Right, this is after the episode "Reckoner" and there may be a surprise in this chapter, but you'll have to read to find out, he, he, he!

It's October 2009, Emily's still 39 and Hotch is still 43.
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"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." – Walt Disney.
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"You have a family. When all this is over, what are you going to do to make sure you're not a lonely guy, wondering why you let the purest thing in your life... get away?" Rossi whispered dramatically, as Hotch sat and listened, knowing what he was saying was true.

After his talk with Emily he's started to treat her like she deserved and stop pushing her away... but it was easier said than done, and apparently it took David Rossi, three time divorcee, of all people, to kick his ass into gear, and he knew once and for all he had to make things right.

He waited another fifteen minutes, until Emily had moved down to a quiet part of the jet, allowing JJ to stretch out over the two seats and get some rest, before he slowly got up, and walked down to sit beside her, giving one more quick glance at Rossi before he left.

"Hey." He whispered when he sat down beside her, allowing their legs to lie against each other seeing as it was only the team on the jet.

"Hey yourself." Emily whispered back, placing down the file she'd been reading.

"Can I talk to you?" Hotch asked, taking her hands in his and placing them on his lap.

"Of course." Emily replied uncertainly, looking at their hands and wondering what was so important that they couldn't wait until they were alone.

"You know I love you." Hotch told her, looking her dead in the eye as he spoke.

"We've talked about this Aaron, I know you love me, and I love you as well." She told him, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze.

"Good, because it's important to me that you know that." Hotch whispered, for the first time looking away briefly, as if he was shy.

"What brought this on?" Emily asked, smiling slightly at his random decoration of love, but at the same time being unsettled about it.

"Something Dave said." Hotch admitted quietly. "He told me he'd known that he'd love Emma for the rest of his life, from the moment he met her, when he was twelve." He whispered.

"That's quite romantic." Emily replied, not being able to stop the smile that formed on her face when she thought of loving someone from the first time you saw them... something she'd never believed in until she met Hotch nineteen years ago.

"I thought so too." Hotch replied. "Another thing I thought though, was wow, I actually know what Dave is talking about for once."

This caused Emily to let out a small laugh, which quickly caught the attention of the rest of the team, who'd not heard Hotch or Emily laugh properly since Hotch had gotten stabbed.

"I realised that ever since I offered you a lift home nineteen years ago, that I've been falling in love with you... and of course I ignored it for almost eighteen of them years and now here I am again, trying to push away the only person I've ever truly loved, the purest thing in my life." Hotch told her.

"Aaron Hotchner, what can I say to that?" Emily joked. "I've been falling in love with you since the day you saved my ass and offered me that lift home, and the last eighteen years have shown me that I can live without you... but I sure as hell don't want to, so push all you want, I'm staying put." She smiled.

"Another thing I've realised," Hotch continued once Emily had finished talking, "is that I haven't done this to you in a very long time."

Emily looked at him confused, but Hotch just smiled, before leaning forward and kissing her softly on the lips.

Emily smiled into the kiss... the first proper one since Foyet attacked Hotch... and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and allowing him to deepen the kiss, as she played with the hair on the back of his neck and he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, before wrapping his arms fully around her waist.

They stayed like this until an awkward cough from Reid pulled them back to reality.

They both turned, and their cheeks reddened when they saw the faces of the team, including Garcia whose face was smiling at them through the computer screen, all staring at them, looking amused.

"That was quite a show." Morgan teased, smirking at his two friends.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Hotch promised, smiling a proper two dimpled smile, for the first time in weeks, before turning back to Emily.

"Right," he started, "before I kissed you, I was telling you that I loved you Emily Prentiss, and I meant every word I said, just like I've always meant every kind word I've ever said to you... because Emily, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and after how I originally treated you, I'm honoured that you agreed to love me back... but I'm also smart, which is why I know that I need to hold on to you." Hotch told her, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Well it's about time!" Rossi joked, as the rest of the team nodded in agreement, each of them having seen the pain Hotch had been putting Emily through for the last few weeks.

"I know, you're right, and I know that if I mess this up, you guys will have my head." Hotch said to the team, watching them nod their heads, agreeing with what he was saying. "Ok... well in that case... Emily I've something to ask you." He told her, pulling something out of his jacket pocket.

The entire team, plus Emily let their mouths hang open slightly as Hotch done this, none of them one hundred per cent sure what they could expect.

"I don't have a ring, so you can all close your mouths." Hotch smirked as he looked at the people around him. "Right now, with everything that's going on, I can't promise you a wedding, all I can promise you is that I want to spend the rest of my living days with you and the way I see it, the only smart way to do that, is to give you this." Hotch told Emily, opening up his hand and revealing a small silver key.

"Aaron... Is that the key to your apartment?" Emily asked after she'd finally realised what was going on.

"Yes it is... though I'll need it back, because I haven't actually cut you one yet, that's mine... but the second we get home, I promise you I will." He told her, smiling at her as she reached into his hand and accepted the temporary gift.

"Are... are you asking me to move in?" Emily asked him, obviously still in shock at the fact that her boyfriend, who'd been closing off from the world for the last few months, had finally opened up again.

Whatever Dave had said to him, Emily was definitely buying him a drink sometime to thank him!

"Well that is the general idea sweetheart." Hotch joked. "I want you to think of it as a promise," he said, suddenly serious again, "that someday... when all this is over... I will propose, and someday I'll stand at the bottom of an aisle and wait for you, and some day... we're going to grow old together." He said, looking into her eyes, and deep into her soul.

"Aw shoot," Emily sighed, "you're going to make me cry in front of the team." She laughed, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"Don't worry; you're not the only one who's crying." JJ sniffled as she wiped her own tears away, before motioning to the computer screen, where Garcia was sitting with makeup streaming down her face, and a large smile on her face.

"Cutest... Moment... Ever!" Garcia managed to say in between her tears of happiness for her two friends.

The whole team laughed at this and nodded their heads in agreement, each of them knowing from even before Hotch and Emily started dating, that they were meant for each other.
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Ok so I hope you liked the chapter... I wasn't too sure if now was the right time for Emily to move in, but I decided she should because Hotch needs someone to keep him sane and after this episode I noticed Hotch return to normal a bit, so that was my reason for it. Tell me what you thought. =)