Chapter 18

December 18, 2008

--

"So where did you disappear to at lunch yesterday?"

Emily looked up at JJ's question, a glass of red wine in her hand. Since Christmas was coming, she, JJ and Penelope had all decided it was a better idea to exchange their presents in case things got hectic again. So they were gathered at Penelope's place, her very purple walls all around them, gifts lying under the tree as they chatted and gossiped.

"I went out for lunch," Emily replied vaguely.

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Since when were you and Boss Man close enough to eat together?"

Emily knew she was in trouble from the way JJ's eyes widened. "What?!"

"You didn't know?" Penelope asked, turning to the media liaison. "None other than Aaron Hotchner was following her like a puppy out of the bullpen yesterday."

"He's got a cold," Emily protested. "I found him some soup."

JJ leaned back against Penelope's couch. "You have been spending a lot of time with him recently."

Penelope nodded her agreement.

"How would you know?" Emily asked, sipping from her wine glass. It was already shaping up to be one of those inevitable nights of interrogation from her blond counterparts.

"Derek mentioned something about a night in Montana," Penelope offered. "You two got cozy."

"What?" JJ repeated. "Not only am I completely out of the loop, but why does everything good happen when I'm not there?"

Emily, by this point, knew she was bright red. "Most of it just happened. First of all, Montana was cold. The heat died with the power and body heat is effective. Second, he overheard me talking to my nieces, and it wasn't like we deliberately met them in the mall going to see Santa."

Both blonde's eyes widened.

"How much time have you been spending with Hotch?" JJ asked, her voice hushed with awe.

Emily closed her eyes, both mentally counting to ten and trying to figure out how many days she'd actually seen her boss. "Um… a lot?"

"Nuh uh, in numerical form," Penelope scolded.

Emily was blushing again. "We've run into each other and spent time together both work and non for the last seventeen days."

"Seventeen days?!" JJ exclaimed. "Seriously?"

"Would you lie to Penelope Garcia?" Emily asked, drawing on her reserves of diplomatic training to keep her voice from shaking. The eyebrow raise that accompanied her words was calm and controlled.

JJ shrugged her agreement.

"What have you been doing?"

Discovering that it is possible to fall even more in love with one's boss? Finding out that while Hotch working is hot, him with his son and my nieces is even more attractive? Realizing that he's a man as much as he is my boss? "Inadvertently sharing Christmas traditions," she said finally.

"Christmas traditions? That's the best you can come up with?" Penelope asked.

"I'm sorry?"

JJ and Penelope exchanged a glance.

"You haven't exactly kept your attraction to him a secret," JJ said delicately.

Emily blinked. She hadn't what? "I'm sorry?" she repeated.

"Is sharing traditions the only thing you've been doing?" Penelope asked, "'Cause Derek said Hotchner Junior looked rather comfortable on your lap the other day."

"Jack was in the bullpen?" JJ asked, rubbing her bulge slightly.

Penelope nodded. "Derek said he saw our Em here and took off running. Looked like he was almost more excited to see her than to see his daddy."

"Not true," Emily contradicted. "He just knows Hotch has to work."

"But you'll do arts and crafts with him?" Penelope asked.

Emily was going to kill Derek. Either that or have a serious conversation with him about what kind of things he could tell Penelope. The woman was endless when it came to finding out the latest gossip.

"And now lunch?" Penelope continued. "Have we missed something?"

"There's nothing going on," Emily said strongly. "Hotch has a cold, in case you couldn't tell. It was worse yesterday, but I know this place that makes the best chicken noodle soup, that's all. And I was done everything I needed to have done, so I didn't mind watching Jack for a bit. It's not a big deal."

"Oh? Would you like to tell us the rest of what you've been doing?" Penelope inquired.

"Actually, I'd like to know what it was like to be pressed close against him in Montana," JJ replied.

Emily blew out a breath. "What are you two getting at?"

"Something's a'changing," JJ spoke up first.

Penelope nodded. "Hotch sounded… happier in Montana. Derek says he hasn't looked as severe recently."

Emily really didn't want to tell them about the kiss on the cheek. Sure, in most books it was nothing, but between two people as reserved as she and Hotch were it spoke of many things. And she knew it. From the way his pupils had dilated he knew it too. Part of her had even wondered if he would have actually kissed her had the elevator been half a second later.

"Emily?"

Emily met JJ's blue eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Emily said honestly. "Nothing is going on."

"Yet?" JJ asked softly. "Em, you've wanted this…"

"I know," Emily agreed. "I still want it."

"So you're going for it?" Penelope asked, eyes wide in surprise.

"Not in so many words."

JJ and Penelope exchanged a glance. It annoyed Emily sometimes because she could read them both. "What is it?"

Penelope moved to her tree, pulling from beneath it a small rectangular package. "This is from both of us."

Emily arched an eyebrow. It wasn't like her friends to change the subject half way through an interrogation. "You sure you want me to open this now?" She'd much rather get through the interrogation before going through the gift exchange.

"Just open it."

So she did, carefully, as she always opened gifts. The white cardboard box inside gave her no clue. But what she slid out of it, surprised her. The frame – it really felt like pictures was a theme in her life – was plain and black, but the picture spoke without words.

"I managed to snap it without you guys seeing," Penelope said softly.

It was her and Hotch. They were sitting on a blanket, under a tree, shoulder to shoulder. Emily could remember that July day. They'd been celebrating something, though what exactly she couldn't quite remember. Not that it mattered. It was the last time she could remember seeing him so relaxed before the weekend with Jack and in the park with her, Jack, Emmeline and Carissa. She was laughing and he was smiling and she could see the same look on his face that had been there the few seconds between his lips making contact with her cheek and the elevator dinging its arrival.

"Em?"

"I want to throw the Bureau aside," she said softly. "I want to ignore the regulations and I've been trying to. In our job, finding someone who understands what's going on, what it's like to see what we see… that's rare. Really rare."

"To see Hotch smiling like that is rare," JJ replied, her voice equally as soft.

"Trust me, you don't need to convince me of anything," she said honestly.

"Then what's holding you back? The Bureau?" JJ asked.

Emily's eyes darted between her friends. "Not anymore?"

"Anymore?" Penelope inquired, eyes widening. "What happened?"

"Nothing earth shattering," Emily promised. "Just… a moment."

Penelope watched her friend for a moment, seeing how uncomfortable the older woman had suddenly become. It told her that it was time to change subjects, shift the focus. She had faith Emily would figure things out with their stoic supervisor if they left them alone. So she did the only thing she felt she could do. She locked eyes with both of her friends, lifting the gifts she had for each of them. "So which one of us is going first?

Emily felt relaxed as she lounged in bubbles, home from her time with JJ and Penelope. It had been a good night, even while they tried to help her figure out her relationship with Hotch. It hadn't done anything to clear things up, but it was nice to spend some time with her friends without the undertones of dead bodies and broken families.

She outright groaned when her cell phone went off, relaxing only slightly when the tone told her it was a text message. Her eyebrow arched upwards when she realized it was from none other than Hotch himself.

Jack and I are going tree hunting on Saturday. Bring Carrie and Emmeline.

Was he seriously inviting her to go Christmas tree hunting with him? Two days in advance? These were actual plans, time they were setting aside to spend with each other and the kids that seemed to have pulled them together. Later, she'd wonder if it was the wine pulling out her playful side as she messaged him back.

Is that an order?

It didn't take long for the message to come through. Yes, Agent Prentiss. Consider it an order.

She took a deep breath. She could play it safe, say she already had plans, But not only did the bigger part of her want to say yes, she knew this was still part of that pivotal moment where they both put themselves out there. It was time for Emily to take probably one of the biggest risks she had in her life.

Then I'm in.

As I said to my best friend today, someday before December 25th, I will beat the midnight deadline. If I'm lucky, it'll be tomorrow, espeically since the romance is about to take such a fantastic twist... I'm so excited.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It's been a long time since I got such a response for my Christmas story. Its been better than fantastic. You guys are better than fantastic. And I've appreciated all of the ideas you guys have thrown at me. They've helped a lot.