When Aaron Met Emily
Chapter 4 – For The Love of Toast

"So did you manage to keep away?" JJ's eyes danced between her friends.

"For a little while," Emily brushed her hair back.

For the next three days Emily and Aaron went out of their way to avoid each other at all costs. But clearly something was working against them. They seemed to find each other around every corner, in every room – other than the bedrooms of course – hell they even managed to bump into each other in the night, apparently both had a taste for midnight snacks. The worst place was the library, Hotch had been told he could work in there and Emily preferred to do her pre-readings in the comfortable window seats. More than once Norma had to pause just to take in Hotch seated at his desk at one end of the room and Emily in the window seat at the other. Glaring seemed to be the preferred method of communication and the old woman always got a kick of watching them stare each other down with looks that were the very definition of 'if looks could kill'. Finally things came to a head at breakfast on the fourth day. They were across from each other at the breakfast table, thankfully Ambassador Prentiss wasn't present, when they both reached for the last piece of toast. It was like the whole world had suddenly held its breath.

Emily maintained eye contact and her grip on the piece on the bread. Emily forced smile, "Agent."

"Miss Prentiss." Aaron returned without warmth, he too would not let go. Both of them tugged at the same time causing the bread to tear a little. Two sets of eyes flicked down to the rip, widened, then returned to their adversary narrowed, silently accusing the other of bloody murder.

"I'm sorry but you two actually fought over who got the last slice of toast?" Derek asked humorously.

"Yes," they said in unison without an ounce of shame.

"There's another plate of toast on its way," Emily hinted while gently pulling on the one they held.

"Good you'll have a fresh slice," Aaron didn't relinquish his hold.

"No, no, you should take one of those," Emily insisted. "I prefer them when they're a bit drier anyway."

"Let go," Aaron growled lowly not bothering with politeness anymore.

"No," was Emily's vehement answer.

"Brat!"

"Jerk!"

Aaron huffed, "I can't believe you're actually fighting with me because of a piece of bread. You are such a child."

"Says the one who looks ready to pull out his service weapon for it," the fiery brunette taunted.

"I got it first!"

"Now who's being the child?"

"Oh for heaven's sake," Norma cried entering the dining room. She slammed the plate with the fresh toast down on the table and wrenched the one they were holding out of their grasps. Ignoring their horrified faces, she forcibly handed them their own slice and said in motherly yet irate voice, "It was a piece of bread not a toy. Now finish your breakfasts quietly and start acting like the mature adults you're supposed to be!"

Chastened, they dropped their eyes to their food and murmured together quietly, "Yes Norma."

"Ah good times," Aaron chuckled. Both he and Emily reached for the same doughnut, snagging it at the same time.

"You have got to be kidding me," Emily groaned while her colleagues laughed.

"Simple solution," Hotch smirked. "Just let go."

"Not gonna happen buddy," Emily worked hard not to smile. "I always thought you southern boys were supposed to be gentlemen."

"I always thought Interpol agents were more professional than this, guess we were both wrong." They tried to sound like they used to but they were entirely too entertained to be really mad.

"Still a jerk I see."

"Still a brat I see."

"For the love of toast!" Penelope giggled. She pretended to stomp over and snatched a pair of scissors off Hotch's desk. One snip and now they held perfectly cut halves of the doughtnut. The tech goddess attempted to sound severe, "I don't have extra doughnuts but I would think that in nearly in twenty years you two would've learned to share. Now stop bickering and finish the story!"

Again, they both felt like scolded children, "Yes Penelope."