Sorry this second chapter took so long, school got the best of me last week. Thanks so much too those who reviewed! Please continue!
Disclaimer: I own nothing...all belongs to CBS and Criminal Minds
Hotch watched Morgan, Reid and Prentiss laughing at their desks. His eyes were drawn to Emily; her relaxed posture, easy laugh and light-hearted jokes were something he was not often privy too. She sat with her legs propped up against Morgan's desk, catching the football as it made its way through their circle. He knew she and Morgan shared a close relationship outside, as well as inside, their job. Sometimes he thought there might be a little more to their friendship than met the eye – but he didn't like to linger on that thought. Now, as the thought crossed his mind again he felt a familiar pang in his stomach. He shook his head and turned away from the window.
It was ridiculous, the thought of him and Emily together. He knew that, and yet the more he tried to push the thought out of his mind, the more she seemed to turn up in his subconscious. When his real estate agent had led him to Emily's apartment complex, he hadn't thought much about the relief he had felt upon falling immediately in love with the apartment and the kid-friendly atmosphere of the complex. He had wondered about her reaction to the news that he had moved in – he had been to her apartment before so it was not as if he hadn't known she lived there. When it came down to it, the apartment had been the best for his lifestyle – close to the school Jack would attend, on a good street and within his budget. The fact that it was so close to Emily was simply a side note.
He checked the clock, it was already four 'o' clock – with the absence of active cases to work the days seemed to pass much slower, although there seemed to be even more to do. Aaron gathered his files up, and headed for the door. He'd pick up some groceries on the way home and spend the night unpacking pile of boxes that filled his living space.
The doorbell rang just as Aaron was placing the last of the groceries into the fridge – he still hadn't decided what he was actually going to eat for dinner. He opened the door to find himself staring at Emily Prentiss.
"I thought you might want some dinner…I picked up some Chinese," she said.
"Come in," Hotch replied, "I was dreading making supper."
Hotch watched as Emily started pulling the dishes out of the brown paper bag.
"I'd offer some plates, but I, uh, haven't gotten around to unpacking them yet." Hotch apologized. Emily smiled,
"Yeah, I thought you might be stuck in a bit of chaos here with all the hours we've been putting in." She passed Hotch a cardboard container and a fork. "It's not too fancy, but it's the best way to eat Chinese." Hotch chuckled through his mouthful. He hadn't realized how ravenous he had been, and Emily was right – the food tasted twice as good when it was eaten right out of the carton.
Emily finished first, and sat back in her chair to take in the piles of boxes surrounding them in the kitchen. Hotch looked a little uncomfortable,
"I don't like unpacking," he explained, I've been putting it off all week."
"I can help, if you want, with the kitchen boxes" Emily offered, "If you tell me where you want everything."
An hour or so later, Hotch had finished most of the unpacking in the living area. He headed into the kitchen where Emily had been working diligently since she'd first offered to lend a hand. She had the radio playing and was singing along, quietly, to some song he hadn't heard before. Her back was to him as she reached to organize the top shelf, which she had designated for wine glasses. He had let her choose where everything belonged, as he had no preferences, as long as he could find something when he needed it. He watched her for a minute; she was dressed casually – in a red, form-fitting t-shirt and jeans. Her hair, which had been down when she arrived, was now tied back in a messy knot. His eyes were drawn to the back of her neck where her creamy white skin contrasted sharply with her deep red t-shirt and ebony hair. He shook his head to change his course of thought – he couldn't keep thinking about Prentiss like that.
"Prentiss." Emily glanced backwards, and abruptly stopped singing, her face flushing immediately at the sight of Hotch. She crossed her arms defensively,
"I, uh, didn't hear you come in. I'm just finishing up."
"Thank you, " Hotch said, "For your help. And dinner." He stared at her; her face was slowly returning to its normal colour. She was glancing around the kitchen, avoiding his steady gaze, pointing out where she had placed everything. Hotch watched her intently. He was used to people getting nervous around him; he knew he had an intense stare that seemed to unnerve many. Yet he had never noticed Prentiss back down from his gaze before, she was one of the few who could hold eye contact throughout a conversation, often causing he himself to break the connection – something he was not used to at all; he was intrigued by this new side of Emily, the slightly less confident side than the one he was used to seeing at work.
After she had showed him around his new kitchen, he led her out of the kitchen towards the front door and by the time they reached the entrance, she was back to her usual self.
"Welcome to the building Hotch," Emily smiled, her hand on the door, "Let me know if there is anything you need."
"Thank you." Hotch responded. Then as she started out the door, he added, "Prentiss. Great singing." He stared at her as she started, the flush flowing back into her face at lightning speed. He hid his smirk beneath his neutral expression, then turned and closed the door.
The next morning Emily arrived at the office with Derek after a breakfast run to their favourite café. She'd had a fitful sleep and had woken early to run off her agitation. She didn't know what had set off her anxiety but she didn't like it; it wasn't often that her emotions got the best of her. She'd returned from Hotch's last night feeling off kilter and hadn't yet recovered. It was odd – she'd been alone with Hotch innumerable times in the past two years – why had last night felt so different? All she knew was that when he entered the kitchen it had suddenly felt as if it was half the size. She'd only gone over there as a nice gesture – one she admittedly felt a little nervous about. Something about arriving at her Boss's house with take out seemed a little unnatural. But JJ and Garcia had insisted it was simply the friendly thing to do – and with their team being as close as it was, it shouldn't be weird. And yet, it had been, and it hadn't been. In fact, Emily just wasn't sure what to make of it.
When she'd told Derek about her welcoming activities the night before, he'd just laughed and said,
"Man, Em, you got some good times ahead."
What he meant by that, she wasn't sure.
Garcia stopped by her desk at around 4:30, a welcome break for Emily who was getting fidgety at her desk. They headed out for coffee after Garcia declared there was too much testosterone surrounding them.
"So spill," Garcia demanded the second they left the building, "I want to hear all about your evening with Boss-man!"
"Really, Pen. If you think there is anything going on there – there isn't. Hotch? Me? Come on. Hotch would never get involved with anyone in the office."
"Honey, for a profiler? You can be totally clueless."
Emily sighed. She wasn't going to push it. Garcia, still on a high from her own romantic bliss was obviously determined to see Emily with her own happy ending. She opened the door, and apvproached the counter, glad for the distraction from their conversation.
"Double tall non-fat latte please, Pen? What do you want? I'm buying."
"Well thank you sweets!" Garcia winked at the cashier, "Tall caramel macchiato s'il vous plait! Extra caramel please hon"
Emily chuckled to herself. Garcia had managed to change the sullen boy behind the counter into a blushing teenager with her quirky charm.
"Careful Penelope, I think he might follow you home," Emily whispered. Garcia was obviously amused by the teenager's embarrassment and continued to bat her lashes at him until their drinks were ready. The poor boy looked relieved to see the women heading for the door and Emily continued to laugh.
"Any plans for tonight? Since you won't be sitting in a lecture hall with the rest of us?" Emily asked.
"Kevin is taking me to dinner, at an Italian place that just opened down the street from me. I've been dreaming about pesto linguini all day!"
"Well. That's all I'll be thinking about during the lecture now – you on a date with delicious pasta. Thanks Pen." Emily complained good-naturedly. She usually enjoyed the seminars – provided the presentation was good.
"I beg to differ," Garcia retorted, "I think your thoughts will drift more towards the tall, dark and handsome man only inches away from you…" Her voice drifted off suggestively as they entered the office.
"Shh! Will you give up on that already?!" Emily hissed, aware that they were now in hearing distance of the rest of the team.
"Did I hear someone calling for a tall, dark and handsome man?" Morgan fake swaggered over, "Cause ladies, I am right here." He winked, and Penelope and Emily both burst into laughter.
"This girl needs her head checked" Garcia said pointedly, "Knock some sense into her, would you? I'll see you kids later." Morgan raised his eyebrows at Emily.
"Don't ask." Emily warned.
Emily had come in to work with Morgan so they decided to grab dinner before the seminar, and the rest of the team decided to come too. Except for Garcia, of course, who would be preparing for her romantic evening with Kevin, the lucky girl. Morgan came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and she jumped out of her skin.
"Woah, Em! You a little on edge?" He started kneading her shoulders.
"Oh my God, " Emily moaned, "That feels amazing." She let her head loll to the side and groaned a bit more when Derek hit a really tender spot. He was putting her into a trance, and she let herself completely drift away from the present until she couldn't even hear Reid speaking to Derek or the incessant office noises that perforated her consciousness all day long. She was so out of it she didn't notice that Rossi and Hotch had come from their offices, ready to head to dinner, and were now standing in front of her. Morgan stopped massaging her but left his hands resting on her shoulders, her head leaning against his arm.
"We ready to go?" He looked at the two older men, specifically at Hotch, and caught his eyes lingering on Morgan's hands resting where they were. He smiled to himself and gave Emily's shoulders a squeeze. Emily seemed to have caught Hotch's glance as well, cause she shifted out from under Morgan's hands.
"Let's go, I'm starved," she stood and headed for the door, and the rest of the men followed suite.
The team settled on a steakhouse for dinner, as Rossi was craving steak. There were five of them, and they wanted to eat fast so they had ended up crammed in a small booth for four. Emily had slid in next to Reid with Rossi across the table. Morgan dropped down next to Rossi, leaving Hotch to squish in next to Emily. He smiled to himself. He was doing Garcia proud. She was adamant that Hotch and Emily were meant for each other – even if they hadn't quite figured it out for themselves yet. Morgan could see it too – the way Hotch was acutely attuned to Emily, how his eyes followed her around the office, the way he always ended up standing next to her. For Emily's part, he wasn't quite sure she had noticed Hotch's discrete attentions, or if she had, she wasn't letting on. Morgan believed Hotch was becoming more aware of his feelings every day – and fighting them every step of the way. For Hotch, dating a sub-ordinate would be unthinkable – but then, as Garcia said, "Love knows no boundaries."
Hotch was trying hard to focus on the dinner conversation about the impending seminar which was focusing on random serial killers – those with no specific type – the most difficult to catch. It was focusing on a case study of the 'Son of Sam' killings in New York. Yet all he could think about was the warm leg pressed against his and the occasional brushing of forearms. He felt more attuned to her today after having her in his house last night – seeing her out of their normal environment had made him even more attracted to her. He was beginning to think that fighting these feelings was futile – even if pursuing a relationship was not an option, at least he could admit to himself that he wanted one. It was a good thing, after the divorce – it was healthy, wasn't it?
Emily was basically plastering Reid to the wall. She had never been so aware of her boss before. Yet after last night, after she had become so flustered in front of him she was completely on edge whenever he was near. And now, here she was squished like a sardine between him and Reid. She felt like he could hear her heart beating through her chest. She was trying to hard to appear nonchalant, while trying at the same time to avoid bumping arms with him, which she was not successful at. She could see Morgan watching her too, which made her angry cause she knew what would come of this when Garcia heard about it. Those two kept looking at her like there was something they knew that she didn't. She couldn't wait for Garcia to get out of the honeymoon stage with Kevin – or for JJ to come back into the office, at least that would divert some of the attention, although she would still be the only single female in the group. Hotch's leg pressed up against hers was getting too much, this was ridiculous – why was it bothering her all of a sudden? She shuffled as close to Reid as she could, he gave her a weird glance but obligingly pushed himself even closer to the wall to make room for her. Good thing he was so skinny.
They finished dinner quickly, with twenty minutes to get to the lecture theatre. Emily had never been so glad to leave a restaurant. She didn't like feeling like this – so disconcerted and anxious – it wasn't like her at all. Morgan, sensing her mood, made her laugh all the way to the theatre; he was a good friend that way, and by the time they entered the theatre Emily was back to her old self. Though she purposefully grabbed a seat between Rossi and Morgan, and sat back to listen to the seminar.
Please review!!!!!!! I'll try to get the next chapter up asap. :-) Remember this is my first fanfic...so if I'm doing anythign terribly wrong, do tell! Thanks!