Chapter 14

December 14, 2008

--

"Carissa! You're next!" Emily called through her loft as she finished helping Emmeline with her last mitten. Carissa's impatience was legendary. At least Emily knew Emmeline would, at the very least, keep her complaints to a minimum.

They'd decided that the park closer to Emily's apartment would be better for playing. Her condo was in the more affluent neighbourhood in Annandale. While it didn't always broadcast safety, the park had a number of wide open spaces that were pretty much guaranteed to go untouched. Hotch and Jack were set to arrive any minute and they were supposed to be ready to simply head outside. Emily understood, having spent time with the energetic Jack Hotchner, that patience probably wasn't one of the boy's strong points.

"Carissa!" Emily called. "Now please!" She still had to put on her own snow gear.

Emmeline made herself comfortable against a wall. "Aunt Em? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Emily replied, starting with Carissa's snowpants.

"Why are we spending so much time with Jack and Mister Hotch?"

Emily was stunned and surprised by the question. "We haven't been doing it deliberately," she said. "Do you not like Mister Hotch?"

Emmeline shrugged. "We've spent three of the last four days with them."

Emily hadn't realized that. On top of that, she'd been side-by-side with her boss – not to mention how close they'd been the night of the power outage – for 10 days prior to that. "Hotch just got divorced."

"But he's got Jack," Emmeline said.

"Not usually," Emily answered, handing Carissa her scarf as she tucked the little girl's boots into her snowpants. "Jack stays with his mom most of the time." Next came the six-year-old's coat. "Do you not like him?"

Like the first time her aunt had asked the question, Emmeline shrugged.

"I like Mister Hotch," Carissa said resolutely, sliding her hand into the mitten Emily held out for her. "And I like Jack."

"I'm glad," Emily said, laughter in her voice. She had a feeling Emmeline simply missed having her aunt all to herself. It had been a long time since she'd spent time with Emmeline. The ten-year-old was Emily's kindred spirit in a child. There was a lot Emily had in common. Quiet, reserved, slow to trust and endlessly loyal to those they loved and cared about. It had been Emily that had hooked Emmeline onto art, specifically onto drawing. She knew the little girl used drawing to escape, the same way Emily had when she was a little girl. It had been a long time since Emily had found a unique place for her and Emmeline to go drawing. She made a mental note to find a day for them.

"They're here!"

Emily jumped. She hadn't even heard the knock. Pushing herself up, she unlocked and opened the door with a ready smile. "Good afternoon."

Hotch was bundled in a ski jacket, snowpants and boots. His gloves were in one hand, Jack stood by his side, an identical smile on his face. "Hi."

"I forget how long it takes to bundle up two kids," she said, running a hand over her head, unwilling to mess up the knot she'd thrown her hair into.

--

Hotch couldn't find himself all that against the fact that she had yet to bundle up. While he'd seen her in jeans before, she'd picked a purple zip-up hoodie with swirling patterns in a slightly darker colour. It was zipped up to her neck, but it did nothing to hide the curves underneath. The way she had raised her arm made the sweatshirt and whatever she was wearing beneath it inch up to show just a hint of pale, toned stomach.

"Well, where's the park?" he asked. Jack got antsy when he got too hot, an inevitably bundled in his snowsuit.

"Across the street," she answered, flitting about the front all, making a pile out of her snow gear.

He nodded. "So why don't I take the kids and we'll meet you there when you're ready?"

"Snow!" Jack exclaimed, in obvious agreement.

Emily laughed, that free and happy sound he was slowly becoming accustomed to since he'd started spending so much time with him.

"There is snow," she agreed. "Lots of it. What do you think, girls?"

"I want to play!" Carissa replied enthusiastically. "Mister Hotch promised a snowman!"

"Emmy?" Emily asked. She wasn't surprised when the ten-year-old shook her head.

Neither was Hotch. He could understand Emmeline didn't trust him yet. "Carrie?"

"Coming!"

He smiled at Emily. "We'll see you in a few minutes."

Emily could not believe what she had just done. She'd let the impish side take hold and the next thing she knew, she'd packed a perfect snowball and thrown it at her supervisor. Even the children had gone quiet for a split second as they absorbed what was going on. Now, he was slowly turning to face her, his face a mask. She only had a half a moment to realize he was going to come at her to take off.

"Run Aunt Em!" she heard one of her nieces exclaim.

I'm trying, she thought to herself, glancing over her shoulder. She'd forgotten that running in snow was like running in sand. He was gaining on her. But she was more cunning. At the last second, she turned and twisted out of his grasp. Her nieces cheered, Jack jumped and Emily laughed as she made her way back to where the children were, still at a healthy speed. She knew it would take Hotch a few moments to turn and pick up speed again.

Or so she'd thought. Instead, much like she'd done to him, a snowball whacked her ponytail. "You hit me with a snowball!" she called to him.

"You threw one at me first," he called back, his hands already working on a new snowball.

Emily narrowed her eyes. "This is war, Agent Hotchner!"

"By all means, Agent Prentiss, give it your best shot."

Emily smiled, her brain already working. He made the first shot, which she easily ducked. What she hadn't expected was the way he'd charged after throwing the snow. She managed to dart around him, just barely, and ended up in a perfect position to hit him again. But she couldn't stick around. She made her way behind a tree, peeking out as she dropped to her knees, starting three simultaneous snowballs. She needed serious ammunition to take on Aaron Hotchner.

On the other hand, she couldn't remember laughing this hard. It was odd to see him fumbling about in the snow, remembering and forgetting as she did that it was difficult to run in snow boots. He was so smooth on the job, always quicker than lightening, always graceful. But here, they were on even ground, stumbling through the white snow as best they could. Until she miscalculated.

Hotch managed to get an arm around her waist, taking her to the ground with him and rolling her beneath him. Emily's breath caught unconsciously as she looked up into his dark eyes, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. His knees straddled her hips and his hands held her wrists, pinning her to the ground. His chest was heaving too as she relaxed back into the snow. They continued to stare at each other, neither really sure what to do. It was Hotch who started leaning in and Emily's breath caught again...

"I want to throw one, Aunt Em!" Carissa exclaimed, dropping innocently beside them.

Emily's eyes widened as she came back to herself. She couldn't understand the slightly lost feeling that took up residence in her throat as he moved off of her to flop on his back in the snow. Jack saw that as the perfect opportunity to climb on top of his father. As Jack sat on his father's chest and with Emmeline towering over them both as Carissa nattered away Emily realised one, all-important thing:

She could get used to this.

I do not enjoy the feeling of being constantly behind. However, I could not seem to get this baby out! Now I head into the three awkard days, as in days that I have no idea what kind of Christmas-like event I can put into them. Oh how I am not looking forward to the awkward days, *laughs*.

Suggestions are more than welcome. You'd be surprised at how impossible it can seem to find 25 different things to do with these people in between studying for a final! I never want to see criminal behaviour again. Ironic considering that's what Criminal Minds is based on....

I think I need to go to bed...