7 years - Hotchniss

one year before

Hotch kept staring at the door, the goddamn door that separated him from the answer to the question spinning on his mind.

The tears on his cheeks had dried, yet his features had only worsened: his skin was pale, his eyes already seemed sunken and pure panic and worries were still written all over his face.

How long? How long would he have to wait again? He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't take the uncertainty anymore.

His mind kept replaying the incident again and again; how she had knelt down to the Unsub, way too sure about the whole situation; how she had taken two bullets; one in her chest, on in her stomach; how she had choked and tried to say his name, but the blood gushing out of her mouth hadn't allowed her to.

He had begged her to stay with him, his life flashing past him right in front of his eyes.

And in the end, all he could've done was watch, helplessly.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as a tall woman walked through the door, and Aaron tried to ignore how pale she was as she spoke: "Mr. Hotchner?"

One year ago:

"Damn, Mr. Hotchner", Emily whistled as she walked into their bedroom. "You look hot."

Aaron couldn't help but chuckle, he loved it when she talked to him like that. It was so different to the tough facade she'd put up at work. He was wearing a dark suit, as Morgan's wedding was coming up that day.

When he turned around, he froze.

"How do I look?", she smiled and twirled around, the red dress she wore twirling in sync with her body. It ended right above her knees, and Aaron wondered how she was able to embody elegance, grace and - well, to be blunt - so much heat at once.

"You look stunning", he swallowed thickly, not able to take his eyes off her.

"Watch it, you're drooling", she grinned as she walked over to him.

"Can't help it", Hotch smiled down at her. "My wife is just so beautiful in that dress."

Her grin grew even wider as she lifted herself on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear: "And you're the only one who can take it off later."

"Watch it", he mimicked her words, a sly grin plastered on his face. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day, Mrs. Hotchner."

Emily's heart fluttered every time he called her Mrs. Hotchner.

Yes, she had had some problems with saying good-bye to Emily Prentiss, but she had grown to love Emily Hotchner. It just made it so real to her every time; that she actually managed to marry the love of her life. And more overly, Aaron Prentiss just sounded awful, she had to admit that herself.

"Well, as long as it's with you, I don't mind any trouble", she chuckled as she kissed him quickly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure", he nodded and watched as she grabbed her purse.

Usually, neither of them liked big weddings, but Derek was their friend and they were incredibly happy for him and Savannah.

"Who knew that Derek Morgan would settle down one day", Emily had chuckled after he had announced that he would ask Savannah to marry him.

"Well, with the right person, you just can't wait to settle down", Derek had smiled. "I'm sure you know that feeling."

"Definitely", she had smiled and her gaze had wandered up to Hotch's office, their eyes meeting through the opened blinds. "Definitely."

After the ceremony, Aaron found himself next to the dance floor with Rossi, watching Emily dance with JJ and Garcia.

"Seems so long ago, right?", Rossi smiled.

"What do you mean?", Hotch asked and took a sip of his drink.

"Your wedding", his friend explained. "It's been a year already, how time flies."

"That's true", he nodded. "So, when's your next wedding coming up? Anyone in sight?"

"Very funny", Rossi arched an eyebrow but chuckled. "This shit's rather expensive!"

"I know", Hotch laughed, his eyes meeting Emily's, who gave him a hearted smile. "Excuse me", he then told Rossi and made his way over to his wife.

"Excuse me, Ladies", he turned to JJ and Garcia. "But I'll steal this one for a dance."

Emily laughed as he twirled her at his hand, pulling her closer as she stopped in front of him. It had been quite a while since they had danced together and they enjoyed every second of it.

"Hey you", the brunette smiled as Aaron pulled her closer by her waist.

He just smiled down at her, before saying: "Does this remind me of our wedding?"

"Not a single bit", she laughed. "And I'm glad it doesn't. Too many people. The dancing, though, I remember."

"Me too", he nodded.

The music changed to a slow song, and they changed their movements. It reminded them of their first dance together as husband and wife, and both of them remained silent for a while, reminiscing about that exact moment.

As Emily looked up again, her eyes met his, and she moved one hand to cup his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Em", he replied and leaned down to kiss her.

They kept on dancing for a long time, forgetting about everyone around them. They did not talk a lot, because there were no words needed. It was a rare occasion that they were so close together with so many people around, but it was just the two of them, enjoying each other's company and the dances.

Oh, if only they had known that it would've been their last dance together.

Present:

"Yes?", Hotch choked. Morgan and JJ moved behind him, but once again, he didn't recognize them. His eyes were wide open and hysterically fixed on the doctor in front of him.

"I am so sorry", the woman spoke silently, but clearly. "There was nothing we could've done for her anymore."

They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. But what happens when time catches up with you?

____________________

Note from the author:

Hello again!

Phew, this was a hard piece to write! This story differs completely from any other story I have written before, I have never written in this narration style and more overly, I have never ended a story like this. I know that this ending probably leaves many open questions, but I kind of liked it - even though it was painful as fuck (sorry, language).

So, if there are any open questions left, feel free to write them down in the comments, I'll answer them all.

Thank you so, so much for reading this story! I am so grateful for all the support I get on here, it amazes me every day that so many people read my stories, even the old ones gain more and more reads every day. This means so much to me, thank y'all!

Soo, stay tuned - new stories are already in progress!
See you in the next one, stay safe everyone!

- jisbons