Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Author's Note: Please let me know what you think! I need ideas! I beg of you!
Later turned into a few days, which turned into a week. Emily Prentiss was amazingly adept at avoiding emotions. Luckily, the team caught case after case; in ten days, the team was home 79 hours. Everyone was dead tired; Garcia was hormonally praying for the baby to make her appearance while all four kids counted down the days until the start of school.
"Ready for classes?" Emily smirked at the unanimous groan from her teenagers. "How about you, Hales? Ready for fourth grade?" Hayley nodded vigorously in a mid-macaroni bite. "So who has school stuff tomorrow that I have to pay for?"
"Nate and I have to go pick up our books from the school sale in the cafeteria."
"I need new uniforms. I got taller," Henry added with a grimace.
"School supplies shopping!" Hayley's squeal deafened Emily, who was sitting closest to the excited child.
"Oh boy. One at a time," Emily instructed. "How much does each of you need for books? Do you know what books you have to pick up?" Abby raised her shoulders, and Nate grabbed his cell phone from his pocket.
"I'll ask Noah."
"Isn't Noah the one who flunked chemistry?"
"Oh yeah. Forgot about that. I'll ask Lilah."
"Ooooh la la. K-I-S-S," Hayley started singing.
"Shut it," Nate commanded as he continued texting, not even bothering to look up to see Hayley dancing mockingly in her seat.
"No, I love this song," Abby continued. "Let's start from the beginning. Ready, Hales?" While the twins were ultimately the best of friends, they would tease each other to the ends of the earth and back. Henry jumped into the joke as well using two breadsticks as batons to lead the orchestra.
"Momma," Nate complained. "Can you control your children?" His siblings started singing the rest of the song as he clunked his head on the dinner table unceremoniously.
"Hey. Don't do that," Emily stopped him. "You need those brain cells to complete your junior year of high school." A smirk adorned her pale face before she let out a loud belly laugh as Hayley danced her way off the seat, thudding to the floor softly.
"Karma is a bitch, isn't it?" Nate laughed from his seat.
"Be nice, and put a dollar in the jar," Emily disciplined. She pulled Hayley up off the floor before laughing as the blonde child continued dancing around the table. "Back to business," she started, focusing on the blonde teenager. "Henry, you need new uniforms. Again," she asked.
"It's not my fault! I grew two inches, and my shorts look like Abby's jean shorts they are so short."
"Oh low blow! No need to bring my clothing choices into your growth dilemma."
Henry rolled his eyes before looking back to his mother. "I need khaki pants and shorts. I think all my collared shirts are fine."
"Do you have the right belt? What I mean by that is can you find your belt from last year?"
"It's somewhere," he started. Quickly he grimaced at the thought of searching his room. "I think."
"Well, try and find it before we go to tomorrow. Also, I want to see one of these collared shirts you claim fit. Now, Dancing Queen, you need school supplies. Don't all of you need school supplies?" All of them responded affirmatively. "Fantastic," she grumbled slightly sarcastically. "Okay, here's the plan. Go to school and get your books. I'm assuming Henry needs books too, and he just forgot. All three of you are going to get your books in the morning. Then, we'll go get school supplies together, and then H and I will go get uniforms. Sound good?"
"While you're planning away, can you find some way to get me my summer back? I don't want to start school," Abby groaned. "I hear junior year has the most amount of work."
"Isn't it great you also have a lot to do with tae kwon doe then?"
"I hate obligations," the brunette teenager mumbled.
"Welcome to real life," Emily joked sardonically. "Adulthood is full of responsibilities."
"No fun," Nate grumbled bitterly.
"Speaking of responsibilities- Nate and Abs, it's your turn for dishes. Henry- summer reading and then find collared shirts and your belt. Hayley- we need to go make sure you have jumpers and skirts that fit. Team, break!"
"Could you ever be normal?" Abby shouted at her mother's retreating figure.
"Normal is boring. Dysfunctional defines our family. Get used to it," Emily yelled back down the stairs.
The grandfather clock in the foyer chimed the arrival of 3 AM as JJ stumbled through the front door. Out of routine habit, her feet carried her to the study, where she locked her badge and gun in the safe, before tiredly dragging her up the stairs. Quietly opening each of the doors of her children, she smiled softly seeing them sleeping soundly. She slid along the far side of the hall, leaning against the solid wall for support as exhaustion seeped into her bones. Emily opened the master bedroom door and ushered JJ inside quietly. Upon seeing her wife, JJ wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, letting the brunette hold her up. She nodded knowingly, accepting the extra weight easily. "I missed you, beautiful," Emily whispered. "Tough case," she asked. JJ nodded into their embrace, causing Emily to run a comforting hand through JJ's slightly messy blonde hair. "I've got you. You're home now." JJ nodded again. "Let's get you in bed," she continued, sitting her blonde wife on the edge of the bed. She pulled her old Yale t-shirt and a pair of boxers from the chest before returning to JJ. Slowly and lovingly, Emily undressed JJ- unbuttoning her professional oxford, unzipping the business slacks. Too tired to do much of anything else, JJ let Emily get her ready for bed. The sheets pulled back, she happily fell into their bed, relishing in the comfort of the soft mattress beneath her and the cool pillow under her head. She sighed contentedly when Emily slipped up behind her, holding her close and protectively.
JJ slept most of the next day while Emily completed first day of school errands. Around dinnertime the next day, four backpacks and corresponding sports bags lined the hallway in front of the door. All uniforms were located, compiled, and ready to be worn. Hayley's lunch was packed and waiting in the fridge while the other three had lunch money tucked safely in their backpacks. All four children themselves lounged contently in the living room watching a Jim Carrey movie, Ace Ventura.
Upstairs, Emily drew JJ a hot bath and pulled her from the bed. "Oh my god, I feel like I could sleep for a year," JJ complained softly. "Stupid damn serial killers need to take a break for a month or so." Emily undressed her again and listened to her wife's ramblings, barely managing to hide a smirk. "We need to get a serial killer hiatus or something."
"Evil never sleeps," Emily quipped as she pushed JJ's sleep pants down her hips.
"No, Em," JJ corrected with a tired laugh. "That's Vegas. Vegas never sleeps."
"Hmm, I knew it was something along those lines," she joked again, offering her hand to help JJ step into the tub. "Now, Mrs. Prentiss, just relax," she commanded before turning on a steady jazz beat that filled the bathroom. JJ hummed delightfully and sunk further into the tub, the hot water soothing her exhausted muscles.
Moments later, Emily returned with a glass of white wine and the appropriate bottle. "God you are too good to me," JJ moaned happily as she caught sight of Emily's gift.
"Not true," Emily quickly negated. "You deserve the best, Jen. I love you," she declared before offering her wife the glass.
"Get in with me," JJ requested.
"Hmm," Emily sounded noncommittally. "You just enjoy your bath and your wine."
"I would enjoy it more if you were naked behind me, holding me." JJ tried again.
"Maybe next time," Emily responded with a playful wink. "I'm going to go make sure everything is ready for the first day of school," she excused.
As the bathroom door thudded softly closed and JJ tipped her head back to let the hot water surround her scalp, she muttered in annoyance. "Damn stubborn, Prentiss."
The next morning came to early for the four Prentiss children. Emily didn't even bother holding back a laugh at the death glare Nate fixed her with when she woke him up. She wasn't fazed by the growl that erupted from Henry's throat when she turned off his excessively loud headphones. She managed to hold back a smirk as Abby groaned unceremoniously as the curtains of her room opened to let in the beautiful sunshine. "Everybody get up," Emily shouted a final time as she walked down the hallway of their children's rooms. "You have to be out of the house in forty six minutes, or you will be late for the first day of school. Let's move it." She knocked on each of the doors again loudly.
"Stop it!" "Go away!" "Could you be any more annoying?" "It's too early!" All four kids sounded off a different, equally frustrated response as Emily smiled happily. The first day of school was always a fun morning experience. She walked down the hall to the master bedroom. She stifled a laugh as JJ buried herself under the covers and protected her head with a pillow.
"You need a nicer way of waking people up," she grumbled.
"Well that's no fun." Emily responded easily, sitting down on the bed next to the cushioned lump that was JJ.
"Mornings are no fun."
"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" Emily teased as she moved the pillow aside to kiss her wife. Swiping her tongue playfully across JJ's pursed lips, Emily grinned as JJ's body started reacting beneath them. The kiss quickly turned heated.
"Fuck," JJ moaned when Emily pulled back. "You can't just leave me like this. That's just mean."
"Stop pouting. I'm going to go make breakfast for our children. Then, you have to go to work. If you need a quick fix, the vibrator is still in that drawer."
"You just went from mean to evil."
"It still works. I used it while you were gone. The thought of you just got me too hot." Emily whispered teasingly into JJ's ear.
"Evil," JJ called out after Emily's retreating form. "Cold shower, it is." She groaned as she hefted herself out of the bed, stumbling grumpily to the bathroom.
Four, tired, irritated children clad in uniforms stomped down the stairs and looked at Emily expectantly. "Don't you all look cute?"
"Your happiness is sickening this early in the morning," Abby commented dryly.
"Do you have to call me cute? I'm almost fourteen," Henry rebutted, moving to take the nutella-covered toast offered.
"I second that. I long ago surpassed the cute aspect. Hayley is cute, but then again, anyone wearing this plaid kilt-like uniform can't be cute. I had almost forgotten how ugly our uniforms were. Almost! Summer definitely wasn't long enough."
"Did you know our class room has a pet this year? Mrs. Machen said it was a guinea pig. Can I get a guinea pig, Momma?"
"No. We have two teenage boys that are equally as smelly as rodents. No rats," she said. "You all look great in your uniforms. Here, have toast. Have fruit. Have water," she instructed, a breakfast bag offered to each of them. "Now, you're late. Get going." She walked them to the door. "Have a great day! Love you," she called after them. Her phone rang annoyingly on the counter, so she closed the door and moved to answer the offending object.
"Prentiss."
"She's leaking! What do I do?" Morgan shrieked into the phone.
"Morgan? What do you mean she's leaking? Who's leaking?"
"Penelope is leaking! Do you hear me? Who else would be leaking! What do I do?" He shouted frantically into the phone.
"First, you breathe," she commanded calmly.
"I can't breathe," he insisted. "What do I do?" He repeated again.
"Derek Morgan. Shut up and listen," Emily used her best FBI voice. "Is she having contractions?"
"I… I don't know."
"Be a big boy, and use your words. Ask her."
"Do not patronize me right now, Emily. My daughter is about to be born on my damn living room carpet. Oh holy fuck. My daughter is about to be born! What do I do?"
"Get your go-bags. Get in the car. Make sure she is in the car. Drive to the hospital. We will meet you there."
"Okay."
"And Derek?"
"Yeah?"
"Breathe. You can do this. We will see you soon." She clicked the phone off before grabbing her purse and slipping on her shoes. "Jen," she screamed up the stairs. "We've got to go!" A muffled response carried downstairs that Emily couldn't entirely understand. "Garcia's water just broke, and Morgan is panicking like a true first time parent. We've got to get to the hospital."
"What?" JJ shrieked loudly as she raced to the top of the stairs. "She's only eight months pregnant! Which hospital? How far apart are her contractions? Did Morgan grab a bag for her? Did he grab her computer? Did he grab the camera, video camera, and extra batteries?"
"Not you too," Emily mumbled under her breath. She caught JJ by the shoulders, holding her in one place. "Jen, calm down. First time babies are notoriously slow. We've got plenty of time. I'm sure he has everything. If not, you and I can go get whatever they need. Breathe!"
"I'm just so excited," JJ squealed. "They're having a baby!"
"Yes, and we're meeting them at the hospital. You may as well bring your files. We can go over them together while you wait, so you have got less to do later."
"How are you so calm?"
"All four of us cannot be certifiably crazy at the same time. Someone has to be thinking straight. Apparently, that's me today. Go get what you need. I'll grab you a travel mug of coffee."
"Life saver," JJ called over her shoulder.
Morgan paced inside the room they had been assigned to. Garcia typed rapidly on her computer as some indie music added to the atmosphere. "I'm going to need you to stop pacing," she said without looking up from the computer. "You're making me seasick." He turned and rested his hands on the end of the bed, watching her carefully. "Good boy," she smiled. "Come here. Stop worrying," she instructed, looking directing into his eyes meaningfully. "Everything will be okay. Soon, we will have a beautiful daughter."
"I love you," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss against her lips.
"I know," she replied with a wink. Their intimate moment shattered as JJ threw open the door of the room and skidded to Garcia's bedside, a large smile decorating her face. Her blue eyes shimmered excitedly. Garcia looked at her questioningly. JJ raised her eyebrows subtly in response. "Hunk of burning love, will you and Emily go get us something to drink? I'm sure Jayje could use some coffee, and I would love a fruity beverage." Morgan nodded quickly dragging Emily behind him. As the door closed separating the two sets of friends, Garcia settled JJ with a tell-me glare.
"I really have to pee," JJ said regretfully. "Then I will fill you in." Garcia nodded knowingly and settled into the slightly uncomfortable hospital bed.
"Why are you still dragging me? I'm not going anywhere until I have a niece to coo over." Emily commented, pulling her wrist out of Morgan's grip.
"Why is no one beside me freaking out? My fiancée is in labor, and my best friend is acting so nonchalant about it all."
"My god, you woke up on the dramatic side of the bed today. What are you so worried about Morgan? Why are you freaking out?" Emily stopped in the waiting room, and he turned around to face her. Looking around them at the people tiredly waiting for a doctor, he grabbed her wrist again and dragged her towards the parking lot. "And why do I keep being dragged places like a rag doll? Derek, slow down. Breathe. What's going on with you?" His brown eyes found hers before he turned on his heels and started pacing again. "Stop," she commanded forcefully. "Can you talk to me please?"
"The next time I go home, I will be a father. I will have a child, a daughter, depending on me. I have every reason in the world to freak out."
"You are going to be great. You will be an amazing father. Mark my words."
"How can you say that?" He stopped pacing and fixed her with a serious look. "How do you see it? Are you sure you see it?"
She closed the distance between them and settled her hands on his broad shoulders. "Why don't you think you will a good dad?" She asked slowly.
"Because I don't entirely remember what it was like to have one," he admitted sadly.
"But you remember everything he taught you. You are the man he wanted you to be. You are a man your father would be proud of. You have done great things, and you will be a great parent. You've just got to have confidence in yourself."
"I have no idea what to do with a child."
"Are you kidding? I have four crazy kids who are proof that you know exactly what you are doing."
"That was easy. I got them hyped up on sugar, and then, I dropped them back at your door. I didn't discipline or raise or impart valuable life lessons."
"Wrong," Emily stated easily.
"Wrong?"
"Yeah. I've seen you discipline them. You handed the whole party fiasco. You were the first team on the ground. You are their male role model. They look up to you. You're a father figure to them, so whether you think you did or not, you helped raise them. You helped teach them, and you will do all of these things with your own child. You can do this," she repeated.
JJ washed her hands and opened the door to Garcia's room quickly. "Goddamnit, Pen. I just want to fuck my wife, but she keeps running away!" She said exasperatedly. As soon as she was fully in the room, JJ realized Garcia wasn't the only person in the room. A deep red blush colored her face as the nurse grabbed her clipboard and practically sprinted from the room. Garcia didn't try to hold in her laughter. Tears rolled from her eyes as she clutched her stomach.
"You really have the worst timing," she mused when she could finally breathe again.
"You couldn't have warned me that I was going to scare an innocent trainee nurse. Oh my god, that poor girl," JJ groaned, holding her head in her hands, the blush continually creeping further up her cheeks.
"Wow, that was just too good to pass up. Plus, in my defense, I didn't know you would barge in with that as your opener. I thought you were going to be like, oh yeah, we talked. Life is good. Blah. I did not think you were going to bust in here with an x-rated statement. This is a maternity ward, you know, Jayje."
"So embarrassed." She continued to groan.
"Okay, I'm sorry," Garcia conceded, still smiling.
"You are not."
"No, I'm not," she agreed with a small laugh. "But continue. Start talking."
"Are we sure no one else is in this room?"
"No one else. Now start talking. Our significant others will be coming back soon."
"Fine. We talked. Well sort of- I talked. She listened."
"Well that's good. Wait, how do you sort of talk?"
"Well, Emily Prentiss probably has the gold medal in avoiding talking about personal issues, so I talked about mine. I got it off my chest and told her everything. She has now made it her mission to prove I'm worth it."
"To clarify," Garcia stated. "You have not talked about the accident or the recovery therapy. You've talked about what exactly?"
"The deep seated emotional insecurities of why I accused her of cheating."
"Okay," she drawled slowly. "So how is she proving you're worth it or whatever?"
"I don't know. It's in her words, her eyes, and her actions."
"Actions?"
"Sex," JJ clarified.
"I thought you said you wanted to fuck her."
"I do." Garcia just stared at her, obviously confused. "I mean, she gets me off, and then, she won't let me touch her or return the favor."
"Oh, wow, that must be painful for her."
"Yeah, but she doesn't give in. I'm dying to touch my wife."
"So go ambush her."
"This is not sounding like a good idea. Bad hormonal idea, in fact."
"Why?" Garcia tried to defend. "You're obviously horny. She's obviously horny. Just go pull her into a closet and corner her."
"This has serious backfire potential. Plus, this is a hospital. I'm not going to get it on with her in the maternity ward."
"Why not? Go. Trust me. I'll still be ridiculously pregnant when you come back. And don't come back until you come!" JJ shook her head, but relentlessly stood and left the room.
She peaked her head around both corners and saw Emily and Morgan walked towards her. Make a plan. Make a plan. Make a plan, she mentally instructed herself. She saw a darkened room with the door partially open. The room was empty. She was almost face-to-face with Emily now. "Can I steal my wife for a second?" Derek nodded and winked in Emily's direction, and the brunette promptly swatted him.
"What's up, Jen?" Her question was interrupted by a surprised yelp as JJ fluidly pulled her into the vacant room. In one swift movement, Emily was pressed against the door. JJ's nimble fingers locked the bolt to Emily's right before digging into the soft skin of her wife's hips. Not giving Emily a chance to protest, JJ initiated a passionate kiss as her thigh shifted to rock against Emily's center. Her fingers inched higher, sliding under the hem of Emily's shirt, and danced across the toned abdomen.
Pulling back only slightly, JJ lightly sucked a sweet bit of skin underneath Emily's ear before whispering seductively. "Why won't you let me make love to you, Em?" Emily responded with a shaky groan as JJ's fingers grazed the undersides of her breasts. "You know I'm dying to have you cream against my tongue." She punctuated her wish with a nip to Emily's earlobe.
"God, Jen," she moaned as JJ's thigh pushed into her pleasurably. "I can't."
"Why?" JJ asked, pausing temporarily. She rested her forehead against Emily's and waited for Emily to open her eyes. "Why won't you let me touch you, Emily?"
"I want to give you my heart." It was an admission that took JJ's breath away. "I want it to mean something. I don't just want to fuck. I want to give you what has always been yours, but I have to fix it first."
"Okay," JJ whispered, returning her hands to hold Emily's hips. "How do we do that? How do we fix it?"
"I don't know," Emily responded sadly. "It's never been this broken." It was stated as a fact. There was no accusation behind the tone, just a sad unknowing.