A/N: I wanted to do a couple of chapters following their first week at home. Just a few milestones. It's basically just a series of REALLY short segments. So fair warning, the next few chapters don't contain alot of happenings, but they are important to set the emotional climate of the house. I was going for calm, relaxed, and peaceful. Not always the way it goes with newborns but you know what they say, calm mother = calm baby. Anywho. Please read and review.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds or "The lighthouse song," by Josh Pyke.
Matty stirred in his car-seat. Emily turned and leant into the back-seat, running her fingers down her small son's face to soothe him. She glanced out the window, hoping to see them, and smiled when she saw Hotch leading Jack down the steps of his school, the little boy's backpack almost as big as him. "Daddy's coming sweetheart. We're almost home," she whispered to her son.
Hotch opened the back door and lifted Jack into his seat. When he was buckled, Hotch climbed into the driver's seat and looked in the rear view mirror. He cleared his throat and looked at Emily, nodding to the back seat. She turned and smiled at Jack leaning over Lexi's car-seat, sneaking a peek at his little sister. Hotch smiled as he pulled the car from the curb and drove his family home.
Emily sighed, holding Matty to her chest as she walked through the door into the kitchen. She was so glad to be home. Emily placed her bag on the kitchen counter and looked back at Hotch carrying Lexi. She smiled and held her hand out for Jack, in tow behind his dad. "You wanna come upstairs and help me put your little brother to bed?" Emily asked the six-year old. Jack nodded eagerly.
Hotch followed them up the stairs and into the nursery. Emily walked over to Matty's crib, the one with the large "Mathew" sign painted above it on the wall. Jack stood on his tiptoes as Emily pulled the blanket up over Matty's chest. She lifted Jack over the crib and he leant down to place a gentle kiss on his little brother's forehead. "I love you Matty," he whispered (as softly as a six-year-old could manage). Hotch placed Lexi in her crib and took Jack from Emily so he could kiss his little sister, not wanting to play favourites. Then he lifted Jack on his hip and followed Emily out of the room.
"Do you have homework buddy?" Hotch asked as they walked down the stairs. Jack nodded, "Yes. I have to practice my handwriting. Miss Johnson said I need to practice it every night," he explained. Hotch huffed and placed his son on the ground. "Alright. Well why don't you take your bag upstairs to your room and get started. I'll be up in a minute," he instructed. Jack did as he was told and pulled his bag onto his back for the walk upstairs. Hotch turned to find Emily lying herself down on the couch.
Emily was exhausted. She was planning on taking a short nap, then getting started on the laundry. Even though they'd only been at the hospital for three days, she wanted to get into the practice of getting things done while the babies slept. But for now, she was happy to just get some shut-eye. She walked over to the lounge while Hotch and Jack talked, and lay down on the couch. She'd only been lying down for a moment when she felt his hand run down her arm. Emily forced her eyes open and smiled when she saw Hotch's face.
"Hey," she said quietly. Hotch gently ran his fingers over Emily's cheek and smiled. Even when she was exhausted after barely any sleep for three days, she was still beautiful. "Why don't you go upstairs and lay down? Then you'll be closer to the babies, and Jack and I'll be just down the hall," he suggested. Emily frowned. She was already comfortable. But his plan did make sense. She rolled her eyes and nodded. Hotch chuckled and held out his hands to help her up, which she gratefully accepted.
He pulled her into a hug and ran his hands over her back. "I love you Emily," he whispered. Emily pulled back and smiled. She leant up and kissed him sweetly. "I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but I can't help it. You've given me so much… so much more than I deserve," he confessed. Emily shook her head and looked at his lips, before returning her eyes to meet his. "Not at all honey. You're wonderful and I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather share my life with," she replied. Hotch smiled and kissed her one more time, before turning and taking her hand to lead her upstairs. Once he'd settled Emily in bed, he gently closed the door and headed down the hall to Jack's room.
Hotch was never a heavy sleeper. Provided he'd had an extremely late night, he could possibly sleep in past 6am, but for the most part, he woke to the lightest of sounds. So when his eyes opened to the sounds coming from the nursery, he knew he'd get up. He glanced over to find Emily sound asleep and hoped she didn't wake up. She desperately needed sleep and, if they didn't need a feed, he could take care of their crying children. He hopped out of their bed, pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders, and walked quietly down the hall.
Emily woke up and rolled over to check the alarm. 5:30AM. She sighed, then frowned when she realized she was alone. She climbed out of bed, grabbing her robe on the way, and walked into the hall. She saw light coming from the nursery and quietly walked down towards the room. The sight that Emily found warmed her heart.
Hotch was lying back in the reclining rocking chair in the corner of the large room. He was asleep. Matty was lying on his chest, with Hotch's arms wrapped protectively around the sleeping infant. They both looked so beautiful and peaceful. Emily wandered over to Lexi's crib and found her stirring. She picked her daughter up and held her to her chest. As she rocked the small baby, Emily smiled, looking down at her beautiful little girl. She was truly amazed that she was here. She was living with Hotch and Jack, and they had Matty and Lexi now too. She had a family.
Emily grabbed a feeding towel, nappy, and wipes, and carried Lexi downstairs. She filled a glass of water then made herself comfortable on the window seat. As she felt Lexi latch on, she sighed and leant her head back on the wall. As her little girl fed, she looked out over the backyard. It was April now and Spring was well and truly here. The small vegie garden Morgan had helped Jack to build was starting to sprout with vines of cherry tomatoes and snow peas. Emily thought about going to the mall in a couple of days and picking up a small wading pool for the kids to play in. Though the twins would be too young right now, in a few months they'd be big enough to have someone hold them in the water. It would probably make the Summer a lot more bearable.
Emily finished feeding her tiny daughter. She sat her up on her thigh and held her up, gently patting her back to get her to burp. When she finally burped Emily smiled and kissed her dark curls. "Good job Lex," she whispered. She lay the tiny girl down on the window seat and went about changing her nappy. She looked up when she felt a little hand on her thigh.
"Emly. Is Lexi awake?" Jack asked quietly. Emily smiled and shook her head. "No sweetheart. She just went back to sleep," she whispered back. Jack nodded and rubbed his eyes. "What are you doin up buddy?" she asked, fixing the tabs on Lexi's new nappy. "It's almost time for cartoons," he replied innocently, as if Emily should know that it was almost time for his morning fix of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Emily chuckled and ran her fingers through Jack's hair. "Ok. Let me go put Lexi back to bed and then I'll come back down and make you some breakfast ok?" she explained. Jack nodded. "Ok Emly," he replied. Emily kissed the top of Jack's head, then grabbed the dirty nappy and feeding towel, before she slowly made her way upstairs with her newly fed, newly changed, and soundly sleeping baby.
Hotch was still asleep in the nursery, with Matty, so Emily decided to leave them sleep. She knew that Hotch would have to go back to work eventually so this leave was important for him to have some time with the kids. Even if he was unconscious at the time. She gently placed Lexi in her crib then grabbed the monitor and walked down stairs.
She poured Jack a bowl of cereal and glass of juice, before making some toast for herself. Then they sat at the kitchen counter and ate their breakfast while they watched Jack's favourite cartoons. When they were finished eating, they migrated to the lounge room and Emily collapsed on the couch. Jack sat up next to her, his hand resting on her tummy while he watched the cartoons and she slept.
Hotch woke up, his arms still wrapped around his tiny son. He smiled as he looked down at Matty, and sighed as he stood up to place the sleeping baby in his crib. He leant over Lexi's crib and kissed her gently. She stirred then turned her head, but didn't wake. Hotch looked around and noticed the monitor had disappeared. He shrugged and went to look in on Emily before he got started on breakfast for Jack.
Hotch made his way into the living room and found Jack and Emily on the couch. He smiled and walked over to where they sat. Jack was lying in Emily's arms, their bodies curled up on the couch, and both of them fast asleep. He picked up a blanket and gently pulled it over them. Then he made his way into the kitchen to clean up their plates from breakfast. After it was all cleaned, Hotch went up to their office to get to work on some long overdue paperwork.
Emily woke up to the sounds of the babies stirring. She picked up the monitor and smiled at Jack, quietly playing in the lounge room. "Cmon buddy, let's go visit the babies," Emily said, holding her hand out to the six-year old. He jumped up, excited to see his little brother and sister. He followed Emily upstairs and into the nursery, climbing up on the small stool while he watched her pick up Matty.
She sat in the rocking chair and waited while Matty latched. Jack looked on, completely amazed. "Emly," he started. Emily looked up from Matty to Jack and nodded. "How did the babies get made?" he asked quietly, running his hand over Matty's little legs. Emily was stunned. She wasn't too sure how to answer the question.
She thought for a moment before an appropriate answer came to her. "Well buddy, your daddy and I love each other very much. And we like to show each other that. So we kiss and cuddle and do things only grown-ups can do. And then, the babies start to grow in my tummy and then they're born," she explained, hoping her answer was sufficient. Jack pondered what Emily had told him, then smiled. "Ok," he said brightly.
Hotch heard voices. He walked down the stairs from the loft and into the upstairs hallway. He followed the voices to the nursery and smiled when he saw Emily, Matty, and Jack. He stood in the doorway watching Emily burp their youngest son. When he let out a loud belch, Jack's face lit up and he giggled. "That's so cool!" he cried out.
Hotch chuckled and Emily looked up and smiled. "Did you hear that Daddy? Matty can burp really loud!" Jack cried out. Hotch nodded and grinned. "I heard buddy," he said, making his way over to Lexi's crib. He picked up his baby girl and carried her over to Emily. "Swapsies?" he asked. Emily smiled and nodded, switching one baby for the other.
As she settled Lexi on her breast, Emily looked up and watched Hotch carry Matty over to the change-table. Jack followed, keenly interested in observing the nappy-change. He scrunched up his nose when he saw the contents of Matty's diaper. "That's so gross," he said quietly. Hotch chuckled and nodded. "Yep. But remember, I used to have to do this for you," he explained. Jack looked up, surprised. He couldn't remember that.
He looked back down at his little brother and his face lit up. "Matty has bits like me Daddy! But Lexi doesn't," he said, slightly confused. Hotch looked at Jack, then at Emily, stunned and unsure of what to say. He nodded. "That's right buddy. That's because Matty's a boy, like you and me. And Lexi's a girl like Emily," he explained. Jack nodded, then looked up at his dad. "Daddy can I go and play now?" Hotch smiled and nodded. "Sure buddy. We'll be down soon," he answered. Jack scampered out the door and Hotch listened as he made his way downstairs. He turned to face Emily, holding Matty in his arms, and smiled.
"He's FULL of questions this morning," Emily said. Hotch wrinkled his brow and Emily smiled. "While I was feeding Matty, Jack asked me how babies are made," she explained. Hotch raised his eyebrows. His kid was SIX! He shouldn't be asking about sex. Although, Jack didn't really know that he was asking about sex. He was just curious. Hotch looked back up at Emily and she went through what she'd told Jack.
Hotch's face softened and he smiled. "That's better than what I'd thought up so far," he replied. Emily smiled as she sat Lexi up to burp. Hotch placed Matty in his crib and reached out for his daughter. "Here. I'll take her," he said. Emily smiled and passed the towel before she passed Lexi. She sat back and watched the brave, stoic Aaron Hotchner burp his tiny daughter. She felt a rush of warmth flood her chest and grinned. When Lexi let out a loud belch, Hotch grinned like they'd just convinced a serial murderer to confess all. Emily chuckled. If only the team could see him now.
Emily opened the washing machine and pulled the load of clothes out, reaching up to place them in the dryer. As she was closing the door she felt Hotch's arms wrap around her waist. "You shouldn't push yourself. You need to rest and heal," he whispered in her ear. Emily rolled her eyes as she turned the timer on, then turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck.
"I'm perfectly capable of doing a load of washing Aaron. I'm not used to lying around and, after all of that bedrest before the twins came, I'm not going to spend any more time doing it," she replied. Hotch chuckled and shook his head. "Fine. But in between loads, you need to take it easy. The kids are all sleeping, including the big one. So why don't you go and take a nap?" he suggested.
Emily nodded before she turned to put the next load of towels in the washer. "Ok. But," she said, taking his hand and leading him out of the small laundry and up the stairs. "Only if you come with me," she said quietly. Emily turned at the top of the stairs and ran her hand over Hotch's chest. "I always sleep better when you're there," she whispered, looking up into his eyes. Hotch's face softened and he kissed her forehead. "Ok," he replied simply. Emily smiled sweetly and Hotch followed her into their room.
After their nap and after lunch, Emily decided it was a nice enough afternoon for some time in the backyard. They had set up two rockers for the twins on the back deck and Emily played with Jack in his fort, and did some gardening in their vegie garden, while Hotch lay in the hammock watching over the twins. He looked down at the twins, sleeping soundly, their tiny bodies drowning in the comparatively massive rockers.
He smiled at their peaceful faces. He couldn't believe they were his and Emily's. He wasn't sure how it had happened… when it had happened… or even whether he deserved it… but he had gotten his second chance at a family. As he watched Emily and Jack in the backyard, Hotch breathed deeply. He wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste.
A/N: I'm sorry if the pace for this chapter was kind of slow, but I wanted to set a scene of them for their first day back at home. Please read and review and remember, I'm after ideas for what you guys want to see happen. I've got a few up my sleeve but if you suggest something I'll try and fit it in.