Bringing Emily Home

Part 3

Hotch's internal clock woke him at the usual time of 530am. He had been asleep for only an hour.

Fuzzy, he opened his eyes and saw that he was facing the wall on his left. Then he realized there was a warm body snuggled right behind him. At first he thought it was Jack. But then this was not his bedroom, he was in Connecticut, in a hotel room.

Then who…

Ah, Emily.

Sleepily, he smiled as he recalled last night. Oh, did he dream that she was completely nude?

No, well, yes; she was naked post shower in his bathroom and in his dreams not too long ago. It was a very happy 'home coming' present from her.

And now, feeling her warm body right behind him was another kind of home coming for him.

He sighed. As much as he wished he could stay like that for a long while, the case at hand reminded him that such indulgence was not appropriate for the moment.

Wait till they were done.

Reluctantly, he slowly scooted out from his side of the bed. Not needing to turn on any lights, he picked up his go bag and made his way to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, he stepped out of the shower stall and began to towel dry, his mind running a mile a minute; the case, Emily, Strauss.

Did Emily know about Strauss' involvement?

Probably not or she'd have mentioned it. Or was it that something she wanted to ask him before she fell asleep?

So many questions.

As he reached for his go bag, the door opened.

And Emily shrieked!

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I thought you had left!" She was staring at him blatantly despite the deep blush on her face; eyes wide awake now.

Instead of feeling self conscious at his state of undress, all he could think of was the irony.

He chuckled as he said, "I guess this is payback?" He shook his head as he grabbed the damp towel and wrapped it around his waist, thinking of last night's nice little surprise.

Speechless, Emily shook her head as she closed the door but not before he saw her glanced at his bare torso with a hitched eyebrow and smiled shyly.

Well, I'm glad someone still appreciated my body.

Shaking his head, he reached for his bag and continued his toiletries; the image of a shock Emily stayed on his mind while he shaved.

When he came out, fully dressed except for his shoes, he saw Emily pacing about the room.

She whipped her head and Hotch saw her relief.

He grinned knowing that she was afraid to see him still undressed.

"I guess I should announced before I come out that I'm decent," he teased her as he moved pass her and placed his go bag in the closet.

"I'm so sorry Hotch. I honestly thought…"

He cut her off, saying, "No need. I should have locked the door. So the fault is as much mine as yours."

Emily shook her head, "Okay. You are right. I guess we're both not used to each other in one room. I'll get a new room as soon as I'm dressed."

Hotch stopped on his tracks, "Emily, I thought we went through this. It would be awkward. You will be staying here while I'm gone."

Emily frowned.

He saw her expression and reasoned, "You know right now, you should not be out and about. This is a small town. One of the team will spot you and at this mo…"

"Moment, it's not good," she nodded her head, agreeing with logic but still…

"Look, if it will help you while away the time and I know you don't like sitting around not doing anything, I'm leaving all the files and information about this case. You are at this moment an advisor. I would like to hear your input on this."

Emily warmed, "Thank you Hotch. I love to help. And you are right, sitting around will drive me bonkers."

"Don't leave the room. Order room service."

Nodding her head she watched him tied his shoes.

Suddenly, she felt as if they were in a domestic relationship. As if her status as Mrs. A. Hotchner was real.

"You okay?" He asked when he realized she was silent; she was hardly ever silent.

Moving her eyes from his shoes to his face she shook head.

"It's nothing. This almost looks too domestic."

Hotch stood up and moved to the nightstand and collected his phone, badge, gun and keys and turned to her, "Yeah, it does. But," he suddenly grinned, "we would have a bigger bed than this!"

Crap! Did I say that out loud? He closed his eyes in disbelief.

Emily giggled.

He opened his eyes and tried to glare at her but seeing her laughing face, he gave up and grinned, shaking his head.

"I'll hold you to that…Mr. Hotchner." She teased.

Opening his briefcase, he laid out the files and closed it back.

"Here's the files and what we have so far. Your phone number is not the same, right?" He asked as he pulled out his.

"No. It's E. Hotchner," she said bashfully as she grabbed hers from the desk by the window.

Hotch was checking on his phone when he heard the name and snapped his head to her, "E. Hotchner? Not very covert, isn't it?"

"Well, Ian is dead and there's no reason to hide anymore and technically, Emily Prentiss is dead too. If I revert back to my name, it might alert someone or Garcia." She said as she gave him her new phone number.

Hotch nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Your old number is tagged, just in case Doyle tried to get a hold of you, by chance."

"I'll change it back…no, I guess we'll have to figure something out," she agreed.

"When this case and when S…" Damn, there was no time to explain to her about Strauss, he had to get going or one of the team would be knocking at his door soon.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Look, when I get back tonight, we'll talk and I think I know what you're going to ask me last night. But it'll take too long. Just hang in here and go through the files. Is that okay?"

"Of course. And thanks for letting me 'in'."

Hotch smiled, "I'll see you tonight." He grabbed his briefcase and nodded once to her and made his way to the door.

"What?" Emily smiled, "No kiss goodbye?"

Hotch gave her a look and she laughed, waving her hand.

"I'm just teasing. You know that. Have a great day at work, sweetie!" She jogged into the bathroom and closed the door.

Minx! He shook his head as he left the room, making sure the door clicked to shut before he moved on down the hallway, towards the elevators.

If she didn't rushed and hid in the bathroom, he might be tempted to walk to her and actually gave her a kiss, just to show her.

"You are smiling and it's too early. Must be some hot dream!" Dave's voice came from behind him.

"And a good morning to you, too," Hotch straightened up. He knew that Dave was too shrew to figure things out fast and he was tenacious if things bugged him.

Dave stared at him with suspicious.

Damn!

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just had a good night's sleep that's all," he tried to make it sound his usual brisk manner.

"Hmm. Is it that Agent Holden?" Dave teased his friend.

Hotch glared at him hard, "Dave, you know me better than that. That's a sexual harassment waiting to happen. And you know I don't go for that type."

Dave shook his head, "Aaron, I'm pulling your leg. And she's not that great looking either. Word has it that she's in for you and she's not going to take no for an answer, so watch out for her, my friend."

Hotch looked at his friend, "Thanks, I will. I didn't know she talked to others about her…intention."

"Oh, she talks all right. Agent MacDonald got an earful of how wonderful your ass looked. And other attributes. Make no doubt, that woman will cause trouble."

"Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for her."

Dave nodded, "So, who then?"

"Who?"

"Your good night sleep."

"Dave…" Hotch shook his head, wanting Dave to drop the subject.

"Okay, I'll let you to it. How about breakfast? It's still a little early; the restaurant downstairs should be opened for breakfast and lots of coffee."

Hotch nodded, "Coffee sounds good and an omelet couldn't hurt either." He knew that if he said no, Dave would get more suspicious and he couldn't know about Emily just yet.

As the elevator arrived and opened the doors, Hotch was wondering what she was doing at the moment. Probably ordering breakfast for herself.

He felt guilty for leaving her. And ordering her to stay put. And now, she would be eating alone.

No, he shook his head mentally; she would be reading the files now. She couldn't resist mystery and intrigue. She would go through all the files and then realized she was hungry.

She was just like him; something new, he would read about it before thinking about sustenance.

Mrs. A. Hotchner. He recalled what she told him last night.

And this morning; Emily Hotchner. That sounded just right.

"Aaron? You okay?" Dave asked as he watched his friend. Hotch had became quiet; they usually brainstorm at the spur and he was expecting his young friend to ask his opinion on the current case but his friend seemed to be thousand miles from here.

Something was up. And he was obligated, to himself, to figure Aaron out or his name is not Dave Rossi!

…

It was near lunch. The interview with the parents went well, considering their health issues and the tragedy of their only child. There would be nothing to pass down for that family. No future generations; it died when their daughter was murdered. It made the team much more determined to find the killer, just to put their minds at ease. A closure and when they passed on, it would be a peaceful one where they believed that their daughter would be waiting for them on the other side.

Hotch received a phone call from Emily. He smiled when the Caller ID read Mrs. A. Hotchner.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" Agent Margaret Holden stood by the door.

Hotch looked up and shook his head, "Just reading a text. Did you need something?"

Agent Holden smiled, "Well, it's near lunch, I was wondering if you have any lunch plans?"

Hotch saw the 'claws' trying to sink into him; he remembered Dave's warning about her.

"No, what do you have in mind?" He asked wearily.

Seeing this was her chance, she walked into the room and stood near him, "We have the usual various ethnics cuisine; Chinese, Italian, Greek, and Mexican."

Hotch thought for a moment; he wanted to swing by the hotel and maybe have lunch with Emily but he didn't want to seem rude until he saw the guys in the team hovering around a coffee maker.

"Mexican. We traveled so much and most times it's Chinese or fast food so I think Mexican sounds great."

Margaret's eyes sparkled, "Oh great! I love Mexican food. And I know just this restaurant that makes some wicked Fajitas. Rosalita's."

Hotch nodded, "Okay, Rosalita's it is."

"Super! I'll grab my jacket and we'll head out." She left the room hurriedly; she couldn't believe the tall, hot and handsome SSA Hotchner was going to lunch with her! Could she chalk this up as a date? And he was single. Oh yeah, that was the first thing she had checked out when she saw him the very first time and drooled. Feeling excited, she quickly rushed to her office and picked up her jacket from the guest chair where she had tossed it when the weather was warming and mainly she wanted SSA Hotchner to really take a good look at her…and her assets.

She took pride in her twins 36C and her behind, when she wore slim skirts which she was wearing one right now, emphasized them. Oh yeah, she was damn proud of them! She knew the other members of the BAU team had checked her out behind her back and she knew they had appreciated the view, like other men in this building.

But it was Hotch she wanted. And she always got what she wanted. Always.

Her inflated excitement was shot down two minutes later when she met him at the lobby, along with Agents Morgan, Rossi and Reid.

There went her fantasy of dining alone with Hotch.

"Ready?" Hotch asked, albeit innocently.

Margaret tried her best to tempt down her ire and nodded, putting on her pleased face for him.

"Yes, I am. Let's go."

Dave and Derek grinned behind her; they saw her angry expression and knew that Hotch had played her.

Derek couldn't fathom why Hotch was not attracted to her; he was and wouldn't mind getting to know her more but he saw that she had set her sights on Hotch. He had never threaded on other man's woman even though she was not one, yet.

Dave was thinking that she was in for a comeuppance from Hotch; no one got the better of him.

At the restaurant which was a small quaint building that when you stepped in it, you felt as if you were in Mexico! The ambience and music were from that ethnicity.

And the rich smell of Mexican food was immediately appreciated by the team when they entered and was led to a table setting large enough to accommodate them.

"I hoped they make a decent Chimichanga! I loved that green sauce they put on it," Reid lifted his face up to breathe in.

Margaret made sure she was sitting next to Hotch.

As he sat down, he felt his phone buzzing in his jacket.

It was a text message from E. Hotchner. He almost smiled but remembered where he was at.

E. Hotchner wanted to know if he was coming by for lunch.

Sighing inwardly, he typed back, informing her that he, the team and the senior field agent were having lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

Less than a minute later, she replied; who was this 'senior' field agent and what did she looked like?

Hotch almost laughed a loud; trust her to see him through.

He typed his answer, admitted to her who the agent was.

"Who are you texting?" Margaret asked softly, trying to sound as if she was privy to his personal situation.

Hotch looked up at her and saw that she was sitting a little too close to him. He frowned slightly; didn't she know about my issues with personal spaces?

"Um, this is a private matter."

Margaret blushed as she nodded her apology and picked up her menu.

"Jessica?" Dave asked.

Hating to lie to his friend, he nodded, "Yeah, she was telling me what Jack had done when some neighborhood kid tried to bully him."

Dave smiled and asked for more information but the waitress arrived to take their orders.

After they had ordered, they discussed about the abhorrence of bullying and how to reform the bully and how prevalent throughout the country bullying was.

Margaret tried to join in but realized that their combine minds was too much for her, she settled down and listened to their discussions from one topic to another, and most times, it took her a while to realized that they had moved on to another topic.

She was never gladder when their food arrived.

Even though she felt awkward, she managed to inject some insights to the comings and goings here in this city; she was born in a neighboring town and her friends and family were here. This was her home turf.

Reid drilled her on the geography, economy and the market surrounding the area.

While Reid and Margaret talked, the other men discussed the case.

Half way through their meal, they received a call from the local PD; another body was found with the same method of death, she was beaten beyond recognition, and only a partial jaw was left behind, enabling the crime lab to identify her. Her parents had reported her missing a month ago.

The other victims were found after they were reported missing over three months ago.

"He's escalating. I guess the gig is up," Dave commented as they left the restaurant, heading to the crime scene.

As Derek was driving, Hotch was able to fire a quick text to Emily about the latest.

Time was now of the essence, if UnSub dumped this body less than a month after the fourth one, he might be doing it again, and it would be soon.

Spending the rest of the afternoon until near late in the evening looking through the crime scene and at the morgue, the team headed back to their hotel rooms, beaten.

Entering his room, he glanced around for Emily and smiled tiredly; she had fallen asleep across the bed, the files, her notes and photos on either side of her.

He quickly picked up the paperwork around her before rousing her.

"Emily, wake up."

Emily opened an eye and saw that he was sitting next to her. She smiled as she had the most pleasant dream where she and Hotch had become more than friends, he was kissing her in the gentlest manner and her heart was beating fast.

Waking slowly, her expression was soft and Hotch took a deep breath; she looked so vulnerable and the urge to kiss her was foremost.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Hey yourself. I hate to wake you but you need to readjust your sleeping position," he got up reluctantly, giving her room to move.

Emily looked about her and realized she was sleeping crossway and leaving no room for Hotch.

Standing up, she stretched up and Hotch saw quite an expanse of bare skin and her belly button. An inney!

He thought it was the cutest thing on her until he spotted the scar. Her altercation with Ian Doyle before she 'left' the team had caused her a really nasty wound to her abdomen. The doctors in the emergency room had to operate on a larger area, to ensure there were no splinters from the broken wooden leg left inside of her.

Emily froze when she saw where Hotch was staring at and hastily pulled her T-shirt down, covering her scar.

Hotch snapped his eyes to hers, "I'm sorry, it was just…there."

Emily shook her head, "That's okay, it's just that I'm not use to anyone looking at it. I'm still adjusting to it myself. It's ugly and I don't wear a bikini anymore."

Hotch shook his head, "You should see mine…" he stopped suddenly. His reminded them of the horrors and consequences George 'The Boston Reaper' Foyet had left when he came for Hotch. The team, as well as Hotch, had not forgiven themselves for letting that bastard done what he did to Hotch. All were glad that he no longer bothered anyone anymore, just the scars, both physically and mentally.

Now, Emily had her own horrors. And it felt good to know that she took care of the man who had haunted her for a long time.

But it was quickly forgotten on Hotch's part as she also mentioned bikini.

Damn! What a waste. He admitted to himself that Emily had a great body and to see her in a bikini? Oh hell yes! Any red-blooded breathing male would certainly die happy to see her in a bikini! But then, the added boon for him was that he had seen her without bikini…in the buff! That particular image kept popping into his mind often.

"Hotch? You okay?" she saw a range of emotions running across his face and knew what he was thinking of. That bastard Foyet! Even though it had been more than 2 years, his ghost would forever haunt Hotch. Damn Foyet!

But then the last emotion…it looked as if something had pleased him as she could see his eyes dilating and a small grin appearing but then he wiped them as he replaced them with his usual stern feature. What she would do to know what he was thinking about.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He nodded his head.

Then he felt the impact of the day hit him suddenly and sighing, he moved to the closet to retrieve his go-bag and looking at her, and indicating his briefcase on the table, he said, "I need to take a shower, to get rid of the mess our UnSub left behind. The file on today's case and photos are in there, if you're up to it, take a look at them or you can wait till tomorrow. The crime scene was more awful than the previous ones. It's as if he was angry about something and took it out on her."

Emily nodded her head, and moving to his briefcase, "I'll take a glance right now but tomorrow I'll go through it slowly. I'm still sleepy and tired from the car trip"

Hotch stood by the bathroom door, "Yeah, I'm pretty bushed. Shower and then I'm hitting the bed too. See you in a bit."

Fifteen minutes later, when he emerged from the bathroom, feeling cleaner, he saw that Emily had once again fallen asleep, this time under covers.

Switching off the lamp, he crawled to his side of the bed and restrained himself from the urge to kiss her, he settled down and before he realized it, he was fast asleep.

...End of Part 3…

Thank you! Now…let me know!

Lizzie