You guys learn fast, flattery gets you everywhere! I spent most of yesterday writing this and some of today because my muse went on vacation, but I ploughed through it. Do you know how to reward me for my hard work? Yes, that is correct! With a review!

WARNING!" Major cuteness going on here! I'm not sure if I should be disgusted at the level of cuteness in this chapter or not tbh:L

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Chapter 2

Emily laid in bed consumed in her thoughts. The team would be waking up soon, so she savored these few moments that she had to herself. Yesterday Rita had given Hotch a new horse called Midnight, because this one was more suitable for his abilities. Apparently her and Hotch were on equal footing on the ability department. Who would have thought…?

Anyway, she mentally shook her head, that didn't matter now. At least her and Hotch had something in common to talk about.

Emily stifled a groan as she sat up in her bunk and rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the stiffness in them. She should be thankful, though. Apart from Hotch everyone else was going to be a hell of a lot more sore than she was. She smirked to herself as she jumped down from the top bunk and went to the bathroom before waking the others up. At least this way she was guaranteed the hot water. Eh... Emily shrugged. You snooze you lose.

"Guys, wake up!" She called as she emerged from the bathroom, only to be greeted with a roomful of moans.

"I don't think I can get up." JJ complained, "I didn't even know these muscles in my legs existed! How do you and Hotch manage?!" Emily and Hotch exchanged a look and chuckled to themselves, Hotch flashing Emily a smile.

God, those dimples!

"You'll get used to it Jayje," Emily consoled her friend, "Come here." She held out her hands and pulled the blonde up slowly, trying not to laugh as she did so at the un-amused face the woman was pulling, that amused her nonetheless.

Hotch jumped out of bed to get to the bathroom first, but it's not like he had much competition. Everyone else was trying to get used to the feeling that their legs hadn't fallen off in the night, even though they didn't seem to be working to get them out of bed. Hotch rolled his eyes as he started the water running, if they weren't up by the time he's done, he'll just get Emily to grab a bucket from Rita and they could fill it with water… Nothing like a face full of ice-cold water to get you going in the morning.

"Me and Ray have something special planned for today." Rita smiled at the group, who had finally managed to get out of bed. Unfortunately for Hotch they managed to do it before he got out of the bathroom…

"We'll be splitting off into three teams. Emily and Aaron will be one team, because they are experienced enough to go on their own, and the rest of you can split off into pairs and either Rita or me will ride with you. Basically, you'll be going on a scavenger hunt of the Rocky Heights area. Each team will be given a map of the site and the location of the first clue. I think that's pretty much it… Oh, the last team to put their horses in their stalls have to cook the dinner tonight and clean up!" Ray told them.

"And don't forget to have fun!" Rita added almost cheesily, "Lets go tack up and go."

Horseback riding and getting paired with Hotch? For Emily the week kept getting better and better. Although she knew she had to keep her feelings to herself, Emily was glad that she wasn't in denial about them anymore.

"Hotch, you ready?" Emily called over the stall door as she pulled on her riding hat, "The quicker we get ready the quicker we can go and win!"

"Yeah, I'm ready!" He called back, holding back a grin at her excitement.

"You two have an unfair advantage." Morgan complained.

"Oh, don't go getting your little girl pants in a twist – you're just scared to get beaten." She flashed a grin as she walked past with Ping, Hotch and Midnight following on behind.

"Well, you can't disagree with that logic." Hotch pointed out as they both mounted from the ground onto their horses.

"Of course not, Sir." They both smirked as they set off just as the others started to come out of the barn, "So, where are we headed first?" She looked at him, who was studying the map one handedly.

"Straight ahead, to the arena, I think." He answered.

"Okay." She answered absentmindedly, "So, why were you holding out on us, Hotch?" He looked up at her.

"I could ask you the same thing." He retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I worked my way up the ranks pretty quickly and used to compete at four star level, but you know what my mother is like. Apparently it got in the way of my work."

"I understand." It went quiet for a couple of minutes as they made their way towards the arena.

"What do the clues actually look like?" Emily frowned and turned to Hotch who shrugged.

"I think I see it." He rode forwards a bit faster and picked an envelope off of the arena gate. Opening it up, he read the clue aloud. "I grow up big and tall and lose my clothes in the fall. There are lots of me though, so don't get confused: I'm the biggest of them all."

They both sat there for a minute, weighing up their ideas.

"Wait… Lose my clothes in the fall… A tree!" Emily shouted out.

"Yes! Which one looks the biggest?" Hotch asked and they both looked around before Emily pointed into the distance.

"That one?" She looked at him.

"Yeah, lets go." They gathered up their reins and set off at a fast trot to warm up their horses.

Once they'd picked up speed they were soon cantering towards their destination, the horses happy to let off some steam that had built up from months walking and trotting with the beginner riders, or being ridden by Rita or Ray.

Despite earlier thoughts, Hotch was really enjoying himself. He hadn't had a chance to ride like this in a long time and there was nothing more timeless that cantering through open fields and forest.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Morgan called out as Hotch and Prentiss whizzed past them, who were only going at a steady trot.

"Don't worry," Rita winked at him and JJ, "They have a couple extra clues." JJ and him chuckled.

"Man, I like the way you think." Morgan told the woman.

Hotch and Prentiss were still laughing slightly as they pulled up near the tree they were heading for.

"Where about do you think the next clue is? Rita said that they would be quite hard to find." Emily said distractedly as her eyes searched the tree before her.

"Lets take a look." Hotch dismounted and Emily did the same, holding Midnights reins as he went to inspect the tree.

"Lets see…" Hotch put his hand in a hole in the trunk of the tree, "Aha!" He shouted as he successfully pulled out an envelope.

"What does it say?" Emily asked as he opened it up.

"What always runs but never walks, often murmurs but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats."

"That makes a lot of sense." Emily said, dry with sarcasm as Hotch took back his reins and they both mounted again, "Wait. Is there a river near here?" She asked, and Hotch pulled out the map.

"Yep, and it all fits. This way."

"Who plays scavenger hunt with profilers?" Emily murmured as they trotted away.

The two profilers had been walking along the edge of the river for a while now and their search had come up short.

"I don't get it." Emily complained, "The clue fits, but I can't find it."

"It's definitely not alongside the river if that's what you mean." Hotch said pointedly and then raised his eyebrows, indicating to the running water next to them. Emily's eyes widened.

"Uh-uh. No way." She said, catching on to what he was getting at.

"Hey, I got the last two clues, so it is your turn." Hotch pointed out, the corners of his mouth turned up a little.

"Fine." Emily said, not amused as she pulled off her riding boots, "But you owe me big on this."

"Sure, of course." Hotch replied, saying anything to make Emily feel better. He tied the horses to a nearby fence for the time being so he could help direct his colleague. Prentiss stepped into the icy current and immediately began upturning rocks, but found nothing.

"Hey, you missed one." Hotch told her, incredibly amused by the situation.

"Yeah, I got it." She shot back at him. Her tone was not amused. Just as she was leaning over to overturn the rock her foot slipped on some of the slimy plants growing in the water. She instantly lost her balance and splashed down into the water below. Although the water was only up to her knees when she was standing she was completely drenched.

"Be careful." Hotch told her, now unable to keep the amusement from his voice and began to chuckle.

"Oh, ha ha." She retorted sarcastically as she pulled her limbs beneath her in an attempt to stand, but came crashing back down again as she slipped on yet more weeds.

"Let me help you." Hotch offered as he pulled off his boots, too. After quickly making his way over to his fallen colleague he held out his hands, only to be pulled down with her into the water.

"Be careful, Hotch." Emily patronized him, now seeing the more funny side of the situation, but received a playful scowl in return. After some time they'd somehow managed to stand and, this time more slowly, made their way back to the bank of the river. They both collapsed onto the grassy floor.

"No way!" Emily exclaimed unexpectedly, making Hotch look up at her from putting his boots on.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked with a frown.

"Look." She reached into the bush she was next to and pulled out an envelope. Hotch snorted in disbelief, but his mouth turned up into a smile. They smirked at one another, then began laughing hysterically.

"We should probably go." Emily said, finally stopping the laughter whilst she wiped the tears forming in her eyes.

"What does the clue say?" Hotch asked, raising his eyebrows and once again flashing his dimples. My god.

"Oh, right." She stuttered, "Yer porch may be where it all begins. Open the door and you may be let in."

"Isn't that just a front porch?" Hotch turned a confused face to her.

"Sounds like it." She sat there for a moment and pulled on her boots while Hotch stood up.

"Here," He offered, holding out his hands and helped her up.

"Thanks…" Emily said; she looked down at the ground and bit her lip, "God, what do we look like?" She chuckled, indicating to the sodden forms of herself and Hotch.

"Probably like we fell in the river actually." Emily looked up and smirked at him, they both turned and walked back towards their horses, who were happily grazing where they'd been left.

They mounted and Emily had to pull Ping's head up to stop him from eating.

"Enough of that." She scolded.

"Once, when I was a kid, there was this little pony that used to stop in the middle of cantering and put it's head down for some grass and I always flew over his head. Every damn time." He laughed slightly at the memory.

"You're kidding." Emily said, smiling, "I never had a pony as a kid. Mother wanted me to always look my best so she bought the worst horses with the best kind of breeding. I ended up trading at some stables with the kids my age that were a little too big for their boots that thought they could handle it… That's a lesson that you only need to be taught once."

"True." He said, flashing his dimples again.

As they were walking Hotch looked over to the woman beside him. Before, because of him and Hayley, he'd never really been that aware of her, but now he was noticing things that he'd never seen before. Of course, he always knew she was beautiful, but this time it was different. The way she looked down and bit her lip when she was embarrassed, how her hair was incredibly dark but had hints of red and mahogany when you caught it in the right light.

Emily felt his eyes on her and looked up, and Hotch looked away, his cheeks flushed.

"Hotch?" She asked.

"Call me Aaron, Prentiss, we're not at work." Hotch said, looking her in the eye. But they weren't cold and stern; they were welcoming and warm.

"Okay, Aaron," She emphasized and made him smile, "As long as you call me Emily."

"Deal." All the time. He bit back another smile, god he felt like a grinning idiot today.

"Hey, look." Emily suddenly said, pointing out a fallen tree in the path, "Do you want to…" She raised her eyebrows.

"Why not." Hotch shrugged his shoulders and transitioned to canter, neatly popping over the half-meter log, Emily soon behind him.

"Man, that felt good, I haven't jumped in a while. We'll have to see if we can get a run around the cross-country course."

"hmmm." Aaron hummed in agreement.

"Is everything alright?" Emily looked over at him – seeing that he was distracted.

"Yeah, it's nothing." It's not nothing. I can't just tell her how I feel.

"Okay, if you're sure." It's definitely something.

A while later they finally reached the front of the team's cabin. Hotch dismounted and handed his reins to Emily and began to poke around the porch.

"Aaron," Emily called, it felt strange to call him that, but right somehow, "Check under the mat." And sure enough, Hotch held up another envelope.

"I wave all day but never tire, at the end of the day I retire." Both of the agents frowned, and Hotch pulled out the map before searching it intently.

"I knew it!" He exclaimed before quickly mounting again.

"What is it?"

"There's a flag by the entrance." He confirmed.

"Lets go." They cantered off determinedly.

"Now this race is nearly done, lets have one last piece of fun. Quick! Get your friend in his stable, or later you'll be holding the ladle." Emily read out the clue. Without another word they both quickly mounted and cantered towards their destination down the long winding driveway.

Determined not to finish last they raced side-by-side, picking up speed over the ground. Due to their obvious speed, neither of them noticed the muddy track until the horses began to slip on the slimy surface.

"Woah." Emily tried to calm Ping, who panicked when he had no traction and began moving even faster. Her efforts were wasted as her horse slipped and came crashing down onto the mud, bringing her with him. Ping jumped back up instantly and was unharmed, but his nostrils were flared and his eyes were rolling with adrenaline from the gallop.

"Emily!" Hotch shouted, and brought Midnight to a stop and dismounted, rushing over to his fallen colleague.

"I'm fine." She groaned, rolling over onto her back "Is the horse alright?" Hotch looked Ping up and down.

"Yeah he's fine, just shaken. Come here." He offered his free hand out to her and pulled her up from the ground.

"Today really isn't our day today, is it?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at him, who shook his head.

"I guess not." Aaron answered with a smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" He looked her up and down. Even with soaking wet clothes and half covered in mud it amazed him how beautiful she still was.

"Yeah. God, this'll give everyone something to talk about." Emily pouted, not liking to be the center of attention like that.

"At least you're not the only one." Hotch indicated to his own soaking wet clothes in an effort to console her. Emily half smiled at him and scooped up a glob of mud from the floor and wiped it down his arm.

"I feel better now, Sir." She said, grinning like a Cheshire cat at the attempted scowl her superior was pulling before he too grabbed a handful of mud and wiped it down her back. "Hey! I'm already covered in mud!" She retorted, pointing a finger at him.

"Obviously not enough." He said pointedly, turning around to re-mount Midnight when a lump of mud smacked him in the neck. He turned around slowly his face impassive, before he spoke.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that."

"What the hell happened to you two?" Morgan exclaimed as Aaron and Emily slowly made their way into the barn. Emily was no longer the only one covered in mud as a result of a minor (not!) mud fight on the way back to the stables.

Hotch and Prentiss shared a small smirk as they caught sight of their co-workers expressions at their arrival.

"Just a minor mishap. Nothing much." Emily smirked and didn't hold eye contact with anyone. Her and Hotch turned to put their horses away.

"Girl, why are you dripping?!" Emily and Aaron both snorted uncontrollably as they walked into their horse's stalls.

Aaron woke up. It was still dark out so he checked his watch. 2.30. Uncomfortable, he shifted in his bunk, and noticed the empty bed across from his. That was Emily's wasn't it? He was sure she was there when he fell asleep. Leaping down from his place on the top bunk, he quietly strode over to the bathroom. Nope, not there.

Not knowing where else she could be, he walked over to the door. In the darkened light he could just make out the form of Emily sitting on the swing seat rocking herself softly.

"Why are you out here?" He spoke softly, so as not to startle her.

"Couldn't sleep." She didn't pull her eyes away from whatever she was looking at in the distance.

"Thank god." He acted overly dramatic, "I thought you'd been attacked by the mud again, or something." This made Emily chuckle slightly.

"For the most part, it was your fault." She raised an eyebrow at him and he settled down on the seat beside her.

"What, how was it my fault?" His lips quirked.

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have spent an hour in the shower trying to get mud out of my hair." Emily said pointedly.

"Eh, well you win some, you lose some." He shrugged. The wind picked up for a second and although it was summer it was still quite chilly so Emily shifted a fraction closer to Hotch.

"Are you cold?" He looked down at her.

"A little." She answered untruthfully. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed, "I like it out here."

"So do I." He agreed, dipping his head. "Maybe we can convince Strauss to let us come again next year."

"Yeah right," Emily laughed into his shoulder and he enjoyed the feeling. "She'd only send us back if she knew we hated it."

"I'll have to tell her what a terrible time we had, then." They both smiled, and fell quiet for a couple of minutes.

"Thanks for a great day. It was fun." Emily thanked Aaron. Although it wasn't how she had expected it to be, it turned out fun nonetheless.

"I should be thanking you too." He said softly, before making her look at him. "They're never going to let up until we tell them what happened, are they?" He asked with a smile, indicating towards the cabin behind the both of them.

"Not a chance in hell." Emily answered with a smile before turning her whole body to face him. Both of their eyes flickered to the other's lips as they leaned in, caught up in the moment.

Their lips met slowly, it was a kiss filled with passion and not lust. Emily suddenly pulled back and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She apologized, not looking his in the eye. Aaron reached out and pulled up her chin so she looked at him.

"Don't be. I'm not sorry." He told her softly, before leaning in and stealing another kiss. Both of them leaned back comfortably in their seats, comforted by the presence of the other.

"What are we going to do about Strauss?" Emily spoke, a worried look crossed her face and Aaron covered her lips with his own.

"Let me handle Strauss. Don't worry about it."

Awww cutee! Did you like it? Did you hate it? What do you want to see? What do you think is going to happen? Do you know how to answer these questions? Yes that is correct! With a review! Gahh, you're catching on fast.

Remember the more you review the quicker I update, I'll do it as fast as I can, (just bear in mind I only have ten fingers to type with so I can't write abnormally fast)

Until next time, my mindlings!