Lean On Me

Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds...

Summary: Everything seems to be happening at once regarded around change and death. Now Hotch and Emily have a heart to heart about it.

A/N: So this post episode to "Epilogue", I hope you all like it...

Thanks for reading, you know a review would be nice too. :)

"If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character... Would you slow down? Or speed up?" Chuck Palahniuk

Emily sat down next to Hotch on the jet, she could see his eyes wandering over to Dave, worry etched in the dark brown eyes.

Setting the coffee in front of him, she quietly observed Hotch's stare.

"He has a lot on his mind," Emily murmured softly, watching as Hotch turned his gaze on to her, "I know how much you're worried about him."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Hotch asked keeping his voice down, trying not to wake the sleeping team.

"Yeah," Emily said, "He told me earlier."

Hotch could see the concern on her face as her eyes wandered over to the silent Dave, who seemed intent to re-read the same paragraph in a book.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hotch asked, seeing her play with the rim of her plastic tea cup.

Emily looked up at him, "It's not my place to tell. But he had an important decision to make soon, and he's worried that whatever choice he makes won't be the right one."

"Is this about Carolyn?" Hotch asked softly not wanting Dave to overhear their conversation, "I know that they were having dinner together the other night."

"Yeah," Emily said, "It didn't really turn out the way he wanted. Sometimes life just not fair, it robs you of your choices and takes away your ability to have control over anything. This case hit a little too close to home for everyone"

Hotch could sense she wasn't just talking about Dave and his ex-wife, but of herself too.

"Emily?" Hotch said turning to face her, he seen her gaze went from Dave to the sleeping Reid on the couch next to them, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emily exhaled, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Hotch said.

"You don't have to answer if your uncomfortable..." Emily said not seeing his interest peaked at that, "But when... Foyet stabbed you... And you passed out, did you see anything?"

"No," Hotch said visibly tensing at the memory, "I didn't die, I just... I was awake. He made sure to stab me in places that wouldn't inflict life threatening damages."

"Sorry." Emily said softly looking back over to Dave, then to Reid, JJ and Morgan.

Sensing the awkward silence she said, "We sure now how to pick them don't we?"

"Huh?" Hotch asked confused by her questioning.

"The team," Emily said nodding to the team, "We sure now how to draw in the crazies. I mean we've all been targeted by one or more at a time. Me with Doyle, you and Foyet, Reid with Hankle, Morgan with the Prince of Darkness. JJ got hit on the back of the head by that unstable fan and Dave... Well Dave's been lucky he only got that freaky Professor Rothschild."

Hotch narrowed his eyes as his finger tip went to his mouth, removing it, "Dear God we're all doomed."

Emily raised an eyebrow when she seen a smirk come across his face, "Did you just make a joke?"

Hotch nodded, "Yes, I just made a joke."

Hotch shook his head, when she raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, scoffing, "Really?"

Hotch leaned forward in the seat across from her, whispering, "You know I have been known to make jokes from time to time."

"Now that would be a surprise." Emily said looking down and noticing the difference in him, "You have been full of surprises lately."

"How so?" Hotch asked rolling up the light blue sleeves on his shirt.

"Well there's one right there," Emily pointed out, "You went suit-less this case."

Hotch looked down at his appearance, "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Emily chuckled as she shook her head, "No, it's a good look on you."

Raising an eyebrow at that, "Not to say that you never look not good... Crap, I'm going to shut up now."

"Thanks for that," Hotch laughed lightly, "It's a good feeling, knowing that I'm being appreciated in the looks department."

Lifting up her drink, "Don't get too cocky on me Hotch, you're not my type."

Scoffing lightly, "Yeah, like I believe that." Hotch said, looking at her with a smirk on his face, "Like I haven't noticed you checking me out..."

Emily coughed on her tea, trying to remain quiet not to wake up the sleeping people while the burning stinged her throat.

Hotch got up and lightly hit her on her back while Dave looked over with concern.

"Is she all right?" Dave asked putting the small photo in his book, as he leaned over to Emily, "Are you all right?"

Emily nodded trying to control her cough, "I'll be fine. Just went down the wrong way."

"Oh, ok." Dave said turning back, "Be careful."

Hotch sat back down, watching as the brunette glared up at him, "Death by choking to death is not on my list of ways to go out."

Rolling his eyes, "Well, I told you I had a sense of humor."

"A sick one at that," Emily muttered, "That's a side of you I didn't know existed."

Hotch picked up his cup, pausing before taking a sip, "There's a lot of me you haven't seen."

"Hmph," Emily grunted softly sipping lightly at the tea trying to sooth her sore throat.

Hotch lightly cleared his throat causing her to look up at him, "Sorry, it's just you're always are having a fun time teasing Reid, Morgan and the others. I wanted you to see that I can relax and have fun too."

Emily sighed, "Hotch, I know you can. I've seen that before."

"Well we're friends and I just want to see my friend smile," Hotch said, "Earlier during the case, what you and Reid said about your experiences..."

"I know," Emily cut him off, raising her hand, they both paused when they saw Reid move around frantically on the long couch, "He's having a nightmare."

Hotch nodded, he could tell that bringing up that particularly painful part of Reid's time with Hankle was liable to bring up bad memories.

Emily got up, picking up the discarded blanket on the floor she bent down to cover the younger agent, she smiled down at him. A smile hit her face as she looked over at Reid, so young and innocent, almost like a small child but so wise beyond his years.

Reid nuzzled his face into the pillow, his sigh of content even made Hotch smile at the sight of her tender actions with their youngest agent.

Emily turned around to head back to her seat when she seen the look on Hotch's face, "What?"

Hotch shook his head, "You're great with him. It seems almost natural, like a maternal instinct."

"It's always been easy with him," Emily said softly looking over at Reid, "Even when he was angry with me. There was always this connection."

She saw Hotch nod in understanding, but could tell he wanted to know how they were all connected.

"Reid grew up without his father, and well we know how sick his mother's been" Emily said, "It was similar with my father, he was gone before I could even remember him and my mother... well you've met her. She gave me the best of everything except the one thing all children need."

"Love." Hotch finished, "We're all guilty of that." Looking around on the jet, "We all seclude within ourselves, trying keep the hurt out but in the end we all gather comfort from each other."

Both Emily and Hotch looked over noticing that Dave had fallen asleep holding his newspaper.

"I hope he's going to be ok," Hotch said, "And I'm glad that he has someone to talk to, to lean on."

Emily licked her lower lip, "Whatever choice he makes, he'll need all of us."

"And we all will be there for him," Hotch said reaching over to touch her hand, "We all dropped the ball protecting you, when it mattered the most, we're not going to let that ever happen again."

Emily gave him a small smile, "Yeah."

Hotch seen Emily look back over at Dave, worried worn on her face, but when Hotch gave her a comforting squeeze she relaxed. She knew that none of them were ever going to let any of them feel alone again, they had each other.

"We need others. We need others to love and we need to be loved by them. There is no doubt that without it, we too, like the infant left alone, we cease to grow, cease to develop, choose madness and even death." Leo F. Buscaglia

To Be Continued...

Well I hope you all liked this post episode to Epilogue, leave a review and let me know what you think...