What Did I Just Hear?

Disclaimer: CBS is the sole proprietor of all things connected to Criminal Minds...

Summary: Hotch overhears a conversation between Emily and Dave which makes him worry...

A/N: A little something that came to me. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review.

A Chinese Proverb said, "To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk as well, and is as essential to all true conversation."

"I understand, ma'am" Hotch said into his office phone, rolling his eyes at Strauss' voice, "As soon as I speak with Rossi, I'll call you back. Yes, ma'am. Yes, all right. Bye."

Putting down his phone, rubbing his face, he sighed at the idea that ever since Strauss' return that he knew that she'd be even more dictator-esque since she sobered up.

It wasn't that he was unhappy that she's recovering, but he knew that she'd want to put her mark on her return and that meant cracking down on her unit, the BAU.

And as much as Hotch enjoyed leading his team, he didn't like being under Strauss' thumb.

And now he was going to have to give Dave the news that he wouldn't enjoy anymore then he did.

Hotch threw down his pen and stood up, buttoning his suit jacket and headed for his office door when he paused.

Frowning, he looked down into bullpen and saw most of his agents were hard at work on the backed up files that had accrued over the past week while they were away on a case.

The only problem with this was that he was one agent down. Emily wasn't there.

He scanned the rest of the bullpen and even as far into the break room but she wasn't to be found.

Shrugging off the unease he walked down the narrow catwalk to Dave's office and lifted his hand to knock when he heard a breathy laugh that made his stomach tighten in recognition.

He knew that laugh like he knew the back of his hand. It belonged to Emily.

"You're joking right?" Dave said with a chuckle.

"Oh believe me, I'm not" Emily giggled, "I've been thinking about this all day long."

"Really?" Dave asked, Hotch could hear the amusement in the older man's tone.

Hotch stood there immobile, feeling like a statue as he heard the soft and witty banter from the two.

"Cara mia" Dave murmured, "Tell me you want this."

"I... I don't know" Emily's soft tone said, "Are you sure? Are you really sure you want this?"

Hotch could hear a light gasp escape the brunette's lips as a rumble came from Dave.

"I never wanted anything more in my whole life" Dave's deep voice said, "Sweetheart, I know it's scary but that's why they call it a leap of faith."

"I know" Emily sighed, and Hotch moved closer to the door, "But it's just... what's everyone going to think?"

"Honey, it doesn't matter what others think" Dave told her, and Hotch had to strain his ear to listen better, "As long as we are happy, isn't that what's important?"

"Well, yeah of course" Emily started, "Are you sure you want to?"

Dave chuckled, then Hotch frowned when he heard a sigh escape the brunette, "I take that as a yes?"

"That's a big hell yeah" Emily said, "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?"

Hotch felt himself ball his hands into a fist, wishing to pelt his older friend for his betrayal.

After all didn't Dave know that Emily was meant for him?

Dave was the one who urged him to look deep inside himself after his relationship with Beth flopped. Hell he even threatened to kick his ass if he waited too long.

Hotch unclenched his hands wondering did he wait too long? Was this payback for not pursuing the brunette agent?

Shaking his head at that thought, he told himself that Dave Rossi should have known better.

It was an unspoken agreement between friends not just men to not go after the women that the other was interested in.

Hotch knew that Emily was the perfect woman for him, just like she knew he was the only one for her.

They were two halves of the same coin and complimented each other in every possible way. How could they not be meant for each other?

But it seemed to Hotch that Dave was breaking that agreement, and the Alpha male in him wanted to throttle the other man for going after his woman. Emily was his.

"Stop it" Emily chuckled pulling Hotch from his self-imposed haze.

The dark-haired man quickly looked around the bullpen before leaning in to hear better.

"Make me" Dave's deep voice said.

The dark-haired Unit Chief's stomach tightened at the tenderness in Dave's tone of voice.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and felt like he was going to lose his cool if they became a couple.

He couldn't handle that and it took all of his will power to not scream in anger at that idea.

"You sir are incorrigible" Emily teased, letting out a playful shriek while Dave chuckled louder.

Hotch could feel the anger rising in him and he couldn't stand this anymore. He didn't want this to happen, not here and definitely not now.

He didn't know which he wanted to do more, kick Dave's ass or claim Emily as his. Both, he thought darkly.

Hotch raised his hand to the door preparing to knock when a thought struck him, why knock when he could barge in and make the two feel guilt.

Placing his hand onto the door he paused when he heard their voices again.

"Come on, sweetheart" Dave said, as Hotch tightened his grip on the doorknob, "I'm so surprised that you're agreeing to this. I mean what about him?"

Hotch frowned, wondering who they were talking about. He briefly wondered if they were talking about him.

"What about him?" Emily asked, "Screw him, he took too long. If he wanted this he would've said something a long time ago, right?"

Hotch felt his stomach recoil at that, he knew he waited too long. And now it was too late, she wanted to be with Dave. Dave of all people.

"Well what choice do you have?" Dave asked her, "He kept his feeling buried inside. What about us?"

"With everything that's been going on" Emily started, "And what we feel for each other, maybe we should keep it low-key for a while. I mean I know you said to hell with what everyone else thinks but there are consequences and I wouldn't want either one of us to have to pay a price for our jobs. After all there's nothing typical about our jobs."

"I know" Dave whispered, "I just wish that we didn't have to hide us from the rest of the world."

Emily chuckled, "You want to proclaim us to the rest of the world, don't you?"

"Yes, I want to stand on the highest mountain and tell the rest of the world you're mine" Dave said, "But how can I if never held you, touched you or even kissed you."

Hotch backed away from the door, he wanted nothing more than to go in there and say those words to Emily, but Dave beat him to the punch.

And that punch was right to his gut. He stood there in total disbelief but looks up at the door when she finally speaks.

"Kiss me" Emily whispered.

That was it for Hotch, he wasn't going to stand there and listen to the woman he always wanted choose his friend over him. Even if she turned him down he wasn't going down without her knowing how he felt.

He barged in, surprising the two people who meant the most to him in the whole BAU.

The two, sitting beside each other on the couch, jumped at the sight of the intruding man marching towards them.

"Aaron, what the hell?" Dave started as he stood up only to meet the fist of the angry team leader.

Dave fell backwards on the couch in stunned silence, while Emily kneeled beside the older man to check on Dave.

"Hotch?" she angrily cried out, "What the hell did you do that for?"

"What?" he asked looking from the angered face of Emily to the puzzled face of Dave.

"Why did you punch Dave?" Emily asked, helping the older man sit up and run her hand over his face checking him over.

"Why do you think?" Hotch gritted out, noticing her tender care to the other man, "Do you really think work is the place to behave in such an inappropriate and unprofessional manner?"

"What?" the two confused agents asked.

"You asked him to kiss you" Hotch said, trying to reign in his anger, "I hardly think the BAU is the place to start an office romance but to each their own. Just keep it out of the office."

Emily frowned at that, but Dave raised an eyebrow.

"Aaron have you been drinking?" Dave asked, looking over at the equally puzzled woman beside him, "Or are you stoned? What the hell makes you think either of us are starting an office relationship."

"Don't lie to me" Hotch said, "I heard you two, whatever the hell it was, you two are obviously planning a relationship just keep it out of the office or Strauss will have all our heads."

"Overheard us?" Emily asked, "You mean you eavesdropped. Look, I don't like other people listening in on my private conversations..."

"Then don't talk about personal things at the office" Hotch barked out, watching Emily flinch at the hostility, "Just keep it out of the BAU and it's fine."

Emily grabbed the papers she had sitting beside her and stormed out of the office, "Dave we'll talk once he's gone."

Slamming the door, Hotch grunted when he felt a notebook hit his face, "What's this?"

"This, you jackass, is the edited version of a manuscript to a book I'm working on" Dave said groaning as he stood up, "Emily was helping me with it."

"What?" Hotch asked, looking down at the manuscript, and reading over what he just heard less than five minutes earlier, "Since when do you write anything other than crime stories?"

Dave walked over to his desk pulling out a kleenex and dabbing his nose, "You cause any more damage to my pretty mug and we're going to have problems."

Hotch looked down, "Dave, seriously. What's going on between you and Prentiss?"

Dave sighed sitting down, "She wanted to help me with my manuscript. That's it Aaron, there wasn't anything tawdry or illicit going on here. So wipe that panicked look off your face."

Hotch looked up from the unfinished work to his friend, "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"That's putting it mildly" Dave said rubbing his aching face, "I know."

Hotch sat down, dropping the manuscript in front of Dave, "How do I fix this?"

"Tell her the truth, Aaron" Dave told him, "Above all else, she deserved to know why you were a total ass to her. And me."

"And that'll work?" Hotch asked.

"I don't know, Aaron" Dave said, "But it couldn't hurt and besides I've got a pretty good feeling she feels the same way. Just try not to accuse her of anything or else we'll have a problem."

Hotch looked down into the bullpen, and watched as the angry brunette stormed into the break room making others flee from her.

"Yeah, this isn't going to be easy." Hotch muttered walking out of Dave's office.

Emily grumbled to herself as she grabbed onto the coffee pot angrily pouring the steaming hot liquid into the white Bureau mug.

She wasn't just angry, she was pissed off, "So much for that dream of a happily ever after."

"Talking to yourself?" Hotch said, watching as her shoulders tensed up before setting the coffee down, "Emily?"

"What Hotch, what do you want?" she asked, turning and giving him a glare that told him how mad she really was.

"I'm sorry" he said, watching her raise an eyebrow at that, "I know that saying it isn't enough but I am sorry for blowing up at you."

"Why?" she asked, turning back to her coffee, "Why the hell did you think Dave and I would even... Dave, seriously?"

Hotch chuckled, watching her whip around again with her eyes narrowed directly on him, "Why the hell does any man lose it? Over a woman, over you."

Emily backed up stunned, "What? Me?"

Hotch slowly walked to her, nodding, "I hate to admit this, but I was jealous."

"Jealous?" she repeated, biting her lip.

"I thought that you were picking Dave..." Hotch slowly said, "And I... well I was jealous."

"And you've never been jealous before?" Emily finished watching his eyes trail to the floor, almost in shame.

"Yeah" he quietly murmured "I didn't want to lose you."

Emily licked her lower lip, as she slowly walked forward and placed her hands on Hotch's cheeks, "Kiss me."

His eyes widened in surprise "Emily?"

The brunette leaned forward, whispering again, "Kiss me."

Hotch wrapped his arms around the petite woman pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. He felt her relax in his embrace and that thrilled him as he deepened the kiss.

Both didn't know what the future held, but they were looking forward to it together.

"The first duty of love is to listen" Paul Tillisch

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