Author's Note: Here it is! The birth of little Avery, and memories throughout Emily's pregnancy. It was kind of difficult for me to write, since I haven't experienced the birth of a child firsthand, so hopefully it's realistic. If it isn't, I'm sorry! I tried my best! I kind of got the naming scene from Hotch and Haley's discussion in "Extreme Aggressor", and I was inspired for the hospital scene (after Avery's birth, with the team) by "Memoriam", when JJ gives birth to Henry. I hope this makes you smile, because I couldn't help but grin when I was writing it. I mean, what could possibly be more sweet than the birth of a precious baby girl? Tell me what you think. (: Next up is the long awaited "Red"...

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. In fact, I own nothing but the plot and baby Avery. (:

Aaron Hotchner lay awake watching the nine-month pregnant woman sleeping next to him, who he was able to call his wife. His gaze dropped to her swollen stomach, which housed their unborn child. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered how their baby was conceived. Sure, they had tried several times, more than once getting caught up in the moment, but it had never worked out. The feeling of her body moving with his, flesh against flesh…it was something that just never got old. So they had tried over and over again…and then on one remarkable night, their wishes came true. He smiled even wider as he remembered the way Emily had told him the news. She had kept it secret for so long…

~.~.~

"Aaron." Hotch looked up to see his wife standing in the doorway of his office.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Nothing much. An agent hand me this and told me to give it to you," she said, handing him a file.

"That's odd. I wonder what it's about…" His voice trailed away as he saw the lone picture in the folder. It was small, black and white, and extremely fuzzy. Almost like a Polaroid but…not. Realization hit him as he remembered Haley handing him a similar picture almost six years back.

It was a sonogram.

He looked up at Emily in shock and amazement. "You're…"

She nodded, biting back her smile. "I'm pregnant."

Hotch stared down at the blurry picture of his…their…child, an expression of pure awe on his face. All of a sudden, he leapt out of his chair and pulled Emily into his arms, kissing her senseless and not caring who saw.

"We did it, Aaron. We did it," Emily managed, tears forming in her chocolate brown eyes.

He rested his palm against her cheek, grinning widely. "Finally, Em. I almost can't believe it…we're going to have a baby."

~.~.~

He smoothed Emily's hair away from her neck, allowing the soft skin access to the cool air. Looking around the room, he noticed the picture on the bedside table. It was of him, Emily, and Jack standing knee deep in snow, Jack holding the hands of both adults.

Jack.

Hotch remembered his son's reaction when Emily had told him that he was going to be an older brother. He had been so excited and enthusiastic. Hugging his "second mommy," he bombarded her with questions. When do I get to see the baby? Will I have a sister or a brother? If it's a boy, what will you name him? What about if it's a girl?

Then, it had been time to tell their families. Hotch had arranged for him and Emily to have lunch with his mom, and when they had shared the news, his mom was thrilled and almost began to cry at the prospect of having a grandchild. With Emily's parents, it had been the same. The Ambassador had let her professional, no-nonsense mask drop for once, and it was written clearly across both her and her husband's faces that they were delighted that their only child, their darling daughter, was going to have a baby. Gradually, the news had spread to others. Sean, Jessica, John Cooley…and then, it was time to break the news to the team. Hotch smiled at the memory. JJ and Garcia had reacted just like girlfriends would. They had squealed in excitement and embraced Emily, expressing their congratulations. Next came a wowed Reid, who knew how long she had been hoping for a child, and was extremely happy for his friend. Dave and Morgan had been one and the same; overjoyed for their two friends, and excited for the birth of the child.

All in all, it had been wonderful.

~.~.~

Hotch glanced at his wife as he heard her moan in her sleep. He smiled slightly, figuring that it was the baby kicking again. Between constantly reassuring Emily that she was still beautiful, no matter how swollen her stomach was, helping her through months of morning sickness, and soothing her cravings, her pregnancy was one bumpy ride. But it was worth it. Hotch smirked as he thought of her cravings. Blackberries and coffee ice cream…even when she was pregnant, the woman was a serious coffee addict. He unconsciously thought back to the day that he and Emily had gone to her OB/GYN's office and found out the sex of their baby.

They were going to have a girl.

That night, they had gone over names.

~.~.~

"How about…Andrea?" he offered.

"Hmm…Haylen? It's unique…" she countered.

"No…how about Beth? After your mom?"

"No," she said firmly.

"Then…"

"Nikki? Or Mackenzie?"

"Jenna."

"Alexis."

"Cassidy."

"Jenna?"

"I already said Jenna!"

"I know, I was just thinking about it…" There was a brief moment of silence. "No. Caitlin?"

"That's kind of common, don't you think?" He flipped through the baby names book. "What about Samantha?"

She paused, thinking it over. "Maybe. We could name her Morgan…it can be a girl's name, after all," she suggested.

"No way in hell," Hotch replied immediately, and they both laughed.

Two hours later, they were still at it. Hotch sighed in exasperation. "For God's sake, how about we just name her Guadalupe? You could teach her Spanish, we could retire to Spain, and there you go. Our lives would be perfect," he teased.

She snorted. "Guadalupe Hotchner? Not the best name out there…"

"Then we should name her after you. I don't think I would mind my two favorite women having the same name," he said, leaning over and kissing Emily lightly.

She smiled. "Thank you, but I kind of don't want to name her after any one…" There was a pause, then she gasped.

"What? Did she kick again?" Hotch said eagerly, his face lighting up.

"No…I have the perfect name, though. It's been one of my favorites, I can't imagine why I didn't think of it earlier…"

"What's the name?"

"Avery."

"Avery…what does it mean?"

She glanced at the book and laughed. "Elf wisdom."

"That's adorable," he said, laughing with his wife. "Avery Hotchner. I like it." He smiled widely.

She grinned. "Then we have a name!"

Hotch hugged his beaming wife. "I say we celebrate…" he said, his lips trailing down her neck.

"Hmm…not yet. We still have to choose a middle name."

He groaned. "Just make it Samantha. You liked that name."

"Avery Samantha Hotchner?" She mulled it over and smiled. "I think it's beautiful."

"Then it's settled," he said, suppressing another smile as he pulled Emily into his arms.

"It's settled," she repeated, leaning into his embrace.

~.~.~

Hotch glanced at the bedside clock. It was barely past midnight. His mind wandered to the neighboring nursery and its light purple walls, covered with soft yellow, baby pink, and light blue stenciled butterflies. He remembered shopping for the crib, baby clothes, stuffed animals…

He yawned. He was about to attempt sleep when he heard Emily cry out in pain. Gasping, she woke up.

"Em? Are you okay?" he asked, concern etched in his features.

She breathed in deeply. "Yeah…Avery's just moving a lot..."

Watching as she winced again, he asked, "Are you sure? Because I don't think that's the first time today that you've looked in that much pain…" A thought hit him. "What if she's coming out now?"

"That's not possible, she's not due for another four weeks!"

"It is possible, and good luck negotiating with her because I'm pretty sure she's dead set on getting out." He climbed out of bed and quickly threw on a tee-shirt and jeans. "Come on, Em, we need to go to the hospital. You're going into labor."

~.~.~

Hotch closed his eyes as Emily screamed again, squeezing his hand in a vice-like grip. After maybe illegally using the police sire as an excuse to break a few speed limits, quickly driving to the nearest hospital, and checking Emily into the emergency room, he had contacted the team members, all of whom had said that they wanted to be there for the baby's birth, no matter how late…or early…in the day it was.

JJ and Reid winced as they heard Emily scream. "I feel sorry for Hotch…"

"The poor man is probably going to end up with a broken wrist," Dave agreed.

"Or a few fingers, at least," Morgan added, causing Garcia to chuckle.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Hotch kept talking to Emily, whispering encouragements into her ear.

"Come on, Emily, push," the doctor said. "Just a little more…I see her head!"

Almost an hour later, a nurse brought the newborn girl to her parents, cleaned and wrapped in a light pink blanket. The nurse smiled and placed the baby in her mother's waiting arms. "What would you like her name to be?"

"Avery Samantha Hotchner," the two profilers answered in unison, smiling as her small eyes looked towards the voices.

"You did an amazing job," Hotch said, soaking up the beauty of the perfect moment.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she replied, looking down at their precious daughter and pressing a kiss to her small forehead.

"Can I hold her?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the gorgeous baby.

"Of course," she said, handing over Avery to her father. Hotch quickly glanced at his watch and a slow smile spread across his face.

"What is it?" Emily murmured, looking at her husband's smile.

"Guess what day it is?" he asked quietly.

"February thirteenth?" she answered, unsure.

"It's February the fourteenth, sweetheart," he said, as the nurse left the room and told the five people in the waiting room that they were welcome to see the newest addition to the Hotchner family. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Emily looked as if she was about to cry. "What gift could be better than this?" she asked breathlessly, referring to their child and the beautiful mood surrounding them.

He kissed Emily lightly and looked down at their child, still lying in his arms. "Nothing could top this, Emily. Nothing at all."

~.~.~

"Oh, Emily…she looks just like you!" JJ exclaimed, holding baby Avery snugly in her arms. "She's so cute!"

Emily chuckled weakly. "Thanks, Jayje."

"She has your lips, your eyes, and your ears…kind of," Reid pointed out.

"But she has your nose, Aaron," Dave stated, smiling at his friend, who smiled back, beaming.

"I wonder whose hair she has…" Garcia mused.

Morgan looked at her in confusion. "Both. She's not going to spontaneously grow orange hair, baby girl."

Hotch laughed. "Let's hope she has Emily's," he said. "After all, we don't want Avery to have grey hair, now do we?"

Everyone laughed and Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up, you do not have grey hair, Aaron."

He chuckled. "Thank you, sweetheart, but no matter what you say, I'm still an old man."

She raised an eyebrow. "Not to me, you're not. You'll always be the handsome, young man that I fell in love with."

They kissed, causing the team to smile.

"Eww, grown up stuff," Dave whined, teasing the couple.

Emily pulled away from her husband. "David Rossi, I've just been through thirteen hours of labor. Say something like that again and so help me God, I will kick your sorry ass out of here," she said sharply, causing everyone in the room to laugh even louder.

"I got it, I got it," he said, cowering in mock fear.

A beat of silence passed, during which Avery was passed around from person to person, and hardly anyone spoke. Emily cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

"There's, um, something that I…" She looked at Aaron, "We…want to say." She glanced up at JJ almost shyly. "Jayje, would you be Avery's godmother?"

The media liaison's face lit up. "Really?"

"Of course," Hotch answered with a smile.

"I would love to!" JJ exclaimed, coming forward and giving her tired friend a hug.

Hotch looked around the relatively small room and saw his daughter in Morgan's arms. "And Derek…we'd like you to be Avery's godfather."

Morgan looked up in disbelief. "Wow. I…I don't know what to say," he declared, looking back and forth between his boss and his best friend. "Thank you," he finally said, placing the beautiful bundle of joy back in Emily's arms.

"You're welcome," she said, as Avery tentatively reached out with her small arm. Emily smiled as she stretched out a finger to her daughter, and the newborn grabbed it, wrapping her small hand around the small portion of her mother.

"Welcome to the world, sweetheart," Hotch said softly, and neither he nor Emily could help but think about how beautiful the child was that they had created.

Together.