Hotch and Emily stayed entangled on the couch for a long time after sharing those famous three words. The cabin was silent, the only sound being an occasional chirp from a bird outside. Emily wondered if Hotch fell asleep, but then he lazily rubbed her back, letting her know he was awake. She just smiled and leaned closer. She felt safe. Content.

They needed to talk. To face the truth of what was to come. The thought scared them both, though they were unwilling to let the other see that. They were perfectly happy with prolonging the inevitable for a while longer while they sat there on the couch.

They lost track of time, listening to the sounds of the other's breathing. Emily's eyes began to drift shut when her phone began ringing.

The two of them jumped up and looked around, like two teenagers caught making out. Hotch cleared his throat as Emily pulled her phone out.

"It's Morgan," she reported, glancing at Hotch. She silently asked him what to do.

"Don't," was all he said. Emily frowned.

"Why not?" Her phone continued to blare her ringtone.

"He can't know you found me," Hotch insisted.

Anger bubbled up inside Emily. All Morgan wanted to know was if she'd found their leader. Their friend. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and Hotch didn't want her to tell him. She knew why. If she told Morgan she'd found him, Hotch would have to come home or the team would come up themselves. There would be no escaping them.

But if she didn't, he could stay in hiding. He could let the team go on with their lives, not helping him clear his name. He didn't want them involved.

She licked her lips before pressing the green button. "Hey, Morgan. Yeah, I'm fine… That long? I hadn't realized that much time had passed."

"Did you find him?" Morgan asked, keeping his voice calm. To anyone else, it sounded like he was perfectly composed. To her, it sounded like he was trying not to get his hopes up.

Emily hesitated and eyed Hotch. He was watching her carefully, his face a blank mask. She could very easily say no. That's what he wanted.

But it wasn't fair to the team. To Jack.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. He's here." She turned her back to Hotch, not wanting to see his reaction.

Morgan inhaled sharply, then coughed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm standing right next to him," she said, a smile spreading across her face against her will. The relief and joy in Morgan's voice made it hard not to.

"Oh my God." She could hear the grin in his voice. "That's amazing. We're all at Rossi's house, but I went into another room. We couldn't wait alone for news."

"Well, go tell them," Emily suggested, knowing it would anger Hotch further. She didn't care at this point.

"Yeah. Okay, I will." Morgan sounded dazed, like he couldn't believe it. "You're coming home, right? Both of you?"

"That's the plan," she said, trying to sound optimistic.

"Good. Great." There was a muffled banging noise from his end. "That'd be Garcia. I should go."

"Yeah," Emily said distractedly. "Go."

Morgan hung up, and Emily stood there, not daring to turn around. She just clutched her phone, waiting.

"I told you not to say anything." His voice was low. Hard.

"I couldn't."

"Couldn't? Or wouldn't?"

"Couldn't!" She spun around, her eyes alight with a fierceness only Emily could pull off. "It wouldn't be fair! They've been blaming themselves for months. Months, Hotch! They were constantly wondering if they could have done anything different to help you. If maybe they pushed you away, or something! Don't you think they deserved to know?"

"I don't want them to get caught up in my problems," Hotch growled, his face a grim mask.

"News flash! Your problems are our problems! They became ours when you ran away. When you left us."

"I'm not going back," he said obstinately. He stalked into the kitchen, leaving Emily dumbstruck.

"Are you serious?" she hissed. The cabin was one open room, so she could yell at him and see him at the same time. "After I told Morgan I'd found you?"

"I told you not to!"

"You realize how happy they're gonna be, right? How thrilled they'll be to know you're okay? Are you really going to let them down and not go back?"

"It's not safe for me," he tried, pacing aimlessly around the kitchen area.

"We'll make it safe! We're goddamn FBI agents!"

"Emily, I'm doing this for them! I'm keeping them safe!"

"Bullshit!" Hotch stopped pacing and glared at her. Normally she might have withered under that stare, but now she was so furious she didn't move an inch.

"Emily…" His voice was threatening now.

"I thought you loved me," she said, lowering her voice an octave. Hotch's jaw clenched.

"I do."

"Then come back."

He tore his gaze away and focused on the floor. Her heart broke. She wasn't enough for him to fly back to Virginia and return to his family.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she quickly composed herself and reverted to another tactic.

"If you won't come back for me, then do it for Jack. He needs his dad." Hotch's shoulders sagged, so Emily knew she was getting somewhere. Stepping forward, she slowly approached the kitchen.

"If you're afraid of the danger, let us investigate. Let us try and help you. You've said it yourself: We're the best at what we do. We can put Finch away for good and let you return to your normal life."

By now she was standing directly in front of Hotch. Her gaze was defiant, unyielding. She wasn't going to let him go.

Hotch finally raised his eyes to meet hers. They were full of hopefulness and resignation. It was like he was torn between returning home and staying where he was.

"It's just…" he started to say before trailing off. He sucked in his lips briefly. "It's just that, it sounds too good to be true."

"A lot of what we try to achieve sounds too good to be true. But we've done it. We've achieved it. I know we can do it again." She carefully reached forward and clasped one of her hands in his. "I'm begging you, Hotch. Come home."

He stared at her for what felt like the longest time. His eyes desperately searched for any reason to say no. For any possibility that she was unsure about succeeding in clearing his name. Her heart was pounding as the seconds ticked by.

Come on, Hotch.

"Okay," he whispered. She blinked.

"What?" Her heart began to lift.

"I'll come with you."

He seemed surprised, as if he couldn't believe he'd agreed with her. A reassuring smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you." She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He shyly patted her on the back before enclosing her in a hug. Inhaling her scent, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel peace with his decision.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said hoarsely, as if he was trying to convince himself.

Emily pulled back and studied his face. His expression was the same one she saw every day when they were on a case. It was determined and fearless, showing everyone he wasn't to back down from a challenge. However, in his eyes, Emily saw a hint of terror. He was afraid of what was to come and what it would mean for his family. If anyone was hurt, he would blame himself for the rest of his life.

"It is," she said softly, reaching up to caress his face. He brought his head down to kiss her. She thought back to how he'd reacted when she asked him to return for her, and then she quickly shoved it away. That wasn't fair. He was just trying to keep her safe. He always kept her safe. And now it was her turn to do the same for him.

I'm so sorry for the long wait! Things have gotten pretty hectic, and I haven't had a lot of time to write. Add that to a bit of writer's block, and you have this delay. The good news is I have the rest of the story planned out, so hopefully there won't be anymore writer's block. If you're still with me and enjoying this story, please let me know! I love hearing from you!

And a massive THANK YOU to anyone who voted for BAU High School in the Profiler's Choice Awards! I'm so surprised and grateful that I won. I couldn't do it without all of you. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!