Author's Note: (frowns) Now I kind of wish that I had an awesome brother like Jack. But no, I'm an only child. Anyway... (I always get sidetracked on these Author's Note things) this story is pretty awesome and really cute. Like, really, really cute. So read it. Please? :) Avery will give you a hug if you do! :D

Disclaimer: I own Avery. But nothing and no one else. Wow...does that make me sound like a kidnapper, or what?


"Pst! Avery!" Jack whispered to his sister.

She looked up from the stuffed elephant that she was playing with. "Yeah?"

"Come here," he beckoned. The five year old ran into her brother's room. "Do you want to play a game with mom and dad?"

She nodded eagerly. "What kind of game?"

"Well…it's kind of like dress-up," Jack said.

Avery sat on his bed. "Are you going to dress-up? Or am I?"

"Hmm…you. You're going to be my best friend, okay?"

"I thought I was your best friend."

"You're my sister and best friend that's a girl. But I'm going to tell mommy that I was playing outside and met you, and now we're best friends," Jack explained.

Avery was really confused. "But…won't mommy recognize me?"

"Not if you're a boy."

Avery shot him an incredulous look. "How am I supposed to be a boy?"

Jack got up and fished through his clothes, finally pulling out a navy blue Captain America shirt and jeans. "You can wear these. They're small on me."

Avery smiled. "Do you think mommy's going to believe you?"

"Of course," Jack said confidently.

"Okay, turn around," Avery said.

Jack covered his eyes tightly as his sister changed into his clothes. Then a thought hit him. "You're going to need a hat," he said.

"A hat? Why?" She paused. "Oh, because of my hair…I can tie it in a bun. Then wear the hat."

He nodded. "Exactly."

"Okay, you can look," Avery said.

Jack laughed. "You look like a boy!"

She giggled. "Thank you," she said in a deep voice.

"Your voice needs to be deeper."

"I can't make it deeper, Jack."

"Hmm…then you can be my mute best friend."

"So, I don't talk?"

"Yeah."

Minutes later, Avery was fully decked out in Jack's clothes, complete with a Robin Hood looking hat. Jack narrowed his eyes. "Now you need a name."

"Yeah, because Avery is a girl's name," she said smartly, pulling on a pair of Jack's socks.

"I got it! Your middle name!"

Avery raised an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of her mother. "Don't be silly, Jack. Samantha is a girl's name, too!" She shot him a look that visibly said, "Duh!"

"I know, but Sam isn't," Jack said, smiling at his epiphany.

"Oh!" She grinned. "You're smart!"

"Thank you. And now, all we need to do is sneak out and come back in." At Avery's silence, he explained, "So mommy and daddy actually think that I met you outside."

"Okay," she said innocently, going along with her big brother's plan. "This is going to be fun."

"Definitely." He grabbed her hand and they silently crawled across the kitchen, past the back door, and into the backyard without attracting their parents' attention.

Or so they thought.

Emily was lying against Aaron's chest and reading a book in the living room when she heard the door close. "Did you hear that?"

Aaron nodded. "It was probably Jack and Avery playing outside. You know that the two of them can never get enough sunshine."

She smiled. "Of course. They're kids."

He buried his face in her hair and kissed her neck languidly. "So…tonight, we're going to have so much fun…" She closed her eyes and let her head fall back to his shoulder, a slow smile spreading across her face. "What I want to do to you…"

"Mom?"

Emily turned to look at her son. "Yeah, Jack?" Her eyes traveled to the boy standing next to him. He looked vaguely familiar…

"I want you and dad to meet my friend Sammy," Jack said, motioning to Avery.

Aaron placed his lips by her ear. "Isn't that…"

"Yeah. Play along," she whispered. Turning back to Jack and "Sammy," she stood. "Hi, Sammy. I'm Emily, Jack's mom."

Avery waved back and Jack explained, "He's mute."

Aaron got up and extended his hand. "Well, Sammy, it's nice to meet you."

Avery nodded and shook his hand.

"So, Jack," Emily began, "Have you introduced Sammy to Avery yet?"

"I'm sure they would be great friends," Aaron said.

"Um…no…I was playing with Sammy outside. I don't know where Avery is. Maybe she's in her room taking a nap," Jack said quickly.

Emily smiled at the two children. "I like your hat, Sammy," she said, fingering the long feather at the top.

Jack grinned. "Yeah, we were playing dress-up, and Sammy wanted to be Robin Hood, so I lent him my hat."

"I see…" Aaron said. "You like Captain America, too?" he asked, addressing Avery.

She nodded excitedly.

"Jack, I'm going to wake up Avery. Don't you think she's going to want to meet your friend?" Emily asked.

"Um…"

"I could go," Aaron suggested.

"No, you stay," she protested. There was a pause. "Or…I could just do this." And with a swoop of her hands, she took off the hat, causing Avery's bun to unravel and reveal her curly, shoulder length hair.

"Well, well, well," Aaron said with a smile.

It was completely silent.

Avery giggled. "I told you mommy would recognize me, Jack," she said.

Jack sighed. "It was worth a try."

The two adults laughed. Avery immediately pulled off the socks and started picking at the shirt. "I don't like boys' clothes very much…" she said quietly.

Emily smiled and ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Neither do I."

"But you look amazing in my dress shirts…" Aaron whispered so only she could hear.

"Oh, stop it," she said, hitting him playfully.

"You do." He turned to his son. "So Jack, what brought this on?"

"What do you mean?" the eight and a half year old asked.

"What made you and Avery decide to play dress-up?" Emily clarified.

The two young Hotchner's looked at each other and grinned before saying in unison, "We were bored."