There is a "scene" in this chapter. If you don't feel comfortable reading mature scenes then I would suggest you only read the beginning and the end of this chapter, skip the middle.

Needless to say, the relationship between Christian and Emily in the days following their fight was extremely strained. After the first day Christian had yet to call the brunette, and Emily was not going to give in either, making it appear as though the two were at a standstill, even if that wasn't necessarily the case. Although the calls between the two were nonexistent, Emily did make sure to occasionally text Christian, normally to confirm that she was safe after a case. However, that was the full extent of their communication, which tortured both of them. As a result, Christian had become even more irritable than usual while Emily hadn't been sleeping well, with her sleep once again plagued by nightmares. But she wasn't going to tell him that, or Hotch for that matter. All they would do is coddle her, reminding her of how fragile they saw her. She needed to repair herself, alone. She needed to rebuild her emotional foundation on her own, away from the prying eyes of her team and Christian.

Nevertheless, while the team was aware that the the relationship between the two was stressed, they had no idea how bad it had truly gotten. Emily had admitted that she and Christian had hit a rough patch, but she didn't let on how truly rough it was. So a few weeks later, after returning from a case in Los Angeles, Emily was surprised to see the face of Christian Cavanagh through her peephole. Emily took a deep breath and opened the door, "Christian, hey."

"Hey" he softly replied back with a small smile. "I brought chocolate" he offered as he handed over an imported milk chocolate bar he had purchased for her at the airport.

Emily frowned as she looked down at the kind gesture, "Is this your way of apologizing?"

"In a way. Can I come in?"

"Umm, yeah, okay" Emily stuttered as she opened the door wider and invited him in. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Why? Are you going to poison it?" he asked with a small smile, only to be met with silence in return as he dropped his bag on the floor and walked to kitchen counter to stand across from her. "I didn't mean what I said."

"It's fine" she shrugged. "It's not like it mattered or anything."

Christian sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "Emily it does matter because I hurt your feelings and you have a right to be upset. I regret what I said to you, but I don't regret what I meant. To be honest I'm a little confused by you" he admitted as he scratched his jaw line nervously. Things between them hadn't been this awkward since she first profiled him eight months ago in Vermillion Parrish. "Listen, you need to know that you're not fucking up my career. I don't see it that way. I want to be here, it's not...I'm going to regret anything. It's not like I'd be living in fucking Siberia."

"I know, but it's a lot for you to just leave your life" Emily countered in a tender tone as he shrugged.

"I don't really have a life in Louisiana. I don't see it that way. I don't see it as any kind of version of home" Christian tried to explain as he reached into the breast pocket of his coat. "You need to know that I don't see what we have as some sort of casual fling. So I want you to have this" he stated as he put a ring on the kitchen counter.

The ring was rose gold instead of yellow and the engravings on its sides were completely different, but it looked too similar to be true. How could this be happening? Hadn't she throw this in the Potomac River? Who was this man? What was he doing to her? Did he know all along? Was this some sort of twisted play to show her that he knew the truth? Emily attempted to steady her racing heartbeat, trying to keep herself from becoming physically ill.

"It's a Gimmal ring" Christian clarified with a perplexed expression as he noted the haunted look on her face. "My father couldn't afford the traditional diamond ring, but, listen, I'm not proposing to you. It'd be wicked fucked up to propose with a ring from a failed marriage, but I want you to have it" he warmly told her as he slid the ring over.

"I-I, where did you get this?" Emily asked, still for some reason seeing Doyle's ring in front of her. "Where did you find this?"

"My safe deposit box" Christian responded with a confused look. "It's not an engagement ring, I just want you to…"

"I can't, I can't take this" Emily firmly replied as she shook her head.

"Wait why?"

"It's just, it's not something I'd ever wear" she lied as she slightly swallowed, trying to calm her queasy stomach.

"Well you don't have to wear it but…"

"Christian please just stop" she snapped as he shook his head and let out a humorless laugh.

"Wow, I don't even know what to say about this. You're fucking, you know what Emily? I'm going to leave before I say something that I regret, or worse, something that I fucking don't!" He yelled as he shook his head and pocketed the ring, slamming the door behind him as he left the apartment.

Emily rested her elbows on the kitchen counter, supporting her head in her hands. She couldn't believe that she had done that, that she had been so cold about his grand gesture. It was obvious that the piece of jewelry meant a lot to Christian, but when she saw it, it struck a nerve. She couldn't help it. All she wanted was to be able to accept it without thinking of Doyle, fucking Ian Doyle. The man was dead and, in many ways, he had more control over her life dead than when he was alive. He permeated everything, no, he destroyed it, eroding and tainting everything that mattered in her life, including her relationship.

And that was when it hit her. Maybe she was eerily similar to another woman who fell in love with a Cavanagh man, Christian's mother.

Emily too had come from wealth, prestige, and social status, but she didn't care about it. She had fallen for someone who wouldn't quite fit in the world she had grown up in. But then there was something else, something that uniquely linked her with a woman who had died over twenty years ago. For like Juliet Markham before her, Emily sensed that her relationship with Christian was always going to end tragically. Because Christian had always given her everything he had to offer, everything. Additionally, everyone had loved him, with the entire BAU team welcoming him into their little unconventional family. The people who were closest to her thought that he was good for her, that he was 'right' for her. He had made the effort to call her almost everyday. He had made the effort to visit her. He had made the point to tell her that he was committed to her, but the real question was, what was she willing to give him? It wasn't fair that he was already so devoted to her. In reality, she could see the devotion and love in the eyes that betrayed every insulting or snarky remark he made. She could tell how strongly he felt about her, and it wasn't fair that she was holding back from him.

Sure, she wasn't going to be sleeping with anyone else in the foreseeable future, but was she committed to Christian emotionally? And for that matter, was she comfortable with the level of intimacy that he expected? He told her things about himself, personal details that he hid from the world, and, yet, she was still hiding so many secrets from him. He hadn't pushed her, yet. But isn't that always the operative word, 'yet?' There would be a time when Christian would expect to learn things about her, a time when he would wonder about the other Doyle-inflicted mark on her body. A time when brushing the pad of his thumb against her four leaf clover branding wasn't going to be enough. A time would come when saying 'I'm not ready to talk about this' wasn't going to suffice either. For a relationship to truly work there had to be a mutual sense of openness, of trust. The question was when, or perhaps if, Emily was ever going to be willing to give it. Maybe she always knew that one day, whatever they had now wasn't going to be enough. One of them was going to want more, and the other, the other was going to need more.

And maybe that day had come.

It had taken a few hours for Christian to reign in his anger and return to Emily's apartment. Although he walked with purpose towards the building he couldn't help but feel conflicted, torn between not wanting to be anywhere near the brunette but needing to be with her anyway. However, by the time he had made it back it was already 11pm. Not wanting to wake his possibly sleeping girlfriend, who he had noticed looked a bit exhausted, he searched for the spare key she had told him about, letting himself in. However, as he walked towards the bedroom he heard a soft whimpering cut through the silence in the large apartment. Throughly confused, he quickly and cautiously approached her room and found Emily in a deep nightmare, rushing over to her side to try to shake her awake.

"Emily" he stated as he tried to gently rouse her, a method which didn't work. "Emily wake up" he ordered again in a more stern voice as she woke up and took a few deep breaths, watching him as he gazed into her frightened deep brown eyes. "Are you okay? Did I…"

"No, it's just from work" she covered, waving his concerns off as he leaned down and cupped her face with his hand, running the pad of his thumb softly along her cheek.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, this wasn't your fault" she assured him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a soft kiss which was immediately deepened, neither one of them exactly sure by whom as both of them were completely consumed by the sensual overtones.

Christian brought one hand on to the bed and supported his weight on it, leaning over Emily as they continued to explore each other's mouths as he gingerly traced the top of her upper lip with his tongue, making her breaths quicken. Emily's hands found their way under his black v-neck sweater as she hastily lifted it off him, removing the white undershirt along with it.

Christian responded by moving the rest of his body on the bed, hovering over Emily as he reached to take off the worn in grey Yale t-shirt she was wearing. His mouth moved to begin kissing her neck, working his way down to the clavicle as he placed feather light kisses down towards her breasts. Emily's breath hitched when he moved to lightly suck on a hardened nipple, while her hands roughly ran through his hair. A moan finally escaped her when he ran his hand from the bottom of her ribcage down to her hipbone, scrapping his teeth against the side of her breast as he did so. This is what they both needed, a connection that they had been yearning for. However, although the atmosphere was filled with passion and desire, there was also something else that permeated the room other than the loud moaning. There was a certain sense of deep emotion, of sadness.

As her body somehow became more and more aroused, Emily noticed the immediate lack of contact when Christian moved to take off her pants and panties, frustrated that he was still clothed. He returned to bring her into a deep kiss as she unbuckled his pants and dipped her hands inside of his boxers, making him groan as she stroked his groin. "Fuck" he grunted in pleasure as he moved to suck on her collarbone.

"Take off your pants" she ordered over a moan before he pulled away, leaning over her as his right hand drifted down to her thigh, his fingers slowly tracing the area as his hand moved back up towards her core. "Christian" she moaned again as she arched her back, hoping to bring more contact towards his touch. He obliged as he began to kiss and nip his way up her body, finally reaching where she needed him most, running his hands up her sides towards her breasts teasingly as he sucked and stoked her intimate area with his tongue.

"Oh God" she gasped as he hit the perfect spot, remaining there as he brushed his fingers against her hardened nipples, the simultaneous action causing her to grip the sheets as she felt her climax nearing. After a few more moments, she felt a wave of pleasure pass over her, a certain sense of relief that seemed to momentarily simplify everything that didn't make sense before. Emily tried to reign in her labored breathing as Christian kissed back up her body, dipping his tongue into her naval as he returned to suck on her clavicle.

As the orgasm subsided, Emily wrapped her legs around Christian, pushing down his pants, signally that she wanted the offending clothing finally off. Christian temporally moved away from her as he took off the rest of his clothing, prompting Emily to immediately miss the feeling of his body against hers.

Christian quickly stripped off his pants and returned his mouth to hers, causing them to both moan into the passionate kiss as his shaft entered her, their bodies completely connected. As he pulled away to kiss her neck, Emily lightly licked his jaw, her hot breath dancing across the wet skin, prompting him to groan in pleasure.

"Emily" he grunted as she brought her legs tighter around his body and used her hands to pull him impossibly closer to her. "Fuck, I am so in love with you" he confessed as she scratched her nails down his back, eliciting a growl.

After a few more minutes, he moved slightly to the side, sucking on the skin behind her ear, his thrusts hitting her g-spot at the perfect angle. "Christian" she moaned as she felt another orgasm building. "I'm almost…" she trailed off as she nibbled on his ear lobe.

"Okay" he tried to choke out over a grunt. "Because I can't…" he drifted off as he reached down to grip her thighs, prompting her to gasp at the new angle. Her nearing climaxing was a definite relief for him, as he didn't know how much longer he could hold out for. It had been too long since he had been able to do this, too long since he had last touched her.

"Christian, I'm going to…"

"Touch yourself baby" he softly ordered as he sucked on her pulse point, gently biting it.

"What?" She asked, the pleasure preventing her brain from registering what he was asking of her.

Christian groaned as he felt her hands slowly trailing up and down the sides of his body. "Touch yourself" he ordered again over a grunt.

Emily agreed and snaked a hand down her body, stoking herself as Christian continued his moments against her g-spot. After a few short moments she orgasmed again, moaning loudly as the intense sensation flooded her body with Christian releasing inside her, only removing himself after he was sure the sensation had subsided.

After collapsing next to her on the bed, Christian rested his head on her abdomen. However, in spite of how amazing the session had been, he noticed that this time was different. Typically after orgasming and reigning in her labored breathing, Emily would tangle her fingers into his hair and pull him into a passionate kiss. But this time he merely felt her hands gently running through his hair before she yanked them away as her ragged breaths evened out. And that is when he knew what this meant.

This was goodbye.

Christian tried to push the thoughts out of his mind as he attempted to drift off to sleep, acutely aware of the fact that Emily wasn't able to sleep either. After a few hours of complete silence Christian finally spoke up, "You've already done it in your head haven't you?"

Emily closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "I just cannot do this anymore. I'm sorry but I just…" she trailed off as he nodded.

"I bet you have some perfect fucking speech about the thousand reasons why this won't work" he venomously accused as he jerked his body away from hers.

Emily shook her head. "I wish I did" she honestly admitted.

The reason that she didn't have a 'perfect speech' was because she didn't fully comprehend why she was doing it. She loved Christian, she didn't doubt that. But she couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle the strong feelings and desires she felt for the man. It was all too terrifying, too complicated. Christian cleared his throat and wordlessly left the bed, hastily getting redressed as Emily looked to the clock on her dresser. It read 2:30am. "Where are you going to go?"

"What now you give a shit about me? You know what Emily? Fuck you" he responded in a spiteful tone as he walked to the foyer to put on his shoes, scarf, and coat. He was both relieved and infuriated when Emily didn't follow him. Christian ran his hands through his hair in frustration before walking back to Emily's bedroom where she was still lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Why?"

Emily quietly took a deep breath, allowing the room to fill with a deafening silence before truthfully answering him, "The fact that you don't already know shows why we aren't ready for this."

Christian opened his mouth to respond but immediately closed it instead. He didn't have any words for Emily Prentiss. In fact, for the first time in his life, he had no words at all. Christian just clenched his jaw as he walked out of the room, picking up his still-unpacked bag off the floor. Emily heard his footsteps fading as he walked out the front door, slamming it behind him while she swallowed the tears that threatened to fall.

Emily Prentiss didn't cry, especially not over men. Maybe there was a first time for everything, but it wouldn't be tonight. She wouldn't let it be.

Meanwhile, Christian briskly walked out of Emily's apartment building to the empty downtown street in search of a cab to take him back to the airport. The chilly D.C. night, or early morning, was peaceful, so quiet that the city's normal noises seemed to be almost nonexistent, almost.

Because the city's heartbeat was just loud enough to drown out the certain sound of a camera shuttering.

Any predictions for what happens next with the man in the blue baseball cap?

What about what's next for Emily and Christian?

Thanks again for all the reviews and please keep leaving them along with your predictions. It's always fun to read when readers pick up on little hints I try to leave behind and reviews keep me motivated to update daily.

Also, what reveal are you looking forward to most?