Hotchniss One Shots

Just Friends pt. 3

Once Emily had accepted Interpol's offer, she had two weeks to pack all her things and be on a plane to London. She handed her resignation to Aaron a day after they landed and promptly told the team after that. Of course, they were all extremely shocked and saddened by her news, but like Aaron, they knew that this was an amazing opportunity that she'd be an idiot to pass up on.

    They had a little going away party for her the night before she left. They danced and laughed and drank. It took everything Emily had not to cry as she hugged her friends for the last time in a while.

Once she'd finished packing, she mailed all her things to her new apartment in London. "This will be good for you." She kept telling herself. This job would allow her to have a fresh start, away from the drama.

JJ had driven Emily home the night of the party, knowing that her brunette friend would drink herself almost senseless. When Emily entered her apartment, she stumbled to the counter, barely holding herself up. "Ok. I think you need some water." JJ said filling a glass with water and handing it to Emily.

Emily drank the water, finishing about half the glass in a few gulps. Although JJ hated taking advantage of her drunk friend, she also knew that drunk Emily was the most honest Emily. The blonde needed answers and this would probably be her only opportunity to do so. "Why are you really leaving?" JJ asked crossing her arms.

Even though Emily stumbled a bit, she gained some sobriety and straightened up, finishing her water. "Because I'm running away from my problems, Jennifer." Emily slurred slightly.

"And what problems would those be?" JJ asked getting another glass of water for her friend.

"Aaron." She said simply, taking the glass.

"What do you mean?"

"He told me he loved me, and he kissed me." She finally confessed, completely unaware of what she'd actually done.

JJ's eyes went wide. Those words explained everything. It explained the awkward tension, the avoided eye contact, and the minimal talking between Aaron and Emily. "He kissed you? Did you kiss him back?"

Emily took a long sip of water and sat in the counter. "Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"Then why are you leaving when you have a man who loves you here?"

"Because it's going to ruin everything. I'm not changing my mind, JJ. I already handed in my resignation."

JJ let out a long sigh. She knew she wouldn't be able to change Emily's mind. She was strong-willed and once Emily sent her mind to something, she didn't back down, except for this one thing. "Ok. Let's get you to bed." JJ said taking Emily to her room and tucking her into bed.
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The next morning, Emily's head was pounding. She had drank far too much, but at the time she preferred that to crying in her team members' arms. Although she trusted every single one of them with her life, she hated being vulnerable because she saw it as somewhat of her weakness.

    Emily took a somewhat long shower, letting the hot water relax her muscles and mind from the aching all over. She quickly got dressed in a purple shirt , black jeans, and a black trench coat. She grabbed her carry on bag and her purse, taking one last look at her apartment before closing the door.

Aaron had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea how he convinced himself to get in his car this morning and drive to the airport. He loved Emily, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't want to let her go. At least not without saying goodbye one more time. He rushed to the airport, trying not to speed too much. He glanced at his watch. 9:49. He had about half an hour.

Once he pulled into the airport parking lot, he began running through the airport to the flight board to look for Emily's flight. It was leaving at 10:05. He ran as fast as he ever had through the airport, looking everywhere. Emily would hate him for what he was about to do. When he reached security, he showed them his badge and continued running through the airport to find Emily's gate, 42J.

    With less than five minutes to spare, he finally found her gate. It was extremely crowded, and he was out of breath. Beads of sweat lightly speckled his forehead. He began pushing through the crowd, calling out Emily's name. Eventually he saw the top of Emily's head. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around. He was met with a surprised expression on Emily's face. "Aaron. What are you doing here?" She asked.

Aaron is out of breath to the point where it became difficult to speak. All he does is step closer to her where they're now less than a foot apart, just like in the jet. Emily could now feel his breath on her face. Without thinking, Emily grabbed Aaron by his tie and pulled him into a passionate kiss, connecting their lips. She felt his hands reach under her trench coat and grab her waist to pull her closer. Her hands wrap around his neck as she deepened the kiss. It was tender yet passionate, filled with the love they'd held back for so long.

Eventually they pulled apart. Both of their faces were flushed, and Aaron had a little lipstick smeared on his lips. Emily gently wiped it away before giving him a sad smile. "I love you too." She said softly.

He saw the sadness in her eyes and she saw it in his. Despite had just happened, they both knew that Emily wasn't going to come home with him. As much as she wanted to stay in Virgina and jump into Aaron's arms and let him take her home, she knew it wasn't the right time. Not yet anyway.

As much as he wanted to hold her forever, Aaron knew he had to let her go. He couldn't be the reason she didn't take this amazing job. With all the hesitation in the world, Aaron slowly let go of Emily. He looked at her with a sadness she'd never seen. He gave her a small smile before taking a few steps back. "You have a flight to catch." He said in a low, sad voice.

Emily didn't say anything back. She just let out a sigh and returned the gesture of a small smile. With her head hung low, she finally walked through her gate and onto the plane.

Even though neither of them wanted to admit it, both Emily and Aaron knew that this was ultimately the best for them. Nothing felt right, other than the kiss. The timing was all wrong. Maybe one day they'd rejoin each other, but for now, they were alone. Emily was taking a new direction in her life; a direction that unfortunately excluded Aaron.

A/N: Sorry for the sad ending, but not only did I want to try something different, it felt more realistic in this situation. Although everyone loves a happy ending, that's not always the case. I want to balance the stories more so expect the occasional sad ending. Please comment and vote, my loves!