A/N: This whole sequence will be taking place between the episodes "Derailed" and "The Popular Kids". So this is skipping a few of the episodes, but I want to keep it moving. Let me know what you think!

Love always, Nicole!

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Lynn handed Dave the test. She couldn't look. She didn't want to get her hopes up. She knew there was a still a chance that her period could come and this was all presumptuous.

Dave took the test and looked at it.

"Well?"

"Uh…" Dave turned the test to face her.

Lynn looked closely at the window of the test, and low and behold… there were two tiny faint pink lines. "Oh my God!"

"That means what I think it means… right?" Dave asked, anxiously.

"Yes." Lynn whispered. She was scared that if she said it out loud, it would go away.

Dave tossed the stick up in the air and grabbed Lynn into his arms. "Oh, bella! We're…"

Lynn covered his mouth. "Not yet. We need to see a doctor… then and only then can we say it."

Dave nodded. "Okay, then let's get seen… now."

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Mac was pacing mindlessly in the living room. Jack was in his swing having his morning nap. Lynn should've called by now. Aaron had gone to the grocery store to top up their essentials. Mac was halfway through dialing Lynn's number when Aaron came home.

"Mac? What are you doing?" Aaron said putting the groceries in the kitchen.

"I need to call Lynn."

Aaron came and took the phone away. "Mac, you know that Lynn said she'd call once she knew."

"What happens if they're not? She'll be heart broken." Mac laid her head on his chest.

"And if they are?" Aaron kissed her head.

"Then, she'll probably be the happiest woman in the world." Mac sighed contentedly.

"How are you doing?"

Mac looked up. "What do you mean?"

"How are you doing? I know you've been beating yourself up because Jack got sick."

"Aaron, stop profiling me."

"Mac, you're my wife and mother of my son. You are way too hard on yourself." He rubbed her back.

"Aaron…"

"Mac, please trust me."

"I do."

"Then stop worrying. Lynn will call when she has news. Whether it's good news or not, she needs time to process this. If she is pregnant, it's a huge adjustment that she and Dave will need to make."

"That's very true."

They both turned when Jack began to cry. Obviously, naptime was over. Mac went and picked him up out of the swing. "Hey, buddy. Did you have a good nap."

Jack instantly calmed down and nuzzled against his mother's neck. Mac rubbed his back. "There. It's all good, Jack. Look, Daddy's home."

Aaron stood behind Mac. "Hey there little guy." Aaron gave Jack his index finger. Jack instantly grasped it and put it in his mouth and sucked on it.

"I think he thinks your finger is a pacifier."

"Hey, at least he's not crying." Aaron smiled. "Give him to me. You can go and check to make sure I bought everything you wanted me to."

"Here, go drool on Daddy for a little bit." Mac gently placed Jack in Aaron's arms. "I'm going to make sure Daddy didn't forget any important groceries."

"I followed every detail on your list." Aaron called after her. He looked at Jack and made funny faces. "Mommy's a little crazy when it comes to the groceries, but that's okay because it means we get delicious food."

Jack blew bubbles at his father and cooed. Aaron couldn't think of anything better than being a husband and father. While he was good at his job, and it was satisfying to put criminals behind bars, he looked forward to coming home. He didn't want to miss Jack's first steps, or his first words or his first day of school, but he knew that there was the chance that that would happen. He didn't want it to happen. He just wanted to enjoy Jack being a baby for now. Jack was sucking hard on Aaron's finger. Aaron just sat on Mac's rocking chair in the sun and rocked his son gently. He loved just watching his son. Being a father was definitely his higher calling. He was deep in that thought when he saw Mac's cell vibrating on the coffee table. He picked it up and answered. "Mackenzie Hotchner's phone."

"Aaron?" Lynn's voice came over the line.

"Yeah, hang on… I'll get Mac." Aaron got out of the chair, carrying Jack and went to the kitchen to give Mac her phone. He didn't want to yell for her since Jack was calm and happy. He handed Mac the phone and mouthed. 'Lynn.'

Mac took the phone, nodded and answered. "Lynn?"

"Mac. Thank God. What took so long?"

"Calm down, yeesh. I was in the kitchen; Aaron had Jack in the living room. My phone was there."

"Ah."

"So?"

"Um, well…"

"Come on and spit it out woman! What's the news?!"

The doorbell rang.

"Shouldn't you be answering the door?" Lynn asked.

"Aaron, can you get that?" Mac called. She was about to start yelling at her sister for not speaking up when she was grabbed from behind. Mac yelped. "Jesus H. Christ!"

Lynn burst out into a fit of laughter. "You can hang up now, you know."

Mac hit end and put her phone down. "Now can you tell me?"

"We didn't want to tell you over the phone." Lynn grinned. "You're going to be an auntie."

Mac squealed and hugged her sister tightly. "Oh my God! Yay! That's amazing news!" She saw Dave hanging back in the doorway. She ran to hug him. "Congratulations! Both of you!"

Dave was beaming, something he didn't do often. "I'm very excited, though I think Lynn almost went through the roof when the good doctor confirmed it."

"Do you blame her?" Aaron said as he came into the kitchen. He had just put Jack back into his swing.

"No. Not one bit."

"So, obviously… you're only a few weeks along?" Mac asked.

Lynn nodded. "3 weeks. Only 9 more to go before I can tell everyone, but I needed to tell you."

Mac hugged her again. "I'm so happy. You're going to be an amazing mom, Lynn. I just know it." She set about to making some tea and coffee so the two couples could just sit and talk. Something they hadn't done in a very long time.

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Aaron was putting Jack down for his afternoon nap when Dave joined him in the nursery.

"How do you do it, Aaron?"

Aaron turned to his mentor. "Do what?"

"Work with the BAU and be a husband and a father?"

"You're retired."

"Aaron, humour me?"

"I try to leave work at the office and try not to bring Mac or Jack with me on cases… but sometimes, they're the only reason I get through a case in the first place."

Dave scratched his chin. "I'm worried that I'm too old to be a father."

"Age is just a number." Aaron said as he made sure that Jack was asleep. "You planning on marrying her?"

"I have the ring… Mama gave me the family ring, so obviously she thinks I've finally found the right one."

"So when the heck are you going to pop the question?"

Dave shrugged. "I don't know. I want it perfect."

"Dave, my advice… no time will ever be 100% perfect. Trust me."

"So, just do it when it feels right?"

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, just make sure you have Mac's blessing… and their parents'."

"I asked their parents… and if Lynn and Mac would be separated for a short amount of time, I'd ask Mac."

Aaron laughed. "Hang on, I may be able to help you with that." He left the room.

Dave watched as his nephew slept peacefully. He turned when Mac came into the room.

"Aaron said you wanted to see me?" Mac asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Yeah. I was… uh… I wanted… do I have your blessing to marry Aislynn?"

Mac grinned. "It's about damn time!" She ran to hug her future brother-in-law. "Yes. You have all of our blessings."

Dave heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God!" He stopped. "Now to figure out how to do it."

"Don't make a big huge deal of it. Lynn isn't into big fluff and drama. She'll want it personal."

"Gotcha." Dave nodded, but quickly changed the subject as he heard Lynn coming up the stairs. "So, when did Aaron and you decided to start on the nursery?"

Mac caught on. "I was about 6 or 7 months in. We wanted to make sure we were safe."

"Perfect, so I have time."

"Yeah, babe." Lynn appeared in the room. "You definitely have time." She turned to her sister. "I swear, he thinks that the baby is going to magically appear overnight."

Mac couldn't help but laugh. "Enjoy the pregnancy phase, Dave. Trust me… once the baby is here… there's no going back. That means no more sleeping in, lots of dirty diapers and lots of messes."

"I'll do all of that if it means we finally have our family." Dave pulled Lynn into a tight hug. "We should be going, we have things to do… and I am making supper tonight… no arguments."

Lynn clamped her mouth shut and nodded. "Deal." She went to the crib and bent down to kiss Jack. "Sweet dreams, Jack. Auntie loves you." She hugged Mac. She then took Dave's hand and together they headed home.

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Two days later…

Aaron was busy putting away dishes when the phone began to ring. "Hotchner residence." He answered.

"Hotch? It's JJ. We just got a bad case."

"How bad?"

"Satanic cult bad."

"Shit. Okay, let me tell Mac and I'll be right in." Aaron put the phone away and went in search of his wife. "Mac? Where are you?"

"Downstairs." Her voice was definitely coming from the basement.

Aaron headed downstairs. "What are you doing?"

"Jack is finally sleeping so I'm doing laundry. He's about to run around naked if I don't wash his onesies and stuff."

"Ah."

"Aaron, I know that look and that tone. What's wrong?"

"Bad case, like really bad." He hesitated to tell her more, especially because of her strong faith. "A case just came up in McAllister… it looks like it may be a satanic cult that's just killed two of the local high school students. Well, one's dead for sure, the other one is still missing."

Mac's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh God! That's horrible. Well, go… you need to save the missing student… and just be safe out there."

"Do you want me to call Lynn and Dave?"

Mac shook her head. "No! They need time to themselves right now."

"Okay, but if you need anything…"

"My parents are coming in to spend time with Jack. We'll be fine. I promise." She kissed him passionately. "Go, save the world!"

Aaron laughed and ran upstairs to change and head out. He went to Jack's nursery to kiss him good-bye. This was probably the hardest part of his job. Leaving Mac and Jack on their own each time an UNSUB reared their ugly head. "Be good for Mommy, Jack." He whispered. He picked up his go bag and headed to his SUV.

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This particular case had been hard on everyone. It turned out that the Lords of Destruction (the so-called 'satanic cult') was nothing of the sort. It was simply a case of jealousy and envy. Aaron couldn't wait to get home. Even if his in-laws were still there, he needed to hold his wife and son. His team had been through Hell. He watched his Reid finally drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Nightmares were part of the job description, but Reid was only 24. He was a little more than a year younger than Mac. That reminded Aaron to start thinking about what he was going to do for Mac's 26th birthday. With everything that had happened in the last year, Mac's birthday had been just a small celebration with her family. This year, he wanted to do something extra special for her. He had already asked Penelope to help her plan Mac's gift and to get it made. That plan was in motion, now to accomplish the actual party without her finding out. That was going to be the tricky part. He made a note in his phone to ask Lynn and Cole for help since they knew her best. Whatever it took to make Mac's birthday party the best day was going to be necessary. He sighed and leaned against the window and watched as they approached the airfield.

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Mac had just climbed into bed when she heard the garage door open. She knew Aaron was home. He'd been gone for 4 days. In that time, Jack had grown and was getting ever closer to rolling over. She just sat in bed, waiting for her husband to come to her. She knew he'd stop in to check on Jack before coming to bed. She could wait. She just wanted to feel his arms around her again. Every time they went away on a case, even if it was just for a few days, it felt like weeks or months had gone by. She was thankful that his superiors had been so understanding when Jack had gotten sick and let Aaron stay home, but there were times that she wished he'd have a normal 9-5 job that would allow him to watch Jack grow up. Mac hadn't talked to him about it, but she was worried that Aaron would miss watching Jack take his first steps or miss hearing Jack say his first words. She also knew why she hadn't talked about it either. His job mattered. His job saved lives every day. It made the world a better place for Jack to grow up in. She sighed.

"Someone is very deep in thought this late at night." Aaron's voice came from the darkened doorway.

"You're home." She replied.

Aaron stepped into the dim light that was given off by her tableside lamp. "Yeah." He put his go bag on the floor by the dresser and quickly stripped down to his boxers. He climbed into bed and pulled Mac into his arms. "Talk to me, Mac. Please."

She nuzzled in closer to him, taking in a deep breath of his scent. "I missed you."

"I know that. I missed you and Jack too, but that's not what's bothering you."

"This is one of those times I wish you weren't a profiler." Mac whispered.

"Mackenzie, please talk to me." Aaron stroked her back.

"It's hard. I don't know how to say it."

Aaron kissed her. "Mac, I love you. I don't need whatever is bugging you to be softened. Give it to me straight. I'm a big boy… I can take it."

Mac took a deep breath. "I worry, Aaron."

"About what?"

Mac couldn't stop herself. Everything came rushing out and she was pretty sure she was babbling. "That you'll miss Jack taking his first steps… that you won't hear him say his first words… that he won't really know who you are… that you'll miss first day of school, graduations… girlfriends… all of that." Suddenly, Mac felt a thousand times lighter.

Aaron had suspected this for a while; actually since about the time Jack had been born. "Mac, I knew all this and you didn't have to keep it bottled up."

Mac looked into her husband's eyes. "You knew?"

"Well, I suspected it. Being away all the time, it takes its toll on anyone… a new mom with a baby… even more so."

Mac felt a little guilty.

"I know that look. Stop." He said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I love you, and nothing will ever change that. I know that you worry about all those things and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about them either. I worry every day that I'm going to miss something important in his life. I don't want to… if it's going to be too hard on us… I'll step down… take more of a backseat role."

"Aaron, I can't ask you to that the same way that I know you'd never ask me to walk away from A & M."

Aaron sighed. "Mac…"

"No, Aaron. I know what I signed up for… I knew that if we got married and had kids that this was going to happen. I guess there's just some part of me that over takes the rational part of my brain."

"I could ask Reid to explain how that works."

Mac shook her head. "Unless you're trying to put me to sleep, love, that won't be necessary." She had to laugh. As much as she adored Spencer's analytical brain, having him explain her maternal instincts was not necessary. "Mom already helped a little in that department."

"She gave advice?" Aaron asked.

Mac nodded. "She told me how hard it was on her with Dad's work with the Agency. How hard it was to live a lie all these years… to force us to live the lie too. At least, Jack and I don't have to live a lie because of your work."

"That is a bonus."

Mac smiled. "Thank you for listening to me rant and ramble on."

Aaron smirked. "It was my pleasure… but darling, seriously… if there's something like that on your mind, please don't just bottle it up. It's not good for you. Just tell me and we'll work through it." He reached over and turned off the light. "Let's get some shut eye before someone decides now is the perfect time to commit a mass murder and I have to leave again."

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Luckily for the Hotchner family it was Aaron's days off, so they could actually spend time together. While Aaron was making pancakes, Mac looked at the calendar. "Aaron?" She asked.

"Yes, dear?"

"It's almost Christmas." She pointed. "It's December already… where has the time gone?!"

Aaron had to hold in a laugh. "I think it disappeared when we had our son about two months ago."

"Hmm."

"It's Jack's first Christmas… our first Christmas… it's a lot of things now isn't it?"

Mac nodded. "I hadn't thought of that."

"You're too busy being an awesome mom." Aaron kissed the back of her neck.

"You're buttering me up."

"Maybe." He grinned.

"What are you hiding, Aaron?"

"Sean doesn't have anywhere to go… and I was…"

"Don't even finish that thought! Of course he can come here! He hasn't seen Jack yet either. It'll be good for everyone."

"You sure?"

"We have two guest rooms. Sean can use one and my parents can either stay here or with Lynn and Dave."

"You are an angel."

"I try." Mac batted her eyes.

"Keep it up and you're going to be heading towards giving Jack a little brother or sister." He whispered seductively.

"You hinting at something, Aaron?" She spun around and nipped at his lower lip.

"Mac…" He groaned as her hand slid down his stomach to his waist.

"I'm perfectly fine with Jack having a little brother or sister." She kissed his neck.

"Keep this up, and we're going to burn breakfast."

Mac reached behind him and turned the stove and oven off. "Now we won't."

Aaron was about to pull her shirt off when Jack's cries came over the baby monitor. "Did I just get cock blocked by an infant?" He groaned.

Mac snorted. "I didn't realize you knew that term, Agent Hotchner." She rearranged her shirt and headed to get Jack from the nursery.

Aaron shook his head and went back to finishing breakfast. He prayed that when he went back to work on Monday, things would be somewhat normal.

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Monday came, and nothing was normal. A little boy had witnessed a strange man in the yard of his music teacher before she was found brutally murdered and missing her blood and certain organs. Aaron sighed. This was going to be another long case and that meant that he was going to potentially be away right up until Christmas. He looked at the calendar on his desk. It was December 14. He prayed that for once this case wasn't going to be one that came with twists that sent them spinning around in circles. He picked up the phone and called Mac. She picked up on the 4th ring.

"Hey, babe." She answered.

"Hey."

"I know that tone." She sighed. "Bad case?"

"Yep."

"Well… any idea of how long you'll be gone."

There was a long and uncomfortable pause.

"I see." Mac finished. "You do know your brother gets here in 3 days right?"

"I know, and your parents are going be here in 5. I remember all of that."

"Just catch this monster so we can celebrate Jack's first Christmas as a family." Mac sighed. "Is it okay if I go stay with Lynn and Dave for a bit?"

"I don't think you need to ask my permission, Mac. She's your sister."

"I just… I don't want you to think I'm just running away."

"Mac, you couldn't run away… I'd always find you." Aaron said.

"I know. I think Lynn is struggling with the morning sickness… and she doesn't want to tell Mom yet… so I'm going to try and help her with that."

"I think that would be a good thing for Lynn… plus having Jack there is going to help get them used to a baby."

"You're profiling again, Aaron."

"It's part of what I do, baby." Aaron whispered. He looked up and saw JJ in the window. "I've got to go, babe. I'll call you when we land. Give Jack a kiss for me."

"Definitely. I love you, Aaron."

"I love you, Mackenzie." With that he ended the call. He only wished there was some way he could tell her or show her how much he loved her. How much he appreciated everything she did and how much he appreciated her putting up with his constant absences. He knew that she was basically raising their son on her own, and that wasn't fair on her. He'd have to ask Dave to help him get Mac the best Christmas gift possible.

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Dave was holding Lynn's hair back as she threw up. He gently rubbed her back. "It's okay, bella. It's okay."

Lynn spat into the toilet before flushing it. "I don't remember morning sickness being this bad last time." She leaned back into Dave.

"True, but didn't the doctor, and your own sister, tell you that each pregnancy is different?" He continued to rub her back and kissed her forehead. "Think you can be alone in here for a couple minutes. I'll go get you some crackers and gingerale. That seems to help you."

Lynn nodded. "I'll be okay."

Dave carefully got up, careful not to jostle her too much and headed to the kitchen. His conversation with Aaron from a few days ago was still ringing in his ears. Aaron had been right. There really wasn't a better time. With crackers and gingerale in hand, he made a quick pit stop at his office. He opened the wall safe and pulled out the ring his mother had given him a few weeks ago.

Flashback…

"David." Mama Rossi said for what must have been the fifth time. "David Stephen Rossi!"

Dave jumped. "Mama! I didn't hear you come in."

"I may be old, but I still can move quietly in a house." Mama crossed her arms. "What are you thinking about so deeply?"

Dave sighed.

"You are thinking about Aislynn, aren't you… and the pregnancy that you think you are hiding."

Dave's jaw dropped. "How…"

"How did I know that she is carrying my grandchild?"

Dave just nodded. He swore his mother was a better Secret Agent than he ever could've been.

"I've noticed the changes in her complexion… her aversion to certain foods and smells… I've also noticed a depletion in your cracker supply. That was a go to for me when I was pregnant with you and your sisters."

"She doesn't want anyone else to know… we told Mackenzie and Aaron, but that's it."

"My lips are sealed, my son. But… in consideration of that, I've come to give you something… something I think you've finally earned." She reached into her purse and handed him a small green box. "The diamonds belonged to my mother and the opal belonged to your father's mother. Your father had that ring made for me the year you were born. He said it was because he hadn't been able to afford a real engagement ring when we had first gotten married."

Dave gently opened the box. He had never seen his mother wear more than a wedding band. His jaw dropped when he saw the ring. It was a white gold ring with a large opal sitting in a halo of smaller diamonds. "Mama, I've never seen this."

"I only ever wore it once… the day we had you baptized… but it was too special to wear all the time, and your father understood that… it's why he made me promise that one day… when you were ready, that I would give it to you… so your wife could be honoured to wear it." She wiped away a tear from her eye. "I never thought you'd find the right one, but you have… and I know that you want to marry her and to be a father to your child…"

Dave, speechless, got up from his desk and hugged his mother tightly. "Grazie Mama, grazie."

End flashback…

He opened the ring box one last time. Aaron was definitely right, there was no perfect time to propose, but he also knew he couldn't wait one minute longer to ask her to be his wife. He slipped the ring into his pocket, grabbed the gingerale and crackers and headed back to their bedroom. "Lynn?" He asked.

"Still in the bathroom. I think we should install a cot in here. This way I don't keep waking you up… plus I thought morning sickness was only in the morning? This has been happening every day, all day since we found out."

Dave rubbed her back and handed her the crackers and drink. "This should help. Maybe… we should make an appointment… find out if this is normal?"

"We could." She sighed. She took a cracker and nibbled on it. "You were gone a long time. I thought the crackers had started a rebellion in the kitchen."

Dave laughed. "I'm glad to know you still have a sense of humour."

Lynn smiled. "So what were you really up to?"

Dave sighed. "You're snoopy, missy."

"It's part of my charm."

"I got side tracked."

Lynn smiled. "I figured as much. Doing what and where?"

Dave knew she wasn't about to let up. "I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last few weeks. Before we found out about the baby, before Jack got sick… And I finally came to the solution."

"What was the question?" Lynn asked.

"What was missing from my life?" He replied. "But, I'm not missing anything. I have everything in my life. I have you, our baby… an amazing family… the only thing I thought of was… I…" He had a speech planned out, but he couldn't remember a word of it. He reached into his pocket. "I have been wanting to ask you for a while now… I am happier now… with you in my life and there's not a thing I would change about that… except, perhaps your last name." He pulled out the box and opened it. "Aislynn, would you do me the great honour of marrying me, be my wife… make me the happiest man on Earth."

Lynn's jaw dropped. "Wow… yes! Yes, David, I'll marry you!"

Dave slipped the ring on her left hand and it fit like a glove. "I love you, so much… you and the baby… you're my world… always and forever."

Lynn wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You do know you just asked me to marry you in our bathroom, right?"

Dave laughed. "Yes, yes I do." He kissed her forehead. "But there's no perfect time for this, and I could've planned some big fancy thing, but that's not us. We're not about show and tell, we're about our family and the love we share, so what better time to ask you to be my wife than when you're going through the horrors of morning sickness?"

Lynn couldn't help but laugh. "You know me well, Dave."

"I'll know you even better once you are my wife."

Lynn nuzzled against him and held him close. This was the best feeling in the world, and now… she was going to be Mrs. Aislynn Rossi. "Where'd you find a ring like this? It's so unique."

Dave explained to her the story his mother had told him.

"Dave…" She breathed. "Oh my God."

"You are truly my other half… nothing will ever change that."

"I agree, now can we go snuggle in bed… I just want to be held."

Dave nodded. "Your wish is my command." He got up and then swept her up into his arms, bridal style, and carried her to their bed.

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A/N: Well, another chapter… I know it's been a while, but I had to go back and re-watch some of season 1 to make this work. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time… Much love, Nicole