A/N: Hello everyone! I'd like to thank you all for your reviews and support during this fic. I'm really happy to see how much you guys are enjoying this, and this makes me want to write it, even when I don't have the time. Speaking of which, I know it's been a while since I last posted in I Grow Fonder Every Day and Of Villains and Heroes and I'm really sorry for that. When I have the time I only seem to want to write in this fic and I know I'm neglecting my other works but I promise I'm trying. I have half chapter ready of OVH and I'll try to finish it byt the end of the week and also work on the new one of IGFED. Thank you for your patience and I promise it'll be worth it.

This chapter will be a bit fluffy and a bit angst because we have a couple-moment-supercute and the talk with Strauss *tun tun tun tuuuun* Emily's reaching the end of her tenth week and things are about to get a bit busy at work. I hope you guys like it. I'm sorry for any errors.

Chapter 14: Changes at the office.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Hotch asked as he popped his head inside Dave's office.

"Sure, c'mon in." He gestured inside and the younger man came in, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at one of the visitor's chairs. "What's up?"

"Emily is finishing her tenth week and I think it's time for us to come clean with the Bureau." Hotch started and Dave winced.

"Oh, and you're worried about Erin..." He said nodding. "How do you think she's going to take it?" He asked.

"I have no idea. It could go smoothly or she could make our lives miserable for as long as she's able to it." He said rubbing his face. "If I could guess I'd say that she'll use it to get rid of me. After what she did with our kidnapping I know for sure that she'll make everything she can to ruin my career. She just can't understand that I'm not interested in her position or in leaving the BAU whatsoever..." He sighed.

"And what do you pretend to do?" Dave asked.

"That's why I'm here. I'm going to transfer Emily to under your supervision starting tomorrow. It's not only because of Strauss but for me too. I know I won't be able to be objective if she gets in danger in the field. Just the prospect of something happening to her is… unbearable..." He said with a visible shudder.

Dave watched him for a few moments before clearing his throat and speaking with a slightly amused voice. "You two seem to be very close these last few days..." That was really an understatement. After he introduced Emily to his mother, a little over a week before, they had spent practically every single time off together. Emily had indeed called her friend who was a realtor and they had seen two apartments already but neither of them had worked for him. Since Emily was very sincere about how much she didn't like his apartment, Hotch had spent three out of five days they spent at home in her place, the other three days they were out of state in a case in Louisiana.

They established a routine of leaving work together, eating dinner, either in a restaurant or at home, and then curling up on her couch to watch a movie or some Friends' episodes. Hotch found himself actually yearning for those evenings, enjoying to not go home to an empty and ugly apartment, having someone to talk and enjoy a nice dinner, being able to just let the Agent Hotchner at the door and be simply Aaron, without big expectations or anything. He enjoyed to laugh along with some stupid joke and to trust someone enough to let his guard down.

"We have been talking a lot and had some dinners together, yes." Hotch said because he knew it was useless to try to deflect any question Dave asked.

"I see. And if Strauss asked you if you are or will be involved in a romantic relationship, what will you say?" He asked and Hotch suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and sigh.

"Emily and I are not in a relationship." He said firmly and Dave just raised an eyebrow at him. This time he couldn't help but sigh and drop his eyes to the desk. "I honestly don't know, Dave. Ten weeks ago I would never even consider entering into a relationship with Em, but now... it's not entirely an absurd idea."

"I see." Dave nodded and thankfully didn't pursue the subject. "Don't worry about Emily's evaluations. I'll be happy to do it from now on, as I said before. And regarding to Erin, feel free to ask for anything you may need. I have a few tricks on my sleeve if she starts giving you any problems." He offered. "If she follows the procedure, she'll schedule a meeting with you two to discuss the situation and what are your plans to the future and also ask for a full report from Emily's new supervisor, maybe a few weeks after the change, to see how things are going regarding your posture at the field. If she wants to go deeper she could ask for the whole team to give statements about your performance as the team leader and your and Emily's ability to remain objective and even decide to follow us into a case to see for herself how things are being dealt. Anything other than that she'll be overstepping and then you can argue about it."

"Thank you, Dave. I hope to God she doesn't give us hell but anyway, thanks..." He said with a nod.

"No problem. And don't forget to check your stories with Emily in case she wants to talk to you two alone." He advised and the younger man nodded again. "Now, how about a few rounds at our usual bar? My treat." He offered and before Hotch could answer his phone beeped with a new message.

- How about Thai food and those last few episodes? I'll order in and you bring the ice cream. E. -

Hotch smiled at his phone and answered with a count me in and looked back at his friend, who was now eyeing him with an amused smile. "I guess that's a no, then?" He asked with a smirk.

Hotch dropped his gaze and smiled embarrassedly. "Yeah... sorry but I already have plans..."

"I should be offended because I most definitely asked you first but I guess the other option is much more appealing, uh?" He said and chuckled at the attempt to glare he received back. "Go have a nice night with your baby mommy, Aaron. Tomorrow we'll deal with Erin."

"Bye, Dave." He said getting up ignoring the smirk and left the office. He quickly went to his office to grab his briefcase and to leave for the day. Emily had left as soon as the clock hit five, saying that she was feeling too tired and wanted to take a nap. He had noticed that she'd been feeling more tired as the days passed, having come to his office a couple of times through the week to get some rest at his couch and leaving for work earlier than the usual. During the case he also noticed she starting to rub her eyes when the night came in and made sure to end the work for the day early so she could go to the hotel to get some rest.

As he filled his briefcase he looked at the time and noticed that it had been almost two weeks since he had last left the office after seven. Ever since his divorce he started to do crazy hours at the office, sometimes leaving only after eleven or twelve and even sometimes not leaving at all, because he found more appealing to stay at work, keeping his head occupied and distracted than to go home and have a constant reminder that he was now alone. He smiled as he shut the lights office. It was a good change, he couldn't help but think.

/*/*/*/

"I spoke to Dave before coming here..." He said sometime later. He had bought vanilla ice-cream on his way and took a shower before they started eating dinner. He knew by now that when Emily invited him over it was implicit that he was staying overnight so he had his go-bag in hand when he arrived.

They had eaten at the living room floor while watching the last few episodes of season two and now they were curled on Emily's couch eating the ice-cream. "About what?" She asked looking at him.

"I'm going to transfer your evaluations to him starting tomorrow." He said and she nodded slowly. "I think it's time for us to come clean, Emily."

Emily groaned and dropped her bowl of ice-cream at the coffee table. "Ugh. There it goes a perfectly good mood... do we really have to?"

"Well. You'll be showing soon enough so we have to at least announce your pregnancy, but I'd like to clear everything since the beginning. We won't hide the paternity from anyone, I'll be present in every step of the way so I think it'd be wiser if we just get everything out clear right now." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"I really hate when you're all rational..." She buffed.

"And when am I not rational?" He asked and she mock glared at him.

"I know you're right, but... that woman will make our lives hell, Aaron." She said and he nodded slowly.

"I know that Emily, but that doesn't change the fact that she is our boss and we are obligated to report this to her. What if she finds out from someone else or by seeing us together or something? We're not being exactly subtle about our proximity, Em." He said looking pointedly at her.

Emily sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I know. And when do you pretend that we tell her?" She asked.

"Tomorrow, providing that we're not called in a case. I'm going to schedule an appointment for some time after our briefing and tell her. If she decides that she wants to talk to you, I'll call you in…" He said and she frowned.

"Don't you think I should be there too? I mean, I'm the one who's pregnant." She said.

"Absolutely not." He said and she raised her eyebrows questionably. "Emily, whatever I can do to keep you out of that woman's reach I'll do it. I've been taking her crap for a very long time and I won't let her get her claws on you. I'm the supervisor and we only have to report to her because I'm the father. If you were just pregnant you'd report to me and change your files at the HR and that was it. Please, let me take this out of you as much as I can…" He pleaded and Emily sighed before nodding at him.

"I don't like it… but, okay, you can go alone. It's not fair though." She complained.

"Nothing related to Strauss is fair, Em." He said and she chuckled, unfolding her feet from under her and groaning while stretching herself.

"You have a point there, but I still don't like it…" She complained. "Ugh, my feet are so sore…" She groaned while wiggling her toes. "I feel like I'm going to have to abandon my boots soon…" She said with a pout.

"I honestly can't imagine Agent Prentiss without her boots." Hotch said with a smile. "Gimme them." He said gesturing to her feet. As she placed them on his lap he started to massage them, making her groan appreciatively. "I should've told you that I'm very good with massages…" He said amusedly.

"Yeah, you definitely should…" She said between moans. "God, Aaron, that feels so good!" She closed her eyes and groaned deep on her throat at a particular twist on her foot. Hotch smiled at her and continued to work on her toes and up her heels, stopping at her calves and going back to her toes.

"You have really nice feet…" He commented while looking at her pink toenails and she snorted. "I'm serious… they're smooth and delicate and pretty. Womanly. And they smell nice." He finished and she laughed.

"I'm starting to think you have a foot fetish, Agent Hotchner." She said looking at him with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Believe me, with these feet" he said squeezing it "if I had a foot fetish, you'd be pinned into this couch by now, Emily." He said and she fought against a shiver at the tone of his voice. "I'm simply an appreciator." He shrugged.

"Okay, Mr. Appreciator…" She said and groaned again at the pleasurable pressure at her muscles. "You know… I was thinking last night before sleeping… we could start thinking about names…"

"But we don't even know the gender yet…"

"I know… but we could come up with a name if it's a boy and another if it's a girl…" She suggested. "Honestly, I think I don't want to find out the sex… I'd rather have a surprise at the birth…" She confessed and looked at him. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all, sweetheart." He smiled at her. "So, do you have any names in mind?"

"I was thinking about a few…" She smiled. "If it's a girl, I think I'd want to use my grandmother's name, as a middle name, you know…"

"Which is?"

"Catherine."

"Catherine." Hotch tested. "I like it. It's strong." He smiled at her.

"You do?" She asked brightly.

"I really do." He nodded. "Do you have any ideas for the first name?"

"I have a few options, but I want you to choose it too…"

"Tell me your options and I'll tell you what I think about them. Then I'll tell you may options and we can narrow down by then…" He suggested and she nodded.

"Okay. So, I was thinking… how about Amber?" She asked and by the twitch in his nose she knew he didn't like it. "No?"

"I'm sorry…" He winced. "I really don't like it…"

"It's okay… now you suggest one…" She said nudging him with her foot.

"Let's see. How about Emma?" He suggested and she looked at him pensively.

"Emma?" Emily pondered. "I think I like it… it's definitely an option…" She nodded and he smiled. "What about Leah?"

"Leah? Uh." Hotch frowned and then smiled slowly. "You know what, I'd never think of that name, but I really like it. Leah Catherine Prentiss-Hotchner. It fits, it's strong and powerful." He said and looked at her, frowning at the look on her face. "What?"

"I don't think I want this hyphening thing." She said and saw Hotch's face fall.

"Oh. I see…" He muttered. "Leah Catherine Prentiss, then. It's just as beautiful, I really like that one…" He attempted to smile but this time it was perceptive how it didn't reach his eyes and she smiled inwardly.

"Aaron, that's not what I meant." She said and he raised an eyebrow questionably. "I can be a very independent woman and sometimes a bit feminist but there're subjects that I'm still very conservative about it. I meant that I want the baby to have your name and your name only. We aren't married and I'm not Emily Hotchner but I want the baby to carry your name." She explained and tried to read Hotch's expression but he managed to keep his mask held in place and to not show the mess he was inside after her words.

"Oh." He wasn't prepared to the fluttering feeling in his stomach at the thought of her having his last name, so he took a few moments to be able to form words again. "If… if you're sure, Emily…" He stammered and she smiled softly at him, sitting straight on the couch and leaning slightly towards him, her hands coming to stroke his hair.

"I'm more than sure. I'm proud of having you as the father of my baby, Aaron. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better man to choose for the job…" She murmured and smiled at the way he wasn't able to control his emotions this time.

He chuckled embarrassedly and dropped his head. "I may not be full of hormones but there're certain things that my heart can't take it, Em…" He murmured and she chuckled softly.

"Let's go to bed now? I'm tired and our day will be busy tomorrow…" She said with a shudder. He nodded at her and got up, offering his hand to her to get up. They locked everything and went through their bedtime routine, before falling together at Emily's bed. Both agents agreed to pretend it didn't mean anything the way they were used to sharing a bed now, even though Emily still had her guest room available for Hotch. "Do you think she's going to come too hard on us?" Emily whispered once she was settled in Hotch's arms, her head resting on his shoulder and one hand placed right against his heart.

"I honestly don't know. We know the odds… she hates us. But I honestly don't know." He murmured back. "But it doesn't matter what she does. We're in this together, sweetheart. Okay?"

"Okay." She whispered and snuggled closer to him, enjoying the feeling of safety and peace that only he was able to bring to her.

/*/*/*/

"Agent Hotchner? The Section Chief will see you now. Please, follow me." Strauss assistant directed Hotch towards the office. The team had finished their briefing at eleven and the unit chief had scheduled the meeting with his boss for eleven-thirty. He was sure that Emily was a wreck down the bullpen waiting for him to come back but he stand to his decision to keep her out of this as much as he could, especially in her condition. He had come in early and filled all the paperwork that transferred Emily's evaluations to under Dave's supervision and had already sent it to the HR, and now had a copy in his hands to show to Strauss after explaining the situation.

"Good morning, ma'am." He greeted the chief politely as he entered her office.

"Agent Hotchner." She nodded at him and gestured to the visitor's chair. "What's the reason of this meeting?" She asked straightly.

"I filled these files at the HR this morning, transferring Agent Prentiss's evaluations to Agent Rossi's supervision, starting today. He'll be responsible of any decisions regarding to her participations on the field, saved from situations when I need to step in quickly to make a tactical decision." He said passing the files to her.

"And what is the reason for this change?" She asked after running her eyes through the paperwork.

Hotch took a deep breath before answering, keeping his face cool and posture firm. "Several weeks ago, Agent Prentiss and I got involved into an intimate situation. It was a one-time thing and we both agreed that it shouldn't happen again due to our positions. However, last week we discovered that that situation produced results, and we can't no longer ignore it or let it in the past. So, to avoid any conflict of interests or possible questionings in my conduct as her supervisor, we're following the procedure and taking her out of my league of direct responsibility."

Strauss looked at him in astonishment for a few moments before clearing her throat. "Let me get this straight. You and Agent Prentiss slept together and now she's pregnant with your baby?" She asked incredulously.

"That is correct, ma'am." He nodded.

"Do you have any idea how serious is this? You knocked up your subordinate, Aaron!" She exclaimed.

"I'm completely aware of how serious is this, ma'am, and that's why we're taking all the providences immediately. Agent Rossi is aware and agreed with the changes and the team was informed of the situation and also agreed with the way we decided to deal with everything. I know that it's not the ideal situation but we both know that even though it's heavily frowned up it's not prohibited and we're not breaking any rules since we're both consents and aware of the situation. I'm following the procedure, changing Emily's command and informing you of everything, so I think everything is covered the way it should be." He said calmly and watched the way her face hardened.

"You're absolutely right when you say that this is not the ideal situation. This is way beyond the ideal situation, Aaron, and I honestly expected a lot more of you." She spat. "I'm going to notify the Director of this situation and see what he things of you two staying together in the same team. After what happened in Ely, you two are being watched closely and this will be interesting to analyze your postures. By the way, when exactly this happened?"

"Eleven weeks ago, ma'am. And I don't see any problems with our postures together in the field before or after the incident in Ely. As I said before, we were ambushed by the unsub and spent several hours held captive without any serious injuries or anything of the kind. It was a delicate situation but we dealt it the best way and the unsub was found in time." He said firmly, his voice even.

"We'll see about that. Tell Agent Rossi that I expect reports evaluating yours and Agent Prentiss posture at the field in the next few weeks and after I talk with the Director I'll join your team in a case of my choice to see for myself the way things are being dealt. I advise you two to keep your eyes open and work according with the rules because your situation isn't pretty right now, Agent Hotchner. You're dismissed." She said and it took every bit of control for him to not answer properly.

"Ma'am." He nodded and got up.

"One last thing, Agent." She called before he could leave. "What is your relationship with Agent Prentiss?" She asked.

"We are not involved in a romantic relationship at the moment." He answered promptly and she raised an eyebrow.

"At the moment?"

"Yes, ma'am. At the moment. Excuse me." He said and left the office, knowing that his worries regarding his Section Chief were just starting.

A/N: There you go. We'll see how it will be this case with her watching them closer later. Reviews are awesome and I really enjoy them. Feel free to tell me what you think. :)