Genre: Adventure

Author: SussiRay


"Whatcha doin'?"

Hotch didn't even need to look up to see the smile playing across her lips. He could hear it perfectly clear in her voice. He had also spent enough time with her over the last few weeks to in a way sense when she was up to something. And he was definitely getting that feeling from her now.

Glancing at her through the corner of his eye he shot her a quick "I'm working" and returned his eyes to the manila folder on the desk in front of him.

"Working with what?"

He heard her take a few steps towards him. "It seems your mother is hiring a new personal chef and I am making sure that he is not really an assassin trying to kill you and your family with undercooked chicken."

Emily laughed. "Hmm, I don't know whether I'm a good or a bad influence on you," she said, smiling and taking a seat on the edge of his desk, "did you make jokes about your assignments before you met me?"

"You know, I don't know," Hotch laughed, turning and giving her a look of mock contemplation, "I can't seem to remember my life before I met you. You've turned my world upside down."

"I try my best," Emily said, patting his shoulder. "So you want to accompany me on a little shopping trip when you're done for the day? When are you done, by the way?"

Hotch glanced at his wrist watch. Almost five pm. He was usually free to leave at five, but he wanted to finish before going anywhere with Emily. "Give me another hour and then I'm all yours," Hotch said, smiling. He had been careful, only spending time with Emily when he wasn't officially working, and The Ambassador had said nothing about him spending time with her daughter. So he no longer thought twice when Emily wanted them to do something. Honestly the last few weeks with Emily had been the most fun he'd had in a long time. Just being around her would brighten any day.

"Alrighty," Emily smiled, "I'm holding you to that."


"You are being serious right now?" Hotch asked, eyeing Emily with mounting trepidation.

"Of course I am," Emily said, "when do I ever joke around?"

"All the time."

"Okay… well, I am one hundred percent serious right now," Emily said, her lips betraying her as they curved into a smile. "Come on, Hotch. It'll be fun…"

"For whom?"

"For me of course," Emily laughed, "look Hotch, I say this as nicely as possible, but you can be a bit uptight sometimes… you just need to let loose a bit. And what better way to do that than to buy fun stuff from a cashier that's been drooling since you walked in here." She looked over at the slightly older woman sitting behind the counter. "I tell you what, I'll even let you choose. They are for you after all. So what'll it be, flavored or glow-in-the-dark?"

"I am not getting out of this, am I?" Hotch asked to which Emily smiled and shook her head. "Fine," he said, holding out his hand, "give me the flavored ones. They're the lesser of two evils."

"Yup," Emily smiled, "then she'll just think that you want to taste better for your girl." Hotch stopped, his shoulders rising and sinking as he drew a deep breath, before he continued on to the cashier. Emily smiled as she watched him place the little box in front of the woman who immediately gave him an approving leer. Emily had to clamp a hand over her mouth not to burst into screeching laughter as she saw Hotch's shoulders almost touching his ears as he shook his head when the woman said something to him.

Emily almost felt sorry for Hotch as he trudged over to her, one hand clutching the little paper bag, the other shoved into his pocket. She just wanted him to have some fun. Maybe making him buy novelty condoms from a woman who was old enough to be his mother but still eying him like he was a piece of meat was more fun for her than him.

"Here," Hotch said, shoving the paper bag at her, "you take them."

"Me?" Emily asked, "what am I supposed to do with them?

"Hey, what you do in your spare time is none of my business," Hotch deadpanned. Emily was about to protest when she saw the corner of his mouth twitching.

She laughed and shared a smile with him, but she couldn't help but however briefly think about Hotch and her making the most of his purchase. They were just friends. But if she had said that she wasn't a little attracted to him she would have been a big fat liar. No woman in her right mind wouldn't consider Hotch smoking hot. But they were just friends.

"Are you hungry?" Hotch asked, making Emily return her focus back onto him.

"Little bit, yeah," she answered.

"Alright then," Hotch said, taking her by the arm and redirecting their steps towards the food court, "let's feed you."


"Hotch?" Emily said, poking Hotch in the forearm, trying hard to ignore just how firm the muscles felt under her finger. He lifted his eyes from the burger he was devouring and raised an eyebrow at her. "Uhm, there's a guy over there," she pointed at the line to the ice cream counter, "he's been uhm… looking at me for a while now. It's kinda creeping me out."

Hotch followed her finger, trying to spot who she was pointing at. There were at least ten guys in the line and none of them were looking her way. He turned back to Emily. "Who do you mean?"

"Him!" Emily said, pointing at a man twice Hotch's size, "that bucket of steroids in the white t-shirt."

Hotch swallowed. He cared for Emily, he wanted her to be safe, but that was one huge man. Never the less the FBI agent in him started assessing the situation, "Are you sure he has been looking at you?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure," Emily said, "he keeps looking at me. Do something. Tell him I'm taken, tell him that you're my boyfriend… Ooh, and flash him the gun, that will scare him off. "

"I'm not going to show him my gun," Hotch said, as he slowly pushed his chair back, "but I will tell him as nicely as possible that you aren't interested." Walking across the food court he couldn't help but notice that the guy got even more impossibly huge as he got closer. He also noticed that he was indeed looking towards Emily with a look in his eyes that Hotch did not care for.

"Excuse me," he said, tapping the shoulder of the boulder-like man as he came up behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry," Hotch said again, thinking it was best to be as polite as possible, "but you have been making my friend uncomfortable."

"Huh?"

"The brunette over at that table," Hotch said, throwing a look over his shoulder at Emily, "she told me that you've been looking at her and frankly it is making her uncomfortable."

"Mind your own business, buddy," the huge man said, turning back around, but not before giving Emily another look.

"I'm sorry," Hotch said, "but this is my business. That is my girlfriend and you are making her uncomfortable and I am asking nicely that you stop."

"Hey, little man," boulder-man huffed, poking Hotch in the chest, "if I want to look at a pretty girl I will and there is nothing that you can do to stop me. Now fuck off."

"You know I can't do that," Hotch said and gave the man one of his most lethal glares, reaching into his pocket to pull out his credentials. He would flash the jerk his badge and maybe he could scare him enough to leave Emily alone. Feeling around in suit pocket without any luck he cursed himself. He'd been in a hurry to leave, wanting to have as much time with Emily as possible, and apparently he'd left without his badge. Well, wasn't that just perfect!

A rustling prompted him to turn his eyes back to the man in front of him just in time for him to spot the two giant hands flying towards him. Reflexes kicking in made him duck out of the way, and the shove that was intended for him landed on an unsuspecting victim just behind him instead. The poor man fell, but that didn't stop the other man from taking another swing at Hotch.

"Hotch!" He heard Emily calling his name as he ducked the other man's fist. "Run Hotch!" Looking up he saw mall security personnel hurrying towards them. Seeing as he was now just some guy, with no credentials but with a concealed weapon, he quickly decided that Emily was right; he should indeed run for it.

Running across the food court he slowed down momentarily to grab Emily by the elbow and throw a look over his shoulder. One of the security guards had noticed his dash for freedom and was, fortunately rather slowly, making his way towards them.

"Come on!" Emily said, taking him by the hand and pulling him along across the tiled floor, sprinting past shop after shop. Dodging between families on their way to the food court, teenagers window shopping and couples walking hand-in-hand, Hotch could feel his heart racing in his chest. He could see his supervisor's grim look in front of him as he was told that one of his newest agents had been detained by a mall cop. Shooting another glance over his shoulder he couldn't see the security guard but he still kept running, tugged along by Emily.

"In here!" Emily exclaimed, yanking his arm so hard he was afraid he was going to hear his shoulder pop.

Breathing heavily from the running and the adrenaline he watched as Emily closed the door behind them. Spinning around he noticed the stalls and pink walls and he turned to Emily, hissing under his breath; "This is the ladies room!"

"Yeah," Emily said, taking Hotch by the hand pulling him into one of the stalls, "and you are really lucky that it was empty. Now let's wait here a while and I'm sure we'll be able to walk out of here undetected and you will avoid an awkward conversation with your boss."

"Thanks," Hotch said. Shifting a bit and glancing down he realized just how close they were standing and that he could see right down her shirt. Just friends, he told himself as he tore his eyes from the expanse of pale skin peeking through her red tank top.

"Hotch," Emily said. Looking at her expecting to be told off for staring at her chest he was surprised when she tilted her head, giving him a slight smile, and said; "sorry, Hotch, I think that was my fault."

"Why would any of this be your fault?" Hotch asked, sincerely surprised. She hadn't told that mountain to swing at him.

"I should have just ignored that guy, it wasn't a big deal."

"Of course it was a big deal, he made you feel uncomfortable," Hotch said, rubbing Emily's arm without really thinking about it. "I will always be around to thump any guy bothering you," he added with a grin.

Emily laughed. "Thanks," she said. Noticing Hotch's thumb gliding along her forearm she cleared her throat. Just friends, she thought to herself. She took his arm and checked his watch, almost nine, they had probably been in that stall a good ten minutes. "You know, I think the coast might be clear," she said, slowly opening the door. "We should probably go home before mall security sends a search party for you."


"Well, that was an…uhm… adventurous day," Hotch said, breaking the silence as he made the right turn onto the, by now deserted, highway leading to the Prentiss' mansion.

"A little more so than I had intended, but all's well that ends well," Emily said, giving Hotch a wide smile.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review!