"Are you coming, Emily?" Jack called up the stairs, and she smiled, taking one last look at her reflection. Patting her hair gently, she turned and picked up her shawl from off the bed and hurried down the stairs. "Finally! I thought you were going to take forever!"
"Sorry, kiddo. You know that it takes me time to pick out the best outfit. And I wanted to look perfect for my best friend's wedding." She ruffled his hair before straightening his tie and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
"Emily, you know that I don't like that," he muttered as he swiped his hand against the spot she'd kissed.
Aaron came into the room, straightening his bow tie, and giving her a soft smile. "So, are we all ready?" he asked, bringing his arm to rest around her waist.
"Finally, Dad." Jack shook his head as he stalked off, looking every inch like his father in that moment.
Emily couldn't help but laugh and she let Aaron lead her out to the garage. "I never thought I'd ever attend a wedding like this."
"Like what, Emily?" Jack asked, sounding defensive, and she shrugged.
"Where it's so completely out of the blue. I never expected my best friend to pull a surprise like this." She settled back into the passenger seat, turning her head to watch Hotch as he drove. "I mean, I knew that she and Will were having issues, we talked about that all the time, even when I came home two years ago. We both ended up following our bliss, but her bliss turned out to be so different from mine."
Emily reached out and rested her hand on Hotch's upper arm, smiling at him widely. "I didn't see it coming either, and I'm a profiler who spent many hours working with her closely. I never even knew that she liked women that way!"
Emily nodded and they were quiet the rest of the ride to Rossi's house. JJ had been quite insistent on making new, better, memories in his garden, determined to eradicate the ghosts of the past that were still trying to haunt her. "Aaron?"
"Yes, Em?"
"I love you."
"What brought that on?"
She shrugged a little. "The wedding. It's a time for romance and love, and you just needed to hear those words from me. So, I love you."
"I love you, too."
"And what about me?" Jack asked demandingly, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Of course I love you, Jack! How could one not love one as adorable as you are?" She watched him blush and grinned at him until he smiled back. "So, you don't mind me staying with you guys forever?"
"No, you're kinda cool. I mean, it's not every day that I get to tell my friends that my dad is seeing a spy!" His smile widened into a goofy grin and she started to laugh as Hotch pulled into the drive, parking behind Blake's car. Ever the gentleman, he came over to her side and helped her from the car. "So, when is my little brother going to be here?" Jack asked as he took hold of her free hand.
Emily felt her eyes widen as she looked at Hotch nervously. "Um, what?"
"Yeah, I know you're pregnant, I overheard you talking to JJ about what you were going to do, and how you didn't want to be a trap. I didn't get that part, but, I do know about being pregnant. So, when is he going to get here?"
"We'll talk about that when we get home, all right?" Hotch said, tightening his fingers around her hand. Jack nodded and dragged them through the gate into the back yard. JJ was pacing nervously, and she disentangled her hand from his so that she could go over to her best friend.
"Oh good, you're finally here!" she cried, throwing her arms around Emily and hugging her tightly. "They've been holed up in our bedroom for hours getting her ready, and all I want to do is marry her and kiss her and start our lives together."
"I'm sure that Erin just wants to look perfect for you, hun. She loves you and I think that she might just feel a little insecure, given your age difference."
"Once again, you are the voice of reason. Here, sit up in the front row." JJ led her over to the chairs and then they heard a commotion at the door. Rossi was holding on to Erin's arm and she looked radiant. "It's time."
She nodded and took a seat, sighing when Hotch slipped in to the seat next to her. "I'm not going to cry," she murmured when he handed her a tissue.
"You're pregnant, of course you'll cry." Then he grabbed hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Erin looks beautiful."
"Doesn't she?" she whispered resting her head on Hotch's shoulder . The look of love that shone from the woman's eyes as she stared at JJ made Emily's heart ache a little and she covered her stomach with her hand as the first tears began to trace their way down her cheeks.
The ceremony was brief, but lovely, and Emily suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to make things more official with Hotch. She wondered if it was a combination of the hormones coursing through her body and the joy of the day, but she knew that if he asked, she would say yes in a heartbeat. She was finally ready to start putting down some roots, and here, with Aaron and Jack and the baby on the way, she knew that she was home.
It really was a great day for a wedding, for a ceremony that spoke to the future, and she couldn't wait to see what that future held for them all.
NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on fanfiction . net! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on this site, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at the ProfilerChoiceAwards2013 Forum. All rules and information are on the forum. Nominations are due October 31st. All entries with ten or more categories filled out are eligible to win one of two Amazon gift cards!