Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

The Drunken Truth-Chapter 3

The next morning Hotch awoke to the feeling of jackhammers inside of his head. He wondered what in the hell was going on in his skull when he remembered the copious amount of alcohol he'd imbibed the previous night…and the throwing up…and the prattling on to Emily. As he remembered the last piece, he sat bolt upright in bed and instantly regretted it, as it sent the pain severity in his head from a seven to a twelve. Clamping his hand to his forehead, he begged his stomach contents to remain in place and luckily they did. He lay back down, slower this time and flashed back on what he'd said to Emily. Did he really reveal his secret feelings for her? Did he really tell her he'd wanted her since her first week on the team? He felt his face turn hot with embarrassment and he wondered how he would face her at work the next day.

As soon as that thought hit his head, he heard clanging noises coming from his kitchen and groaned. Apparently his day of reckoning had been moved up and he was going to have to face her this morning. Great, he thought as he slowly pushed himself out of bed. He quietly opened his bedroom door, walked the three steps to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. After taking care of business, he brushed his teeth since it tasted like something had died in his mouth, and he popped the recommended dose of Ibuprofen to help with his head before he stepped back out into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the kitchen, knowing he had to face the music.

Emily had heard Hotch begin to stir and decided to make breakfast for both of them. Finding eggs, spinach, green peppers and ham in his refrigerator, she decided to make them both omelets. As she heard him go into the bathroom, her head began to spin with the various thoughts running through it. What would he say about the previous night? Would he pretend nothing happened? Would he try to deny everything, blaming it on the excessive amount of liquor he'd drunk? Would he ravish her right there on the kitchen table? Hearing the bathroom door open again, she knew she would soon find out.

"Morning," he said sheepishly as he walked into his kitchen. Even though his stomach was still somewhat queasy, it smelled great in the room and he felt his appetite roar with a vengence. He looked at the counter and saw two omelets sitting on plates with sides of fruit salads next to each of them. Huh. He didn't know he'd had anything edible in his fridge.

"Is one of those for me?" He asked, trying to avoid talking about the previous night.

Emily nodded and handed him one of the plates, along with a large glass of water, and then grabbed the other one for herself. They both sat down at the small kitchen table and began to eat. About ten minutes into the meal, Hotch finally spoke up.

"Did I really make that much of an ass of myself last night, or did I just dream it?" He asked her, clearly embarrassed.

So he was going to blame everything on the alcohol, Emily thought sadly. "Forget about it Hotch, I'll treat the bathroom like Vegas. Whatever is said in the bathroom, stays in the bathroom."

Hotch was about to gratefully thank her, when he took a moment to really look at her. She was gorgeous, he hadn't been lying about that, but it was more than that. She was compassionate and understanding, but she could also stand up to some of the most wizened law enforcement officers he had ever met. She was soft and feminine while off duty, but she was a tough, ass-kicking FBI agent when she was on the clock. She was great with Reid when he needed a gentle touch, but she knew when to tell Derek to take his head out of his ass. She was a giant, walking, talking enigma and he really wanted to get to know her better…hell, he wanted to get to know her intimately. But did she feel the same way about him? Taking a deep breath, he decided to lay all of his cards on the table.

"I don't want to forget it Emily," he said, and she brought her eyes up to his.

"I don't want to forget it," he repeated. "I meant every word I said last night. You are gorgeous and I have wanted you since your first week on the team. I've always felt this way, the alcohol just helped to loosen my tongue."

Emily was shocked; she never in a million years had expected this from him. Yeah, she'd hoped, but she had never really allowed herself to believe he felt the same way about her.

Hotch took her silence as a sign of uncertainty, so he plowed ahead. "And if I'm not mistaken, you have some feelings for me." Please let me be right, he begged the fates above. Just cut me this one little break. Emily still said nothing and Hotch began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Or have I been reading the tea leaves wrong and do I now need to put in for a transfer to Alaska?"

Emily finally shook her head, "No, you're right, I've had feelings for you for awhile," she admitted.

Hotch let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Why haven't you ever said anything?" He asked her.

"For a lot of reasons, first and foremost, our team. Our being involved with each other could adversely affect the team. What if they don't like it, or worse, what if only one or two of them don't approve of it? It could change the entire team dynamic."

Hotch snorted, "I doubt our team would have a problem with it. JJ has been practically shoving me towards asking you out and Dave…well Dave's Dave."

"What does that mean?" Emily asked, still surprised over JJ's heavy handed matchmaking.

He turned red and looked at the table. "A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I were out for drinks when he suddenly asked me when I last 'cleaned my pipes,' and I don't think he was talking about the plumbing in my apartment."

Emily practically choked on her coffee, "No he didn't!" She said, trying to hold back her laughter.

Hotch nodded, "Yes he did. Then he practically offered to buy me a hooker for the night, saying that, and I'm quoting, 'maybe if I got laid, I would chill the fuck out'."

By this time Emily wasn't even trying to hide her amusement anymore. She was laughing so hard that she was honestly afraid she would wet herself. After a minute or two, she calmed down enough to resume her discussion with Hotch.

"Yeah, but what about Strauss and the fraternization regs?" Emily asked, as she got up and cleared the plates away. She wasn't sure why she was listing all of the barriers to a possible relationship with him. She knew she wanted it. She wanted it badly, but she couldn't allow herself to think that it might actually happen.

He shook his head as he stood up to help her. "I checked and there's nothing officially banning a relationship between two agents, it's just heavily frowned upon."

"But what will people think?" She asked and saw Hotch open his mouth to argue, but she pressed on. "Don't tell me that it doesn't matter what people think, because it's different for women. People will see us together and they'll think 'good for Hotch, he finally found somebody.' But when they see me, they'll assume I'm sleeping my way to the top."

Hotch sighed, "Is it a risk? Yes, of course it is, and you have more to lose than I do. But will it be worth it? I think it will be...I think it will be more than worth it. What do you think?" He held his breath as he watched Emily deliberate in her mind. Finally, she looked up from the sink and nodded at him.

"I agree, I think it's worth it." Her face broke into a smile as she said this and Hotch visibly relaxed.

They both stared at each other awkwardly for a minute, before Hotch finally took her into his arms. "Now that we're together, can I finally kiss you without worrying that you'll break my nose?"

She smiled at him, "Why don't you try it and find out?"

It turned out he had nothing to worry about.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Emily strode into Rossi's office without knocking.

The older agent looked up from his desk and when he saw who it was, his stomach sank. He assumed she was coming into his office to read him the riot act for guilting her into picking Hotch up the other night. That's why he was so surprised when she wordlessly set a bottle of Talisker scotch on his desk.

"Emily, what the hell is this for?" He asked.

"Thanks," she said and didn't say anything else, since she knew her relationship with Aaron would soon be revealed to the rest of the team. She just gave him a look and walked out, leaving the legendary profile to stew in his curiosity. Besides, she had more important things to do during her downtime, like mentally picking out the dress she would wear on her date with Aaron that night.

The End