home sweet home - a hotchniss story

speechless

word count - 1438

The entire team as well as their partners sat round a circular table, talking and laughing. To begin with they were all taking between each other but gradually Emily and Aaron distanced themselves, unknowingly ignoring all other conversations and only hugging, talking, and looking at one another. Suddenly, Aaron stood up after finishing his pasta which Rossi made. He tapped his spoon onto the edge of his wine glass and brought the attention back to them.

"If i can just have your attention for a moment" clearing his throat and squeezing Emily's hand. "As you all know, this beautiful woman over here has been my love for nearly two years now, the day we made this official was the day my life changed forever, you have changed me for the better and i never want to imagine my life without you, so, i know there's been a lot of surprises today but i have just one more.." he smirked, turning to face Emily "for the last year we have been switching between your house and mine, Emily Pren... Hotchner, i want a place to call ours" placing a key in Emily's hand "i found a home for us, ours to share, to decorate, to grow. We have a house!!"

Emily stood up and kissed him lightly on the lips and they tightly hugged. They sat down, Emily sitting sideways on his lap, Aaron's hands hugging her waist.

"I guess that means it's my turn" Rossi stands up, glass of wine in hand "For months, i've kept this wedding a secret and then when Aaron came to me to house hunt it was yet another secret... but i happily went along with it. I have known Aaron for years, we've experienced so much together. Just as a family would. Emily, you are my daughter, my friend as and i couldn't be happier than i am in this moment, seeing you marry the man who made you happier than ever" he raises his glass "so.. Aaron and Emily, i love you both immensely and i am so grateful to have been a part of this incredible journey you have embarked on together" Emily stands up, goes to hug him and kisses his cheek

"thank you Dad" she looked up at him "te lo meriti".  He whispered. you deserve it.

"ooo my turn!" a tipsy Penelope shouts "you guys are the cutest, Em, you've been my friend since the day you joined and Agent Hotchner over there always checks up on me. You two are just perfect, and i always hoped you'd end up together, but who would have guessed it'd really happen?!" Penelope had clearly drank way more than everyone else and was beginning to get more inappropriate with each sentence "and you guys should get home and have some wild sex" she said even louder "Jayje! do you remember when she said it was the best she's ever had?!" It was then, Derek took her drink, sat her down and Emily buried her head into Aaron's chest

"on that note i guess i'll take my turn" Derek placed Penelope's drink down, picking up his own "ahh where do i start? my princess prentiss and boss man, you two are so perfectly different which makes you the best match, as much as i hate that now i'm going to have to cut back on the flirting with my princess i'm glad to be passing the torch onto you, Hotch. In all the years i've known him, Emily i've never seen him this happy and content, willingly spending time with us all and you have made him a better man, i love you both and" moving his wine glass into the air "i love this team"

"cheers!" they all shout

"as the unofficial maid of honour i say it's my turn" JJ declared as she stood up with the biggest smile on her face, one hand on her huge baby bump and the other on her glass of water. "Emily, you have been my best friend since the day you joined the BAU, you were fiery and completely different to everyone else, you soon became the glue to our small, dysfunctional family" her and Emily kept eye contact, both woman's eyes welling up, Aaron placed his hand on Emily's thigh and squeezed it. "and you Aaron Hotchner. You found this woman, trusted her and love her each and every day. Without you Hotch, this team would be a shambles and i can't speak for everyone, but thank you for including us on this journey between you two, and i cannot wait to see where this marriage leads"

Emily, now sobbing, stood up and gave JJ the tightest hug, well, as tight as she could considering the bump separating the two. Emily shut her eyes tightly and just enjoyed the moment between the two. Aaron let a tear fall as he watched the love of his life be embraced. Spencer stood up and awkwardly cleared his throat

"so i guess since everyone else has said something, i should too" a nervous smile plastered on his face "Hotch, over the years you have been a father figure to me and i will never forget the kindness you have shown to me. Em, when you joined the team, you quickly became like a sister to me, we have laughed, cried and eaten some pretty iffy food while on stake outs together. Nothing makes me happier than my family becoming a family themselves and i love you both- to Hotch and Emily" his fringe covered his eyes as he cheersed his glass with Aaron's. Emily stood up and ran across Rossi's lawn, gaining some confused looks from the team, Aaron got up and started walking the same way she had before they all heard her say "wait- no i'm coming back i just needed to grab something"

The couple linked arms and proudly walked back to the table where they family was sitting, they all noticed the pink notebook, covered in small drawings, they all looked around at each other, then to Emily and Aaron

"don't bother looking at him, he has no idea either" Emily giggled. She clutched the book and played with the bookmark hanging out of the top

"So" she smiled "nobody knows this about me but i journal and write everyday" The team noticed her nerves but then saw Aaron's hand gently go onto her lower back "a few months ago, i was looking back through this one and found an entry from June 15th, 5 years ago. I had only been on the team a couple of months and you all basically hated me" she laughed while looking at Aaron in particular earning a chuckle from the team "i thought i'd read this entry in particular, i think you'll all find it interesting..." she sarcastically cleared her throat, slightly mocking Spencer "Urmm, Hi future Emily or weirdo who stole Emily's book on the train. I'd really appreciate it if you stopped reading if you aren't me... i think i'm starting to settle in well at the BAU, JJ and Spence are making me feel more at home. Something really weird happened today, i think i may be falling in love with Aaron Hotchner AHHH. Hey Em! don't look at me like that i know it's not okay and he's your boss AND MARRIED but there's just something about his smile i could talk about his smile for hours" Aaron's hand made his way lower down her back, she turned to him and he flashed her his gorgeous smile. She smirked back at him and went back to reading "anyway Em, you really need to sort this out because he's going to know, i mean you blush as soon as he walks in and in a room of profilers that is a really bad habit to have" She sighed heavily and looked away from the book "now my secret is out Aaron, 5 years ago today i realised i loved you and i never would have imagined that June 15th would be our wedding day, all my life i have been moved around the world, being taught that your house is four walls and some windows but you, Mr Hotchner have loved and cared from me, you have reinforced the fact that a house is bricks but you, Aaron, you are my home"

"ooos" and "awes" filled the air as Mr and Mrs Hotchner kissed, they leaned into it, it wasn't a rough kiss, it was filled with love and trust and proved their willingness to keep each other safe forever