Give Me Time

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Criminal Minds... **Looks to the left** What? I can't even joke about it? Punks.

Summary: Emily and Hotch's relationship becomes to intense with his jealousy over her friendship with another man and she makes a hard decision...

Special Thanks To: rubygem102 for the prompt. Enjoy your story.

A/N: I love Emily and Hotch way too much, and well I had to do this.

Thanks for the reading, I hope you leave a review.

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." Kenji Miyazawa

Emily walked into the apartment, angry she turned and heard Hotch slam the door shut. He threw his coat on the end table along with his keys.

"Stop staring at me" Emily yelled, "How many times have I told you that Tom and I are only friends? All we have is Declan in common."

"Friends?" Hotch scoffed at that heading towards the bar in his apartment, "Emily that man wants you. I don't know how the hell you don't see it. He was practically drooling that day he brought Declan to the park. Can't you see that?"

Emily took a deep breath, "What I see is someone who's gone completely insane. Why can't you trust me? Why don't you have faith in me when I tell you that I want you?"

Hotch turned around holding his bourbon, "Emily, I can't help how I feel. I feel like you're being taken from me. Tom, I know you see him as a friend, but I can't help how I feel about that man. Emily he's using your friendship and your devotion to Declan as a way to worm his way into your life. He's trying to come between us."

Emily backed up, she could feel herself about to lose it, grabbing her hands, "I can't keep doing this, Aaron. My God I feel like we're in a fucking circle."

Hotch rubbed his forehead, "I know."

"We can't keep fighting about this." Emily said, "Ever since you found out about him and him taking Declan, you've been in this frigging paranoid mode."

Hotch set his drink down, trying to keep his temper in check, "Then why didn't you tell me about him? You told me about Matthew and John but not Tom, why?"

Emily rubbed her head, "I told you why. Declan's safety was our top priority. We couldn't tell anyone without risking his safety, you know that."

Hotch cleared his throat, "I feel like you're shutting me out. I get not telling me about Declan but you sneaked around for years talking to Tom, meeting with Tom. How can I not feel self-conscious about that?"

Emily started pacing in front of the couch while Hotch walked over to the chair he sat down watching Emily.

"I really don't know how to explain it anymore than I already have, Aaron" Emily said turning to look at him, "You either trust me or you don't."

"It's not a matter of not trusting you, it's about not trusting him." Hotch told her, "Trust..."

Emily turned on her heel walking over to the bar, "You want to talk about trust, Aaron? How about waking up in a hospital after being in a two week coma and told that you faked my death? I trusted yours and JJ's judgement without a doubt. Trust. I trusted your judgement to keep me safe from Doyle, I never doubted your commitment or questioned it because I believed in you. But this is something that I did before I met you or joined this team. You said you forgave me for keeping quiet about my JTF-12 time and the Doyle operation. If you can trust me with that, then you can trust me about this... Tom Koehler is only my friend. He's raising Declan, protecting him. My only connection to him is through that little boy."

"Emily, you're not listening." Hotch said, "I trust you but you don't seem to get that its him. He is always there, always calling you, dropping by, leaving little messages..."

"I trust him because he's kept Declan safe for years." Emily said, "It's only about Declan that's it."

"Come on, Emily" Hotch said, "You've got to listen..."

"Aaron, stop" Emily said, "Look I can't do this right now, I told you I've got somewhere to go."

"To Tom?" Hotch asked leaning forward, "I hardly had anytime with you the past two weeks."

Emily groaned as she picked up his half full bourbon and poured it back, wincing as it burned down her throat.

"That's the job, Aaron" Emily said, "You should know, you made the schedule. You know what? I'm going to go before we say anything we'll regret."

Emily walked towards the front door, when Hotch got up and grabbed her arm, "Wait."

"What?" Emily asked "Unless the next words out of your mouth are an apology, I don't want to hear it."

Hotch pulled her away from the door walking her over to the couch, he paused, "I get that you've been stressed..."

Emily wrenched her arm away from him, "Stressed? This isn't about stressed Aaron. This is about choices and you have no right to question the choices I made that happened before I met you that don't involve you."

"Emily a relationship is about two people and I want to be a part of your life, the good and the bad" Hotch told her trying to look her in the eye, "But I can't help it when I see someone trying to needle their way in."

"Stop talking about Tom" Emily said, "I'm talking about us, can't you see that? It feels like you're questioning my loyalty to you, like you think that I'm not in this for the long haul."

"Emily" Hotch said trying to pull her close to him, "I've never doubted your love for me, but I'm sorry I can't help how I feel."

"Why is it always about how you feel?" Emily asked, "You're not taking my feelings into account. I told you time and time that this has nothing to do with you and you keep saying how much this is hurting you. Well I'm hurting to, Aaron. I feel like your doubting me, and everything we've been through."

"Emily, I don't feel like I have a girlfriend anymore" Hotch told her, "I feel like when we walk through this front door we're still Agents Hotchner and Prentiss, not Aaron and Emily."

"Jesus Aaron, what do you want from me?" Emily asked, "You want me to cut off all contact with Declan?"

Emily looked up at him, her mouth dropped at not seeing him protest at that.

"No but it would be nice if my girlfriend would remember that she has a boyfriend at home and another little boy who loves her like a mother and that Tom and Declan were just a job. You're not his mother." Hotch said grimacing when he seen her face cloud over.

"Declan is not just a job Aaron" Emily told him seething, "And I may not be his mother but he has lost everyone that ever mattered to him, I'm all he has left. And as for Jack, I may not be his mother either but that doesn't mean I don't love him like he isn't my own. The same goes for Declan. They're my sons in my heart."

"I know that" Hotch told her quietly, "I know that Jack sees you as a mother."

"And he needs that, especially the way he lost his mother." Emily told him, "But don't you get that Declan was kidnapped by his own mother who planned to sell him, murder him to make Doyle suffer. That little boy watched both of his parents get murdered in front of him. Not to mention if he watched Louisa, the only person for eight years that he could rely on day or night."

"I know, I'm sorry that he went through that" Hotch told her, "But he has Tom."

"Aaron" Emily said she knew she was one word away from losing it, "For the first time in years I can breathe knowing that Declan can sleep safely not having to worry that someone will come and use him for revenge against Doyle. He'll never have to grown looking over his shoulder wondering if the person behind him is going to kill him. I mean do you get that? Do you get that, I can breath knowing he's safe."

"I got it, Emily" Hotch said leaning back in the chair, "Believe me I know. I really am happy for you and Declan, but I'm really tired of having another person coming between us and our relationship, and I don't know how to make it anymore clear."

Emily dropped the glass on the bar, "What are you saying? I don't know what to say to that."

"I don't know" Hotch asked, "Maybe, is this about Tom?"

"Oh my God" Emily said walking away from the bar shaking her head in disbelief, "I can't keep having this same conversation over and over and over again."

"Ok," Hotch said clenching his fist at his stupidity.

"You're making something out of nothing" Emily said.

"Emily this isn't nothing" Hotch told her, "This is our relationship, I'm not trying to make this hard for you but what do you want me to say? Do you want me to ask you to choose?"

"I don't..." Emily said, "But I can't choose between you and Declan."

"You just did" Hotch said quietly, "You just did."

"Maybe we should take some time." Emily said biting her lip, "Maybe to cool off."

"What are you saying?" Hotch asked sitting up and looking at her, "Are you breaking up with me?"

"We just need a break." Emily told him.

Emily grabbed her go bag and briefcase walking to the door, she didn't turn but she knew he was looking at her.

"I never stopped loving you, you know that?" Emily said walking out the door, closing it behind her.

"I never stopped either." Hotch said after she closed the door.

Hotch sat in the park watching Jack on the slide, helping a little girl go down as they both giggled.

Smiling slightly at the sight of the two children playing without a care in the world he reflected on the past week between him and Emily since their so called 'time out'.

The team knew about it, though he wondered how since neither he or Emily had told anyone. He wondered briefly if Garcia had planted cameras in his apartment but shook off that thought. Pausing briefly he considered going over with an electronic device to double check it.

He was mildly grateful that he and Emily could maintain their professional demeanor and know knew why the fraternization rule was in place. To prevent shit storms like this.

Though they hadn't had any active cases since their break up, he knew he couldn't partner themselves up, not yet. Not until they talked this over. They hadn't officially broke up, but they were on a 'time out'.

Sighing he had kicked himself since she left his apartment. He knew why he was jealous of Tom Koehler, because of their deep bond, a connection through Declan. Even though the boy wasn't their child biologically, they were for all intents and purposes his parents.

He wanted that with Emily. To be connected through a child, he thought that they had that with Jack. Sometimes he felt like they were a real family, the three of them running and playing, sitting in the park. Like two weeks ago before everything happened and tore them apart.

He wants that again, and he'll do whatever it takes to win back her trust. Because he trusts her, and if he wants to be in her life, he can happily embrace Declan because he has nothing against the boy Emily loves. Even if that means that he'll have to deal with the fact that Tom's a part of that.

"Excuse me?" a brunette woman said, pulling Hotch from his thoughts, "Is this seat taken?"

Hotch looked up at the brunette, "Huh? Oh no, please."

She smiled at him as she pulled out a book, reading it. Looking up at him, she said, "You're staring."

"Oh, sorry" Hotch apologized, "It's just that... my girlfriend is reading the same book."

She pulled the book closed, "Oh? Well then your girlfriend has good taste, it's a great book."

"So she keeps telling me." Hotch said looking up when Jack waved at him, "That's my son, Jack."

Smiling, at the man as he kept his eyes trained on Jack, "He has your dimples. I'm Beth, by the way."

"Aaron" Hotch told her shaking her hand, he smiled at her.

Hotch pulls his hand away from hers as his cell phone rings, "Excuse me."

"No problem" Beth replied going back to her book.

Looking down at the ringing cell phone, he smiled when he seen it was Emily's name that appeared on the caller id. He looked up at Beth who was reading her book not paying him any attention.

Looking down again, he wondered what his life would be like if he didn't answer his phone.

Clearing his throat he smiled when he looked up at Jack and made his decision.

"Would you like to get a cup of coffee?" Hotch asked, keeping his eyes trained on Jack who smiled back at him.

"Love is like a puzzle. When you're in love, all the pieces fit but when your heart gets broken, it takes awhile to get everything back together." Author Unknown

THE END

I know how mean to end it on a cliff hanger. So who do you think Hotch was asking out for coffee? Tell me and I let you know who I was thinking of when I wrote it.

Leave a review and no there won't be any sequels.