Although Emily was due to go back to work on Monday, with the overtime she had accumulated in the last few weeks, she scored an extra day of holiday. With their last full day filled with a trip out of London, souvenir shopping for family and friends and mini golf, it was safe to say the trio were exhausted by the evening.
The three were slumped on the sofas, full from the homemade pizza session when Jack turned to Emily.
"Emmy, you haven't told a Prince Zach story in a while" he stated sincerely.
"Oh I haven't, have I?" Emily asked enthusiastically. "Are you sure you're ready for the adventure packed, fun filled journey of Prince Zach and the Stone Chocolate takeover?!"
As he cheered and clapped, Emily began.
"So, since we'd stopped the story Zach had moved to London and had been asked by the Embassy to stop the evil Doctor Caesar Salerd from turning the chocolate supply into stone."
Jack gasped, "Into stone?!"
"Yup, into stone to cut the national sugar supply" Emily agreed. "Prince Zach invited all his friends to help because this was a big task."
The story progressed and Hotch admired how actively Emily told the story; from flying around the country to find Dr. Salerd to eventually stopping him from taking over the M&M store using toffee laser guns which captured and froze all of his soldiers. He was especially blindsided when Emily lifted Jack up to demonstrate the removal of chocolate by the doctor and span him around.
"Daaaddy! Save me!" Jack screamed in the middle of giggle fits as Hotch dramatically attempted to steal him from Emily; however she made a defensive play while hugging Jack, keeping her back to Hotch as they launched carefully into the 'pile of chocolate rubbish' sofa.
"And because they had saved the store and the country from being chocolate-free, the Queen rewarded him and his friends with a lifetime supply of chocolate." Emily continued, moving to stand.
"Soon after, Zach had to retire from his superhero task force as he had diabetes and could no longer function with sugar instead of blood in his veins" Hotch mumbled deadpanned. Emily heard however, and had to hold back her laughter.
"Emmy, is Prince Zach happy in London?" Jack suddenly asked.
"Yes he is darling, why do you ask?"
"It must get lonely being far from his friends. I know they visit but what happens when they gotta go back?" he asked.
Emily caught the eye of Hotch before she spoke and had a feeling he too was interested in the answer. "Because Prince Zach moves a lot, he gets used to being alone. But even so, his friends will always be there for him whether they call or text or even help him on cases."
Jack looked content with the answer and turned to Hotch.
"Daddy, can we stay with Emmy tonight? It's our last night and I wanna stay."
"Uh, buddy Emily might not have space or have other plans..." Hotch began unsure of how she'd react but was quickly cut off.
"You're more than welcome to Aaron- and you Jack-Jack! I have a spare double bed and my schedule is strictly for the two of you this week. Besides, you're leaving tomorrow and you're either going to fall asleep here or there" She smiled warmly.
"Are you sure?" Hotch asked cautiously, not wanting to invade her personal space or seem too forward however she seemed enthusiastic and emphasized how late it was. Since Jack was persuasive enough with his puppy dog eyes, he felt compelled to oblige.
Emily exited to search her wardrobe and returned with a bag, handing it to Hotch. "When I joined Interpol I was given a go-bag but the clothes were slightly baggy- they might fit you though."
Hotch tried the t-shirt and tracksuit pants and although they were slightly tight, they were better than nothing. Having packed a spare t-shirt for Jack just in case, the trio changed into their pyjamas and reconvened in the living room.
"Buddy, it's already quite late so we'll watch a short movie then off to bed, okay?"
"Kay daddy. Emmy come sit!" Jack called, patting the seat next to him as he shuffled next to Hotch.
"Now this is one of my favourites okay and it seems appropriate since you guys are in London!" Hotch noted the excited tone in her voice as the credits rolled on and 'Basil the Great Mouse Detective' appeared on screen. She retook her place on the sofa and felt the warmth of Jack's arm link between hers, and her heart melted a little.
"Basil?" Hotch asked, surprised that she knew and loved the movie also.
"I have a confession; this isn't my first time in London. We moved here for a few months when I was nine and this movie came out around the same time. I was interested in crime and policing but being nine, my mother wanted me to watch something age appropriate and voila."
Although he didn't admit it out loud, he loved the way Emily spoke about her personal life and in particular, her life before the BAU. It made him realize how much he didn't know about her, and how much he'd like to get it know. He zoned back just in time to see her smiling at him, with that endearing smile she spoke with when discussing her interests.
Forty five minutes later, Jack had fallen asleep with his head resting in Emily's lap and feet sprawled across Hotch's. He lifted Jack slowly, trying not to wake him and carried him to the spare room which was minimally decorated apart from a few boxes Emily hadn't unpacked.
He returned to the living room to find Emily waiting on the couch, reminding him of the previous night. However tonight he had nowhere else to go; not that he wanted to.
"Hey" he smiled, shivering slightly as the chill had set in. He sat down and Emily pulled the blanket from the chaise, draping it over the both of them
"Hey yourself."
There was so much he wanted to say but he didn't know where to start. So he decided on something not too heavy but honest.
"I wish it could be like this for more than just a week."
Emily turned to look at him and he could tell she was studying his face and expressions. What was he trying to say?
"It's been a great week. I can't remember the last time I've laughed or had as much fun." She replied truthfully.
"Me neither." He hesitated for a moment. "Being with you is so simple."
"I feel the same way… but-"
"No 'buts' Em, it's the truth."
Although she agreed, Emily asked why he'd waited until the night before he left to mention anything. Sure, she loved spending time with him and she thought about him every day since she'd arrived in London, but given their circumstances it was difficult.
He reached for her hand and when she allowed him to hold it, he continued.
"I wanted to give you time after the Doyle situation." He noticed she no longer flinched at his name. "When you came back, you weren't the same and that was both good and bad but I didn't want to make things worse. I didn't say anything because I knew you needed something normal, so I was content with being there as a friend."
She knew he was right but it felt as though there were more obstacles that impeded a possibility of them being a couple.
"What about Beth? She was nice and the two of you got on well; where did I fit in?" Emily wasn't bitter about Beth because she knew Hotch had been alone since Haley. He was glad she could provide him with comfort and companionship even if Emily was still getting her bearings together.
He slightly tightened his grip on her hand, enough to firmly express himself.
"Truth be told, we both knew we were better as friends after the third date. She was a good friend more than anything. It was nice having someone to talk to who didn't know all the downfalls in my life involving relationships, but that's where it stopped Em; friends."
She couldn't hold it against him as they'd both been through difficult times and they'd both tried to cope as best as they could. She inched closer to him and leaned her head on his left shoulder as their hands pulled apart. He reciprocated by putting his arm around her, enveloping her in a tight hug which she didn't mind. Hotch closed his eyes and gently rested his chin on top of her head, wishing it could be like this forever but they both knew there was still more to figure out. After a while, he knew he had more to say.
"We can make it work."
She wanted to bury herself deeper against his, to be consumed by him so reality wouldn't hurt so hard. "You're in Virginia and I'm in London," she replied, whispering "long distance doesn't work."
"We've been making our friendship work, haven't we? We can text and Skype and on the odd occasion hop on a plane and visit the other." They both smiled at this.
"I'm too broken."
It pained him that she still felt so lost. "I'm the same. We've both been through hell and back but we made it through Em; we deserve to see where this can go."
She pulled away enough to see his face; and saw the desperation of wanting to change her mind.
"I don't think I could take starting something when you have to leave. Knowing we had something so incredible and having it be on the other side of the world- I couldn't." She stated honestly. The pain mixed with her reservations of being in London was too much to handle.
Although he would move mountains to stop her hurting, he couldn't and not wanting to push her further, he simply stated "I'm here. every second of every day; if you ever need me I'm here, okay?"
Hotch wanted to reinforce his presence and leave it at that. He could discuss for hours how great they'd be and the wonderful things that would come out of changing her mind but knowing Emily Prentiss, it had to be her who made the decision for herself.
She smiled and nodded before returning to her place against his chest. He allowed himself to hold her closely before waiting a while and changing the topic to reminisce on the best moments of the BAU.
Although they couldn't be together in that moment, Hotch couldn't imagine anything more perfect than Emily in his arms.
Author's note: Originally this chapter was going to end a bit later in the story however this was getting longer and I decided to end this chapter here. There's roughly two to three more chapters but I don't particularly want to let this story go! This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it :)