Give and Take

by Doodle19

Hotch and Emily finally find themselves in a good place. Will a new case and its unforeseen consequences shake the very foundation they built? The team is in for quite a ride and a lot is changing for many members of the BAU family. Sometimes, life is unpredictable.

26. Home for the Holidays

I do not own Criminal Minds, only the characters I have created in that world.

Thanks everyone who nominated me for the Profiler's Choice Awards. It was unexpected, but very welcomed. Again, thank you so much. I believe the final ballot is up if you want to check it out. I'm sure there are some great stories to be found there. Now, onto the story.

Chapter 26: Home for the Holidays

The family was comfortable in their new routine. Emily and Aaron got a handle on being full time parents to four children all the time. It was hard in the beginning, more than they thought it would be to just add one more baby to the mix, but having Mackenzie home for their first Thanksgiving and Christmas as both a married couple and parents again was such a blessing. They couldn't wait to celebrate. After Thanksgiving and seeing Helen off, the family took a few days post turkey haze to relax before getting into gear. Things were quiet, just the way they needed to be. They had enough crazy for a while. So they were unwinding and getting into the holiday spirit. One day, the family was out shopping when Emily passed a photo studio.

"I know you're not much of a dorky Christmas card guy, but do you want to do one?" She pointed to the display. "It could be just the kids. I know our family would love it."

"I think it would be perfect," he said, putting a hand around her shoulder as she pushed the cart. He took down the number and told her they would schedule it later.

Aaron ran ahead, catching up with Charlie and Jack as they perused the vendors. They were Christmas shopping together and the plan was always to split up. "I'm going to take them to look around. Meet you by the fountain in an hour?"

"Sure. Go," she said, sending them off with a kiss.

Emily took the babies and looked around. It was going to be an amazing Christmas; she could feel it. Shopping for them, really shopping, made her feel proud. She was proud of their growth, ecstatic and hopeful at the thought of seeing them play with toys over the next few months. They were already four months old. Mackenzie was finally holding herself up, gaining all that strength now that her heart could support her. Ben was making more of those baby talk sounds. Each day amazed her with them, just like the first year, and every one after that, with Charlie had. She wasn't there to see Jack's development, but she was amazed by him each day too. All of them had her entranced. Her life felt… Well, she was happier and more content than she ever thought possible.

Aaron was too. He loved being in a house full of kids, a wife by his side who knew, understood, and shared his passion for the job even if she was in a bit of a detour. There was a good reason for that detour. In their relationship, he never felt pressured or guilted by anyone but his own conscious. Sometimes that got the better of him and reminded him that he needed to be better, more present, and just love them whenever and however he could. But he was happy, so happy and ready to explore what came next.

It was so different from his relationship with Haley. He didn't want to compare them, but the difference was what made him believe, other than their love and family, that they could make it through anything. So, this year, he wanted to get her something special to commemorate that. What that was, he wasn't sure yet. They were both searching for that perfect gift, but the truth was, it felt like they already had it with their family.

Things were good all around. Penelope and her boyfriend were living together, Derek and his girlfriend were still going strong even if he refused to tell anyone anything about her other than that he was seeing her more than once, wouldn't even give a full name. She was just Ange. Spencer and Melissa were stable. They were taking the next step, going away for a romantic weekend and to meet his mother over the New Year. Spence already met the Perrault's. They were intimidating, he told Emily. Dave was definitely having a good time. He and Strauss were still having fun and he seemed to be enjoying a little more time with Elizabeth than Emily was really comfortable with. He just joked, "Hey, your kids call me Grandpa. Shouldn't Grandma be part of the picture?" It made Emily want to gag a little, but if it made them happy, it made them happy.

JJ and Will were preparing to welcome their second son any day now. She wasn't due for another two or so weeks, but the doctor told her she had a big boy in there and adjusted the due date to any day. He warned her to be prepared, and JJ was more than ready to get him out of her womb.

"Seriously Lucas. You can come right now… Please…" she was pleading with him. "Really… Please."

She had been begging him since Thanksgiving. He was big and getting bigger and the thought of delivering a ten pound baby scared the hell out of her. Thankfully, or at least to her delight in the end, it took a day or so, but he listened.

Emily was heading to the office to meet Aaron for lunch while Elizabeth watched Ben and Kenzie. She wasn't sure why, well she was, but she was being particularly clingy with the babies. She didn't want to leave them. She hated it now more than ever, probably because things were going so well.

"Alright babies, Mommy's going out, but I'll be back soon. Be good for Grandma," she said and gave them a hoard of hugs and kisses. "Oh, I hate leaving you."

"They'll be fine, Emily. Hand over the baby and walk away. Go see your husband."

"I'm going," Emily said, passing her Mackenzie and backing away. "Call for any reason. And…"

"Go…"

"But I was just going to say…"

"Go," Elizabeth said sternly and pushed her daughter toward the door.

"But…"

"Emily. I know how to take care of children and you've left them before. They're fine. I promise to call. So go before I kick you out."

"It's my house," Emily pouted.

"Emily."

"I'm going. I'm going." But she paused as she grabbed her purse and thanked her mom. "Love you."

"Love you too, Dear. Tell Aaron I said hello. Don't hurry back."

When she got to the office, the whole team greeted her with smiles, asking her when or if she was coming back to work. She didn't really have an answer for them yet, not knowing herself, so she just said, "I'll let you know when I know." That seemed to hold them off. Everyone at the office, especially Penelope and JJ, had also been asking when they were getting married, what their plans were… Penelope and Derek even mentioned bachelor and bachelorette parties… Little did they know there was nothing single about the two of them. But when were they getting married? Well, they already were, so they were in no rush… But the team didn't know that. They had a date, though, so when Emily shared that, she knew the girls could go nuts with it, so she told them they were coming up with a date and would let them know soon.

It was nice to be there, but Emily was happy to leave the questions behind. As they were getting ready to go to lunch, Aaron had the idea to ask JJ come. They wanted to talk with her anyway. Spencer was heading off with Melissa for lunch and everyone else seemed to have something up, so they thought it was the perfect time for them to talk with her.

They had a pleasant conversation over a good meal before they asked JJ if she was willing to be Charlie's godmother. Despite Emily's issues with the church, the baptism was something important to Emily. She wanted her children to experience that and, if they so chose to, they could go to church and do all the ceremonies without having to do this later. It represented a clean slate for them, to wash away all the past sins of their parents and all the evil that surrounded them daily. So, the two talked and both Aaron and Emily agreed it was the right thing to do. Jack had been baptized and the rest of them deserved that too. JJ was the first person they agreed on for Charlie. It wasn't so out of the blue to ask her, but JJ seemed to think it was.

"Me?" She looked surprised, why Emily didn't know, but there was no one else right for the job.

"Yes. Who else? You're important to our family JJ," Emily said.

"We talked about this a lot and we know you're the perfect choice. You were there for Emily when I couldn't be and the first one to know about Charlie. Our little girl loves you."

"I never had the chance to baptize her. There weren't many people in our lives that I trusted enough with her, and no women at all. You were the first person who welcomed me into the team and accepted me and Charlie."

"I'll do it," she said with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to convince me."

"Good. Thank you." Emily leaned over and hugged her. "You have no idea how happy I am that you agreed."

JJ squinted and looked at them funny. "You thought I'd say no?"

"You never know."

They continued to tell her that they were sorry they weren't asking Will to be godparent with her. It was nothing against him, they loved Will, but even Aaron agreed that Clyde was the right choice. He didn't hate it as much as he used to, but did realize that Clyde was nearly as important to his daughter as he was. It felt only right to give him the role.

"I understand, and I'm sure he will too. I'm excited about this. Thank you for thinking of me."

"Thank you," Emily and Aaron both said.

Occasionally through their lunch, Emily would see JJ's eyes crinkle and her body tense. Knowing that feeling, Emily let it go at first. It didn't seem too intense. Probably Braxton Hicks, Emily surmised, and JJ was thinking that too.

"Aaron," Emily stopped the light conversation. "Why don't you go pay the bill and pull the car up."

"Is everything ok?" he asked, worriedly.

"Yes." She leaned in to kiss him and whispered something in his ear.

"Ok," he told her.

With Aaron gone, Emily turned to JJ. "How long have you been having pain?"

"I'm not… Ow…." She moaned and grabbed her stomach, contradicting her statement. "Light cramps on and off since this morning. I've been getting Braxton Hicks, even went to the hospital the other day thinking it was more. I just assumed…"

"And now?"

"Now… I'm not so sure."

"You're in labor," Emily said.

She nodded in agreement. "I'm in labor."

"I thought so. Which hospital is your doctor at?"

"Stafford Hospital."

"Ok, I don't think the contractions are close enough that they'll admit you yet, but that hospital is right near our houses. Let's go back to your place, you can call your doctor and Will, let them know you're in the beginning stages of labor, and Aaron will let everyone at work know. We can stay with you and take you to the hospital once the contractions come a little closer."

"Will's away for a training thing with his partner. He's not supposed to be back until tomorrow morning."

"It's ok. We'll call him. They're still far apart and your water hasn't broken, right? So you have time."

"Yeah…" But JJ was nervous anyway.

"Come on," Emily said, standing to help JJ up. "Aaron and I will stand in Will's place until he can get here. We're your two-for-one substitute."

"Thanks," JJ laughed and let Emily lead her to the car.

Aaron called the office and filled in the team as Emily and JJ were still in the restaurant. Penelope was practically squealing in his ear knowing another BAU baby was ready to be born. He had no doubt she was sitting at her computer monitoring the hospital records to know the very moment that JJ was admitted. Yeah, she was definitely doing that. He shook his head and smiled at the thought.

When they got to JJ's house, Aaron gentlemanly opened the car door and helped JJ inside. As soon as they got in, JJ made calls to her doctor, who informed her to wait until contractions were closer together before coming to the hospital just like Emily said, and to Will. Will told her he was so excited to meet his son. He was stuck in training for another hour at least, though, with no way to get out of it. The drive home, without traffic, was more than two hours.

"Tell my boy to hang on for me, Jay."

"I'll do my best," JJ promised. Hanging up with Will, her hand went to her stomach. "Did you hear Daddy? He says to wait for him. Can you do that?"

At any rate, JJ was happy to have Emily and Hotch around. Early stages of labor or labor in general, it all sucked. They were good to her though. Hotch got JJ's hospital bag and put it in the car. Emily made sure JJ was well looked after, giving her water, being there if a contraction hit and JJ wanted a hand to squeeze. JJ wasn't at that point yet, painful, but nowhere near the peak. Things escalated rather quickly. Within the hour, JJ's water had broken and they were taking her to the hospital.

Will was on his way, and they could only hope he made it on time for JJ. After getting checked in and while the doctor was examining JJ, Emily and Aaron went to go make some calls. Aaron went to keep the team updated and Emily called Sarah to see if she could go help her mother out. Elizabeth was a great grandmother, but with Henry there too, that was five kids, two of whom were needy babies. They didn't know when they'd be home, so, even though Elizabeth said she had no problem staying and taking care of things, Emily thought a little help would go a long way. So, with that taken care of, she could focus on JJ and taking care of her until Will arrived.

Labor progressed normally. Both Emily and Aaron offered her a hand to squeeze when needed and ice chips too. JJ was begging for an epidural. "If Will isn't going to get here on time, I at least deserve the drugs," she yelled.

"Go see where the doctor is. I'll be with her," Emily told Aaron. He nodded and left. Emily went up to JJ and put her hand on the blonde's back.

"What are you doing?" JJ asked.

"When I was in labor with the twins, I didn't have any drugs, but Reid did this," her hand went lower on JJ's back and pressed down into her skin.

"Oh… That's better. Keep doing that."

"It helps, right?"

"Yes. You keep those magic hands right there."

By the time Aaron returned, Emily was sitting in the bed behind JJ, hands massaging her lower back. "Did I miss something?" he asked, a little hint of something more than PG in his playful tone.

"Emily has magic hands. Magic!" JJ cried.

"Don't I know it," he joked. "The doctor will be right in."

After the epidural, JJ tried calling Will again. He was stuck in traffic, but still optimistic about making it. Emily and Aaron were keeping JJ's spirits high. "You're not alone either way. You have us," Emily told her.

"At least I made it to the hospital, right? Spence didn't have to look at my lady parts." JJ smiled, a sheen of sweat on her brow.

"Way to rub it in," Emily teased.

It didn't take long for the contractions to become more pervasive. The next time the doctor came in, she told JJ it was just about time to push. The rest of the nursing staff on JJ's service came into the room as they all prepared for the birth.

"I want Will here," JJ whined.

"I know. I know," Emily soothed. "Don't worry about that, though. Just focus on bringing this little boy into the world. Ben tells me he wants another friend. He's already sick of Mackenzie."

"Yeah, right," JJ scoffed playfully. Those two would never get sick of each other, but listening to Emily did help.

When the doctor said push, JJ was ready. Emily and Aaron coached her, cheered her on, and held her hand all the child birthing classes finally being put to use. "You're doing great," they kept saying. "Keep going." And they counted for her each time she pushed.

"I need one good push," the doctor told JJ.

Just as the doctor told her to go, to push as hard as she could, the door slammed open and the frenzied figure came in.

"Did I miss it? Did I miss it?!" Will eagerly ran in, out of breath.

"You're just in time," Emily yelled out and Will went over to JJ, his hand taking over for Aaron.

JJ let out a loud yell before the room was taken over by the sounds of a baby's cry. "You have a boy," the doctor yelled as JJ leaned back into the bed, shoulders drooping in exhaustion.

"You made it," she said to Will. "We have our boy."

"We have our boy," he parroted with the biggest smile, leaning in to kiss his wife as the baby, covered in guck, was shown to them and Will was offered the opportunity to cut the cord.

Watching the nurse take the baby to get weighed, cleaned and checked, Emily moved back and leaned into Aaron's embrace. Her back molded to his front as his arms wrapped around her waist. "I wish I was there for you," he whispered into her ear. "But at the very least, I'm glad we got to be here for JJ together."

"Me too." It didn't make up for not being there with Emily for the birth of their babies, but it felt like they got to experience it together in a different way. It was something and it helped. "I know you wanted to be there."

"So badly. I love you Emily."

"I love you too, Aaron."

JJ and Will were sharing "I love yous" of their own as their son was swaddled and brought back over to them.

"He's perfect."

"And completely healthy," the doctor informed them. "Seven pounds, six ounces, and a whole 20 inches long. He's a good size."

"He's our big guy," JJ said to Will as they glowed in pride over their son.

Emily and Aaron politely excused themselves to give their friends some privacy, but they were sure to tell them how adorable the baby was first. As the new parents had their time, Aaron took Emily to the cafeteria so they could make the round of calls and get some coffee or tea.

"It's been quite the day."

"You're not kidding," Emily said as she sat beside him and sipped her tea. "But there's another little baby in the mix, and that's amazing."

"It definitely is," he agreed. "And so close in age too."

JJ's labor got them talking a lot about the twins' birth. Aaron wanted to know everything, all the details she might have left out.

"You didn't have any drugs at all. That had to be terrible."

"It wasn't pleasant, but I lived. It was the worst when Reid had to turn Mackenzie. We knew she was still in a semi breech position, but if I made it a little longer, she would have been ready or I would have gotten the C-section we planned. The turning hurt worse than the labor. I could feel her moving in there, like my insides were being beaten as Reid pushed her around. She didn't like it, and I don't blame her."

"I'm still so sorry you had to go through all of that without me. I'm just so grateful they were able to get there in time and help you."

"Aaron," her hand reached to his. "You have to stop apologizing. Every time you do, it brings back all those feelings and the anger. I don't want to be angry. We can't change it, and I'll always be sad you weren't there, but it's in the past. We need to leave it there. We are where we are. We're happy and healthy." She smiled. "Let's call today our redo. We helped JJ, we got to witness this and do it together."

"It's not the same."

"I know. But I don't plan on having any more kids, do you?"

"No."

"So it will have to do." It would have to. There were no redos in life, not with the past. What was done, was done. Now they had to move forward like they had been.

Once everyone was informed that JJ had the baby, that he, JJ, and Will were all happy and healthy, Emily and Aaron returned to the room. JJ and Will were still in such a euphoric state. Their son was here. They were the parents of two boys now.

"Emily, Hotch, come meet Lucas Michael."

"That's a handsome boy you have there, JJ," Hotch said, once again offering his congratulations and giving Will a handshake.

"He's going to be a charmer."

JJ agreed. "Want to hold your Godson, Emily?"

"My what?"

"Come on, you asked me to be Charlie's godmother, you were both here for us today. It's only right that you and Hotch are his godparents."

"I'd be honored, and I'd love to hold him." Emily took the baby from her and awed at his tiny features. He had a little bald head, nothing more than blonde peach fuzz under the cap that kept falling off. Ten little finger and ten little toes, he was as adorable as his big brother. Emily and Aaron couldn't help but think of their own babies. Mackenzie wasn't much bigger than Lucas, Ben was so much bigger compared to the newborn, and neither wanted to think about how long it had been since Charlie and Jack were that small. "Hi Lucas. I'm Emily."

"And I'm Aaron," he added, standing behind Emily to ogle he baby. "You're part of a big extended family now. Don't be scared. We may seem crazy, but we all love each other. We take care of our own and you'll get used to us."

"I have babies, too. Two of them. So you'll have built in friends once you're old enough to know what that is."

JJ and Will watched as they talked to Lucas. It was cute to see them like that. They saw it with Ben and Kenzie, but, even then, the first time was marred with worry amongst the good. Now, with Lucas, it was just joy that they saw in Emily and Hotch.

"It feels like so long ago that Ben was this little, even Mackenzie."

"Mackenzie was this small probably a month ago."

"I know. But Ben's about 15 pounds now. He's double what Lucas is."

"Speaking of, we should really be going. The rest of the team is on their way and your mother is taking care of five kids."

"With Sarah's help," Emily added.

"Still, she barely survived raising you."

"Well, they're better kids than I was," she joked, but he was right. Both she and Aaron told Lucas how good it was to meet him, Emily took one last whiff of that new baby smell, and then she gave him back to JJ.

"We're going to go and let you rest a bit before everyone shows up. Congratulations you two. Don't worry about Henry. He's in good hands. I'll bring him by after school tomorrow to meet his new brother."

"Thanks, Emily."

"No problem," she said, hugging her friends goodbye.

When Henry learned Lucas was born and Emily showed him a picture on her phone, he was thrilled and even more excited to go meet his little brother the next day. He spent the whole night with Charlie, practicing how to be a good big brother. Charlie insisted it was easy, you just have to love them and help mom and dad with them. Emily and Aaron were thrilled themselves seeing, once again, how far Charlie had come.

It was funny to see how all the kids reacted to the new baby, even the twins. They didn't really know him, but it almost seemed like they did. Mackenzie laughed for the first time when meeting Lucas. Just a few days old, and he was already hitting it off with the ladies, Derek joked. He wasn't wrong. The twins weren't old enough to make out colors, but they could see and they were starting to grasp at new things. They loved new things. What could be newer than a baby?

After JJ and Luke were released from the hospital, she and Will invited the team over for a small get together that weekend. Everyone was happy to be there and have time with all three babies at once. They took turns passing Luke around as Ben and Kenzie took over the LaMontagne living room. At one point, Emily was holding Luke and Kenzie was propped up, snug sitting on Emily's leg with Emily's arm holding her up. The new baby beside Kenzie yawned and Kenzie's hand seemed to find his little foot. Though she was only in the beginning stages of grasping, she caught a little toe, and as Luke wiggled his toes, Kenzie just laughed. She couldn't get enough of it, continually reaching out for the baby.

Luke was the main attraction of the day, his newness so alluring and the purpose they were there, but Kenzie and Ben knew how to hold attention too. When Kenzie laughed, everyone oh-ed and ah-ed and laughed with her. Ben, well, he was a cutie too.

"Look at Big Ben go," Derek cheered. The room looked at Ben who was doing mini pushups on the floor. "My man. He's a little show off."

"He's adorable. That's what he is!" Penelope clapped for him. "Go Ben, go."

Smiling as Penelope kept the spirits high, JJ asked, "Can he roll over yet?"

"Not quite, but almost. By Christmas, I think he'll have that down." He was already bearing weight and sitting up with support. He was growing too quickly.

JJ and Emily went on to swap mom stories and talk about all the milestones the babies reached. Despite their early arrival, they were where they were supposed to be developmentally. The doctor was very happy with them at the last check-up.

"How's Luke doing through the nights?"

"He's a crier. Right now it's every few hours, but no schedule yet. We're working on it."

"Aww, Luke, be nice to Mommy and Daddy. They're the people that feed you," Emily said to him in motherese, the dialect so many people adopt when talking with babies.

Luke was a truly handsome boy with his blue eyes and perfect baby skin, but to Emily and Aaron, the most beautiful babies were their own. She made some pretty awesome kids. And, thinking about them, there was still something that she and Aaron needed to take care of.

On their way out, Emily stopped Penelope and Derek. "Hey guys. Do you have a second?"

"What's up, Em?"

She smiled to stop the worried look on Penelope's face. "Aaron and I wanted to know if you were both free for dinner tomorrow."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, you know… The standard name for the big meal at the end of the day," Emily witted.

"Something going on?" Derek asked.

"No. Relax Derek. We thought it would be nice. No bad news, I promise. We can go to that Chinese place you like."

"Make it the Thai place on Main and I'm in."

"Works for me. Derek?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm in," Derek agreed. They made firm plans before Aaron helped Emily with her coat and they got the kids in the car.

The next day, Aaron and Emily arrived at the restaurant a little early. They weren't nervous, maybe a little excited, but they wanted to make this special. They also didn't want it to turn into a crazy day. When they talked to JJ, she ended up in labor. Well, that wasn't likely to happen now unless Penelope was keeping something from them, but one never knew what could happen.

"I'm glad you came," Emily greeted their friends.

Aaron pulled out the chair for Penelope and shook Derek's hand. "Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for the invite."

"So, what do my Hotchner pals have to share with us? Is there another bun in the oven?"

"No!" they both said a little too quickly and loudly. Kids were great, but they were very happy with the four they had.

"No," Emily reiterated. "I'm not pregnant, but there is something we wanted to talk to you about."

Emily suggested they order first which no one complained about, but they were anxious to know what this was about. Once that was done, Emily told them both how important they were to her and Aaron.

"You're family to us," Aaron added.

"We know. You're family to us too."

"Which is why we want you to know how much we value you guys and how important you are to us, so we want you, Derek, and you, Penelope, to be Ben's godparents."

"Oh! Really?" Penelope's face lit like a thousand-watt bulb. "Me! Derek, they want me to be godmother!" She jumped out of her seat and ran over to them, squishing them into a hug.

"I'll take this as a yes then," Aaron said.

"Yes! Yes, of course!"

"Derek, what about you?" Emily asked.

"Absolutely," he said, a smile matching his friend's before becoming serious. "You picked the right man."

"I know we did, Derek." Emily's hand reached out for his and she squeezed it. There was a special place in his heart for Ben now, something that bonded them a little more, and Emily was happy to give it to him.

"I promise to be the best role model for him that I can be," he told them. They didn't doubt it. Derek was a good man. He had his difficulties and came from a rough background, but he overcame that and became the wonderful person he was. If their son wanted to grow up and learn from someone other than them how to be strong and grow from adversity, then Derek was the guy for that. And to even it all out, they thought Penelope, the sweetest, off kilter, tech goddess was the perfect choice. Each of their kids was going to have guardians that offered them variety and everything they could ever need.

For Mackenzie, they picked her namesake, Spencer, and Melissa. They took them out to dinner as well, sat them down and asked. Both seemed surprised. Spencer's voice practically squeaked like a boy in puberty when he asked if they were sure they wanted him. He thought he was great as Henry's godfather, but was he right for a little girl?

"Spencer… Mackenzie and even Ben might not have made it that night without you. There was no way I could have handled Mackenzie's birth if you weren't there. For that I can never tell you just how thankful I am, but this is something we both really want."

"I couldn't be there, Reid," Aaron started. "But you were there. You were a rock when Emily needed one, a friend, a doctor… Everything she needed, you were. You don't have to say yes and we wouldn't be offended if you turned us down, but I have no doubt that you would do the same for our daughter that you have always done for us in the past."

"I would," Spencer said confidently. He really would. The little girl already meant so much to him. He was the first person in the world to hold her, to truly meet her. "It's just… She's a girl. I… I'm not sure I'll be any good at it."

"Oh Spencer…" Emily smiled. "You're already great at it. Charlie adores you. And Mackenzie… She's going to love you too."

"She uh… She likes when I read her history books."

"See, you've already bonded with her." Aaron said.

"You really think I can be a good godfather to a girl?"

"I know you can. We wouldn't have asked if we didn't believe that. And you'll have Melissa as your partner in this. No matter what happens, you're both important to us and our kids."

Having them godparent together was something Aaron and Emily discussed in depth. The pairing of Melissa and Reid was great in theory, but what if they broke up? In the end, they decided that both were, individually, important and lasting figures in their lives. No matter where they ended up, married, broken up, whatever came, they would have to remain civil anyway, so they decided to go for it.

"Melissa," Emily turned to talk to her. "We've lost touch over the years, but I remember when you were little and you'd follow me around. I taught you how to roller-skate and how to handle your first crush. We had some good times together and I know family means as much to you as it does to me. I'm so happy we're spending more time together now, so it would mean the world to us if you'd do this. Mackenzie can't have enough smart women to emulate."

"You're the best cousin I could have had growing up, Emily. I wouldn't dream of saying no. I'm so honored you even asked."

Spencer was pretty excited about it too. He and Melissa held hands under the table, much like Aaron and Emily were, as they enjoyed each other's company. Spencer made a list of all the things he wanted to teach his goddaughter like physics magic and all the science she could stand. "The STEM fields need more women," he said.

"We do!" Melissa agreed.

Yeah, they knew they made the right choices. Each child was going to grow up with their own special pair of adults who they knew were there for them, separate from their parents and siblings. They thought about using the same two adults for all the kids, but this was the way to go. They didn't question that anymore.

Everyone was asked, honored, and excited to take on the role. JJ, Will, Emily, and Aaron decided to do a joint baptism. Henry's was done when he was little just like Jack, so they would be sitting this one out, but were still happy to be a part of the day. All their family was flying in for Christmas, even Helen and Sean who were supposed to be doing a quiet holiday without them were coming down so they could be there for the ceremony.

It wasn't going to be a particularly large ceremony, only family. Even still, their combined family could probably pack a church. JJ's mom would be there too. Will didn't have much in the way of family, so he'd be underrepresented, but still ok. Sarah was coming, of course. She was so close with the family that it was only right she was invited.

They wanted to do it quick and painlessly. Aaron, Emily, Will, and JJ all did the necessary steps with the church and Father Hayward, the same man who married Emily and Aaron. They met with him and had the whole thing worked out. Invitations went out even though everyone who was invited had the date saved anyway, and every one quickly RSVP'd.

Everything set, Emily and JJ took the kids to buy the gowns for the ceremony. It was Lucas' first real outing and he was in good company. Charlie got to pick her own dress, a simple white gown with a lot of lace and a pretty bow for her hair. They even found a similar one that would fit Mackenzie. They even got her a little headband with a flower on it. Ben, since he was a little bigger, was able to fit into the little baptism suits. He looked like he was wearing an all-white tux and an old timey hat in it. Still, he was so cute. Lucas couldn't fit in those. His size wasn't there so they fit him in a white jumper with the same hat as Ben.

"I think we're all set."

"Shoes, Mommy!" Charlie was quick to add.

JJ smiled and teased, "You know she's your daughter when she wants to find shoes for every outfit."

"Yeah, yeah… I created a monster," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go look at shoes."

"Yay." Charlie happily led the way.

Shoes were bought, of course, and after that, they headed home, placing the outfits in a safe place. Charlie made sure she had a fashion show for daddy first though. Though it was a long day for him, he did the nice thing and smiled the whole time, telling her how beautiful she looked. She looked gorgeous and so grown up. It made him think of her wedding day. One day, she and her sister would each be wearing a beautiful white gown much like that and he'd be giving them away. Nope, he couldn't think of that. It was too hard to imagine them in love and leaving him, no longer Daddy's little girl.

"You'll always be my baby girl," he whispered to Charlie, reminding himself and drilling the thought in her head.

"I'm no baby, Daddy. That's Mackenzie." Charlie kissed his cheek before Emily pulled her away to change in order to eliminate any risk of accidents and ruining the dress.

All put away, they went on about their day. The twins were more responsive to play. Jack and Charlie took to helping them hold things and move them around, pushing cars and trains or holding dolls like they were actually playing along. It helped bond them and the parents enjoyed playing too.

"Mackenzie, you aren't sharing. That's not nice. Time out," Charlie told her, and pulled the toy from her sister's hand. Kenzie, unsuspecting of the quick movement, started crying.

"It's ok, angel," Aaron held her to his chest, a hand rubbing her back. "Charlie, that is unacceptable. You can't pull things from their hands."

"She wasn't sharing!" Charlie huffed.

"She doesn't know how to share yet," he scolded. "I want you to tell your sister you're sorry and then go put the toys away. I think we're done for the night."

"No!"

"Charlotte," Aaron pulled out the proper name. "Please apologize. You don't want her to be upset, do you?"

"I don't care," she yelled and stomped off just as Emily was returning back to the room.

"Is this what it's like to have so many kids? Is this normal for siblings?" Emily's only experience was through Charlie and Jack and, usually, they were two of the most well behaved kids. The unusual situation that brought about their siblingship didn't exactly make their bond and behavior something to compare to. Emily grew up as an only child. She didn't know what it was like.

"Oh, Babe. This is only the beginning. Just wait until the twins can talk… and hit."

"I'm not prepared for that," she semi-joked.

"Don't worry, I'll be here too," he promised.

"You better… Or wherever you are, I'll hunt you down."

That, he did believe. Instead of pushing the conversation further, he happily got the kids ready for bed while Emily fed and bathed the babies. He wanted to have a little chat with Charlie, but his son beat him to it. When he went to make sure they were getting into their PJs, he overheard Jack telling Charlie that babies were sweet and also stupid.

"That sounds mean," Charlie told him.

"I know, but I don't mean it in a mean way. Just, babies don't go to school and they don't know how to talk. They can't even walk!" he emphasized. "So they're not very smart yet. Or very fun. Only a little fun. But if we're not nice to them now, they won't want to play with us when they are smarter and more fun."

"He's right, Charlie," Aaron said as he stepped in. "All the babies can really do right now is love you and learn. They're growing and getting smarter every day, but they're not where you are, yet. They're getting there. Soon they'll be talking and walking, but in the meantime, you still have to play nice. Mommy and I know you love them and you try to be gentle, but you have to make sure, even when you're mad, that you don't take it out on them."

"I'm sorry," she sulked, her shoulders slumped and bottom lip puckered out.

"I know, sweetheart. Please, even when you're frustrated with them, remember they're not trying to hurt your feelings or be mean. They're just babies, so they don't know any better."

"Sometimes they're annoying," she made clear. "But I'll try because I'm a good girl."

"You're a great girl, Charlotte Hotchner," he told her, his thumb rushing her cheek before he pulled her closer, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Now go brush your teeth."

Things seemed to settle for everyone at the BAU after that. Emily and JJ threw themselves into readying for the Baptism. Penelope joined them in holiday shopping-palooza. "It's three babies' first Christmas! You can't even tell me not to go overboard," she told them as she dragged them from store to store. A majority of the shopping was done, but they had a few little things to pick up, so they didn't mind Penelope's craziness. It was fun to watch and be excited with her.

But, despite everything being ready, as the day grew closer, Emily became worried about the Baptism. It wasn't that she worried the day would go awry. They had been there, done that, and mastered the plan b through z of everything. They were prepared for that. No, she and Aaron were more worried about Mackenzie. Baptismal fonts weren't exactly known for their sterility and cleanliness. In fact, it was a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. Most babies, like Ben and even Lucas, had an immune system that could normally fight the bacteria, no problem. But Kenzie's was still weakened. She was stronger, definitely, but still more susceptible and probably always would be. Her heart would always be vulnerable. That terrified her.

At their appointment with Dr. Cavanaugh, he assured them Mackenzie would be ok. Still, they put Mackenzie on a low dose antibiotic anyway. Other than that, though, Dr. Cavanaugh was pleased with Mackenzie's recovery and growth. Their regular doctor was too. Sure, she was still small, but that was something that could be true forever. In their eyes, she was still absolutely perfect.

On the day of the ceremony, the Sunday before Christmas, everyone went to morning mass. Two entire rows of pews were filled with either Hotchner/Prentiss family or Jareau/LaMontagne family, the BAU family included in both. After the mass, it was time for the ceremony. Charlie went first, excited to do something her older brother, mother, and father all did. They spent the night before looking at pictures that Elizabeth brought over.

"Mommy looks just like me," Charlie told her Grandma.

"Actually," Elizabeth corrected, "You look just like her."

"And Kenzie and Ben, too?"

"All of you look like your mom and dad. Ben looks so much like your father though. Mom's dark eyes and dark hair."

"He's going to be handsome," Charlie said.

"Oh yes. Very handsome."

"Mommy was a pretty baby. And here, she looks pretty in her dress." Charlie pointed to a picture of Emily when she was about Jack's age.

"Thanks, Charlie," Emily said as she joined them. "That was in France. We were getting ready to go to one of your functions. Right Mom?"

"I believe so. Ambassador DiLaure was having a party. I remember you were quite fond of his son, Pierre."

"Mom, Pierre liked to push me into the mud and try to kiss me."

"What? You were only nine!"

Emily laughed and closed the album. "I think it's time to get ready for bed. We have an early morning tomorrow and Charlie Bear is already up past bedtime. Jack and the twins are asleep."

"Mommy…"

"No pouting. Tomorrow is a special day. You need sleep."

"Ok. Love you Grandma," she said, kissing Elizabeth goodnight before asking Emily if she and Grandma could read to her that night. Of course, both women agreed.

After they read to her, Elizabeth said goodbye to Emily. She and Aaron offered to let her stay the night because it was already late, but Elizabeth kindly refused. "You have a full house as it is and I have guests to attend to as well. Sean and Helen are there and I want them to feel welcome."

"You're sure you're ok with them staying?"

"Yes, Dear. I'm happy to have people there. Other than when the kids spend the night, no one really stays at the house."

"Ok, thanks Mom. See you tomorrow."

"Sleep well."

"Bye, Mom."

The next morning went off pretty easily. Helen, Sean, Elizabeth, and Clyde were at the house early. Penelope and Derek were going to meet them at the church. Spencer and Melissa called to let them know they were running late, but would be there on time too. It all worked out. Everyone was there on time, dressed in shirts and ties or nice dresses. Even Penelope opted for a more muted dress, less splash and more sophistication.

The ceremony itself was beautiful. The church was one Emily went to as a child while they were in Virginia. Now more modernized, the ceremony wasn't all in Latin, rather a mix of Latin with English, heavier on the latter. Father Hayward called up Charlotte. Emily and Aaron stood beside her with JJ and Clyde. All of them were asked to make a promise, a commitment to the child and to God.

"In Baptism these children begin their journey in faith. Will you care for them, and help them to take their place within the life and worship of Christ's Church?"

"I will," the collective group said.

The service continued. Prayers were said before they moved over the font. Father Hayward leaned Charlie over and said, "Charlotte, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

"Amen."

After sprinkling holy water on her and blessing her with the sign of the cross, Charlie was fully baptized and they moved through the other children. Lucas, cute as he was, slept through the whole thing. Emily, as the godmother, held him during the service. Not once did he wake. The water didn't faze him one bit. Ben was their crier. He was cool as a cucumber, but the intrusion of Holy water was not exactly to his liking. As the water hit him, he was caught off guard and let out a single wail before self-soothing. Derek whispered something to him, something along the lines of what a big boy he was and not to be scared. Ben wasn't, just unsuspecting. After the initial strike, he was perfectly ok. Not another peep came from him.

Mackenzie probably had the best reaction of them all. Spencer was holding her the whole time. She was wide awake and very alert. She was their little observer already. When Father Hayward poured the water on her head and blessed her, she just laughed and cooed, her hands trying to reach down and splash in the water. The group laughed with her. She was adorable, and it was so funny how each child reacted so differently. They were all just happy the day went by easily. Nothing went wrong for once.

Thankfully, no one asked about Emily and Aaron's marital status. Most true Roman Catholic churches verify that the parents were wed before having the baby or are married at the time of the ceremony, but the group didn't think anything of it. Father Hayward was there at their wedding so he needed nothing else said about it and the family that wasn't there that day never even let that come up. Most of them weren't very religious, though and modern days didn't hold such strict rules. She knew Derek probably hated every second in the church, so Emily made sure to hold his hand every now and again. Dave was the only one she and Aaron thought might be suspicious. He was Italian. They take their religion seriously. Still, if he thought about it, he said nothing. The church was more lenient in the modern days. Why would he question it?

After it was over, everyone went to JJ's. The day was turned in to the group's pre-Christmas gathering. A nice lunch spread courtesy of Elizabeth was set up and everyone was having fun. A lot of pictures were taken, especially with the kids and their godparents. Emily and JJ thought it would be nice to make sure each ne had their own special picture that they'd have framed.

It was a nice day, one full of family, friends, and a whole lot of love and baby cuteness. Christmas was the same. The house was fuller than it had ever been. Grandpa Dave, Melissa, Spencer, Derek, and Penelope all joined the Hotchner bunch. With Clyde, the mothers, and Sean there, it was definitely packed. But the kids and Cocoa, hell even the adults all loved it. JJ, Will and their boys had a quiet day Christmas with her mother.

For Emily and Aaron, it was a joy to watch the kids open up Santa's gifts. Kenzie and Ben were still too little to understand or really even open by themselves, but the older kids were quick to jump in and help them.

"You do it like this," they tried to teach their younger siblings, showing them how to rip the paper off.

They each took a baby's hand and helped them pull things open. "Look, Santa got you a new toy," Jack cheered for Mackenzie. "Isn't that cool."

"Ben, you got one too!"

Seeing the harmony among the children allowed the adult to have an easy day. Charlie convinced Clyde and the rest of the guys there to join in for a tea party. "It's a Christmas one. That makes it extra special," she explained and with a bat of her long lashes and the pouty face, she was able to get exactly what she wanted. It became a family affair. Helen and Elizabeth joined in, breaking out mugs from the cabinet to make sure everyone had cups.

"I wanna play too!" Penelope squealed, grabbing Melissa's hand to make her come along.

Soon, the living room was tea party central. All of them had smiles on their faces. Even the twins who were missing nap time, seemed as jubilant as their siblings. Emily managed to get some very good pictures of the family. Everyone with feather boas or top hats on had to be a favorite. "Yup, that one's going on my desk," Emily said as she looked over it.

The adults shared their gifts later in the evening. Emily and Aaron gave each of them something sentimental. For Dave, she allowed the kids to pick out a very nice watch that she had engraved with "To Grandpa, With love. Always." She couldn't think of the right thing to write, but that felt good. He was the kids' grandfather in all ways that counted. He was there for all the moments grandparents should be and he loved them like they were his, so simple as it was, it sent the right message. The kids actually helped pick out all the presents and were thrilled to see that everyone liked them. Elizabeth and Helen both got lockets that had pictures of the kids inside. Everyone else was harder to shop for, but they did ok. And, once again, the day was a success.

It snowed Christmas night. The kids ran outside with big smiles catching fat snowflakes on their tongues.

"It's their first time experiencing snow," Emily said as she and Aaron held the babies, looking out the glass of the door. It had only flurried to that point, nothing they could take the babies out into. Even then, they were too small to even have much of a reaction. But they were a little older now and that made all the difference.

They bundled up the twins and walked out with them. When the cold flakes hit their faces, they just looked around in that innocent wonderment that could only be found in a child's eyes. The rest of the family took Emily and Aaron's abandoned spots to watch as the family all twirled around in the snow. The babies were smiling, the parents were glowing, and the two older kids were laughing as they chanted that it was snowing. Soon the rest of them came out too.

Cold as it was, it was the perfect ending to the holiday. Everyone was wiped out after that, though and called it a night, thanking the hosts for a wonderful Christmas day. Derek was flying out the next day to be with his mother and sisters, so he made sure to get in a little extra kid time. He didn't want his godson to forget his face. Honestly, they all spent a lot of time just being together. It was simple, yet fun and exactly what family should have been like.

Later that night, kids all warn out from the holiday high and fast asleep in their beds, Emily lay waiting in hers for her husband.

"Aaron, come to bed."

"Be right there," he called, muffled, from the bathroom as he finished brushing his teeth.

She waited for him to come out and join her and snuggled into the warmth of his body on the cold winter night. "Mmm, you're cozy."

"For you, I try."

"So, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"I'm ready," she stated plainly.

"Ready? Ready for what?" he asked, confused.

"To go back to work. I know it will be hard and not one part of me wants to leave our tiny, little, growing babies, but I've been out of work for months. I like my job. I don't want to lose it, and, let's face it, while we're not hurting for money, a little extra couldn't hurt." Hospital bills were expensive.

"I'll support you if you think you're ready, but I don't want you to feel like you have to. I'd be perfectly happy if you decided to be a stay at home mom. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes… No… I think so. JJ and Will are going away for a weekend to celebrate their anniversary with the kids. I was thinking after that, when the team is back on rotation, I could start again. Assuming I get the ok to come back, I'll probably still be on probation and remanded to the office. I'm more than ok with that. So… I think I'll be ready."

"I know we all want you there. I want you there. So, tell me, for sure, that this is what you want, and I'll talk to Strauss first thing Monday."

"This is what I want."

Her first day back at work, however, did not go at all how she expected. It was a Monday, mid-January, the kids were back to school and she had trouble leaving the babies, but she did it. The morning even went well. People were happy to see her there again. Colleagues from other units even welcomed her back, asking about the kids and everything. Come lunchtime, and shit was hitting the fan.

"Aaron Hotchner?" A man called out when he entered the BAU doors.

"Yes that's me." The man then passed Aaron an envelope. "What's this?" Aaron asked as he took it in his hand.

"You've been served," he was told.

"What?" Emily asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, the man leaving. "Served by who?"

Aaron opened the envelope and turned to his wife. "It's a civil suit. A family member of McAndrew is suing me for wrongful death."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next few weeks are really going to be busy for me. I'm working on an Honors Thesis and have several tests coming up, so I don't know when the next update will be. Hang in there. I've already started it, so only a matter of having time to finish it.

Sorry for any grammatical errors. Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…