If you liked last chapter, you'll definitely like this one. It's date time.
Chapter 59: Winter Whirlwind
Excitement and nerves were bubbling around them the entire ride. Emily tried to ask him where they were going, but Hotch wasn't budging on the whole surprise thing. He wanted to show her a good time and he wanted her to trust him.
She did. That was never in question. She trusted him with her life, and he her. Still, she wanted to know the plan. Like him, she liked to be prepared. It was one of her idiosyncrasies. She could roll with the punches and be very spontaneous, but she also liked to be in control of situations and prepared for whatever she could.
"Just give me a chance to show you my romantic side, Emily," he pleaded, and that wooed her on its own.
"Fine," she relented. "But only because I trust you."
"Trust me, I know. My little control freak," he said, hand squeezing her thigh as he reached over the arm rest.
"It looks like we're heading toward Quantico. Please tell me your idea of a 'first' date isn't a tour of the BAU?"
"With you, no. That would be pointless."
"But with other women?"
"There are no other women."
"Good answer."
"Now stop trying to guess. We'll get there when we get there."
She conceded. He got his way and she stopped asking. Their banter continued for the long ride until they pulled into a small town about an hour away from Quantico.
"What are we doing here?" Emily asked.
"I thought you were adventurous."
"I am."
"Then be adventurous with me and let me show you a good time."
She rolled her eyes but agreed.
He took her to a small waterfront property on Fairview Beach.
"There's a fair in the town over for New Year's. We could go there if you prefer, or we can just do what I had planned."
"Well, Mr. Hotchner, you wanted to surprise me, so let's do whatever you had planned."
"I think you'll love it," he said. "This is our place for the night. Help me get the bags out of the trunk please."
"Manual labor… What kind of date is this?" she joked.
"I'd carry it all myself, but then you'd ask why I was being such a guy," he tossed back.
"You know me so well."
"I do. Now, you can take the light one in honor of it being a date and not because you're at all weak."
"Why thank you, Sir. How kind."
They carried the bags into the house. Emily joked about it being just like they were heading out on a case.
"The case of Emily and Hotch. Will they or won't they?" Emily jested. "But what's with all the extra gear?"
"For me to know and you to wait and see."
"You're being very mysterious today."
"Do you like it?"
Nonchalantly, she added, "The jury's still out."
Turned out, she ended up loving it. The little villa Hotch rented was small and quaint and perfect for a romantic night. Hotch lit a fire, pulled out a delicious meal for the two of them to share before he took her hand and walked her down the road to a pond.
"It's too cold for fishing and I don't see any poles," Emily concluded as Hotch held her hand and walked her through the woods. "The water must be frozen."
"That's the point," he said. "You told me once about a happy memory you had as a child with you and your parents ice skating. I don't want to recreate that because that would be weird, but I do want you to remember that happy feeling and get on that ice with me."
He smiled with one narrowed, challenging eye.
"Unless you're too afraid."
"Never," Emily said. "I can out skate you."
"I wouldn't bet against that."
"Good. But I don't have skates."
"Emily, Emily, Emily. I'm always prepared."
"For everything?" she asked with innuendo.
"For everything."
"Good. My little boy scout. Where are my skates, Mister?"
He dragged her over to the nearby bench and sat her down. He treated her like she was the Cinderella to his Prince Charming, slipping off her boots and gently putting on her skates that he pulled from the backpack he'd been carrying.
"Tight enough?" he asked.
"Perfect," she said, not referring to the skates.
"My turn," he replied, moving to sit beside her.
She stopped him and returned the favor, helping him into his skates. All laced up, Hotch helped her to her feet and the two easily made their way to the ice, careful as they took tentative first steps onto it.
Their hands had yet to separate as they made their first shaky glides. They were both rusty, yet, as the gentle snow started to fall, and their cheeks were rosy with the cold, they couldn't have thought of anything more magical than being there together, wobbling in their strides.
"Are you having fun?" he asked.
"So much. I didn't know you were a skater."
"I'm rusty, but I can hold my own."
To prove his point, he pulled her close until they were chest to chest as if they were dancing. He led her around the ice, their hold unbreaking.
"Cute, but that's not really showing off," she teased.
"Think you can do better?"
"I think you can," she suggested.
He smiled and tried to prove her right. She showed off a little, too, twirling around, and it became a playful competition between them.
"I can just picture you in a little figure skating costume, ready to dazzle on the ice as a little kid."
"I'm not that good."
"You're amazing," he said, and it was clear he wasn't referencing her skating.
Smile on her face, she picked her toe into the ice and stopped, halting too abruptly for him to follow suit. Hotch came barreling to her, smacking an unsuspecting Emily down to the ice, his body on top of hers.
"Are you ok?" he quickly asked.
Looking up to meet his eyes, she answered, "I'm fine you big klutz."
"Are you sure? Anything feel broken? I don't see any blood…"
"Because I'm not bleeding. But I could use a kiss to make it all better."
"I thought you weren't hurt."
"I'm not… Just kiss me, already. You're missing the moment."
"Oh yeah," he said, leaning down, body and lips hovering just millimeters from her. "What moment is that?"
Instead of verbally responding, Emily moved her head just a bit, lips connecting, whispering through their kiss, "This one."
He returned the kiss, and the two stayed like that until the chill of the ice spread through their bodies, a shiver in its stead.
"We should go inside…" Emily suggested and while he was hoping to get her inside to do more than warm up, he had some other things planned.
"I have something better. The night's not over yet… Unless you're too cold."
Carefully, he got off her and tried to stand, offering Emily a hand once he was grounded on his knees.
"I'm not too cold."
"Good. Let's get these skates off and take a walk. I promise we'll get warmed up."
The snow was still falling gently around them as they made it back to the bench and switched their skates to boots once more.
"Where are we going now?" she asked, taking his hand.
"Another surprise."
"You're full of them today."
"I just want our date to be special."
Smiling, she replied, "I know, but I want you to know that just being with you, sharing space and time together… that's enough. You don't have to go crazy every date night."
"How about just for tonight, and then we can take it from there?"
"As you wish. Lead the way, Sir."
Removing his hand from hers, he draped his arm around her waist and walked with her hip to hip, sneaking a kiss every few steps, her head resting on his shoulder. They didn't walk too far, just returned to the property and into the backyard.
She didn't see it before when they first arrived. She was busy being doted on then, but the backyard overlooked the water. There was a firepit surrounded by a circle of carved tree stump seats.
"It's not quite the beach in the summer, but I think you'll appreciate the view," Hotch told her.
"I already do," she said, staring at him.
"It's almost midnight."
"Almost a new year," she muttered.
"Champagne?" he asked, reaching down behind one of the seats and pulling out a bottle.
"Where did you…"
"I told you. I have this night all planned out."
"Prepared for all contingencies…"
"I am. Now," he reached down again after placing the bottle on the seat. "Here's a blanket for you. Keep our seat warm."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No. Just get cozy."
He lit the fire as she cocooned under the blanket. Popping open the bottle, he poured them a champagne flute and joined her under the warm fleece.
Emily immediately melded her body to his, inhaling the scent of the night air.
"This is pretty nice."
"Just wait."
"For what?"
Mysteriously, he responded, "You'll know when it happens."
Midnight, she fathomed, and it was rapidly approaching.
"One minute," she told him, "Until the new year."
"There's no one else I'd rather bring in this new year with."
"Me either."
He looked to his phone, letting the sound count them down.
10, 9, 8, 7…
"6. 5. 4," Emily joined in.
"3. 2. 1…" Hotch counted with her.
"Happy New Year," he whispered, moving his lips to meet hers.
"Happy New Year," Emily mumbled between kisses.
Their lip lock only broke when the boom sounded. Fireworks shot out over the water in a gorgeous display of colors. Their eyes remained transfixed.
"How did you know about this?"
"I did my research," Hotch said.
"I'm sure you did. It's amazing."
He watched her as she watched the fireworks, marveling at them like she was a wide-eyed child. He loved it.
"You're staring," she said.
"I can't help it. You're just so beautiful." He kissed the tip of her nose. "One more thing."
"What?"
He broke away from her and returned to his cooler, pulling out a bundle of grapes. "Twelve grapes for 12 months."
"I haven't done this in a long time."
"I know, but you said you wanted to do it again."
"I said that months ago."
"I remembered."
"You remember a lot of things, apparently."
"I like remembering things about you."
"And I like that you do," Emily said. "But you're not the only one that can be romantic. I have something for you inside."
He got a dirty smile. "What kind of something?"
"You'll see."
"First, the grapes. Twelve wishes."
"Twelve wishes for each of us," she said.
"Alright," he said, passing her the first grape from the bunch. "Make your wish."
Both of their wishes were relatively simple and mostly versions of the same thing. They had so much, they ran out of things to wish for. Continued health for them and their family and wishes for other people were mostly what came up. For the last wish, they both said the same thing. They wished that what they had would last, that they would get time to figure it out and, no matter what, they would always be close and love one another.
"I love you," Emily told him, no hesitation. The love for them wasn't something new. It was different. It had grown. But it wasn't something to be afraid of. It wasn't something they wanted to deny or wait for when they finally had it.
He smiled. He realized he was in love with her for months, but here she was beating him to the punch.
"I love you too."
Just a few weeks ago they were telling each other they might be in love with one another, and now they were expressing those sentiments openly without worry.
"Thank you for doing all of this for me."
"It's for both of us. Seeing you happy makes me happy too."
"The skating, the fireworks, the food… Everything has been so wonderful."
"Night's not over yet."
"Let's continue to ring in the New Year indoors."
"Ok," he agreed, mouth barely leaving her skin. "Inside is good."
"Yeah it is," she said, innuendo dripping.
Her fingers trailed down to his waist, slipping under the thick material of his coat, icy fingers stinging his hip.
"If you go any further, we're not going to make it inside."
"I saw a hot tub."
"Inside," he said.
They made it back into the living room. The fire was blazing, their movements were frenzied, and when they tripped up on the hallway table, practically spilling into the room and onto the floor, they didn't care enough to move. Their laughter was infectious, and it only made things better between them.
This time, Emily fell on top of him.
"Just how I like it," she seduced, laughing dying down.
"What happened to my present?"
"We'll call this gift number one."
"We don't have to do this, you know. It's not why I brought you here."
"It's not?"
"No," he promised.
"But if I wanted it anyway?"
"Then I'm all for it, but I don't want to pressure you."
"No pressure," she said. "Even if we haven't been dating long, we've waited long enough, don't you think? We've had years of foreplay. I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want to waste a moment with you."
He said nothing else, just moved to capture her lips with his, wandering hands making their way lower on her body.
"No turning back now."
"Why would I want to?" she whispered back, pushing him down, head down into the soft faux fur rug. "Unless you want to."
"No," he yelled. "I mean, no… I'm good."
"Yeah, I got that," she laughed. "Now, where were we? Present number 1? Think you're ready for it? Feels like you are."
"Bring it on," he said, nibbling at her lip.
She pulled herself up, straddling him, and used her hands to hold him down.
"I think we're overdressed," she told him.
"We should definitely do something about that."
She offered a wicked smile and moved her hands to her own waist, grabbing at the hem of her shirt and pulling all her top layers off in one swoop. He never wanted her more.
In a fit of passion, he put his hands on her lower back and reversed their positions.
"My turn," he said, stripping himself bare.
There was no holding back after that. The kisses were hurried in between peeling layers off. Hotch was, as Emily said, a boy scout and always prepared. He wasted no time in taking her, taking care of her, touching her and making her feel.
Emily wasn't one to relinquish all control, but the trust was there. She let him lead… this time anyway. Their relationship had always been a give and take. Neither thought this should be any different. Emily had to admit that she liked the way Hotch was taking care of her. She liked the way he took control, the way he knew the right spot to kiss and touch, the way he moved, the way he responded when she called him Aaron…
It didn't hurt to learn he was so vocal in bed. Surely, that was something she never would have guessed, but she was getting as much pleasure from watching him lose his controlled facade as she was from the actual act.
He was sexy, and he was hers.
And he wanted her to know she was his.
He loved the way his body felt against hers, the way she reacted to his touch, the way she told him what she wanted. They just fit better than he could have hoped.
Most of all, they loved how comfortable it was. It could have been awkward. It could have been incredibly uncomfortable breaking that intimate barrier between what they were and where they hoped to go.
They were glad that didn't happen.
They were glad they were compatible in that way too. They would have been incredibly disappointed if they weren't, but, as it happened, they were more than compatible.
"Amazing. You're amazing. How did I not know you were that good at that?" Emily asked, voice breathy, body covered in a thin sheen.
"I knew you'd be that good," he said, slightly panting as they laid side by side, the crackling fire behind them.
She smiled, and turned her head to him, lightly hitting him on the arm. "I'm just glad that wasn't weird."
"Me too… That would have been… Well, terrible… That was anything but weird."
"Why did we wait so long to find that out… to do this?"
"I don't know. We wasted a few years."
Hotch turned onto his side, fully facing her, his hand creating a line of goosebumps as it ran along her bare back and hip, a perfect view as she laid there on her stomach.
"Careful," she said. "I think I have faux fur butt burn."
He laughed. "Worth it?"
"Definitely."
"Next time I'll take the burn, alright?"
"Such a gentleman and I'll hold you to that."
"What do you say we take this to the bedroom?"
"Tired already?"
"Of you? No. I'm going to show you just how not tired I am… Just not on this floor. I'm too old for floor sex. My back will be in spasms."
"Aww, the sexiest grandpa. You know just how to turn a girl on."
"I think I proved I know how to turn this woman on," he countered.
"Race you to the room," she said, pushing up off the ground and running toward the bedroom.
He enjoyed the view as she did, taking his time to watch before following.
Now it was her turn to take control, and he loved that just as much. She was aggressive, in a good way, but still gentle and sweet.
Neither of them ever wanted to leave that bed… They wanted to stay there, just the two of them, naked and happy forever. It wasn't practical, and they would miss their family too much, but they felt hooked on each other and didn't know how they could put on a façade once they got back home. The line was crossed, and they were addicted.
Come morning, after their late night, they woke up to a call from Nate.
He was sad that he fell asleep before midnight and didn't get to wish Emily a happy new year.
"That's ok, Nate. All I care about is that you had fun. Did you?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I'll come get you tonight and we'll stay up until midnight playing games… just this once though."
"Can Jack come? We can play more games when there's more people."
"We'll see. For now, enjoy your day with your dad."
"Alright. Love you."
"Love you too Nate."
When she hung up, Hotch swung his arm around her waist, cuddling in bed once more.
"How's Nate?" he asked.
"Good. He didn't make it to midnight this year."
"Poor kid. He'll make it one day."
"When he's older. Did Jack call too?"
"No. He sent me a text and added that I was old and probably already sleeping, so he didn't want to call."
"He has no idea what your stamina is like, does he?"
"Not a clue," Hotch agreed.
"I need coffee."
"I can think of something else that could wake us up."
"I'm sure you can," Emily smirked. "But coffee first."
She winked at him, getting up from bed and pulling a sheet with her. It barely covered anything, and as she stepped away from the bed, she let it fall to the ground.
"That's not fair. You can't walk around like that."
"Oh… And why is that?" she asked, heading toward the closet.
"You know why."
"Why don't you tell me anyway?" she teased.
"Why don't I show you?"
He sat up, reaching over to her as she stood at the edge of the bed, and pulled her back in. They spent the rest of the morning there until the need for coffee and sustenance grew too big.
"I'm still not ready to get up," Hotch told her.
"I'm starving. Come on. I'll cook."
"Let's go out for breakfast."
"Think anything is open?"
"Yeah. There's a diner down the road that had a sign saying they were open today."
"Alright. Give me ten minutes to shower and get dressed."
"We could conserve water…"
"Don't even try it."
"But I could wash your back for you."
"Maybe when I'm not so hungry. Then you can 'wash my back.' For now, break time." In a robot voice, she added, "Must have coffee and food."
He waited for her to get in the shower before following her into the bathroom.
"If I behave, can I come in?"
"Only if you behave," she said over the running water.
He did behave and, literally, washed her back for her and she washed his. It was intimate in a different way, and it allowed them to both get washed up, dressed, and on their way faster.
"This place is cute," Emily said when they arrived at the diner.
"Not bad. I couldn't care less about looks as long as the food is decent."
"Agreed."
Hotch reached his hand across the table, taking hers in his. They barely looked to the waiter that came to take their drink order.
"Coffee," they both said.
The waiter knew enough to leave it at that, only coming back to fill their mugs and take their food order.
They were infatuated though, and the trip only strengthened that. While they sat there in the diner, they only had eyes for each other. Profiling senses were down, and they were only focused on one another.
They were a regular couple in love. Any outside observer could see that.
They ate quietly, occasionally teasing each other over their vastly different breakfast choices, Emily going with the incredibly indulgent Belgian waffles and Hotch opting for and an egg white omelet.
"That's so bad for you," Hotch said.
"I earned it. We worked up quite an appetite. Need to replenish some of those burned calories."
"Good point," he said, reaching across the table with his fork, stabbing it down on the plate and stealing a bite of her waffle.
"Hey."
"What's yours is mine and mine is yours."
"Get your own buddy. We're not married yet."
The "yet" caught them both off guard. It wasn't that neither were thinking ahead. They were. They could envision a future where they all lived together, them and their boys, in a Brady bunch like bliss (minus the exorbitant number of children). He could see himself proposing and she could see herself accepting… down the line. But they were still in the beginning stages of this phase of their relationship… moving it comfortably from close friendship to an intimate relationship.
Hotch, sensing that she was as surprised by her words as he was, made a bad joke about how sex made her jump all in.
She laughed and thanked him for breaking the potential awkwardness with a kiss.
"Let's get out of here," she said soon after.
They quickly paid and headed back to the little villa to clean up after their long night and leave the place the way they found it.
Emily tiredly collapsed on the couch.
"I'm not ready for this trip to be over."
"Me either," Hotch said, joining her. "Maybe we should do something like this more often… Get away, just the two of us. Nate goes to James' and Jack's older now. He has sleep overs and camps and school trips…"
"As much as I'd like to have secret rendezvous all the time… That seems costly when we'll have empty apartments all to ourselves."
"True enough, but every once in a while, let's do this again… just get away from home for a night, go out to dinner, and focus on us."
"I'd really like that." Emily leaned to put her head on his shoulder, feet curled up on the couch.
"What are you thinking about?"
"How romantic you can be…"
"Is it that surprising?"
"No… Not really. I just… We've known each other for so long. I didn't think you'd think you needed to really woo me."
"Em… I'm not doing this to woo you. We've won each other over. That much has been clear since we agreed to end the dance we were doing and make something of this. I did this because you're worth it and I want you to know that I think you are. I want to be the guy that can surprise you like this and show you how much I love you without it just being about winning you over."
"That's good because you don't have to win me over. You have me."
"And you have me."
"I never gave you my gift."
"I think you did… Several times over, and it started with a peep show."
"If that's all it takes, then gift giving is going to be very easy for me."
"Look, the gift was supposed to be part of your Christmas present… For you and Jack, but I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get it in time, and I didn't, so I'm giving it to you now."
She pulled her head off of his shoulder and leaned down to reach into her bag.
"Here," she said, passing him an envelope. "Open."
He took the envelope and pried it open, pull of out a pair of tickets.
"Season tickets for the Nationals?" he asked.
"I told you. I remember things about you too. I know your dad was hard on you growing up, but baseball was something you both loved, and one of the few good memories you've shared about your dad was about going to a baseball game with him. You can't erase the pain that comes with your father's memory, but you can use the good memories to build stronger, better ones with your own family."
"Thank you. I love it."
"Nate loves baseball too. So, don't be surprised if you see us at a game or two. They are box seats. I called in some major favors."
"I'd be happy to have our whole family there. Seriously, thank you."
"I'm glad you like it."
"I love it, and I love you. Thank you for… everything."
"Are you kidding? I should be thanking you. This night away was perfect. I'm only sad that we have to return to the real world so quickly."
"Me too."
Emily studied his face. "Now it's my turn to ask. What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about what you've said in the past… about us and the complications of our relationship."
"Oh…" she said, looking at him with worry.
"Not in a bad way," he quickly added. "Just that… Well, I don't know that I'm ready to tell Jack and everyone about us."
"Oh, that's it? I don't want that either… Not yet."
Now it was his turn to be worried, wondering if she was second guessing.
"Why not?"
"I love our family, but they always have an opinion. They will involve themselves in everything we do… I would like to get to know you as my… as my boyfriend… and work on figuring out what changes between us because of that without worrying about their input."
"That's exactly how I feel. I don't doubt we'll make it as a couple, but this is a big step in our relationship. We may have known each other for years, but not in this way. We have things to work out that normal couples get to do without the peanut gallery."
"Plus, I really don't want to hear Pen tell me she was right trying to set us up with the kids."
"We're never going to hear the end of it from her."
Emily cringed just thinking about it.
"Let's make a deal," Hotch said. "Neither of us are ready to go completely public yet."
"Right…"
"So, let's keep it to ourselves… Not tell anyone about our relationship and just be together whenever we can for the next two months."
"And if things are still going well, then we tell them?"
"Yes. We can decide then if we're ready. If, for whatever reason, we're not, then we hold off or if we feel like we're ready before then, then we go ahead and tell."
"I don't want to lie to them."
"We won't. We can tell them we're seeing someone… We can be honest about things, just not divulge everything. By that, I mean please don't tell them about our sex life."
"You know that that's going to happen, right? Pen is an unrelenting gossip and sometimes doesn't stop until she gets all the details. And you marked me!"
"I didn't mean to."
She narrowed her gaze. "Either way, she's going to see the hickey you gave me and want details."
"Fine… Minimal please?"
"That's what I always aim for with her… Then she likes to fill in the blanks."
"Maybe just avoid her for a little while."
She laughed. "We'll see."
"Where do they think you are anyway? I know you were invited to Derek's party too."
"They think I was hanging out with Clyde last night, and while I wasn't last night, I responded pretty vaguely and in a way that wasn't lying."
"How's that?"
"Clyde has been in town since after Christmas. Nate and I both spent some time with him. I just didn't spend last night with him. All I said was that I had plans to see Clyde."
"Clyde was in town?"
"That's all you got from that? Yes. He flew in on the 27th. We spent a few days together."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did… During one of our late-night calls. Maybe you blocked it out… or fell asleep mid conversation."
That did happen on both their ends at times.
"Probably. Well, I'm happy you got to see him."
"Me too. It was nice to catch up again. He's doing well, but you don't really want to hear about Clyde. Where does the team think you spent last night?"
"With Jessica and her family."
"Liar. Liar," she teased.
"For a good reason."
"A very good reason," she replied, offering him a kiss. "I hate that we need to, but we should get out of here."
"Mmm. We should," he said between kisses.
"I don't wanna," she whined.
"We have a few more minutes."
"A lot can happen in a few minutes."
"Mmhmm. So get working."
They had a steamy little make out session before they knew there was no more putting it off. They needed to get back so that they could see their sons and start preparing for the ski trip coming up in a few days.
They couldn't help, though, that they couldn't get enough of each other. Once the barrier was broken, sex was all they had on the brain, even during their family trip.
In the days following New Year's, Emily and Hotch saw little of each other. He had work and she spent time with Nate. They went back to their calling method, but they were in withdrawal mode, even after just a day and a half.
That weekend, they packed up all their winter and ski gear and made the drive to Shenandoah looking like the family they were. Every once in a while, Emily or Hotch would slip their hand over the arm rest and onto the other's thigh to offer a covert intimate touch.
On the slopes, they were all about the kids, keeping things safe and fun. Nate liked to show off with them. He was better than Jack and Hotch, but they were beginners. Jack enjoyed learning the basics, though after the umpteenth fall of the day, he was ready for a hot chocolate break.
Emily and Hotch decided to call it a day, at least where the mountain was concerned. They took the boys to get some food and dessert before spending some time together playing card games by the fire in their cabin. When the boys fell asleep, Emily and Hotch took advantage of the time for some late-night cuddling.
They didn't dare to go any further than some kissing and touching. The last thing they wanted was one of the kids to come into the room finding them naked and canoodling. It would be too scarring, but the cuddling was enough to hold them over.
"When can we go on another date?"
"I can do dinner after classes on Wednesday next week."
"If there are no cases, let's consider it a date."
"I should get to my own bed."
"Five more minutes," he plead, kissing around her mouth. "Then you can go."
Five minutes turned to ten and ten to twenty before Emily was half asleep and walking to her room.
"Where were you?" Nate asked, waking her right from her stupor.
"Huh? Nate, what are you doing up?"
"I had to pee."
"Oh… Well go back to bed. Get some rest."
"But where were you coming from?"
"I uh… I went to the kitchen to get some water," she lied. "Want me to tuck you back in?"
"No… I'm a man now… I don't want Jack to see and think I'm a baby."
"I don't think he would."
"Still, I can handle it. Night."
"Night. Sweet dreams."
Emily sighed in relief that she wasn't caught and waited for him to return to his room before going into hers. Sleep came easy.
The next night, Emily and Hotch repeated their snuggling session, this time with no near misses. The boys were wiped from skiing the mountain instead of the training hills. They were out cold, and the adults enjoyed their stolen moments whether it be their random kisses throughout the day or the late-night cuddles. Those moments were just as special as the wonderful family memories they were creating.
As they were putting the bags into the car, Emily and Hotch talked.
"I'm sad that once we get back, the kids are back to school and I'm getting ready to head back to work. We're barely going to see each other with our schedules."
"We'll figure it out," he promised, taking her hand. "A standing date every Wednesday. We'll meet halfway between our offices."
"You're adorable."
"Adorable? Not sexy?"
"You can be both."
"So can you," he said, stealing a kiss.
"Are we ready to go?" a voice called out, forcing them to jump apart.
"Yeah Jack," Hotch called back. "Grab Nate and tell him that we're all ready."
"Ok."
"That was close," Emily said.
"We have to be better at this."
"For an ex spy and FBI agent, we're not being very stealthy here."
"Can't help it."
"Me either. One more kiss for the road."
"Make it quick," he joked, leaning in for the kiss. The cabin door slammed as their lips met, and, once again, they pulled apart.
Emily groaned before walking over to meet the kids, taking their bags, and telling them to get in the car. She and Hotch exchanged a longing glace before they hopped into their seats, buckled in, and took off. The kids immersed themselves into their phone apps, playing game after game, and the parents chatted, veiledly planning their next date. The boys were none the wiser.
Arriving home, the boys were sent to their respective apartments to bring their bags up, the parents lagging behind to get the rest of the stuff.
"I hope you and Jack had fun."
"We did. Even though he wasn't great at first, Jack picked up skiing quickly. He liked it."
"You weren't half bad either."
"My entire body is sore," he admitted.
"I don't doubt that. Take something when you get home and a hot shower will help."
"A massage would be nice."
"Definitely… Too bad you don't have a girlfriend that could take care of that for you."
"Yeah… Too bad."
"Come on. Let's get this stuff inside. We'll drop the stuff off at my place and then I'll help you carry the rest up to yours."
"We're taking the elevator."
"Oh, definitely."
Part of the Christmas gift from Elizabeth included new gear, skis, and snowboards too. When Elizabeth heard that Jack and Hotch were going too, she sprung to surprise them with a set too, so they came home with more than they left with.
They dropped off the first half at Emily's apartment. Emily found Nate half asleep in his room.
"I know you're tired," she said, "But try to put the clean clothes away and the dirty ones in the hamper before you pass out. You also need a shower."
"Ok…"
"I'm going to help Hotch bring his stuff to his apartment. I'll be right back."
"Ok," he repeated with a yawn.
She laughed and met Hotch.
"Poor kid is so tired."
"Jack too, even if he won't admit it. He'll still try to make it to lights out."
They had some stubborn boys on their hands, but they wouldn't change them for the world.
And, since no kids or anyone that would really care, was around, they got to walk hand in hand back to the car. If it weren't for the heavy load, they probably would have done the same on the way to his place.
Emily helped him bring things in, and Hotch asked Jack to start putting his things away.
"Jack, I'll be right back. I'm going to walk Emily to her apartment."
Jack laughed. "Are you serious? She lives one floor away."
"I'm serious. I'll be right back."
"He has a lot to learn about romance," Emily said as they walked in the hall.
"He does. He has a new girlfriend every month. It's a problem. He's turning into a player."
"Morgan would be proud."
"That's not a good thing."
"I know. But it's nothing serious. He was with that Chelsea girl for a while and now he's just exploring the options, trying to figure out what he likes."
"None of that makes me feel better."
"He's a teenager now. None of this is serious. You'll know when it is. He's probably just like you were at that age."
"You seem calm now, but wait until it's Nate's turn," he said as they exited the staircase and walked the last few steps to her apartment.
"I'm hoping that he's gay like his dads. Then, at least I don't have to worry about teen pregnancy. I'm kidding… Kind of. I don't care who he dates. When the time comes, we'll have another talk about rules and expectations and dating etiquette… Until then, I'm watching and learning from you."
"I can be a good teacher."
"I know you can. I can teach you a few things too," she said, their chests touching, her face a breath away from his.
"Call me tonight?" she asked.
"It's a date."
"One of many to come. Love you," she said, offering him one last kiss before sending him on his way.