~~~~~CM~~~~~

Aaron booked a luxury cabin in a resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a week. Emily would be leaving for Greece in the next night and he wanted to give her something to look forward to while vacationing with her mother.

He picked up Chinese food and headed over to her house. He knocked but didn't hear anything. He let himself in and punched in the security code. "Emily, Liam," he called out but no one replied.

He dropped the bag off in the kitchen as he heard the front door open. "Hey," he said so he wouldn't startle Emily.

"Mr. Hotch!" Liam barreled into the kitchen and hugged him around the knees.

He picked up the boy, kissing his forehead, "Liam, you can call me Aaron."

"Nope," Liam popped the p, "You are Mr. Hotch."

"Sorry, we were next door." Emily entered the kitchen, sniffing, "Oh my, is that Chinese? I love you!"

They kissed while he was still holding Liam. The toddler grabbed both their heads and squeezed, "Family Hug!"

Emptying the brown paper bag, Emily plated the food. Liam helped Aaron with the drinks and they sat down at the table.

"Louise, Declan, and Liam are packed. I just have to pack myself and we are ready to go in the after work tomorrow."

Smiling, Aaron pulled a brochure out of his pocket, "While packing for Greece, you might want to start packing for your next trip."

Reviewing the resort information, Emily squealed, reminiscent of Liam's happy sounds.

"Aaron, this is amazing. Oh, they have river rafting, and mountain biking and horseback riding." She giggled, "We may be quite sore from the activities."

"That's what the hot tub at the cabin is for, and we can go on simple hikes too. They have a great restaurant there."

They finished their meal, and cleaned up together before retiring upstairs. Liam played in the hallway, setting up a long line of toys from his room to Emily's.

Emily placed her suitcase on the bed and wandered around the room grabbing items to pack, "I've never been river rafting, have you?"

"No, I would like to try it. They have a beginner run." He said as he removed her clothes from the suitcase, refolding them before placing them back in the suitcase. Holding up her bathing suit, he flashed her a naughty grin, "I'd like to see you in this."

She tugged at his hands until they ended up in her closet. His hands slipped under her bra as he mouthed her neck. Breathing heavily, Emily clutched at his head, pulling lightly at his hair.

"When is Liam's bedtime?"

"10 minutes. Oh God, do that again."

He shuddered against her as his fingers pinched and his tongue swirled. Suddenly, he stepped back before he lost control. Her neck was blotchy and red; her shirt disheveled. She was breathtaking.

After straightening her shirt, she stepped forward and smoothed down his hair, "Aaron, you make me lose my mind."

They left the closet with his hands on her waist and slipping downwards. She swatted his hands away as she called out, "Chomper, it's bedtime. Can you start cleaning up?"

"Mama, I am not done playing." Liam's voice whined.

"I'll help him clean up. You keep packing." Aaron's strong hand squeezed her butt cheek as he walked away, "We need to clear the bed for later."

~~~~~CM~~~~~

Aaron and Emily were back in the master suite after they had put Liam to bed together. She had changed into a sexy piece of lingerie that made him weak in the knees. Thinking about it, even her silly unmatched pajama ensembles made him weak at the knees but this, God, that little scrap of lace made him feel like a wild animal. And he had pounced.

Afterwards, they cuddled and she have him a dirty rundown of what she had enjoyed. He felt obligated to verify.

A quick shower after the second round left him wide awake. He padded through the house, checking the locks, grabbing a drink of water before checking that Liam was still sleeping soundly. He adjusted the toddler's blankets before returning to bed.

Pulling Emily into his arms, he said, "I liked the family hug tonight from Liam. I enjoyed putting him to bed."

"I'm still trying to get him to call you Aaron."

"I wouldn't mind if he called me Dad," He said, his voice growing husky, "I know it's a bit soon, but by this time next year, I'd like it if we were married and I adopted him as my own."

"So, was that a proposal?" She said as her hand snaked under his shirt. She lightly caressed his stomach, dipping her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs.

"You'll know when I propose." He told her, smiling, "I'd like to have the paperwork done by the wedding though, adoptions take time. I think it's time we talk about his father signing away his parental rights."

Emily stiffened, moving away until she was sitting up against the headboard, "Liam's father is not in the picture. His name is not on the birth certificate. There aren't any roadblocks."

"Em," He watched as her face hardened so he softened his voice, "Emily, I want to adopt Liam legally. His father will need to agree."

"It's not necessary." Her tone harsh, her eyes narrowed.

Turning in the bed, he faced her, "Wait, does he know he has a son?"

"Aaron, you don't understand." She pleaded, "It's fine. Liam is better off without him."

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "You said it didn't end well, that he was controlling. But controlling or not, he has a right to know he has a son."

She leaped from the bed, and backed up towards the wall as if she was under attack, "Aaron, don't push this."

"Push? What am I pushing?" He watched her face flame red, her breath quickening. Her distress startled him, he didn't want to fight. "Em, love,"

Livid, she shouted at him, "Don't call me that! He called me that and it wasn't love!"

Aaron climbed out of the bed, and approached her slowly, "Emily, what is going on? What happened with him?"

Standing stiffly, she didn't relax as he tried to hold her. He cradled her face in his large hands, "Please, talk to me."

Her eyes were wide and her voice broken, "Aaron, leave it alone. Trust me on this. Legal or not, I need you to know that I am protecting my son, my family."

This terrified him; Emily was all about laws and working within the system. She was more rigid than any agent he had worked with. And here she was, hiding her child's existence, deliberately not adding his father's name to the birth certificate. Protecting her family? Her mother had a highly skilled security detail.

Blinking, he realized that some time had passed and he was sitting in the oversized arm chair in the corner of the room. She was kneeling between his legs, her dark eyes pleading with him to understand.

He brushed his fingertips across her tops of her cheeks, "Em."

"Can you trust me on this?"

"You are scaring me." He sighed, "I do trust you but with these secrets, I don't know where that will take us. I just…"

He trailed off and she leaned against his legs, letting her head rest on his knee.

Emily spoke quietly, "This leads to mistrust in our relationship. How can you build a life with someone who can't tell you the truth?"

Aaron felt her tears trickling down his bare leg, and stroked her hair, "You said can't. You can't tell me the truth, not that you won't." Reaching down, he pulled her up into his arms, "I trust you with my life every day on the job. I trust you with my son. I trust that you wouldn't keep a secret from me if you didn't have to."

"I don't think our relationship will be the same after this. Maybe I shouldn't have allowed myself to love you."

He jostled her in his arms before carrying her the two steps to the bed. She cried herself to sleep in his arms while he lay awake. She was right, their relationship wouldn't be the same. He would always wonder and the lack of information would eat away at him.

With his stomach twisting and aching while his mind racing through possible scenarios, Aaron considered the information he already knew.

Emily had Liam in Chicago and couldn't wait to move; applying for BAU here, Counter Terrorism in New York, and even the State Department in D.C.

Emily had known Louise for at least four years

Louise must know who Liam's father was as she moved here from Chicago with Emily.

Emily said that she knew going into the relationship that it would end badly, why had she stayed in a destructive relationship?

This man was controlling. Controlling enough that Emily still feared him four years later.

Emily had not put the man's name on the birth certificate. But she had never lied and said she didn't know who Liam's father was. Saying it was a one night stand, a stranger, that would have been easier, but Emily was never for taking the easy route.

When Emily joined the team, her employee file was filled with inconsistencies.

She had never told the team about Liam. He was a secret and probably would have remained so but Aaron had shown up unexpectedly. Emily was unwilling to be controlled by Strauss, she had quit rather than be under the ice queen's thumb.

Controlling, that word had come up several times when she talked about Liam's father. That is the same word Aaron would describe his own father. And when he lost control, Thomas Hotchner became abusive. He had bullied his wife and his children into being the perfect Southern family. Clothes had to pressed perfectly, hair combed precisely, manners impeccable, house immaculate, grades at the top of the class.

A dry pot roast or specks on the glassware meant an hour long lecture on housekeeping and representing the Hotchner family in the best light; this was followed by the silent treatment. His mother bowed under the pressure, moving through life like a ghost. Invisible in her own home, nothing more than a servant who was to remain unseen. Unless, there was a social function, then she had to be the perfectly coiffed hostess.

Getting anything less than a 100% on a test equated to a beating. Aaron had strived to be the best, often staying up all night to ensure he would ace every test. With his mother's focus on the having a perfect home and being the perfect housewife, he took responsibility for his younger brother, fixing Sean's clothes, wiping up smudges, and catching the glass of milk before a single drop could be spilled.

Liam was growing up in a home where he could be himself. He had an inner glow that Emily and Louise had nurtured. They encouraged him, and disciplined him appropriately allowing him to become a bright and active child. He was well mannered, not spoiled. The little boy was never fearful in his home, not even when he broke something. He apologized sincerely, and Emily had simply reminded him to remember the rules and be safe. .

With his biological father in the picture, would Liam be timid and scared like Aaron and Sean were? Would Emily be like his mother, watching every word she said, tip toeing around afraid of Thomas Hotchner's next episode?

He spent the rest of the night, sleepless with the woman he loved in his arms. A woman with a past that terrified her, and now terrified him.

~~~~~CM~~~~~

A/N: Oooh glimpse into Liam's father!

This chapter is un-beta'd; all mistakes are mine.