Note From The Author-- We've come to the final chapter, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so so much for sticking with me, and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed it. We end on a fluffy note

When Emily woke to find herself alone in bed she couldn't suppress a frown. Then she heard something which sounded suspiciously like humming coming from the general direction of the kitchen and she broke into a grin. After allowing herself the luxury of a good long stretch she rummaged in the drawers for a pair of boxers and threw on Hotch's discarded shirt before heading to find him.

The sight which greeted her in the kitchen was pretty magnificent by any standards. It was a rare treat to see Aaron Hotchner completely unguarded, after all; and seeing him standing there, clad in nothing but jeans definitely qualified as unguarded. His feet made little noise as he moved around, but the adorably off-key humming filled the air rather well. The entire scene was so ridiculously endearing that Emily actually giggled, and Hotch turned to face her.

"Hey," he said, sounding a bit sheepish. "I didn't know you were up."

She couldn't help but smile as she leaned against the counter. "I was enjoying the view, and Aaron Hotchner I do believe you're blushing."

And he was, just the tiniest bit. "I'm not accustomed to being caught, and there's a reason I don't usually hum," he told her with a smile.

"I find it completely fantastic, no matter how terrible you are." She walked across the kitchen to loop her arms around his neck. "What are you up to?"

"Snack time," Aaron told her with a smile.

Emily flashed him a grin before planting a firm kiss on his mouth. "My hero; I'm starving."

He chuckled. "Well let's get you fed then."

They ended up in bed with a bowl of grapes, a sleeve of Ritz crackers and a box of Captain Crunch. "You've got to start buying adult food too," Emily said with a smile, popping a grape in her mouth.

"Well the Captain Crunch is mine," Aaron said quite seriously, only cracking a smile when she burst into laughter. "Okay, so maybe it's Jack's."

"Well either way it's fabulous. I was famished."

He steeled back in against the pillows and watched as she picked her way through the bowl, evidently looking for the perfect piece of fruit. Then it hit him suddenly, right between the eyes, and his mouth was open before he could have another thought. "Emily?"

"Yes?" she questioned with a gentle smile.

"Dave asked me something a few weeks ago, and at the time I really wasn't sure how to answer him."

"Okay," she said, really not sure where he was going with this. "And you know now?"

Hotch sat up again, leaning a bit towards her. "I do, yes."

There was a pause, and after swearing she could hear a cricket chirp, Emily finally broke the silence. "So, what's the answer?"

"You're it for me Emily."

The breath stole from her body and she pressed her hand to the heart that was going wild in her chest. "I'm?"

He nodded. "It. You're the one. I wanted you for a long time, and when you got shot that day I felt all of these strong emotions that scared the hell out of me. When Rossi asked me that question I was still trying to deny it." She was still completely silent, and the way she silently watched him with huge eyes made him a bit nervous. Still, he pushed on. "I screwed everything up, and when you came home I was so amazed that you would even give me a chance; and now I realize how incredibly idiotic I was to deny it, because the moment I had you a part of me knew that I would never want to walk away again."

"I…" She trailed off as she felt tears well. "I was so in love with you and I never thought…"

"I know." Hotch reached out to her, his heart soaring when she came into his arms, sending snack food scattering. "I can't believe you gave me a second chance."

She shook her head against his chest. "I love you. I tried not to, but I just couldn't. Knowing that it isn't just me…" Tears took over. "Why the hell am I crying?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Cry all you want, it's a bit of a huge thing."

They leaned back against the pillows, wrapped in each others' arms. "Huge would be a good word."

"So let me do this right. I love you Emily."

"I love you too," she said with a smile that practically lit up the room. Then she looked around them at the remnants of their snack strewn across the bed. "But I think we owe Jack some Captain Crunch."