CHAPTER 6
Hotch is sitting alone in the workroom at the Atlanta police station reviewing the details of the case. Dave and Morgan were reviewing the assignments for that night while Reid was assisting with the tipline. Emily and Jordan were out shopping for a club outfit for Emily for that night.
Just an hour earlier, Emily had reluctantly agreed to bait Viper after members of the team had all suggested to her as that being the best way of getting information from him. Shortly afterward, she had left to go shopping with Jordan happily in tow.
Hotch was conflicted about how he now felt. They had both agreed that they needed to keep a strict professional/personal boundary though this part was going to be the hardest for him.
As Unit Chief and a profiler, he agreed with the others that Viper's previous reaction to Emily made her the best person on the team to gain insight from him on the mindset of their UNSUB. However, as her husband, he hated that he had just stood there and watched her discomfort and then reluctant acceptance of the assignment to flirt with another man.
He was so focused on his thoughts that he missed Dave entering the room.
"You're thinking too loud, Aaron. What's wrong?" Dave said while carefully observing the younger man. Rossi had noticed Hotch's change in demeanor after delivering the profile.
Hotch sighed, not surprised by the question as he had been staring at the board for several minutes. Turning to Dave he said, "nothing. Just thinking about tonight."
"Emily?" Dave asked, taking a guess, an educated guess based on his observations during the case.
Hotch looked up him and nodded before asked nervously, "Dave, when have you ever known her to hesitate about an assignment? Especially one where we can make a major breakthrough about the thought processes of an UNSUB."
Dave sighed and nodded also concerned about the uncharacteristic reaction earlier from their colleague, "never. What specifically is your concern?"
Hotch looked over at him and said worriedly, "it's too soon after Colorado. What if she isn't ready, Dave?"
"She isn't Elle, Hotch." Morgan chimed in having just walked into the room and overheard the end of their conversation.
Hotch looked over at him and responded exasperatedly, "I know that. I'm just concerned that it's too soon from the way she reacted."
Dave looked between the two of them before asking, "who's Elle?"
Hotch shook his head as Morgan replied, "Elle Greenaway. She was on the team for a year and a half before Emily. She was shot in her house during the Fisher King case and almost died. She was out for four months but struggled after she came back.
A couple of months later, we had a case where she was the only one who fit the victimology to go undercover. She said she was OK going but ended freezing and then broke cover and confronted the suspect. We knew it was him but the locals had to release him due to lack of evidence. Later that night, she confronted him in the parking lot outside his apartment and he ended up dead."
Hotch continued, "the locals and FBI both dismissed it as self-defense but…"
Dave interrupted as he noted where Hotch was going with his concern, "...you had your doubts."
Hotch nodded before responding, "yes, Gideon and I both did but nothing concrete. She blew off the sessions with the Bureau psychologist that I ordered and took off. When I caught up with her, she continued to deny it. She resigned the next day."
Dave sighed as he was just learning some of the more recent history of the team. He could see where Hotch was drawing parallels however there were even more differences from what Hotch and Morgan had just said that he felt he needed to point out, "the situations sound very different as do Elle and Emily's behavior in the months following. If anything, Emily has seemed very happy in the last few months. She took time off willingly, did her sessions with the shrink, her and Reid have talked through what happened both in and out of their joint psych sessions. I haven't seen any indication of unresolved trauma."
Hotch looked down nodding at each of Dave's points. He internally chuckled at Dave's point about her willingly taking time off as Dave hadn't been there for that extended argument. However once they had compromised she had embraced the time off.
Looking up and sighing before he answered, "you're right. I haven't questioned her being back in the field before but her reaction today concerns me." He was suddenly worried about his wife. He didn't want to see her hurt. But most of all he didn't want this case or any case for that matter to adversely affect all that he and Emily were trying to build in their life together.
Morgan chimed in noticing that Hotch still didn't seem convinced by what Dave said, "Hotch, the creep is a sleaze that keep undressing her with his eyes last time she saw him. Maybe it's just a general feeling of not wanting to see him again, particularly in a social situation."
Hotch nodded, though he was still uneasy as he answered, "you are probably right."
Dave could see that Hotch still was hesitant so he offered, "Aaron, when Emily and Jordan come back go talk to her. Privately. Make sure she is really OK with going tonight. If she's not, we'll figure something else out.
If it would be helpful, I can go and be in the bar while she talks to him. I wasn't with the three of you when you talked to him so he won't know I'm with her. But I'd be nearby and if I noticed her getting overwhelmed, I'll pull her out."
Hotch let out the breath he had been holding and nodded at the suggestion before answering, "thanks Dave. That could work. I'll talk to her and let you know." before looking at his watch and excusing himself before walking out of the room.
From the interaction and Hotch's reaction, he knew there was more going on that what had been described. He walked over until he was standing next to Morgan and quietly asked, "what was he not saying?"
Morgan sighed and shook his head as he said, "Elle made it personal, especially at the end. After she found out that the locals released the guy, she started yelling at Hotch in the middle of the bullpen. Blaming him for putting her undercover and the guy being released. Then she brought up it was his fault that she was shot months earlier because he had been the one to send her home that night. "
"But neither of those factors were his fault." Dave answered as he processed the new information with Hotch's concerns of Emily's reaction to the assignment.
Morgan nodded and put up his hands as he answered, "I know. But he also blamed himself for not being more specific with Anderson about staying with Elle the night she got shot. He and Gideon took turns sitting with her at the hospital until she got out of the ICU. Hotch went over and personally cleaned the blood up from her apartment.
Elle also said some stuff to him in his office when she resigned but I don't know exactly what it was. He was going through a rough patch with Haley around that time which didn't help."
Dave sighed suddenly wondering if there was another option to sending Emily but knowing that it was the best way to make headway in this case, "let hope tonight goes smoothly. I want to catch this guy."
"Me too, Rossi. Me too." Morgan said as he walked away and out of the room.
####
Dave watched as Hotch walked across the precinct looking lighter than he had when they spoke earlier. Emily and Jordan had arrived back at the station almost an hour earlier and Hotch had disappeared after that.
As he walked back into the conference room, Dave looked up and asked, "is everything OK Aaron?" while closely observing him.
He slowly nodded and answered more relaxed, "yes, everything is fine. Emily wants take Jordan with her. She is planning to get information from Viper by her and Jordan playing off each other."
Dave thought about it before nodding as he answered, "based on his profile, that could work. He'll see the two of them as a challenge and instinctively slip into his old pattern and try to put them in competition with each other."
Hotch nodded as he responded, "that is what Emily is hoping. The plan is for them to seemingly go along with his games for a while and then challenge him. Once they do that, it will give them the best chance to press him for the details we need. To prove them wrong, he may just slip and reveal what so far he has been refusing to divulge.
Dave didn't miss that Hotch had just unconsciously called her 'Emily' which he rarely did that in the field, only in the office. It indicated just how worried Hotch was and all Dave was hoping for was that everything would go off without a hitch tonight and they would get the information that they needed.
Dave nodded as he stated, "so, we stay here. Morgan is dragging Reid away from the tip line so they can leave. Last I heard they were leaving in five minutes."
Hotch nodded as he answered, "Emily and Jordan should be ready in about ten."
####
Hotch and Emily slowly walked into their apartment before sitting down on the couch next to each other. After catching the UNSUB, they had completed what they needed to for the locals in terms of paperwork before flying back. Given the late hour they arrived he had sent everyone home saying they could complete reports in the morning.
As he held her he asked, "how do you feel about the interview with Viper at the club." having not been able to debrief before and wouldn't see her or Jordan's reports until the next day.
Emily laughed before answering, "what a slimeball. He had no problem dishing it out but caved as soon as Jordan and I pushed him. If I never see him again, it will be too soon."
"Did you feel alright going?" Hotch asked quietly. As much as it seemed that she was OK now, if there were any issues about her being sent or his role in it, he wanted them to talk it out now. As with the 'last viable donor' comment a couple of weeks earlier, given their current situation, it was imperative that they address it immediately so they could work past it together instead of letting it fester.
Emily sighed and looked down as she answered, "not at first. I felt like all of you ambushed me with the suggestion."
She paused as she felt him stiffen beside her. She turned and took in the worried look on his face. A similar look to the one he had when he first arrived in the locker room. She shook her head and continued, "but I should have seen it too so that is on me. I felt better once I started to think it through and decided that if Jordan could help, we could get the information I wanted from him. Why?"
Hotch looked at her as he responded, "it just hasn't been that long since Colorado. I was worried that you weren't ready. That is why I came down to the locker room."
A light went off for Emily about his unusually cautious behavior. Looking at him, she cupped his cheek and said softly, "thanks but I'm OK Aaron. I feel better about going forward now that I was successful this time." She paused before a smirk crossed her face before pivoting the conversation, "so you just came down to the locker room to talk then? Not to get a look at the dress."
He laughed at her last comment as he saw the smirk on her face before answering, "well if I'm being honest, I was hoping to see what was UNDER the dress but that would have been hard to explain if anyone came in. So are you planning to wear that dress again?"
Emily nodded having packed the dress into her go bag. He had said that she could fill out an expense report for it before she left to go shopping however it was a cute little black dress that she was open to wearing again so she was just going to keep it, particularly now that she knew her husband liked it as well. "I can if you'd like. I take it you like it."
"Very much. Nice choice. Are you ready to head to bed, Mrs Hotchner?" Hotch answered as he stood up and held a hand out to her.
"I think I could be persuaded, Mr Hotchner." Emily said as she took his hand then stood right in front of him
Hotch pulled her closer for a kiss. Once they both pulled back, he whispered, "I've missed you."
Emily nodded and asked, "can we cuddle before we go to sleep?"
Hotch looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he asked, "only cuddle?"
Emily smirked before asking, "what else did you have in mind?"
Hotch picked her up and carried her into their room. He lowered her to the floor before taking off her blouse and pants. Then he picked her up again and lowered her onto the bed before stripping off his own clothes down to his boxers before crawling into the bed and hovering over her. He smiled at her and said, "I think it would be better if I showed you."
Emily smiled up at him before leaning up and saying, "I can't wait." before meeting his lips with hers and she wrapped her arms around his back.