A/N: Okay, new chapter! Woohoo! Okay, so Mac and Hotch are engaged. Now unto the rest of the fun that comes alongside being in a relationship with these guys. Please keep up with the reviews! I love reading them.

Still dedicated to Miss Amie B! Love ya!

Now onto the story!

Nicole!

Aaron had had to return to the case the evening after the gala. Despite that, Mac was on Cloud 9. They had agreed that other than Dave and Lynn, no one was to know about this. They wanted to surprise everyone. Lynn was thrilled and again she set to plotting, except this time the whole thing would actually end up being Dave's idea. He wanted to throw an engagement party for their best friends. Lynn had asked him why.

"Because cara mia, it gives me a chance to be in the kitchen."

Lynn laughed and agreed. They set a date for the following month.

Time passed and Aaron soon returned home after closing another gruesome case. He and Mac set about quickly planning their nuptials, as they didn't want a prolonged engagement.

One Month later…

One beautiful Thursday morning, Lynn was woken up by the sudden urge to be sick. She ran to her bathroom and threw up. She continued to heave. Once she collapsed against the bathroom wall she began to think it had been the shrimp she had had the previous night for supper. She washed up and met with Mac to finish planning for the upcoming party that was this weekend. They went into the office to do the planning, as no one would be there. There were partway through the day when Lynn was hit, again, with a wave of nauseousness, but she didn't have any time to make it to the bathroom. She threw up into the nearest wastebasket.

Mac looked at friend, concern and worry clearly visible on her face. "Lynn, you alright?"

Lynn shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Lie down. I'll keep going. Maybe you just need a cat nap."

Lynn nodded and went to the sofa that was in the corner of her office for this exact purpose. She asleep easily and rested. At least until the dreams started. She felt as they were trying to tell her something. She woke up from her nap feeling a little better. Mac was almost done when Lynn came to rejoin her.

"Better?"

Lynn nodded, but she couldn't tell her the truth that was coming to hit her. "Yep, what's left?"

"Outfits." Mac grinned. "That's it."

"Wow, aren't we efficient today?" Lynn joked.

"I know." Mac laughed. "I don't know, I just feel better."

Lynn smiled. "That's great. I bet it's being the future Mrs. Aaron Hotchner that's doing it."

The two packed up and headed home. Mac was spending the night at Aaron's as they were doing some wedding planning before the party on Saturday. Lynn dropped her off there and sped home.

Lynn ran up the stairs and packed a bag. She knew it now and she knew Dave would never accept any of it. She threw the bag in the car, then ran back to lock the door. When she got back in the car, she could feel the tears rolling down her face. She put the car in gear and fled off into the night.

The next morning…

Mac woke up to delicious scents. She looked around and saw Aaron standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray. "Morning." He smiled and put the tray on her lap.

"Breakfast in bed?" She smiled.

"Yes ma'am." He sat on the bed next to her.

She slowly lifted the cover. "It looks so good." She grinned up at him.

"I'm glad. Try it." He smiled as he handed her a fork.

She dug into the waffles covered in mixed berries and whipped cream. He was restraining himself from tossing the food to the floor and taking her right then and there. "You're teasing me with that whipped cream."

She dipped her finger into it and slowly licked and sucked it off, all while innocently batting her eyes at him. That was his invitation. He grabbed the tray and put it on the nightstand before playfully tackling her to the pillows. He was just about to enter her when their bedroom door burst open. Mac screamed and fell off the bed. Aaron swore and pulled his secondary pistol from the nightstand drawer.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" A familiar voice shouted.

"Damn it! Dave!" Aaron pulled the sheet over himself. "Mac?" He peered over the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

There was a fair amount of cursing from her side of the bed.

"Mac?" He peered over more.

"I'm fine, but he is SO DEAD!" She growled with lethality. She looked up at Aaron, and her tone changed. "Could I get a blanket or something, please?"

Aaron nodded and gave her the comforter, then helped her back into bed. He turned to glare at his friend turned intruder. "What the FUCK! What is your problem? Since when do you just barge into my place and then burst into my bedroom!"

Dave just stared blankly at the frustrated couple. "You didn't answer your phones, or the door when I rang."

"So you just decided to barge into my bedroom, while my fiancée and I are about to make love?" Aaron was very pissed.

"Look, I'm sorry I interrupted your morning adventure, but it's an emergency."

"What is it?" Mac snapped.

"Lynn is gone." Dave said, pronouncing each word intentionally. The pain was obvious in his tone.

"WHAT?" Mac bolted from the bed, not caring if she was naked or not and ran to grab some clothes.

Aaron, too, went to get clothes except he kept his sheet wrapped around his waist. "Explain!"

"I went to your place to talk to her about the party and when I got there, her suitcase was gone and so was the car."

"Shit." Mac came back into view. She was fighting with the zipper of her jeans, but she was covered. "Did she leave a note?" When Dave shook his head, her heart sank. She felt the way she did the day she learned that her mother had walked out on them. Tears began to build up.

"Go look for her." Aaron suggested. "We'll go look to see if she left any hints." With that Dave left, and Aaron turned to face Mac. "We'll find her."

While on the way to the house, Mac though of something. She dialed Penelope's number.

"Hey boss man, don't you know the definition of 'time off'?"

"It's me Pen." Mac laughed, not that she felt overly happy. "I just borrowed Aaron's phone."

"Ah! Okay. So whatta ya need?"

"Can you activate the lo-jack on my Charger?"

"Why something happen?" Pen was a little worried.

Mac sighed. "Lynn borrowed it and now we can't reach her, so I'm checking up on her." She didn't need to give all the details.

"Ah. Got it." That was followed by insanely loud and fast clacking of key. "Found her." Came the reply after of a few minutes.

"Well, where is she?" Aaron asked, irritation creeped into his tone.

"By a lake, about an hour drive north east of Calais." Pen's confusion was obvious.

"Thanks Pen. You're the best." Mac knew exactly where Lynn had run off to.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on?"

Aaron answered. "Not yet. Keep an eye on her position and let us know if she moves."

"Yes sir." And the line disconnected.

Aaron looked at Mac. "Where is she?"

"The cabin where we spent our summers growing up."

He nodded and quickly called Dave to fill him in. He then floored it and prayed to make it there soon.

The cabin…

Lynn sighed. Why did this kind of stuff always happen to her? Why was she the one who always ran away? She looked at the tiny Post-it in her hand. Tomorrow this would all be over. She could home and pray that nobody noticed she was gone.

"Oh, who am I kidding!" She threw herself into the nearest chair. "They're going to notice I'm gone. Maybe they won't come looking for me." She was hoping.

"Who are you talking to?" A voice came from the doorway.

"Jesus!" Lynn jumped.

"No." Mac stepped through the doorway. "Not Jesus, just the friend you forgot about."

Lynn stared at Mac, then her heart dropped as Aaron's tall frame filled the doorway. "How'd you find me?"

"Doesn't really matter, but I called in a favor." Mac crossed her arms over her chest. "You left. You ran! You couldn't even tell me!" Lynn's throat tightened as she saw tears flow down her best friend's cheeks.

Aaron kept the doorway blocked, just in case Lynn decided to bolt. He was also watching to make sure Mac didn't get to upset. Lynn didn't know what to say, but her heart broke with the next words Mac said. "You did what my mother did!"

"Mac…." She took a few steps towards her.

"No!" Mac pulled away from her. "What was so horrible that you couldn't call or even send a bloody text message!"

Lynn didn't know what to say. She had hurt her best friend and telling her the truth would only cause more pain. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Like running away didn't?"

"Mac, the truth would've hurt even more."

"How!" The fury and pain in Mac's eyes was almost indescribable.

"Sit." Lynn looked her in the eye. "Please."

Mac stood her ground. Lynn turned to Aaron, eyes pleading. He just stood there.

"Fine." Lynn took a deep breath. "I ran because I couldn't tell anyone the truth. I'm pregnant and with Dave's lifestyle and past, I know he's not going to want a baby."

Mac took a moment to absorb all the information. "So what you're saying is that you ran away so you could get rid of it?" She sounded out each word slowly.

Lynn nodded. She was ashamed of how selfish she was at that very moment.

Mac's heart sank. "You always said you'd never, EVER have an abortion. That you didn't believe in it."

"But Dave…"

Aaron finally spoke. "How do you know what Dave wants? Have you talked to him?"

"No, but he's been married three times and never had kids. It means he doesn't want them."

Mac turned to Aaron pleaded. "Do something!"

Aaron knew why Mac was doing this. It wasn't because she was pro-life, it was because when it came to things like this, both mother and father had to come to know of the pregnancy. What happens after, well that's up to them. Dave deserved to know that he could be a father. He thought on his feet and grabbed Lynn and threw he over his shoulder, fireman style. He took her to the first bedroom he found and cuffed her to the bed.

"Mac! Get him to uncuff me!" Lynn screeched.

"No. I won't let you do this because of what you think he wants. You need to talk to him." Mac put her hands on her hips.

"He doesn't know I left."

"Of course he does! He charged into Aaron's to tell us." Mac shouted. She was really frustrated that Lynn didn't see the big picture.

"Don't tell him what's going on!" Lynn begged.

"Too late, he's on his way and you're going to tell him." Aaron said as he took Mac's hand and left the room.

Before she left, Mac turned back and faced Lynn. "My engagement party is tomorrow night and I'm not missing it and neither is my maid of honor! So figure this stuff out!" With that she slammed the door shut.

Lynn knew that there was no use in trying to escape what was to come with Dave. He'd be pissed off and he'd walk out on her. The same way her father walked out on her mother. The tears and sobs that followed wracked her body.

Dave…

When Aaron called and told him they had found her, he had hopped in his car and broken every law imaginable to get to that cottage. He couldn't think of a reason for Lynn to do this. He was a mile away and he was going to get answers. No matter what happened, he was determined to make this relationship work. He saw Aaron's car and the Charger. He finally had made it. He parked the car and burst into the cottage.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Mac pointed to the bedroom. "We had to keep her from bolting!" She shouted after him as he sprinted for the room.

When he saw her he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw the handcuffs. "What?"

Lynn looked up, her tear-streaked face was flushed and her bottom lip quivered.

"Don't cry love." He sat on the bed next to her. He pulled as close as he could with the handcuffs still locked in place. "I was so worried. Why'd you take off like that?"

She sniffled. "Because I didn't want you to hate me."

He was very confused. "Why on earth would I hate you bella?"

"Because…" She choked back a sob. "I'm pregnant."

Mac and Aaron…

The two sat in silence. They wanted to make sure Lynn told Dave the truth before leaving them to work things out. "I'm pregnant." came from the room, and that's when they decided it was a good time to go for a walk around the lake and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery.

They were on the east shore, watching the sun set when Mac asked. "Do you want children?"

Aaron turned to face her. "Of course. I've always wanted a big family, to have a better family life than I did growing up. Dave's wanted a family for as long as I've known him."

Mac arched an eyebrow. "Then why doesn't he have any? He was married three times."

"It was his wives that didn't want any children."

"What?"

He nodded. "The first one didn't want any, just wanted to pursue her career and let Dave pursue his. Wife number two went ahead and got her tubes tied to prevent any pregnancy."

"What about number three?"

"She did the worst thing according to Dave." Aaron sighed. "Which is why I sided with you."

"She had an abortion."

He nodded. "Yep. Dave was so angry. She hadn't even hinted at it. When he confronted her, she told him she didn't want a baby because she'd get fat and wouldn't be able to party anymore."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah. If Lynn had gone and done it, at least without talking to him first, she'd be out the door for him. He'd never speak to her again."

"So we weren't being harsh when we locked her up?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't be able to see Dave go through that again, just like I'm sure you don't want to see Lynn go through a terrible breakup again."

"Yeah." She sat in silence while pondering the recent happenings. "What would happen if we were in their shoes?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, if we were to get pregnant before being married and planning for it and stuff."

"Mac, is there something going on? Or are you just scared I might react the opposite of Dave and be angry that you would be pregnant?"

She didn't say anything.

"Mac?"

She sighed. "Both."

"I don't think I'd be angry, sweetheart." He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Now can you tell my what's going on?"

She reached into the small bag she had brought with her. She pulled out a small box and handed it to him. "Here."

He took the box and slowly opened it. In it lay a very familiar white stick. 'Pregnant' could be read on the small screen. He looked up at her. "When did you take this?"

"Two weeks ago." She whispered. She didn't know what to expect.

"And you didn't say anything."

She shook her head. "I didn't know what to do. I made an appointment to see my doctor and once she confirmed it, then I waited to tell you."

"When did she confirm it?" Aaron, despite suspecting the pregnancy because of the questions, was still a little surprised.

"Yesterday. I went while Lynn napped."

"And it's 100%?"

"Yeah. I'm pregnant Aaron."

He wasn't angry. He was thrilled. The woman of his dreams was having his child and they were going to be married soon. "Are you happy?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I just want us to be happy together though."

"I am happy. It may not have been the way I planned on it happening, but I'm happy." He kissed her. "How far along?"

"About six weeks or so."

He did the math. "Dave's birthday?"

"I guess so."

"But you didn't suspect it earlier?"

"No, because I thought I had my period, just lighter."

He looked at her, confused.

"Some women can get what they call implantation bleeding, which means it's like a period but it's not a period."

"Ah." He hugged her. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I. It's a total shock."

"But it's a good one. Promise me one thing."

She nodded. "Anything."

"Let me know next time you suspect it. I want to be there when you find out."

She laughed. "Next time won't be for a while but most definitely, you'll be the first to know."

The two cuddled and watched the sun set and the geese fly overhead. It was a good day. Now if only Dave and Lynn could work out their issues, and it would be perfect.

Dave and Lynn…

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant. And I know you're going to hate me, and you'll never want to be with me again and that you don't want any kids yet." She started to rant.

Dave stopped her by kissing her deeply. "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"Because you've been married three times, no kids. We're not married and I'm pregnant." She sobbed again. "I ran away thinking I could fix it and then things could go back to normal."

He scooted closer to her. "Why would it have to be fixed?"

"Because you don't…"

"No bella. You're not getting it. I'm happy." He smiled at her. "I've always wanted children."

"But?"

"My ex-wives didn't want any. One was career oriented, another was stubborn and prevented it from ever being a possibility and number three got pregnant and before telling me, aborted it and then lied to me."

Lynn felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She had almost turned out like ex-wife number three. "Is that why you divorced them?"

"Yes. I'm Italian. Italians have big families, by denying me that, they were ultimately denying my happiness. Were you planning an abortion? Be honest. I won't be angry unless it's already happened."

"I had an appointment for tomorrow, but Mac found me and then you came and now I'm really confused."

"Please bella. Unless you really don't want to have this child, please don't go through with the appointment tomorrow."

"I was only going to it because I didn't think you'd want it." She wiped away a tear. "I don't believe in abortion."

"So all because you thought I wouldn't want it?"

She nodded. "I want to keep our child Dave. I really do."

"When did you find out?"

"I did the home test this morning, and got it confirmed at a clinic this afternoon. I had just gotten home when Mac and Aaron showed up."

"Do you know how far along?"

She shook her head. "I didn't want to know. But I can guess."

"Okay. What's your guess?"

"I think we made this baby the night of your birthday party."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Yeah. It's the only time the condom broke."

He thought back. "True." He kissed her forehead. "Will you come back to D.C. with me? We can go see a doctor and find out more details?"

She nodded. "Yes. God yes!" She tried to hug him, forgetting about the damned handcuffs that held her to the bedframe. "Ow!"

"Aaron!" Dave shouted. "Get your ass in here!"

No one answered. He went out into the main part of the cottage and didn't find them either. He looked around the house for bulk cutters to cut them off, and found that the cottage only had a screwdriver. He looked at it and realized it was too big to undo the cuffs with. He went back to the room. "They're not there and there aren't any tools in this place."

"Is their car still here?" She asked.

"Yea. But they aren't."

"They probably went out for a walk to let us talk."

"They should be back by now." He looked at his watch. "We've been talking for two hours."

"Go look for them. I'll wait here."

"I'm not leaving you alone here. Hang on, I'll go see if I have my old cuff spare keys in my car." He kissed her quickly. When he returned, he had a saw in hand.

"You planning on being a magician?"

"Ha ha." He scoffed. "No, I'm going to cut them off."

"But doesn't Aaron need them for work?"

"I'll get him a new pair." He set to work at sawing through the chain for the cuffs. It took time, but they eventually came apart. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Lynn, thank God. Promise me, you won't run away again. That you'll talk things over with me."

"I promise you. I'm so sorry." She broke down again. Tears flowed. Tears of joy and tears of pain, the mixed emotions were overwhelming but at least she knew that no matter what was thrown in their path, they'd make it through.

Once she was free, thanks to a childhood collection bobby pins that had stayed in her dresser here, the cuff was completely off her wrist and they went off into the darkening evening to search for their friends.

They found them cuddling by a small driftwood fire about a half-mile from the cottage. Mac was half sitting, half laying down, while Aaron had his ear to her belly. It was an odd sight, but neither Lynn nor Dave paid it much mind.

"Hey!" Dave shouted.

Aaron bolted up and Mac squeaked.

"How the hell did you find us?" Aaron demanded. He was a little mad. He had been enjoying the time with Mac and talking to their child, and now again their alone time had been interrupted by Dave.

"Uh, we followed the trail from the cabin?" Dave answered with a 'duh' tone.

"How'd she get out of the cuffs?" Mac pointed at the free Lynn.

Lynn blushed. "He cut them off me, then I found some old bobby pins."

"He did what?" Aaron took this chance to get in Dave's face. "Those were my cuffs from the Bureau! I need them."

"You shouldn't have cuffed my girlfriend."

"If we hadn't we'd be dealing with a lot more tragedy." Mac retorted.

Soon then tension broke and they all laughed. The group sat around the fire and chatted. They'd stay the night here, and head out in the morning, to be back to the engagement party the next night. Soon Mac asked if Lynn and Dave were going to keep the baby.

"Yes. We are." Lynn beamed. It was the Lynn that Mac remembered. She was thrilled.

"Yay!" Mac clapped. "I get to spoil a new baby!"

"Well two." Aaron pointed out.

Lynn and Dave looked at each other. "We're not having twins."

Aaron turned to Mac. "No, but…"

"I'm pregnant too." Mac smiled.

Well, well. I leave it there. Otherwise it'll drag on. Mwahahahaha! I love you guys and all your reviews and alerts and favorites! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the saga. More to come very soon. Chapter influence: This I Promise You by *NSYNC

Love always

*Nicole*