Title: Tired of Saving Souls (Part 2 of 2)
Author: Trista Groulx (dustytiger)
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, alas, they belong to their network, creator, writers and actors and actresses who bring them to life each week.
Summary: Prentiss makes a choice that may cost her her job. How will it change her life and her relationship with Hotch?
Notes: This was written for a challenge on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" search it in the "forum" category if you don't know it. Again this is not my pairing but thank you for the support on this. Thank you for the kind reviews and adds. Now the conclusion.


Prentiss had been serving her suspension for three weeks, but she hardly had time to think about that, or the review that was coming up in another two weeks. After a week and a half to prepare Carmelina had become part of her family. Prentiss was thrilled and focused all of her attention on the six month old while she could. She was preparing formula while the baby was swinging in her baby swing sucking on her soother and was surprised when she heard a knock at the door.

She put down what she was doing, rinsed and dried her hands and opened the door. She was surprised to find Hotch and his son Jack at her door. He was the last member of the team to come visit. JJ and Will had brought their son Henry to visit and play with Carmelina twice already. Even Reid had come and had given the baby a very nice doll. It surprised he how good Reid was with kids when he tried. She was glad to see her boss there.

"I would have come sooner," Hotch explained.

"But I wanted to see the baby, and Auntie Jessie and me went to visit Gram and Gandad," Jack explained. "I wanna see the baby, am I allowed to hold her Miss Prentiss?"

"Slow down little man," Prentiss laughed. "Of course you can hold Carmelina but I'm going to have to feed her first. But if you'd like you can push her in her swing for a few minutes."

"Cool!"

Prentiss went over and pushed a button, and Jack began to push the swing. "Be gentle with her all right?"

"I will!"

Hotch laughed watching his son with the infant. He liked it when Jack got to act like a normal little boy, since he had been through so much in the past few months. Jack seemed to enjoy meeting new friends of late.

"How are you doing?" Hotch asked.

"Great!" Prentiss replied.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes, really, I haven't even had a chance to think about not being at work."

"Don't you miss it?"

"No, I don't. Now that you mention it I couldn't care less if I helped to track down another unsub. I have seen so many horrific things, but the second I pick Carmelina up I start to forget all that. It feels good."

"Even when I'm with Jack my mind is still filled with ideas about who I can be helping at work."

"I guess we're wired differently."

Prentiss knew she needed to tell him what she was planning but wasn't sure how to. She had already told JJ, and asked her to keep the information to herself. She glanced over at Jack and Carmelina, and smiled. She then looked at Hotch then the floor. As she watched Jack and her daughter she knew she had done the right thing. She just had to tell her friends and surrogate family what he choice was going to be. She knew it would be hardest to tell Hotch because he was her superior.

"What's wrong Emily?" asked Hotch.

Working and being friends with profilers did have its advantages, they always knew when someone's behaviour was different. There was never any stalling when there was news involved. Nothing ever sat there like a pink elephant in the room for weeks. There was always someone there to call you on the change of behaviour and force you to talk about what was on your mind whether you wanted to or not.

"I'm considering taking a position my mother found for me. It would be safer and I would be able to spend more time with Carmelina," she blurted out.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Hotch asked.

She nodded. "I'm the only parent she knows, I want to be there for as much as possible. My mother has even offered to let me use part of my trust fund to live on until she starts school, but I think I'd go stir crazy."

"If it's what you want, then I think it's the right choice. I want to make that decision for Jack but I can't seem to shut out the BAU despite everything that it's cost me."

"I want to do what's best for my daughter. I chose to be her mother and she deserves as much attention as I can give her."

"Are you still going to attend your review?"

She nodded. "I don't want anyone to think I did something wrong. All I did was what was best for my daughter, I just didn't know she was mine yet."

"I'm glad you decided to that Emily."

"Thank you, I hope to have the team's support one last time."

"Of course you will, and anything you need you let us know."

Prentiss was glad that she was going to have the team's support through everything.

She knew that it wasn't going to be easy to have to go through the review process knowing she was just going to quit in the end. She needed the FBI and her colleagues to know that she was not quitting because she had done something wrong but because she had chosen to be a mother. She never thought she would chose parenthood over her career, but that was before she had been faced with the choice. She got not imagine leaving Camelina for days at a time even with someone she trusted. It was going to be hard enough to leave her for hours a day when she started at a new job whatever it might be.

"I will," she agreed. "It's not going to be easy telling everyone else. JJ already knows we talked for hours a few nights ago and she understands my choice. She told me there are times she finds it hard to work but then she'll come home and find Will and Henry asleep on the couch together and she knows she made the right choice. Maybe if I had chosen to do this more traditionally I would have made a different choice. But with Carmelina being just a baby and me being her sole guardian it wouldn't be right to leave her like that."

"I understand Emily," Hotch assured her. "Even though I know you are making the right choice we are still going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, but I think after what we have all been through we will still be close. Besides, I think your son is smitten with my daughter."

Hotch looked at his son who was still very gently rocking Carmelina gently. He was also telling her a story. The two adults could only watch and smile as the two children bonded. Prentiss went over and took one of the bottles she had just prepared. She then gave it to Jack. He looked up at the woman and smiled his eye lighting up. Hotch loved the look Jack would get on his face when he was given the chance to help out. There were times he wanted to see it more often but every time he tried to leave his position he couldn't. He knew he never could; there was a small part of him that envied Prentiss for being able to do it.

"How about you feed her today?" Prentiss suggested.

"Really?" asked Jack, grinning.

"Yes, when she starts to cry stop swinging her and give her this bottle, she'll be your best friend."

"Cool! Daddy did you hear that?"

"I did, Buddy, Emily's pretty good to you."

"Yeah! She is! Are we gonna come visit her and Carmelina again?"

"Of course, and I'll give her Aunt Jessica's number too in case she wants vistors."

"Cool! Daddy you're the best!"

"Can I offer you anything Hotch?" Prentiss asked.

"Water would be good, thank you," he replied.

Prentiss went into the kitchen and poured them each a glass of water as well as some juice for Jack. She came back into the room, and was just about to get comfortable on the couch across from where Hotch was sitting when Carmelina began to cry. She got her out of the swing carefully, and Jack sat on the loveseat. She put the baby in his arms and he put the bottle in her mouth carefully. As Carmelina drank Jack began to tell her another story. Prentiss sat down on the couch, and watched the kids. After the baby was done the bottle she fell asleep.

"Do you want me to move her?" Prentiss asked Jack.

"No, she's sleepy, and she's real light. But could you put on the TV for me?" the little boy replied.

"Sure."

Hotch and Prentiss spend the afternoon talking about kids. Hotch told Prentiss stories about Jack he had never told anyone before. He was glad that he had a friend who understood what it was like to be a single parent, even under different circumstances. He was able to let his guard down around Prentiss and knew that her leaving the team was going to start a new chapter in their friendship. One which he knew he desperately needed. He needed a parent friend who could help him out and give Jessica a break when she needed it. Hotch was glad he had come over with Jack or else he was sure that things would have been very different between them.

The End

Notes: I hope you enjoyed this. This is what came to me with the challenge. I'm not going to write this pairing again. I got some fun stuff in the works hoping to get a new series up soon and maybe a couple of stand alones. Thank you and hugz to everyone who took the time read this, or add it, alert it or review it it means a lot. Thanks - Trista