A/N: Guys, I can't even begin to explain to you how happy you made me with all your reviews! I'm sorry for all the gramatical errors. Even though my English is pretty good sometimes a let some things slip. I'm sorry. And another thing. I forgot to mention before, but in this story Reid doesn't get shot at the 5x01. Just to clarify his presence at Hotch's room in chapter 2.

So here is the fifth chapter! There is a lot of angst and a biiiig participation of Dave. Hope you'll like it! Let me know!

Chapter 5

The week passed fast at Prentiss' house. They established a routine. She would go to the BAU every morning, get home by noon and fix something for them eats. She spent the afternoons at her home office working on files. Because of Hotch's attack the team was off rotate for two weeks, what provide her to be home to help Hotch.

Not the he would ask for help. He spent all day reading at the living room or in his bedroom. Their contact was limited to the meals, and she knew that it was just for politeness.

And every night they went to sleep and Emily would dream with him. He covered on blood or lying on the floor dead. He coding at the hospital. There was even a time when she dreamt about finding Foyet stabbing him over and over in front of her and she was tied, unable to help him.

Sometimes she would wake up with him looking at her worried and other times she would wake up alone but aware that he was outside of her room, listening her sobs and sniffles.

They never talked about it the next morning.

She would pretend that she didn't cry herself to sleep every night because of him.

And he would pretend that he didn't listen to her crying over him.

The morning before the day Hotch would remove his stiches Emily was coming out of her room when she heard a curse from his room. She approached his door and heard another curse followed by a grunt.

She knocked the door and called for him:

"Hotch? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything is fine Prentiss." He said harshly. Then she heard him groan and curse again. "Damnit!"

She decided to risk making him mad and opened the door to help him in whatever he was trying to do. She found him trying to tie his sneakers sat at the end of the bed, but couldn't get down to do it and couldn't knelt down either. Apparently he had decided to suspend his meds and was with some pain.

"Let me help you Hotch." She said kneeling in from of him and taking his shoes.

"I don't need your help. I already said I was fine. I'm not a child to have someone tying my shoes." He said, struggling from her hands and getting up. With his roughness to get off of her grip he managed to push her making her fall on the floor. She watched him huff facing the wall, breathing heavily, classic signs of rage. Part of her felt sad for him. She knew he was frustrated, angry with this situation. But part of her couldn't help but feel hurt, deeply, because she was really tired of trying to help him and being treated like shit.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to help." She said fighting back her tears. I won't cry in from of this man.

"Well, I don't need it, so save it." He said, turning to look at her. Between his outburst and harshness he didn't even realize that he had actually shoved her on the floor. He immediately frozen, not believing in what he had done and went to try to help her to get up. Unfortunately she must have thought that he was going to continue with his assault because she quickly got off the floor before he could reach for her and went directly to the door without looking back.

"It's ok, I'm sorry sir. I'll leave you alone."

She left and closed the door behind her and went to her bedroom, losing the battle with her tears and started to cry. She stood there for minutes before washing her face and grabbing her things to get out for work. She went to the kitchen, put some coffee at the coffee maker and wrote a note for him before leaving.

He stood paralyzed at the middle of his room looking at the closed door. He couldn't believe in what he had done to her. He was in pain and had passed the whole night tossing around the bed unable to sleep and was cranky and in a bad mood, but that didn't give him the right to treat her like that. You're just like your father, Aaron.

He thought about everything she was doing to him, making him lunch and dinner every day and doing the laundry and cleaning the apartment all alone. She was giving him space and didn't have asked him about what had happened not even once even though he knew that she was curious. He knew how everything was affecting her sleep and how she cried every night because of him.

He heard the front door closing and sighed. She had gone to work without even say goodbye or wait for breakfast. He got out of his room and went to the kitchen, smelling coffee.

At the corner of the counter he found a note from her:

'There is coffee ready at the coffee maker. I'll stay at the office this afternoon for a briefing with the team. There is chicken from yesterday still on the fridge. Just put on the microwave. Don't know how long it'll take the briefing so don't wait for me for dinner. There is enough chicken for that too.

Prentiss'

He felt his eyes sting at the end of her note. He knew very well that this briefing was just an excuse to not come home. And she signed as Prentiss. He closed his eyes and sighed. You really screwed up Aaron.

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Emily tried to focus on her work but she just kept thinking about Hotch. She couldn't even calculate how much it had hurt the way he treated her this morning. She knew he was frustrated, she knew he was mad and wanted to have his family back and find Foyet. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

She saw a tear dropping in the page in from of her and realized that she was crying again. She wiped her tears, praying that no one had saw anything but looking up at the stairs she saw Rossi looking at her, concerned.

"Emily, would you come up here at my office please."

She sighed and got up, knowing better than ignore her friend. They entered his office and he closed the door, directing her to his couch and sat beside her.

"Ok, what happened?"

"Nothing Dave. I'm just tired I guess. I'm not having too much sleep."

"You know you can't lie to me Emily, nor don't have to."

"Dave, please. I really don't want to talk about it." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Ok, ok. I won't pry. But why you're not sleeping?" He saw her eyes darkened. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah… But it's ok. It's actually getting better." She forced a smile to him. He smiled at her and patted her shoulder.

"Why don't you lie down here a little bit? You need to rest Emily."

She knew that he wouldn't let her go so she just gave him a tight smile and a nod, lying on his couch and closing her eyes, sleeping catching her almost immediately.

Rossi stood there looking at her, his chest tighten at her pain. He grabbed his coat and keys and leave. He had to have a little talk with his friend.

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Hotch heard the knock on the door and got off the couch to go get it. Looking through the peephole he closed his eyes and sighed. By the look on his friend's face he had an idea of the reason to his visit. He opened the door and looked at him with sad eyes:

"That bad?"

Rossi huffed and pushed him to get in the apartment.

"What the hell did you do Aaron?"

"What did she said to you?"

"Nothing. For some reason, that you don't deserve by the way, she still wants to protect you. So I'll ask again. What did you do?"

Hotch sighed again and sank into the couch. Rossi took a sit at the chair across him and waited for his explanation.

"I was in a bad mood. I was in pain and couldn't tie my damn shoes. She heard me and got into the bedroom and offered help. She knelt down to tie my shoes but I lashed at her, saying that I didn't need her help for nothing."

Sensing that he was still hiding something Rossi pushed.

"That's not all of it. What else did you do?"

Hotch closed his eyes and said. "When I pushed her away from me I managed to shove her on the floor."

"You what?" Rossi all but shouted. "You know what Aaron, you're an asshole. How could you do this? Isn't enough the verbal assault now you'll start to physically hurt her too? What's next? You're going to slap at her? Push her through a wall?"

"I know Dave.."

"No, you don't! You don't know nothing! All that woman did to you was try to help you! She offered you a place, she cleans you room, you bathroom, she changes your sheets, she does your laundry, she cooks for you, she doesn't bother you with questions, she lets you have your space even though you're living in her house! And every day I see her at the office she is even more sad and tired and exhausted! And rather than at least treat her well and be thankful for everything she's done for you, you just treat her like a piece of garbage! Did you know that she was crying over her files today at the office? Did you know that she drinks at least five cups of coffee every morning so she won't pass out over her desk because she spends the whole night dreaming with your death and crying over you? Do you have any idea of how traumatizing it was for her to watch you almost die at that fucking hospital? Do you even care?"

"Dave…"

"No, you shut up. You're lucky that none of the others had noticed her crying today. Do you know what Morgan would do to you if he found out that you had pushed her? He would have tackled you down like an unsub! And that's what you deserve!" He took a deep breath before continue. "Look Aaron, I know that you're hurting. I can't even begin to understand how you must have feel for being attacked at your own house. I know you miss Jack and I know that you blame yourself for making him go away. But until we found Foyet you can't keep digging yourself into this hole. Because let me tell you something my friend, you're not falling alone. You have a whole team that loves you and cares for you. If you think that this is your problem only you're seriously wrong. What affects you, affects all of us. And rather than fight against us you should use the strength we are offering you to help you get through this."

Hotch closed his eyes and let out a breath. He knew that he had hurt Emily today, and he knew that she didn't deserve any of this. Hell, she probably deserved flowers and chocolates and breakfast in bed every day for everything he was doing for him. He opened his eyes and faced his friend, knowing very well that he deserved every single harsh word he had said to him.

"I know all of that Dave. I just… I was so frustrated and mad. I'm a forty-six year old man and couldn't tie my own shoes because of that son of a bitch. I was furious. And she was there and I slashed at her. I know she doesn't deserve it. Hell, she deserves that I workship the ground she walks on. I'm very aware of everything she has done for me and that I don't deserve it. It's just… I'm stupid."

"Yes, you are. And you better think of a helluva way to make it up to her. I better get going. I left her sleeping on the couch of my office."

"Can you do me a favor? She left a note saying that I shouldn't expect her for dinner. Could make sure she comes home early? I need to apologize to her."

"I'll see what I can do. But I won't let her stay up too late."

"Thank you Dave". He accompanied Rossi at the door and closed it, leaning against the frame, starting to think of how he could make it up to her.

A/N: Please, pretty please, let a review. They make my day! :)