Be My Escape

"new case" called Jj as she poked her head into Hotch's office, blond strands moving slightly with the motion. Hotch nodded at the pregnant blond and the last thing he said as she turned to leave was "conference room in?"

"15" she answered over her shoulder, she headed down to the bullpen first, telling a frazzled Reid and a laughing Garcia where to meet. She would leave the break room for hotch knowing he would be in there to get his coffee anyways.

"damn!" she silently cursed as she suddenly remembered why she hadn't gone into the break room herself. She hurried towards the afore mentioned room but it was too late.

Hotch was frozen, frozen outside the break room. He stared in at his two colleagues, trying to grasp what he was seeing.

Morgan and Prentiss, Prentiss and Morgan. Faces locked. Emily Prentiss and Derek Morgan kissing. Kissing in the break BAU break room. His brain was shorted , when had this happened? Why hadn't he noticed before? Those and many more questions buzzed rapidly through his head leaving him capable of one statement and one statement only. "oh"

Emily looked up when she heard him, hotch. Her boss, hotch staring at her. And Morgan, oh god she was still kissing Morgan! She moved to let go but he didn't, why the hell didn't he? She felt herself stiffen further absolutely rigid under her elusive bosses gaze. The profiler in her quickly attempted to read him. He looked, upset, stunned and well… kinda like he'd just been hit in the head by a sack of bricks. That thought almost made her laugh, almost. She finally made a split second decision, she turned to hotch and said the first thing that came to her. "hello, hotch."

"hello, hotch"? WTF? Morgan's head was swimming, still it seemed that he was faring the best out of the three in this very awkward situation. At least he was able to stand normally by himself and not either be too weak to stand up (which Emily was despite her try's to move away) or frozen solid, with muscles so rigid it was like he'd just died in the south pole. Morgan wondered briefly if this was enough to get him fired. Would hotch really be that petty just because Morgan had gotten to her first? No, never rang out Morgan's denial voice. But truth was yes, he would really be that petty, about Emily Prentiss, Morgan had no doubt.

Hotch realized he wasn't saying anything back, he had a hard (but well concealed) time mustering the words but he did manage to choke out. "hello Emily, Morgan." his eyes glowed fire red with his chocolate subordinates name. "new case" he mumbled as he uprooted himself and walked towards the coffee. He looked collected but in his mind he was wondering why the hell he couldn't stop playing Emily kissing Morgan over and over again like the death scene of a horror movie. This was inappropriate said a voice said in his brain. Hotch would have like to say it was his logical sense but wasn't, if he was truthful to himself( something he tried to be by rule, after all secret to yourself led into messing people up, and that was a bad and truly deadly thing for a profiler) this was the part of him that wanted to rip Derek Morgan's head off for even touching who he deemed, in the spirit of honesty, his dream woman.

Jj was a godsend. Literally. Or at least that's what Emily would forever and always from now on think of Jj as, her angel. Because at that moment, you know the one you saw in movies before a main character had the his head cut, or ripped off, Jj chose to step in. Thus saving Morgan's admittedly very attractive head from its untimely destruction.

"hey, what's going on in here, the case is ready to be presented." jj's voice was calm and Emily thanked god for it, it was the bearing pitch she needed to get her own on track. She took the momentarily absence of panic to step stealthily around Morgan to get her coffee cup from the counter. She could feel hotches gaze on her, steadily tracking her movement to the counter and out of the room. That's why she was so shocked when he was suddenly right in front of her! She hadn't seen him move, too intent in trying not to see him that only when she bumped into him did she look up.

Morgan had no idea what hotch was doing, stepping in front of Emily like that. Morgan longed to punch his boss, a feeling he'd had many times before, although not this strong since the whole Chicago thing. That and when Elle left, even though hotch maintained that it was all her choice. Morgan couldn't quite say he believed that, he'd talked with and seen Elle after (something everyone except hotch knew) and though she'd said the same thing as hotch, it hadn't reached her eyes. He knew that Elle was doing good though, she was back at sex crimes, a special agent now though, he was proud. But back to hotch, why was he so concerned about Emily's personal life? Well okay, he knew why. Morgan was very adept in the art of attraction, it was his area. He'd noticed the way hotch looked at Emily, even if she didn't. But that wasn't fair, he'd worked so hard for Emily's trust, even if it sometimes seemed to everyone outside that it was effortless for his to gain her friendship. It wasn't, it was hard and long and it took a lot to get her to open up to him. So now what, hotch was just going to take her because he suddenly felt like it. No, that was not going to happen, he was not giving up without a fight. And that meant trouble, a whole lot of trouble.

Jj saw many things happening simultaneously, Emily moved, hotch moved and Morgan's eyes lit up in sparks of injustice at the whole lot of it. This was going to get very interesting. Jj almost felt as if she were butting in, but she also felt the need to protect Emily, she was her friend. She had been a strong pillar when she found out about Will and the pregnancy, she never blinked in helping her deal with it all in a way only another girl could. Jj was so thankful to have her around and you didn't have to be a profiler to see the tension. Jj needed to defuse some of it.

"we'll need to talk about this" she heard Hotch's voice say in the second before she opened her mouth.

"maybe this all should wait, we have a case to solve." as her words were ending, Emily spoke up.

"if you think so, sir"

"if you think so, sir" Emily said with distain, why the hell was he doing this? She stepped around him in a quick removal of herself by hotch. She couldn't help but shiver when she felt herself lightly brush against him. She almost stopped when she realized what that feeling was but she didn't. They had a case to solve and hopefully it would be enough to stop her from analyzing that zing she'd felt at the point of their contact. She walked out of the room quickly, signaling to Jj with facial expressions that she need to get Morgan out of the room. Hotch and Morgan alone was not a good idea right now. She was relieved when Morgan followed her out of the room, though she knew this action would leave hotch even madder.

Morgan walked out after Emily, he knew they both knew they needed to talk. Badly. That's why she waited for him at the end of the hallway, a quiet place that they'd often stolen kisses between paperwork. Thankfully no one knew about it, yet. He didn't doubt that hotch would search the world over in pursuit of hem now.

"we have like five minutes until hotch sends out the hounds." he said reaching the end of their hallway.

"Derek, what are we gonna do?" he voice wavered slightly, scared. He knew best of all what her job meant to her. He grabbed her up in his arms, he couldn't help it. When Emily got this way, he knew she liked to have someone holding her. He felt her put her face into his shoulder in a slightly intimate gesture she'd given him long before they had started dating.

"Shhh, it'll be fine, I promise it will be okay." He loved that she trusted him enough to show her less guarded side so freely. It was a side that few ever got to see, and even fewer more than once, for more than a few seconds at a time.

"I don't know, Derek, he looked so angry. Like it was his business anyways." her hands clutched in his shirt at his hip, making her frustrations clear. "I know he wants to protect his team but god, why does he have to be so, so hotch about it?"

Hotch saw them disappear together, could they not be apart for five seconds? He supposed that right now Derek was probably soothing her, making it all better. That shouldn't have made him jealous but it did. It made him very, very jealous of his younger agent that Derek had every right, that she had given him the right to touch her, comfort her. To make it better. Hotch rounded the corner he'd seen the disappear behind quietly. Seeing them gathered tight at the end, he stood so he could just see them but they couldn't see him.

"I know he wants to protect his team but god, why does he have to be so, so hotch about it?" He felt his blood boil when Derek moved his fingers through her hair in a consoling movement. She melted into him, making hotch realize yet another jealousy on his behalf towards his colleague. He had often wished he had a presence like that, one with the ability (like Morgan) to sooth her instead of putting her on edge like he always seemed to. He wanted to touch her, wanted to hold her, but he couldn't, not while he was her boss. And more importantly, not while she was with Morgan.

"we have to all talk this out that's all" she heard Derek say from her spot up against his chest. "we need to calmly, discuss this with hotch and figure out what's going on. He can't, shouldn't, wont let his personal feelings interfere with this, as long as we keep this out of the office. He won't say anything, were both… all three adults. Emily looked up at him confused.

"why would hotch care about us seeing each other on a personal level. The mans a robot Derek, he doesn't care about me, hell he doesn't even like me. For the most part I would surprised if he looked at me with more than the barest of respect and professional regard." she was surprised when Derek laughed at that sentiment, she hadn't thought it was all that funny.

"what is it that you are laughing at Derek Morgan?"

"nothin' em, nothing at all." he could barely talk without laughing, it was an ironic response sure. And he was sure it was probably confusing the hell out of her but come on, she wasn't stupid, apparently she just had low self esteem. Something he'd realized long ago was that she really had no idea how beautiful she was, she just didn't get that when she walked down the hall, guys stared her up and down not just because she was a women in law enforcement. But also because she was drop dead gorgeous. Lord, he's made a deal with himself to never date a woman with a gun, or one who could kick his ass but Emily was just too perfect, and damn if he didn't know that she could do all the right kinds of things with that strength!

"why are you laughing" she demanded and he could only blurt out the truth.

"because you think that the reason hotch is mad is because he's worried about the team." Emily only nodded, still failing get what was so funny about that. He saw this and his laughter doubled over. "news flash em, he likes you, he's jealous that's why he's being so irrational." he said, emphasizing certain words for maximum impact.

Emily's mind felt about ready to explode, hotch liked her! Yeah sure, that was likely... You know as soon as the pigs started flying and skittles rained from the sky.

"hotch does not like me, he's barely breaking friendly respect, minus the friendly and sometimes holding the respect." she had to hit his chest when she felt the soft rumblings of yet another peal of laughter surging through it.

"sorry, sorry" he apologized, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her mouth, her hands wrapped around his neck to pull him back down. She felt his smile form under her lips, it made her shiver. She moved her hands from around his neck, sliding them down over his tight shirt to rest around his waist. She could feel his shiver when her hands touched his chest through the devilishly thin shirt. She had to smile, things would be okay.

He watched them and got more pissed by the minute. They were kissing and laughing, about the idea of him liking Emily. How the hell did Morgan see that anyways, he was so careful, never let his eyes linger, never stayed longer than absolutely necessary when he was close to her. He thought he was being so good about it. This was bad, how had this gone so freakin' wrong? Hotch didn't know but he was sure as hell gonna find out. Before he'd really strung that thought wholly together he was walking towards the blissful couple, down the dark corner.

Emily could see him now, blocking out the light like a very angry eclipse. It took a second of blinking for the lost light until she really registered what was happening. Hotch was coming towards them and once again, she was kissing Derek. Twice in the same day! Emily couldn't believe this, luck just really hated her today! She didn't want this confrontation but she could still feel her body tensing for it. All soothing feelings she had felt in her boyfriends presence were overridden by her bosses.

"we need to talk, now!" hotches face was storming as he grabbed her arm, pulling her away from her protesting colleague. She felt Derek's smooth and warm hands on her other arm, putting her in a very rag doll position. She was not having that!

"its okay, Derek, I'll be fine." she tactfully removed herself from both mans grasps, hotches first, she let Derek's linger a few seconds longer. Showing him she would be fine. She hoped she would be.

Watching Emily, his girlfriend follow his boss down that hallway felt to Derek Morgan a lot like watching her go to her execution. And knowing hotch, he might not be far off. He watched them until he couldn't see them anymore, waited 2 minutes and walked out also. He really needed that two minutes, hell even with those two minutes he still felt like his head was gonna explode. Damn hotch!

"what the hell?" Emily was trapped in an office with a surprisingly wide eyed hotch staring at her like she'd grown a few more heads. It was probably because she'd swore, she never swore. Never. Least not in front of him. She needed to say something, to ease or add to this tension, to make something happen. Something had to give. She really hoped it wasn't her or Morgan's job.

"Prentiss, you and Morgan have crossed the line. Kissing in the hallway? I could understand if you were seeing each other outside but this?" hotches voice immeasurably cold, still it was rough and thick and it made her shiver. So unlike the velvet smooth, whiskey deep fillings of Morgan's tone. The other tone that made her shiver.

Still, shiver or not, she was pissed at his words. And she would be damned if she didn't tell him so.

"how the hell is it your business This case was hard okay hotch, really really hard. We were hugging and it turned into-" Emily stopped herself mid sentence, "why a I telling you this. I'm a grown woman, I don't need your permission."

Emily see's his face tighten, he's mad. For some reason she keeps pushing, she wants to break this, her anger is swelling over into other things and she needs to break the walls or rebuild them. She says the words that will do just that.

"why do you care?" hotches brain began on hyper drive, cataloging his possible answers, rejecting some, tossing others. In the end he did something he would probably always regret, he walked so close to her that as she matched his pace with a step backwards. It wasn't long before she was up against the door to his office and he was glad that he'd shut the door.

Glad because he did something in that moment that he really shouldn't have.

He kissed her.

Not slow and soft but hard and fast, gaping for the feel of her against him. He was trying for all he could have before she would pull away. Imagine his shock when she didn't, when she groaned and pulled him closer. Farther into the fire that was kindled the moment their lips touched. Eventually the need of air pulled them away from each other. He knew then, looking into her visibly shaken eyes that no, she wasn't going to choose him. She was going to run.

And run she did. Out of his office, out of the building. She had a choice to make and damn if the consequence wouldn't damn her. Whoever she chose.