Hotchniss One-Shots

Spiral

Neither of the two agents could pin point the exact moment the attract started towards the other, but they knew the first move was made on a cool October night. Hayley had filed for divorce and he was drinking alone in his office. The rest was history. They had kept their relationship to themselves until she came out of a compound she had been stuck in for 3 days. From there on everything seemed to spiral. First Matthews death and then Foyet attack. Aaron had fought long and hard with her about ending the relationship in order to protect her, but Emily being the stubborn person she was fought back harder than he did. Emily stayed by his side after he was released from the hospital, making sure he was okay, shopping with him, tending to his wounds, you name it. She was there for him. The hardest day for them both was Jacks birthday. Emily had spent a lot of time with Jack before he was put into Witness Protection, she missed the boy - who she had come to leave easily - dearly and thought that her and Aaron would find comfort from each other. Instead he pushed her away asking to be alone and said they needed some time apart. All through their relation she had been terrified that he would leave her the moment Hayley wanted him back. Her terror turned into a reality on a Wednesday afternoon. Foyet was dead and Hotch had his family back. A family that didn't include Emily. Emily came rushing into the house as back up when Hayley pulled him into a kiss, one which he returned. When Hotch had turned around he saw Emily walking away with tears in her eyes.

That's why she was sitting in her car in Boston, surveilling the black SUVs with tears in her eyes. She had had to protect her family even if it meant she was going to get killed. A lone tear slipped out of her eye and was followed by several more as she remembered Hayley and Jack walking into the BAU to take Aaron out for lunch. Jack had tried to stop and say hi to Emily but his mother pulled him up the stairs with a huff.

"How are you?" JJ and Garcia asked at their own lunch. Garcia had vowed that they would get together at least 2 a month and when she saw Emily reaction to Hayley blocking Jack from her she called JJ and dragged Emily out to their usual lunch date cafe

"I'm good" Emily lied with a tight lipped smile

JJ looked at her sceptically, with a tilt of the head and a raised eye brow. Something she had learnt from Emily

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"  Emily questioned back

"Answering a question with a question" Garcia smiled knowingly

"I'm fine guys" she smiled
"Really"

"Hotch" JJ said simply

"What?" Emily nearly chocked on her ice tea

"He's back with Hayley. That's the problem" Garcia added

They were right. It was the problem. She couldn't understand why he went back to her. During their 18 months together Aaron had told her how bad Hayley had treated him. Emily still struggled to understand - more than a year after everything happened - why he was with Hayley instead of her.

And that's why she didn't hold on when Morgan came running and telling her that he wasn't going to let her go as he tried to stop the blood pouring out of her abdomen. And that's why Aaron Hotchner was currently clinging to her lifeless, bloody and beaten body on the cold floor of the wearhouse at 2 o clock on a cold morning on March 7th.