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“Do you see her yet Dad?” Jack asked as he looked around the arrivals of Dulles International Airport. According to the screen, her flight had landed fifteen minutes ago and the baggage had been removed from the plane. The Arrivals lounge was filled with passengers and relatives reuniting and hugging, wiping tears of relief, running into one another’s arms. With each swipe of the doors separating Customs from the Arrivals, Jack stood on tiptoes and craned his neck, shrinking back with disappointment as the doors shut again.
“She’ll be here soon,” Aaron reassured as he sent Will a message, letting him know that they were at the airport and would be there as soon as possible.
“You said that ages ago.” Jack reminded with a slight huff that caused Aaron to smile. Even now, he could still see flickers of Haley in his son. His slight impatience and the way he tapped his sneaker covered foot was Haley. She always hated to be late for anything or to have to wait on someone.
“That was when she was still on the plane,” Aaron reminded as the doors opened yet again. This time, he spotted a familiar head of dark hair and his heart swelled with affection at the sight of her. “There she is.”
Emily stepped around a group of tourists and her face lit up at the sight of Aaron and Jack. Jack sprinted forward and flung his arms around her and Emily hugged him back and beamed at Aaron who walked towards her. He joined the hug and squeezed her tightly. It had been far too long since they had last seen one another but for some reason, whenever they did see each other, it somehow felt like no time at all. “It’s so good to see you both,”
“It’s good to see you too,” Aaron smiled as he took the handle of her suitcase and Emily put her arm around Jack as they walked out of the airport. “How was your flight?”
“Better than expected,” Emily replied as they walked into the parking lot. “JJ and Garcia have both called me. I told them that I’ve been in meetings all day. They're not happy that I've not stolen the jet to come and see them again. I would have thought they had worked it out."
“Apart from the two of us, only Will knows. Of course, everyone else has been a little too distracted.” Aaron quipped as they got into the car. That was only a slight understatement; it had been non-stop chaos and excitement for the previous twenty four hours.
“Only slightly,” Emily laughed. Yesterday afternoon, JJ had finally gone into labour. Unlike Henry who was three weeks early, baby Michael was two weeks late. By the time Emily had boarded her flight at eleven that morning, London time, Baby Michael had been born. Emily glanced at her watch and tried to figure out what time it actually was. Flying through timezones and trying to mentally work out what time her body clock was still working at was giving her a headache. “At least she didn’t go into labour in the BAU this time.”
“Thankfully,” Aaron laughed. As soon as JJ and Will confirmed that they were having another baby, he, Will and Emily planned for today. Emily would book onto the first available flight to DC as soon as she got the call that JJ was in labour. She never regretted her decision to move to London but it was times like this, that she missed being with her family. She should have been there for the whole of JJ’s pregnancy, helped her with her cravings, trying to decorate the nursery with Will and Garcia, been able to just go to the hospital; not wait hours and fly 3000 miles just to meet her new nephew.
“He’s so beautiful,” Garcia sighed as she took even more photos of JJ holding Michael. Henry and Will had gone to get them some coffee and food and JJ smiled softly at her newborn son. She had to have taken hundreds but each one was needed. Michael was so small and beautiful and smelled of milk and perfect and he was here, he was finally here. Anyone who didn't fall instantly in love with him didn't have a heart.
“He is,” JJ said wistfully as she looked at Garcia. “Have you heard anything from Emily yet?”
“Not yet,” Garcia replied, the smile flickered from her face. “She’s probably leading a taskforce of British man candy to call us back.”
“One of them better have proposed if she’s been that busy.” JJ quipped as she rocked Michael gently in her arms. She tried not to feel hurt at the lack of contact from Emily. She knew Emily's job was important, she understood that Emily couldn't drop everything but it didn't make it hurt any less. JJ missed Emily and somehow, going through her pregnancy and labour without Emily's jokes, wisecracks and support - either by holding her hair, hugging her through the hormone-tears or providing her with snacks; it hadn't been the same. Yes, she had Will, Henry and the team but she missed Emily. “Someone needs to meet his auntie.”
“We’ll try and facetime her later,” Garcia reassured and smiled. “And if that doesn’t work, we’ll take the jet to London and drag her back. Interpol won't get her back, we'll keep her forever.”
“Sounds like a plan,” JJ said as the door opened and Will and Henry returned, followed by Aaron and Jack. In his hands, Will balanced a cardboard tray of coffee cups in his hands and Henry proudly carried a bag of baked goods from the hospital cafeteria.
“Look who we found in the lobby,” Will smiled as he handed Garcia her cup and took Michael into his arms, balancing him carefully as he passed JJ her cup. After nine months of being unable to drink caffeine, even the awful horrible coffee tasted perfect for her.
“How are you feeling?” Aaron asked as he looked at Michael over Will’s shoulder. He could never get over just how small, fragile and perfect newborns were. If he had had his way, he would have had a whole army of babies but he supposed the son he did have was perfect enough.
“Like I just gave birth,” JJ said dryly as Jack looked up at Michael. “What do you think Jack?”
“He’s so small, was I that small when I was born?” Jack asked Aaron who nodded and smiled softly at him, remembering how it felt to watch his son be born, to help Haley push him into the world, to hold him in his arms for the first time. Something so tiny, so full of love and so perfect... now he was almost ten and so grown up. Where had his little baby gone?
“You were smaller,” Aaron corrected as Will chuckled as he adjusted his hold on Michael. Michael was almost ten pounds, Henry had been seven and a half pounds and although he still felt small, he was definitely big for a newborn.
“Yeah, he’s a chunky little guy.” Will beamed proudly as he smiled at his wife. Like when she had given birth to Henry, he was left amazed by the sheer strength of his wife as she brought their second, perfect baby boy into the world. “He’ll be a linebacker for the Saints,”
“Redskins!” JJ protested. “No son of mine is playing for the Saints!”
“Whatever you say,” Will teased as he and Aaron smiled at each other. They had stalled for long enough. Emily told them to wait five minutes before she would come in. “Actually, Jen, we have a surprise for you.”
“What is it?” JJ asked but before Aaron or Will could answer; the door to JJ’s room was pushed open forcefully and Emily walked into the room. JJ’s mouth fell open as Garcia shrieked with delight, the noise disturbing Michael who began to fuss. “What are you doing here?!”
“Where else was I going to be?” Emily teased as she hugged Garcia tightly and carefully hugged JJ before she turned to Will. “Hand over that baby LaMontagne.”
“You should have told us!” Garcia said as Will passed Michael to Emily who carefully balanced him in her arms, rocking him gently and whispering to him.
“That’s the point of a surprise. Will and Aaron were in on it.” Emily pointed out, without taking her eyes from Michael. “Isn’t that right, Beautiful Boy? Auntie Emily had to surprise Mommy and Auntie Penny, didn’t she? Yes she did! And she had to meet such a handsome, gorgeous little boy."
“Are you staying in a hotel or do you want to stay at mine?” Garcia asked and Emily glanced over at Aaron who nodded. They had nothing to hide, even if the others would try and find what wasn’t there.
“I’m staying with Aaron and Jack but I’ll be here for a week. I’m owed vacation time and I haven’t seen you all for so long. Where’s Morgan, Rossi and Reid? Are they in Vegas again?” Emily asked, realising for the first time that they weren’t there.
“Not this time, they got called to consult on a case in Tennessee, they’re due to come back tomorrow.” Aaron replied. Emily sat on one of the chairs in the room and Jack and Henry stood on either side, looking at Michael as he opened his eyes and blinked up at her. Aaron was going to snap a photo but as always, Garcia was one step ahead and was rapidly snapping photos.
He always knew that Emily would have made an amazing mom and her devotion to Jack, Henry and now Michael was unbreakable. For a moment, Aaron imagined what Emily would have looked like with a group of boys of her own and he wondered just how different things would have been. He remembered the day before JJ went into labour when he overheard Emily joke that Will was the ‘last viable donor’ and he had played innocent, challenging her to tell him what she had meant. Maybe if things were different, they would have found themselves with their baby but just the fact that Emily was here, that she had come to see the team, see him, see Baby Michael; that was more than enough for him.