"Em, wake up." Axel's melodic voice drifted through the air of Emily's apartment, gently rousing her of her slumber. The pale profiler slowly woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee. She snapped up from the couch and quickly walked to the kitchen, smiling at the sight before her. Axel was wearing a purple apron with pink dots that was given to her by Garcia as a Valentine's Day present. Axel caught her gaze and turned to the side, giving her a full of the unusual wardrobe choice.
"I didn't want to get my clothes dirty so I put aside my manly pride. This shirt was expensive." Axel laughed along with Emily.
"You made me breakfast?" Axel nodded and slid a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast over to her.
"Eat up. You're going to have a grueling day ahead of you." Emily groaned. Axel untied the apron, removed the strap from his neck, and placed the cloth in the kitchen drawer where he had found it. He poured the newly brewed coffee into two mugs, "Light and sweet?"
"You know it, sweet cheeks." Emily joked. Axel smirked at her as he passed the mug from his hand to hers. They walked across the doorway and sat at the dining room table to begin eating their meal. Emily realized how long it had been since she ate such a through breakfast meal and began shoveling the deliciously greasy bacon in her mouth.
"Garcia texted me last night. She called my brother and it seems like they hit it off. She said they're going out tomorrow. I'm really relieved because Hendrix had always had issues with women. They never gave him a chance."
"How come?" Emily asked, truly curious. Axel sighed.
"He's an introvert. He loves technology and finds comfort in it. He stopped trying to find someone to spend the rest of his life with but I vowed to never stop looking for him. When you described Garcia to me, a bulb lit up. She sounded perfect for him and now I know she is. Hopefully, everything will work out there." Axel lifted a pile of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
"What does he look like?" Emily smiled, finally at peace with the situation.
"He's got a baby face, looks 15." Axel and Emily snickered, "He has brown eyes, brown wavy hair. I look like our mom and he looks like our dad."
"I bet he's handsome. It probably runs through the Anjelic family tree." Emily grabbed the empty plates and placed them in the sink. She allowed water to soak the entire plate then shut the valve. She turned and leaned against the counter. Axel was sitting on the counter to her left.
"You okay?" Axel whispered. Emily shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm nervous… and afraid. What if he wakes up today and realizes I'm not what he wants? What if he realizes he loves Beth? If that happens, I don't have you to come back to. I'm sad Emily again, alone with her cat." As if to emphasize the point, Sergio leaped onto the counter in search of food. Emily did even bother scolding the cat.
"Emily," Axel whispered, "I will always be here. Maybe not as a potential boyfriend but I like you way too much to let you become a sad cat lady. We could always make a pact, like in those unrealistic 80's movies. If we're both single in ten years, we'll get married, have an open relationship, and slowly start to resent each other like every other couple."
Emily burst out laughing which triggered his laughter. Sergio jumped to the floor, startled by the humans.
"That sounds fantastic," Emily sniffled. Axel opened his arms and encouraged her with his hands to enter the embrace. She walked into his arms and squeezed the man that had given her such happiness and comfort over the month since they'd met.
"I wish I didn't love him. I wish the feelings I had for him would transfer to-" Axel placed his middle and pointer fingers on her soft lips.
"I know… and me too," Axel smiled sadly then glanced at the clock that glowed on the stove top, "Em, you should go to him now."
Emily pulled back a few inches and nodded her head. She stared at him and felt tears pushing through the back of her eyes and glistening her pupils. Axel rubbed her biceps and kissed her nose.
"Go. I'll clean up." Emily opened her mouth and shut it again. Axel lifted her head with his hand. He nodded encouragingly, wanting her to speak her mind.
"Will you stay and be here when I come back?" Axel gleamed, relieved that she wasn't backing out. Backing out would make the grueling night before pointless.
"I'll be here, smooching off your cable." Emily chuckled and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Emily sighed as she struggled to find the words to express how she felt about the position she was in.
"Aaron, I'm taking Jack to my place for today and he'll stay there until tomorrow. You are in no condition to care for your son. What the hell is wrong with you?" His sister-in-law shouted at him from Jack's room while packing some clothes for the child. Jack was in the hallway, playing with his DS, oblivious to the fight occurring in the apartment.
"Jessica, please, just take him and spare me the angst. It will never happen again." Hotch mumbled, disgraced with his actions. He had sauntered into the apartment the night before, extremely inebriated, and began ranting about his life. Jessica was forced to confine Jack to his room while the brooding man sobbed into the phone. He was almost uncontrollable.
"You were drunk and emotionally unsettled. It better not happen again 'cause I don't want to have to take action," Jessica sighed at the emotionless face of her brother-in-law, "Hayley wouldn't be happy with you like this. God, Aaron, get your shit together."
Jessica stomped into the living room and gathered the rest of the items needed. She turned, expecting to see Hotch there but he stayed leaning against the hallway wall. She sighed out of frustration and walked to the door, snatching it open. She slammed it closed behind her, disappearing from his line of sight with his son.
Hotch promenaded to his bedroom, throwing himself on the mattress with a groan. He would apologize profusely to Jessica later but at that moment he wasn't in the correct state of mind. He began to cry pathetically on his bed, wishing he hadn't made such a mess of his life. He had been making a muck since his birth.
"Aaron!" He sat up startled. He had to be dreaming… or dead. Dead sounded nice.
A knock brought him back to reality. She was there, at his front door, waiting for him. He practically ran to his front door, peeking through the peephole, making sure it wasn't a prank. But it wasn't. She was there, looking absolutely beautiful. He was solid, keeping his eyes locked on the hole that allowed him an undisturbed view of the woman of his dreams. The woman he had tried to block out of his heart, his mind, and his soul. But he was done hiding, especially when she made the effort to arrive at his front door exposing herself for him. For them.
"Emily." Hotch whispered as he pulled the door open gently. Emily let out a shuddered breath. She looked at her shoes, wishing the conversation could be avoided… but it couldn't. It couldn't because you should fight for a love so strong. It only comes around once in a lifetime…you know?
"Can I come in?" Hotch moved slightly to allow space for Emily's body shift through.
"Emily-"
"Let me talk first, okay? I have a lot to say." Hotch nodded jerkily, hope was filling his chest.
"When I was younger, you started working for my parents. You created this giant hole in my walls when you became my friend. You were the first person to see me as Emily and not solely a Prentiss, not as a job. You made my life bearable but before I could blink, you were gone and I was lost and alone. I aged but never forgot and one day, I got the chance to work for you. God, I would take whatever you would give me. Then when I arrived at your office, you were so kind at first but when I told you that I was there to become your employee, you shut me down just like everyone else had. A part of me died when you left me standing in your office, holding that damn box."
"Emily-" She glared back at him and he shut his mouth, allowing her to vent.
"But I got over that because I loved you. I loved you the moment you entered my walls when I was a teen. Years go by and you become depressed because of your divorce. I had wished you loved me as much as you loved her. Foyet came in and flipped our entire world around. He destroyed you and therefore, destroyed me. Then Beth… appeared… and stayed. At one point, I started to give up because who the hell was I kidding. I wanted to let you go. I wanted to love Axel. But I couldn't because you were always there in the back of my mind and heart, screwing up my entire life. He is perfect, Aaron! He is kind, gentle, beautiful, and he cares for me. But he's not you! He's not… and I hate that I feel that way. I hate it."
She stopped abruptly and lowered her head, her chin touching her breastbone. She was surprised by how angry she had been. The speech had released a lifetime of anger and anguish. She felt lighter already. She felt liberated.
"Emily," the world fell back heavily on her shoulders, reality smacking her, "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."
She looked to the man that had filled her mind for a long time. He had tears in his eyes, looking vulnerable.
"God, I love you." He sobbed, placing his hands on his eye sockets and digging as if to remove his tear ducts. He knew he probably seemed pitiful but the woman he had always wondered about, even when he was engaged to Hayley, was standing in front of him proclaiming her love, albeit angrily. Emily gasped at his words, feeling tears of her own come to the forefront.
"I always wanted you but it was never our time. When we were younger, I could've lost my job and been arrested. I'm five years older than you. I tried to move on because I thought that you could do so much better than me. I met Hayley and I liked her, eventually loved her, but it never matched you. When you pranced into my office, my god, I panicked. How could I look at you everyday and be faithful to my wife? I didn't matter in the end because she hated me and divorced me. Once that was over, I still couldn't and shouldn't. Emily, you are my subordinate. I could get fired."
Emily turned away from him, knowing the rejection that followed that statement. She allowed the tears to slip and trail down her face, catching her lips and permitting her to taste her own salty tears. She shut her eyes tightly, squeezing and grasping for strength to rise from deep within.
"But I don't care." Her eyes soared open with such speed that she felt lightheaded. She was trembling as she turned to face him.
"What?" Hotch smiled at her with fire in his eyes.
"This job has taken everything from me but it's not going to take our chance away. It won't this time. Without you, Em, I feel like I'm drowning. I need you…please." He didn't know what he was begging for but she seemed to understand.
"I love you, Aaron." Hotch felt his knee's give out and reached out to grab her. She leaned against the living room wall, holding them both up.
"I love you too… so much." He breathed. She trembled, feeling his breath on her neck. She felt him lips place a tender kiss on her collarbone and she smiled, blissfully.
"Stay?" He leaned back, tucking her hair that had plastered to her face because of tears behind her ear. He followed by caressing the shell of her ear.
"No," She whispered casually, "I'm going home. This is new, even though it has been almost three decades in the making, and I want to savor it. To do that, I want space… just until tomorrow. I want to think about this moment incessantly and dream about it all night. I want to cherish this. Anyway, you're going to have to court me, Sir." Emily smirked. Hotch beamed at her and nodded, understanding her point.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Emily." He leaned in slowly, allowing her time to pull away but she didn't. He sealed his lips on hers lightly and she responded. It was everything the cheesy novels describe with bells and stars and fireworks. It was almost worth the wait. The couple separated and Emily smiled as she twisted the doorknob, still facing Hotch. She swept the door open with her foot, feeling the cool air on her back.
"Goodbye… until tomorrow. I love you." Emily walked out the door and paused when she heard his voice.
"I love you too." Emily beamed and began her walk out of the building. Hotch watched her retreating form, waiting until she was out of sight. This time, though, he used the door as support not because she left him drunk and confused but because his knees were still weak from the passionate kiss the love of his life bestowed on him.
His life was finally on the right track. He was finally cleaning the muck.
It's not over yet. I want to explore what happens after. Thanks for sticking with me so far. Hope you liked it. Please review!
