"Emily." He whispered, stunned.

It took a moment for either of them to react as they observed the other; profiling their expressions and thoughts while moving to put their phones away. Finally, Emily let herself in and threw her arms around Hotch's neck. He kicked the door shut with his foot and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on tight enough in hopes that she'd never be parted from him again.

"I'm so sorry. I've missed you every single day since I got on that plane Aaron. I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you that I love you" she cried, resting the side of her head against his chest.

"Shhh," Hotch murmured into the top of her hair. He soothingly rubbed circles on her back while fighting to keep his own tears at bay. "You're here now and I'm never letting you go Em, I promise. I love you so much."

They stood together for what seemed like eternity; with nowhere to go or nothing else to do, there was no hurry. Eventually, Emily drew away from him although his grip on her tightened.

She pulled back enough to look at him as he wiped the remaining tears from her eyes then moved his hands down to hold either side of her waist. Emily reached to run her fingers through his hair, and they simultaneously tilted their heads in opposite directions. Hotch closed his eyes first, then she followed as they leaned in. He felt the warmth from her lips brush against him softly at first; cautious as all moments since she left had been counting down to this. The kiss intensified and Hotch melted against her mouth, inhaling deeply in hops it would last forever. She responded equally as passive and in that moment, the fire and drive which he hadn't seen in a long time was reignited in Emily.

In the rush to change the direction of their heads, the two bumped noses. Emily looked at Hotch and they giggled at each other.

"Trust our first kiss to be a clumsy one." She laughed, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"Well, we have plenty of time to get them right" he replied, planting kisses on her temple.

She raised her head and he caught her lips with his once again. This time, it was perfect.

After the two had been reacquainted, they moved into the living room.

"You know, I haven't even said hi to Jack yet. I was a bit too preoccupied being welcomed back" Emily added, giving Hotch an affectionate look.

He stated Jack was in his room and the two planned to surprise Jack the same way Emily had to Hotch. A minute later, Hotch called for Jack who came running to the living room and offered him a glass of milk. Right on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Jack enquired, with special instruction from his father who never let him forget the importance of safety.

"Special delivery for Jack Hotchner" a deep voice came from behind the door, forcing Hotch to suppress his laughter.

"Hey buddy, that's for you!" Hotch replied enthusiastically and moved Jack into position with his eyes closed before he opened the door. Allowing him to open them, he heard the loud, high pitched shriek that followed.

"EMMY!" Jack closed the few feet between them and in one swift motion, Emily gathered him in her arms.

While the two also reacquainted, Hotch stood back and watched his two favourite people come together and couldn't help but tear up.

The three ordered pizza as a celebratory treat for Emily's return and after, cuddled up on the sofa to watch a movie. After Jack fell asleep, which took a long while since he wanted to spend time with Emily and make sure she stayed, and with a lot of reassuring on her part, the two were left watching television. A little while later, Hotch turned to Emily nervously.

"I don't mean to jump the gun or anything, but would you like to stay over?" he asked shyly.

"I have a place rented out about fifteen minutes from here but I really want to be with you tonight; is that okay?"

Hotch shook his head and smiled- in no universe would he refuse her. Turning off the TV, he took hold of her and hand and lead her towards the bedroom. There, he pulled out some clean sweats for her to wear and a spare toothbrush along with other essentials. Once both Emily and Hotch had used the bathroom, they slipped under the covers and lay on their backs before Hotch propped himself up on one elbow to face her.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he enquired.

Emily inhaled, still facing the ceiling. "Going to work after I left the airport was so hard. Even when I was invited out, I just wanted to go back to the apartment and think of you guys. Then I tried to stop myself from thinking because it hurt so much and the loneliness felt like Paris all over again."

Emily moved to lie on her side and with his free hand, Hotch held hers. She clutched it firmly as the pair lay face to face. "I'm sorry you felt so alone Emily. I should have called more. In all honestly, I was trying to do the same; I thought if I didn't think about you the pain would go away but it felt like there was a hole without you."

"I don't blame you at all Aaron, we were both hurting. You know, when I left for London, I was looking for a place that I could belong; where I could feel at home after everything that's happened. But I felt like more of an outsider than before I left. Then when you came to visit, I realized that home is where you were. Home is where you are Aaron. I was looking for something I could have had all along if I hadn't been so afraid to stay."

Hotch leaned over to kiss her and moved his hand to brushed loose strands of hair behind her ears. The corners of her mouth slowly creasing upwards as she closed her eyes briefly to suppress the tears. How could she have denied herself moments like these? He waited patiently for her to continue.

"It took as long as it did because I had quite a lot to sort out. Clyde had a feeling before I said anything but gave me a good reference and wished me luck with whatever I chose, provided that it made me happy. So I gave my two weeks' notice, set up an interview for the Academy at Quantico, and started packing up my apartment there. I found a little brownstone about four miles away from here to rent for six months; although I'm staying indefinitely" she added with a comforting look.

Hotch noted a hint of relief when she spoke and kissed her lightly. "I'm glad you decided to come back home were you belong Em; you deserve to be happy after everything. I thought if I gave you time then you'd figure it out and hopefully you would be back. Now you're here and that's all that matters." Hotch gave her a warm smile, which she returned.

"Get some rest; it's been an emotional evening."

He stretched for a second before turning to lie on his back, drawing Emily into his left side as she draped an arm over his waist. Her head rested on Hotch; feeling the rise and fall of his chest while she listened to the sound of his steady heart beat.

Emily was dozing off when she felt a gentle touch against her skin. With his right hand, Hotch traced his fingers up and down her back, painting light circles before moving along the length of her arm. His left arm pulled her in closer.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily, tilting her head upwards to look at him.

"I can't believe this is real. I can't believe that you're here and that you're mine. I love you."

Emily leaned towards Hotch, pressing a tender kiss against his lips. "I've always loved you Aaron. It took a little while to figure it out but I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere; I promise."

Say whaat, I uploaded a chapter in the same week? Is it Christmas already?! So here it is; the unofficial end of the story! The next chapter will be a prologue to this story to catch up with our favourite couple in the near future :) A part of me is content that I've (nearly) completed my first ever multi-chapter fic but I'm going to miss it even more! See you next chapter!

Reviews are love :)