A/N: This is a continuation
The team had been in New York a couple of nights when they closed the case. The rest of the team was heading back to the hotel for dinner. Emily told Hotch she was going to get a drink with Cooper and fill him in.
They sat down at the table and a waitress came over. "Do you wanna get something to eat too?" Cooper asked. Emily shook her head. "I'm meeting the team for dinner," she explained. Cooper nodded. "I'll have a pint. Same?" he asked Emily. She shook her head again. "Just a lemonade for me please," she asked. Cooper frowned. "Ok so you didn't mean drink when you asked me to meet you for a drink?" Emily shook her head. "So why no beer? You love beer," Cooper said.
Emily took a deep breath. "I had a baby." Cooper almost choked on his drink. "A baby? Wow. You're not here to tell me it's mine are you cause it wouldn't be a baby," he joked. Emily smiled and shook her head. "I, uh. She's almost four months old. Her name's Charlotte. She's got beautiful curly black hair and big brown eyes," Emily said, describing her daughter with a twinkle in her eyes. "So she's a mini-you," Cooper said, smiling. Emily nodded and took a sip of her drink. "So who's her dad?" Cooper asked. Emily took another deep breath.
"I have to confess something else. The last time we talked, I told you I was dating someone special." Cooper nodded and Emily continued. "Well I got married," she said. Cooper frowned. "So uh Prentiss?" he asked. "I use my maiden name for work." Cooper nodded. "So who is he? Let me guess. He's in a position of authority. He's gotta be an agent. You always said you'd probably end up with another agent. He's intelligent and handsome, athletic. But he's damaged. He's gotta be damaged, cause you like to fix people," Cooper said angrily.
"Coop," Emily said, trying to calm him down. "You know when I proposed you said you weren't ready, that you didn't think you ever would be. And now I find out that it wasn't that at all. You just didn't want me," he said, clearly hurt. "Coop," she said again, putting her hand on his arm. "Who is he?" Cooper asked. Emily took a deep breath. "It's Hotch. We got married almost 18 months ago," she replied. Cooper raised his eyebrows. "Hotchner? You married Hotchner?" Emily nodded. "I don't know what to say Em…" he paused. "Say congratulations. Say I hope you're happy," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "Saying no to you was hard, believe me. But it would've been harder if I'd said yes," she explained. Cooper stood up. "I have to go. It was great seeing you again Em. I hope you and Hotch have a long and happy life together." Emily turned and watched him leave the bar, then stood and left.
When she arrived at the restaurant, the team had already ordered. "I ordered you the steak," Hotch said as she sat down. Emily smiled and patted his leg. "How'd it go?" he asked, pouring her a glass of water. "It was fine. It's done," she sighed, leaning forward on the table. He reached over and rubbed her back. "You ok Em?" JJ asked. Emily nodded. "I just wanna get back home," she answered. I have nothing left in this city, she thought to herself.