You Were Never Alone

6 (Before)

Two Years Ago Today

"I've seen all the National Geographics and Planet Earth."

Emily stares in awe, jaw dropped in dramatic amazement," how?"

Hotch shrugs and sips his beer," Jack really likes them and it's..." He trials off, spinning his beer in thought," it helps me.... calm down. After a long case I've got Jack and a good nature documentary. It's a good reminder that there's good in the world."

She prowls over the selection of movies before her. "I have Finding Nemo," she offers holding up the brightly colored DVD.

"If I have to watch that movie again, I'll kill the damn fish myself." His words come out before he can stop them and before he can apologize for letting a "big one" (as Jack refers to cuss words) slip, Emily's bent over laughing. He chuckles at the sight of the tears that role down her cheek.

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about Nemo," she giggles, sliding the movie back on to the shelf.

He puffs and shakes his head.

"Gladiator?" She offers, holding up the rather rogue looking Russel Crowe.

"You can never go wrong with the Crowe," Hotch says with an excepting nod.

She smirks and mockingly reaches for the shelf," well I do have Les Mes if you want a little Hugh-"

"No, God no." Hotch repositioning himself on the couch," Gladiator works."

She slips the disc in to the DVD player.

She slides in beside him and he finds the courage to wrap an arm around her.

The movie rolls on but neither are paying attention.

She can feel him breathing and everytime he inhales his chest grazes her arm.

"You know, I had a crush on Russel Crowe when I was younger," she whispers leaning back on his arm comfortably.

"And you don't now?" He asks giving her look that pretty much says, You don't loose attraction for the Russel Crowe.

"Well..." she can feel a blush creep on to her cheeks. "Some crushes are just crushes," she can feel a heat spread over her entire body as he leans in closely.

"You're entirely, right." She can feel his breath on her neck. "I used to have a crush Steve Nicks."

Emily lets out a short laugh," she was little old for you. Don't you think?"

He takes in this side profile of her," I was ten Emily. I thought I was in love."

Steve Nicks was a childhood crush, this...whatever this is... it's something different.

She clears her throat and turns her head to look at him," just a childhood crush? How do even know the difference?"

He takes her hand and cautiously places it over his heart," you feel it here."

It hit her hard. Finally it made sense. She does love him. Love. Such a strange word to sum up affection to this magnitude.

Seating there with her fingers stretched over his heart she realizes she loves him because he's perfectly imperfect. He's not perfect because of his jaw line or the deodorant and cologne he wears. He's perfect because he thinks he's not. She loves the way his hair falls crazy when he wakes up. She loves how he's never cold and doubles as a fernace of loving warmth. She loves that he's so generous. She loves that he's so oblivious to anything that has since 2000. Yet she hates those things about him. She hates the fact that his crazy hair falls in his face to block those cinnamon brown eyes. She hates that sometimes he's so warm you can't seat next to him for long. She hates that he's willing to die to save a man he doesn't know. She hates that he doesn't know who Jimmy Kimmel or Chris Evans is...it really makes conversations hard. Perfectly Imperfect.

As he looked into her eyes those same endorphins were firing in his head. He loved her. The way she's always so cold. The way her hair falls in her face when she talks. The way she walks. The way she talks. The way she looks at Jack. So simple. Caring. Loving. So.... Emily.

"Emily?"

She snaps from her daze and looks deep into his eyes," yes?"

His hand comes to the back of her neck," do you think... Can I kiss you?"

She grabs him by the shirt and before she kisses him she mumbles," I thought you'd never ask."

💜🙃💜🙃💜🙃💜🙃💜🙃💜🙃💜

Present Day

"Coffee?"

She's shocked to look up and find Hotch handing her a mug of coffee," uh... sure."

He seats himself on the opposite side of her and looks over his back at their sleeping team members.

Just a moment ago she'd watched as he picked up after his team. He put a blanket over Reid and closed his book. He put JJ's blanket higher up on her shoulders. He turned Morgan's music off. He shut Rossi's file and turned off the overhead light above his head. Then, like a whisk of smoke, he disappeared to the kitchen.

"This one is yours," she says swallowing the bitter coffee.

He looks down and she's right.

"Sorry," he says looking fairly embarrassed.

"It's fine," she switches them and smiles," I mean it's not the first time you've mixed up our drinks."

Which is more than true. It seems that everytime he gets their drinks he mixes them up.

"Ahh," she sighs sipping the liquid gold.

"I don't know how you can stand that stuff," he says sipping his own mug. "It taste like Reid's."

She makes a face," you've had Reid's coffee?"

He ignores her mocking look," he was being nice and made me a cup when he made himself one." It's like a blast to the past. Was it really only ten years ago? Back then it was only Reid, Morgan, Gideon and himself. Then he recruited Garcia. Then Elle joined. Then JJ. Elle left. Emily came. Then Gideon left and Rossi came.

"You okay?" She asks slightly worried at the far off face he's got.

"Just thinking." He says after a moment. "A lot has changed over the last couple years."

Like us.

"Would you change anything?" She asks thinking the same thing as him. We changed.

He looks into her eyes, and that night with Russel Crowe comes to mind, and nods. "I can think of some things I'd change.... you know, just because they were good. I liked them to before."

I liked us before.

Hello my peoples!

Now....

Goodbye my peoples!
-SH