Ok, so this is the final chapter of "Falling to pieces". Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, and I hope you like this chapter.

Oh and a quote from Grey's Anatomy prompted this chapter.

"I'm in love with you. I can't promise a future, I can't promise perfection, because we're us, I'm me and you're you. No one knows what will happen. But in my heart, I am sure. I'm in love with you." – Izzie (Grey's Anatomy).
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It was now Sunday... it had been a whole two days, and Hotch still hadn't plucked up the courage to talk to her, but he knew he had to.

They had to go to work on tomorrow morning and there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that he was going to let things be awkward between them, because if there was one thing he did know for sure, it was that he could not live without Emily Prentiss... whether it was her friendship or her love he couldn't live without was the part he was still working on.

So here he was, standing outside her apartment door, had outstretched, having just made contact with the wooden door, waiting for Emily to open up and let him come in... hopefully.

The door did open, but only a crack, only enough for Hotch to see a bit of Emily, as she poked her head around the door and stared him in the eye, the door chain preventing him from gaining access.

"What do you want?" She spat, still sounding just as angry.

"I want five minutes of your time." Hotch told her truthfully. "Emily I want five minutes of your time for you to hear me out, and after that, if you want I'll leave and never speak to you again." He added pleadingly.

Rather than reply Emily continued to glare at him, her nasty look not faltering even slightly, as she slammed the door, causing Hoch to inhale sharply. Had she just shut him out of her life for good?

He waited, waited for at least five minutes, not wanting to knock again, because he didn't want to push her too far, but at the same time not being able to uproot his legs from the spot they were now glued to.

"Why are you still there?" Emily's muffled voice called from the other side of the door, just as Hotch was about to admit defeat and leave.

"Why are you still watching me through the peep hole?" Hotch replied, trying to relieve some of the tension by injecting humour.

"I asked you first." Emily countered harshly, not even attempting to make her tone sound welcoming.

"You know why I'm here Emily... I want to talk to you, and I'm not leaving until I do." Hotch called back, the slightest hint of desperation seeping into his voice.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the door frame, before the sound of bolts scraping against wood and metal could be heard, and finally the door was open slightly, this time with no chain, but also no Emily.

Hotch pushed the door open carefully, half expecting to have a tin of paint fall on him from overhead, and walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him and spotting Emily sitting on her living room couch, staring into space.

"You wanted to talk... so I'm listening... speak." Emily whispered, not looking away from the wall on the opposite side of the room, as Hotch knelt down in front of her to try and catch her eye.

It was then, looking at her glassy eyes and anger ridden features that it hit Hotch like a train... it was both, it was her friendship and her love that he couldn't live without, because not only was Emily his best friend, but she was also the love of his life, and he had very nearly let that slip away from him.

"Emily I was wrong... I do love you." Hotch told her quietly, waiting until her now shocked, confused and angry eyes met his before he continued. "I thought that I could ignore it... that I should ignore it, because it would put my job at risk, but I realised, I just realised, that without you... no matter how many cases we have, no matter how many bad guys we put away, I wouldn't be able to do it, to put my job before life, because at the moment, you're the only person who's stopping me from taking a desk job so I can be closer to Jack. It's your smile, your laugh, your brains, your beauty, and the way you can brighten my day Emily... I love you for all of those things and so, so, so much more." He finished.

"Why the hell did you find the need to hurt me then... to crush my heart and then kick it around." Emily spat, tears stinging at her eyes as she tried to keep up an icy front, and keep her inner emotions hidden.

"Because I was stupid Emily, and I didn't see it then... I didn't see what I would lose until I'd lost it... But I don't want to lose it again, I don't want to let you go, because you mean far too much for me to do that." Hotch responded. "And I can't promise you perfection, or that this relationship will be a bed of roses, and I can't promise you that we won't have our ups and downs, but I can promise you that I'll love you unconditionally from now on, because I know for a fact that I love you Emily." He added with a smile.

"You know you hurt me." Emily whispered sadly.

"I know." Hotch sighed. "I know that, and I wish I hadn't, but if you'll give me the chance I want to prove to you that I'll never hurt you again for as long as I live."

"I want you to." Emily responded after a moment. "I want you to prove it to me." She clarified.

"Does this mean..." Hotch ventured slowly.

"This means I'm giving you a chance Aaron, I'm giving you a chance to show me that you love me... but if you mess this up... I can't let myself be hurt like this again." Emily confirmed, a sad look still present in her eye, even though she smiled when Hotch's face lit up.

"Never, never again will I hurt you, or let you down." Hotch responded happily. "I love you Emily Prentiss... I love you!" He added with a laugh and a smile that brought out his rarely seen dimples.

"I love you too Aaron." Emily told him with a shy smile, not used to seeing this much emotion in her boss.

Emily didn't even realise what was happening then, as Hotch pulled her off the couch and into a steamy embrace on the floor, crashing his lips against hers and letting his arms rest on the small of her back.

They stayed like that for a while, tongues and hands roaming freely, letting the situation get more and more heated until oxygen became scarce and Emily pulled back, gazing lovingly into Hotch's eyes as she now lay on his chest, as he lay on the floor of her apartment, between the couch and the coffee table.

"Thank you." Emily sighed, as she laid her head on Hotch's shoulder and let her nostrils become filled with the smell that was uniquely him... aftershave, and black coffee.

"For what?" Hotch asked quietly, as he ran his rough fingers through her hair.

"I don't really know actually." She responded with another sigh. "For not running away, I guess... for telling the truth." She told him eventually.

"I'm just sorry I didn't say sooner." Hotch told her, and this time it was his turn to sigh as he spoke, because he knew he was right... he knew he should have plucked up the courage to tell her sooner.

Hotch then leant down and kissed the top of Emily's head, waiting until she tilted her head up to look him in the eye before leaning down properly and capturing her lips in a more tender kiss than last time, letting his tongue roam her mouth slower this time, taking in every nook and cranny as it went and savouring each moment.

After a while they broke apart again and both sighed contently, each of them knowing that this was the start of something special... maybe not permanent, but definitely something special.
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There we go, story finished! Thanks for reading and thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I'd love some more! =)