Sorry for not updating for a couple of days! I've had a lot going on lately, but now I have a two week vacation! Woo! I'm hoping to get more stuff written, but we'll see when my muse decides to show up again. I'd like to say that the clumsy things that have happened such as Hotch dropping his phone and Emily falling off of the muck heap aren't just made up... Lots of the stuff that has happened in this story are things that have happened to me... It hurts a surprising amount when you fall off a muck heap and I had a huge bruise to prove it... Luckily my phone survived when it fell out of my pocket when I was riding my friends ex-racehore- which is HUGE I might add:)

Just thought I'd share that with you guys, fortunately I haven't ever fallen into the river;)

Chapter 5

Rita led the team up to a medium sized wooden round pen, where Ray was already waiting.

"Woah mama." Morgan said after taking a look at the half-crazed horse running around madly inside. Clouds of dust pillowed up into the air around as strong hooves hit the floor.

"Meet Thunder." Rita gestured towards horse with a black, glistening coat. "We won't be riding today, but we will be learning about the importance of body language, which is no doubt helpful in your line of work." They all stepped closer to the pen, but shied away slightly as the powerful animal came close to the fence.

"Who's first to give him a pet, then?" Ray asked, gesturing into the pen.

"No way!" JJ scoffed and from the looks of the other team members they were all on the same page.

"I assure you that he is perfectly safe as long as you follow our instructions." Rita tried to convince them. "Right, who's first?" Unbeknownst to Emily, everyone else took a step back leaving her way out in front.

"Well done Emily, up you come." Ray instructed.

"What?" The brunette agent said surprised, but looked around at her colleague's sheepish faces. "Guys!" She complained, but Morgan gave her shoulder a slight push.

"You're on your own, Prentiss." He told her, grinning mischievously.

"Fine." She huffed, stepping forwards, but tentatively entering the pen, which Ray slammed shut behind her with a sense of finality.

"Right." Rita turned to the group. "We want the horse to get near Emily and trust her. How do you think she will get it to co-operate?"

"Food?" JJ offered, shrugging her shoulders.

"That could encourage it closer to her, but it is likely to step away from her again as soon as it has taken what it wants. What she is going to demonstrate to you is a method called join up." Whilst Rita was explaining this to the team Ray had been whispering to Emily what to do, so she stalked to the center of the pen confidently and waved her arms around violently, causing Thunder to begin cantering around the outside of the pen.

"What is she doing?" Reid asked. He was confused as to why she would want to scare the horse away that she would like to connect with.

"She's telling him that she's in charge." Hotch murmured, impressed.

"Exactly." Rita pointed out.

Emily suddenly stepped to the side so she was ahead of the horse's movements, which caused him to turn around and start cantering the other way, his eyes rolling around in their sockets.

"So what's going to happen now? Is Thunder just going to keep going?" Morgan turned to Rita.

"He'll let her know when he's ready." Morgan was informed.

"But how-"

"Look! Did you see that?" Rita all but shouted, caught up in the excitement, so she moved closer to the pen to shout to the agent. "What is he telling you?"

"He's listening and he wants to talk." Emily called back, tilting her head towards them slightly but not talking her eyes off of the powerful creature currently in her control.

"How'd she get that?" JJ asked Hotch, who seemed to be understanding the silent conversation between the woman and the horse.

"See his inner ear? It's pointed towards her because he's focusing on her and listening." Hotch leaned in to talk to her, but didn't pull his eyes away from the scene ahead of him. Thunder ducked his head to the floor, slowing down to a trot.

"He's waiting for the signal, Emily." Ray called to her from the gate.

"What's the signal?" Rossi whispered to Rita because he didn't want to disturb what was happening in front of him.

"You'll see." Rita whispered back as Emily turned around on the spot so she was now facing away from the horse, which had stopped and pricked his ears towards her in confusion. The agent in control held her ground for a second. Soft footfalls were heard in the dusty ground behind her as Thunder walked tentatively forwards at first, and then grew more confident.

Emily sensed his presence behind her and felt his nose come to rest on her shoulder. It was obvious to the group watching that Emily was now dominant and in control of the muscled creature that could easily over-power her if it tried. She slowly tuned around, grinning like an idiot and brought her hand up to stroke him between the eyes.

"Atta boy." Emily whispered, touched that he held so much trust in her.

"Well done, Em!" JJ called through the fence, which just caused her to grin even more wildly. She caught a pointed look from Ray, then remembered what he had told her to do in order to test the bond that she had created, so she stepped forwards and heard the horse take another step towards her.

"That's it Emily!" Rita encouraged as the brunette began to jog around the round pen, crisscrossing here and there whilst the dark horse followed her every movement.

"Why is he doing that?" Morgan asked Rita.

"He is sticking to her like glue because he knows that she is in control and he will be safe when he is with her. It's how heard animals work." She offered as an explanation.

"Cool." He replied, fascinated at the way these powerful creatures mind's work. It was kind of like people in a way. Many look towards an authority figure for safety and stability. He was brought out of his thoughts when Emily walked to the gate and took her riding hat from Ray who was holding it out to her.

"Em?" Hotch asked her, not realizing his nickname as it slipped out of his mouth, but luckily it seemed that the rest of the team were too curious to notice. In response to his unspoken question the dark-haired profiler looked over and sent him a smile to let him know she was okay. She bent down and picked up some rope from the dusty floor that Aaron hadn't noticed was there before and then slipped it over Thunder's head, all the while muttering soft comforting words to him.

"Ready?" Rita called over to the woman, who turned back and nodded. Emily held the rope at the base of his neck and then stood beside him at his shoulder, steeling herself for what she was about to do. In one jump she swung on leg over the large horse so she was sitting astride him with no saddles or bridles for control.

Just a rope.

"She's riding like that?" JJ asked, astounded to the woman's bravery for riding a horse that just minutes ago was galloping around crazily.

"We're going back to basics." Rita confirmed just as Emily gave Thunder a nudge and sent him trotting around the pen. It was a bit unsteady at first because she couldn't rise and fall to the beat without the aid of a saddle, but Emily soon caught the hang of it.

When she began cantering she carefully let go of the rope, and held her arms out beside her.

It felt like flying.

All the while the agent could not wipe off the smile plastered to her face.

"Come on." Emily tugged Aaron along behind her, leading him away from where the team was finishing cleaning up the dishes.

"Where are we going?" Aaron asked with amusement, however he complied and followed.

"You'll see." Emily replied ominously as the couple stumbled through the barn doors and pulled them shut behind them. "This way." She pulled him past the horse stalls and up the wooden stairs to the sweet smelling hayloft.

Hotch grinned when he saw an old blanket strewn across a couple of bales and Emily immediately sat down on it, pulling him with her.

"What's all this?" He mumbled into her hair as his chin rested on her head. Emily bit her lower lip as she answered.

"We're alone now. No interruptions." She laid a finger on his belly button and slowly drew it up to his toned chest.

"Oh really?" Aaron asked her seductively, wrapping his arm even tighter around her waist he pulled Emily into him.

"Definitely." She paused. "Well, unless the barn burns down or anything – but lets not count that." Emily felt Aaron jiggle as he chuckled.

"Come here." He reached up and pulled her chin around to face him. Emily's dark eyes glistened in the half-light that the single light bulb in the loft gave out. Her orbs grew darker with desire as she leaned in and only skimmed her lips against his before pulling back again, teasing him.

"Em…" He mumbled as she brought her lips back again, this time pressing a firm kiss to his lips, and then trailing them down his jaw.

"Come. On. Superman." She told him between kisses, and then let him bring his lips down to hers. They shifted on the hay bales so they were lying down, Aaron on the bottom and Emily leaning over him. They broke apart when the need for oxygen in their lungs became too strong to ignore, so lay panting together, just happy laying in silence with each other.

"That was nice." Emily mumbled into the cotton shirt covering his chest, but pushed up on her hands either side of his face to look Aaron in the eye.

"It was." He agreed and Emily couldn't help but notice the sweet way the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles. Emily lay back down on his chest and drew mindless nothings on his shirt with her fingertips and Aaron was content in letting her do so.

Emily groaned as she shifted position on the hay.

"Are you okay?" Aaron's head shot up in a flash, his face covered with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded softly.

"Em." Aaron said sternly.

"Okay, okay." She relented. "It's nothing, my leg muscles just aren't as accustomed as they used to be." She shot Hotch a questioning look when he released a breath of air he was holding.

"You too?" He asked. "Thank God, I thought I was the only one." Aaron smiled at Emily's amused face.

"I know I was annoyed when you guys singled me out earlier, but thanks." Emily's eyes glistened as she relived the memories that she was sure would be held close to her heart for a long time. "It was the best feeling."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Aaron started, then grinned mischievously, "Because I'd still rather it was you than me. Could you have imagined what would have happened if you'd have fallen off? Talk about embarrassing." He teased her.

The female profiler brought her hand up to his cheek.

"I love your dimples when you smile, so I'll forgive you for that." Emily whispered and kissed over them on each of his cheeks. "Hey, you okay?" She spoke when she realized that he hadn't responded.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." Aaron replied casually.

"About?" Emily persisted, raising her eyebrows.

"Us. What's going to happen when we leave the day after tomorrow? We haven't even been on a date yet." Emily was silent for a few moments. "I'm sorry did I upset you?" Aaron asked.

"No, you just pretty much voiced my concerns to a T." She raised her head and rested it on her hands so she could look him in the eye.

"Huh. I guess great minds do think alike."

"So what are we going to do?" The female profiler prompted, once again drawing little nothings on his chest.

"Go on a date with me. Next Saturday – unless we get a case, that is." Emily's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really? Sure, lets do it." She agreed.

"Good." Aaron confirmed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We should probably get back before anyone notices how long we've been."

"Oh god, yeah." Emily realized. "Ugh I don't want to move. Can't we just sleep here? Forever?" She groaned.

"As much fun as that sounds I think we should get to bed – Rita hinted to me at dinner that we're doing something big tomorrow and if those suitcases under your eyes are anything to go by, you're exhausted." Emily frowned at him.

"Isn't the term 'bags under your eyes'?" Aaron shook his head as he stood up and held his hand out to her which she took thankfully as here muscles protested.

"Not when they're as big as yours." He said pointedly, but smirked at the same time.

"Hey!" She yelled, smacking him on the arm. "Rude." She scowled at him playfully as he tugged her down the stairs and pulled her into his side once again as they made their way to the barn doors.

"Crap it's raining." Aaron said as he opened up the doors. We're going to have to run for it." He said and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hold on, hold on."

"What?"

"As much as lipstick suits you, I don't think Scarlet is your color." Emily smirked as she wiped at his jaw. "What, did you put this on in the dark? I think it's actually supposed to go on your lips."

"Ha ha." Aaron said dryly before adding, "Technically you put in on anyway."

"Whatever dear." Emily said patronizingly and patted him on the cheek. "All better." Aaron shook his head at the last comment, but Emily could see his dimples flash for a second as he looked out into the rain. Emily pulled her jacket over her head so her hair wouldn't get messed up. She looked at him, her eyes flashing.

"Race ya!" She yelled, running out into the rain quickly.

"No fair!" Aaron called as he sprinted after her, "You had a head start!"

"I win." Emily smiled as he reached the front porch to the team's cabin.

"Cheat." Aaron hid by a cough, but received a playful slap on the arm for his troubles.

"I heard that." She whispered menacingly in his ear. They both stepped away from each other as they heard voices from inside the cabin. Emily's eyes widened.

"What are we going to tell them?"

"Let me handle it." Aaron patted her arm reassuringly as he walked past and then they both walked in the door.

"Did you need to do a lot?" JJ asked as they walked in and shook off their wet jackets.

"I'm sorry?" Emily asked with her voice laced with confusion and Morgan stepped forwards, frowning.

"Rita just stopped by a couple of minutes ago and said you two were in the barn refilling the horse's hay nets."

"Oh that!" Emily laughed it off. "Yeah, there was a lot." Everyone took this as an explanation and carried on with what they were doing.

"Do you think Rita knows?" Aaron asked Emily as their heads came close when they both bent down to unfasten their shoes.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

Tell me what you think and the next chapter will write itself faster:) I'd like to say that Join-up is a real method that is used with horses and it really works! it is amazing, check it out on youtube! How i've written it is the very basic way of how it's done, but don't shoot me if it's wrong because I'm not a professional. (Even though i'd like to be)

Wow, you guys need to watch more movies! The quote from a couple of chapters back is from the film Max-Q. Paget Brewster is in it:) (Emily Prentiss.)

If you haven't seen it I'd recommend watching it- it's on youtube somewhere, especially since Paget's character saves the day;)

Adios Amigos!