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I.
Emily looked up as she heard footsteps and tilted her head when Aaron walked in, accompanied by his little son.
“And this is Ms. Prentiss, Jack,” Aaron said, gesturing towards the black-haired woman. “You’ve met her before, you remember, don’t you? She was at Uncle Dave’s house for his birthday, and she drives Daddy home sometimes.”
She smiled as Jack shyly waved at her before wrinkling her nose. “Ms. Prentiss makes me sound so old. Do you think I’m old, Jack?”
Jack giggled. “I dunno. Are you?”
Emily pressed a hand to her chest, shaking her head. “Oh, of course not! You can call me Emily instead.”
“Emmy?” Jack asked, testing the sound on his tongue.
The corners of Aaron’s mouth turned up. “Ehm-uh-lee, Jack.”
“Emmy!”
Emily’s smile grew wider as Jack let go of his father’s hand to hug her. She met Aaron’s eyes and winked as she pushed her rolling chair back and spun the two of them around, Jack squealing with delight.
“Jess had an emergency at the hospital, so she dropped him off here on her way there.” Aaron explained.
“You’re lucky we don’t have any cases today.” Emily teased and Aaron gave a soft laugh. Then, his phone started ringing and he held up a finger to excuse himself.
“Oh, maybe I spoke too soon,” Emily murmured as Jack begged her to spin him around again.
Aaron sighed, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Strauss.”
“Dam- I mean, darn, that sucks,” Emily laughed as Jack chided her for almost saying a bad word.
“Emily, I hate to ask, but-”
She glanced up at him then, a soft smile on her face. “Yeah, I’ll watch him.”
Aaron’s chest squeezed. He didn’t know how he couldn’t have trusted Emily before. She was a vital asset to the team, her demeanour serious and her brain filled with intelligence that could rival Reid’s. Despite that, her sympathy with victims made her likeable and she had fit into the unit perfectly.
And now here they were, their rocky start turning into a tentative friendship.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Take your time,” Emily said, barely giving him a glance as she blew raspberries into Jack’s cheeks. “We’ll be here.”
When Aaron returns an hour later, it’s to Emily walking around the bullpen, Jack in her arms as she hums a gentle lullaby into his ear. His hands are clutched to her blouse, head resting against the crook of her shoulder and neck while his eyes flutter closed. The rest of the team watched with apt interest, the flash of JJ’s phone signalling a photo that would quickly be sent to Garcia.
Watching Emily with his son warmed something deep in him. She was just so perfect.
Aaron jolted, unsure where that idea came from, uncertain where the idea that Emily was his idea of perfection.
Rossi snuck up behind him, hands in his pockets. “Well, isn’t that something?”
“Dave.”
The older man only smirked.
II.
“Daddy’s home!”
Aaron smiled as he turned the lock on the front door, setting his briefcase down and barely unbuttoning his jacket as Jack ran up to him, launching his arms around his waist.
“Hey, buddy, I missed you.”
“Me too.” Jack murmured absentmindedly before sprinting away. Aaron huffs out a laugh as he follows him into the living room, where Emily sits, draped in a grey blanket and a makeshift crown wobbling on her head. Jack’s Legos and the couch pillows are stacked in piles around her, obviously a feeble attempt at a castle.
“Hi, Hotch.” Emily greeted cheerfully, unphased by whatever shenanigans his son must’ve put her up to. He stifled a laugh at the sight and tried to prevent the urge to take a picture, not wanting to be under her wrath if it got into the hands of Morgan.
Aaron had had to go with Rossi and Morgan to testify at a trial and he had called Emily, asking if she could watch Jack for a couple hours. She had barely hesitated, showing up to his apartment with takeout and a gentle smile on her face as Jack shrieked with excitement at her presence.
Aaron did not admit that he, too, was excited to see her.
He wasn’t exactly sure when it had been Emily he had started pairing with on cases or when she had been the one he called when he needed someone to watch Jack. But she was just so good at everything , he was in awe of her.
“Emmy’s a princess and she’s locked in the tower,” Jack explained seriously. He bent over to pick up a toy sword on the ground. “I’mma save her.”
The warm feeling he gets in his chest whenever he sees Emily with his son returns as he watches Jack hop around the living room, yelling with delight before jumping onto Emily, complete trust that she’d catch him.
She scoops him up, pressing kisses into his cheeks. “Thank you for saving me, my brave knight!”
Aaron hates to be the one to break their fun. “Right, Jack, it’s time for bed.”
“No!” Jack protested. “I wanna stay and play with Emmy.”
“We’ve played all day, Jack-Jack,” Emily said. “Aren’t you tired?”
“No. Not even a lil’ bit.”
As the boy says this, he yawns and Emily and Aaron share a small smile.
“Okay, how about… I’ll tuck you into bed and tell you a quick story, right after you brush your teeth.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Okay!”
Emily winked at Aaron, who shook his head. She smiles, leading Jack away from the living room.
Aaron bent down, beginning to tidy up the living room. Once he’d finished, Emily returned, her eyes bright.
“Out like a light. I didn’t even finish my story.”
Under the soft glow of the lamp in the hallway, she looked stunning. She always looked beautiful, but there was something about her relaxed manner, the way her hair was still slightly mussed up from the paper crown.
Emily laughs, a floaty, melodic sound that follows Aaron even after she leaves, a thank you spilling from his mouth and a quick hug from her and a simple statement of anytime.
The smell of her hair and the feeling of her gentle touch haunted him for several days.
III.
After the explosion, bouts of dizziness come to Aaron, any noise ringing sharply in his ear.
He remembers the Angel Maker, the sound of the coffin being lifted harsh as he heard it. Emily’s hands on his elbows calmed him and they hadn’t spoken of it again.
But now… It was a quiet Sunday morning and he had promised to take Jack to the park, although he could barely bring himself out of bed.
“Jack,” Aaron murmurs weakly as pain shoots across his head. “Can you call Emily on Daddy’s phone, please?”
Jack screams with excitement and Aaron winces as he faintly hears his son run away to the office. His head is spinning.
About twenty minutes later, he hears Jack squeal as the front door opens, shoes shuffling in the hallway. Emily walks into his room a moment later, her eyes flitting across the space, and Aaron smiles, despite his feeling unwell.
“Hey, Hotch.”
“Shh!” Jack whispers loudly. “Daddy’s ears hurt.”
“Oh.” Emily nods in understanding and he feels her standing above him, her hand brushing against his shoulder softly.
“I bought you takeout.”
“Emmy! Daddy said we’d go to the park, but he can’t anymore.”
“I’ll take you, sweetie, don’t worry. Why don’t you go pick a toy to bring with us?”
Aaron shook his head, pain flying across his face as Jack loudly chitchats, footsteps thumping around the house. “Emily, you don’t have-”
“Shush,” Emily said as she drew his curtains closed, encasing the room in darkness. “I grabbed some medicine and water on the way here. They’re on the kitchen counter. Don’t worry about me and Jack. We’re going to go get some ice cream and swing on the swings for a couple hours.”
“Besides, you know Jack won’t be able to keep quiet enough to let you rest.”
She winked at him, although he couldn’t see her, and he huffed out a laugh.
“Emily-”
“I said not to worry, Aaron,” Emily repeated, bending down close enough. “We’re friends, right? Friends do these things for each other.”
Aaron almost scoffed, but he didn’t argue with her.
“Feel better. We’ll be back later.” Emily’s hand squeezes his shoulder once more and Aaron falls asleep quickly after that, the pain drifting away as he settles into dreamland.
IV.
The next time Emily came over was after Foyet, after their lives had forever been altered.
They had grown closer after she had taken care of him when his ears had him curled over in pain, her touch gentle as she accompanied him to doctor’s visits. In return, he bought her coffee and lunch, dropping it off at her desk when they got into the office.
He and Jack found themselves at her apartment for dinner, the two of them sharing stories from their youth as Jack watched cartoons. Emily purchased Legos and cars during the girl's shopping days, which sparked inquiries from JJ and Garcia, to keep at her house for Jack to play with as their dinners became routine after rough cases.
After Foyet, Aaron’s walls were rebuilt. But Emily had always been stubborn, pushing into Aaron’s defences, insisting that she would drive him to and from work, despite having been cleared. She now was the one who bought two cups of coffee in the mornings now and stayed behind with him in the office to finish up paperwork rather than go home to a house that haunted him.
Another meeting called for Aaron’s appearance and Jess was on call, unable to come and watch Jack. So, he phoned the one person he trusted to watch his son and she appeared at his doorstep, a gentle smile on her face as she stepped inside, hugging him briefly.
“Emmy!” Jack said cheerfully, hugging her legs. Emily ruffled his hair as she looked up at Aaron.
“Have fun with Strauss.” She said cheekily and he shook his head.
“No promises. Jack, why don’t you grab your new Lego set to show Emily while Daddy talks to her for a second?”
Jack nods enthusiastically and Aaron sighs. “You know to put him down at 8, right? Well, um, he’s been getting nightmares. I usually will just have him come into bed with me, but… I just wanted to let you know-”
“Aaron,” Emily said softly, her eyes filled with sympathy. “I know. It’s okay. We all get them.”
Aaron smiled then, her assurance resting on his shoulders like a warm blanket. He bids them both goodbye and leaves.
A couple hours later, he gets a text from Emily, confirming what he had feared- Jack had had a pretty rough nightmare.
He fumbled for his things, Rossi ushering him to go home, and he’s stuck in traffic for at least another hour before he can finally pull into the driveway. When he comes back, it’s eerily quiet and his heart skips a beat as he checks the rooms.
The kitchen is tidied, dishes drying on the rack, takeout styrofoam buried in the trash can. The living room is cleared, not a trace of Jack’s toys or books scattered across the carpet, the pillows neatly lined up against the couch.
He peeks into Jack’s room and his heart softens at the sight.
Jack was pressed into Emily, the blankets wrapped around them, and a stuffed cat clutched in his hand. Emily’s arm was curled protectively around Jack’s small frame, her head gently resting against the headboard. Both of them were fast asleep, the glow of the nightlight surrounding the both of them.
Aaron couldn’t help himself as he pressed a gentle kiss to both of their foreheads, letting them get the much needed sleep.
When Emily wakes up the next day, it’s to Aaron Hotchner and his son making her pancakes and they spend the day together, all fragments of Jack’s harsh nightmare about Foyet gone.
Then, she spends the night again, this time in Aaron’s bed.
V.
When Emily returns from Paris, she’s different.
Of course she would be.
She was distant, her mind still sharp as she helped solve the many cases that came through, but she was sad, her eyes hollow as flashbacks of her past chased her.
But still, she stayed close with Aaron, being reunited with Jack, who hadn’t known she was gone, only that she was fighting bad guys and might not be home soon. He had acted as if she had never really gone away, her heart warming at the boy who had quickly wormed his way into her heart.
Just like his father.
They found themselves settling into a routine, Emily coming over to help Jack with his homework while Aaron cooked dinner. Emily fell into Aaron’s bed at night, his presence saving her from horrors that plagued her, him holding her as she cried.
They never really specified what they were exactly, but both knew they couldn't live without the other, their love growing quietly and pulsing between them with everyday that they spent together.
The team knew there was something about the two of them, evident in the way Aaron’s hand found her knee under conference tables, the bright smiles Emily shot at him despite the gruesome cases they worked.
They were happy for their friends, both deserving of peace after what they had endured.
Now, Emily was shaking, crying out in fear, and Aaron rolled over, gently nudging her awake. “Sweetheart?”
“Sorry, nightmare.” She whispered and he sighed as he pulled her to him even closer.
“Want to talk about it?”
“It’s fine, Aaron. It’s not real, anyways,” Emily said sadly. “He’s… He’s dead.”
“Sweetheart-”
The door creaks open and both agents shoot up, but it’s just Jack, with tears streaming down his face. “Emmy? Dad?”
“Hi, sweetie, what’s wrong?” Emily asked, arms opening as the boy, now eight and almost as tall as her shoulder, cuddles up with her.
“I had a nightmare,” He said softly. “You were… You were gone and Dad was gone, too.”
“It’s alright, Jack. We’re both here. You’re okay.” Aaron assured and Jack nodded slowly, pressing his face into Emily’s neck.
Emily kissed Jack’s forehead and Aaron squeezed her shoulder.
“
Are you ok?
” He mouthed and Emily shook her head.
Despite her own terrors spinning in her mind, Jack needed them.
Emily’s hand reached for Aaron’s and he gave it to her willingly. She squeezed his hand to assure him, feeling his worry heightening as she hugged Jack to her.
“Goodnight, Jack Jack.”
“Night, Emmy,” The boy said sleepily. “Love you.”
Emily smiled, her own tears dry on her cheeks. “I love you too, sweetie.”
The small family fell asleep together, not a hint of their nightmares surrounding them the next morning, except for the heavy circles under Emily’s eyes.
Emily
Emily didn’t really think anything of it at first, the sharp pains in her stomach that started a week after Jack’s nightmare.
She summed it up to bad cramps, taking an Advil and using Sergio as her personal heat pad. It disappeared after a few days.
But it began coming in waves, sometimes hitting her at home when she was watching a movie with her cat, sometimes coming to her as she sat on the BAU jet, wincing in pain. It happened when she was babysitting Jack, the kid asking her if she had an owwie and Emily promising him she was okay.
It even happened during her favourite moments with Aaron as he kissed up her thighs, her doubling over as pain shot through her body. He had panicked, thinking he’d done something wrong, and she had told him it was a bad cramp, maybe from the way she had been sleeping on the plane or a still-painful bruise after a fall while chasing down an Unsub through rocky terrain.
The others on the team noticed, too, and Emily waved it off, calling it a side effect of her fight with Doyle.
Aaron had raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled at him, promising with her eyes that she was fine. He had dropped the topic and the team resumed their victimology discussion.
Then it happened again, a week later, this time more prominent, and accompanied with a bout of vomiting. Morgan had been teasing her about her goth era once more when she had paled significantly, mouth coming to her hand as her stomach churned. JJ held her hair back as she retched, the rest of the team hovering around her.
“Emily.”
The team shared similar surprise, still shocked at the turn their friends’ relationship had taken, with her first name out of Hotch’s mouth, him kneeling down to peer at her ghostly face.
Even at her insistence of her being fine, Aaron nudged her shoulder, his lips quirked up in a small smile. “For me?” He had asked and she hadn’t been able to refuse. “I’ll come see you once we’re done.”
“Bring Jack with you?”
“Of course.”
So now she was at home, curled up as the pain came and went by the hour, and she had fallen asleep to will it away when she heard keys jingle into the door. Excited stomps and giggles let her know that it was Jack and his father.
“Emmy!” Jack squealed, bursting through the door and running over to her, leaping onto the couch with her. Emily smiled, reaching out to hug him, when the pain came back, causing her to bend over and cry out.
“Emmy? Are you okay?” Jack trembled as she blacked out. “Daddy! Daddy!”
“Jack? What’s wrong?” Aaron asked, dropping the takeout he had bought with him as he rushed into her living room.
Jack started to bawl. “It’s Emmy, Daddy.”
“Emily!”
Appendicitis.
Of course it was.
After a text sent to Garcia, whom Hotch knew would gather up the rest of the team, he had hauled both his son and his… Emily to the hospital, where he may or may not have flashed his badge and gun in order to get her to a private room and seen as soon as possible by a lanky doctor by the name of Lewis.
Emily was always there for him and Jack. This was one of the few times they would be able to be there for her, too.
Aaron paced the waiting room, Morgan bouncing Jack up and down on his knee and Garcia letting him play with her jewellery in an effort to get him to stop crying. JJ and Reid murmured quietly amongst themselves while Rossi thumbed his rosary back and forth between his hands.
“Family of Emily Prentiss?”
“That’s us!” Garcia exclaimed.
“How is she, Doctor?” Aaron asked softly.
“The surgery went very well. Her appendix was very close to rupturing, but we were able to remove it and prevent that. She’ll be able to be discharged tomorrow if all goes well,” The doctor smiled politely. “She’s asking for a Mr. Aaron Hotchner and a Jack Hotchner.”
Jack launched himself off of Morgan’s knee and ran to Aaron, who scooped him up, and they followed the doctor to Emily’s room, where the woman was leaning against the hospital bed. She smiled as her boys walked in.
“Emmy!” Jack squirmed in Aaron’s arms and he set him down carefully.
“You have to be careful, Jack. Emily just had surgery.”
“Oh.” Jack said quietly, mindful of where he curled up next to her. Emily beamed.
“I missed you, Jack.”
“Me too. Me and Daddy were really worried! You wouldn’t wake up!”
“I know. I’m sorry, sweetie.” Emily glanced up at Aaron’s furrowed eyebrows.
“It’s not your fault, honey.”
“I know,” Aaron said. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” Emily answered honestly. “You’ve already got so much on your plate. I don’t want to ever… Burden you.”
“Emily,” Aaron shook his head as he bent down to place a kiss on her cheek. “You could never burden me. Ever. I need you to tell me if something's wrong. It could be the smallest thing. Emily, I can't... I won't lose you."
Emily sniffed as she hugged Jack carefully. "You won't, Aaron."
“And Emmy!” Jack added. “You always take care of me and Daddy.”
“He’s right,” Aaron nodded. “From the start. It was always you, Emily. But we’re a team, you and I.”
“And me, Daddy!”
“And Jack,” Aaron paused with a smile. “Emily-”
“Aaron.” She whispered, a huge smile on her face as she pressed their lips together, tasting something like promise . They’d kissed before, but this tasted different. It tasted like forever .
“Ew, guys!” Jack squawked, jumping off the bed, Emily wincing as she was jostled.
“Jack!”
“Emmy and Daddy are kissing, Uncle Dave!” Jack screamed as he ran out of the room. The two heard laughter and mirth from their friends and Aaron pulled away reluctantly as they heard the footsteps of the team.
“Oh, they’ll be insufferable.” Aaron sighed, his hand on Emily’s cheek.
She laughed, leaning into his touch.
“It’s okay. Their ribbing’s worth it.”