Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew.

5 Days until Christmas.

The ceiling seemed to interest Emily more than shopping for Christmas did. She didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. She just wanted to stay in bed for the whole day, but she knew that she had to get Jack something for Christmas before everything was sold out. There were only five days left until Christmas; four days until Christmas Eve. She still had to get her shopping done for Jack, her mother, her father, Rossi, JJ, Garcia, Spencer and Derek. She sighed as she thought about the last person.

Aaron Hotchner.

She slammed her head done on the pillow, hard.

"I hate this…" she grumbled into the pillow. She could hear her phone vibrating against the wood on her side table. She wanted to scream out, but she tried to keep her anger in before looking at the caller ID.

Caller ID: Aaron Hotchner

She slapped a hand on her face softly, and let out a heavy sigh before pressing the green accept button.

"Hello?" she asked into the speaker, trying her best to sound like a normal person.

"Hi," The voice on the other end said softly.

"Hello, Hotch."

"Are you out of bed yet? You sound like you just woke up."

Emily found herself smiling gently. "As a matter-of-factly, I have not. I don't want to." She told him. She heard him let out a soft sigh. "What?"

"It's nothing. What are you doing today?"

Emily felt herself catch her breath in her throat at his question. "Uh… nothing, why?"

"Do you want to help me pick something out for Jack for Christmas? He's at his aunt's for the day, so we have all the time in the world."

"Uh… Sure, why not. I have to do some shopping anyways." She told him honestly.

"Great, do you want to meet at the coffee shop we usually meet at?"

"Sure, how about in an hour?"

"Sounds perfect. See you then."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Emily had waited until Hotch hung up, listening to the beeping from the line going dead. She sighed and dropped her phone on the bed and walked over to the mirror in her bathroom. Her dark hair was a bit messy from sleeping, and also from her curls the day before. She sighed and grabbed a face cloth, quickly washing her face.

It was just Hotch that she was meeting with, it's not like she had a date. They were best friends, so it wasn't like he was going to criticize her for not dressing up. She shook her head and grabbed her tooth brush, scrubbing her teeth clean. She applied a bit of mascara and some foundation. Taking another look at her hair, she decided she would pull it up in a loose pony tail, letting her bangs hang freely. She threw on a pair of dark blue jeans and white pull-over hoodie. She glanced at the clock and realized that 45 minutes had already gone by. Grabbing her beige TOMS, she pushed her feet into them and quickly grabbed her bag, locking her apartment door on her way out.

Emily walked outside and it was snowing lightly. She smiled softly and started walking to the coffee shop, shoving her hands in her pockets and walking with her head down. It took her about fifteen minutes to get there and she was the first one there. She walked up to the girl and ordered two coffees.

"Hi, can I have two large coffees; one of them with two sugars and two creams, the other with three sugars and two creams." She told the cashier politely.

Emily stood there for about five minutes, waiting for her coffee, and just when she got them both in her hands, Hotch walked through the doors. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a large pull-over black hoodie. He also had his black gloves on, protecting his hands from the cold. On his feet, was a pair of dark colored sneakers. His hair wasn't like his formal, work-attire hair. It was a tad messy, but it looked casual.

Emily walked up to him and handed him his coffee, flashing him a soft smile. "Two sugars, two creams, right?"

Hotch let out a chuckled and grinned. "You know me too well, Emily. Do you want to walk?" he asked her, gesturing to the door. Emily nodded and smiled when he held the door open for her. When they both stepped out into the snow filled city, Emily's smile seemed to grow.

"I absolutely love the snow." She said, thinking out loud.

"I know you do." He told her with a smile. Emily looked down at her feet and tried to hide the blush that was creeping up on her face. She glanced up at Hotch and noticed that he was trying to blow a piece of hair that hung above his forehead.

"You still can't seem to get that one piece of hair to stay in its place, can you?" Emily teased him.

Hotch chuckled at her. "No, and I don't think I will ever be able to."

Emily laughed gently at his comment and they both walked in silence for a few minutes. Hotch looked over at Emily and saw how deep her hand was in her pocket. Her hand was moving in the jack pocket, obviously trying to warm her hand up. Hotch sighed.

He gently moved his coffee to his left hand. Lifting his right hand up, he gently placed his hand on her left forearm, silently telling her to give him her hand. Emily looked down at his hand and then back up at him. She was trying to fight the blush, but she let all her fears go and grabbed his hand. He slowly intertwined their fingers and he felt her move closer to him. He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand gently. Emily sighed happily.

"So, what does Jack want for Christmas?" she asked him, taking a sip of her hot coffee. Hotch cleared his throat.

"He wants a Hot Wheels play set, with some cars to go with it. He also wants some Lego to build things with because you know how much he loves building things."

Emily smiled at him. "But you know what he told me what he really wants?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, what?"

"He told me, he wanted a Crime Scene Investigation case. He wants a box filled with everything you need to find out who the bad guy is." Hotch told her, looking down at her with a serious face on.

Emily couldn't help but laugh at his statement. "Ah… so he wants to learn how to catch the bad guys. Are you going to get it for him?"

Hotch sighed heavily. "I want to, but at the same time I don't. I want him to be what he wants to be, but I don't want him to become someone like I am; someone who focusses on the job more than the focuses on the life he has outside of the job."

Emily couldn't help but feel sad for him. "Hey," she stopped him in his tracks and stood in front of him. "Don't talk like that. Hotch; you don't get it, do you?"

Hotch looked at her confused.

"To him, you're his hero. You're the one who tells him, that there are no monsters under his bead, because you've already caught them. He looks up to you. Frankly, I'm not surprised that he wants to be like you. Don't ever say that you don't spend enough time with him. He understands that when you're not at home, you are out there catching the bad guys."

Hotch looked at her, his eyebrows raised in a sad manner.

"No matter what you do, or where you are in the world, he loves you; more than life itself. To me, that's something everyone should have in their life. I know I don't have a kid, and I probably won't ever, but I do know a little something about love, and I know for a fact, that Jack loves you. Please, don't forget that." She told him. Emily could feel tears running down her cheeks at her statement. She couldn't help it.

Hotch looked at her with a smile, his eyes glistening from the tears he was trying to keep to himself. He moved closer to her and rested his forehead on hers, looking deeply into her dark brown eyes.

"You, Emily Prentiss, sure know how to prove a man wrong." He told her, the smile on his face growing with each moment that passed.

Emily felt herself chuckle at his statement. Her eyes slowly descended to his mouth, but she quickly forced her eyes back up to his. Hotch could feel his breathing slowly increasing.

He wanted to, so badly. But he couldn't. He wouldn't be fair to her. He slowly forced himself to pull away from her, watching her face go from hopefulness to guiltiness.

Emily quickly gathered herself and cleared her throat. "Um… should we go get Jack's present?"

Hotch gave her a small smile, offering her his hand again. She took it and, once again, interlaced their fingers together, spreading warmth through her entire body. "Yes, let's get him his CSI case."

They walked and talked all the way to Toys R Us.

Both of their minds kept going back to the almost kiss.

When they both finished their Christmas shopping, Emily told Hotch that she was feeling a bit tired, so she was going to head home. Hotch nodded to her and told her to call him when she got home.

When she got home, she dialed Hotch's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me."

"Oh, hi, did you get home safely?"

Emily smiled at his concern. "Yes, I did." She could hear him rummaging through something, but she didn't know what. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I kind of have a date with Beth tonight. About that, do you think you could come over and watch Jack for a couple hours? I shouldn't be long, it's just dinner."

Emily almost dropped her phone right then and there. Did he really just say that? She thought to herself. She couldn't find her voice, not to mention her heart felt like it was being ripped out, piece by piece. She couldn't believe it. Even after what almost happened today, he was going out with Beth.

"Emily? Are you still there?"

She finally forced herself to come back to reality and say something. "Y-Yeah, I'm here. Uh… what time do you need me at your house?"

"In fifteen minutes?"

Emily let out a soft sigh, as she felt the tears running down her face and dropping to the ground. "Sure. I'll see you then." And with that, she hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye. She couldn't hold it together, she was hurt. But, she knew that she couldn't show up at his house, looking like a heartbroken girl. She sucked in a deep breath, threw her hair up in a bun, and pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweater.

Why should she even try anymore?

Emily arrived at Hotch's apartment at exactly six-fifteen. Hotch heard her knock on the door. He flung it open, not bothering to look in the peep hole, because he knew it was her.

"Hi Emily. How are you?" he asked her politely, tugging at his tie to make sure it was tight enough.

She tried not to look at him, but she couldn't stop herself. "Fine."

Hotch looked at her with confusion. "Are you sure, if you don't feel up to doing this, it's fine, I'm sure I can re-schedule."

Emily shook her head and looked down. "No, just tell me what time Jack needs to be in bed and everything will be fine."

"He's in his bed reading, he's just getting over a cold, so he will probably stay in his room tonight."

"Alright."

He stared at her for a few moments, waiting for her to look at him, but she never did. She just sat on the couch, bringing out her book to read. He sighed and played with his shirt.

"I should probably get going. I'll see you in about three hours." He told her, walking over to the couch she sat on. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead, but she pulled away and just laid down on the couch. "Okay, bye." She said into her book.

He stood there for a few moments, but then shook his head and walked towards the door. He shut it on his way out.

Once Emily heard the door shut quietly, and waiting a few minutes to make sure he wasn't coming back, she broke.

She sat on his couch, crying for the three hours he was gone.

What made it worse, was that he was gone for more than three hours.

Hotch came back home, to find Emily sprawled out on the couch, with a box of tissues on his coffee table. The book she had been reading was on her chest. He noticed that it was on the same page she had it on when she left. He walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder.

"Emily, wake up." he said softly, smiling when she groaned and slowly opened her eyes to find his eyes looking into hers.

She slowly sat up and immediately grabbed her head. "Ugh," she groaned out.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, but not bothering to mention how red her nose and eyes were. He knew she was crying, he just didn't know what over.

"I will be when I get home and sleep in my own bed." she said, slowly standing up and walking towards the door.

"Emily, you don't have to go home. It's really late, just take the guest bedroom."

She tried to smile at his offer, but she didn't. She just shook her head and pulled on her sneakers. "Thanks, but I would really just like to go home. I'm not feeling one-hundred percent today. I'll see you later Hotch." She told him, walking out the door and shutting it quietly, not wanting to wake Jack.

Hotch stood there, his soul filled with sadness. He had to go after her, but he couldn't get his legs to move.

Emily waited to him to come after her, but he never did. She walked outside and saw her vehicle. She stood in the apartment building entrance for what felt like hours. She grabbed her phone out of her jacket pocket and looked at the time.

12:15 AM

Emily sighed and opened her phone. She went straight to her contacts and searched for Aaron Hotchner. She clicked on the call button, and brought the phone to her eyes. It rang three times before he heard him talk into the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

There was a pregnant pause. "Emily?"

"Yeah it's me."

"Are you okay?"

She didn't answer him right away. "…No,"

Hotch didn't respond to her answer. She started talking again.

"Look, I know you probably figured out I was crying earlier by all the tissues I used and how red my face looked, but I couldn't help it. I was hurt, and I still am. I can't seem to get over this."

"Emily, what're-"

"I know that you like Beth, and I'm sure she's a great person, but I can't take it. I don't want you to go on dates with her, and kiss her, and hold her, and do whatever you guys do together. It hurts too much."

Hotch felt his breath catch in his throat. "Emily, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying…"

She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't.

"Emily?"

"I'm saying that no matter what happens… I'll always be here for you."

Before Hotch could reply, she hung up and jumped in her car. She raced home to her apartment building, tears running down her face as she walked in her door. She closed the door and collapsed against it.

"Jessica? Hi, it's Aaron. I know it's late, but it's an emergency. I think I made a really big mistake and I need to you come over here and watch Jack."

"Fine… I'll be there in a five minutes."

"Thank you so much, I owe you big time."

He had to go to her apartment and apologize.

Jessica showed up at his door at the exact time she said she would. Hotch thanked her again and ran out the door. He raced to his car and drove to Emily's apartment in less than ten minutes. He finally got to the door and knocked.

Emily felt her body jerk at the sound, but didn't stand up to answer the door.

"Emily, I know you're in there. Open up."

Emily felt more tears start to come at the sound of his voice.

"Listen, I made a mistake. I'm not dating Beth, we haven't even kissed yet. I think it's because I'm scared. I don't want to kiss her, I don't want to hold her or hug her. It wouldn't feel right… because I'm already in love with someone else."

Emily didn't respond or even bother to stand up.

"Emily, please open the door. I can't stand to see you hurting. I didn't have a goodtime tonight, just to let you know. She doesn't talk about the interesting things we talk about. All she did was talk about her, she didn't even ask about me. I left early, because I couldn't stand being with her for another hour. I left and I went to get a coffee and walked around town. I had someone else on my mind the whole night, and she hasn't left my head since."

There was a pregnant pause until Hotch heard the door unlock and open, revealing a very sad and depressed Emily Prentiss. Hotch walked into her apartment and quickly brought her into a hug. She let the tears escape onto his jacket, holding onto him tightly.

"I want you to be happy. I have so many hopes and dreams for you, Aaron. I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slowly for you, and each road leads you where you want to go. If you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you make the right choice that means the most to you. I hope you find someone who will love you, and someone who will love you more than life itself. But more than anything, I hope that this life becomes more than you want it to. I hope your worries stay small and you don't have to feel like you have to carry the world on your shoulders. I hope you know that someone wants the same things too." She told him, choking on her words ever once in a while.

Aaron smiled at her honesty. He gently pulled away from her and brushed away a piece of that was hanging in front of her face. She smiled. "So, why did you leave early from your date?"

Hotch smiled. "She wasn't you."

Emily felt her breath catch in her throat at his statement. "Aaron…"

"Emily Prentiss," he started, getting down on one knee. Emily's eyes started to widen at his action. "Will you please do me the honor, of… going to dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked her, with a funny smile written on his face. Emily couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. She laughed at his action for a few moments and had tears running down her face.

"That is some way of asking a girl to dinner, Aaron Hotchner." She told him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly.

"So… is that a yes?"

Emily chuckled at looked up at him, lifting herself on her tip toes and kissing the tip of his nose. "Yes, that is definitely a yes."

Hotch laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

I know, this is the sappiest chapter I have ever written, but I'm a sucker when it comes to true love. I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but near the end it got a bit better. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next up; Four days until Christmas!