A/N: I hope you like this chapter. It is one of my favorites. I did give you some of Hotch's reasons in breaking it off with Emily just not exactly how he did it. That will be very soon though. And I hope this chapter starts to change some of your minds about Hotch. Some of you have said you don't like him but don't count him out just yet. He does things for a reason. He is Hotch! Give him a chance.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Eight: Thankful

November 2012 (Present Time)

As everyone filed into the jet to go home a week later Emily sat down next to Dave and closed her eyes. She was oddly at peace. Normally after a case her mind would be in questions. Why the Unsub did this? Could it have been stopped sooner? Did they make the right choices? But now all she could think about was going home to have a nice week off. Hotch graciously asked the director to give the team a stand down week and Emily was looking forward to spending it in the peace and quiet of her own home.

"So what is everyone doing for Thanksgiving?" Dave asked breaking the silence after a half hour in the air.

"I was going to go home to my Mom's but my sisters and her are going to my Aunt's so I guess I'm here." Morgan spoke up.

"I'm here too." Reid said. "Garcia invited me over."

"Aaron what are you and Jack doing? Getting together with Beth?" Dave asked.

Hotch looked up as his name was called. "Oh, no I'm no longer seeing Beth so it will probably be just Jack and I because Jessica is going to her parents." he looked away again not wanted to see everyone's expressions.

"Em?"

"I'm not sure yet but my Mother invited me over." She said opening her eyes. It had surprised her when the Ambassador called and asked her to come for a nice family Thanksgiving but at the same time she felt like a giddy little girl. It made her excited to spend time with her parents and that was not something she ever thought would happen.

"JJ, are you going to your parents or staying home?" Dave asked the blonde laying on the couch.

"Will and I are going to stay home. I travel so much I just want to be at home." she explained. "Plus lugging a 3 year old around is not fun."

"Well since everyone is staying home why don't we all get together? We can have it at my place. And I'm sure Garcia and I could pull off a great meal." He smiled. After the first cooking lesson he gave the team he enjoyed having the team over.

"That sounds great man. How about you Pretty Boy?" Morgan said. Reid nodded eagerly.

"Are you sure Dave? That's a lot of people." JJ asked concerned. Just her small family ate a lot. "Maybe we can all bring a side dish so you don't have to cook it all."

"JJ that sounds great. I expect you, Will, and Henry. You too, Emily." Dave said eyeing the brunette.

"Sure" Emily smiled. "I might sneak out early though to see my parents."

"Aaron? You and Jack."

At that Emily perked up a bit. Not seeing Hotch but seeing Jack. She missed the boy tremendously.

Hotch looked up again prepared to deny the offer but saw the slight smile on Emily's face and her dark eyes light up. Maybe she would like him to come. "Sure, we'll be there."

Emily's gaze landed on his and her smile dropped. Letting out a sigh she told herself if she wanted to see Jack she would just have to get over not being around Hotch. But everyone was going to be there so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

-CM-CM-

Thanksgiving Day 2012 (Present Time)

Emily knocked on Dave's door holding her bag of dinner rolls. She didn't want to end up poisoning her team with anything homemade so she decided to just buy rolls at the nearest bakery and bring that as her side.

"Come in. Happy Turkey day!" Garcia answered the door with a bright smile.

Emily smiled and handed her the rolls. "Here you go." She slipped in the door and took off her coat and hung it on the rack.

"Em, you were supposed to cook something." The blonde pouted following the brunette into the main area where the rest of the team waited.

"Sorry but I don't think you want me to cook you anything." She smiled as Jack shrieked from across the room.

"Emily!" he dropped his father's hand and ran to the woman.

"Jack!" Emily bent down to hug him. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I missed you though." He sighed sadly and took her offered hand as they joined the group.

"I missed you too sweetie." she smiled at him ruffling his sandy blonde hair. "Smells good Dave." She kissed the man's cheek and went to hug JJ.

"I worked my best." Dave beamed.

"Uncle Dave all you had to do was boss Aunt Pen around from your seat. How is that hard?" Jack asked in all seriousness.

Emily and JJ laughed as Dave gave a stern look to the boy. "It was hard little man. Trust me."

Jack shook his head and looked up at Emily. "It didn't look it."

The crowd all laughed and quickly took the seats around the dinner table. Dave sat at the head of the table with JJ Henry, Will, and Reid to his right and Emily, Jack, Morgan and Hotch to his left and Garcia at the other end. Jack and to beg to sit by Emily but the boy's dimpled grin won his father over in the end.

"Before we start why don't we go around and tell what we are thankful for. Who wants to start?" Dave said looking around.

Garcia spoke up and began. As Emily listened she was also trying to figure out what she was thankful for. She had had a very crazy year so far and all in all it was a good one. Glancing at Hotch she realized he was the only thing she wasn't thrilled with the outcome in the past eleven months. But then she thought if it didn't happen the tiny baby growing in her would not have been so in the end she was thankful she and Hotch didn't work out.

"I'm thankful for pumpkin pie!" Jack said proudly. "What? It's not funny." He frowned as everyone laughed.

"Jack, is there anything else you might be thankful for besides food?" Hotch schooled his face to not anger his son more.

Jack thought and then frowned "Yes but I don't think I should say it out loud."

"Why Buddy?"

"It's not nice." He said plainly.

"Then why are you thankful for it?" Hotch frowned.

"Jack why don't you tell me and then I will see it you should say it." Emily looked at Hotch and received a nod in reassurance.

Jack climbed from his seat into her lap and put his arms around her neck placing his mouth near her ear. "I'm thankful Daddy doesn't see Beth anymore. I don't like her." then he pulled back to see the shocked look on her face. "I shouldn't say that right?"

Emily smiled weakly and nodded. "I don't think you should honey. It could hurt someone's feelings." As she looked over Jack's head Hotch was staring at her.

By the look on Emily's face Hotch knew what his son was saying. Beth. He knew his son was less than thrilled with the woman especially since he was so attached to Emily. "Why don't we dig in?"

"Sure let's eat everyone." Dave stood to carve the turkey. "So are you ladies doing the whole Black Friday thing?"

"Yes! I'm making Em go to because she could get a good deal on some baby stuff and I have two very cute boys to shop for." Garcia said happily as Emily and JJ groaned, both not looking forward to the early morning shopping trip.

Jack stayed in Emily's lap for the remainder of the meal which she didn't mind. Hotch tried several times to get the boy to get off but he wouldn't budge.

Hotch watched the two carefully. His mind was going in five different directions. He had decided to tell Emily why he really broke things off with her. He couldn't stand her hating him anymore. After the meal was done and Emily was sitting alone watch Jack and Henry playing chess with Reid he made his move.

"Hey, can we talk for a second?" he said standing in front of her.

"Oh, yeah sure." She figured it was about what Jack said earlier. She stood and followed him to Dave's office a few rooms down from the rest of the group. She took a seat in Dave's chair and Hotch paced the room. She frowned "Hotch what's wrong?"

"I don't know how to start this but I guess it should be I'm sorry." He stopped pacing was sat across from her. "I'm sorry for hurting you. You didn't deserve that."

Emily didn't know exactly where he was going with it but she didn't mind him groveling. "Okay"

"I think you deserve to know my reasoning for breaking up with you. Do you remember the case in Florida back in May? Joseph Phillips…"

"Beat raped and murdered those sight women. Yes why?" she really had no clue as to why he would bring that case up. It was so long ago but she did remember. It was awful. The women were tortured beyond anything she had ever seen.

"After we caught him you and I went in to interrogate him but he kept making these comments about you and I sent you out." At her nod he continued. "Well after you left…"

Early May 2012 (Flashback)

Hotch made sure the door was shut in the interrogation room before turning back to face the bastard that tore eight women apart. "Don't you ever say anything about her or I will make your life a living hell." He spat out at the man who was making comments about his girlfriend.

Joseph Phillips laughed and his eyes bore into Hotch's. "You don't scare me."

Hotch fisted his hand in an attempt not to grab the Unsub and crush his head against the concrete wall behind him. "You should be. Don't look at her, don't talk about her, and don't even think about her."

"So she's yours huh? Well just know you can't protect her forever."

Suddenly Joseph's face was gone and George Foyet's face was laughing up at him. Hotch snapped. Grabbing the man and pulling in up from the chair and pinning him against the wall all Hotch saw was red. He was screaming at him not really sure exactly what he was saying but as arms came from behind him he was pulled off and Foyet was gone. Phillips looked at him with a grin on his face.

Thanksgiving Day 2012 (Present Time)

Hotch sat silently as Emily took everything in. Taking a breath he said carefully "I had to protect you and if ending things with you would do that then I had to." He wasn't sure what she was thinking but he hoped this would let her see he did it for a reason.

Emily's eyes snapped to his. "I'm sorry you went through that but" she stopped and schooled her expression "when are you going to learn, I don't need protection." She pushed off the chair and left the room. She honestly was sorry that he faced that but the words he spoke to her the night she left were the ones that hurt the most and she wasn't ready to forgive that yet.

A/N: If anyone doesn't know Black Friday is the day after thanksgiving and it is one of the biggest shopping days. Most stores have big sells for Christmas. I have only been once and after watching two older women get into a fist fight over sheets I promised never to go again.