Episode: The Angelmaker
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Emily frowned, glancing up from the TV screen. JJ had just gotten her hooked on Netflix and she was enjoying going through the different movies. She was going through a Dharma and Greg marathon when there was a knock on the door.
Walking over, Emily instinctively leaned down, glancing through the peephole and stepping back, opening the door, puzzled.
"Hey, I- uh... he looks like me," Hotch frowned, cutting his own sentence short. Emily glanced back, studying Greg's face thoughtfully.
"Huh, guess you're right. Uh, sorry, you were saying?" She turned back to Hotch, who bit his lip and glanced away for a moment. Emily smiled, stepping back and opening the door wider.
"Just come in, Hotch. Unless you want to stand out there trying to think of an answer."
Emily turned, leaving Hotch in the doorway, making her way into the kitchen. She rifled through her drawers quickly, hearing him step into her apartment, close the door, then slid the lock shut.
Aaron Hotchner, the ever-careful Unit Chief.
"Want some wine?"
"After a seven-hour drive?" Emily glanced up to see Hotch frown slightly. "Got anything stronger?"
Emily laughed, "Sorry, just wine. Make yourself comfortable, by the way. And watch whatever you want, I've been watching that show for like 2 hours now."
"The similarities are uncanny," Hotch replied, sliding his coat off and hanging it up. He settled down on the couch, noting how it was firm. Hardly sat on. Evidently, Emily didn't entertain often.
"Which is why I'm having a marathon of it," Emily replied, sitting down beside Hotch. Seeing his eyebrows raised about a foot, she rolled her eyes. "I kid, of course. It's not that bad a show. Now, what are we watching?"
"Uh, this is going to sound weird but I don't really have a favourite show. I don't exactly have time to watch TV."
"Ah, of course," Emily replied, flipping off Netflix and beginning to browse through channels on TV. She eventually settled on a golf tournament, glancing at Hotch, who appeared relaxed and unfazed by her choice of programming.
They watched in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.
"So shall I start, or do you want to?"
"Start with what?" Hotch hedged, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.
"Hotch..."
He sighed softly, sipping the wine, then suddenly setting it down, running his hands over his face. "I'm not one for self pity. Everyone knows that. I know that. But sometimes, when I'm feeling really down, I just... I feel like everything happens to me," He murmured.
"Explain?"
"The suspension, the divorce, Gideon leaving, the bombing..." Hotch paused as he took a breath, looking Emily in the eye. "Kate."
"Were you... I mean, did you..."
"No. Not really. We were friends, we worked together and she knew me before I was in the BAU. She just... always brought that part of me back a bit. The part that still smiles and actually laughs."
"You still smile..."
"Around you," Hotch responded easily, oblivious to Emily's heartbeat quickening. "Was that all you wanted to know?"
"How's your ear?"
"I'm trying not to go deaf, but it's proving difficult. I may have to skip our next case."
"I'll warn the others to stay safe so you won't have to play hero and come save us," Emily smiled, sipping from her glass. Hotch only inclined his head slightly.
"There's something else on your mind," Emily nudged his foot lightly and he sighed softly.
"Kate... she looked so much like Hayley. Don't pretend to be surprised, you all saw it. I let it get in the way of my thinking. I just panicked. And now she's dead, Emily. She's dead and I don't know what to think. What if Hayley died? How would I cope?"
"You have the team, Hotch. We're all here for you. Really," She added, seeing his mouth open in protest. "We say we're a family for a reason. You can try and cut us off but we aren't going away. Anything you don't tell us we can profile, so it's really just a lot easier."
Hotch nodded his head wearily, glancing at the screen but feeling his attention slowly drifting to the woman beside him.
"So what did that one suspect talk to you and Rossi about?"
"Who? The one who was trying to copy Chloe?" Emily turned her head towards Hotch, noting that he was trying to steer away from their conversation.
"Yeah, her. Anything important?"
"Uh, not too much. She talked about lies a bit and then she asked me if I'd ever been in love."
"Oh? What did you say?" She heard it in his voice. The softness laced with questioning and maybe, just maybe, a dash of hope.
"I didn't answer."
"Ah."
Nothing more was said, and Hotch drained the last of his wine, and then glanced down at his empty glass with a frown.
"I can't drink and drive."
"Hotch," Emily gave him a slightly pitying smile, taking his glass from him and going to the kitchen. "I think we're at the point where you can crash here for the night."
"Thanks, but the last thing I want to do is intrude."
"Oh yeah, you're really putting a damper on my night of drinking and watching TV," Emily tossed back, sarcastically, leaving the kitchen with two refilled glasses of wine, one of which Hotch took happily.
"Uh, where exactly am I going to sleep?"
"In my bed," Emily tossed back casually. Again, his eyes bugged out and she rolled her eyes at his pale face and tense body. "Calm down, you can sleep here."
He recovered quickly, shooting back with a, "But I was looking forward to option one more."
It was Emily's turn to blush and Hotch just smirked, settling in on the couch and turning his attention back to the golf tournament. A new player was stepping up, looking shockingly familiar with his height, dark hair and –in Emily's opinion- rather nice build.
"Oh for God's sake, even he looks like me!"
Ok, so this is kind of a break from the angst, despite the fact Kate died. I know I could have gone more into it, but I didn't really want to write so much angst. Can someone give me an idea for some fluff? The next episode is Minimal Loss, which I'm not looking forward to, despite the large quantities of Hotly. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the references and foreshadowing! Please, please, PLEASE review!
Song: Do You Love Me - Guster
