A/N: I wasn't sure if this is how I wanted this to go but just read it and let me know what you think. Your reviews are really helpful. And I'd completely forgotten something I'd added in this story that makes it a little like another one. You'll work it out when you get to it.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Hotch put his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Honey, we should go," he said. Emily nodded and leant over Charlotte's crib, kissing her goodbye. They gently closed the door and Emily turned to Hotch. "Alright, let's go to work," she said. They said goodbye to Hannah and said they'd call if they got a case.
As they walked into the office, Morgan turned and said hello. "First day back hey?" Emily nodded. Hotch saw the file in Morgan's hand. "What've we got?" he asked. Morgan handed Emily the file and explained as she looked through it. "We're headed to New York?" she asked. Morgan nodded. "Better call Hannah," Emily said dejectedly. Hotch rubbed her back and she pulled her cell out and walked into the hall. When she returned the rest of the team had met in the BAU room. When she sat at the table Morgan patted her back. "Alright, Detective Brustin is waiting for us," JJ said. "Brustin?" Emily asked. JJ nodded and smiled. "Alright, so wheels up in 30," Morgan said. Everyone nodded and stood to gather their things.
Morgan sat across from Emily and waited until Hotch was out of earshot. "So does he know?" he asked. Emily frowned, "Does who know what?" Morgan rolled his eyes. "Does Hotch know about you and Cooper?" Emily's jaw dropped. "I'm gonna kill Garcia. And no, he doesn't know. I didn't feel the need to tell him. It's in the past," she said. "Ok," Morgan replied, "I'm warning you though. These things have a habit of coming out at the worst of times." Emily nodded, "I'll tell him. I just have to figure out when."
When the team arrived at the precinct, Morgan found Detective Brustin. "Hey Jack, how are you?" Emily said, stepping forward and shaking his hand. "Hey Emily. Good to see you again. Of course not under these circumstances but…" Emily nodded. Jack explained the situation and Morgan gave everyone their assignments. "Oh here's Cooper," he said as his partner walked into the station. Emily turned and there he was. "Cooper," she said, shaking his hand. She put her left hand in her pocket. "Uh, Hotchner and Morgan are coming with me to the first crime scene. Can you go with Rossi and Prentiss to the dump site?" Brustin asked. Cooper nodded before Emily could object.
The guys had finished at the first crime scene and were on their way back. "So Morgan, did Emily ever tell you what went wrong?" Brustin asked. Hotch looked in the rear vision mirror. "What went wrong where?" he asked. "A couple of years ago, just after you guys were here last, Cooper and Emily dated. Was pretty serious too. He proposed," Brustin answered, "Cooper never told me what happened." Hotch frowned and went quiet. Morgan looked at his boss nervously.
When they arrived back at the station, Hotch walked slowly into the office. Emily was posting photos of the crime scene on the board and going through victimology with Reid. "Hey, so we checked the scene. At the time of night that the un-sub strikes, it would be impossible to find any witnesses. It's a dark area, very little lighting, very few residentials…" Emily's voice trailed off. Hotch stayed silent and simply nodded. As the rest of the team joined them, Hotch remained quiet.
The team was calling it a night and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. Even though they were married, Hotch and Emily stayed in separate rooms, helping them to focus on the case. Emily couldn't sleep. Hotch had barely said a word to her since they'd arrived back at the station. He was quiet through dinner and went with the others in the car. She knew she wouldn't get any sleep so she got out of bed and went to Hotch's room two doors down.
He opened the door and frowned. "You should be asleep Emily," he said sternly. "Uh, so should you," she replied, walking through the door and closing it behind her. "You've barely spoken to me all night. Even when you kissed me goodnight it was as though you had to force yourself to do it. What's going on Hotch?" Emily asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "We made a deal a long time ago that we wouldn't discuss personal issues on a case," he replied, sitting on the armchair in the corner. Emily rolled her eyes. "We also made a deal about a year and a half ago that we would be there for better or worse. And we made a deal about 13 months ago that we would put our family first. So spill," she replied.
Hotch sighed and sat forward in his chair. She had him with those last two points and he knew it. He cleared his throat. "Why didn't you tell me about Cooper?" he asked. Emily leant her elbows on her knees and covered her face. "Because it was a long time ago. Because he doesn't mean anything to me," she answered. "He proposed!" Hotch said. "Whether he meant something to you or not, you meant something to him." Hotch paused. "Does he know we're married? Does he know about Charlotte?" he asked.
Emily shook her head. "I haven't spoken to him in years. Just after we started dating I stopped taking his calls. I told him that I was dating someone very special to me and that I didn't want to start seeing him again. He got angry and stopped calling," she explained, "There was no need to tell him we got married or to let him know we have a beautiful little girl." Emily stood and walked over to Hotch, standing in front of him. He looked up at her, with a pained expression on his face. "You should've told me," Hotch said. Emily nodded. "I didn't think we'd ever see him again. Hotch," she paused, lifting his head, "I love you. You're the most important person in my life." He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. I just... I wish you'd told me so I didn't get blindsided in the car." Emily sighed. "I'm sorry honey," she whispered. He held her for a moment before stepping back. "Alright, we need to get some sleep. Go to bed Agent Prentiss," Hotch said. She kissed him quickly then left, gently closing the door behind her.
"You weren't breaking the rules were you Mrs Hotchner?" JJ said. She and Morgan were in the hall, talking about the press conference she had to hold the next morning. "Breaking a rule. But not that rule," Emily answered. "He knows?" Morgan asked. Emily nodded. "He knows what?" JJ asked. Emily rolled her eyes. "I skipped over some details when we had the "ex" conversation," Emily explained. JJ gave a knowing smile. "Cooper?" she asked. Emily nodded. "But he knows now," she assured them. "And how about Cooper. Does he know?" Morgan asked. Emily shook her head. "At the end of the case alright boss?" Emily said. Morgan nodded. "Goodnight guys," she said, leaving them to their discussion.