He was doomed.

There was no other way of looking at it. He couldn't act on his feelings, for fear of losing his best friend. Also, there was the chance that she didn't feel the same way about him and the last thing he wanted was things to be awkward.

A plan started to form in his head. He was going to have to find out if there was a chance for him. But first he would have to talk to his friend to see if he was going to step up the plate. Dave knocked on Hotch's door, then walked in and took a seat across from his friend.

"What do you need Dave?" Hotch asked without looking up from his paperwork.

"I need to know if you plan on making a move."

"A move about what?" Hotch wondered out loud.

"Emily," he stated simply.

Her name caused Hotch's head to snap up. "What do you mean?" Hotch asked as he arched an eyebrow.

"You love her," Dave replied sure of his assessment. As he watched Hotch's mouth open to object, Dave continued on. "You don't have to deny it Hotch. I get it. She's beautiful, intelligent, amazing. There's nothing to be ashamed about. What I want to know is what you plan on doing about your feelings."

"Dave, there is nothing to do about anything. I don't have feelings for her. She's my subordinate. There are no feelings there."

"Are you sure?" Dave asked, he needed to be completely sure.

"I'm positive," Hotch lied.

"Okay, that is all I needed to know," Dave told him before standing up and leaving. Dave wasted no time before heading down to Emily's desk.

Hotch watched from his office as Dave made his way over to Emily and leaned down to whisper into her ear. He watched as Emily's eyes widened and she leaned back in her chair before smiling brightly then nodded her head. Then Hotch had to watch as Dave kissed Emily on the cheek before walking away.

"What the fuck?" Hotch mumbled out loud. What was Dave up to? The green jealousy monster roared its ugly head. He wasn't even sure what Emily nodded her head to, but he didn't like it. And what was with the kiss on the cheek? Was Dave trying to get him to punch him the face? No matter what he may have said, he knew Dave was perceptive and he knew that he had feelings for Emily. So why would Dave kiss her? It made no sense.

Hotch tried to school his facial features when Emily looked up into his office and locked eyes with him. The smile she had been sporting since Dave had talked to her slowly slid away as she studied Hotch's face through the blinds. He looked upset and Emily couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. She arched an eyebrow in an unspoken question and Hotch read the signal loud and clear. All he did was nod his head to let her know he was alright. Emily gave him a small smile then returned to her paperwork. Hotch continued to gaze down at Emiliy and he couldn't help but wonder what Dave had said to her. He also couldn't help but wonder if he was ever going to get the balls and tell her how he felt.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You seem happy," Hotch stated as Emily walked into his office and handed him one of her finished files.

Emily couldn't resist arching an eyebrow at his statement. "I didn't know I was ever not happy," she joked.

"I…um, no I didn't mean that," Hotch stumbled slightly with his words. "I just mean," he paused for a second trying to find the right words, "you seem to be in a really good mood."

A nonchalant shrug escaped her. "I guess I am."

"What is the cause, may I ask?" Hotch asked in a tone that suggested he didn't really care about the reason, but the complete opposite was the truth.

"I have a date."

Hotch looked up and his eyes burned into hers. "A date," he repeated slowly. He quickly cleared his throat. "With who?"

"Dave," she said simply.

The pen he had been using dropped out of his hand and landed with a slight thud on the desk. A million thoughts were running through his mind. Dave? That was what he said to her this morning? Why would he do that? Is that why he wanted to know if he was going to make a move, so if not, he would have no problem swooping in and trying to steal the girl? "Dave? As in Rossi?" he asked very slowly.

"The one and only," Emily smiled. "You know I thought it was so weird that he asked me out, but in the end we have a lot of things in common. And besides it'll be nice to get all dressed up and go out for once."

Hotch couldn't stop the next words from leaving his mouth. "So you're going to go on a date with someone who is old enough to be your father?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.

Emily's mouth dropped open. "It's a date Hotch, it's not like I'm marrying the guy. But yes, I'm going on a date with an older intelligent man." She started to back away towards the door then stopped and looked at him. "I can't get a guy my own age to ask me out, so I'll settle for Dave," she said in a snippy tone as she shut the door behind her with a loud thud.

"What just happened?" Hotch asked out loud to himself. How could she want to go out on a date with Dave? What was Dave trying to pull anyway? Deep down, he knew that Hotch had feelings for Emily. Was he trying to piss him off? What if the date went well? What was Hotch supposed to do then? Why the hell did he wait forever to tell her how he felt? Why was he nervous to tell her? The fact that she was going on a date with Rossi proved that she would have gone out on a date with him. At least Hotch is her own age. He would treat her right, make her feel special, but he couldn't do that if she was going to be dating Dave. This was unacceptable, and he had to do something about it, but what could he do without making it seem like he was trying to ruin their plans?