Paris - Hotchniss

Hold My Hand

Song - Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga

After three months of the unsettling absence of Emily Prentiss in Quantico, Aaron Hotchner, her boss and unit chief, had finally decided that it was time to pay her a visit.

It has taken time for time to get used to her absence. He couldn't even imagine what it was like for Morgan and Reid to lose their best friend. Emily was like a daughter to Rossi. A sister to Penelope. And here he was, mentally lecturing himself for missing her as much as he did, even knowing the truth.

Within the past three months, Aaron found himself reminiscing over their time together while she was at the BAU. He missed spending time with her. Whether it was a drink after a long case, or just a simple smile from across the jet. Harbored emotions began to stir inside of him, which were hesitantly relayed to Rossi once a few drinks were in his system.

Granted, it was no secret to Rossi; the way he felt. He has a sixth sense for these sorts of things. Or maybe just years and years of profiling under his belt. Throughout these talks, a feeling had been growing inside of Rossi that he couldn't place. Remorse? Sympathy? Suspicion? Sometimes he even blamed himself for never encouraging Aaron to act on these feelings between him and the woman.

Sometimes Hotch wondered how JJ felt about all of it. In the several times he had undergone a conversation with her since Emily's "death", she seemed to be handling it well. Hotch was glad to have JJ back.

Only, JJ wasn't Emily.

-

There were calls. Of course there were calls, leading up to his arrival. The change in time zones didn't stop either one of them from hearing the others' voice. They went on at the inconsistent time of once or twice a month at first, which turned into at least once a week.

Aaron would show up at the BAU the next day with bags under his eyes and a scattered mind often, after spending the night talking with Emily so it wasn't an inconvenience to her.

They never had talks about life changing things. Aaron would discuss the case they solved, and Emily would talk about the show or movie she was watching, and criticize it's mistakes. Aaron would talk about Jack, and how school was going for his son, while Emily would talk about her nosy neighbor with the squawking bird.

It was never about anything important, but yet it meant the world to both of them.

-

Aaron knocked three times, softly, on the face of Emily's apartment door. His nerves had a chance to build, throughout the course of his flight, which he hoped to put at ease with some well deserved alcohol.

Aaron watched as the door unlocked and opened slowly, revealing the familiar looking brunette in front of him. She looked different than before. She no longer had bangs, and she appeared thinner than before, wearing a low cut green top and a small necklace.

Emily was in shock as she opened her apartment door. This visit was completely spontaneous, and she couldn't be more surprised- and thrilled, as Aaron Hotchner stood outside of her door.

"Hotch," she stated in a breathy voice, her shock clearly showing.

"Emily," he said back, taken aback by her confused expression.

Then, a bright grin spread across her face as she registered what exactly was happening. "Hotch!" she repeated, in a joyful tone of voice, opening the door for him.

Instead of accepting her invitation inside, Hotch stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, swallowing her into a hug.

Emily raised her eyebrows in surprise, but quickly returned the embrace. Refuting to become lost in the hug, which was not a difficult thing to do, she pulled away, as questions filled her mind quickly.

"What are you doing here? Is something wrong, because nobody has mentioned anything to me," she inquired, closing the door behind them as they both stepped into her apartment.

"No, nothing is wrong. I uh, just wanted to see you- that's all."

Emily quirked an eyebrow. "You flew all the way to Paris just to see me?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"A little, yeah," she said with a soft smile.

"Well, I was also hoping to get a little culture. You know, eat some gourmet food, get a selfie under the Eiffel Tower, the whole city tour."

Emily's nerves finally calmed, and she stepped forward to hug the man in front of her once more. This hug was longer, filled with the desire to stay in the moment forever.

"God, it's so good to see you," she spoke quietly into his neck.

Aaron closed his eyes and savored the feeling of holding her in his arms. Their hug felt like it lasted for hours as they stood, arms around eachother.

"So you want a tour, huh?" Emily asked as they finally parted.

"Unless it's too much trouble," he answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if it's the tour you came for, then the tour you shall get."