A/N: Okay so this is set in 3x04. At the end Emily offers to take Carrie home and Hotch obviously says no. But what if he had said yes?
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.
JJ and Emily had been sleeping together since the case in Milwaukee. They hadn't made a conscious decision to start something. They hadn't had some heart to heart before hand. They hadn't talked about it since. It just happened most nights. That first night after Emily and Hotch had showed up in the conference room JJ had showed up at Emily's hotel room and kissed her. One thing had led to another and here they were, two cases and three weeks later, sleeping together, both mad about the other but too worried, and frankly to hard-headed, to say something.
"I could take her." This case had hit Emily really hard. Knowing that poor kid had watched her parents being murdered. Held her little brother's dead body in her arms. Losing her whole family. Emily herself having to hold a gun on a twelve year old boy. Like she had told Morgan, this case had sucked.
"Take her?" Questioned Hotch, he thought he knew what she was implying but wanted to hear verbal confirmation.
"Carrie. To DC." She hadn't realised that was what she wanted until she said it. But now that she had, she couldn't think of much else.
JJ had heard the exchange from outside the door, waiting to announce her presence. She had seen the bond Emily had created with the young brunette and couldn't help but think that Emily would be a great mother.
"You mean to live with you?" Asked a stunned Hotch.
"Yeah." Emily replied curtly, she knew she was treading in unsteady waters with her boss.
"Well why would you want to do that?"
"I have room, money and you know, she's smart, two, three years she goes to college."
"Prentiss, this is the job and I need to know you can be objective." Hotch knew Prentiss would make a great mother, in that he had no doubt. But he never thought he would be faced with this situation.
"And I need to know that I can be human." Emily didn't know where it came from but under her bosses scrutiny she felt the need to defend herself. She knew the decision was rash but in all honesty, she had been thinking about children for a while. In her dreams it was with JJ but in reality she had been looking into adopting for some time now.
"JJ was to get in touch with the family in LA." Upon hearing her name JJ took this as her cue to finally enter the conversation.
"What about me?" she asked, entering the room. "Carries family. They returned my call. They, well they don't want to take her. They already have five children of their own and they can't handle another child in the house, especially one who has been though everything Carrie has been through. They told me to put her in the system." She looked at Emily and managed to convey to her with a look that she had heard the whole conversation and gave her a slight smile of support. If this was something Emily wanted then she would stand behind her, in whatever capacity she wanted her there.
Emily repeated her statement from the day before "Can't this girl catch a break?"
Hotch looked between the two women, he knew there was something going on between his two female field agents, he was a profiler after all. Something had changed in their relationship, what, he wasn't yet sure of but there was definitely a subtle shift between them. From the current looks he saw between the two he could tell that JJ had been outside the whole time, had heard the conversation. He could also see the support and love in her eyes, JJ thought Emily could do this.
Frankly he thought she could too. She was an excellent, strong woman who, behind all those walls, had a very big heart. He knew Carrie would never want for anything if he let Prentiss take her.
"Call Social Services, see what they say. Prentiss I'm not making any promises but for what it's worth I think you'll be an excellent Mom, whether that's to Carrie or some other lucky child." The two women had been too wrapped up in their silent conversation that they didn't see Hotch's expression soften so they were in complete shock when he seemingly changed his opinion so quickly. With that he walked out of the room, leaving the two women in complete shock.
"Did he just say to contact Social Services to see if I could bring Carrie back to DC?" Questioned Emily, really not knowing what to think about her bosses sudden change in attitude towards the situation.
"That he did, do you want me to make the call now? Maybe you can have an answer right away." JJ said with a small smile, looking up at Emily.
"We. Maybe we can have an answer right away." Emily corrected. "JJ are you okay with this? Look I don't know what's going on between us and we don't have to talk about it now, with everything that's going on but what I do know is that you're amazing and if by some miracle Carrie wants to and is allowed to come to DC I want you to be a big part of her life. Our lives." Emily exclaimed in a bundle of nerves. She wanted nothing more than to ask JJ on a proper date, ask her to raise Carrie with her.
"Emily let me ask you one thing?" When JJ received a slight nod she continued "Is this what you want"?
"It really is."
"Then I'm behind you all the way."
Emily, having gained confidence from this, looked JJ in the eye and asked, "Do you know what else I want?"
"What's that?"
"To take you on a proper date. In a restaurant, with flowers and nice clothes. To treat you like you deserve to be treated." Emily replied nervously, not really sure what the blonde woman really wanted out of their relationship.
"I'd love that Em." At the term of endearment and the slight brush of a hand against her forearm the brunette looked up into the deep cobalt eyes she knew she was falling for and shared a smile with the blonde. "Let me make that call so."
"Hello. This is Agent Jennifer Jareau with the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI, I spoke with you earlier in regards to the contacting of Carrie Oritz's family." After a brief pause she added, "Yes, that's me. I made contact with the girl's family in Los Angeles and they have informed me that at this time they are unable to care for her. They have signed her over to Social Services." A longer pause ensued this time which made Emily get, somehow, even more nervous. "I agree, it's a horrible situation but it's one I may have a solution to.
"A member of my team, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, is interested in taking Carrie back to DC with us, to live." Hearing only one side of the conversation was killing the profiler. "She is here with me presently, why don't I let her answer your questions?" With that she handed an extremely nervous Emily the phone and mouthed "Good luck."
"This is Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."
"Hello Agent Prentiss, my name is Anna Smith and I just have a few quick questions for you." Emily spent the next half an hour answering questions with JJ never leaving her side. Once she finally hung up the phone she had questioning blue eyes staring back into hers.
"I guess I'm going to be a foster Mom. Oh my God, I'm going to be a foster Mom." Brown eyes glazed over in panic as realisation set in that this situation was all too real.
JJ took Emily's hand in her own and tried to calm the older woman "Hey, you can do this. It's a good idea, you, kids, I can see it."
"Yeah?" The look in JJ's eyes told her all she needed to know. She could do this. She had JJ.
A/N I hope you liked that, I have a few more ideas for this but if you have any input please let me know, they would be greatly appreciated!