A/N: This is just a one-shot that goes in with my "What if I waited" universe, i.e. has the twins in it and Hotch and Emily are married. But it's years later and there's an addition. Just got the idea when I was watching "Psychodrama" and had to jot it down. Was wondering how I could fit it in with my Hotch/Prentiss stories and this was it.
Please read and review.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Hotch kissed Haley goodbye. "Sorry," he whispered in her ear, before his shoulders fell and he walked through his office door. He ran down the steps into the bullpen and headed towards the elevator. One day, he thought, one day I'll make it up to her. Hotch stepped into the elevator car and sighed.
"You ok?" Gideon asked, glancing at his colleague. Hotch wrinkled his brow and shrugged. "Did I see Haley here?" Gideon probed. Hotch looked up and frowned further. When he saw the understanding in Gideon's eyes, Hotch sighed again and nodded. "Jack had some tests done this morning," Hotch explained quietly.
Gideon frowned. "Is he ok?" he asked. Hotch nodded, looking at his shoes. "He'll be fine. I just…" Hotch's voice trailed off and Gideon turned to face him. Hotch looked up and rolled his eyes. "I'm sick of saying sorry," Hotch admitted. Gideon frowned and shrugged. "So say something else," he suggested. Hotch huffed and looked up at Gideon. "What do I say?" he asked. Gideon shrugged. "What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your family?" he asked. Hotch wrinkled his brow, then raised them. "Balls."
Gideon chuckled and wrinkled his brow. "Balls?" he asked. Hotch nodded and smiled. "Jack loves to play with balls. Soccer, footballs, basketballs. Any shape. Any size," he said, the dimples in his cheeks brightening his face. Gideon smiled and nodded. "So next time… just say balls," he suggested. Hotch huffed and shook his head. "I think I'll just stick to roses and back-rubs," he replied, patting Gideon's shoulder as they left the elevator.
Hotch looked through the rain-soaked windscreen and sighed as he pulled his car into the driveway. He pressed the button on the sun-visor and waited for the garage door to open. When it was clear he pulled his car into the garage, parking it next to the SUV.
He climbed out of the car and grabbed his ready-bag and briefcase from the back-seat of the sedan. He crept towards the door leading into the house, trying to keep as quiet as possible. He knew he'd failed miserably when he tripped on Jack's skateboard and fell on the concrete of the garage floor. He tried to muffle the expletives that flew from his mouth about his son's inability to pack up his toys. He sighed and brushed off his hands, before pushing himself up once more.
He opened the kitchen door and sighed. Sitting on the kitchen bench was his dinner-plate. A single down-light in the kitchen illuminated the large living area and the only sounds came from the dishwasher. Hotch picked up the plate and put it on the top shelf of the fridge. Then he switched off the down-light and made his way towards the stairs.
Hotch opened Jack's bedroom door and smiled. Even at 9 years old, the eldest Hotchner child slept with a night-light. Hotch often wondered if it was something he should be concerned about, but his wife had assured him that Jack only slept with that light on when his dad was out of town. Hotch leant over his sleeping son and kissed his forehead. The young boy stirred for a moment before Hotch stood and left the room.
He opened the next door and made his way into twins' room. He crept to Lexi's bed and brushed her black curls from her face before kissing her forehead. As he watched her sleep he couldn't believe how quickly they were all growing up. The twins were two, almost three years old. Hotch stood and turned to kiss his second son goodnight. Matty stirred a little when Hotch kissed his cheek. "I love you buddy," he whispered. Hotch smiled as he straightened Matty's blanket, covering his feet once more. Then he stood and made his way back into the hall.
Hotch took a deep breath, his hand on the door to the master bedroom. As he pushed it open, he wrinkled his brow. She was sitting in the rocking chair, feeding Levi, their youngest son, and watching the rain as it trailed down their large bedroom window.
"Don't say it," she whispered quietly, trying not to distract Levi from his feed. Hotch dropped his head to his chest and stepped into the room. He closed the door behind him and gently placed his ready-bag on the armchair next to the dresser. He loosened his tie and pulled his jacket off, tossing it on the end of the bed as he walked towards her.
Hotch reached the rocking chair and knelt on the floor beside them. He leant forward and kissed her shoulder. Emily turned and smiled sadly. "How was Ohio?" she asked, reaching up and running her hand through his hair. Hotch closed his eyes briefly, opening them and looking up into her eyes. "Lonely," he replied succinctly, running his hand down Levi's back.
Emily nodded and huffed. Levi pulled away from her breast and looked up at his mom, smiling a gummy grin. Emily grinned and ran her fingers over the prominent dimples in her four-month olds cheeks. Hotch held out his hands. "Let me," he said quietly. Emily nodded and passed Levi to his dad, reaching up to pull her pajama shirt down. She sat back and watched as Hotch paced back-and-forth, rubbing his son's back. When the small boy burped, both parents chuckled.
Hotch kissed his son's head as he carried him towards the bassinet. He placed the tiny boy in the crib and pulled the blanket up. When he was sure Levi was set for the night, Hotch stood and made his way towards the en suite. He started undressing, looking on as Emily washed her face and put on her night-cream. "So be honest… how was Ohio?" she asked, glancing at him in the mirror.
Hotch shrugged. "Serial arsonist. We lost twelve victims before we caught him," he explained briefly. Emily wrinkled her brow and turned. She made her way over to him and hugged him tight. Hotch huffed and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his exhausted body on hers.
They stood in silence for awhile, just holding each other, before Hotch broke the silence. "Balls," he whispered. Emily wrinkled her brow and stood back. She searched his face for an explanation, but he wasn't giving her any hints. "What?" she asked incredulously. Hotch's stoic mask remained in place as he repeated the word. "Balls," he said seriously. Emily wrinkled her brow further and reached up, putting her hand to his forehead. "Are you feeling alright honey?" she asked, her confusion growing into concern. Hotch nodded and leant down to kiss her quickly, before walking into the bedroom. Emily closed the jar of night-cream and put it back in the cabinet, before following him into the bedroom. She stood in the bathroom door, watching as he pulled out a fresh pair of pajama bottoms from the top drawer.
"Uh, you wanna explain that to me?" she asked. Hotch looked up as he pulled the pants on and smiled. "If you ever see Jason Gideon again, ask him," he replied. Emily's brow wrinkled once more as she made her way over to the bed and climbed in. A moment later Hotch climbed in next to her. He reached up to switch off the bedside lamp, then turned to face his wife, running his hand down her side and resting it on her hip. He leant forward and kissed her, his face remaining expressionless while he was in hysterics on the inside. "Goodnight honey," he whispered.
Emily wrinkled her brow and sat up in bed. "Balls?" she asked, shaking her head. She threw the blanket off and climbed out of bed, grabbing her robe from the seat at the end of the bed. Hotch sat up and watched her leave. "Where are you going?" he called after her. "Balls!" she called back. Hotch chuckled and dropped his head on the pillow.
Emily still hadn't come back to bed after ten minutes, and Hotch was beginning to worry. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his robe, checking that Levi was still sleeping soundly, before he went in search of his wife. He looked down the hall and noticed that the light was shining through the crack in the door to the attic. He wrinkled his brow and made his way down the hall, opening the door and making his way up the stairs.
He found Emily sitting at her desk, leaning back in her chair and tapping her fingers on the blotter. Hotch made his way to her side and knelt down. He ran his fingers through her hair and looked up at her computer screen. "What you doing?" he asked. Emily smiled mischievously and shrugged. "Waiting," she replied briefly. Hotch smiled and looked back at the screen, staring at the photo of the six of them at the hospital the day Levi was born. He was just a ball of pink skin and black hair, but his brothers and sister were in awe.
Suddenly a small envelope appeared in the corner of the screen and Emily grinned, sitting forward. She opened the email and proceeded to read the response. Hotch chuckled when he noticed the sender, and watched Emily's face as she read through the response. When she was finished, she sat back and nodded.
"Balls," she said quietly. "Balls," Hotch repeated. Emily turned her chair to face him and ran her fingers through his hair. "It's ok honey," she whispered, kissing him quickly, "There's always next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. And decades more." Hotch wrinkled his brow and frowned. "I'm so…" he was cut off when Emily kissed him passionately… "Balls," he finished. Emily chuckled against his lips. "I must say I like that a lot more than roses," she murmured. Hotch raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I'll have to remember that," he joked. Emily smiled and stood from her seat, taking his hand and leading him down the stairs.
Hotch stopped in the hall and squeezed Emily's hand. "Wait a second," he said quietly, "How did you get such a quick response from Jason?" he asked. Emily grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "That's another story for another night," she teased. She pulled herself closer to Hotch, pressing her body against his, "And it's only 11:40, so you've got twenty minutes before you've technically screwed up so…" her voice trailed off as she led him into their bedroom.