Emily, JJ and Garcia entered the mall around the corner from the Garcia's apartment. They were having one of their Girl's Night Out's and JJ wanted to find a new shirt, while picking stuff out for the other two women. They made their way into the first store they saw and began looking.

"JJ, why the sudden interest in a new shirt?" asked Emily, who was fishing through a rack of jackets.

JJ smiled as she and Garcia sorted through a rack of various shirts and dresses. "Henry spit up on my favorite purple blouse, and I need a new one. You guys like to shop anyway so I thought you wouldn't mind."

Emily nodded glumly as she moved to a rack that held pants and a couple of skirts. JJ and Garcia shared a glance before making their way over to Emily. "Gum drop, is everything alright?"

Emily gave a slight smile as she nodded. "I'm fine, Pen."

JJ shook her head. "You've been weird since yesterday. I even joined in on mocking Reid with Morgan, which is your job, but you were zoning out at your desk. What's up with you?"

Emily sighed before mindlessly searching through the rack of clothing. "It's nothing, really. It's just… my brother went back to New York and my mother has been bothering me to talk to him."

JJ scrunched her eyebrows. "Your brother? Nathan or Michael?"

Emily laughed lightly. "Nathan. Michael is in Spain."

Garcia smiled as Emily moved to a rack of dresses. "Really? What for?"

"Don't ask me."

"Why?"

Emily turned to JJ and smiled sympathetically. "Because I don't know. I thought that was kind of implied in my answer."

"Well, what does your mom want you to talk to him about?"

Emily shrugged as she walked to the other side of the store, hearing the scurrying footsteps behind her. "She thinks he'll listen to me because I'm not the creepy, controlling clone of her."

Garcia elbowed her in the side and smiled. "And you're his baby sister."

Emily laughed as she nodded. JJ saw Emily's face drop almost instantly and touched her arm, making Emily turn to her. "I think I know something else that's bothering-"

"JJ, please don't say it!"

Emily's groan made Garcia and JJ smile. They shared a glance before turning back to Emily. "Hotch."

Emily stomped her feet and began to pout as the two began shaking her and patting her cheeks. "Emily, sweetie, you need to ask him out."

"But I don't wanna!"

Garcia smiled as she ruffled Emily's hair. "Come on, do it for me?"

Emily sighed as she looked at a pouting Garcia and a giddy JJ. "Fine! I'll ask him when we go to our team dinner next week. Alright?"

Five minutes later, JJ and Garcia were standing on line to pay while Emily was in the back corner of the store, searching for a pair of jeans. She was looking up at the one's hanging on the wall when something crashed into her legs. She stumbled slightly as she looked down to see a small boy standing there. She bent down and held the crying boy's arms.

"Hey, what's your name sweetie?"

He sniffled as he wiped his tears. "Eric."

Emily smiled at the young boy. "Hi Eric. What's the matter?"

"I can't find my daddy!"

Emily's eyes softened at the crying boy. "Oh, baby… tell me where you last saw your daddy."

The boy looked as if he were thinking hard until he pointed to a steel door in the back of the store. "Where everyone parks their cars!"

Emily nodded and stood, holding the boy's hand. "I'll help you find him, alright?"

The boy nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. They pushed their way through the door and found they were in a stairwell. Emily was about to go downstairs when she felt a tug on her hand. She turned to see a smiling Eric. "Eric? What is it?"

"We don't need to go down no more."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said-"

"I found my daddy."

Emily saw Eric looking beyond her, so she turned, only to be grabbed by her arms. Her eyes went wide as Eric dropped her hand and a man smiled at her. "Hello. What's your name?"

Emily gulped as she stared wide-eyed at the man's face. "I-I'm Emily."

He nodded as his face turned to a steel mask. "Tell the boy you'd like to come home with us."

Emily looked down at Eric, who was now staring at her, and standing next to, who she assumed, was his father. "I'd, um… I'd like to c-come home with you."

The man smiled as he grabbed her hand. He held a knife to her wrist as he started down the stairwell. "You're going to act like a maternal figure to him while you're with us. Alright?"

Emily nodded slightly as she held Eric against her side. They made their way into the parking lot and stopped at a red Nissan. The man moved Emily's hair behind her ear and whispered as Eric ran to his door and got in the car. "We're going to go home. Ok? And while we're there, you shall act the way I say."

Before Emily could respond, the man tapped her shoulder and she looked at him. He pointed to his waistband and she glanced down to see a gun. She raised her head back to his and nodded. Before the man made his way to his door, she spoke. "Sir… what, uh… what do I call you?"

He smiled before opening his door. "I'm Anthony."

JJ and Garcia paid for their clothes before stepping off of the line and looking around the store.

"Do you see Emily?"

JJ shook her head. "No. Let me call her."

Emily stared out the window on her side of the car and watched the trees move past. She gently wiped the tears from her eyes as her cell phone began to ring. She quickly grabbed it from her pocketbook, only for it to be grabbed by Anthony. She watched as he stared at the caller ID as they turned a corner. "Who's JJ?"

"She's my friend. I was at the mall with her, so she's probably wondering where I am."

Anthony grunted as he threw it into her lap. "If I were you, I'd make something up. Fast."

Emily nodded vigorously and smiled as she answered her phone. "JJ, hi."

"Emily, where'd you go? Pen and I looked everywhere, so now we're just standing in the middle of the food court."

Emily looked out the window as she fought the tears in her eyes. "I, uh… I found an old friend from college, and I guess I got caught up with our conversation. We're actually leaving the mall now. I'm sorry, Jen."

There was a sigh at the other end of the phone. "Well you could have at least told us."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you I was leaving. But, um… why don't we go out again next week, after the dinner?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

Emily smiled softly. "Great."

"Em, I gotta go. Pen wants to go to the movies now."

Emily wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, sure. Tell her I said I'm sorry."

"Of course. Bye Em."

"Bye."

As Emily put the phone back into her bag, she looked at Anthony who was smiling. He turned to her as they turned another corner. "You're a good liar, Emily."

Emily nodded slowly as she turned to see Eric looking out his window. "So, what do you like to do for fun, Eric?"

Eric turned to her and smiled. "Play dinosaurs and bake cakes!"

Emily smiled slightly at the innocent boy. "Well, maybe we could bake a cake later."

He nodded his head and shook his father's seat. 'Did you hear that, daddy? I'm gonna bake a cake later!"

Anthony smiled at his son in the rearview mirror. "I did hear." He turned to Emily and nodded. "You might be easier than I thought."