The entire team entered the BAU, hoping that Garcia would be able to connect the dots for them. Any other time, this all might be chalked up to cooincidence. But something had been going on with Hotch lately and they all knew it. And Rossi couldn't remember the time that Hotch didn't answer his phone, no matter what time day or night. As they stepped out of the elevator, they came face to face with Strauss, who was standing there with her arms folded. It was very late, and none of them had even considered that she would still be in the building.
"Chief Strauss..." JJ stammered as she practically took a step backwards. "You're here awfully late."
"I had a meeting with the director, and a lot of paperwork to finish. Not that I have to explain myself. You see, I'm supposed to be here, unlike any of you."
"Erin," Rossi said, taking a step foward. "We might have a problem. Hotch might be in trouble."
"You mean he's gotten himself into more trouble, Agent Rossi?" She asked, placing the emphasis on the way she addressed him.
He nodded his head, acknowledging the slip of the tongue. They stared at each other silently, as the rest of the team shifted uneasily.
"You need to go do your magic, Garcia. The rest of you go with her. I'll be there in a minute." Rossi said, never breaking eye contact with Strauss."
"But..."
"Now, Garcia."
"Yes, Sir."
She moved off towards her office, followed closely by the rest of the team. Strauss had a look of disbelief on her face.
"Are you people ignoring a direct order? None of you were supposed to set foot in this place for two weeks. You couldn't even go a full day?"
The entire team looked back just for a moment, then continued on behind Garcia.
"Come on, let's go somewhere we can talk." he whispered. "We wouldn't be doing any of this if it wasn't important."
"David, I went out on a limb to keep this team together because I knew it was important to you. I did it for YOU. And you haven't even waited 24 hours before throwing that all away. This will come back on all of us."
"Is the Director still here?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "But I don't see how that's relevant."
"Then he's not going to know we were here unless you tell him?"
"This isn't a game!"
"You're right. It's not. Let's go to your office so I can explain to you exactly what's going on."
Prentiss crawled into bed first, sighing heavily as she rested her head on the pillow. It had been so long since she was able to relax, even for a minute. Her body and brain were both exhausted, yet just having Hotch here had changed all of that. That, combined with her earlier nap had brought back her determination, and her certainty that she was going to beat this. She was going to beat Doyle. The strong, confident, Emily Prentiss was back.
Hotch had taken a lightning fast shower, and quickly changed into a pair of sweats and a shirt that he had retrieved from his go bag. Had he been home, he just would have stripped down to his underwear, but there was no way that was happening here.
He got into the bed slowly, trying not to disturb her. She was facing away from him, and he knew that there was no way she had fallen asleep already. He immediately felt his body tense up. This was not a good idea. He should be sleeping on the couch, the floor, anywhere but here. He was lying there on his back, staring up into the darkness when he heard, and felt her shiver.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah." she answered without turning to look at him. "Just a little cold, I guess."
With a slight hesitation, and against his better judgement, he rolled over on his side, positioning himself against her back. She seemed to relax instantly, and he draped an arm over her waist. It felt so comfortable and familiar. He could feel his body begin to respond to being so close to her, and he prayed that she wouldn't notice. All hope for that was lost when she scooted herself back against him, as if trying to find the right position. He felt her freeze for a minute when she realized, and then she rolled over to face him. Even in the darkness she could see the look on his face.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered.
Emily shook her head, as if telling him not to apologize, but she didn't say a word. Instead she was staring into his eyes, as if trying to see into his soul. He couldn't take it anymore, and tried to look away. Without a second thought, and in one fluid movement, she covered his body with hers. She reached a hand under his shirt, tracing circles on his chest.
"Emily, what are you doing?" he asked, hearing the shakiness in his own voice.
"Please, Hotch." she said, leaning in closer to him. "Don't think. Just for one night."
He leaned his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes as her hands moved lower, just barely grazing the waistband of his pants. She was setting him on fire, his entire body tingling in response. It had been so long since any woman had touched him this way. And this wasn't just any woman, this was the one that he had secretly fantasized about for months. He was trying to do the right thing, say the right words, but his body was betraying him.
"Emily..." he groaned. "We...we can't"
"Don't fight me. Just give in. Please."
She almost didn't recognize her own voice. It was the second time she had pleaded with him, and she sounded so needy. But she had waited so long for this, and knew that this might be her only chance. Both hands were now roaming lightly all over his body, driving him out of his mind. He was wavering, she could tell.
"Just for tonight, Hotch. It doesn't have to mean anything."
Just when Emily thought she was making progress, he reached up quickly and took hold of her wrists. There was a look on his face, something she couldn't quite decipher, and then it disappeared. He was struggling to get control, to calm himself down.
"We can't do this, Emily. It isn't right."
It was the controlled, even toned voice of Aaron Hotchner. Her former supervisor, Aaron Hotchner. The realization hit her almost as if she was slapped in the face. Here she was, practically straddling him, begging him to make love to her. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed, ashamed, all of those things. He didn't want her. This was a job, nothing more. And she had just made a complete fool of herself.
"Oh my God, Hotch, I'm sorry. I...I don't know what I was thinking."
He saw the look on her face, and it made his heart clench. She was feeling rejected, hurt, and that was the last thing that he wanted. She pulled herself off of him and rolled over on the bed, getting as far away from him as she could. He sat up in the bed, placing a hand gently on her arm, which she quickly pulled away.
"Emily, look at me."
"Please, Hotch. Let's just go to sleep." it was clear from her voice that she was fighting back tears. "I would rather just forget that this ever happened.
"We have to talk about this."
"Goodnight, Hotch." she said coldly, moving even further away.
"I don't blame you for being upset with me. If you don't want to talk, fine. But I have something to say and you're going to listen."
