A/N: Hello! Welcome back to Chapter 5. Please remember to leave a review at the end? Last chapter didn't really bring in any, and it really is kind of a huge let down when that happens…

Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter 5. Please note that the timeline/tense might be a bit odd, as half of the chapter is Aaron remembering the previous night's conversations and events. Italicized text is all memories.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 5.

Days had now passed, and Emily's newfound relationship with Aaron was starting to sink in. She enjoyed spending time with him. Most evenings he would sit on the couch in her living room apartment, Television on low volume as they watched a movie together, her head in his lap. She would find herself in these moments slowly dozing off, as his fingers brushed through her raven hair, or trickled down her back or shoulder. She wasn't much of a fan of physical contact, but when he touched her, she loved every second of it. His movements were always so gentle, so soothing, and his hands knew how to work out the stress and tension that had gathered in her shoulders from the constant photographers and reporters spying on her life.

As classes began to wind down for the Spring break, Aaron had asked to take her out to dinner; her choice of place. He couldn't help the small smile that came over his lips when she mentioned the new bar that had just opened up downtown.

Being an FBI agent in his mid-twenties, Aaron rarely had any time to date, let alone go to the bar. He wasn't a huge drinker, mostly because his father had been, but he couldn't deny how much he could use a drink. It had been awhile. Not to mention, greasy food sounded really great. He loved that Emily was always up for anything. She enjoyed greasy, fatty food when she could, loved dancing, and she didn't mind staying in and watching movies the entire afternoon. She was funny, intelligent, easy to talk to, understanding, determined, strong, stubborn, and graceful - yet clumsy in the best way possible. And then there was the fact that the woman was drop dead gorgeous. She was the perfect woman. She was his perfect woman.

He had to remind himself that none of this was real as he sat across from her at the table in the corner of the bar. To Aaron's delight, the bar wasn't overly crowded. Possibly due to one of Emily's bodyguards standing outside, while Sampson strayed near their table. As the night progressed, Aaron caught Emily looking at all the couples on the dance floor. He knew no matter how much she wanted to, she wouldn't ask him to dance with her. He looked around the bar, catching the eyes of Sampson and the older man nodded, gesturing for Aaron to make a move. He grinned sheepishly.

He stayed quiet, turning his attention back to the brunette who was telling him a story of how her mother had tried to set her up with the son of a diplomat. He stole a french fry off her plate, ignoring the playful glare she sent him, and he popped it into his mouth.

"Hey!" She cut off from her story to raise a challenging eyebrow at him. She then gently smacked at his chest, causing them both to laugh. Once they both came down from their high, a voice spoke over the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

"Alright, to all you lovely folks out there, this one's for you-Have a great night everyone." The DJ let the current song end and a slower song began to play.

Emily recognized it at once, and her eyes lit up. "Oh!" She wanted to dance so badly, but thought better of asking the man in front of her. She was already dragging him to a ball, that was enough. She stared across the dance floor, watching all of the couples together, now swaying to the song. It was one of her favorites.

Aaron heard the change in music and his eyes met her dark ones as 'Wonderful Tonight' by Eric Clapton began to play. He could see on her face how much it was bothering her that she wanted to dance. He inhaled quietly and reached for her hand, shocking her completely. "Miss. Prentiss, may I have this dance?"

She accepted his hand and let him lead her onto the floor, forgetting about her french fries. Her eyes pricked with tears as he brought her in close, his cheek resting against hers. How had he known she wanted to dance? She had tried hard to conceal the desire, and thought she had done a pretty convincing job of it, too. Apparently not?

He twirled her around on the dance floor slowly. She was pressed tight in his arms, one hand was wrapped around her waist, and the other was holding hers. She had her other hand clenched in the material of his shirt up by his shoulder.

And then she asks me, Do I look all right?

And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight

Aaron couldn't help the grin that made itself present on his features as he held her. He felt her head slowly fall to his shoulder, and he pulled her that much closer. "You are wonderful tonight, Emily." His voice came out in a soft hum as he rested his chin on the top of her head. He wanted to stay like this forever. He couldn't think of a time where he had ever been happier. He felt comfortable with her.

The song ended before he knew it, and he found himself pouting as the music came to an end. The bar was closing and it was time to leave.

Sensing that it was time as well, Emily's head peaked up from his shoulder. With a caress of her hair, he brushed his lips to Emily's temple and then forced his feet to move off the dance floor. "Leads head out." He kissed her lips as a pout formed over her lips as well. "There'll be more dancing at the ball." He reminded quietly. She nodded, a smile forcing the pout away from view.

As he drove them home, his mind traced back on the past two days.

The previous night had found them curled up on Emily's couch, watching some older movie. He had heard of it, but had never seen it. When he told Emily this, of course, she had turned on him, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow, and had stared at him with such a disapproving and disbelieving look that he laughed. She immediately told him to put it in, while she had wandered into the kitchen and popped a bag of popcorn.

Three minutes later, she had found her spot next to him and leaned into him, the bowl of popcorn sitting between them as the beginning credits to The Major and The Minor played. The beginning was a bit slow, but it soon picked up, and Aaron soon found himself enjoying the film. Every now and then, Emily would gush how handsome Ray Millard was, or squeal with delight how she "just loved that part!" He really did enjoy spending time with her.

As the film was coming to an end, his cell phone rang from inside his bag. He cast a sideways glance at Emily and noticed that she had fallen asleep, to his relief. Slowly, he lifted her head, just enough so he could slip out from underneath her. He slid a pillow as a replacement, and took one look at her, smiling, before he grabbed the ringing phone from his bag. His work phone. He silenced it quickly, double checking that Vivian wasn't home, he had answered it in a hushed voice, and headed into Emily's bedroom.

"Hotchner."

"Agent Hotchner, I'd like to take some time to talk to you about the Cover op, is this an appropriate time?"

It was the director of the FBI. He scratched the back of his head, shutting the bedroom door and crossed the room. He sat on her bed and took in a soft breath before replying. "Yes, now is fine."

"Right. Well, how is our little undercover operation going?" There was a pause, "The president seems pleased. Says you are closer with his daughter than ever before, is this correct?"

Aaron had scrubbed a hand down his face before confirming. The director continued after a beat of silence, "Well, Agent Hotchner. As we know, the annual President's Ball is coming up in a matter of days, and the President has received word from his daughter-"

Aaron took in a soft breath, not quite sure where this conversation was going. "He says that Ms. Prentiss has requested to bring a 'plus one'." There had been another short pause. "She means you, Agent Hotchner." Aaron could practically hear the apprehensiveness in the director's voice.

"Okay, then I won't-"

"Actually, I would like you to go. As her date, but doubling as her security. You are the only one at the moment who is close enough to protect her at this event, are you not? We've been informed that the president wants all secret service to hang low, stay in the dark. All except you, Agent. Now, do we have an understanding?"

"I… Uh, sir, as her date?" He had nearly choked out, wondering how he were going to pull this off. He had just hoped nothing would happen the night of this ball.

"Yes. Is there an issue, Agent Hotchner?" Aaron had shaken his head quickly, rushing to assure the older man verbally that there was indeed, no issue with his request.

"Very well then. I'll call back when there's anything new."

"Sir." Aaron exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited. "The other day, I found a bug on Em-Ms. Prentiss' car. No doubt it was tracking her location." There was no response except the director's quiet breathing. He considered this, turning it over in his head. Aaron continued quickly, "I took it off and smashed it but someone is after her, and I think it's only a matter of time before they come after her… I think-"

The director cut him off, his tone low and serious. "We will take care of it." And with that, he hung up, leaving Aaron alone with his thoughts as the line went dead. He inhaled softly, his jaw gritting. He was security detail. Not an agent in the field. It wasn't his job, he had to remind himself. Snapping the phone shut, he then pocketed it before glancing around the brunette's room.

The clock on her desk read 10:37pm. Wow, it had gotten late. His eyes then fell on a framed photo that was sitting right next to the clock. He had moved towards it, bringing himself to a standing position as he reached out and picked up the frame. A smile formed on his lips as he stared at the photo. It was Emily and her roommate, both of them grinning, hugging each other. It was a nice photo. And, he grinned, it looked like it wasn't a professional photo. One that they had just taken with a plain disposable camera. The thought had made his chest swell. He set it down in its previous position and moved onto another photo, opposite the one he had just been holding. This one was in a very ornamented silver frame. He liked this one a lot.

There in the photo, two adults standing side by side. He recognized Emily's father as the president, and drew a conclusion that the brunette who looked like an older Emily, had to be her mother. He stared at the ambassador, the president, and their daughter, realizing at once that they didn't look how they usually looked like in photos he had seen of them. He thumbed the photo, noticing how all of them looked happy, unaware that the photo had been taken. They weren't posed, no. This photo looked real. Emily was laughing with her father, at his side while her mother beamed at the two of them. Emily's hair was shorter than it was now, and she looked a bit younger. He could practically see the electricity in her dark eyes.

He heard the door creak open and he quickly turned toward the door, catching sight of a sleepy looking brunette. "Hey" He placed the photo back down on the desk, feeling like he was intruding on her privacy. "Sorry-"

She shook her head, the dark curls bouncing around her head as a small smile appeared on her lips. "I love that photo." She moved to his side and stared down at it. He handed it to her and she took it., running her tongue over her lips. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him and he heard her let out a soft yawn before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me about them."

She stood in his embrace, tilting her head into his chest. She inhaled his scent and sighed quietly before lifting her head and removing herself from his embrace. She slowly reached for his hand and pulled him to the bed, silently motioning for him to sit with her. "This photo was taken two years ago." She smirked, his hand found hers and he began to brush his thumb along her wrist, sending shivers up her spine. "I asked how my parents had met, and how they knew it was love." She cleared her throat quietly. She picked up the photo and traced the silver frame with her finger tip. "He knew the instant he laid eyes on her." She couldn't stop the small smile from settling on her lips.

"My mother-" She nodded, her eyes never leaving the photograph, "She was on Spring break from Oxford, studying politics and international affairs. Her best friend had convinced her to accompany her to the US for the break. They were in the airport, checking in for their flight to return to England, when my father accidentally bumped into her and spilled coffee on her." Emily let out a soft laugh and shook her head, "She was angry, even after he apologized many time. She left him standing there, and went on her way to find her gate." She shrugged a bit, "but then an hour later or so, he saw her again, just as they were waiting to board their flight back to the UK, and he decided to go up to her and ask her for her info so he could pay her back for ruining her cashmere sweater. He said she was beautiful, and asked her out, right there. He even missed his flight, just to talk to her." She paused, a smile taking shape on her lips.

"And?"

"She refused!" Emily had finished in a bout of laughter, "Said he didn't even know her, and was confused as to why he would just randomly ask someone he didn't know out. Especially after he threw his coffee at her." Aaron's stomach did a flip as he took in her dreamy, far away look. "He missed his flight all because he wanted to talk to her, and she refused." A dimple peeked out on her features and she nodded, continuing the story, "So then a few days later, he decided to fly to England to find her. He couldn't let her go. He flew all the way there, found my mother somehow, and asked her if she would reconsider his offer, saying that he wanted to get to know her over dinner."

Aaron gave Emily's hand a gentle squeeze as he watched her. He tucked her into his chest and nestled the top of her head into his neck.

"She gave in, amazed that he had someone managed to find her again. She thought it was ludacris, but she eventually agreed to see him. Especially when he told her that he was also studying political science." She shrugged, the story coming to an end now, "They're both so stubborn, that it was just a battle of wits for the longest time."

He chuckled quietly, realizing that that was where she had gotten her stubbornness from. "They seem great."

She nodded, her reply just above a whisper, "Yeah. Yeah, they are. You'd like them." She stifled a yawn with the palm of her hand, and unable to hold one back of his own, he yawned, giving her a soft smile and pecking the top of her head with his lips. It dawned on him then that when he accompanied her to the ball he would be meeting her father and mother. He swallowed the lump in his throat and buried his face in her hair for a moment, inhaling the fruity scent of her shampoo.

"You should get some sleep."

She smiled sleepily up at him and chuckled quietly, nuzzling her head in his neck, "So should you." A small grin spread across her features as he pressed his lips to the tip of her nose, making her insides go all warm and fuzzy. "Do you wanna stay?"

"I, uh," He drew in a soft breath, his forehead resting against hers.

Her lips turned into a small pout, making Aaron's heart leap at the sight of her. "Please?"

He pulled a millimeter away to make sure she wanted this, "Em, are you sure?" She nodded and he hummed quietly, unsure of what to say. Obviously he wanted to stay; wanted to hold her as she slept, but… could he? He stared down at the brunette, and she blinked up at him through her long lashes.

"Would I be asking if I weren't sure?" She tilted her head to the side, her lips now just mere millimeters from his. He pulled his lower lip in between his teeth and toyed with it as he released a breath, defeated.

"Okay, I guess one night couldn't hurt."

This sentiment obviously made her happy, as the next second, he found her arms around his neck, pulling him ever closer to her. She closed the distance between them, sealing her mouth to his in a soft, chaste kiss.

He could definitely get used to this, he thought, nipping gently at her lip. He felt her tug him down, and he allowed her to. Both brunettes fell to the bed, laying in each other's arms. For a brief moment, he felt a stab of guilt hit him. This wasn't real, not really. He was undercover to protect her. How could he be in a relationship with her, when she didn't even know his real name? How could he carry on with her, while lying to her face? He mentally kicked himself. Those were thoughts for another time. Right now he was laying in her bed, his arms embracing her tightly and protectively. He felt her move against his chest and he caught her dark eyes in the glow of the moonlight. She looked so beautiful. He felt her fidget in his arms, suddenly anxious about something. "What are you thinking?"

"I have a question…" Dark eyes had searched his and he nudged her, listening to her. "Would you, um… Well, every year there's this sort of ball at the White House, I guess." She tortured her bottom lip in between her teeth and flicked it with her tongue, making his chest tighten. "Stupid, really." She shrugged in his arms, now avoiding his eyes and trying to downplay it. "And unfortunately I can't get out of this one… But would you want to…" She swallowed, "Do you want to go with me?"

Even though he was already aware she would ask him, he couldn't help the breath that caught in his throat. He drawled his fingers over her shoulder as he spoke slowly. "Me, escort the First Daughter to the President's ball?"

Her words were rushed as she began to panic a bit, trying to untangle herself from his strong arms. "You really don't have to, I mean I know this is new, and you really-"

"Emily." Her name coming from his lips was enough to silence her and stop her from struggling in his arms. He smirked a bit at her obvious embarrassment. "I would be honored to."

"Really?" She sighed softly and searched his eyes, "I think my father said he'll send the jet… Is that okay?" He had remained silent, and instead chose to press a gentle kiss to her lips. He felt her relax underneath his hold.

Her smile was the last thing he saw before sleep overtook him.

A/N: This chapter was a bit… odd for me to write. I'm not quite sure why, exactly. But anyways… The ball should be coming up real soon. Please, please, PLEASE leave a review? They really help. I'm not kidding.

-Emily