Lean On Me

Disclaimer: I've never owned Criminal Minds, that's all CBS.

Summary: The team gets separated so Hotch, Emily, JJ and Dave are forced to bunk up at a cabin and someone gets an idea...

A/N: I had planned to do something similar to this later on, but when given this prompt, how can I resist.

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"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." Thucydides

Emily sighed as the four plopped down on the small couch. They were all somewhat battered and bruised from the small scuffle of their SUV had with the snowy weather.

"God, I'm bored," JJ called out, stretching her injured leg across Emily's lap, "What do we do?"

"Well, it is pretty late," Dave said, "We could always get some rest and hope that tomorrow the snow melted enough so that we can rejoin the team."

Hotch nodded, "Sounds like a plan. There's four rooms here, so unless anyone wants to bunk up, it looks like we'll all be sleeping solo."

Emily internally sighed hearing that. She knew she had it bad and couldn't continue on with these feelings for him with the never knowing possibility.

She felt like a woman possessed, or worse yet, a damn stalker. All because she was head over heels in love with her boss, Aaron Hotchner.

The belief that she had these emotions compartmentalized and under control were failing her. She could feel the walls closing in and the boxes that she stored those emotions were starting to crack. She only ever felt her control slip twice before regarding him.

The first time was after the car bombing in New York, which temporarily damaged his ears and the other was with the Foyet fiasco.

She searched high and low for him with the intended purpose of bringing him in to help on the case but the second she was alone it was all Hotch, all the time.

'God, how freaking pathetic.' She berated herself.

Over the past few years she had thought that he had somewhat reciprocated her feelings, but when she found out that he had been involved with a woman from a park, she knew that was a bust.

Even after hearing that he and the brunette woman had broken up a few weeks ago she still felt like that it would be a really bad idea to pursue him.

Unfortunately her hormones were at war with her common sense and they were determined to get him no matter what.

Being pulled from her reverie, she heard JJ call out to her a few times while Hotch and Dave were checking on the fire burning in the fire place.

"Em?" JJ called out softly, her injured foot tapping Emily's knee, "Em, you ok?"

"Hmm?" Emily as her eyes left their team leaders amble behind to the smirking blonde, "What?"

Grinning at her, "You know what."

Emily rolled her dark brown eyes, and pinched the blonde's knee causing her to jerk and glare at her brunette friend.

"Ow, that hurt." JJ replied rubbing her knee.

"Come on, let's get you into the room, hop-a-long" Emily said, carefully moving JJ's leg as she got off the couch and gave the blonde a hand to help her up.

"Night" JJ called over to the two men.

"Night, JJ." Dave replied, "Emily."

Emily gave one last good look to Hotch, admiring the sweat pants wearing man, in his Harvard shirt and nodded at him as she ushered JJ to her room.

As soon as the two women were safely in the confines of the private room, JJ flopped on to the bed and looked at her older friend.

"All right, spill it." JJ ordered, "What's going on with you?"

Emily kept her face neutral, trying to placate the pounding in her own chest, "Nothing, why?"

JJ rolled her blue eyes, "I'm a profiler now, remember? I know."

Biting the inside of her cheek, "Know what?"

JJ picked up the small pillow beside her and tossed it at her friend, "I know you've got feelings for Hotch. How long?"

Taking a deep breath, she tossed the pillow back on the bed, "Since the day I joined the team."

Raising an eyebrow at that, "Even when he was being a total dick to you?"

Sitting down at the vanity, she turned to look at her friend, "Especially then. God, this is bad. I've been able to control my feelings for years, but here in this cabin..."

"You just want to rip that Harvard shirt off him and bang him" JJ finished with a grin, "Good for you. You both deserve to be happy."

Rubbing her hands against her pajama pants, "But he doesn't feel the same way, Jayje. He was dating that woman from the park..."

JJ's nose crinkled at that, it was obvious that the blonde didn't think highly of Hotch's short time paramour either, "So? He's single now, good thing too. I didn't like the idea of him dating some random stranger."

Even Emily was surprised at that, the former media liaison and the Unit Chief were close, like brother and sister, and if she didn't think it was a good idea that he dated some random woman...

"I never liked her any ways," JJ told her, surprising the brunette, "Something about her seemed fake. Like she was trying too hard. Not that I'm saying she was some horrible woman, but being fake is the worst thing a person could be."

"Oh," Emily replied.

"You should go for it," JJ told her, "Make a move on him."

Emily nearly fell out of the seat at that, "Excuse me? Make a move on him?" seeing JJ nod, "God this isn't high school, I can't just beat him up and steal his lunch money."

JJ's eyes widen at that, "What kind of high school did you go to?" shaking her head, "I know he likes you, Em. I know it, it's a feeling. You should just sneak in a move, like when he goes out to check on the fire, and just coyly flirt with him. Who knows maybe you'll even get lucky on the trip."

Rolling her eyes, "Might as well just slip into his bedroom and hop into bed with him. Like that'll ever happen."

JJ smirked at that, "That's a great idea. I remember I heard him telling Dave that he wished that Beth would have been spontaneous."

Emily's witting banter came back in force, while her heart sped up at the thought of being in bed with Hotch, "Yeah, right. Nothing screams spontaneity like climbing into bed with my boss. I'm sure he'll be so grateful that he'll fire me."

Shaking her head, "You've got to live a little" JJ said propping her foot under a pillow, "How else are you going to get what you want? By wishing on a shooting star? This isn't a fairy tale, Em, you have to fight for what you want."

"Good night, Jayje" Emily said walking to the door, "If your leg bothers you, call me."

"So you can ice it down?" JJ asked pondering the idea of her friend waiting on her hand and foot, "Oh, one more thing. Hotch is a heavy sleeper, so if you decide to go in there and have a little fun..."

Emily's jaw dropped open at that, "Are you telling me to take advantage of our boss?"

"No," JJ told her emphatically, "I'm telling you not to let a good thing pass you by."

Walking out of the bedroom, she wondered what the hell she was going to do, go for it or just stay in silence.

Emily rolled over on her side, sighing. Not only could she not sleep because it was still too cold but she also had a raging case of insomnia mixed in with whenever she tried to close her eyes and count some sheep all she saw was a shirtless Hotch chopping wood.

"God, this is nuts," Emily muttered to herself, looking at the digital clock on the head-board, "Three a.m."

Sitting up, she slipped into her slippers and grabbed her zipped up hoodie, as she made her way over to the bedroom door.

Turning the knob, she could hear the sound of multiple snoring. One she immediately recognized as JJ's and the other, had to be Dave's since it was coming from the direction of his room.

She wandered down the hall, intent on double checking on the fireplace and to grab herself some water when she heard a distinct thud bang against the wall.

She walked down the hall quietly checking in on both JJ and Dave who were sound asleep, snoring. Not that either agent would ever admit that.

As she went to check in on Hotch, she felt a smile grace her face at the sight of the sleeping man. He never looked more peaceful than that moment, and she thought he looked so good looking.

She couldn't resist going over to the side of his bed, and had to resist reaching out to touch his cheek. That would be totally awkward if he awoke to find her staring at him.

Backing away from the bed, she turned to leave when she heard a small groan. Turning quickly she could see Hotch struggling against the blankets almost as though he were battling some unknown force.

She recognized that fear, he was having a nightmare.

A tiny whimper escaped his lips, and before she could control herself she crawled into bed next to him, and felt him instinctively pull her close to him.

To say she were surprise would be an understatement, she could hear the whimper again, and rubbing her hand over his shirt covered chest, she soothingly hushed him.

"It's ok, Hotch" Emily whispered, "It's ok."

She tensed when she felt him wake up, surprised but not angry to find his brunette agent in his arms.

"Emily?" Hotch's voice sounded husky even to his own ears, "What are you doing in my bed?"

Biting her lip, she could feel the intensity of his stare, "You were having a nightmare,"

"I was?" he asked, the images flooding his mind and he remembered it, "Sorry if I woke you. But why are you in my bed?"

"I did the only thing I could think of to stop you from screaming out" Emily answered, half honestly, "Holding someone close usually stops them for me." she could feel her face turning crimson as he stared at her, "Sorry, about that. I'm going to let you back to sleep."

Emily pushed herself to sit up, only to feel Hotch's hands pull her back down to him.

Hotch held on to her tightly, "If you wanted to get into bed with me, all you had to was ask."

That caused Emily to look over and see a smirk on Hotch's face, "Are you kidding me?"

Running his free hand up and down her arm, "No, I'm not. Ever since I ended things with Beth... even before that, I've had feelings for you."

Emily was stunned by that admission, "You what?"

"I have feelings for you" Hotch repeated, "But I was afraid that you'd turn me down."

Licking her lower lip, Emily could see and actually understand the genuine emotion that wafted from him, and moving her hand up to his chin, she gave him a smile.

"You know you're really a sweet guy." Emily told him, "And any woman would be lucky to be with you."

Hotch rolled on his side, looking over at her, "Even you?"

Giving him a wry smile, "Even me."

Hotch leaned in and kissed her on the nose, "Good to know." he gave her a crooked smile, "When we get back to Quantico, would you like to grab something to eat?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, "Are you asking me out?"

"Only if you say yes" Hotch told her watching the smile on her face.

Nuzzling her head against his shoulder, "Yes."

"Then it's a date" Hotch whispered softly, feeling the brunette's breathing pattern change as sleep took over, "It's a date."

He felt himself being lulled to sleep but content, knowing that he had something to look forward to in the morning, her.

"Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death." Omar Bradley

To Be Continued...

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