It was getting late and as usual, Hotch was still in his office. The team had just returned from Long Island, and it was Hotch's second case since his return. He was feeling sorry for himself, and though he had a warm home with cold beer waiting for him, it wasn't like he had anyone to go home to, so he wasn't anxious to leave. He was doing what he had done every night for the past few months: looking over Foyet's files. He knew there was something that they were missing, something that would help them find him, but he didn't know what it was.

Garcia and JJ had left earlier, leaving Hotch alone in the office. Or so he thought. He glanced out the window, into the bullpen, and saw her walk through the glass doors. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed she'd changed. When she'd left she was wearing her usual slacks and boots, with a red sweater. Hotch shook his head when he realized he'd been cataloguing her wardrobe. But he couldn't peel his eyes away. He stood up and walked out onto the landing.

Emily was cranky. Her mother had asked her to go to a function with her, and Emily had been trying to warm in her relationship with the Ambassador, so she'd agreed. She had left a beautiful red dress in her locker, just in case they made it back in time for her to go to the party. And they had. Granted, Emily had been a little late, but she was forgiven when she provided her mother with a valid excuse. Elizabeth looked at the dress, red, knee-length, tight bodice with a flowing skirt, and nodded. Her daughter looked beautiful no matter what she wore.

And Emily had enjoyed herself at the function, at least for the first twenty-two minutes and forty-three seconds. That was when HE came over to her. They hadn't seen each other since she'd said goodbye to him outside his townhouse. She didn't hate him, he was just a kid when he hurt her. But she also didn't really want to stay and chat as though they could possibly be friends. So she'd said a quick hello, excused herself to visit with her mother, then told the Ambassador that she was exhausted and was going home for an early night. Emily assumed that her mother had seen HIM when she gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and told her to get some rest. Emily said goodbye and left.

And now here she was, back at the office, hoping to pick up the paperwork she'd left for tomorrow. If she grabbed it now she could get home in time to finish it, sign it off, and still get a good night sleep. She was so busy shuffling through the papers in her briefcase that she hadn't noticed she was no longer alone. She jumped when he spoke.

"Em… Prentiss, what are you doing here?" Hotch asked. He rolled his eyes. As much as he hated to use the team's surnames out of hours, he couldn't help it with Emily. He needed a way to distance himself otherwise who knew what could happen. And that could ruin everything. So he called her Prentiss, regardless of the time of day or what the occasion was. She was Prentiss.

Emily looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, I figured I'd come and get some paperwork," she said quickly, the blush starting to creep up her neck. Hotch's brow furrowed and he nodded to her dress. "You always do paperwork in a cocktail dress?" he asked. Emily looked down and chuckled. "Uh, had a function," she said. Hotch nodded. Emily realized she'd need to elaborate if she didn't want her boss, friend… whatever he was … to think she was insane. "I skipped out early. Feigned exhaustion but… there was someone there I didn't really want to see."

She felt like a moron. Here was a man whose opinion she valued, as much personally as professionally, and she's standing there looking like an idiot. She shook her head and…. There! She pulled the paperwork out of her briefcase and looked up at Hotch, smiling. "I found what I was after. I guess I'll see you in the morning," she said. Hotch nodded and smiled. "See you in the morning Prentiss," he replied. He turned to walk back into his office.

Emily's stomach started growling. "Dinner… that's what I forgot," she said to herself. She looked up and pondered. "Hey Hotch!" she called out. He stopped in his doorway and turned. "I'm starving. Do you want to maybe order a pizza? I can just as easily work here," she suggested. Hotch thought about it. It wasn't unusual for the team members to work in the conference room and share meals, but with just the two of them, and Hotch's undefined feelings about Prentiss, he wasn't sure. "My shout," she said quickly.

Hotch shrugged his shoulders. What the hell? It's not like anything was going to happen in the BAU room… at least not with the cameras. He nodded and smiled. "Ok. Pizza sounds good. But Prentiss," he started, "I'm paying." Emily nodded and smiled, picking up her briefcase and laptop before running up the stairs to the landing. "Deal," she said quietly, holding out her hand. He reached out and shook it. "Pepperoni?" he asked. Emily nodded and smiled. "And garlic bread… oh and some of those cheesy stick… oh and some soda… please?" she asked politely. Hotch chuckled and nodded. "Alright. On it's way. I'll meet you in the conference room soon," he said. Emily smiled and walked down the way to the conference room.

Twenty minutes later, Hotch and Emily were sitting in the conference room, their files spread across the table. The pizza had just arrived and Emily suggested they sit on the floor, leaving their paperwork in it's place in what she called "organized chaos." Hotch found himself agreeing and wasn't sure what to say. She picked up the food and placed it on the ground, then she sat down. Hotch smiled as she crossed her legs and opened the lid of the pizza box. He sat down next to her and poured them each a drink of soda. He handed her an FBI mug filled with the sugary liquid and smiled when their hands brushed.

"So sir, what's your favourite colour?" Emily asked cheerfully as she reached over for a piece of garlic bread. Hotch had just taken a sip of his soda and it almost came out his nose when she asked him. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Uh, blue," he answered quietly, "You?" Emily smiled at the reciprocity. "Mint green. You know that kind of light green. It's not bright, more pastel coloured. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with the duvet cover I had when we lived in Paris," she said. Hotch smiled. He knew Emily couldn't do just one word answers, there had to be an elaboration and explanation too.

He cleared his throat again. "Did you like living in Paris?" he asked, rolling his eyes. Who wouldn't like living in Paris you moron? he thought to himself, but he wanted to know more about her. He knew the basics, but he had always kept himself more distant from Emily than he had with the rest of the team. Emily smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I did. After Rome I was pretty keen for a change of scenery. And this time we knew we'd only be there for two years maximum so it was easier for me to enjoy the culture and the history, rather than just worry about when we'd be leaving," she explained. She couldn't believe how much she was sharing with him, but she knew she could trust him. Hotch nodded. After an awkward silence Emily moved the conversation on to favourite eighties band, favourite film, favourite country, favourite comfort food. Hotch found himself laughing and smiling, actually enjoying finding out these pieces of information.

Emily looked down at the box. Wow, there was no pizza left. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "Wow, it's like 12:20, we should probably pack this up," she said, folding the pizza box closed. Hotch nodded and picked up the empty garlic bread wrapper and threw it in the pizza box. He stood up and Emily followed. She picked up the trash and threw it in the rubbish bin in the corner. Hotch paused on his way to the bin with the empty soda bottle. "This was fun," he said, surprised. Emily smiled and nodded. "It was fun," she agreed.

Hotch took a deep breath. "I was wondering, do you wanna do this again?" he asked. Emily smiled and looked up at him. "Do you mean the stay at work until after midnight or were you thinking of changing locations?" she teased. Hotch rolled his eyes. "I just thought maybe we could hang out. I don't have many friends any more," he explained, trying to sound less pathetic than he felt. Emily smiled and nodded again. "Sure. Only next time we'll have to order Chinese and watch "Apocalypse Now,'" she said. Hotch chuckled, a little excited that she'd remembered his favourite movie. "It's good to see you smile Hotch, those dimples don't come out quite as often as they should," she said. Hotch began to blush and cleared his throat as he turned to the table. "Yeah, well… these days I don't really have a lot to smile about so…" he rolled his eyes. Emily bit her lip, not quite sure what to say. She shrugged her shoulders, "Well, I'm glad I could help." Hotch looked up from the table and smiled.

They quietly packed up the papers and Emily put them in her briefcase. She walked out of the room and Hotch followed, switching off the lights. He followed her along the walkway until they reached his door. She turned and smiled. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow hey?" she said. Hotch nodded. "See you in the morning Emily," he replied. Emily took a deep breath and leant up to kiss him on the cheek. "Prentiss…" he started, trying to warn her with his tone. Emily smiled and rolled her eyes. "Just when I thought you were starting to think of me as Emily," she teased. She turned and walked down the stairs. Hotch watched as she packed up her things, leaving her briefcase on her desk, but grabbing her ready bag and purse. She waved before she walked out the doors and over to the elevator. Hotch walked into his office and threw his papers on his desk. He picked up his ready bag, turned off the lights, and closed the door.