A/N: Thanks to kathlyn4060 for the review! Please keep them coming guys. I love to know whether you're loving (or hating) the story.

Chapter 34: Exit Wounds

Hotch pushed the trolley with his foot as the service elevator doors opened, and he started down the hall towards Emily's new apartment. The larger objects had been moved the day before by the professionals, but he had insisted on helping Emily with the smaller items, packed away in boxes. This was their last load and once the trolley was in the apartment, she was officially moved in.

As he pushed the trolley through the door and closed it behind him, he eyed Jack in the living room, unpacking the crates of toys. That's right… crates. Since Jack had been spending more time with Emily, she had expanded her collection of children's toys, books, and DVD's so extensively that she had to purchase a second crate in which to store them. Jack loved visiting Emily's house to see what new treats she had waiting for him, and so far she was knocking it out of the park.

"Jack," Hotch called out as he cut open the tape on the top box on the trolley, "How are you doing over there?"

"Almost done, Daddy," Jack called back. Emily had tasked Jack with arranging his current favourite toys and books in the small shelf under the entertainment unit in the corner. At present, that meant that, in addition to the collection of three monkey statues that Emily had gathered in her travels, her living room now featured a section dedicated to Transformers, Masters of the Universe, and Hot Wheels.

Emily emerged from the guest bathroom and smiled, "I can't wait to see it when you're finished, Jack-in-the-box," she called out, resulting in a toothy grin from the four-year old. She turned to Hotch and nodded at the trolley, "Is that the last of it then?"

Hotch nodded and handed Emily a handful of books, first editions, from the box, "Sure is… you're officially moved in Agent Prentiss."

Emily smiled and looked around the apartment. It was smaller than her last home, but at least it belonged to her… and the bank. It was the first time she'd really felt settled enough to sign a mortgage, but as she'd said to Sean… she was here to stay.

"You're not feeling buyer's remorse, are you?" Hotch asked, watching Emily's face as she looked over her new home, "Because I don't think my back can take another move so soon."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, moving over to the bookcase to start filling it with books, "Not at all…" she tipped her head, "… besides, this way I'm even closer to you guys."

Hotch chuckled and nodded, then quickly schooled his features, "Hmm… maybe Jack and I should think about moving neighbourhoods."

Emily walked back over and patted Hotch on the arm, "Very funny Agent Hotchner," she replied, "Just remember, I know where you live… and you gave me a key."

Hotch huffed as he took more books out and handed them to Emily, "Agent Prentiss, that key was for emergencies only."

Emily shook her head and made her way back to the bookcase, sorting the books by genre and alphabetical order. She glanced over at Jack and smiled, making her way over and kneeling behind him, running her hand through his hair, "This looks amazing, Jack!"

Jack smiled up at Emily and pointed to the toys, "This is Optimus Prime, and this is He-Man," he explained, pointing to the corresponding toys, "They will both look after you and keep you safe."

Emily smiled softly and kissed Jack's cheek, "Always looking out for me… just like your Daddy."

*Knock knock*

Hotch turned and headed towards the door, checking the peephole and, unsure of who was in the hallway, opened it with trepidation.

"Uh…" the man looked at Hotch and frowned, checking his phone and then looking back up at the number on the door, "Is Emily here?"

Hotch turned back to see Emily rise from the floor and look past him, her face lighting up as she jumped to her feet. He wasn't sure who this man was, but apparently Emily was glad to see him. He turned back to survey Emily's visitor, tall (though, to Hotch's relief, not as tall as him), with dark hair, a stubbly chin, and a Scottish accent. If Hotch was a betting man, he'd say this was someone from Emily's Interpol days.

"Sean!"

Hotch watched as Emily walked past him and embraced the man in the hall, standing back to gesture for him to come in.

After Hotch closed the door behind them, Emily turned and pointed between the two men, "Aaron Hotchner, Sean McAllister," she explained, "Hotch is Unit Chief at the BAU… Sean and I worked together at Interpol."

Sean placed a small wooden box on the entry table and turned back to hold out a hand. Hotch shook it, adding a little more gusto than he usually would. He hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come that one of Emily's old team-mates was dropping by, but he wasn't about to ask her then. He made a mental note to check in with her later. Emily and Sean turned to walk down the hall, and Hotch followed, noting the way she held Sean's arm and leaned against his side.

"What brings you to DC?" Hotch asked, following Emily and Sean around the corner and into the living room.

"What Hotch means to ask is, you're not here to drag me back to London, are you?" Emily joked, patting Hotch's shoulder as he sat next to her on the couch.

Hotch rolled his eyes and shook his head, watching as Jack stood up and made his way over to the grown-ups, climbing into Emily's lap. Hotch couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction when he saw Jack eying Emily's friend suspiciously as he leaned back against her chest. Jack reached down to take hold of Emily's hands where the rested on his belly, and Hotch smiled. If body language could speak, Jack's would be speaking volumes.

"No… unfortunately I'm not here to persuade Emily to come back to Interpol," Sean replied, smiling at his friend, "She made it clear last month that she was very happy in DC. I'm in just in town for a while, following up on an initiative we've been working on at Interpol."

"Is that the surveillance agreement between member countries?" Hotch asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Sean nodded and raised his eyebrows, "It is… have you heard about it?" he asked, shifting his eyes from Hotch to Emily, then back again.

Hotch shrugged and leant back, placing a possessive arm on the cushion behind Emily, "I've heard that it's quite controversial and that many of the governments in western Europe are unsure about it."

Sean raised an eyebrow, "It has its detractors, like any law enforcement proposal," he retorted, "But it also has its merits… being able to identify intended terrorist targets before something happens, being one."

Emily rolled her eyes, "So what brings you by, Sean?" she asked, inconspicuously jabbing her elbow into Hotch's side, resulting in a satisfying huff from him. She was all for him protecting his son, but this territorial pissing match he had going on with Sean was taking things a bit too far. She had been clear with Hotch that she was in DC to stay... she'd bought an apartment for Christ's sakes... so he needed to calm down. That being said, his behaviour was a pretty good indication of his feelings for her, and gave her hope that she might (eventually) be able to risk it all by telling him how she felt. Either that or Hotch just hated recruitment and didn't want her to leave a spot open on the team.

Sean stood from the couch and walked back to the entry, picking up the wooden box. He wandered back to the living room and sat down, handing the box to Emily.

"Fi had her brother send this over," Sean explained, "A house-warming present... sorry it's not wrapped."

Emily smiled and reached over to squeeze Sean's hand, turning back to Hotch and tipping her head, "Fi is Sean's wife… they live in Brussels and have the sweetest little girl, Maisie."

Hotch smiled softly and looked up at Sean, "How old is your daughter?" he asked, figuring from Emily's disclosure that she wanted them to find some common ground, and parenting seemed a safe bet.

"She's four years old," Sean explained, "We put off having kids while our team was…" he and Emily exchanged a knowing look, "Well… anyway, she's the light of my life…" he paused and nodded to the box in Emily's hand, "And Fi's family owns a distillery in Dubford, so this is our traditional housewarming gift."

Emily opened the wooden box and chuckled, running her hand over the bottle of whiskey. It was paired with two gorgeous glasses and twelve whiskey stones.

"This is beautiful, Sean," Emily said softly, looking up at her friend, "You'll have to thank Fi for me."

"Or you could come for a visit?" Sean teased, "Autumn in Belgium is beautiful."

Emily smiled and nodded, "Sometime soon, I promise."

Sean tapped his hands on his knees and started to stand, "Well, it looks like you've got plenty of unpacking still to do," he said brightly, "And I should leave you to it."

Emily and Hotch stood together, Emily taking Jack with her and sitting him on her hip. They followed Sean to the front door and he turned to give Emily a hug, taking care not to crowd Jack. As he stood back, Sean reached over to ruffle Jack's hair, causing him to smile and rest his head on Emily's shoulder.

"Look after yourself, friend," Sean said softly, "And maybe we can play pool one more time before I leave."

"That would be wonderful," Emily replied, stepping back and smiling brightly, "Say hi to the girls for me."

Sean nodded and turned to Hotch, holding out his hand to shake again. This time, it was a little less robust and Sean smiled, realising that Hotch had gotten the hint.

Emily wasn't going anywhere... and Sean was not his competition.

Sean waved as he made his way down the hall, watching as Emily closed the door. He sighed, taking the first steps down the staircase. When Emily had told him a month ago that she was settled, he had no idea how much she meant it. She was clearly settled, and even had a family of her own to keep her grounded in DC. He wondered if she'd reached out to their friend on Ninth Street to sort out back-up documents for them. She might be settled, but there was no reason to be foolish.

He knew he'd have to feed this back to Clyde, who would be disappointed that Emily would probably never be willing to leave the life she'd made for herself in DC.

Sean shrugged at the thought as he pushed his way through the front doors of the building. He knew better than anyone what life after JTF looked like. Security, stability, family. He only hoped that Emily was really as happy as she seemed.

Emily closed the door behind her and turned back to Hotch, lowering Jack to the floor so he could go back to playing. She made her way back over to the living room and picked up the wooden box, taking out the bottle of whiskey and placing it in the liquor cabinet in the dining area. She wandered into the kitchen and took the glasses and stones out, placing them on the sink so she could wash them later.

As she turned and headed back into the living room, she found Hotch by the trolley again, taking the heavy box of books from the trolley and sitting it on the coffee table, turning back and forth unpacking its contents.

"Everything ok?" Emily asked, watching him work. He had to know he was just shoving books on the shelf, and she'd have to organise them again later. But he avoided eye contact and just kept moving.

"Everything's fine."

Emily raised one eyebrow and shook her head, walking over to the trolley and starting on the next box. As she cut open the tape and opened the flaps, she found it packed with memorabilia from her travels, she smiled, taking out a lacquered painting from a trip to Vietnam. A wooden carving from Nepal came next, followed by a tapestry from Afghanistan.

"So you met up with Sean when he first arrived?" Hotch asked, rousing Emily from her memories. That was one of many pieces of information he had tucked away from Sean's short visit, and it made him wonder when it had all happened. Not that he had a monopoly on Emily's time, but Hotch would have thought this would be a piece of information she would share with him. Unless it meant something... unless there was chance that Sean could convince her to leave the BAU and return to Interpol... in that case, she would definitely keep his visit a secret.

She looked up from the box and furrowed her brow, "We had a few drinks and played some pool." Emily replied, "He told me what the rest of the team are all up to now, and told me he was in DC for the negotiations…" she paused and shrugged, "… he may have asked what it would take for me to come back to Interpol, but I told him I was settled in DC."

"Do you mean you feel settled, or you feel like you've settled?" Hotch asked, avoiding eye contact by lining up the books perfectly in the bookcase. It felt like an important distinction to him. If she felt settled, it meant that she wanted to be here in DC, and that she was staying for herself. If she felt like she'd settled, the ground underneath him would feel a little less stable. It would mean that something, out of her control, was keeping her here. And Hotch would hate to think that it could be him... or their work... that made Emily feel trapped.

"Aaron," Emily urged, dropping her souvenirs in the box and making her way over to him. She tugged on his arm until he turned to face her and she squeezed his hand, "I'm happy in DC. I'm not tempted to go back to Interpol, and I like my life here."

She furrowed her brow and waited. She'd been hoping for something to kick them both into saying how they really felt, but every time, something stopped them. And as much as Emily wanted to just say the words, she was terrified. Hotch was her best friend. Aside from Zac and her parents… and Jack too… he was the most important person in her life.

And she wasn't sure she could take that risk.

Staring into Hotch's eyes, she wondered if she should just say it.

Just say the words, Emily…

*Bzzzz*

Emily closed her eyes and sighed, reaching into her pocket and taking out her cell.

"Emily," Hotch started, but she held her hand up to stop him, and she answered the call, covering his mouth with her hand.

"Emily," JJ said brightly, "Where are you? Are you on your way?"

"Oh my god, JJ," Emily replied, dropping her hand from Hotch's face, "I totally forgot… I'm so sorry… I just need to get changed and I'll be right there."

"Ok," JJ replied, "Is everything ok? We can postpone if you're still unpacking."

Emily shook her head and looked at Hotch with what she was hoping was an apologetic face, "Give me thirty minutes… shower, clothes, cab."

"Alright. I'll meet you outside Starbucks," JJ replied, "See you soon."

"See you soon."

Emily ended the call and reached over to squeeze Hotch's hand, "I'm really sorry," she said gently, "I promised the girls we could go shopping for Henry's birthday."

Hotch shook his head and smiled softly, "No problem," he replied, "I need to get Jack home for his bath anyway."

Emily nodded and stooped down to pull Jack into a hug, standing up and looking over his shoulder at Hotch while she squeezed the boy tight, "Thank you so much for being such a great helper today," she whispered to him, "And now you know where all of your favourite toys are when you come over next."

Jack nodded and Emily handed him over to Hotch, reaching up to ruffle Jack's hair and run her hand down his back. She stopped when she reached Hotch's arm and gave it a squeeze, leaning forward to kiss Hotch on the cheek.

"And thank you for being such a big helper today too," she said with a laugh, "Next time you're around, you'll have to help me break in that whiskey."

"It's a deal," Hotch said, stepping around Emily to get to the door. As they stepped through, Hotch turned and tipped his head, "Have fun tonight."

Emily nodded and smiled, "I'll see you Monday."

She stood back and watched the boys make their way down the hall, then start down the stairs. They stopped a few steps down and waved, Emily waving back before she closed the door. As she turned the lock and latched the chain, Emily banged her head against the wooden doorjamb.

One of these days there would be no interruptions and she would find the right words to tell Hotch how she felt. As Emily walked into her bedroom and pulled together an outfit, she kicked herself that tonight wasn't the night.

Hotch sighed as he stepped out of his room and onto the balcony. It ran along the length of the tavern and had sliding doors for each of the rooms. He wasn't going to make any noise though, just get some fresh air... and some peace. It had only taken him minutes to regret bunking down with Rossi. That man could snore. In fact, Hotch was surprised the entire town hadn't woken up to Rossi sawing wood.

Hotch rubbed his hands over his arms and pulled his coat tight at the cool air hitting his pyjama-laden chest. He'd at least had the good sense to pull on his boots before he'd stepped outside, so no frost-bite on his feet. As he released another sigh, he watched his breath release in swirls. He turned his head when he heard her voice, and he took a step back into the room, out of sight.

"Hi sweetheart," Emily whispered as she stepped onto the balcony, "Heads up, cell service is super sketchy where I am right now so don't freak out if the call drops."

"Where are you?" Zac asked, stirring the sugar into his final coffee of the day.

"Alaska," Emily replied, "Freezing my ass off and wishing I was sharing a room with anyone but JJ."

Zac chuckled, "Why's that?"

"She snores louder than your father," Emily replied, shuddering at the memory and the cold.

"Not really something I needed to know about the sleeping habits that led to my conception, but sure…" Zac replied, "I get what you mean."

Emily threw her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, "Sorry… change of subject?" she asked.

"Sure… I'll be in DC next week," Zac said brightly, "If you're in town I was thinking I could stay with you."

"Zac, you never need to ask," Emily replied, "My house will always be your house… no matter what…" she paused, "… since I just moved in, though, you won't have a key. Maybe Brianna can meet you at the apartment with a key."

"Oh… is she the blonde?" Zac asked, "The medical student you were telling me about?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "You are shameless," she chuckled, "I'll send you her number."

"Much appreciated, Mother," Zac replied.

Emily groaned, "What have I told you about calling me that," she mumbled, "It makes me sound so old."

Zac chuckled, "I figured it would make you laugh," he replied, "But you should really go and get some sleep."

"You too," Emily replied, "I'll talk to you soon… I love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

Emily looked down at her cell and smiled, shaking her head. As cold as she was, the conversation had put her in a much better headspace that she felt like she could finally get some sleep. She looked down at her jeans and sweater and wondered if she should change, or if she should just sleep in her clothes.

Just as she turned back to the room, she heard screaming and turned to look out over the town. It was too dark, but she was certain she heard screaming. She stood and waited and, sure enough, more screaming followed, this time, it was a voice she recognised.

Emily jumped when Hotch emerged from his room and he looked over at her.

"Was that Garcia?"

As the credits played, Emily looked over at Jack, who had fallen asleep ten minutes into their movie. She ran her hand over his head and smiled, grateful that Hotch had asked her to look after him while he took care of some personal errands. She enjoyed all the time she could get with him, and loved to watch him grow.

After a hectic afternoon of playing tag at the park, followed by a baking storm to break-in her new kitchen, they had settled into the living room to watch Brother Bear. Emily thought Jack might enjoy the story, and it was a nice change from the endless runs of Finding Nemo that they'd found themselves in.

There was a knock at the door and Emily gently shifted Jack's head onto the cushion, standing and covering him with a blanket. She checked the peephole and unlocked the door, smiling as she opened the door.

"Hey," she said softly, "How was your afternoon?"

Hotch shrugged, stepping inside and looking around for signs of his son, "Quiet and efficient," he replied.

Emily tipped her head towards the living room, "He fell asleep about an hour ago," she explained, "But he's had dinner, a bath, and he's in his PJ's."

They walked together down the hall, Hotch instinctively reaching up to squeeze Emily's shoulder. They stopped in the dining room, where Hotch could see Jack, asleep on the couch. He smiled down at Emily and kissed the side of her head.

"Thanks for taking care of him," Hotch said softly. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hotch thought this might be it, but his train of thought was interrupted when he felt something tap his shins. He looked down and smiled.

"Who is this?" Hotch said, stooping down to pick up the black cat. He cuddled the creature into his chest, the cat rubbing its head against Hotch's neck.

Emily chuckled and reached over, running her hand over the cat's head where it lay against Hotch's chest.

Emily had returned from Alaska the day before, and had only been home for an hour or so when there was a knock at the door. Brianna, Emily's new neighbour, told her that she had a special present for her, courtesy of someone special. She had handed Emily a small crate and when she opened it, she found a small black cat and a note from Zac. He thought she could use the company, and had found a woman two buildings down from Emily's, who was selling kittens. He was about six months old and solid black.

"Let's just say, someone I know felt like I needed a buddy," Emily explained, "And if you say one word about me becoming a crazy cat lady, I will take your head."

And Emily fell in love straight away. Looking over at Hotch cuddling the cat against his chest, she wondered if he'd fallen too.

Hotch held up a hand and shook his head, "Like I would ever put myself in danger like that… and leave my son an orphan."

Emily bit her lip and let the deep laugh out that she was trying to hold in. It wasn't often that Hotch made a joke, but when he did they were typically dark, dry, and hilarious. She shook her head and watched while the cat struggled against Hotch's hold, to the point that Hotch had to finally release him on the floor.

"So what's his name?" he asked, following Emily into the kitchen.

She was setting up a new set of bowls on the floor by the window, for her new roommate. Hotch took the small tin of wet food out of Emily's hands and tore the lid off, accepting the spoon she held out to him so he could scoop the food into one of the bowls. He set it down on the feeding mat, and turned back, taking the bowl of water to place beside the food. After he stood up, he dusted his hands and turned back to Emily, watching while she turned the kettle on.

"I have no idea," Emily replied, "I'm terrible at choosing names…" she paused and huffed, "All I've come up with is Salem."

"Sabrina the Teenage Witch?" Hotch asked, chuckling when Emily nodded.

Hotch leant against the counter and watched the cat as he ate his food, and then he raised his eyebrows, looking over at Emily and smiling, "What about Sergio?"

Emily furrowed her brow and looked down at the cat, "Sergio…" she paused and looked up at Hotch with a grin, "I love it!" Tipping her head to the side, Emily bit her lip, "Where did you come up with that?"

Hotch huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "When we were trying to figure out names for Jack, before we settled on Jack, I suggested Sergio."

Emily chuckled and gently pushed Hotch's arm, before she turned to fill up two mugs with hot tea. She handed one to Hotch and they made their way into the living room, settling on the couch, on either side of Jack.

"Sergio… that's a genius name for a cat, but…" Emily paused and raised her eyebrow, "You weren't seriously going to name your child that were you?"

Hotch shook his head and chuckled, looking down at his sleeping son, "No… but Haley and I each got a veto, and Haley kept suggesting Gideon."

Emily huffed and bit her lip, "Pretty shrewd move there, counsellor," she joked, "So how'd you settle on Jack?"

Hotch shrugged, "We looked up the meaning," he replied, "It means full of vital energy."

Emily smiled softly and reached up to squeeze Hotch's hand where it rested on the back of the couch, "Well, if that's not an accurate description, I'm not sure what is."

Hotch took a sip of his tea, watching Emily play with the tag from her tea bag. He wondered if they'd ever have a moment that wasn't interrupted, where he would have the courage to tell her. They dealt with so much death and trauma in their lives, and if there was ever something they should be learning from that work, it should be that there's no time to wait. But the more he thought about telling Emily, the more he came up with reasons not to. Changing their dynamic could be devastating. He could lose everything he already had with her. And everything he already had with her was amazing.

Why risk it?

Hotch sighed, watching Emily tenderly run her hand over Jack's head. He loved how much she adored his son, and how much she was willing to do to care for and protect him. Hotch could never take that away from Jack, he could never cause Jack to lose even more than he already had.

Maybe it was cowardice. Maybe it was self-preservation. Whatever it was, Hotch had decided that tonight was not the night to tell her.

"So what else did you two get up to today?" Hotch asked as he sipped his tea.

Emily shrugged, "I taught him how to throw shurikens, we fought off a band of mercenaries, and then we went bungy-jumping," she replied dryly. She began to giggle as Hotch looked at her with an expression-less face. She shook her head, "We went to the park, came home, baked some cookies - which you have to take to work on Monday and tell the team that Jack baked them - watched a movie and ate Mac n Cheese..." she paused and looked up at Hotch, "... what about you? Did you get everything done that you needed to?"

Hotch nodded, "Yep," he replied, "New car will be in by Tuesday. I'll have to leave early to go and pick it up, but they gave me a good deal on the trade-in."

"So what's this new car?" Emily probed, "Convertible? Hum-vee? Oh I know!" she exclaimed, wincing as she looked down at Jack, who stirred, but didn't wake, "You bought matching mopeds for you and Jack to ride tandem?"

Hotch rolled his eyes, "No, Emily," Hotch replied, "It's just another sedan... but it does have surround sound."

"Hmmm," Emily said, sitting back against the couch cushion, her hand coming to rest on Jack's back, "There really is nothing like the Wiggles in surround to make you feel like a real man."

Hotch huffed and shook his head, taking the last sip of his tea and looking down at Jack, "On that sarcastic note, I should get him home," Hotch said, reaching down to rest his mug on the coffee table, "Thanks again for taking care of him."

"Oh yeah," Emily said as she stood from the couch, placing her mug next to Hotch's, "It's a real hardship to hang out with the world's coolest kid."

While Hotch leant down to lift sleeping Jack, Emily went into the spare bedroom and collected his dirty clothes, packing them into his little backpack, and when she emerged, she met them by the front door. She held the backpack out for Hotch to take, and she leant over to kiss Jack on the cheek. She ran her hand down the little boy's back and smiled at Hotch.

"I'll see you Monday," she said softly, resisting the urge to kiss him goodbye… or convince him to stay.

In moments like this, all the reasons that Emily used to convince herself not to say anything were drowned out by the voices inside her head, screaming at her to just kiss him. It would be so easy. All she had to do was get up on her tiptoes and press her lips against his. And then Hotch would kiss her back and put Jack in the spare room to sleep, and they could sit on the couch and kiss and talk and be happy. Emily's mind started to take her down a very exciting path, but she hit the brakes and took a step back.

Hotch nodded and bit his lip, "Goodnight Emily."

Emily opened the door and held it open with her hip, watching as Hotch walked down the hall and turned at the steps. He looked up and offered a small smile before he continued down the stairs, disappearing out of view.

Emily turned back when she heard the sound from the dining room and found her new roommate purring from under the dining table. She let the door swing to a close and turned the lock, the she crouched down and clicked her fingers, and Sergio came running to her. She picked him up and nuzzled her face in his neck, enjoying the soft, warm creature in her arms.

"Alright Sergio," Emily said softly, "It's time for bed."