Here is Chapter two. Please please please I need more reviews. :( If you like what I've done so far, please share this fic to other H/P shippers.
Hope you guys like this.
"Wait, Hotch, what exactly happened to our jet?" She bit into the pizza, her teeth sinking into the melted cheese. "We rode that thing for almost six years straight and it never had to go through any fixing."
"One of the engines blew out. The jet just hit the ground, belly first." Hotch replied, bringing his hands together and resting his chin on them. His garlic bread sat on his plate nicely.
Emily was in the middle of her chewing, and she choked on some cheese that was coming down her throat. "What? Is anyone—" She started coughing.
Hotch grinned and then laughed before nudging the glass of iced tea to Emily. "Prentiss, chew. I'm a little rusty on my CPR."
She took a sip and that cleared her passageway. Seeing Hotch break into a big smile just like that was unusual, but so fascinating at the same time. It was never that way when they were in the BAU. A smiling Hotch was rare thing back then. Emily liked seeing him smile, even if it was her expense.
Emily had her head tipped down, and she glanced at him discreetly. She slightly blushed at her handsome smile, wondering why she never caught that before. She stopped herself before she started to drool and straightened up.
Hotch's smile hadn't faltered one bit, and she had to grin back. Emily sputtered the last of her coughs. He took a tissue from the pile, passing it to her. "Better?"
"Yeah. I'm good. Thanks." Emily smiled.
"You were saying?" Hotch prodded her gently.
"The jet. Crashed. Wow. Were you in—was the team in jet?" She almost had a slip of the tongue. Emily juggled the expression to see if he had noticed. If he did, he didn't show it.
"Just the pilot. And she's fine. It was a test run, so thankfully they did that or else we would've had more injuries on hand."
She nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Good call for the pilot. So, you got the whole team together for a case?"
"Had to bring in the best people I knew for the job." Hotch looked at her regretfully. "JJ called your office, but we were told that another team already had you for a consultation."
The genuine regret in his eyes made her stomach lurch. "Yeah," Emily shook her head. "Bad timing, sorry. Hey, couldn't convince Rossi one last time?"
Hotch grinned. "The man has finally retired for good. He's off in Italy."
"That's too bad."
"At least we got to see you."
She thought she heard something different in his voice but dismissed it. What he said made her run twice its normal speed.
He said 'we', Emily. Get off your high horse. He's speaking for the team. Or he's just being polite. Chill out.
"Let me just bring it up again—you haven't been in this restaurant? Ever?" He asked, meeting her eyes, to her heart's disadvantage.
"I haven't." Emily grinned. "Which is ironic because DC has been home for so many years now. How did you find this place?"
"Morgan called me up sometime a year ago. He was in DC for a case and he told me about this humble pizzeria that nobody really knew about yet." Hotch said. "So I went in here with JJ and Reid for lunch, and I've been coming back ever since."
"I thought Reid was stationed in Los Angeles."
"He travels back and forth. He kinda has two teams." He chuckled. "But really, it's just JJ and I left."
"How does division chief feel like?" Emily teased, knowing his weak spot. He grinned, turned a little pink, and brushed a hand in front of his face to hide it. "Probably the same as the head of Interpol." Hotch shot back, smiling good-naturally.
"JJ enjoys being unit chief, doesn't she? I knew she'd make a good leader." Emily said, taking pride in her friend's promotion.
"Oh, JJ's doing a fantastic job. Her team is performing very well under her supervision. They take after all of us." He chuckled.
"And Morgan? How's New York?"
"Considerably the crime rate has taken a dive ever since Morgan was appointed unit chief there." Hotch smiled, and Emily could see the joy he felt for his old team's success. "Everyone's grown, and is just taking the world by storm."
"I find it bittersweet." She chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I'm so proud of what everyone's accomplished. Sometimes I just would have wanted to have been actually there for them throughout the journey. The BAU will always be home—nothing can ever change that. I regret not being around."
The maintained hardness at the side of his eyes softened and he spoke in a light tone. "I think we're all a little guilty of that, Emily."
"Yeah?"
"Hey, if you wanna hop on the guilt train, I'm coming with you."
Emily's mouth curled into a smile. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that."
"Someone's gotta have your back."
She could have simply shut her eyes and let herself be whisked away by Hotch's words. He was being so sweet, so gentle… and just all warm inside. It all hit her at once and she held herself from reaching out to hold his hand. Emily was battling a war she had no plans of finishing. Because if sitting here with him for hours and hours got her to feel the way she did now, she would do it all the time.
"You always did." Emily pulled her fingers into a fist, glancing at Hotch's overturned hand. "How did your case go?"
"My case…?" He looked back at her distractedly. Then Hotch composed himself, bringing a chuckle with him. "You mean, the oh—we caught the unsub. She was picking kids from playgrounds and parks and keeping them for 48 hours before she killed them."
"And where was this?" Emily's stomach stirred slightly.
"Oregon. She killed a total of six before we got the call. Killed one when we were still building a profile."
"Oh, geez. I'm sorry. Hotch, are you okay?" Emily's hand unintentionally crept forward.
He glanced down at her hand, quickly going back to her face. She swallowed a blush.
"I'm fine. I'm learning how to constantly be fine." Hotch said with a small smile.
"And here I am thinking you'd already mastered that skill."
His smile widened. "Emily, you and I know that I keep a good poker face. That's all."
"Speaking of the infamous Hotchner stare, whatever happened to it?"
"I don't know what you mean." His eyebrows came together, his face tightening in confusion.
Emily thought it was adorable.
"I haven't seen you use it on me since we bumped into each other at the airport."
"Was I supposed to use the infamous Hotchner stare?"
Emily shook her head seriously. "I don't think so."
"Okay, so what's the problem?" Hotch laughed loudly, and Emily pointed a finger in his direction. "That. You're—you're laughing and smiling and…"
He quieted down into a grin and shook his head. "Alright, since you put a name to it; the Hotchner stare is for people I'm not too sure about. But with you, I don't feel the need to put my guard up. I don't know, Emily, it's just easier to be myself around you."
By now they had locked eyes, and she couldn't stop. Time literally froze as she continued to stare at the man across the table, her mind searching for words to compete with what he said.
But nothing could top that. It was the most heartfelt and most open thing he'd ever revealed. It made her feel beautiful, wanted and appreciated, but it left her so damn bewildered. Considering Emily's feelings—which just became clear as day, by the way—she wanted his words to mean the way she wanted them to.
One gray spot, though. All her wanting won't change anything if Hotch meant that in a whole other way.
Hotch's fingers grazed her outstretched hand, sending a bolt of spark up her arm. She inadvertently gave an inward shoulder but willed herself to refrain from any, well, violent reactions.
"What about Spain? Business or pleasure?" Changing the subject with an easy smile, Hotch crossed his arms and positioned them on the table.
"Spain, yeah." Emily pulled back her hand a little stiffly than the norm as she nodded absently. "How do I put this… uh, I went there for business but ended up staying for pleasure."
"Business? A case, then?" His dark eyes lit up and a smile graced Hotch's lips. "You keep busy, don't you?"
"There's not much of a choice." Emily grinned. "But you know, like always, it is fulfilling—what we do."
Hotch nodded. "That's true. Who were you trying to catch?"
"James Thorpe. Ring any bells? He was a mob boss in Boston until his own men turned on him and he fled to Columbia to pursue a drug career. That was the last we heard of him until he fell off the grid."
"But you tracked him to Spain." Hotch completed.
"Yes, to a small town with one police station that was already in shambles." Emily said. "It was such a poor, rural area that it wasn't even listed on the official map of the country. That was partly why we had so much trouble locating Thorpe."
"I take it things move fast around Interpol with you running it." Hotch gave her something like a smirk and sipped from his half full cup of Coca-Cola.
That sent butterflies in her stomach. "The place was so compact that we covered the whole place with four tactical teams. It wasn't hard to find him once we were there, because everyone directed us to the villa of a large man with a weird accent. We closed the case in three days."
His eyebrows shot up. "Three days? That's it?"
"You said it, we move fast."
"I know, I just thought…" Hotch trailed off.
"What, Hotch?"
"With a tan like that, I figured you were there longer." He finished, smiling sheepishly.
Emily was beginning to feel self conscious. She glanced down at her arms, which had gone a few shades darker, but really, she hadn't paid much attention to it. Hotch chuckled and she lifted her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you in a spot. I think… you look really nice, Emily."
Blood thundered in her ears. Emily resisted fanning herself because the temperature had certainly gone up.
She laughed thinly, still not over it. "Yeah, it was really steamy over there. I slept with all my windows open. It was a struggle at first but I got used to it." Emily looked at him. "And thanks."
"You're welcome." Hotch smiled. "What made you stay?"
Flashbacks of the women and children's frightened faces came at her but Emily relaxed and told him. "Thorpe had made a name for himself there. As we were about to leave, some townfolks approached me and revealed that we had just arrested a serial rapist, too."
"What?"
"I know. I was as floored as you are right now." She shook her head. "He had so much money, you know, and he took advantage of the people there."
"So you stayed."
"So I stayed." Emily smiled. "I didn't turn things around completely for them, but I felt it—I felt that my being there made them feel a lot safer than they've ever been. And that was enough."
"That sounds like you."
His smile made her insides mushy.
"I brought along some novels with me and I gave those away. Taught the kids a little English—no chalkboard or anything like that," Emily laughed. "Just sat with them in a circle. And the people were so nice, Hotch. Every morning I'd wake up and they had something on my doorstep. Mostly it was a basket of fruits… but oh, one time they put a dead chicken. I was kinda queasy about that but they offered to cook it for me and it turned out better than I thought."
"Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself, Emily."
She nodded. "I did, I did. It was sad that I had to leave them but I couldn't stay there forever."
"Yeah. Well, you did what was right for you and those people. Not a lot of people can follow up on what they truly want." Hotch said evenly, looking into her eyes with a quick smile.
Wait, what?
As Emily was in the middle of contemplating whether she was being too over imaginative or Hotch's words meant nothing more than he intended, the bell to the front door jingled, bringing her back to her senses.
"Eric?" Hotch asked pleasantly, the subject changing swiftly. Emily wondered how he did that effortlessly. "Eric, yes. My boyfriend."
"Was Garcia joking about the wedding or… I can keep secrets, Emily."
She had to smile despite the awkwardness that hung in the air. There was no doubt he could keep a secret. Because he helped fake her own death many years ago, and with JJ's help, hid the truth from the team for months. That was a long time ago, but she could recount every moment like it happened yesterday.
"She… assumed. Eric and I have together for over five years. People just think it's going down that path."
"Isn't it?" Hotch had his eyebrows raised.
Emily shrugged, another helpless laugh coming out. "I—I don't know. I just don't want to be a step ahead this time."
"Sure, sure, I get what you're trying to say." He picked up Emily's hand, folding it with his. Hotch's grip was firm yet gentle, and his hand was powder soft. She found it hard to keep still. Emily's fingers relaxed, falling into the palm of his hand. "I'm happy for you."
Her heard sank a little. It had felt so right, Hotch taking her hand like that, and she wanted the moment to go on forever. But it hurt… because he was happy for her. Ridiculous, yes, but she didn't want him to be happy, because then that would mean he was alright with her and Eric and that meant-oh for the love of all things holy, this has to stop right now.
The table vibrated, Hotch's phone springing to life. His hand slipped away from hers as he reached into his pocket.
"Hey buddy… No, I'm DC already, just having lunch with Aunt Emily… Yeah, I know, it's been awhile. We'll have her over at the house, if she gives her okay… I haven't forgotten… Dinner? Alright, ask Mom to drive you… I may not be home until later tonight… Alright, Jack… Bye."
Hotch smiled as he set down his phone. "Gone were the days when he'd get upset if I didn't tell him I loved him at the end of a conversation."
"Ah, Jack still sees you as his superhero no matter what." Emily said, inching her hand back slowly. "How is he?"
"He's a teenager." Came his short reply. "He's a good kid, but he's a teenager."
Emily laughed. "I can imagine where you're coming from. And Beth?" Her voice between the lines of polite.
"We, uh, we actually got married." He began to twirl the new wedding band on his finger.
All Emily could do was look surprised, but really she was reeling from the bomb that was dropped on her. She forced on her face a big smile. So big her teeth hurt. "Oh. Wow. That's… wow."
"Nothing big. Just at the courthouse." Hotch quickly added. "It was an impulsive decision but we're fairly happy with it."
"Oh." She kicked herself for beginning to sound stupid. "No plans for a church wedding or something?" Emily asked weakly.
"That's still open for discussion. I think I'm probably too old for it, but we never know."
Emily didn't know why she went on. Her voice struggled to sound the same. "Jack's all grown up now, you guys thought about an addition to the family?"
"Ahh," Hotch dropped his hands to his knees and leaned back. "Beth… well, she can't. Beth can't."
"That's unfortunate. I'm sorry. There are other options."
He noded, almost looking eager. "There are. We've been talking about adopting. If felt like the best way, you know, no lab tests or anything like that."
"Yeah, yeah, the process is going to take awhile, but I'm sure you'll breeze through it. You're such a good father to Jack, and they'll see that."
He flashed her a beaming smile, leaning forwards and Emily almost wished he'd kiss her. She chastised herself severely before focusing on him again.
"Thanks. I mean it, thanks. That means a lot to me, coming from you."
Why why whyyyyyyyy did every reply of his had her weak at the knees?
"Good luck. With the adoption. I hope it goes well." She smiled. Emily was bothered, but she tried not to let on. Finally she found her exit, pretending to stifle a yawn.
"You must be tired. That plane ride must have taken its toll." He commented. Hotch pulled out his wallet.
"We'll go Dutch, okay?"
Hotch smiled and agreed. "Sure."
They placed their separate payments on the table. Emily glanced at him as she scooted out of the seat. "Get some rest, too, Hotch."
"I will be doing that. After paperwork." He grinned.
"I can relate." Emily replied. "Have to unpack first, though. Thanks for lunch. I enjoyed it a lot."
"We could do it more often." Hotch suggested lightly.
"Yeah, why not?" Her heart picked up pace again.
"Hey, Emily, dinner would be a lot more fun if you were around. What about tomorrow night? Jack would love it."
And you? Would you love it? Emily couldn't stop herself. She ran her hands through her hair and exhaled. "Tomorrow night I have a meeting with the head of SWAT from 18 states and a couple of big players in law enforcement but if we wrap up early, I will try and drop by."
"Okay. I do hope you'll make it."
Emily smiled, pausing. It was time to leave, but she didn't know what an appropriate gesture would be. Her thoughts had skirted along the lines of really inappropriate—the man was married, apparently—but she could pretend to be decent on the outside.
He leaned like he was about to hug her, but Emily's hand shot out to his shoulder faster. She pushed up and pressed the side of her face to his for nothing shorter than a second, hurriedly turning away.
"I'll see you, Hotch." Her back was already turned, her hand tugging at the suitcase. Emily's face heated up again and she bowed her head slightly so her hair curtained over her flaming cheeks.
"Emily…" She heard him say, and then nothing. She didn't stop. She was afraid of what would happen if she did. "Bye. Bye, Emily."