Episode: Haunted

Emily had visited Hotch every day. Just after work, when she was exhausted and he was alone and in need of someone. He never went out with the team in those days, never saw anyone besides her.

So when she came to his house on the 34th day off, shrugging off her coat and tossing it on the back of the couch, telling him she was driving him in the next day, he had no qualms.

By now, Hotch was used to her. He liked having her around. And she felt the same.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"What do we know about this case in Kentucky?"

"Uh, there's no connection between Call and his victims. Louisville PD's covered the city but there doesn't appear to be any sign of him since uh, he left the pharmacy."

"Check his house? Family?"

"Locals are on it."

"Start with his most recent history. Find the stressor."

Emily noted how Hotch puttered around the room, going back and forth. He seemed slightly nervous, scared for what was to come.

"Don't move," Hotch punched in the number sequence Emily had memorized so long ago. Everyone on the team needed a spare key to everyone else's house as well as their security combination.

They all came in a few days after Hotch's attack with new security codes.

"Ready?'

"Are you?"

Emily knew she was pushing it a bit, but she didn't care. After visiting him daily for a month, she figured she could have some kind of leeway with their relationship, be it professional or otherwise.

Hotch didn't answer, just followed her out the door and stood for a moment on the step outside his door.

"You ok?" Emily asked softly, a few steps ahead of him.

"Fine."

OoOoOoOoO

JJ was smirking at Emily on the plane as she and Hotch sat down. The blonde didn't miss the fact that Emily had offered to drive Hotch to the airport, as well as the fact that she'd visited him every day of his recovery period. Emily hadn't exactly broadcasted it to everybody, but they all knew and were secretly glad their Unit Chief had someone.

As they wrapped up talking about Call, Hotch moved to sit away from the group, choosing a long seat towards the back of the plane. Emily was about to follow when JJ sat down beside her, grinning.

"So, you and Hotch then?"

"JJ!" Emily hissed, almost loud enough for the guys around them to hear. "Shut up!"

"Oh, so you admit it then?"

"No!"

"That sounds like a confession."

"It's not!"

JJ continued to smirk at Emily. "You looked at each other for confirmation after you'd spoken back there. You went to his house every day for a month. You went to see if he was ok after Foyet attacked. You're in love with him."

"No, yes, yes, no. I didn't look at him for confirmation, I'm not in love with him."

"Emily, it's ok. It's not like any of us are going to judge you. If you two are happy, we're happy."

Emily shook her head, glancing out the window. "It's not that easy, JJ."

"If it were easy, Emily, you wouldn't go for him."

Emily turned to her friend, surprised by her words. Instead, she found her silently looking over the case file. The brunette turned back towards the window, biting her lip. Maybe she was right.

Maybe.

OoOoOoO

For a moment Emily watched Hotch as he led Darrin to the window, staring out it at the kids running around, oblivious to the monster across the street from them. She saw Hotch turn; pushing the boy out the door and for a fleeting second she swore he met her eyes.

"Let's get Hotch outta there," Emily spoke into her radio, scared for the man who was scared himself.

"That's his call," Rossi replied as Emily gritted her teeth together, trying to see anything that was going on.

Fear flooded through Emily as shots rang out, echoing through the area. She couldn't hear anything except for a light buzzing in her ears, rushing into the house just in time to see Hotch slapping handcuffs onto Call's wrists.

She followed Hotch out immediately, forgetting the case, her mind falling back to the familiar zone of caretaker and protector that she had assumed for the last month.

"Hotch? Hotch!" Emily dashed down the steps, looking around wildly. Her eyes landed on the familiar figure, bent over slightly, turned away from the house and off to the side.

"Hotch, we got Call. The Hollow Creek case is over. This is a win for us," She walked up to him, watching as he turned and faced her.

"Really? Because all I see is 3 people dead, all of them preventable if I had just thought a little more clearly," He shot back, his face hardened as he stared into Emily's eyes.

"You know what I see? A man who solved two cases, one of which open for however many years after a month of being away from duty," Emily's face softened and she relaxed slightly, wanting to reach out and touch him, but refraining. "And you know what? That man is stronger than anyone I've ever known."

Hotch looked like he was about to reply, but an officer interrupted Emily, pointing her towards Tommy.

"There's someone I think you should talk to," Emily spoke softly to Tommy, unaware of Hotch's gaze on her as she stood still for a moment before turning back towards her unit chief. Hotch was glancing back at the house, a strange look in his eyes.

"I meant it, you know," Emily called back. Hotch's head snapped towards her and a small smile played across his lips as he read into the double meaning.

"I know." He replied, his voice just loud enough for her to hear. Emily smiled at him, turning to speak to an officer, watching Hotch out of the corner of her eye.

She had never really stopped watching him.

OoOoOoOoO

"You didn't have to walk me up here, you know."

"I know," The gesture was simple, easy. But not for them. For them it meant so much more.

"So do you think Call's going to be ok?" Emily asked, idly stepping a bit closer to Hotch.

"I don't know."

"He got his answers," Emily looked down, ready to begin pushing again. "Killed the man who haunted him."

She wasn't sure what she wanted, if it was answers or for him to open up, Emily didn't know. She just wanted him to talk to her. They'd talked over the last months. Lots in fact, but never about Foyet. Never about Hayley or Jack or the fact that all of Hotch's life had been ripped away from him.

"And what else is there?"

"Years of torture," Emily replied, softly. She could feel his emotions sliding through him and she wondered if he was going to yell at her or kiss her.

Maybe both.

"Think he'll get over that?"

"How could he?" Emily paused, taking in a deep breath. "But, at least he doesn't have to feel like he's alone anymore."

"He doesn't have anyone," Hotch sounded so defeated, empty.

"He has Tommy. He's not alone," Emily wondered if Hotch truly believed he had nobody.

"Get some sleep," She added as she turned to walk out.

"You too," He murmured, following her to the door, locking it behind her. Emily sighed against the door, spinning slightly on her heel and beginning to walk down the hallway. All of a sudden, she stopped, possessed by a need to say no.

Whipping around, Emily moved back down the hallway quickly, knocking furiously on the door. A few seconds and clicks of locks later, Hotch opened it, only to be forced back as Emily stepped through the door, standing right in front of him.

He looked surprised, but only mildly so.

"You have every right to be sad, Hotch. You have every right to beat yourself up, to cry, to be emotional, and to want to get out there and kill Foyet with your bare hands. But you don't. You haven't and the only thing I can see is you slowly beginning to doubt yourself and the team," Emily took a deep breath, watching the emotionless expression warp slightly across Hotch's face, momentarily showing a pang of some emotion. "And I can't let you do that, Hotch. I can't, in good conscious, stand idly by while you try and convince yourself that all of this is your fault."

"Emily..."

"No, Hotch. I don't want to hear it. Starting tomorrow you are going to wake up knowing that none of this is your fault and you will walk through the BAU doors knowing that you can beat Foyet."

"But-"

"No buts." And with that, Emily reached up, her arms twining behind Hotch's neck and pulling him down.

"Emily, what are you doing?" He whispered, lips ghosting over hers.

"You said on the plane that without a family Call had no reason to live."

"Yeah, and?" He could barely focus on what either of them was saying as her lips met his slightly, her words forming against his mouth.

"And so I'm giving you a reason."

I'm sorry for this. I really am. I realised at the end that I couldn't not end this with a kiss. Ugh, I just don't even know. I still am going to have them get together first episode of season 7 but I don't know what to do with all this sexual tension. Ugh.

Ok, well, PLEASE REVIEW AND FOLLOW AND RATE AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS. Seriously, I love when you review, it makes my day!

Song: All I Wanna Know – Dear Rouge and Alexandria Maillot