A/N: Chapter 13. Who would've thought? I want to begin first and foremost by thanking my reviewers from last chapter. x-MJ-x, sarahb2007, charmony, maguchi, HGRHfan35, HPforever-after, greengirl82, moon27, tigerlily888, tigerlily02, this-love-is-sirius, rugbygirrl, MeGkAtHeRiNe: I really appreciate you guys taking time to drop me a note and tell me how you felt about the piece. I work hard putting them together and getting them edited and ready so, it's nice to know you all like it.

As a THANK YOU to all my reviewers and my readers I put together a Fan Mix for you all, based on the chapters of the fic. You can download it here: www(dot)mediafire(dot)com / ?c6i5xdo3od8aunm (( obviously replace (dot) with a . and delete the spaces. ))

TO MY AMAZING BETA, Michelle: I don't think there's a word in the dictionary that can properly and fully describe my adoration of you. You're such an amazing beta and an even greater friend. This chapter wouldn't be possible without the help you offered. Thank you so much for everything.

greengirl82 and Tigerlily888: Your input has been so helpful this time around. I am so grateful to have friends and readers like you. :) xx

This chapter is meant to follow episode 3x15 "Higher Power".

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! I'd love to hear where all of you feel this should continue to go. Any ideas or themes you feel like throwing my way or anything in particular you wish to see, is always welcome. I love that some of my readers are able to look at the chapters and see their own input reflected, if you'd like to be one of them, don't be shy. :D

Disclaimer in Chapter 1!

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." - Barbara Bush

Silence.

It was all that surrounded her.

That and the sound of her soft pants for air as she moved.

There was nothing that needed her attention. No calls to be returned. No one begging her for help on consults. Right now, it was her time.

Alone and focused on herself.

She'd never fancied herself a contemplative personality. She had grown up being the wild child living her life for the day and never really putting much thought into her actions. She'd flown by the seat of her pants and as she'd gotten older had still maintained that. In the field, she was always the first one to jump into the action and volunteer or accept responsibility for being the bait; all things that only stressed how non-contemplative she was. And then cases like this would happen, and suddenly that switch would flip and she'd find herself letting her mind run over things that were bothering her.

She shook her head lightly, several drops of sweat freeing themselves from her skin with the movement as she tried to refocus on the task at hand. She swallowed lightly and licked her lips as she fought to get her mind to center on the pounding in her chest. She ran a hand over her hair, wiping the sweat back into the raven locks as she glanced down at the pedometer on her hip and shook her head.

The only sound in the silence was smack of her tennis shoes on the treadmill as she ran hard and fast, fighting to feel better about everything she'd seen and experienced in the last few days. Morgan's escape was his properties, hers was the BAU gym. She panted lightly as she kept her strides long and precise, hoping her speed and agility would be the things that could help her outrun the demons chasing her. The case, Aaron's divorce, Haley's knowledge of their relationship, it all seemed to be catching up to her; no matter how fast or hard she ran, it always seemed to come back and bare its ugly head to her.

Right now, the proverbial wheels in her mind were spinning about Aaron taking her advice and going to talk to Jack. A part of her, a bigger part than she'd ever admit, was curious about what he said to his son; had he told him that 'daddy was going away', that 'he and his mommy were going to be living at home without daddy', or something even simpler for the young child to understand? She ran through cliche lines for about an hour before she turned off her exercise machine and climbed off it. She wanted to pace, desperately, but after running 8 miles on the treadmill her legs felt similar to jello. Her hand tugged lightly at the rubber band holding her hair back and she groaned as her long strands fell to her shoulders. She stepped into the co-ed locker room and headed to her locker, opening it and staring into the dark space for several moments.

"Hey."

She jolted and turned around, her body slamming into the lockers behind her as she clutched her chest and panted, "Damn it, Morgan. If you ever sneak up on me like that again, I swear to God…"

He chuckled softly and held his hands up in front of him as he stared at her from his perch on the bench in the locker room, "Fair enough."

Her eyes hardened as she glared at him, "How long were you going to sit there before you said anything?"

He grinned and eyed her playfully, "I was going to wait until you noticed me but… your observation skills clearly need work." He narrowed his eyes and folded his hands on the bench in front of him, "You okay, Princess?"

She raised an eyebrow and took a long, deep breath, "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged and stood up, stepping over the bench and walking towards her, arms extended at his side, "No idea. I've just been noticing that you're acting different. We've all noticed. No one wants to say anything but…" He leaned his back to the locker next to her and eyed her warily, "I'm your partner. There's nothing you can't come to me about. Come on, stop playing games. Let's talk."

She chewed her lip and dropped her eyes fidgeting slightly and debated whether or not she should go there with him, before sighing and sitting down on the bench. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and dropping her head in her hands. "I just have a lot on my mind right now, Derek. A lot of personal shit that just seems to be distracting me lately."

He nodded and straddled the spot on the bench next to her, "Yeah. I know. What's going on?"

She huffed and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm seeing someone and things are…" She shrugged and shook her head, "To say things are complicated is an understatement. He's absolutely incredible and such a great guy, but there's so much other stuff going on that I… I don't even know where to begin."

He nodded and reached over, resting his hand on her back and rubbing in soothing circles, "You talk to him about this?"

She snorted and nodded, "Yeah. We've talked about everything that's going on between us, and things are great. I mean… I really care about him, Derek. I do. I'm just…" She raked her hands across her face and shook her head as she shrugged in resignation, "I love him, but being with him is dredging up shit from my past that I really am unsure about wanting to deal with and right now, I just… I don't know if I'm ready to deal with it."

He sighed and tilted his head, catching her eyes with his concerned ones, "What's it making you think of?"

She licked her lips and swallowed hard, "Family. My future. Being a mother. Being a wife. If I even really want any of that…" she dropped her eyes and sighed, "It's just hard, Derek."

He smiled and nudged her, "Do you want that?"

She slowly bopped her head back and forth and finally shrugged, "I think so." She swallowed hard and licked her lips, giving it more thought and then speaking low, in almost a whisper, her voice shaking as if finally admitting it would make some horrible Earth ending event take place, "Yeah. I do. I do want it, especially with him, I just… I don't want to complicate things more with him."

He narrowed his eyes and leaned into her slightly, "You're not telling me the full story, are you?"

She shook her head and rested her palm on his knee, "It's better this way, Derek. Trust me. The less you know the better it'll be." She smiled and gave his knee a squeeze, "Now, get lost so I can go take a shower and go home."

He smirked and eyed her, "I don't know. I think I might want to stay for that."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. Don't you have some hot little blonde number who's desperately waiting for your call?"

He grinned and hugged her gently, "You always come first."

She chuckled lightly and hugged him back, "Get lost, Morgan. Before I have to slap you with a sexual harassment complaint."

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She supposed it was natural to feel this way. To feel knots forming in the pit of her stomach every time the other woman's name was brought up. It wasn't that she didn't like her so much as she didn't like feeling like she was second banana to a woman who had never really mattered in her life. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as yet another colorful picture was held up in the small hand of Jack Hotchner.

"What'cha drawing, sweetie?"

He grinned and pointed at the paper, "Tha's Daddy, and me, and Em'ly at the park."

Haley felt her stomach roll again as she forced a smile onto her mouth and nodded, "Oh yeah? Did you have fun with Daddy at the park?"

He nodded and put the paper back down on the table, his hand immediately reaching for another crayon to keep adding to the drawing, "Yeah… but Em'ly's more funner than Daddy."

Haley nodded and swallowed the large lump forming in her throat, "Is that right?"

He nodded and kept his attention on the paper, coloring in the large object that Haley surmised to be a carousel, "Mmmhmmm. And Daddy says I get to see her again soon."

His mother's silence caused him to lift his eyes from the paper and he grinned widely, "Did'cho know that Em'ly fights the bad guys like Daddy?"

Haley nodded slowly and blinked against the onslaught of tears, "Yeah, Jack, I know."

He dropped his crayon and held the completed drawing out to her, "Mommy, think if I gave it to Em'ly she'd hang it on her fridge?"

Haley's heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach as her son folded the paper up and carried it over to his suitcase, for the next time he'd get to see his father. She'd lost her husband to the brunette, and now she was losing her son.

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What the fuck am I doing?

She stared at the door, her dark eyes taking in every detail of the worn wood, each fleck of missing paint, as she reminded herself that sometimes changing things for the better, meant being in uncomfortable positions. Her nerves seemed to be on fire as she stood at the door, her hand poised to knock but insecurity flooding her chest and abdomen. She massaged at the nerves that were flexing tight across her ribcage and took a long slow breath. She breathed it out in a long huff and licked her lips before rapping her knuckles on the wood and taking a step away from it, giving plenty of room so she could duck and run if necessary.

She heard the lock disengage and felt her stomach lurch into her throat. She swallowed down the bile in the back of her throat and dropped her head as the door opened. For the second time that night, silence surrounded her. She could almost feel the heartbeat of the person standing at the door radiating through the space around them. She lifted her head and looked straight into the light eyes that belonged to Haley Hotchner.

Haley's mouth fixed into a tight line as Emily licked her lips and held up her hands, palms facing the other woman in a sign of peace, "Haley, I just want to talk."

She swallowed at the silent response from the other woman and took it for acquiescence, "I don't know what you've heard. Frankly, I don't care. There are, however, some things that I feel you and I need to agree upon. If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. But I expect you to listen."

Emily pushed the nerves and the desire to shake out of her head and cleared her throat lightly, "I know you don't want Jack around me. I understand that. I get why you'd feel like having another woman around him would confuse him. I am dating his father though, and if he is in his father's care, he is going to see me."

She took a deep breath and shook her head, "I don't want to be his mother and I certainly don't expect him to call me Mommy. Don't get me wrong, I think he's adorable and I enjoyed every minute I spent with him last week, but he is not the reason I'm with Aaron. "

She gulped slightly and shrugged, "It's very simple, Haley. I love him. He's a great man. As his friend, I should hate you for what you did to him; for letting him go like he's some common cheating bastard of a man who's treated you like garbage. As a woman, I feel like I should be bowing at your feet thanking you for giving me the chance to get to have him in my life; for giving me the chance to express feelings I had for him that I had given up on years ago."

She licked her lips and opened her hands at her sides, "Look, I don't care if we get along. I really have no interest in pretending to be friends or putting on a facade for people. I don't have to be accountable to anyone about his relationship with me. Not you, not our boss, not our team. The only person who's opinion matters to me is Aaron."

She nodded and huffed lightly, "I'm sorry if I interrupted your evening."

She turned and took one step off the porch before a soft cough caught her attention. She turned around and met Haley's eyes once more, her eyebrow rising as Haley gestured for her to come in. Emily worried her lips through her teeth for several long seconds before stepping into the house and letting the door shut behind her.

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He hadn't had the opportunity to really talk to her since seeing Jack. Just looking at her made him want to break down and cry. Here he'd gone to see his son, to make sure he was okay, and all his son could do was ask about Emily and when they'd be able to go back to the carousel. To say he'd been floored by how quickly his son had taken to her, would be a large understatement. His surprise at his son was only rivaled by his surprise at Haley's icy demands that Emily stay far away from Jack and her accusations that him already introducing Emily to Jack made him an even worse parent than he already was.

Since that conversation, it took all of his self control to not go to her and hold her and tell her how much he truly cared for her. Seeing his son happy about being with her had done incredible things for his security in their newfound relationship, and Haley feeling threatened had only enhanced that. Haley was her own force to be reckoned with and he knew if she felt threatened by Emily, that Jack had been praising her non-stop. He had found numerous ways of distracting himself from her on the case, but now, being home here in DC, the only way to hide from her and his growing hopes for their future together was to stay in the office and do paperwork.

She felt rejuvenated, like someone had hooked her up to an IV of energy and motivation. Talking with Haley hadn't been pleasant but it had certainly been the thing that she'd needed. Sometimes finding out what went wrong before was the only way to make sure things stayed on course the second time. Even before talking to Haley though, she'd sensed he was pulling away from her. She wasn't stupid. She was onto his little game of 'hide-and-seek' and she knew better than to let him get away with it. He'd pushed Haley away by playing it, but Emily Prentiss wasn't one to just sit back and take being ignored. Her assertive yet tentative strides carried her through the dark, empty BAU bull pen and straight up to his door. Her movements slowed as she opened the door without knocking and stepped into his office, her stomach plummeting as she realized she'd walked in on a very personal moment. There he was, the tough as nails BAU unit chief staring out the window in his office with unshed tears lining his dark eyes.

He didn't show emotion often, in fact he prided himself on not showing emotion with the team, but everything that had happened of late was just too much for him to bear. He ran a hand over his face, wishing away the tears that were glistening in his eyes as he looked at her. His clothing was clearly disheveled and his face drawn tight with emotion. His eyes lifted to her and he sighed as she tugged the door closed behind her and tilted her head, "Hotch?"

He shrugged and licked his lips as he shook his head, "That door was closed for a reason, Prentiss."

She smirked and nodded slowly, trying to bring a little light into the room, knowing he needed it, "You know, it's just a piece of wood, Hotch. It doesn't seal this area off like Fort Knox when you close it."

He couldn't help but smile at her dry tone and wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand, "Something I can help you with?"

She shook her head, "Nope." She chewed her lower lip for a moment before stepping closer and, keeping her earlier comment about the flimsy piece of wood in mind, reached out and touched his forearm gently as she whispered softly, "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah. I'm good." He gave her a half-hearted smile and met her dark concerned eyes, before dropping his smile, shaking his head and moistening his lips, "I don't know. A lot happened when I went to go see him. It's just hard. Having to explain a divorce to your son… and knowing he doesn't understand anything at all about it." He let out a bitter sigh and dropped his eyes, "I just feel like I'm letting him down; like I'm being the bad parent that Haley likes to tell me I am."

She shook her head as her eyebrows knitted together, "No. No, you aren't a bad parent. Your priorities might be a little askew at times, but you're not a bad parent. Bad parents are the bastards we put away. The ones that hit and rape and torture their kids." She took a chance and reached up, her palm touching his cheek and immediately comforting him with the skin to skin friction, "We both know you're not being the best parent you can be, but you love that little boy. I've seen you take care of him and interact with him and no, loving him is not nearly the same as being at every event, but it's just as important. Maybe even more-so sometimes."

He gave her a weak smile and covered her hand on his cheek with his own larger hand, "It just feels like I'm letting him down. Every time I have to walk away, it just… It feels like I'm telling him I don't love him."

She nodded, "I know, it does, Aaron. But we've talked about this." She scoffed softly and shook her head, "Trust me on this one, when you have an absentee parent, you're a little more adept at picking up on who the good parents are." She ran her thumb over the apple of his cheek and leaned up quickly, brushing her lips against his and wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, "You're a good parent to him, Aaron. I don't ever want to hear you talk about being a bad parent. Ever."

He hugged her slim form to his body and held her tight, "I can't promise you anything. But I'll work on it." He leaned back from her, keeping her body close to his with one arm, he raised his other hand and ran his fingers through her hair. He held the back of her head in his palm and looked straight into her eyes, "I couldn't have gotten through this without you, Emily."

She shrugged and chuckled, "Right…"

He shook his head and gave her hip a gentle squeeze, "I'm serious. There's nothing easy about this whole situation and you still manage to keep me on the straightest path possible."

She smiled and rested her hand over his hand that rested on her hip, giving their joined hands a small squeeze, "Isn't that part of being in a relationship with someone though? Being there when they need you?"

He nodded and shrugged before leaning his head forward to hers and resting his forehead to hers, "Not sure how you're going to feel about this but, apparently,you're all my son can talk about."

She chuckled softly and hummed lightly, "Should I be prepared for his mother coming after me? Will I have to check my car for a bomb every time I get in? Start looking over my shoulder all the time?"

He laughed and shook his head, the movement moving her head in opposite directions and their noses rubbing, "I wouldn't worry about it. She'll calm down eventually. Besides that, you have a protection detail."

She smirked and leaned back from him, eyeing him slowly before tilting her head, "Oh yeah? How do I know you know what you're doing Agent Hotchner?"

He smiled and shrugged, "Want to call your mother?"

She laughed softly and shook her head, "Ha, no. She's actually scarier than Haley is." She licked her lips and sighed, "Aaron, I… I think you need to sit down."

She walked him over to the sofa in his office and sat him down, her hands holding his in his lap as she met his eyes with hers, "I went to see her… Haley… and we talked."

His eyebrows rose and she chuckled lightly, "I'm pretty sure she still wants to gut me like a fish for," she gestured between them in a silent expression of their relationship and sighed, "But I think we worked through some things that needed to be worked through as women. We talked about you quite a bit; talked about Jack."

She swallowed and squeezed his hands, "Aaron, I don't know how you feel about this and that's why I did itwithout telling you. I didn't want you to try to stop me but I needed to do this. I needed to take some time and really talk one on one with her."

She chewed on the corner of her lip as he stared at their joined hands in silence. "Aaron, please say something."

He released her hands and stood from her, taking several steps away before turning to look at her, his eyebrows knit together, "You didn't think you could talk to me about this? About wanting to talk to her?"

She blinked and opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by him, "What made you think that going behind my back was a good idea, Emily? You should've known I would understand you wanting to discuss this with her."

She snorted, "Right, Aaron. You totally would've understood the fact that regardless of the fact that your divorce is finalized and all, that I still feel like the other woman. That I still feel dirty about what we're doing because we have to hide it from everyone. I can't tell my friends, I can't tell my partner… HELL, I don't even like coming to talk about my feelings to you. Yeah, you really would've understood." She scoffed and stood from the sofa, shrugging her shoulders as she headed for the door, "The only thing you seem to understand, Hotch, is how to push women that really give a damn about you away."

She ripped the door open and began to storm through the bull pen, her fury and hurt rippling off of her as she stabbed at the elevator button with her index finger over and over again.

He watched her leave and felt his breathing almost cease for a moment before he tore out of his office, running through the empty bull pen and sliding his hand between the now closing elevator doors, stopping them from sealing her away from him. He stepped into the confined space and panted lightly, looking at her as the box began its descent, "I'm sorry."

She snorted and shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest, "Go to Hell, Aaron."

He sighed and took a couple steps forward, his hands resting on her shoulders as he turned her to face him, "Do you know how hard it is for me to say those words? Are you really going to make me say them again?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked, leaning forward and resting his forehead to hers. His lips brushed hers over and over again as he repeated his pleas, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The murmured phrase sounding softly through the slowly moving metal vessel. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight to his body, sighing softly in relief as her arms wrapped around him in return and her lips pressed against his, interrupting his apology and telling him he was forgiven. He pulled away slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the backs of his fingers trailing across her cheekbone tenderly as he studied her, "Did talking with her really help?"

She nodded slowly and smiled, "Yeah, it did."

He smiled and ran his thumb over her lips, "Then that's all that matters."

She chuckled lightly and kissed him gently, "Thank you for trying to understand."

He hummed lightly and shrugged, his hands securing on her jean-clad backside. He held her close, then pulled away slightly, feeling the rustle of paper in her back pocket. He tugged the large piece of paper out and raised his eyebrow at her. She blushed and chewed her lip, "It's, uh… It's for my fridge."

He unfolded the paper and couldn't stop the large smile that formed on his lips upon seeing the drawing. She stepped up next to him, her smile matching his as she rubbed his back with her palm, "Haley gave it to me. He drew it after you left."

She sighed and shook her head with a soft chuckle, "Never thought I'd live to see the day that I'd be hanging a child's drawing on my refrigerator."

He laughed openly at that and glanced at her before looking at the crayon covered paper in his hands lovingly, "I have the feeling it's only going to be one of many."

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