A/N: This is my follow-up to my Criminal Minds/Hawaii 5-0 one shot, Paradise Lost, that I did for Criminal History's birthday. Like some addict, she demanded more. But I'm also doing it because she's a fabulous person. This is probably a three-parter, three very long parts. Fair warning, it's also angsty, very angsty if you're a Hotch/Prentiss fan. Rated M for bits of naughtiness. Paradise Lost was from Hotch's POV. This isn't exactly from one particular character's POV, but it has a little more of what Steve McGarrett is thinking. Hope you enjoy!

Hotch groaned as his hips thrust forward, burying himself even deeper into her hot, wet flesh that yielded so willingly to him. Emily's low keening moan sounded musically to his ears and he pulled back to only thrust harder and deeper into her, to hear her make that noise again and cause his blood and heart to sing.

Their bodies were slick with sweat, the sheets of the bed sticking to them as they moved together at a furious pace that rattled the bed. He wanted this to last forever, and drew out every stroke, every touch, making sure pure ecstasy thrummed through her body.

"Emily," he murmured into her dark, fragrant hair, even as one hand went to the back of her knee and he hiked her leg further up, opening her even more for him to penetrate as he pistoned his hips forward.

"Oh, God!" she whispered. "Yes! There! Oh my God!"

"So good," he growled, his tenuous control nearly gone, his hips picking up the pace as he moved in and out of her at a faster, punishing pace. "So fucking good!"

He felt her arch towards him, meeting him thrust for thrust, her hands clawing at his back, marking him. Her full, beautiful breasts crushed against his chest as she whispered hotly into his ear,

"Yes! Oh yes, Steve! Steve!"

Hotch jerked awake, the ringing in his head caused both by his headache and his cell phone. Blearily, he looked around for the offending device as it continued to ring shrilly. He tried to ignore the ache in his head and cock, realizing his vivid dream had left him with a painful morning erection.

He finally found his phone and with a terse, "Hotchner" greeted the caller. His tone changed immediately when the Bureau Director's assistant politely requested Hotch to wait a moment as she connected him to the Director himself.

"Sir," Hotch said crisply in replied to the Director's greeting.

"Aaron, I hope I haven't woken you? I have a tendency to get my time zones mixed up."

"No sir, I was awake." Hotch glanced over at the beside clock and noted the time was a little after 7 am.

"Good, I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done out there. The Governor was most impressed with the work your team did with his task force…uh, Five-0 I believe he called it. Where on Earth did they come up with a name like that?"

"I'm not certain, sir," Hotch remarked dryly though he knew the story. It was McGarrett's number in high school where he was a star quarterback.

"Well, any way, you impressed the Governor so much he's extended an invitation for your team to remain out there for a week to do some consultations with local law enforcement on the various islands. I want you to do that, Aaron. The Bureau has been considering opening up a BAU office on that side of the country. We were thinking California, but Hawaii might not be a bad alternative, especially if the local government has been so receptive. With the international gateway Hawaii offers, we might combine it with a Counterterrorism outpost. I'd like you to do an assessment while you're there."

Hotch's throat went dry. Another week out here? Another week Emily would spend with Steve "Navy SEALS Abs of Steel" McGarrett? Hell couldn't be worse than this.

"Aaron?"

"Sir, of course, we'd be happy to do some consultative work and I'll be happy to do an assessment." What else could Hotch say?

"Good, good!" the Director replied in a jovial voice. "It shouldn't be difficult work and there should be plenty of down time for you and your team. You've all earned it and the Governor has been kind enough to pick up your expenses. So do the job, but also enjoy yourselves! My assistant is emailing details to you now."

Hotch murmured a thank you and disconnected the call. He rubbed his head wearily. He glanced at the now closed connecting door that led to Emily's room. After watching McGarrett take Emily on the dresser last night and then hearing her broken admission to the other man that she was having a bad day, Hotch couldn't take it anymore. He had closed the door and tried to sleep, but it was slow in coming despite the amount of alcohol he had consumed that evening.

He could hear no other sounds from the other room, something he was grateful for. Hotch wasn't certain if he could bear hearing McGarrett make love to Emily again.

After all these years, he had come to a realization that it was Emily he wanted in his life. Perhaps it was always her even through his time with Haley, Kate Joyner, Beth. But just as he realized who he wanted, who he possibly loved like no other, it appeared as if she had found someone else.

But surely it was all too fast? Sure, Emily knew McGarrett from her time in the CIA and Interpol, but she hadn't been in touch with him for years. Emily was not an impulsive woman. This is likely some fling, an island romance that would make for a fond memory, but nothing that had any true foundation for a relationship. No way would Emily fall for a man this quickly. She was far too cautious and practical for that.

Feeling more assured, Hotch straightened up and moved towards the bathroom. He had wasted too much time already and he didn't intend to let another second go by.

Emily was missing from breakfast when he joined the others in the dining room of their hotel. "Where's Prentiss?"

"Hopefully having a morning as good as her night," Garcia said in a sly tone. "I saw her leave the bar with Commander Hot Abs."

"He is one extremely fine man," JJ agreed. She sighed. "What those arms could probably do."

"And did you see the size of his feet?" Garcia added.

"Okay, you know what, I don't need to hear this first thing in the morning," Rossi grumbled. He shot a sidelong glance at a stoic Hotch. The tense line of his jaw gave the younger man away. Dave knew his friend was not enjoying this conversation.

"It's been quite obvious the two are attracted to each other," Reid continued as if Rossi hadn't spoken. "McGarrett has barely let Emily out of his sight the entire time we've been here. Coupled with their past history…"

"Just what is their history? They've both been vague about it," Morgan asked the two women whom he knew had been trying to pry any information out of their brunette friend.

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Where McAbs is concerned, Emily has been guarding that information with a 250 bit encryption code."

"She knew him during her CIA and Interpol days. Remember, she can't talk much about that," JJ commented.

"I don't think it's appropriate that we are sitting here discussing Prentiss' personal life," Hotch's icy voice broke through the gossipy chatter.

Garica and JJ looked sufficiently chastised and slunk back into their seats. An uncomfortable silence descended over the table as they all ate their breakfast.

Hotch would have felt bad for his reprimand if he hadn't felt annoyed that Emily hadn't made an appearance yet. She didn't know they were staying longer so she should have been down here already to head to the airport in ten minutes. He was just about to storm up to her room when he finally spotted her.

The dining room was situated next to a courtyard. They were seated on the side that opened up to this space and it gave Hotch a prime view across the way. The other side was enclosed in glass and was actually a walkway that led to various parts of the hotel including the restaurant and the lobby. He could see Emily and she was with McGarrett.

The couple had stopped at one end of the walkway and it was obvious that they were reluctantly parting. Hotch didn't know what they were saying, but the way McGarrett cupped Emily's cheek and tenderly kissed her spoke volumes. While he had comforted himself earlier that morning that this affair was little more than a good time for the couple, Hotch could see by how McGarrett looked at Emily, how he touched her, that there was something more on his end. From this angle, he could only just make out Emily's profile and was uncertain what her feelings might be. However, Hotch could see from her body language that she was reluctant to part from the Navy SEAL.

They embraced and kissed once more. And even as their lips separated, they still rested their foreheads together, McGarrett's hands cupping her cheeks and Emily's hand grasping his wrists. The man said something to her and then slowly pulled away. He took a deep breath and looked off to the side before he shoved his hands into his pockets and spun around to walk towards the lobby.

Emily stood watching McGarrett leave. Hotch watched as her head bowed down for a few seconds and then she straightened her spine and turned around to take the path towards the restaurant. A few seconds later, Hotch saw her at the entrance of the restaurant, looking around absently.

Garcia spotted her too and immediately began waving wildly to get Emily's attention. The brunette smiled wryly and made her way over.

"Sorry I'm late," Prentiss said easily as she slid into the booth next to Hotch.

He looked closely at her as did the rest of the team. She looked tired, but there was a distinctive glow to her that spoke of a pleasurable night and likely morning.

Emily's radiance wasn't missed by Garica who asked in a sly voice. "Good night last night?"

Emily's face became immediately shuttered and she replied in a flat voice. "It was fine. How was yours?"

"Oh come on, Em," Garcia wheedled. "We saw you leave with Hunky McGarrett! What happened?"

"Prentiss' personal life is her own business," Hotch said in a severe tone. Garcia subsided while Emily flashed him a grateful look. She shouldn't look grateful because he didn't say that for her sake, but his own. He didn't want to hear a recap of what he had witnessed last night.

"I have news from the Director," Hotch continued. He explained the Director's request and watched as his team grew increasingly excited.

"Another week here?" Morgan exclaimed with a grin.

"And not chasing a serial killer?!" Garcia squealed.

Prentiss had remained silent, but the sad look Hotch had spotted in her eyes began to fade and a small smile appeared on her face. He knew she was thinking of more time with McGarrett.

Not if Hotch could help it.

"We've been asked to provide consultations to some of the local officials. This means we'll have to separate. JJ and Morgan you'll be going to Kauai. Prentiss and Rossi, Maui. I'll be here working with the Governor's office. Reid and Garcia, you've been requested to work at the police academy here on Oahu."

Rossi sent Hotch a look, not missing that Emily would be well away from McGarrett. The older profiler could see the brunette frown slightly at this, but she simply nodded and listened as Hotch outlined their assignments.

Breakfast took longer as Hotch briefed them, giving Emily an opportunity to have something more than the cup of coffee she had been planning on. She kept her outward appearance calm and quiet, but she was thrilled that they would be spending more time in Hawaii. Even though she was being sent to another island, she hoped her work could be finished quickly and she could be back on the main island with Steve.

Steve.

Emily ducked her head as she thought of the handsome man she had spent the night and morning with, making love and telling him of her bad day. He had listened so sweetly, offering her words of encouragement and letting her know he was there for her, always there for her.

It was her assignment before Doyle when she was doing a brief undercover assignment for the CIA in Morocco where she met the Navy SEAL. She was working undercover as a singer in a nightclub when her cover had been blown and she needed to be extracted. Steve and his team had been dispatched to make sure she and the information she had gathered on a terrorist cell operating out of the region were escorted safely home. Even that mission hadn't gone right and she and Steve had been forced to separate from the rest of his team who led their pursuers down false trails as Steve tried to get her to safety. It was another forty-eight hours before they met up with the rest of the team at the rendezvous point and back on their way home to the United States.

But in those forty-eight hours, she had gotten to know her rescuer and found him to be an intriguing mix of steel , kindness and humor. Beneath the tough Navy SEAL exterior was a warm, funny man. There wasn't time to get closer, but both had wanted to and hoped to do so once they were on their way back home. But Fate conspired against them when Emily was sent on to London and Steve and his team dispatched to Indonesia.

They had made promises to try to keep in touch, but then she was sent deep undercover, Doyle, and the promise of something more faded with time.

Until now. When they saw each other again, that electricity, that connection they had shared in Morocco blossomed once more. They both tried to keep it under control during the case, but even then they couldn't resist the occasional touch, the glance, each time they made contact, each time their eyes locked, the heat, the intensity between them increased until when they were free to touch, to kiss, to make love, they had little control over themselves. They had barely made it into her room and couldn't be bothered to take an extra ten steps before Steve placed her on top of her dresser and took her.

But what happens after their first time? Her bad day hit her. They had become more frequent lately, this sense of isolation, of being lost and unsure of who she was anymore. Why had one of those moments hit her after making love to Steve? And he had noticed and she was afraid that this man she truly liked would do what so many other men in his shoes would do and have done to her before: simply gather his clothes and leave.

Instead, he had taken her into his arms and asked her to tell him about her bad day. And she did. And he didn't run. He didn't separate himself from her or act awkward and uncomfortable. He had held her close to him. He had talked to her. He told her he would not leave her, and when she woke up a few hours later in the dim, dawn light, he was still there, beside her in bed, his arms wrapped around her.

And then, unlike last night when he had taken her with a raw, hungry passion, he had gently made love to her, worshipped her and told her again he would not leave her or let her go.

But it wasn't meant to be, at least for now. She needed to fly back to the East Coast and he got a call for a case. They both needed to be somewhere else, but he still made love to her as they showered. When they said goodbye, he had whispered one final thing to her,

"Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily. I found you again, and I'm not letting you go like I did in Morocco." And she believed his words.

Now, she had an opportunity to spend a few more days with a man who made her feel so wanted, so safe and secure, a man she could see herself with for a very long time.

As soon as Hotch finished telling them their assignments, Emily slipped out of the booth to call Steve. She went around the corner to a part of the dining room that was deserted and placed her call.

"McGarrett."

"Steve?"

She could hear the smile in his voice when he said her name in his deep, rough, whiskey edged voice. "Emily." She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips. His tone was so low, intimate and warm. Just by simply saying her name it felt as though he was there wrapping his arms her.

"There's been a change in my travel plans," she informed him. She explained about the Bureau director's orders and her assignment to Maui. "I'm hoping I can get whatever needs to be done finished in a few days so I can be back here to spend some time with you."

"I'd like that," Steve said, his voice still low and intimate. "I don't just want a night and a morning with you, Emily. I want more."

She cradled the phone close to her and leaned against the wall. "I want that too, Steve."

There was a pause on his end before she heard him softly ask, "Do you really? Do you want more with me, Emily?"

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of, "Yes."

She could hear him smiling again. "Good. I'll see in a few days. Call me when you get to Maui so I know you got there safe and where you're staying."

Her mouth curved into a smile. "Keeping track of me, McGarrett?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"I lost you once, Emily, I don't intend to lose you again."

She felt her heart beat quicker, a quickening in her blood and for the first time in such a long time, she could see something else in her future other than the next case.

"Is that a promise, Mr. Navy SEAL?"

"It's a guarantee. I'll talk to you later, sweetheart."

"Bye," she said softly as she disconnected the call. Emily leaned her head against the wall and sighed deeply.

"Prentiss?"

She snapped out of her daydream and turned around quickly. Hotch was frowning at her causing her to straighten her back.

"Hotch?"

"Rossi is ready to leave. Transportation has been provided for you two for Maui and JJ and Morgan to Kauai."

She nodded. "I'm ready to go."

Hotch peered intently at her, his mouth thinning in what she could only interpret as displeasure. "Letting McGarrett know you'll be around for another week?"

She immediately became wary. For some reason there was this tension between the two men. Emily had attributed it to two alpha males fighting to control an investigation, but it seemed to be something more than that, though what, she wasn't certain.

"Yes," she replied. "You said that the Director wanted us to spend a few days here relaxing, so I wanted to let him know that I will be back after I'm done with the consultations on Maui." She frowned at him. "Is there something wrong with that?"

There was a great deal wrong with that in Hotch's mind, but what could he say to her? Don't go see the other man because I want you for myself? He couldn't do that, or at least he wasn't brave enough to say that now. Aaron Hotchner was one of the most fearless, most dedicated men in the Bureau. But he was also cautious and methodical, always thinking things thoroughly through, ten steps ahead of where he currently was.

But it also hamstrung him, made him too cautious, too frightened to take that leap of faith. Such thinking was ingrained in him and it was hard to break such habits.

Instead of being honest with Emily, telling her what he really wanted, how he really felt, he simply said, "You better get moving. The plane should be leaving soon."

Emily gave him a quick smile and then slid past him over to where Dave was standing, waiting for her. Hotch watched them leave, JJ and Morgan following them out.

McGarrett didn't realize he had a wide grin on his face as he said to Emily, "Good. I'll see in a few days. Call me when you get to Maui so I know you got there safe and where you're staying."

"Keeping track of me, McGarrett?" her voice was light and playful.

Steve's face became serious as he told her, "I lost you once, Emily, I don't intend to lose you again."

"Is that a promise, Mr. Navy SEAL?" was her soft response.

"It's a guarantee. I'll talk to you later, sweetheart." McGarrett disconnected the call and stared at his phone for a second before putting it aside and returning his attention to the road.

"You do realize I'm here in the car with you?" Danno's sarcastic voice cut through Steve's romantic haze.

McGarrett merely grunted.

"Look, I'm happy for you and all. I like Emily, but I really don't need to witness the mating ritual of the Navy SEAL," the blond man teased.

"Mating ritual?" Steve's voice was raised in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Danno snorted in laughter. "Oh boy, you're in deep with this one." He eyed his partner. "You really care for Emily. She's very important to you. More than any other woman I've seen you with. You were never this way with Catherine."

"What way?"

"Giddy."

"Giddy?!" McGarrett's voice scaled up even higher. "I have never been giddy in my entire life! What does that even mean?!"

"Now, that I believe, you never have been giddy or know the meaning of the word," Danny replied easily. "But what it means is that goofy grin you get every time you hear Emily's voice or think about her. It's the fact that she can make you appear human sometimes, a feat that I thought was not humanely possible so either Emily is actually some mystical creature from the Harry Potter universe or," Danny's voice dropped and his cadence became sing-songy, "you really like her!"

McGarrett shot him a glare. His mouth opened and then closed again. Both hands came up to grip the steering wheel. He wanted to snap at Danny and tell him he had it all wrong, but he didn't. Steve knew he was falling in love with Emily Prentiss. Perhaps he had been in love with her for years, since their time in Morocco when they were on the run for 48 hours dodging a terrorist's henchmen.

Steve was saddened when they weren't able to connect again. Their jobs separated them and he thought all he had were some fond memories, but he knew every woman he became involved with, there was something about her that reminded him of Emily. While he was hurt when they lost touch with each other, he was devastated when he heard of her death. He worked every connection he had to try to find out more details of her death, but could only gather bits and pieces, never anything concrete or he would have gone after Emily's killers himself.

Then he saw her again, just a week ago standing there in his offices, alive, warm and more beautiful than ever and Steve swore the second he laid eyes on her he would not let another opportunity slip through his fingers.

"Yeah," Steve said in a soft voice. "I really like her."

Danny turned to look at his partner and all teasing was gone from his voice. His face softened, recognizing how much this woman meant to his friend. A peace, a certain happiness that Danny had never seen before fell over McGarrett's face. He couldn't joke about this or tease his friend anymore.

"I'm glad, man. I'm really glad for you."

"That was productive," Rossi said as the plane they were on lifted off from Maui for the main island.

"It was," Emily agreed. "I think there should be more opportunities offered for training. There are some really good minds there, but they don't have enough opportunities to hone their skills."

"So, we finished our work a couple of days early," Dave commented. "Are you going to contact McGarrett?"

She shot him a look. "We were told to take time off as soon as the consults were finished."

"You didn't answer the question," Dave said gently.

Emily simply made a non-committal noise and looked out the window. Rossi regarded her thoughtfully for a minute.

"You really like this guy. McGarrett." It wasn't a question.

He could see her physically stiffen. Finally, Emily turned to look at him. "And if I do?"

Her look was almost defiant, but she also looked uncertain, insecure. Rossi felt his heart go out to her. Emily would never understand just how incredible of a woman she is and that any man would be lucky if she ever chose to love him.

"Just as long as he makes you happy, kiddo."

Steve watched as Emily slept among the rumpled sheets of his bed. Her pale skin looked creamier and more enticing in the soft afternoon light. They had spent the last 24 hours together. As soon as she had returned from Maui she had gone straight to his house. When she called Steve earlier that morning to let him know she was coming back, he had insisted she spend the rest of her time in Hawaii at his place.

"It's much better than a hotel room," Steve had insisted. "You would get all the cable channels."

"Uh huh, and a roommate," she teased.

"Well, but a really good roommate." His voice had dropped to a more intimate tone. "I've missed you."

Emily bit her lip as she whispered back, "I missed you too."

He had to continue working so he wasn't there to greet her when she arrived at his house. He told her where the spare key was hidden and to make herself at home. He hadn't expected to find a home cooked meal waiting for him, but he wouldn't find out if Emily was a good cook until hours later. Besides the dinner, he also came home to Emily standing in his kitchen in a simple pale green sun dress, barefooted, with a smile on her face. She wasn't in that sundress long.

They spent their time leisurely making love, eating, sleeping and in the quiet moonlight, they took a swim in the water that bordered one side of McGarrett's property. That morning was another lazy session of love-making and eating.

Now, Steve was watching Emily as she slept, as he had done the two nights he had spent with her. She slept easily and deeply those nights, but now she seemed restless. He was leaning in the doorway watching Emily but when her movements became more erratic and she began to whimper in distress, he pushed himself away from the wall and hurried over to the bed.

He was still a few feet away from her when she began to cry and started to claw at the sheets. Alarmed, he climbed into bed with her as she began to flail her arms about, fighting some unseen assailant, crying out, "Get away! Get away from me!"

"Emily! Emily! Wake up! It's just a dream!" Steve cried out as he wrapped his arms around her, afraid she would hurt herself or him with the way her arms were flying about. He pulled her trembling body close to him, shocked by the severity of her nightmare as she whimpered in his arms. "Sweetheart, it's okay. I've got you. Nothing, no one is going to hurt you. I swear."

His voice, the warmth of his body and his strong arms slowly drew her out of the nightmare she was in. Emily became more aware of her surroundings and the horrors she had just lived through in her dreams faded. Her tear-filled eyes looked up in the blue ones of Steve McGarrett who gazed at her in concern. One large hand came up to push some of her hair back and he made comforting noises.

"Shhhh, it's okay, I've got you," he said in a low voice as his embrace tightened.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent, allowing it to calm her as her heart rate and tears slowed.

Steve had pulled her into his lap and he held her close for several more minutes until she started to pull back a little from him. He loosened his grip, but still held onto her.

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked gently.

"Not really," Emily sniffled. Of all times to have one of her nightmares, she would have it when she was with Steve. When she told him she was having a bad day, Steve had tried to get more details from her. She gave him a few basic pieces of information on the Doyle situation, but hadn't gone into great detail. With this nightmare affecting her so much, she knew he wasn't about to let this go.

"Em…"

She tried to pull away from him, get off his lap so there was some physical separation, but he held onto her, gently, firmly. Emily pulled a little more insistently. "Just let me go."

"No," Steve said in a serious voice. "I made that mistake once before, I'm not doing that again."

She looked at him in surprise. What did he mean by that? Steve grinned at the confused look on her face. "I told you I'm here for you and I'm not letting you go, so you might as well tell me right now about your nightmare."

"Were you always this much of a bully," Emily huffed out.

"More. Danny says I've mellowed out a bit," Steve replied easily with a small smile. His grin faded as he cupped her chin. "Tell me. I said I want you to trust me with all your bad days. All your bad dreams too. If you'll let me."

Emily bit her lip as she debated what to tell Steve. She knew he had a fairly high level of clearance, but the basic details of Doyle were no longer classified, not with his death and the take down of his organization. Classified information wasn't the issue right now. It was her. Steve was asking her to let him in, something Emily didn't do easily. Sharing her body was easier than sharing her heart, her soul.

But somehow, with this man who looked at her with his open, frank gaze, she knew whatever she told him, it would be safe with him. He wouldn't judge. He wouldn't tell. He would simply…listen.

"The man that almost killed me," she began in a halting voice. "His name was Ian Doyle."

Steve frowned. "The Irish arms dealer?"

She nodded. Taking a deep breath, she gave him an abbreviated version of her assignment with Interpol and then waited for the typical response of disgust and aversion for what she had to do.

Steve simply looked at her. "Go on."

Her brow furrowed. "No judgment? No recoil of disgust for the fact that I was Doyle's lover." Her voice was hard and she braced herself for his response.

Steve rubbed his mouth. "You were undercover. Doing a mission. I'm in no position to judge. Do I like it? No." He gave her a devastating smile that was one part sheepishness, one part possessiveness. "But then again, I don't like any man who touched you before me."

Emily felt her cheeks grow warm and her eyes dropped as she felt something she had not felt in a while, shyness.

McGarrett let out a soft puff of air that sounded like a chuckle. He drew her gently to him, hugging her body close to his, her head tucked securely under his chin. "I'm not going to judge you, Emily. I just want to know how to make your nightmares go away. 'Cause you don't deserve to have them, honey. You deserve love, peace and happiness. That's all I want to try to give you."

She could feel the tears fill her eyes again as she buried her face into Steve's strong chest. "Who knew Bad Ass Steve McGarrett could be so sweet?"

"I think Danny knows. It's why he's in love with me," he said in a dry tone. That got a watery laugh out of Emily and he rubbed her back soothingly. "Ready to tell me the rest?"

She nodded. Slowly, haltingly, without raising her head, simply concentrating on the hairs on Steve's chest, she told him how Doyle had stalked her, terrorized and threatened her as he slowly killed her former teammates and then threatened her BAU family. She recounted Boston and how she almost died. How Hotch and JJ faked her death and sent her to Paris to hide and then why she had to return home. She told of how ever since her return she hadn't felt right, hadn't felt like she belonged. The team tried, Hotch more than anyone tried to ease her reintegration, going so far as to shoulder the entire blame for what happened, but it hadn't worked, at least for her. She had changed too much. She felt she no longer belonged.

As she talked, the shadows in the room grew longer and the golden light of the afternoon was replaced by the coppery colors of sunset. When she finished, Emily was exhausted, but she felt lighter, more centered. She hadn't been this open with Hotch. How could she? He was part of the problem, or rather part of the reason she didn't feel like she belonged anymore. It was like that with all of them, her BAU family. She simply no longer had a place with them. Too much had happened, to her and them. How could she share any of that with them? It would hurt them too much.

But with this man, with Steve, she didn't have to worry about that. He wasn't touched by that nightmare she lived through, and it didn't seem to frighten him either. As she told her story, she felt him grow tenser, and he held her closer to him. When she described how Doyle had stabbed her with that table leg, she felt McGarrett suck in his breath sharply and he let it out in the form of a soft curse. All throughout her story, he continued to rub her back in soothing circles, calming her and helping her through the rough spots, encouraging her when her voice faltered. He stayed with her until she talked herself hoarse and they sat there on his bed, her naked, him dressed only in a pair of boxers.

She waited for his response. What would he say to her now? She didn't think he was disgusted by her, but she didn't know what he thought.

"You are perhaps the bravest, most incredible woman I know."

She pulled back to look up at him in surprise. He grinned at her. He tapped her nose gently. "Yeah. You. I think you're pretty great."

"But, my past, what I've done…"

"Protect the world from terrorists? Save an innocent boy from his monster father? Why would I feel anything but admiration?" He pulled her close to him again. "I understand, Em, I truly do. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you."

Emily looked into his eyes. "And just what do you feel for me, Steve McGarrett?" she asked in a soft voice.

He brushed back a strand of silky hair. "I think I'm falling in love with you." He moved forward to kiss her gently.

Emily sighed into the kiss and allowed him to push her onto her back as he moved over her body to show her how much loved her.