Hi everyone, despite everything going on right now, I hope you had lovely holidays (if you celebrated). As promised, here is the second and final chapter. This one focuses a little more on Hotch's thoughts. Although I have a clear picture in my mind of how he thinks and feels, somehow I can't quite put that into words. So forgive me if it seems a little OOC. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Chapter 2

The next morning, Hotch wakes up alone. Although he's not surprised, he can't help but feel a little disappointed. He has struggled with his feelings for Emily a long time. He is not exactly sure how it happened, but at some point, the Haley-infused fog had lifted and he'd seen Emily in a new light. He tried to completely ignore the feelings at first, but that hadn't worked out so well. In fact, the more he tried not to think about Emily, the more his thoughts actually wandered to her. He tried to move past it, though. Not only were his feelings inappropriate because she was his subordinate, but it was futile because he was sure she didn't even remotely feel the same. At some point, he kidded himself into thinking he was over her. But then Doyle happened and Emily was gone, and Hotch couldn't remember ever feeling worse. Once again, he'd lost a woman he loved. There was no point denying it then; he loved her. When she came back, part of him wanted to tell her. The rational part in him, however, reminded him that they were in the exact same situation as before. They worked together, and she didn't see him as anything more than a coworker or a friend.

But then last night happened. Yes, Emily had been vulnerable and in need of comfort, but he could swear there was more to it than that. Looking at the empty space next to him, though, he's not so sure anymore. That insecure little boy who could never do right by his father, and who has since faced beatings and disappointments of all kinds, still lives in his heart. He never lets anyone else see that, but it rises up silently anyway.

Why had Emily slipped out so quietly? Was she embarrassed? Did she regret what happened? Did she merely want to maintain a sense of professionalism or avoid getting caught by a team member? Dozens of questions and scenarios race through his mind at a rapid speed.

Knowing he should focus on the case for the time being, Hotch tries to forget about last night for the time being. With a heavy sigh, he gets out of bed to take a shower and clear his mind. He's not going to get a chance to talk to her while they're on the case anyway. However, a more optimistic voice inside him offers, the two of them don't always need words. Over the years, they've developed a form of silent communication unique to the two of them. And if all else fails, he could resort to outright profiling her. He is after all one of the few people who can break through her defenses. He'd rather not have to exercise that gift, but it would be for the right reasons. Feeling cautiously optimistic, he hops in the shower and gets ready for the day.

…

Whatever sense of optimism Hotch had felt in the morning, it's completely gone by now and they're barely halfway through the day. Emily isn't outright avoiding him, because that would sure raise some eyebrows with the team. But any of her contact with him is strictly professional, almost icy. She refuses to meet his eyes when they're alone, and when they're surrounded by others, her mask is very carefully in place. It's like last night never happened.

Although there is still a chance this is just her attempt at remaining professional, Hotch is starting to wonder if he was imagining things last night. Maybe it truly was just one-time comfort sex for her, and this is her way of letting him know that. He knows he shouldn't let this get to him. They're closing in on the unsub, and the team needs his focus and leadership right now. So he pushes away thoughts of Emily once again, storing them securely away to be dealt with later. He does make a mental note to talk to her as soon as they get back. For better or worse, he needs clarity on where they stand.

…

They catch the unsub later that day, rather uneventfully. He is exactly what they profiled, just another guy unable to take out his frustrations on the source of his anger, killing surrogates instead. They get to him before he takes another victim, so the arrest goes pretty smoothly without anyone getting hurt.

The jet lands just after 10, too late for Hotch to go pick up Jack from Jessica's. He figures there is still time to talk to Emily tonight, but she's off the plane before he can even approach her. By the time he makes it to the parking garage, her car is already gone. His heart drops a little more at that. Clearly, she made a substantial effort to avoid him this time. Getting into his car, he debates what to do next. Go over to her place, with the chance of having the door slammed in his face? Give her a few days before trying to talk? Or just dropping the subject all together? He takes some time to think through his options, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. The doubt is killing him, whether he wants to admit that or not. The dark-haired agent makes his decision then, and pulls out of the parking garage.

…

Emily has barely arrived home and changed out of her work clothes when she hears a knock on her door. Frowning, she wonders who it could be at this hour. Always cautious, she checks her peephole first. She sighs, her mind flashing back to 4 years ago when she found the same man on the other side of her door. She's about as excited to see him now as she was then. Which would be not at all. Still, she opens the door.

"Hotch? What are you doing here?" she asks, impressing herself with the calm tone of her voice.

"Can we talk?" He asks, sounding and looking more confident than he feels.

Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Emily sighs once more. "You're not leaving until we do, are you?"

"No."

She opens the door further, gesturing him in. He walks past her, waiting for her to close the door and turn around to face him.

"Listen, Emily, about last night…"

Emily cuts him off before he can say anything else. She had been trying to avoid him all day while she processed the previous night's events. As much as she'd enjoyed it, she has come to the conclusion that there is only one way this can go. Although it pains her, she is determined to make her peace with it. She just can't listen to his rejection right now.

"I know what you're going to say. It shouldn't have happened. But I was… vulnerable, and you were there to comfort me. I'm very grateful for that, but it doesn't have to mean anything else. It was just sex. We can forget it ever happened. I won't tell anyone or hold it over your head, I promise. We can just go back to the way things were before."

"Actually, that's not what I was going to say. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Huh? What do you mean?" When Hotch's face remains stoic, a horrifying thought enters Emily's brain. "Oh, you're not going to fire me or transfer me from the unit, are you? Because I swear I can be professional about this. Come on Hotch, you know me."

"I do. And that's not what I was going to say. I'm sorry if I gave that impression. What I was trying to say is… Well, last night wasn't just sex to me. I…" Hotch pauses for a second. He doesn't usually put himself in a position so vulnerable as this one. But he has to say this, he has to open up about his feelings if he wants the same from her. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this. But I need to say this, so bear with me, please. I've had feelings for you for a while now. Longer than I dare to admit, actually. I know it's inappropriate; I am your superior, and I've always been under the impression that my feelings weren't reciprocated. But then last night… I don't know, I thought maybe there was a possibility after all. Look, if you can tell me honestly that last night meant nothing to you, that you don't feel anything for me, I'll drop it. We'll forget it ever happened, as you said. But if you do…"

He's looking at her with a spark of hope in his eyes, and it's breaking Emily's heart. Part of her has wanted to hear this for a long time, but she also knows it could never amount to anything. "Hotch, we can't. We shouldn't," she says regretfully.

Hotch takes one careful step closer to her. "That's not what I asked Emily. What I want to know is if you feel what I feel, if you want this as much as I do. Because I think you do. I took a huge leap coming to you like this, and I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think there was something worth pursuing. I know it would be complicated, but I'm willing to give this a try if you are."

He moves even closer, making Emily's breath hitch. She knows what she wants and she's tempted to give in, but she just can't. "Okay, maybe you're right, maybe I do want this. But even if we could figure out a way to make it work, I don't think you really want to. I'm a fucking basket case right now, Aaron, and you deserve so much better than that."

They're practically standing toe to toe now. "Well, maybe I don't want better. Maybe I just want you." Hotch starts to lean in closer. "Feel free to stop me anytime," he says while he places his hands on her hips and draws her into him.

She doesn't stop him. He kisses her then, and Emily knows he has her. The rational part of her still says this is a bad idea, but knowing that he wants her too makes it impossible to resist the temptation. So she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back. When they pull apart, they're both smiling like idiots.

Hotch moves one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and cups her cheek. It's a very tender move, and it makes Emily blush. God, they've barely started this and she's already turning to mush. Still, that pesky voice in her head won't shut up.

"I'm not sure how to make this work. And I don't have much to offer. The basket case thing is still true."

"You're not a basket case, Emily. And even if you were, I would understand. You've been through a lot this past year. No one expects you to deal with that overnight. I won't push you into something you're not comfortable with. We can just take this one step at a time, see where things lead." His hand wanders from Emily's cheek to her hand, the other still resting on her. "How about I take you out to dinner this week, Friday maybe? Nothing too fancy, just an opportunity to spend some time together outside of work. I mean, if that's okay with you." He looks a little nervous all of a sudden, not quite meeting her eyes.

Emily finds it endearing that after his confession and practically pushing her to admit there is something between them, that he gets nervous asking her out on a date. She squeezes his hand. "That sounds nice, I'd like that."

Hotch looks at their joined hands, before settling his eyes on hers, a smile once more on his face. "Good. It's a date, then."

"Yeah," Emily says softly, returning his smile. Then she clears her throat, remembering they've just been standing around since he got to her place. "So, uh, would you like to sit down, stay for a drink?"

Checking his watch, Hotch sighs. "I'd love to, but it's getting late. Given that we just had three cases back to back, I'm sure there are piles of paperwork waiting to be done. I was planning to get in early tomorrow and get as much done as possible."

"Don't you always get in early?"

"Yes, I do. But if I'm going to spend an entire day doing paperwork, I'd better do it on a good night's sleep. I can't have Strauss catching me sleeping on the job, that would be all the ammo she needs to get rid of me."

Emily only gives him a half-hearted nod in return. Despite having tried to sound light-hearted at her previous comment, he knows she's just trying to hide her disappointment. He presses a soft kiss to her lips, trying to reassure her.

"Hey, this is not a rejection, okay? I just think we could both use some sleep before diving into all the paperwork tomorrow. And unless we get a new case in the next few days, that date on Friday is going to happen. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

This time, Emily does crack a genuine smile, albeit a hesitant one. "Good to know. See you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

They both lean in for another kiss, their lips moving languidly against each other for a while. Before it can get too heated and end in a repetition of last night, they break apart again. Emily smiles against Hotch's lips.

"A girl could get used to this."

"Maybe you should," Hotch replies softly, lips brushing hers briefly one last time before he turns to leave.

"Goodnight, Emily."

"Night."

With that, he opens her door and walks out. Emily closes it behind him before leaning back against it. Her fingers move to her lips, still feeling traces of Hotch's kisses lingering there.

Hotch had kissed her. Repeatedly. That was not how she had imagined her day ending. Yes, they'd kissed last night – and done a lot more than that – but it had been spur of the moment, not likely to ever be repeated. God, Emily was sure he'd regret it, that he wanted to forget it ever happened. But then he came to her, asking her to give him a chance. For so long, she'd suffered in silence as her feelings for him grew stronger, thinking he didn't care for her like that. Or at all. Now, thinking about the prospect of dating him, being in a relationship with him, makes her feel giddy. She's scared as hell, too. It might not work out at all. They still have a long way to go, a lot of things to figure out both professionally and personally. And on top of that, she's still trying to find her place in life again in the wake of her "death". But maybe, this thing between them is what she needs right now, what they both need. Maybe, she's finally on a path toward happiness.

Trying to hold on to that last thought, Emily goes to bed.

And for the second night in a row, she doesn't have a single nightmare.

…

I know this was just a short little story without much of a plot, but it always makes me happy to think about these Hotchniss snippets that could (sort of) have occurred in between the scenes we actually got to see on TV. The problem is that they're sometimes too short to even bother with, and often that I just don't get around to writing them out before they fade from my mind. I honestly hope that I'll find the time to write some more stories, but I might not. We'll see.

Thanks for reading this story, at least. Hopefully it provided a bit of lightness in the current dark mess we're living in.