A/N: My goal was to at least do one update for each of my incomplete stories and yeah! I've done it. Again, I apologize for the ungodly delays. Hopefully I can be a little bit better, but I will be targeting the "shorter" stories to get out of the way first. So it might take a little more time to finish this one up. I still hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.

"No. Because Emily needs me more than the Bureau does." Hotch growled into his phone and rubbed his forehead is frustration. "Dave, I am not leaving Emily right now and that is final! I'm taking my vacation time and Strauss can't do anything about it. Now goodbye." He disconnected the call and turned around with a frustrated sigh only to find himself face to face with Emily.

She smiled gently at him. "I'm fine. You don't need to hold my hand, Hotch. Go back to work."

"Hey, I said I wasn't going to leave you and I'm not. Besides, spending time with you is much more enjoyable than being stuck in one of Strauss' budget meetings," Hotch grinned at her as he put his hands on her shoulders.

Emily tilted her head to the side and rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand. The gesture was so natural, so affectionate, that Hotch caught his breath. That was what he wanted in his life, that intimacy, that connection to her. It was too soon for Emily, but he had hope that when she was ready, they would be together.

"What? Spending the day watching me mope around the apartment?" She straightened her shoulders and gave him a small smile. "Time for moping is over. I am going to pull myself together and get on with my life. I'll miss Jonathan, I think I'll always love him, but he's gone, and I still need to live." She gave him a ghost of her former smile and Hotch felt his heart ache when he saw it. "Go back to work. I'll be fine."

"Emily-"

"Hotch, I know what a bitch Strauss can be. She'll make your life Hell and then I'll feel bad. I promise I'll be okay and in a few weeks, I'll be back at work."

"You don't have to rush anything," he immediately said, his hands now rubbing her shoulders.

"I know." She smiled a bit more brightly this time. Her hand reached out to touch his cheek. Hotch closed his eyes and nestled into her soft palm. "My boss likes to pretend he's a hardass, but he's really one of the sweetest guys ever."

"Don't let it get out. It'll ruin my reputation," Hotch murmured, opening his eyes and looking into her dark ones.

"Your secret is safe with me."

"As are yours."

Hotch's scowl was darker than normal the next day as he walked into the BAU. Morgan, Reid, JJ and Garcia was all gathered around the younger man's desk, but stood immediately when they saw Hotch.

"Hotch! Welcome back!" JJ said in startled surprise.

"How's Emily doing?" Reid asked.

He had spent the morning with her, reluctant to leave her side. She had to almost physically push him out of her apartment, assuring him she would be okay. He promised to call her later in the day. She had smiled and asked, "Would you feel better if I asked you over to dinner tonight?"

It was Hotch's turn to smile and he assured her he would be over by seven o'clock.

"She's doing better," Hotch assured him. He paused. "She's still not ready to come back to work. It'll take time."

"Maybe we should go over there tonight," JJ said turning towards Garcia.

"That's not necessary. I said I would stop over for dinner tonight. See how she's doing," Hotch replied. He ignored the raised eyebrows and pointed looks they sent each other. He nodded his head and went up to his office.

Hotch had just settled in when Rossi was knocking on his door. "Welcome back," the older man said as he sat himself down in the visitor's chair. He placed the ankle of one leg on his knee, a clear indication he had no intention of leaving any time soon. "I thought you weren't going to show up any time soon, Strauss and the Bureau be damned. Emily change your mind?" Seeing Hotch stiffen, Rossi let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Thought so." His eyes turned serious as he regarded Hotch with a grave look. "I hope you know what you're doing, Aaron."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hotch asked, playing innocent.

"You know exactly what I mean. The way you've hovered over Emily these last few weeks, watched over her, taken care of her. I've seen the way you looked at her. When did you realize you were in love with her?"

"Before Jonathan was killed," Hotch sighed, knowing it was futile to deny it to his old friend. "I was resigning myself to a life of unrequited love, or hoping things would go south between those two and then…he dies."

"Rather convenient," Rossi said in a neutral tone.

Hotch glared at him. "If you're insinuating that I had anything to do with his shooting-"

"Of course I'm not, but be careful. Remember, it's an open investigation and they might be fishing around for a motive," Rossi replied.

Hotch frowned. "It was a mugging gone wrong, why would the police be looking for a motive?"

Rossi sighed and uncrossed his legs so he could lean forward. "You know Morgan, JJ and Reid have been working this case on the side. Since you were taking care of Emily, they felt they had to do this for her. They've found some inconsistencies."

"Inconsistencies?"

"We all know witness statements can be unreliable and Emily was in shock. Video footage from a nearby bank showed the other end of the alley the unsub was hiding before he attacked Emily and Jonathan. Footage shows him going into the alley a full two hours before they walked by. It was a Saturday night on a busy street. Plenty of people walking by but this guy decides to rob a couple, not someone walking alone.? Jonathan was a big guy. You telling me he couldn't find an easier mark to mug?"

Hotch leaned back in his chair, stunned. "You think they were specifically targeted? But why?"

"Emily swears they made no aggressive move. She didn't even go for her gun in her purse, but the guy shoots, and he aims for her? Remember, she said Jonathan stepped into the path of the bullet. Anyone would have taken out the big, muscular man before they would the woman."

"Unless they knew Emily was an agent and armed," Hotch replied.

"Which means this wasn't random," Rossi nodded. "I think Emily might have been the target and if those two couples hadn't come along at that time, he would have shot her too."

Hotch was already dialing Emily's number and cursed when he got the answering machine. He tried her cell phone next but that went to voicemail. "Shit! She's not picking up."

"Did she say she was going somewhere today?"

"Jogging, or a walk," Hotch replied promptly remembering what she said might be her plans for that morning. "She likes to run and walk in the park near her apartment." He was already standing up and hurrying out of his office. "Downstairs now!" he barked out to the others who hastily grabbed their weapons and hurried after Hotch and Rossi.

"Hotch!" Morgan called out. "What's going on?"

"Emily might be in danger."

She sighed as she looked around the spotless apartment. When she had been unable to do anything after Jonathan's death, Hotch done everything: cooking, cleaning, shopping. He had been so wonderful, taking care of her, but it also meant there was nothing for her to do. Nothing to occupy her mind.

When he asked her over breakfast her plans for the day, she had looked around the immaculate apartment and decided this would be the first day she would go out since Jonathan's funeral.

Since she slept with Hotch.

Emily felt her cheeks burn with shame at the memory. How could she have done such a thing? But it had been what she needed, that connectedness, the intimacy and companionship. Being with Hotch had made her feel again, made that cold feeling that had settled into her bones when they told her Jonathan had not survived. Hotch had made that go away, if only for a little bit. And when it came back, it wasn't as strong.

But she couldn't lean on Hotch forever. She knew what he did, he did out of kindness, pity even. She was grateful to him for that, but she needed to learn how to stand on her own again. Pushing him to go back to work had been the first step. She couldn't allow him to allow his career go to rack and ruin because she was weak. When Emily heard his end of the conversation with Rossi she had decided the next day Hotch was going into work and Emily would just pull herself up by her big girl panties and continue living.

However, that meant figuring out something to do. She told him that she might go for a walk or take a run. She saw it had been on the tip of his tongue to offer to go with her. She hadn't been out of the apartment since the funeral, but she just gave him a look, silently and firmly telling him she needed to do this on her own.

Emily changed into some workout clothes: Capri length jogging pants, t-shirt and a fitted, zipped hoodie. It was spring, but it happened to be a cool day. She grabbed her iPod and knowing it wasn't wise to go out with her earbuds in her ears, unable to hear a potential assailant nearby, she found she didn't care. She needed the distraction.

As she made her way to the park near her apartment she scrolled through her playlists. With a pang, practically every song seemed to remind her of Jonathan. She switched over to her classical selection and settled for some Beethoven. As the strings of Moonlight Sonata began to stream into her ears, she began a slow, easy jog and allowed her mind to go blank. Emily concentrated on her breathing and allowed the music to wash over her only vaguely taking note of her surroundings, never realizing how closely she was being watched and followed.