A/N - Merry Christmas everyone

...

Emily smiled slightly when she laid her eyes on all the Christmas decorations around, feeling Brooke's hand tighten around hers, and she quickly bent down to get the young girl's bangs out of her eyes. "What is it sweetie?"

Brooklyn's big brown eyes looked to her mother and she bit her lip. "There are lots of people here, mommy."

Emily kissed her girl's pale forehead and she smoothed her fingers over the her small hand. "Sweetie, this isn't your first time to the mall. It's not that bad you know." She turned on her knees and pointed to a couple kids running around on a playground. "You can go and play over there if you wanna."

Brooklyn's young eyes widened with happiness as she saw a little kid being pushed on a swing by her mother, and a couple other kids taking turns on the slides. "Can I go! Please PLEASE?"

Emily chuckled as she felt her husband's hand land on her back. "Honey, keep your voice down ok? You can go, but Jack and Henry have to go with you. Along with Aunt Penny."

"But mommy!"

Emily shook her head slightly when she saw her daughter's lip coming out to a pout. "No, that's the deal. Either you go with your brother, Henry and Aunty Penny, or you can come with me and daddy and all the others to buy gifts and lunch. Now, which is it?" She watched as her daughter's doe like eyes widened slightly as she thought. "Got one yet?"

"Play with Aunt Penny!"

Emily bit her lip as she giggled, smoothing down her daughter's bangs and braids. "Ok, sounds good." She stood, Brooklyn's smaller hand still in hers as she looked to the redhead in the bright green dress. "PG, can you take the kids and play with them over on the playground? Brooke doesn't really wanna walk much more and we all still have presents to get."

"Of course my lady in red!"

Emily's eyes scrunched as she looked down at her wardrobe. "I'm in purple and black, Penelope."

Garcia's eyes darkened as she scurried over to her brunette friend, her mouth going straight for the woman's ear. "I saw those panties you put on for Mr. Hotchner. You are SO the lady in red, my Miss Scarlet Letter."

Emily's eyes widened as she chuckled nervously, her cheeks reddening as her friend's smile widened and her husband's laughter erupted from behind her. "Ok! Play time!" She kissed Brooklyn's forehead before giving her small hand to Garcia's. "Why don't we meet over by McDonald's in about an hour or two? We'll all probably be hungry by then."

Garcia smiled wide before looking from the tiny brunette next to her to the two boys by their fathers. "Come on chicklings! We're going to play and have fun, and roam like cattle!"

Emily groaned as she felt her husband's arm wrap around her shoulders. "Garcia, our children are not cattle."

Her smile immediately faded as she felt Brooklyn's arms wrap around her waist and Henry poke at her dress. "But Bossman!"

"He's right Penny." Kevin came up from his hiding position by Morgan and stood next to his girlfriend. "What about when we have kids? You aren't gonna want them to be called cattle, right?"

Garcia's eyes lit up before kissing her nerdy boyfriend on his nose. "You wanna have kids?"

"Well, y-yes. That is I-if you wanna! I m-mean if you d-don't then never mind, I don't w-want them! Everything's up t-to you, darling."

The group laughed at Kevin's widened eyes, and watched as the two took the kids over to the playground. Emily then looked up to her husband and held the hand that lay on her shoulder. "You ready to go and get more presents?"

Hotch nodded, hearing the groups bickering as they all started to move throughout the floor. "I think I am." He held her next to him and waited until everyone else was just a little farther ahead.

"Aaron? Why aren't we moving?"

Hotch grinned before pulling her body to his, his lips descending on hers. He chuckled as she smiled instantly, her arms going around his neck.

"EW! Grownup spit!"

Both Hotchners pulled away and looked over to the playground, where both Brooklyn and Jack were making disgusted faces.

Hotch chuckled as he leaned his forehead against his wife's, his eyes lighting up as he saw her smile up at him. "Ready to go shopping for the kids?"

Emily bit her lip as she giggled, letting his arm encircle her waist. "I am beyond ready. Let's go!"

Two hours and fifteen minutes, Emily was smiling as her husband's grip on her hand tightened and her ears were filled with the sounds of Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan lightly arguing about television behind her. "So, how do you think Brookie and Jack are?"

Hotch nodded as he tried to level the five bags in his one hand. "They're with Kevin and Penelope, and don't forget Jack. They probably didn't even notice we're a tad late."

Both adults immediately froze when there was a voice over the loudspeaker.

"Brooklyn Faith Hotchner, please report to the customer service desk over by the upstairs bathrooms. Brooklyn Faith Hotchner, please come to the customer service desk by the upstairs bathrooms, by the large McDonalds sign."

Both Morgan and Rossi looked to the wide eyed brunette couple, their mouths wide as they watched them quickly run off down the mall floor.

Hotch and Emily quickly reached the customer service desk, their equally brown eyes hardening on the young redhead behind the counter. "We're here about Brooklyn Hotchner."

The young girl looked up from the computer, her nametag declaring her as 'Abby', her eyes immediately looking relieved. "Oh thank goodness! Have you two found her?"

Emily felt her eyes bug out as her grip on the bags in her hand loosened, feeling her husband's hand tightening around her arm. "What do you mean 'found'? Where the hell is she!"

"I'm so sorry, she's been missing for the past twenty minutes."

"WHAT?"

Abby's eyes widened as she looked at the angered couple. "I'm sorry, who are you two?"

Hotch felt his eyes harden as Emily let out a sob into his neck. "We're her parents. Emily and Aaron Hotchner." He ran his fingers through his wife's hair as he felt his jaw clench. "What happened to our daughter?"