(This is a little quick filler one shot that happens sometime during LoFi. It is part of my collection of stories that show the developing relationship between Hotch and Prentiss. It is designed to cover a small gap between my stories "Horror Movies, Statistics and Lifetimes" and "Hope". Its probably necessary to read HM, S, and L first…Enjoy and please review! PS..I took A LOT of liberties with Rossi's feelings. I do think he is somewhat attracted to Prentiss. Some of the episodes show them being very comfortable. Like the Indianapolis case…)

FOR NOW AND FOREVER

David Rossi wanted to hit his friend. Hit him squarely on the back of his head—or give him a swift kick in the behind. What was Aaron Hotchner thinking?

Last week the team had been stranded in South Dakota and had been forced to bunk down in an old barn. They'd slept crammed together in an old horse stall on a pile of hay.

Aaron had held Emily so close, Rossi had been convinced the other man had finally figured things out. Figured out that he should just go for it with Emily.

Instead, the man had barely looked at the pretty dark haired agent once that British piece of work had come strolling out of her office in the New York building. Sure, the woman resembled Hayley—on the outside. On the inside she was just another career-powered ladder climber. She'd wanted something from Aaron—and Rossi'd known it had something to do with Derek. Rumor had it they were considering him for her spot if she failed to find these shooters.

Aaron had been all over Joiner like a groupie on a rock star. Rossi wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Emily, JJ, and Garcia had been exchanging looks of speculation.

Rossi'd wondered then if Emily ever even fully realized her own feelings for the man, as her gorgeous dark eyes had lingered on Hotch as he'd leaned over Joiner's shoulder. Lingered just a little too long.

If Rossi thought she'd ever look at him that way—he'd trample right over his long time friend to get to her.

He watched the exchange between Joiner and Hotchner threw the glass window of the office and he sighed. Knowing he was going to have to have another frank discussion with the younger man. Emily deserved Hotch to be one way or the other.

If he wanted her—he needed to realize it. If not—he needed to stop acting so drawn to her.

Rossi had to admit it, Emily Prentiss was probably the one person in the BAU that he couldn't read clearly. Spencer, Morgan, JJ, Garcia, even Hotchner—they were all clear to Rossi. But Emily played it so close to her chest, never let anything slip to her coworkers. How did she feel about Hotchner?

Rossi would try to figure it out.

Hotch left Joiner's office and entered the men's restroom and Rossi made his decision—and his move. He checked carefully to ensure no one else was in the restroom before turning the lock on the door. "Aaron. What the hell are you doing?"

"Dave?" Hotch asked, surprised, though his voice barely changed. "I'm washing my hands. Does that surprise you?"

"I meant with that Joiner woman." Rossi said.

"She's a close friend."

"No, she's a carbon copy of your ex-wife." Rossi accused. "Three days ago you were all wrapped around Agent Prentiss. And you looked happy, man. Happier than you have since my return."

"That just happened. She was seeking warmth and we rolled together unconsciously." Hotchner said, getting defensive.

"You weren't asleep when you wrapped your arms around her." Rossi argued. "You were fully aware of your actions, and don't deny it. At least not to yourself."

"Whom I am attracted to isn't really your business, Dave." Hotch said, more furious with his friend then he'd ever been.

"Admitted, it's not. But you are one of my closest friends. Hell, you're one of my few friends. That's why I am telling you. Quit looking to your past. Do you know what I wouldn't give for a woman who actually understood what we did every day? And you've got one right there in front of you! One who's sexy, vibrant, compassionate, and loving—who is virtually crying out for a special kind of man. Yet you're choosing a woman who looks like your ex-wife. What does that tell you about you?" Rossi said, heatedly. "You're insane if you let her go!"

"What's between Prentiss and myself is strictly professional. I admire her capabilities as an agent." Hotch said, even though he knew Rossi knew the truth.

Yes, he'd held her that night in South Dakota, felt her pressed so close against him. He'd imagined so much more in those few moments he'd been awake and no one else had.

But then he'd thought of every fraternization issue he'd ever seen, how it never seemed to work out for the people involved. Someone always seemed to get hurt. He'd already hurt Hayley—he didn't want to hurt Emily as well.

"You're a liar. And worse, you know it. We've four failed marriages between us Aaron—and four women who didn't understand a damned thing about this job. If she'd look at me the way she looks at you, just once…I'd tell the bureau to screw it's fraternization rules and take her to Aruba. Or my cabin. She likes the woods, doesn't she."

"I don't know what to do." Hotch admitted softly. "The man who was with Hayley was a different man than the one I am today. Twenty one years ago, Dave. I've been with one woman for more than two decades, and now I don't know where to even begin—if I even should begin."

"First, stop shutting her out." Rossi said, leaning a hip on the granite sink. "Out there today, you barely acknowledged her. Pretty much just handed her over to Detective Cooper. You barely even introduced her to Agent Joiner. And—you still insist on calling her Prentiss, when every other member of the team—with the exception of Garcia who prefers her last name—you use their first names. You know she's noticed, yet you do it anyway. And I heard how she joined the unit. That has to add up. Give the woman a break. Take a chance and actually try to get to know her."

"I know her."

"No, you don't. You don't know that she likes Kurt Vonnegut, that she named her cat after him. That she visits friends in New York every free chance she gets, and she likes to escape to the parks and woods when things get too tough. You don't know that she walks to the park after we have terrible cases involving children, just so she can see kids not touched by the monsters she goes and dreams about every night. You don't know that Garcia sees her as something like Wonder Woman, JJ sees her as the big sister she never had—you don't let yourself see how she mother's Spencer, how Morgan treats her like his best friend, and you don't see how whenever you have a bad day, she's the person right beside you."

"You know her that well? In what, the four months you've been with the team?" Hotch said, defensively. He knew what Rossi said was true, all of it. But he hadn't realized his friend's feelings ran that deep. Or that Rossi had noticed that much about Emily.

"Yes. She's told me." Rossi said. "Because I talk to her. Because I watch the team, watch her. She just fits here, Hotch. She'd fit with you, too. Probably much better than Hayley ever did. Let me ask you something. When you would go home to Hayley, did you have to turn your work self off, and your family self on? Did you feel like you had to be two different men? Imagine going home with Emily, Hotch. You wouldn't have to be two men. She'd understand both. You'd be free to be both at the same time. You know how stupid you'd be to turn that away?"

Aaron thought about his words long after they'd left the restroom, going about their business of solving the case. The case was proving just as frustrating as his feelings. Was Rossi right? Should he hope for something more with Emily?

He had to admit Agent Joiner was disconcerting. She was very much like Hayley—physically. Inside, she was a dedicated agent, concerned with her career and aptly playing any politics necessary.

Hotch hated politics, probably just as much as Agent Prentiss—Emily—did. Joiner obviously didn't.

Rossi had surprised him, all the information he'd gleaned about Emily after only four months. When had she gotten a cat? He'd not seen signs of a pet when they'd been on the Joseph Smith case. What else did Rossi know about Emily that he didn't?

Had he even let himself stop to observe anything about her since the day she'd first showed up in the BAU? He could honestly say that he didn't think he had.

The day passed too quickly, with yet another murder. Derek had been right—but he'd been out of line to voice his opinions the way he had.

Even though Hotch could sense the rest of the team felt the exact same way. The next day, saw everyone on the streets in pairs, Hotch included.

Then everything hit the shit. He'd never forget how his blood had frozen when Emily's voice had came over the radio, saying they were in pursuit of the suspect. She was out there with Detective Cooper, a man he didn't know, chasing after at least one of their seven suspects.

Then he'd heard the fear and panic in her voice as she called for backup, called an officer down call. He'd heard her voice through the radio, button still depressed, as she told Cooper to think of his wife and family. Told him to hold on.

All Hotch could think about once he'd arrived on scene was that if Emily had rounded the corner ahead of Cooper, it would have been her blood at his feet.

And he hadn't even known she'd had a cat.

He didn't want her life to be such a mystery to him. Not any longer.

The rest of the day was tense, everyone worried about Cooper. Emily was the first to figure it out, her and Rossi. Figured out what it meant, how the UNSUBs were gauging response times. The only bright spot was when JJ'd told everyone her news earlier.

At least someone on his team had found happiness.

He accepted Kate's invitation for dinner out of politeness. Since the earlier shooting, and his fear for his agent, he just didn't want to look at the woman who looked like Hayley.

Not with Emily's voice ringing in his ears. Emily's wounded eyes staring at the body of the young man she'd killed filling his mind.

He hadn't even asked her how she was doing. Kate had distracted him, claiming she needed his invaluable assistance.

So he'd left Emily to Morgan's care. He knew Morgan would see that she was ok, Morgan and Rossi.

He opened the door for Agent Joiner, led her to her SUV. He wondered briefly where Agent Prentiss had ended up for the night. If she was alone or with Morgan or Garcia. Why was it that he was just now noticing how alone Emily was.

Dave Rossi watched Hotchner and the British woman as they walked out of the building just slightly ahead of him. Had his words meant nothing to Hotchner.

Dave had honestly thought Hotch would have been with Emily. She'd had one horrible day, had watched a guy she'd obviously liked and respected nearly bleed to death at her feet. She'd taken the life of a kid half her age.

That was never easy.

Dave made up his mind then and there—Hotchner didn't deserve Emily Prentiss.

And Emily Prentiss didn't deserve to spend the rest of her life alone. She needed a man who understood exactly what she saw each and every day. Someone she could talk to about anything. Someone…like David Rossi.

Dave climbed into his SUV, determined to find Emily and make sure she was ok. She shouldn't be alone after a day like today. No one should.

He turned the key. And the world exploded.

ROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSI

Aaron's mind was completely blank. The horror of the last hour had numbed him completely. He'd pulled one of his closest friends from a burning vehicle. The bandages on his hands were proof of that. And now they all sat, waiting. Waiting like they had for Elle and Penelope.

Someone touched his shoulder, lightly, reassuringly, before moving past him. He looked up to see it was Emily. She dropped to her knees in front of JJ, checking her friend closely, before handing her a box of juice from a vending machine. She smiled at Will, sitting beside JJ and holding the younger blonde close.

She moved to Morgan and Garcia next. The blonde woman sat, holding on to her reserve with everything she had. She always hated it when one of her super agents were hurting. And now they just didn't know.

Reid was a bundled mass of nerves. He couldn't sit still, his face paler than Emily had ever seen it—with one exception. She rubbed his shoulders softly. Handed him the pretzels she'd found in the vending machine. To Morgan she handed a cup of steaming coffee.

Then she was gone.

No one really noticed she'd left.

She entered the waiting room of the floor below the burn unit. Checking with the New York detectives waiting on news of Cooper's condition. His wife and child waited tensely, and her heart just broke seeing that little boy with his daddy's eyes.

She spent less than five minutes in that waiting room.

Then it was back up to the burn unit. She was outside the unit when she heard someone ask in a worried voice about David Rossi.

Emily approached the man, struck at the physical resemblance between him and David. This must be the younger brother.

"Hello. You must be Dave's brother." Emily said, walking up to the man. He was younger than Dave, closer in age to her than his brother. Any other time he would have been a handsome man, but worry shadowed his brown eyes. "I'm SSA Prentiss. I work with your brother."

"You're Emily? I'm Steven Rossi. David's youngest brother. Dave's mentioned you." The man turned toward her. "How is he?"

"We don't know. He was pulled from the vehicle. He, uh, wasn't conscious. We're waiting. If you'd like to come inside, the team is gathered." Emily placed a hand on the man's arm as he moved toward the glass door to the Burn Unit.

The man hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to go in there."

"I know. I didn't either." Emily admitted, knowing that the man would appreciate her frankness. "But it helps. Being with people who care, too."

"Dave speaks of you—and the team—every time he comes up." Steven said, abruptly. "About how you've accepted him."

"He's a part of the team." Emily said. "And he's a friend."

"Thanks." Steven said, "My brother will be the first to admit he doesn't have many of those."

ROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSI

Hotch was aware of Emily leaning over him, of her carefully placing a mug of coffee in the hand that he hadn't burnt. He didn't even look up at her, didn't speak. Didn't acknowledge. Just knew she was there.

Agent Joiner was in the corner, talking a mile a minute on her cell phone. Part of Aaron just wished she would take it outside.

Emily handed Will La Montaigne a blanket and he draped it over a sleeping JJ's shoulders. Morgan did the same with Garcia, with the blanket Emily handed him. She tossed a candy bar his way, and ordered him to eat it in a soft, hushed voice.

She took Reid's sixth cup of coffee away, and handed him a hardback copy of the Historian she'd found in the first floor lobby. It would take him less than three minutes to read it—but maybe it would distract him from his worry, momentarily.

She'd checked on Cooper's condition fifteen minutes earlier, and was reassured that he'd made it through surgery. One less worry.

She'd even answered Hotch's cell phone and spoken to his ex-wife. She'd somehow heard a member of the team had been injured and had been worried it was her son's father. Emily had told her all she knew, and Hayley had thanked her—after bidding her to take care of Aaron.

She'd made it a point to speak to Rossi's brother every so often. Just so he knew he wasn't alone in his worry for his brother. She'd had yet to get a hold of Rossi's son.

Who knew where David Jr. actually was.

Emily was exhausted. But she couldn't sit still. Couldn't sit there and wait with no purpose. Waiting like that always made her angry.

She stood again. The only one who looked up was Kate Joiner. Emily was liking the British agent even less by the minute. She'd shown no real concern for anyone—especially Dave. Emily wondered why she was even there. No one on the team had spoken to her. No one seemed to even care that she was there. Not even Hotchner. He just sat, staring at his hands.

She was just thankful he'd been there to pull Dave from the SUV. If he hadn't—they wouldn't be sitting there waiting for the news, one way or another.

She dropped to her knees in front of him, wrapping her slender fingers around his un-bandaged wrists. She squeezed lightly until he looked at her. "Do you need anything, sir?"

He shook his head, and she wondered if he even realized who was talking to him. She smiled softly, and placed the juice box in his hand. "Drink it. It's strawberry banana."

The man loved strawberries.

She waited a moment, making sure he did as she ordered, before standing and leaving the unit once again.

Only one person even noticed she'd left—again.

ROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSI

William La Montaigne hated this. He hated waiting for news about a Law Enforcement Agent wounded in the line of duty. Hated it even more when the poor bastard was somebody he knew. JJ was sleeping, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead before moving slightly, sliding her down to rest fully on the bench.

He needed to move around, shake his legs some.

He followed the path of the dark headed woman, almost half hazardly. He wasn't payin' much attention to where he was goin.

He found her in the chapel, but he didn't enter. She was a bit aloof with him, he wasn't as comfortable around her as he was some of the other team members.

But he had an idea of who should be with her. He just wondered if the man in question knew it.

He'd watched the team, watched how she'd taken care of everyone in the waiting room. How very few had thanked her—had even been aware of what she was doing.

Oh, they all cared about each other. Will knew that. It was just that they all handled stress and fear in different ways—although they all apparently had a tendency to withdraw into themselves at difficult times.

And he had a feeling Agent Prentiss was a charger member of the 'leave me alone' club.

He turned and headed back to the unit, detouring at the men's restroom first.

The man in question stood staring at himself in the mirror when Will entered.

"Agent Hotchner." Will acknowledged.

"Will." His voice was flat. He didn't feel up to making small talk.

"Don't take this the wrong way. I know you're JJ's boss and all. And I don't want to make any trouble." Will began.

"What are you talking about?" Hotch asked, still in that same flat voice. If Will was a lesser man, he'd have backed down quickly.

"One of your agents needs you." Will said. "She's had one hell of a bad day. Don't you think? First firing on a suspect. That one detective being shot. And now Agent Rossi."

"Agent Prentiss?" Hotch asked, surprised. Where was Prentiss anyway? He tried to remember if he'd even seen her since they'd arrived at the Burn Unit.

"Yes, Agent Prentiss." Will said, almost struck dumb at the man's apparent cluelessness. "She's spent the last six hours taking care of almost every person in that waiting room. Can you say you honestly don't remember?"

"Has she?" Hotch murmured. He had to admit he'd not paid attention to much of anything to know what had been going on around him. They'd given him one hell of a shot of something when they'd fixed up his hands in the ER. He wasn't that clear on anything at the moment.

"Brought you coffee, juice. Brought blankets. Talked with Agent Rossi's brother, is trying to find his son. Checked on that detective, fed Dr. Reid." Will listed. "Talked to your ex-wife, even."

"Hayley? She called?"

"I guess. Agent Prentiss told her you were fine, that we were waiting on news about Agent Rossi. She promised to call her when any news came." Will told him, revising his earlier opinion of the team leader. Maybe he was just in shock and not a total cold fish. JJ had always talked warmly about the older man. But Will didn't really see it. "She also talked to your section chief and several others who'd called your phone."

"And you're telling me this because?" Hotch asked, softly.

"Because your Agent Prentiss is all alone in the chapel crying." Will said, bluntly. "She's spent all day taking care of everyone around her. When you all should have been helping her. She killed a man today—she has to be thinking about that. Over and over. Playing it again in her mind. Thinking there could have been something done differently. Don't you think that she deserves just a few minutes of your time?"

Hotch looked at him intensely for a moment, and Will braced himself for a harsh ripping. It never came.

Hotch looked away then before speaking. "Thank you for telling me, Detective La Montaigne."

"Anytime, Agent Hotchner."

ROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSIROSSI

Hotchner peered through the glass door leading into the chapel. Prentiss sat facing the front, her body limp and dejected. He opened the door soundlessly and approached her. He sank onto the small bench beside her without saying a word.

"Everyone was wondering where you'd gone." He told her. He shifted so his shoulder pressed against hers.

"You're lying." She said softly. "But that's ok. That's the way we are. We close down. Shut the doors on all we can't deal with—so that we can deal with the horrors we see every day. How's your hands?"

"Hurting. The shot they gave me is wearing off." He said, equally as quiet. "I didn't want to forget to thank you for what you've done since we got here."

"It was nothing. I couldn't just sit, sir." She leaned back with a sigh. "I, uh, talked to your ex-wife. You'll need to call when we're given an update."

"Thank you for that. I don't even remember the phone ringing."

"It did, several times. I handle this kind of thing better when I have something to do, sir."

"Prentiss. I think you can stop sirring me all the time, don't you? Nobody else is that formal."

"Nobody else is always addressed by their last name, either, sir."

"I wasn't even aware I did that. I didn't mean anything by it." He was being more open and frank with her than he ever had in their entire acquaintance.

"Why is that? That you did-do it?" Emily asked. She'd still not looked at him. Didn't want him to see the tears on her face.

"Just habit."

"Because you didn't think I belonged on the team."

"If I didn't, would I have fought you on your resignation?" Hotch asked. He boldly wrapped the hand with the least amount of bandages around her much smaller one. Her hand was small, bony, and slightly cold. "Don't ever doubt for a moment how important you are to this team."

"Hmm."

"Look at what you did tonight. You took care of us all. Mothered Reid, took over for me when I couldn't function. Handled Rossi's family. Made sure JJ took care of herself. You're part of the heart of this team. You and Garcia. You know that, right?"

"For someone who hates politics, you've got a glib tongue." Her voice was flatter than he'd ever heard it, and he hated it. Emily was always the voice of reason, the eternal optimist.

"I'm not sugar-coating, Emily. Just look at Reid." Hotch said, earnestly. "You two worried me for a bit, I'll admit it. I thought you'd never work out what it was between you. Until I realized you weren't letting him pull his bull with you. You called him on it, didn't you? Now, the first person he runs to when he needs something is you. It used to be Gideon, or Morgan. You're important to him. To all of us."

"You're all my family, sir."

"Aaron. My name is Aaron."

"I know. But I'm not comfortable calling you that." Emily said, being a brutally honest as she could. She just didn't have the strength or the will to sugar coat. Not after the day she'd had.

"I haven't exactly been the most welcoming, have I?" Aaron sighed, his fingers tightening around hers. "I do apologize for that. All I can say is the last year or so of my life has been one of the hardest I've ever faced. I think I let that leak a little in the office."

"Compartmentalizing isn't always easy, is it, Hotch?" She asked. "Some people do it better than others."

"And I haven't been very good this year. When Dave's back on his feet, when this case is over—will you let me make it up to you?"

"All I ask is you respect me on the job. And you do that." Emily told him. "I don't expect anything more than that."

"So we can't be friends, then?"

"I don't know." Emily said, puzzled at the whole conversation. "What would we even talk about?"

"I don't know." He echoed, laughing softly. "What do we really even know about each other?"

"I have a cat." Emily said. "I've named him Kurt."

Before Aaron could reply, Spencer came running in. "The doctor will be out in ten minutes to give us an update. I need to go to the restroom, and you need to get up there. But he's alive, and he'll be ok."

Spencer ran out before they could respond. Emily's breath shuddered out and she surprised them both by bursting into tears.

Aaron wrapped her tight in his arms and held her while she cried for her friend, and probably for the boy she'd killed—even though he'd been a terrorist—and for Detective Cooper, whom he'd known she'd liked a great deal.

He held her, hand wrapped in her long dark hair that smelled of strawberries and Emily, while she cried.

"It'll be ok, Emily. I promise." He whispered reassurances over and over until she calmed. Kate Joiner and her resemblance to Hayley—and Hayley herself—never even entered his mind.

In that instant, in that now, as her head rested beneath his chin, he would have moved the world to keep that promise to her. To protect her from everything, forever.