A/N: This is a belated birthday oneshot for LoveHGSS. Her prompts were Harry Potter and strip clubs.

Happy birthday, dear!

"You what?" JJ said, putting a file down on her desk so she didn't drop it on the ground.

Hotch shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't have the time."

"Hotch, everyone's read Harry Potter," Emily said, spinning around in her chair to face him. He found himself glad she'd decided against leaving the team, even if she was picking on him. "Even Strauss, probably. Jack loves to read, no? He'd probably like them."

"Maybe once we're done with the Narnia books."

"I still can't believe you haven't read 'em," Morgan said, shaking his head. "Next you're gonna tell us you've never been to a strip club. Have you seen the movies, at least?"

Hotch gave Morgan a look. "Do I look like I have time for kids' movies?"

"First of all, they're not kids' movies or books. Second, you had time to train for a triathlon," Reid chimed in.

"Oh-ho-ho," Everyone else said, laughing.

"Ouch," Garcia said. "At least it was worth it, though, right? You got a girlfriend out of it. And by the way, I love how you didn't take Morgan's strip club bait. Nicely done."

"Actually, Beth and I are kind of…" Hotch scratched the back of his neck. "…over, as of a couple months ago with that case in Denver. I had to cancel a weekend trip with her. She said we weren't seeing enough of each other and she broke it off. Can't really blame her. Hard to get to know somebody when you don't know whether you'll be home. Hard for someone in a different field to roll with the punches the same way we do."

Immediately the tone in the bullpen took a dip. "I'm sorry," Emily said, frowning. "This job downright sucks sometimes."

Hotch shrugged. "It's all right," he said, though he certainly sounded bothered. "I was already married to my job when she came along, anyway. Should've known better."

"Who's up for Chinese food?" Garcia said, clapping her hands on her thighs. "Nothing like Engrish fortune cookies and upset stomachs to make us forget about old flames, right?"

—

Hotch felt a bit strange standing in line at a bookstore with seven hardcover books in his arms, but he knew how fast he and Jack could fly through books, and there would be no sense in having to come back to the store in a few days. The cashier gave him an odd look akin to the one he'd gotten from his teammates. He ignored her and brought Jack home from Jessica's, excited to finish up their latest book so they could delve into another. Part of what excited him was the bond that tightened with his son when they read together; however, the prospect of his teammates getting off his back was alluring as well.

"Whoa!" Jack shouted when he saw the bags of new reading material that Hotch pulled out of the trunk of the car when they got home. "Harry Potter? Are those for us to read?"

"You bet. They have movies, too. Maybe we can check those out."

Jack wolfed down his dinner and hurried to unload the dishwasher and finish his homework. He even put his pajamas on without being asked. "Ready to finish, Daddy!"

Hotch gladly put away the work he'd brought home and was about to follow Jack back to his bedroom when a knock sounded at the door.

"Who's that?" Jack asked.

Always wary of unexpected visitors, especially when Jack was around, Hotch quietly told Jack to go wait in his bedroom.

The visitor turned out to be no one worth worrying about, fortunately. It was Emily, carrying a canvas tote full of familiar looking books and DVDs.

"Hey," Hotch said with a smile, letting her in. "What brings you by?"

"I was hoping I could pass these off to you before you went and dropped a bunch of money on them. Here," she said, proffering the bag. "I've read them all plenty of times. They could use a new owner. Did I make it in time?"

"Unfortunately, no, but that's all right. We like keeping brick-and-mortar bookstores in business."

"Oh, well…you could at least borrow the movies if you want. They don't always follow the books so well, but they're chockfull of great British actors."

"Thanks," Hotch said, putting the books down. "Jack and I were about to finish up the last of the Narnia books tonight. I'll probably be about twenty minutes. Want some coffee?"

Emily waved him off. "I loved the Narnia books when I was little. Would it be too intrusive on father-son time if I sat in for the reading?"

"You can stay, Emily," Jack said from the end of the hallway, peeking around the corner. He gave Emily and Hotch a half-toothless grin. "But you can't tell me a word unless I ask for help. That's the rule." He trotted back to his bedroom.

"That's the rule," Hotch echoed forebodingly. He waited for Emily to kick off her shoes and led her back to Jack's room. "Sorry it's a mess back here. Tomorrow's clean-up day."

"You should see Daddy's room, it's always clean," Jack said, climbing under his covers. "I have Spider-Man on my bed. Do you like Spider-Man?"

Emily beamed and took the little chair Hotch left for her, while he took the edge of Jack's bed. "I love Spider-Man."

"All right, buddy. Let's get to reading. If we finish this tonight, we can start Harry Potter tomorrow night," Hotch said.

"Okay." Jack opened up to their marked page and read faster than ever before. His eyes were drooping by the time he finished. "I really liked that one," he said, yawning. "But the first one was my favorite."

"Me, too. Time to get some sleep."

"Daddy has to tuck me in now," Jack said bluntly to Emily.

"Ooh. Okay. I'll leave him to it, then," Emily said before a swift exit.

"That was a little rude, Jack," Hotch said, smoothing Jack's comforter out and thumbing his hair away from his forehead.

"Sorry," Jack said sheepishly. "Do you think Emily thinks I don't like her?"

"Oh, I'm sure she knows you like her. Don't worry about that."

"Do you like her?" Jack asked.

Hotch leaned over toward the door and gently pushed it shut. "Of course I do. She's a very good friend of mine."

"But do you like her like a girlfriend? Like you liked Beth?"

Hotch gave his son a strained smile. "Emily's a very nice lady. But she works with me, so being anything more than friends with her wouldn't be a very good idea."

"But you said you and Beth broke up because you didn't see each other enough. You see Emily at work all the time. She wouldn't be sad if you had to miss a date 'cause she'd miss it too. And she's pretty."

"Those are all very good points, buddy, but it's just not as simple as that."

"How come?" Jack inquired with rounded, sad eyes.

"Because. None of that changes the fact that it's inappropriate for me to date someone from work."

"But Uncle Dave is going out with Chief Strauss."

Hotch faltered. "You know you're not supposed to eavesdrop on conversations, Jack."

"But it's true, right?"

"Jack, listen," Hotch said with a sigh. "It's out of the question, I'm sorry. Maybe I can explain it better another night, but right now I don't have any more clever answers for you."

"Maybe if you go to sleep you'll change your mind, like you always tell me."

"It's time to go to sleep, buddy. I love you. Pancakes in the morning."

Hotch found himself losing patience as he turned out the light. Partly his patience with his son, partly with the hand fate had dealt him. It was painful to hear Jack rattle off the wonderful things he already knew about the woman in the next room. Now he wasn't so sure about being happy that she'd stayed with the team. But such a long-distance relationship wouldn't have worked too well, either.

He apparently looked a little too pensive when he reemerged in the living room.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, picking anxiously at her thumbs.

"Oh, fine," Hotch said. "You?" he asked in reference to her nervous habit.

"Well…to be honest, I didn't just come over tonight to drop off the books and movies. I had another reason."

"All right. What is it?" Hotch went to start up a pot of coffee without asking again.

"I, uh…I meant to do this at work today, but you snuck out. I wanted to give you my notice."

Hotch's hand was stuck on the power switch of the coffeemaker. "Notice?" he asked, turning.

Emily forced an apologetic smile. "Yeah. I've decided to try something new after all. Not London, though," she said, putting up a hand before Hotch could ask. "That opportunity's gone, anyway. But there are a few different openings around here, some still in the Bureau, some in the State Department…I'm just…having a hard time committing to apply for them. They all sound like they could be great, but I just need to light a fire under my butt, you know? I figured what better motivator than being unemployed?"

"You sure that's the best plan?" Hotch said. "Not that I don't think you could get any job you wanted, but you never know in today's economy. And not to be harsh, but your record does have some—"

"Weak points, I know. But I've been thinking about this for a while now. Trust me, I've considered everything. I just have a feeling that it's time to move on, wherever that is."

Hotch pulled down a couple of mugs, then leaned against the counter while he waited for their coffee to brew. "You'll be missed."

"I know. And I'm sure I'll never find another team like this. But for some reason, it just feels…right."

"I'm not trying to talk you out of it," Hotch reassured her. "You have to do what's best for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate the support. Again. I don't expect I'll find it with everyone else. The couple other people I told back in May weren't happy."

"They have good intentions, and they'll get over themselves eventually. Cream, sugar?"

"Both, please."

They finally sat face-to-face with steaming mugs of coffee. Emily heaved a sigh. "It feels like a weight off my shoulders now that I've told you, but now it's real. I'm kind of terrified. That's normal, right?" she asked with a pathetic smile.

Hotch laughed silently. "Of course. But it'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

Hotch tipped his mug and hid his eyes for a moment. "Just a feeling."

A/N: Reviews are love!