Prentiss

I had talked with Hotch for hours last night and I cried more in those few hours than I had all year. He held me close to him and his touch sent shivers down my spine; the good kind. It had been so long since I had been able to be with him and now I was finally in his arms again. He held me tightly and not once did he lose patience with me. He offered all the support he possibly could. Eventually, I was too upset to even say another word and I shut myself down, a defence mechanism I had taught myself at a very young age. Shut yourself down and you can't possibly tell them anything. It'll keep them blocked out.

Hotch knew that once that happened, there was no coming back from it for the night. He had taken my upstairs and took my clothes off for me. He laid me in bed and changed his own clothes quickly before joining me. He kept me close and tucked the blankets around us. I had fallen asleep in tears and in his arms. It was both awful and wonderful at the same time.

I had woken in the late morning and I was still against him. The warmth of his body against mine was something I had missed a lot, not to mention his scent. It had faded from his room quickly after he hadn't returned within a few weeks. I smiled to myself as I listened to his steady, almost silent breathing as he slept. I realised that I was only in my underwear and I thought back to last night. I never slept in just my underwear here, but then I remembered that Jack wasn't here last night and after that thought, the rest of last night came flooding back. I bit my lip as the regret filled me. Why would I let myself do that? But when I really thought about it, I was glad I had done it. I really needed to get it out of me before it consumed me. Who knew someone could be so good for me? No one had ever gotten me to open up like that in the past, not even the closest of friends or family.

After a few more minutes, I felt his lips press to my hair and I looked up to him. His lips caught mine in a lazy kiss and I smiled to myself when we parted. I snuggled closer to him and buried my face in his chest, "I miss you."

"I'm not going again." He assured in a whisper.

"Never again?"

"I promise you that I'm not." He definitely saw the double meaning in my question.

My eyes stung with tears that I blinked away, "I love you."

He rolled out from underneath me and hovered above me, "I love you too." He placed a few kisses on my lips before trailing a line from the side of my lips to the bottom of my ear and then down my neck.

I let one hand run through his hair and the other clung to his arm. "I have work." I said quietly as he slowly moved one bra strap down my arm from my shoulder.

"No you don't; I got you the day off." He said as he moved the other strap. I smiled and pulled his lips back to mine. He pulled me up slightly to unclip my bra, his lips still moving gloriously with mine. I dropped my head back when he returned to my neck and let out the breath that I had been holding in.

I woke up again around 3 in the afternoon to my phone ringing. I rolled away from Hotch and he tried to pull me back but I hit his hand away gently. I held my phone to my ear, "Prentiss."

"Were you asleep?" JJ asked.

"Oh, hey Jayje. Yeah, I was," I sat up and pulled the sheet with me, "Hotch decided he—"

"Stop," She cut me off quickly, "You are on speaker with the whole team."

"Oh god, thank you for stopping me." I laughed lightly.

She laughed too, "Well we just thought we'd call and make sure you were okay after yesterday. We're bored, so we decided to make the call now."

"I'm okay." I assured.

"But are you sure?" I heard Garcia asked.

"Pen, I'm—hey." Hotch took the phone from my hand and held it to his own ear.

"JJ, Garcia, whoever else it with you, I love you but I'm going to have to ask you to go away."

After a few more seconds, he spoke again with a smile, "Thank you. Bye." He hung up and put my phone on his nightstand where I couldn't reach it. He pulled me back down onto the bed to his side and held me to him again. I smiled to myself. If I didn't feel important before, I surely did now.

A while past before I spoke, knowing he was still awake, "Don't get me wrong, I love lying with you and I adore the cute kisses and stuff, but I have two other humans inside of me and all three of us are hungry."

He laughed and kissed my hair one more time, "I love you." He let go of me and I sat up. He stood up and got changed into a pair of sweatpants and a plain grey shirt. He walked out without another word to me and I watched him walk down the hall before he turned off to the staircase. I stood up and slid a new pair of underwear on. I took one of his sweaters that was way too big for me and threw it on. It was like a dress, although my stomach made it look smaller on me than it used to look before I had the bump. I walked out and followed where I had watched him walk to.

I walked into the kitchen and stood against the archway, "What are you doing?"

"Making you coffee and food."

I smiled and walked into the room. I sat at the counter island on one of the stools that weren't used very often. I drank the coffee that he soon gave to me and I talked to him as I watched him cook. It was decaf but I wouldn't bring that up.

I moved to the dining table when he finished cooking and he made me laugh as we ate. He talked about what he did over in Iraq and I caught him up with the team and some of the cases we've worked and me in general.

"So is Jack coming home tonight?" I asked, "Or out to dinner?" The team had texted us earlier and told us where to be and when. We were going out to dinner with them, children and partners included.

"Yeah, I'm picking him up in…" He looked at his watch, "A half hour."

I nodded and looked over to where Sergio sat perched at a window, looking out into the yard, probably watching the birds. "I wonder whether he'll be happy to be home or not. He hated it here for the first week but I think it grew on him." I said as I watched his tail swish back and forth.

"Wait, you're going back to your apartment?" He looked on high alert now.

"…Yeah?"

"Why?"

"Because you're back, so I don't need to watch over Jack anymore so aren't I supposed to go home at this point?"

"Well, no," He shook his head, "Just because I'm back doesn't mean you can't be here. Jack loves you and I love you and Sergio loves it here. I mean, the way Dave was describing it the other night when I had called him, he made it sound like you already moved in here."

"Well, I do have more of my belongings here than I currently do in my apartment." I nodded and we both laughed.

"So you could say that you're half way through the moving in process?"

"Only temporarily." I assured.

He sat forwards, "But what if it wasn't temporary?"

"…What?"

"Your brain is very slow today," He smirked at me, "I'm asking you to move in with me."

An amused smile crossed my face but it dropped when I realised that he was being serious, "Oh, you're not joking."

"Well, you're pregnant with two of my children, I have room here, you're here all the time anyway. Why not?"

I sat in silence for a few seconds, "You do realise that upon asking me to live with you, you're committing yourself one hundred per cent to me?"

"I was already committed one hundred per cent to you."

I sat up straighter and looked away from his eyes as a smile crossed my lips again. I thought about it for a few seconds. I had been living here for a while anyway; the only thing different would be that Hotch would be around all the time, and that wasn't bad at all; that was desired.

I nodded, "Okay."

He smiled and sat back, nodding. I made a joke about the fights we would have once I moved in and we both laughed. After a few minutes of casual conversation, we decided to start driving to Jessica's to pick up Jack.

Hotch had asked Jack about his opinion on me moving in when we got home. He reported back to me and said that the decision was made. Jack was elated about it and he was bouncing around all afternoon and talking to us no stop. When Hotch was in the shower, Jack told me about how he asked out the girl, Emma, who he had a crush on months ago. He said that she accepted and then he proceeded to tell me how "perfect" she was.

We drove to the restaurant and we pulled into the lot as JJ, Will and Henry were getting out of their car, Morgan, Garcia and Reid pulled in behind us and we saw Rossi near the entrance already, talking to a few older men that we assumed were old friends. We walked up and they all greeted Rossi.

"Hey—"

"Guys, this is my daughter Emily." He introduced, cutting me off. He pulled me forwards gently, away from Hotch. I smiled and shook their hands.

"Which wife?" One of the men asked.

"Carolyn." Rossi lied with a smile.

"Oh, how is she? We haven't seen her in years." Another of the three said.

Rossi glanced at me and I looked down. "She uh…she passed on a few years ago." Rossi said quietly.

"Oh, we're so sorry to hear that." They looked from Rossi to me and I panicked slightly inside. I don't know why Rossi was lying to them but it must have been important to him. I couldn't blow it for him.

"She was a wonderful woman." I said with a sad tone in my voice.

"And when are you due?" The one who had spoken first decided to change the subject off of Carolyn.

"August." I smiled.

"And do you know what you're having?"

"Twins. I actually find out their genders tomorrow." I nodded.

"Well, we'll let you and your beautiful daughter get to your dinner with your friends. We shall catch up soon, Dave." The smaller man of the three held his hand out to Rossi to shake. Rossi shook it and they said their goodbyes. They walked away and I looked at Rossi.

"Who was that?"

"Old acquaintances. More like nemeses, actually."

"And you needed a daughter because?"

"Because they're all married with children."

"Well their marriages are probably shit and tying them down. Children are the same; you should be proud to be single and childless."

He raised his eyebrows, "Says the one pregnant with twins…" He smirked.

"Ouch." JJ joked, laughing with Will.

"I've changed my mind; I don't want you to move in." Hotch joked too. I laughed with him and then looked back to Rossi.

"Am I going to have to clear my schedule for when you "catch up" with them?"

"No, I am certainly not catching up with them."

"Okay, I'm hungry and I want to hear about this Emily moving in with Hotch business so let's go inside." Garcia said. I stood beside Hotch again and waited for them all to go inside, walking with him behind them.

"Whoops." He looked at me.

"Have to tell them now." I shrugged my shoulders. I sat down between Hotch and Jack. I winced when I sat and JJ looked at me with a concerned look.

"Are you okay?" She asked from across from me.

I nodded, "Yeah, just sore."

"From the preg—never mind, I know exactly what it's from." She looked down to try and hide her smirk.

I raised my eyebrows, "My pregnancy, JJ. That is why I am sore." I blinked a few times as I stared at her.

She made a fake cough, "Liar." She looked up and showed me the smirk this time.

"Oh, well this is uncomfortable." Garcia said.

"You're uncomfortable?" Hotch asked her quietly.

"Let's just drop the subject because it's making everyone uncomfortable." Reid said quickly.

"I'm not uncomfortable. Are you, Morgan?" JJ smirked at him.

"Not at all." He tried to keep his laugh back.

"What's the time?" Jack asked me. I hoped he didn't get the jokes.

I looked at my watch, "Seven, why?"

"Hey dad, can I please borrow your phone? I need to call someone."

"…Sure." Hotch hesitated as he took his phone from his pocket and handed it to his son.

"Thanks." Jack stood up and walked away from the table quickly, dialling a number.

The whole table looked at me. "Who's he calling?" Hotch asked.

I lifted my hands in defence, "I have no idea."

I made Hotch leave it alone for now and we talked with the team for a while before Jack came back and gave Hotch's phone back to him. He thanked him again and smiled at me when he saw me looking at him.

I leant down to whisper in his ear, "Emma?" I guessed.

His smile grew and he nodded. I held my hand out and he high fived it. The rest of the team watched us questioningly. I shrugged my shoulders. "What?" Jack asked, looking around at them. They looked between us for another few seconds before a waiter came to the table to take our orders.