Late Night Visitor

Disclaimer: No matter what I offer, CBS won't give me Criminal Minds.

Summary: Emily receives a late night visit from an upset, drunken Hotch. What happens with the two agents who barely stand each other?

Timeline: AU Present Day, but for the sake of sanity lets say Ian Doyle drama never happened, and there was no Ashley Seaver

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." Plutarch

Emily was tossing and turning in her bed, she sighed when she looked at the clock.

'Two in the morning.' Emily thought to herself 'Looks like I won't be getting any sleep. Again.'

Emily was about to roll on her side, to face away from her window when she heard a knock on her door.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Emily muttered hearing the knock become more persistent.

Huffing out a sigh, Emily got out of bed and threw on a sweat shirt as she stomped down the stairs to her front door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Emily called out opening the door.

"Hotch?" Emily said shocked to see her boss at her front door at this hour.

"Hi!" Hotch replied smirking at the startled brunette.

"Are you... drunk?" Emily asked smelling the whiff of alcohol on him.

"Yep." Hotch replied "And I just got dumped."

"Dumped?" Emily asked letting him into her apartment, clicking on the lights.

"Yep. Natalie dumped me." Hotch replied "Just like that... said I was a cold, emotionless robot."

Emily sat across from Hotch on her couch, "Sorry. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."

Hotch turned on the couch to look at her while he said, "I wanted to know why that is..."

"Why what is?" Emily asked confused.

"Why we don't know things about each other." Hotch said sighing loudly "I mean are we even friends?"

Emily shrugged, "We're work friends, I guess."

"But not friends, friends." Hotch said "We don't hang out, we barely even know each other."

"And barely tolerate each other." Emily muttered remembering his accusations and treatment towards her when she first joined his team.

"That's true, isn't it?" Hotch asked voice filled with regret "I was such an ass."

"Eh" Emily said "You had your reasons, as wrong as they were, they were yours."

Hotch looked around at her apartment than back to the brunette on the couch with him, but at a distance from him.

"Your apartment looks the same since..." Hotch replied but was cut off.

Emily smirked at him, "The day you showed up, unannounced and told me that you wanted me to go with you to the Milwaukee case."

Hotch looked over at her, "Yeah and you ended up hit in the head with a two by four."

Shaking her head, "Hazards of the job."

Hotch leaned in and said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Ok..." Emily said.

Hotch groaned as the bright lights of the sun hit his face, rolling his hands across his face.

Hotch bolted up as he realized he wasn't in his house. He didn't know where he was.

A knock interrupted him from his miniature freak out.

"Yeah?" Hotch called out, as he looked down and saw he was in his boxers and a white shirt.

Hotch looked up to see the white walls of what had to be a guest bedroom, as the door opened and in came in Emily.

"Prentiss?" Hotch said confused "Why am I at your apartment?"

Hotch saw her chuckle lightly and noticed her in casual dark jeans and a dark blue shirt.

"You don't remember do you?" Emily asked handing Hotch coffee and aspirins.

"No." Hotch replied taking the coffee and aspirins in appreciation.

Emily sighed and sat on the chair, "Ok, short version. You showed up at my door at two in the morning. Drunk off your ass, told me that Natalie dumped you. And talked about us not being friends."

"Friends?" Hotch asked watching as Emily handed him his clothes "How did I get out of my clothes?"

"Well..." Emily said sheepishly grinning "I had to help you change."

"You did?" Hotch asked confused "Why?"

"You threw up on my living room floor while you were asking me a question." Emily said.

Hotch hung his head, "I'm sorry."

"It was an accident, Hotch." Emily said "It's no big deal."

Hotch noticed Emily get out of the chair "I cleaned your clothes and there's some light breakfast for you on the table."

Emily walked out as he said, "Thank you."

"No problem." Emily said "I'm going to let you get dressed now."

Hotch seen the door close, and he looked around at his surroundings, 'A nice warm home.'

After getting dressed, Hotch noticed on the dresser, a photo of the team minus him when they went out to a bar probably a few months back judging from the red in Garcia's now blonde hair.

'Why am I not in any of these pictures?' Hotch wondered 'Why haven't I made more of an effort to get to know Emily as a person, a friend?'

Hotch opened the door and looked at the wall of family photos, of the Prentiss' and some he recognized from his time on security detail for Ambassador Prentiss.

'I've known her for years, on my team only as Prentiss, and here I am in her home, and even after the way I treated her, she didn't throw me out on my ass.' Hotch thought 'Even after showing up drunk.'

"There you are." Emily said seeing Hotch come in from the hallway "Thought you got lost."

'No I think I just found myself' Hotch thought but said "Thanks for not throwing me out after showing up late and drunk."

Emily smiled and said, "You know you're actually an entertaining drunk."

Hotch raised an eyebrow and said "I didn't say or do anything humiliating did I?"

"Well aside from the vomiting on my carpet? Nah." Emily said "You did keep going on and on about us not being friends, though."

"Well are we friends?" Hotch asked.

"We can be if you want to." Emily replied handing him some juice with the light breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.

Hotch looked up and said, "I'd like that."

"Well, eat up friend." Emily said "Because from I could understand of slurring words last night, you wanted to take Jack to the park carnival."

Hotch's eyes widened "That's right, I did."

"Relax." Emily said "It's ten a.m. You've got plenty of time for the park."

Hotch sighed seeing that he did have time for his son, and his new friend.

Hotch looked over at Emily, who was placing her plate back in the kitchen and wondered if it was possible to get a second chance at being friends. He hoped so, because he needed a friend.

Thomas Aquinas said, "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."

The End

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