Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2: Graduation and Worries

The rest of Emily's morning passed by like normally, paperwork on the last case and finishing up on consultations, but around lunch time her work brain shut down and all her thoughts went to the strange call she received from her father. She tried hard not to think about it but the further she pushed it away the more distracted she got. She hadn't a clue as to why all of a sudden her parents wanted to see her.

Most of her adult life they stayed away with a phone call or two on holidays but that was it. She hadn't seen her father in a few years. He didn't even come with her mother to meet Eli when he was born. Something about an emergency meeting was the excuse that time. And her mother only stayed to say hello then left. Emily wasn't even certain if the Ambassador even held her grandson.

Her wedding was a whole other story. First her parents were thrilled she was finally getting married and offered to host the wedding in the amazing backyard at their home in D.C. but then last minute had to change it forcing Emily to pick another spot for the wedding and then only came to the ceremony and left before the reception. At the time Emily was devastated that her own parents couldn't stay for her wedding and be happy for her.

By the time Eli came she push all her feelings away concerning her parents and their lack of attention towards her but she felt like they thought her son wasn't worth their time. Hotch did his best to keep her attention off them and she loved him for it but she never forgot how they made her feel.

So now that they called her nerves were on high and she was trying real hard not to show it. Hotch always noticed when she picked at her nails so if she wasn't writing she was sitting on her hands.

"Hey lady" JJ said rolling her chair over to Emily's desk.

"Oh hey" Emily smiled as best she could. "What are you up too?"

JJ shrugged "You seem down. Is everything okay?" the blonde noticed her friend was struggling with something. Emily was normally a chatter but today she was quiet and withdrawn from everyone around her.

"Yeah I'm good. Tired I guess." She lied but bringing up her parents to JJ would just be awkward. Most of the team knew how she felt about her parents but they didn't know reasons why. Emily kept those to herself. She didn't need anyone to feel sorry for her or try to help with the situation so she didn't say anything.

"Hello my pretties!" Garcia came through the doors and walked right on up to Emily and JJ. "Are we having gossip hour?" she asked excitedly.

Emily grinned. "Not without you Pen."

"Well good. So what are we up too?"

"Emily was just lying to me." JJ said nonchalantly then looked at Emily with a raised brow.

"JJ" Emily sighed "Honestly its nothing." She hated that JJ caught onto her lie and for that she was truly sorry but she still wasn't going to divulge her worries onto her friends.

"Emily Prentiss-Hotchner, what on earth is wrong?" the blonde tech grabbed her hand and held it tight.

Emily rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. I'm just in a sour mood that's all. So how was your date night with Kevin?"

"Nice try buttercup but changing the subject isn't going to work. Now tell me what is really wrong." Emily frowned then looked at JJ but the blonde was just giving her the look. Everyone knew the look. JJ had a way of getting things out of you whether you wanted to tell her or not.

"No ma'am." JJ shook her head. "What's going on?"

"Oh god… is it the baby thing?" Garcia put her free hand over her heart.

Emily nodded slowly. At least she wasn't totally lying. The baby thing, as Garcia so eloquently put it, was on her mind a lot. "Yeah, I just don't know what else to do. I've been marking when I ovulate, tried all those weird positions… everything. Now sex is just… I don't even want to say it, but I will. It isn't even romantic or anything. We barely have the time and now it's done with a goal in mind. And I hate that. Maybe this is just Mother Nature's way of telling me I'm too old and that I already had a beautiful baby so I should just be happy."

"Emily you are not too old. There are so many women these days having babies well into their forties. Plus you had Eliot four years ago and he was perfectly healthy. Maybe you're just stressing on it too much. Calm down and just let it come." JJ told her.

"When we decided to have Eli I got off birth control and a few months later I was pregnant but it's almost been a year that we have been trying and nothing. Maybe I'm dried up." She pouted.

Garcia laughed softly. "No you're not. Have you been to a doctor?"

"Not yet but I did make an appointment. Hopefully we won't be on a case so I won't miss it. I just hope there's something that they can do. And I'm kind of mad at myself for waiting so long after Eli to think of having another. I don't know what I was waiting for." She really didn't. Hotch and Emily both knew they wanted more kids after Eli but life just got in the way. They both still worked in the BAU so the demand of work and then two kids at home the subject never even came up between then until last year when Emily thought she might be pregnant but it was just a false alarm. After that they talked and decided to try for another.

"I waited too. Henry is 3 years older than Claire. And I made sure he was potty trained before she was born too. I did not want two in diapers." JJ said shaking her head.

"Well I really can't put my two cents in their but I think you just need to relax and maybe take a weekend away from work and kids and just be with Hotch. It sounds like you need it even if you aren't trying for a baby." Garcia squeezed her hand once more before letting go.

Emily nodded. "Yeah I guess. But anyways, I guess we should get back to work." She said gesturing to her husband standing at his office door with a not so pleasant look on his face. "Looks like we might have a case."

-CM-CM-

"I'm so nervous." Emily confessed later that night as she sat next to Hotch with her hand squeezing his knee. Luckily they didn't have a case and they both were able to make it to Eli's preschool graduation. When they walked in to the auditorium not fifteen minutes ago with Jack in tow, Eli was ecstatic. Emily had helped him into his little graduation gown and hat then he promptly told her to go away and went with his teacher to the other students.

"He's gonna be fine." Hotch wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I know" she leaned her head down on his shoulder.

"Is something up? The girls seemed worried this afternoon." He asked. JJ and Garcia kept a close eye on his wife after he watched their little 'meeting' as Emily called it to keep from getting into trouble.

"Oh that. It's actually something I need to talk to you about but not now. After the boys go to bed." She kissed his cheek as the stage lit up and the graduation began.

-CM-CM-

"Night Jack" Emily kissed his forehead then he walked out of the living room. It had been a long night. After Eli's graduation the family went out to dinner and then finally made it home but it was a challenge to get the four year old to stop chatting about his last day of school and focus on going to sleep.

"Night mom." Jack yelled back.

Emily sighed leaning back on the couch. She successfully avoided thinking about her father's phone call for most of the night but now alone it came back to her. She figures something must be up with them but she didn't know what.

"Ready to talk?" Hotch asked coming from the kitchen and plopped down beside her. He reached for the remote and muted the TV.

"I guess." She put her full attention on him mainly to gauge his reaction to the news. Hotch tried hard to give her peace when it came to her parents but sometimes she knew they got to him too. "My dad called this morning." She watched as his eyebrows shot up in surprise and his mouth opened slightly before continuing. "My parents want to have dinner tomorrow."

"With us?" he knew full well with them but the shock hadn't worn off yet.

Emily smiled warmly at him. "Yeah. What do you think?" she bit her bottom lip in anxiousness.

Hotch took a moment to get his shock under control. He smiled knowing that Emily was gauging his reaction and even though he wasn't thrilled with the idea of putting himself or Emily through a dinner with the Ambassador and all her opinions and her rude husband he would support whatever Emily chose to do. "I think it's out of the blue but…" he shrugged. "What do you think? Do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I mean I wish I knew the real reason behind them wanting to see us so I could give an opinion but he just ask for dinner then hung up. It's not a holiday or birthday so I have no clue. And yes I know that sounds bad me saying it's not a holiday but honestly why else would they call? Why would they even bother? I haven't seen my dad since the first year we were married and I haven't seen the Ambassador since she met Eli."

"Maybe they are realizing what they're missing out on?" as she shook her head he continued. "I know it's not likely but you have to have some sort of hope that they will change and want to know you and your family." He hoped his encouragement would have some effect but from the thin smile on her face he knew it didn't. "I'm sorry honey I don't have a better answer. But... do you want to go?"

Emily let a breath out and nodded slowly. Even if it was weird and out of character for her parents she still wanted to give them a chance. "I do but if you don't feel comfortable you don't have to come and I'm not sure about bringing the boys."

"Emily, if you're going, we all are. Plus with the kids there it will be less confrontational." Hotch leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Let's go to bed."

Emily sighed but followed her husband while letting the stresses of the day fall off her.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and story alerts. This story is mainly going to dive deeper into Emily's relationship with her mother but it will have all the Hotch/Emily romance that we love in it too, I promise!