that Jack shouldn't find us in bed together. I know it can be confusing, that all of a sudden daddy has a new girlfriend to replace mommy." She blew out a breath, she knew that there was no going back now. It had to be out in the open.

She tucked her black hair behind her ears, then looking straight at Hotch. "I'm tired," she announced. "JJ and Garcia are hurt that I refused to them of who I am seeing. I am tired of hiding, the secrets, and the lies."

He finally pulled his shirt over his head. "What do you want to do then?"

She was quiet for a few minutes. "I don't want to hide anymore," she finally answered.

Hotch looked at her, not answering her which ironically spoke in loud volumes. She threw her bra and stockings into her Go-Bag and then slipped her shoes on.

"I know that I dropping all this on you, but this is how I feel. I am tired of hiding. Why don't I just leave and let you think about this?" Hotch nodded his head, not saying a word.

He stood up, where he pulled a pair of lounge pants from his drawer. He slipped them on.

"I will make some coffee. You can shower if you like," he offered before leaving her alone in the bedroom. Prentiss closed her eyes, biting her lower lip, trying not to cry. She zipped up her Go-Bag and picked up her purse then she left Hotch without accepting his offering of coffee and a shower.

Prentiss opened her Go-Bag in her bedroom when she got back to her apartment. She quickly took out all of her dirty clothes from the bag, tossing them in the plastic hamper nearby. She picked up her hamper when she looked at her bed. She remember of how he held her in his arms when they were in her bed.

Dropping the hamper onto the floor where it made a big thud as it land, she pulled off the comforter. She tore off the sheets, rolling them in to a ball before dropping them into the hamper. She wanted to erase any evidence of Hotch was ever here and in her life, even though she didn't know if the relationship was over or not. But she wanted to keep busy today or else she would burst into tears and start regretting what she said to him.

Except her plan failed miserably when she pulled out a drawer in her dresser to pack her Go-Bag once again. There she spotted the flat red box with a white bow sitting there; Hotch's Valentine's present. She picked it up, and sat on the edge of her bed.

She broke down, covering her face with her hands. She curled up in a fetal position on her bare bed and sobbed. She knew that it had to be said. But it didn't lessen the pain or the guilt.

Prentiss wasn't sure of when she fell asleep, but she woke up to her cell phone ringing, She saw JJ's name on her caller ID.

She hoped it was a case, she need a distraction. Then she realized that she was hoping for a dead body to avoid the problem between her and Hotch.

"Damn," she muttered to herself.

She pressed a button to answer the phone, "Hello," she answered.

"Hey, are we still on?" JJ asked. Prentiss remembered that she, along with Garcia and JJ, was meeting for coffee and then to do some shopping today. Both Garcia and JJ wanted to pick out something for their boyfriends for Valentine's. And she had no doubt that Garcia would find something cute for little Henry, telling JJ that it was her job as a godmother to spoil her godson. She just hope it wasn't going to be a cherub costume like Garcia had brought last year. Prentiss said that she would tag along; she needed new shoes.

"Oh yeah, I am sorry, I got caught up with the housework," she said, quietly breathing a sigh of relief that this time, she wasn't lying to them.

"I'm on my way out."

Prentiss returned back to her apartment a few hours later with a couple of shopping bags. She did find some shoes for work and some clothes that she can wear as well.

Both JJ and Garcia tried to convinced her to buy some sexy linguine for her mysterious boyfriend, but she refused.

There was a white envelope on the floor when she opened the door. Someone must have slipped it underneath while she was out.

Setting her bags on the table, she picked it up. She smiled a little when she saw the red card with a teddy bear holding a pink heart in both of its hands with the words, "Be Mine." She opened the card:

Every time I see your face

My heart smiles

Every time it feels so good

It hurts sometimes

Created in this world

To love and to hold

To feel

To breathe

To love you.

I love you,

Your Secret Admirer.

Her smiled widen a bit more when she recognized the handwriting was from Hotch.

A sharp knock on the door and she put the card on the table besides her shopping bags. She hoped it was Hotch, but when she looked through the peephole, she saw her neighbor; the one that was so nosy in her life and everyone else's on this floor. She noted that she was holding a clear round vase that held a dozen pink roses.

She let out a sigh and opened the door with a smile on her face. "Hello," she said.

"Hello, these roses came for you while you were out. I told the delivery man that I would keep an eye on them until you returned." Prentiss smiled again, taking the heavy vase from her. She wrapped her arms around it, holding on to it. The roses blocked her view from her neighbor, so she had to turn sideways to face her.

"Thank you," she said.

"They are lovely. Someone must think that you are pretty special," the neighbor said, trying once again to pry in her life.

"Maybe," Prentiss said.

"I have to go and get some stuff done before I go to work tomorrow. But thank you for keeping an eye on the roses for me," she said, closing the door. Prentiss let out a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the door. She knew that it was rude, but she didn't have the time nor the strength to deal with her neighbor.

First a card, then this. She placed the roses down on the table where she found a small white envelope sticking out of the roses. She pulled out the envelope and read the card,

Dangerously in love

Can't do this thing

I love you , I love you, I love you

I'll never leave

She reread both of the cards a few more times. They were part of a poem that it was familiar to her. So familiar that she had heard it yesterday, when she went out for a jog. She went to her CD collection where she pulled out one of her Destiny's Child CDs. Reading the liner notes, she found the same poem. It was definitely one of her songs.

How on earth did Hotch know this? Better question was what was his answer. Did he want to take this to the next level? Let everyone know about them? Or at least Jack so they could be together in front of him. I can figure out a serial killer's profile, but yet, I cannot figure out my own life, she thought. But now, she knew that the ball was in her court.

Early Monday morning, Prentiss came in before everyone else. She made a beeline to Hotch's office where she placed the red box with the white bow on his desk. She quickly reread the letter that she crafted the night before, making sure it was right.

Just keep on loving me

I'm in love with you

I can not do

I cannot do anything without you in my life

Holding me, kissing me, loving me

Dangerously

I love you

Dangerously in love.

Your Secret Admirer

She didn't sign it, she knew that Hotch would know who it was from. She placed it against the box then left his office.

"Agent Prentiss," Anderson said, interrupting her work. She raised her head, seeing the agent holding another clear vase with a dozen of pink roses.

"These came for you," he said. Prentiss moved aside to let him to place the heavy vase on top of her desk.

"Well, well, well," Morgan boomed. "What do we have here?"

"Pink roses," Reid answered as he looked over his file. "The colors of roses mean different things. Like, for example, red roses mean I love you, which is a popular choice for today. Other meanings are desire, passion, courage, respect, beauty, and sincerity. But pink roses, depending whether they are light pink or pink mean happiness, joy, admiration or even thank you." She couldn't help herself to smile at Reid's rambling.

She glanced up at Hotch's office who had his head down, writing something down. The red box was not on his desk anymore. She quickly read the card attached to the roses.

Please come to my place for dinner tonight.

We can talk then.

Aaron.

"I know what they are, kid. I'm asking who would send Prentiss flowers," Morgan interrupted. She smiled with modesty as she shrugged her shoulders.

"A friend," she just answered.

She glanced at where she saw Hotch looking out his window, watching them. She fought the urge to smile or make some kind of facial gesture at him. However she made an ever so slight nod at him, telling him that she would come.

Prentiss stood outside his apartment. She ran her hand down her front of her red dress, smoothing it out. She still wasn't sure if she picked the right one or not.

She had no idea of how this conversation would turn out. It could turn out to be wonderful where they ended up in his bed again or it could turn out to be the worst day of her life where he ended things with her.

Except why would he invited you to dinner if he was going to dump you? she thought.

She closed her eyes and remembered when she stood here on New Year's Eve, debating on whether to knock or just walk away. In fact, she couldn't recall if she ever answered his question of why she was here that night.

She drew in a deep breath before knocking. The door opened with Hotch dressed in jeans and a navy blue polo shirt. He smiled at her, stepping aside to let her in.

"Hi," he said, closing the door. Prentiss noticed the dinning table was set in a romantic setting with a white tablecloth and a two white taper unlit candles that stood on either side of the case with a dozen of pink roses.

Then she heard the TV where she turned her attention, seeing Jack sitting in front of it, watching cartoons. This was definitely not what she expected. She looked at Hotch.

"I love you and I don't want to lose you. And you are right, we shouldn't hide anymore. So I thought we could begin with dinner just the three of us," he said, taking her hand, giving it a squeeze. She pressed her lips together with tears in her eyes.

"We can tell everyone, the next time we are having drinks or something, away from the office." She smiled, nodding her head. Hotch did want to be with her. He wanted this to be out in the open. He did want his son to get to know her.

"I hope you like spaghetti and chocolate pudding." She let out a small laugh, nodding her head. He let go of her hand.

"Jack," Hotch said. The little boy turned his head and Hotch made a "Come here" motion with his index finger. He stood up and went over to the couple.

"Is there something that you want to tell Emily?" he said. Jack nodded, before drawing in a deep breath.

"Thank you for the tickets to the Pirate show," he said.

She smiled, "You are quite welcome." She looked at Hotch, "Thank you for the tickets," he said, referring to his Valentine's present. "It was something that I never expected."

She shrugged her shoulders. "When I first heard that they were coming to town, I knew Jack would have fun at it," she explained her Valentine's present to him.

She smiled, "I thought it was something that you and Jack would like to go to," she explained.

"Why don't you turn off the TV and wash your hands? Dinner is ready," he said. Jack did what he was told.

Hotch pulled out a chair for her which she sat down in. Hotch returned with the spaghetti and lite the candles before joining the table.

She raised her water-glass and the two men did the same.

"To Dangerously in Love," she said. He smiled, clinking her glass.

Jack didn't understand, and she smiled. "To spaghetti and chocolate pudding," she said which the little boy understood.

The End