A/N: Thanks again for the reviews guys! Keep them coming.

Chapter 38: Devil's Night

Emily turned the corkscrew into the top of the bottle and pressed down, popping the top open and pouring a small amount into the empty glass in front of her. As she took a taste of the wine, she smiled and nodded… perfect. She added some more wine to the glass, picking it up and heading back into the living room, stoking the logs in the fireplace and watching the flames grow, before she settled onto a floor cushion and leant back against the couch.

As she sipped her wine, Emily pulled out the first album from the box that she hadn't yet unpacked. It had been stored in the closet in the spare bedroom, and she was only just getting around to deciding which albums she could keep out, and which she would put into storage.

Emily opened the album and smiled at the face of her son grinning back at her. She ran her finger over the image of his cheeks and chuckled, remembering that day well. He'd been so excited about losing his first tooth, he had insisted that she take a photo to mark the moment. And she was glad that he had been so insistent. The image of a tiny, six-year old Zac with a big gap in his massive grin brought a similarly massive smile to Emily's own face.

She turned the page and found another photo that made her heart leap. Their first day in their house in St Louis, Emily's first posting as a rookie agent. Boxes piled around them, Emily and Zac sitting on the floor with a half-empty pizza box in front of them. It was one of those moments that took hold of all of Emily's senses. The smell of the dusty apartment. The taste of the pepperoni. The sight of Zac as he unpacked his most treasured possessions (a microscope and his comic books). The sound of Muddy Waters playing on the cassette player while they did their unpacking. She started at the FBI field office a week later, and Zac started his final year of elementary school.

The next page showed Zac's Halloween costumes through the years, starting with him dressed up as a turtle at age one, through his Transformer and He-Man obsessions of middle childhood, and concluding with his teenage years of Edward Scissorhands, Han Solo, and Weird Al. Halloween had been a favourite time of year for Zac, and as he got older, he moved away from the costume choices typical for kids his age and had favoured the ironic and the anti-hero. And even though he had just celebrated his twenty-fourth birthday, Zac still checked in with her to narrow down his costume shortlist. This year, he was going with a classic anti-hero from his favourite comic books: Cable.

As she ran her eyes over the images of Zac's costumes through the ages, Emily picked up her cell and hit her speed-dial, waiting while the phone rang in her ear.

"Hotchner."

"Hey Aaron," Emily said brightly, furrowing her brow quickly when she processed how he'd answered, "You're not still at the office are you?" She shook her head and sighed. He had promised her that he wouldn't work late, given the hours that they put in on cases and how tired he'd been lately. It had taken a lot of effort on her part, and she'd hate if he was wasting it. Emily was reaching the point in her feelings for him that she thought Aaron Hotchner was the hottest thing since sliced bread... he literally had HOT in his name... but she was starting to worry about the deepening bags under his eyes from long nights spent at his desk.

Hotch huffed, "No Emily," he replied, "I'm at home… just working."

"Aaron," Emily warned, "We're going to find you buried under a mound of vacation requests one day, if you're not careful."

"Yes ma'am," Hotch replied sarcastically, "So did you just ring to check that I wasn't dead at my desk, or was there another reason for this nocturnal interruption?"

Emily chuckled and shook her head. Hotch may have been spending too much time with her, if that was how he was asking her a question. His quips were definitely improving, and she was enjoying it, almost as much as the rest of the team.

"Actually, I was just going through some old photos and wondered if you and the young Hotchner had any plans for Halloween?" she asked, "If you do, can I join? And if you don't, can I persuade you to make some plans?"

Hotch huffed and stood from his desk, making his way into the kitchen to start the kettle. It was too late for coffee, but a cup of tea might be enough to get him through his work, "Actually, I picked up his costume this morning… Spiderman," Hotch replied, "We were just going to trick-or-treat in our building, but I think we could expand the candy search parameters to include your building."

Emily smiled and nodded, "In that case, would the young Hotchner be needing additional back-up?"

Hotch reached into the cabinet for the box of tea, and smiled, enjoying this back and forth with Emily, "I usually take my side-arm and my ankle holster, but if you're free, another armed guard would be helpful."

Rolling her eyes at the continued banter, Emily decided to just shoot straight in response, "Alright, well how's six o'clock on Friday?" she asked.

"Six would be perfect," Hotch replied, "Will you bring the photos? I'd love to see Emily Prentiss' Halloween History."

Emily wrinkled her brow in confusion, then realised that Hotch assumed the photos she'd been looking at were her own, "Uh… no, but if you're lucky I'll be dressed up on the night," she replied, glancing up at the costume that was currently hanging on the handle of her bedroom door. Zac had helped her decide on her costume choice for the big night too, and the giant nerd inside her was giddy with excitement.

"Oh, any hints?" Hotch asked, imagining all manner of costumes that would not be appropriate for his son to see. He felt a blush climbing up his face and shook those dangerous thoughts from his mind. He was still hoping to figure things out with Emily, but he had a lot of work to do on himself before he'd be ready. And it was a little too early in the evening to have those images racing across his brain, especially when he had at least two hours worth of work left to do. Once he was in bed or in the shower... that would be a different game.

"No way!" Emily replied brightly, "I'd hate to spoil the surprise."

She'd attended her fair share of costume parties over the years, and while some of her outfits had been relegated to Good Will, there were a few choice options that she'd kept. While Emily wasn't as enthusiastic about the holiday as Reid or Zac, she still enjoyed the occasional game of pretend, and this year, with the option of accompanying Hotch and Jack on their candy rounds, she had even more to look forward to.

"And what about you," Emily probed, knowing that she was dancing a little close to the flame with this question, but unable to stop herself in any case, "Any chance I'll get to see you in spandex?"

Hotch spluttered the sip of hot tea and coughed to clear his throat, "Uh… sorry to disappoint you there, Agent Prentiss," he replied, grabbing a tea towel to blot against his shirt, "I left my spandex at the drycleaners and they're not open tomorrow."

Emily chuckled and brought a hand up to her mouth, "Are you ok over there?" she asked, having heard the choking sounds. Of course, Hotch only had himself to blame. As far as Emily was concerned, Hotch had started the flirting, she'd just followed his lead. That being said, she was slightly disappointed at his surprise. That ass in a spandex superhero costume would be the perfect image to lift Emily's spirits on even the most traumatic of cases.

"I'm fine," Hotch replied, dropping the tea towel on the counter, "So six on Friday?" he asked, diverting the conversation away to avoid any further exploration of Emily's comment.

"Works for me," she replied, "Now, it's your job to make sure if we get a case, that we're home in time."

"Yes ma'am."

Hotch watched the patrol car reverse out of the driveway, carrying Kaman away from his family. He couldn't imagine the pain that they were all feeling in this moment, but he was still relieved. They had saved Tracy and her family, and Daniel would at least know his father... even if it was through the bars of the prison. As he watched over the scene, Hotch felt his heart constrict at the thought of Jack and he wished he could hold him right now. Seeing all of these families go through this pain, of losing a husband, son, father, was a grim reminder of how quickly it could all be lost.

Tracy moved over to pull Daniel into her arms and they watched the car drive away, until the flashing lights disappeared around the first corner. Tracy turned back to look at Hotch and she squeezed her son tight. "What happens now?" she asked, looking up at Hotch expectantly.

"Kaman will be detained and interviewed," Hotch explained softly, "He'll most likely be away for a long time."

Tracy nodded, a tear falling down her cheek. She opened her mouth to speak, so many questions running through her mind, but as she looked down at Daniel, she realised that she couldn't ask those questions now.

Seemingly reading her mind, Hotch reached into his pocket at took out his badge, removing a card from behind his ID. He held the card out for Tracy and as he took it, he looked between her and her son. "You and your son might have a lot of questions," Hotch explained, "When you're ready, give me a call and I'll do my best to answer them for you."

Tracy nodded and smiled sadly, running her hand over Daniel's back, "Thank you," she replied softly, before she turned and headed towards the ambulance where her aunt and uncle were being treated by the medics.

As Tracy walked away, Hotch let out a sigh, relieved that the case was over and the killer was caught. But his relief was soon overshadowed as he doubled over, coughing harshly. He tried to take a deep breath, but the inhalation only caused more stress on his throat and he coughed again. He started to panic as he realised that he wasn't getting much air in, and when he felt her hand on his back, Hotch looked over to see Emily's face.

She looked terrified.

He did his best to calm down his heart, watching Emily and waiting for the calm that her presence normally gave him. But it didn't come. He couldn't breathe. Hotch let Emily guide him over to the SUV, parked in the driveway, and Morgan held his arm while he sat in the open trunk. Rossi called a medic over, but Hotch pushed him away.

"I'm fine," he replied, his voice husky. He wasn't fine... he knew it, Emily knew it, the medic knew it. But he wasn't about to make more of a scene than he already had.

Emily rolled her eyes and looked to the medic, "He ran into a burning building," she explained, and the medic ran back to the rig, returning a moment later with a small oxygen tank and mask.

As he pushed the straps over Hotch's hair and placed the mask on his face, Hotch pushed the man away again and ripped the mask away from his mouth.

"I told you, I'm fine," he insisted, ignoring the look he knew Emily was throwing his way. He wasn't being foolish, he just didn't think there was anything that a little fresh air couldn't do for him.

Emily nudged the medic, who shrugged in response, and she rolled her eyes and subtly tipped her head in Hotch's direction.

"Agent," the medic started, "If you've been in a burning building, we should be worried about smoke inhalation," he explained, "We really need to get you checked out at the hospital."

Hotch shook his head fervently, but Emily wasn't ready to give up that easy.

She looked around at the crowd of agents and pursed her lips, "Why don't you guys go and check on the aunt and uncle?" she said to Rossi and Reid, who nodded and strolled off towards the ambulance. They both knew better than to get in the midst of this fight, and while they were sure that Emily would win in the end, neither of them had any strong desire to be present for the show-down.

Turning to Morgan, Emily tipped her head towards the house, "Do you want to go and see what CSU are up to inside?" At Morgan's nod, Emily watched while he walked back up the stairs and disappeared into the house, before she turned back to Hotch. She smacked him gently over back of the head and rolled her eyes.

"Now you," she started, squatting down in front of him, with a subtle hand on his knee, "Can you please save us all from the inevitable argument where I call you an idiot and you call be an overprotective shrew, and just get checked out already?" she begged, "The last thing we need is to be halfway back to DC and you collapse mid-flight. Then we'd have to land in the middle of Pennsylvania, and you know how I hate stopovers."

Hotch huffed at Emily's attempt at humour, but still shook his head, removing the mask from his face, "I told you, I'm fine. I don't need to see a doctor," he replied insistently.

Emily dropped her head for a moment, before an approach came to mind. She knew it was low and could blow back in her face if he took it the wrong way, but she had to take it. She wasn't about to let Hotch get off that easy. When she looked back up at him, she lowered her voice, "What about Jack? Isn't he worth a simple trip to the hospital?"

Hotch bit his lip under the mask, dropping his eyes down to Emily's hand where it rested on his knee. He knew she was right, and he knew she had only brought up his son because he was being stubborn. His chest did feel pretty tight and he was only getting enough air right now because he had an oxygen mask helping him. He'd been running on adrenaline since he'd left the diner, and had been too preoccupied with saving the Anderson's from Kaman. But now that they'd caught him, and the Anderson family was safe, his body had started to relax and that's when the coughing started.

He looked into Emily's eyes, wide and dark, and nodded.

"Ok," Emily said softly, grateful that she didn't have to knock him unconscious in order to get him to a hospital, "Now, the next question is, do you want me to drive you or get you in the rig? Because if you go in the rig, you'll probably get seen sooner, right?" she asked, turning back to the medic, who nodded.

Hotch rolled his eyes, at Emily's question that wasn't really a question. He nodded and made a move to stand, but the medic stopped him.

"I can go and get the gurney," he offered, "If you'd like to wait here."

Hotch served the medic with a look as intimidating as he could muster while wearing an oxygen mask, before turning back to Emily, who couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. She stood from her spot in front of Hotch and offered him her arm, which he held onto to push himself up. The medic took Hotch's other arm, and the three of them moved down the driveway, towards the waiting ambulance.

Emily helped Hotch in, but she stayed on the road and gestured over her shoulder as Hotch made himself comfortable on the gurney, "I'll update the others and then I'll meet you at the hospital," she explained. She figured it would all go a lot more smoothly if she was there, but they would need a car to get back to the fire station once Hotch was discharged. Having to wait for someone to pick them up would be a delay, and Hotch had a son to get home to.

Hotch nodded, offering Emily the only kind of smile he could. She smiled back and tipped her head, "I'm right behind you," she said softly, squeezing his ankle before she stepped back and closed the doors.

Emily stood in place, watching the ambulance drive away, and once it had disappeared into the darkness, she turned back to find the others. The sooner she informed them of Hotch's whereabouts, the sooner she could get to the hospital and stop him from checking out without her there to force his hand.

Hotch lifted Jack into his arms and started up the stairs, heading to the third floor of the building. When they reached the landing he looked down at Jack and tried to take a deep breath, but it was more of a struggle than usual. He'd been given the all-clear from the doctor in Detroit, but he had been warned about too much physical exertion. Rolling his eyes, Hotch realised that, until his lung capacity had improved, too much physical exertion would include a casual walk up a flight of stairs.

He placed Jack on the ground, figuring that the four-year old's legs could carry him the remaining thirty feet to Emily's door. Hotch took Jack's hand and they continued down the hall until they came to a stop and he reached up to knock.

A moment later, he heard the lock turning and as the door opened, his eyes bugged out of his head.

Starting with the black, knee high boots and black nylons, Hotch's eyes scanned up Emily's body, pausing at the short, blue, Science Officer uniform that clung to her curves, and stopping at the high bun she had tied her hair into.

"I'll take that dropped jaw as an affirmative to my costume," Emily joked, gesturing over her shoulder, "Because my sloth onesie is cleaned and pressed if I need to change."

Hotch shook his head and cleared his throat, stepping into the apartment and bringing Jack with him.

"I'm impressed, Prentiss," Hotch remarked, finally gaining control over his faculties once more, "If I'd known you had that handy, I would've revoked my usual ban on costumes in the office."

Emily laughed and swatted at Hotch's arm, stooping down to check out Jack's attire, "Now unless I'm mistaken, and Spiderman had a day-job as an office manager, I'm guessing you changed your mind on your costume?" she asked, looking over the tiny suit and the clumsily tied tie the young boy was wearing. She tapped her finger against her chin, before her eyes grew wide and she pulled Jack close.

"Let me guess… you're still dressed as a superhero?"

Jack nodded.

"And you're wearing a suit, so I'm guessing it's not Captain America, in disguise."

Jack shook his head.

"And you've got the tie, so it's someone very serious."

Jack nodded.

Emily bit her lip, glancing up at Hotch for a moment before she looked back at Jack, "Are you dressed up as the strongest, toughest superhero we know?" she asked, "Are you dressed up as Daddy?"

Jack nodded and giggled as Emily laughed, pulling him into a hug and bringing him up with her as she stood. When he was rested on her hip, Emily ran her hand over Jack's tie and smiled, "Well, you're the handsomest special agent I've ever seen!"

Hotch watched proudly as Emily littered Jack's face with kisses, her lipstick leaving tracks on his cheeks. He did love to watch the two of them together, but as he looked down at his watch, he remembered they actually had plans for the night. Plans that involved buckets of candy and an age-appropriate Halloween movie marathon. If he was lucky, Hotch would also get to cuddle the two of them during said-movie marathon and wrap up the weekend on a spectacular note.

"Ok, you two," Hotch remarked, reaching up to straighten Jack's hair, "We need to get a move on before all the good candy is gone."

Emily and Jack looked back at him with identical grins, and Jack threw his hands up in the air, "Candy!" he squealed, wriggling out of Emily's arms and dropping to the floor. He took the black lantern out of his dad's hands and looked up at the grown-ups, gesticulating wildly, "Let's go!"

Emily chuckled and Hotch shook his head, both following Jack to the front door. As they made their way through to the other side, Emily locked the door then turned to face the others. She looked down at her costume and realised she had no pockets for her keys, cell, and badge. She hadn't thought of this particular draw-back when she'd been planning her costume. She'd only really thought of which of her costumes would give Hotch a heart-attack... in a good way. Looking up at Hotch, Emily gave him a sly smile and he rolled his eyes, holding out a hand.

Emily grinned, "Thanks Aaron," she said brightly, handing over her belongings to Hotch and watching as he filled his remaining pockets.

"Should I even ask where you've holstered your weapon?" Hotch asked, taking the opportunity eye Emily's costume once more. His mind went to some fairly adult places as he took in the blue dress, and he felt a blush start up his cheeks.

Emily chuckled and smacked Hotch on the arm as she nodded down to Jack, who was looking between the two adults, "I don't think it's appropriate for me to say in front of little ears."

Hotch laughed and shook his head, gesturing for Emily and Jack to start them on their way, "I appreciate your restraint," he replied, following them down the hall, towards the stairs. As they made their way down the first flight of stairs and rounded the corner on the second level of Emily's building, Hotch leant against the railing for a moment and Emily stopped, bringing up a hand to his shoulder.

"Everything ok?" Emily asked, trying to keep her expression neutral for Jack's sake. She smiled at Jack and waited for him to return the gesture, making sure he knew that everything would be already, before she turned back to the original Agent Hotchner.

Hotch nodded and offered them both a smile, placing a hand on Emily's waist, "I'll be ok… just getting winded a little more easily right now," he said softly, "Your costume didn't help."

Emily blushed and smiled softly, reaching up to squeeze Hotch's shoulder, "I appreciate the joke, but if you're not up for this, we can go back upstairs and watch movies…" she leaned in to whisper, "I gave my neighbours a heads up and know which are the safest doors to knock on, but I also figured you wouldn't want Jack to eat any of the candy we collected, so I bought a ton that we could switch out later," she explained, shrugging, "I don't think he'll care about knocking on doors, so long as he gets the candy."

Hotch looked up at Emily, amazed at her forethought… he'd done the same thing and bought a big bag of replacement candy for the same reason, but he hadn't anticipated just how much thought she would put into the night. He shook his head appreciatively and squeezed Emily's side as he stood, "No, Jack's been looking forward to this all week…" he paused and nodded to Jack, "I'll let you know if I'm having trouble, and we can come home."

Emily nodded and squeezed Hotch's arm, "Ok," she replied, trusting that Hotch would let her know if they needed to come home… or go to the hospital.

She turned to their small charge and smiled widely, "Well Agent Hotchner," she remarked, eliciting a grin from Jack, "How about we go knock down some doors and find some candy?" she asked, "Agent Daddy, have you got our six?"

Jack giggled and reached out to take Emily's hand, "Agent Daddy to the rescue!" he called out, looking up at Hotch with a grin.

"Agent Daddy hey?" Hotch quipped as they turned the corner onto the first floor of the building, "Can I request that name not be used in the field please, Prentiss?"

Emily chuckled and glanced back at Hotch, "Only for tonight," she said softly, patting his chest, before she looked back at Jack and put on a serious face, "We can't very well have two Agent Hotchners on the raid tonight… that would just get confusing!"

As they stopped at the first apartment door, belonging to Emily's friend Brianna, she lifted Jack up and tipped her head, "You know what to say right?" she asked.

Jack nodded and looked to his dad, who gave him a smile, before he turned back and tapped three times on the door with his tiny fist.

"Trick or treat!"