Dorado Falls

A few weeks later they were on another case. On that morning though Emily met Morgan at the Academy. She bought coffee for them both.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"You've got some training to do," he answered.

"What all of us?" she could see from his face she was wrong as he looked apprehensive. "Why only me?"

"You've been out for a long time, Emily..." she nodded acknowledging the reasoning behind it. "But I have good news. I k now who your teacher is."

"You," she exclaimed excitedly and he nodded.

They were soon called to help with a case. This case wouldn't require them leaving town. It was happening in a nearby suburb. Five people had been shot and three stabbed at an internet security company. They found out the UnSub was suffering from a severe delusional break due to a head injury in a car crash. He'd been a blacktop and they'd had to convince them to give the information on a particular mission named Dorado Falls. He'd shot his parents believing they had been replaced. He was suffering a form of post traumatic stress that caused him to believe his loved ones had been replaced as soon as he saw them. They took his wife and daughter into custody. The only way to secure them was for Luke to hear their voices first.

He ended up in the bullpen. As the wife spoke to him over the tannoy Emily and Hotch were with them. Hotch coached her through it as Emily looked after the daughter. He crouched down to give her advice on how to assure Luke she was the real deal. He then looked up at Emily and she smiled slightly. This compassion was one of the reasons she loved him and her maternal side was one of the reasons he did her. They kept their feelings under wraps as usual. They were getting quite good at hiding the fact they were still in love.

The wife joined Luke while he was blindfolded. As he was taking it off the daughter pulled at the door handles calling for him. He was about to go for his gun when he was apprehended and Emily pulled her away. It broke her heart to do so thinking about what it would have been if it had been the twins. They escorted the family out and Luke to a jail cell.

When Hotch came back he said, "Prentiss, can I talk with you for a moment?"

"Sure," she answered looking at him. She wondered what she'd done wrong. She followed him into his office.

When they got in there he sat behind his desk taking off his tie while she sat in front.

"What is it, Hotch? Is this about the remedial training?" she asked. "Did you command it?"

"Officially no." She looked at him confused. He hadn't officially. That meant Hotch hadn't but Aaron had. What had she done to make her ex think she was incapable of her job? Had he been conflicted these last two months? He'd never shown it. He saw the expression on her face. "Morgan and I both trust you. You have to understand seeing you like that severely affected us. It's not you we don't trust it's ourselves. IFANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO YOU AGIN WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'D DO," HE ADDEDLOOKING DOWN TRYING TO BITE HIS TEARS BACK.

She nodded placing her hand over his hearing the tears in his voice. "I'm here, I'm alive. I understand." He nodded then looked back up. "You wanted to talk to me about something."

He nodded smiling. "We have a birthday to celebrate soon."

She Beamed. "I can't believe they're going to be three."

"Neither can I. They're growing up so fast. Shall we get down and organise this party?"

"Absolutely." She was touched he was including her into organising their daughters' birthday party. She'd missed their second birthday. They weren't even a couple again yet. He was letting her see them but nothing was back to normal yet. He still had sole custody of them and since they hadn't been married it was his decision when she saw the kids.

They got to work organising the party for the next week. He informed her Sean was in Washington now and would most definitely be making the cake. Sean hadn't been able to go to Jack's party last month but had taken him out the day after to make it up to him.

She could see afterwards something was troubling him. "What is it?" she asked.

He sighed then fixed his eyes on hers never turning them away. "If I ever get like Luke Doran promise me you'll shoot me," he said seriously. What? No! She couldn't do that! She loved him too much to ever shoot him. "I don't want to ever be unable to recognise any of you and aim a gun at you. I don't want to ever get to that point. I couldn't ever hurt you. I know what it's like..."

She tried to keep her tears inside remembering that night. The night she pulled a gun on Aaron. She really wanted to take that night back. She wished it had never happened. "I'm sorry," she answered getting up to leave.

"No, Emily, I'm sorry. It was unfair of me," he answered.

She nodded slightly and left for home.

A week later they were celebrating the twins' third birthday. They were happy to see their mum at the party. Sean had made them both birthday cakes in squares and with teddy bears on top. The teddy bears were made out of icing and the cakes were covered in white icing.

They played games suitable for three year olds.

When it came time for their cakes the girls ran up to the table. They'd learnt what to do. Emily and Aaron came out with their birthday cakes and placed them in front of them. Sean had lit three candles on each cake. The girls smiled up at their parents as they put them down in front of them.

They all sang happy birthday to them while they beamed. When they finished they blew out the candles with their help and giggled as everyone congratulated them. They were three today. They'd got through their illness months ago and lived to be three.

At first Aaron had felt like he'd failed every time he saw them but hadn't wanted to leave them. Overtime he'd loosened up and become less overprotective especially when he was in Pakistan. After Emily had found out she'd wanted to see them even more just to remind herself they were still here. He allowed her to call them every night to comfort her.

Emily, Dave and Declan were the last to leave. It still and always hurt her to leave her children. She knew it would only ease up when they were all living together again. Only then would she truly be home.

She crouched down to hug the birthday girls, her twins. She kissed both their cheeks and they kissed her cheek then hugged her back.

"We love you," they chorused.

"I love you too, so much," she answered. "I love you to the moon."

"And back again," they smiled then they looked down. "Bye bye mummy."

"Bye, my darlings. I'll see you soon and call you later. I'm proud of you." They looked up and nodded.

Jack seeing how sad his sisters were he wanted to rebuild bridges between him and Emily. He wanted to make them and his dad happy again. Daddy said they made him happy but he wasn't completely happy. He could see that. He also really missed Emily. He still loved her as a mummy he just hadn't wanted to get hurt again. She'd proved to him she didn't want to hurt him and had never meant to.

He walked up to her and stood looking down at his feet. "Emily," he said shuffling his feet.

"Yes Jack," she answered concerned looking at him.

"Can I have a hug?" she smiled widely at him as it was the first time he'd wanted her to touch him since she came back. He ran into her arms and hugged her. She hugged him close to her biting back her tears. She'd missed him so much. He kissed her cheek and he smiled back kissing his.

"I love you, Emmy," he whispered.

"I love you too, Jack Jack," she answered.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"See you later, Emmy."

"See you later, buddy."

He still really didn't like saying goodbye. It was too painful too sad. Goodbye was too final. It meant you might never see them again.

Dave and Aaron smiled down at their exchange. It was wonderful to see him open up to Emily again. Maybe everything would be alright. Maybe he could take her back without feeling guilty. Maybe they could now be together again.