A/N: I don't know why but jealous Hotch is so easy to write. He just seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't admit how he feels all that easily, but would still grow to resent someone who did.
DISCLAIMER: I'm likely to forget this a lot so for now, and later, I DO NOT own Criminal Minds or their characters. Or the 49ers.
"Emily!" JJ called out from the table. They had just returned from Wyoming and everyone had agreed that a night out was needed. Garcia had called Will to say that JJ was especially emotional so he'd called a sitter immediately. Given that Jack was spending the week with his grandmother they'd even managed to convince Hotch to come out. Most of the team was there and they were just waiting on Emily and Derek. He was meeting a friend and had said he would be there as soon as possible. And Emily had just arrived. As she walked through the door she looked back and spoke to the tall, blonde man walking in behind her. Hotch frowned. "Hey, who's the guy with Emily?" Reid asked. JJ shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. She didn't say anything about bringing someone," she answered. Will rubbed her back. "Why don't we just wait and see what Emily says," Rossi said.
Emily was nervous. She had warned Peter about her friends. "C'mon babe, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he said as they walked through the crowd. Emily rolled her eyes. Her friends were her team-mates. Profilers, with the exception of Garcia, Kevin, and Will. But even those three were scary without the credentials. Emily grasped Peter's hand as tight as possible without cutting off circulation as they got closer to the table. "You sure you're ready to meet them?" she asked. Peter chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure," he whispered in her ear, "Remember, I love you." Emily blushed and squeezed his hand as they reached the table.
JJ stood and hugged her friend. "Hey Jayje," Emily said, looking over her shoulder at the others and huffing at their curious faces. When they stepped back Emily took a deep breath. "Uh, guys, this is Peter Preston. Peter, these are my friends/team-mates. This is JJ, Will, Spencer, Penelope, Kevin, Dave, and Hotch… Aaron… we just call him Hotch," she explained, gesturing to each of them.
She frowned when she realized she called all of them by their given names when they were out except for Hotch. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled as Peter shook hands with each of them. She frowned when Hotch just nodded. Rossi turned to Emily and Peter, "You guys want a drink? I was shouting the first round," he said. Emily nodded. "Uh, just two beers thanks Dave," she said. Rossi nodded and smiled. Emily and Peter took two empty seats next to JJ. There was one spare seat left for Morgan, between Hotch and Peter.
Hotch watched as Emily leant forward on her knees, talking to JJ, while Peter stroked her back. Rossi quickly returned with a beer for each of them and an extra one for Morgan who had just walked through the door. When he reached the table he looked at Reid and nodded towards Peter. Morgan sat in the seat between Hotch and Peter and looked over. He held out his hand. Emily looked over and smiled as they introduced themselves and started chatting. They discovered they both went to Michigan State, a few years apart. As they chatted and reminisced Emily grinned. She turned back to JJ to talk about a shopping trip.
After a few drinks Emily needed to go to the bathroom. She excused herself and JJ and Garcia followed. Morgan tapped Peter's shoulder. "Apparently it is all girls," he joked. Peter laughed as he watched his girlfriend walk away. He turned to Hotch and smiled. "So, Em was telling me you've got a son," he asked. Hotch nodded but didn't say anything. Morgan looked at Hotch and raised his eyebrows. He turned to Peter and smiled. "Yeah, only Hotch and JJ and Will have kids. The rest of us haven't grown up yet," he said, trying to get rid of the tension.
Meanwhile, the girls were headed to the bathroom. Emily knew the second she separated herself from the others the girls would follow and hound her. She raced into the bathroom and into a stall. When she emerged the others were waiting by the vanity. Emily rolled her eyes and sighed. "Alright, just let me wash my hands," she said. After ten minutes of explaining how she'd met/started dating/fallen in love with Peter the girls were satisfied. They freshened up and headed back to the guys. When they returned Emily put her hands on Peter's shoulders. He looked up at her and smiled. She leant down to whisper in his ear, asking him to dance. He nodded and grinned, standing and taking her hand to lead her to the dancefloor.
"So what did she tell you two?" Rossi asked JJ when Emily and Peter had gone to dance. Hotch rolled his eyes. Dave was just as bad a gossip as the girls and loved nothing more than finding out who was boffing who. But in this case, as much as he hated to admit it, Hotch found himself listening in. "Well, he's the team doctor for the 49ers, he was an orthopedic surgeon until he changed specialties. Now he gets to travel the country with the team. He grew up in San Francisco and they met about six months ago. They only started dating about two months ago. He has two brothers and three sisters, he went to Michigan State for pre-med then Johns Hopkins for medicine. He loves dogs, wants three kids, and has already said "I love you,'" JJ spilled. Rossi nodded and smiled as he sat back. Hotch frowned. He'd already said he loved her. And by the way Emily was looking at Peter, she felt the same way.
Hotch leant his elbows on his knees and frowned as he watched them move closer as they danced to the slow song. He watched as Peter ran his hands over Emily's back and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He frowned as she leant her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He took another sip of his whiskey as Peter whispered something in Emily's ear. It should've been him holding her. It should've been his hair she ran her fingers through. It should've been him whispering words in her ear. Hotch frowned as he looked at the ground. It wasn't him. He stood up and said he was calling it a night. The others didn't know how he felt and he wasn't about to tell them. So rather than sitting here, watching the woman he loved dance with someone else, he needed to leave. He grabbed his jacket from the seat and walked away.
As they were dancing, Emily glanced up and saw Hotch walking out. She frowned. He didn't even say goodbye. "Hey honey, do you want to have dinner in a couple of weeks? I'll be in Baltimore and I can probably take a night out to drive out here," Peter whispered in her ear. Emily pulled back and nodded. She leant up and kissed Peter's lips gently. He brushed his hand over her back and smiled. She leant her head back on his chest and sighed. She loved this man, and she had thought that she'd never be able to get over her feelings for Hotch. But he had been so rude tonight. He hadn't shaken Peter's hand, he had barely said a word to the man. Emily knew he was a cranky bastard but usually, around her, he was at least tolerable. Emily rolled her eyes. She didn't need to think about that. She had a wonderful man, and he loved her. And she loved him. And she didn't need to think about her boss, or how she had felt about him in the past. She didn't need to think about how much she worried, how much she cared that he was ok. She just needed to focus on the man in her arms.