A/N: I can't believe I'm up to 50 chapters! Scary. But thanks to those who've been following this since the start. It's nice to know there are people enjoying my work still.

I had so much trouble starting this chapter. It was so hard to try and think of how I wanted things to happen. I suppose you could attribute it to writer's bloc or simple fatigue. In any case, here it is. Emily's first day back!

And I said this a couple of chapters ago, I'm going to refer to the new agent as "Rob," not "McGee." Less confusion I hope. AND, Emily will start off by calling him "Bobby." Anyway. That's all. Read on McDuff!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.


Emily wasn't sure what to expect. She knew that Bobby would most likely be there when she and Hotch arrived. But she hadn't been expecting the ENTIRE team to be there when she saw him again for the first time in decades. Emily saw the team standing and sitting in the bullpen. Bobby's back was turned to them, but she knew it was him. It was the same haircut he'd had Junior year.

Hotch and Emily walked through the glass doors of the BAU and JJ's face lit up when she saw them. "You're back!" she cried out, running towards her friend. Emily nodded and smiled. "I am. We can now kick sexist ass together once more," she joked. JJ smiled at Hotch over Emily's shoulder. "Morning Section Chief," she teased in a serious voice. Hotch rolled his eyes as they continued to the rest of the group.

"Hey Em. Welcome back," Morgan said, giving her a hug after she'd dropped her bags by her desk. Emily hugged each of the others, stopping when she saw him. Hotch came up to stand beside her as Morgan made the introductions. "Uh, Emily Prentiss, this is Agent Robert McGee, Hotch's replacement," Morgan said, gesturing to the team's newest recruit, "Rob, this is…" Morgan was cut off by Rob's voice. "Emily Rose Prentiss," he said, nodding his head and holding out his hand. Emily smiled awkwardly but pushed his hand aside, giving him a small hug. "How you doin Bobby?" she asked, ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of her friends and Hotch.

Rob couldn't believe it. Emily Prentiss. An agent in the FBI… in the BAU nonetheless. This world was too small. "Haven't been called Bobby in about 15 years… unless you count my Mom. I'm doing good Em. How have you been?" he asked. Emily nodded and glanced beside her at Hotch, before turning back to Bobby. "I'm really good," she replied. "Glad to see you lost the multi-coloured mohawk." Rob chuckled and dropped his head to his chest. "That was one time. And it was the late eighties for God sake!" he exclaimed. He looked up and smiled, "Glad to see you lost the excessive make-up and dog-collars," he replied, "but you're still just as beautiful as you were twenty years ago." Emily blushed and nodded, reaching out to hook her index finger on Hotch's pinky.

Rob noticed the contact and he wrinkled his brow. It suddenly ticked over in his head. He raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you're the agent who was on maternity leave?" he asked. Emily blushed and nodded. "Uh yeah. First day back after what," she turned to Hotch, "Three months?" she asked. Hotch shrugged his shoulders, "Four including your bed-rest," he replied, dropping her hand to place his on her shoulder. Emily nodded and turned back to Bobby, who looked stunned.

"Wow. And you always said you'd never have kids," Rob said, shaking his head in disbelief. Emily smiled. "Well, you know what they say. It's a woman's right to change her mind," she replied. Rob smiled and nodded. "True. And I'm sure your mother had something to do with that instilling that philosophy," he teased. Emily chuckled and nodded. "Something like that," she replied.

Hotch cleared his throat and Emily turned. He nodded his head towards the glass doors. "If you'll excuse me I have to go to a meeting. Agent Morgan I trust you'll take care of Prentiss' paperwork?" he asked. Morgan nodded. Hotch nodded and said goodbye to the team. Emily looked back at Bobby and held up her hand. "Gimme a second. I'll be back," she said, before turning to run after Hotch.

"Hotch!" she called after him as he walked quickly down the hall. Hotch stopped and turned, waiting for her to catch up. "You know him," he said, a statement more than a question. Emily nodded and swallowed hard. "Uh, can we talk in your office?" she asked, nodding to his door. Hotch raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat before nodding. "Sure," he replied, unsure of what she was about to tell him. He followed her into his office and closed the door.

"What was that about Em?" Hotch asked as he rounded his desk and dropped his briefcase on the floor. Emily played with the hem of her blouse and looked up at him. "I wasn't going to say anything unless I knew that it was definitely him," she started. Hotch's heart started to beat a little faster and he nodded for her to continue. "Uh… Bobby, Rob. Uh, he and I dated," Emily said quickly.

Hotch raised his eyebrows and his jaw dropped. "You… you…" he stuttered. Emily nodded and smiled tightly. "Two years in college," she clarified. Hotch shook his head, then he looked up, his eyebrows raised. "Wait… Spain?" he asked, remembering Emily telling some stories about the month she spent in Europe with her college boyfriend. Emily nodded. She'd hoped that would be one story Hotch would forget. But apparently all of her wishes were used up. "Yep. That's him," she replied, crossing her arms.

Hotch was silent. After a few moments, Emily rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hotch. Say something. Tell me what you're thinking," she begged. Hotch didn't know what to say. As far as he knew, "Bobby" was the only guy Emily had loved, before she met him. The only other man his fiancée had ever loved, and now they'd be working together.

Emily walked around and squeezed Hotch's arms. "Honey, please… just say something," she begged again. Hotch looked over her head, at a spot on the wall. He shook his head. "I… I don't know what else I can say? I'm shocked but…," he said quietly. He looked down at her and forced a smile, "I'm just going to need some time to get used to the idea. I mean, you're going to be working together and…" he cleared his throat and rolled his eyes, "travelling together."

Emily smiled gently and reached up to touch his face. "Honey. I might be working and travelling with… Rob. But I'm coming home to you. And our kids," she replied. Hotch sighed and placed his hands on her waist. "Just… give me some time ok? I promise I won't have him transferred… right away," he joked, smiling softly. Emily smiled back and leant up to kiss him quickly. Though they generally had a rule about no kissing or hugging at work, this seemed like it called for an aberration.

Hotch kissed her back, pecking her lips as she pulled away. He pulled her into a hug and she huffed against his chest. "So… first day back and we're already breaking our office rules," she teased. Hotch stepped back and put his hands on his hips. "You're right. I'll see you later, for coffee Agent Prentiss," he said stiffly, before smiling. Emily smiled and nodded. "I'll drop by around 11." Hotch nodded and watched her walk through the door. He dropped into his chair and sighed, leaning his head on his hands. Crap.


Emily walked down the hall and back into the bullpen. Thankfully, most of the team had disappeared. As she walked over to her desk, Emily smiled at Reid. He nodded and stood up. "I'm going to the supply closet for a legal pad. You guys need anything?" he asked, glancing between Emily and Rob. They both shook their heads and he nodded and walked away.

Emily turned her chair around and looked at Rob. "So… JJ told me. Hotchner… he's your fiancé," Rob said, turning to face her. Emily bit her lip and nodded. "And the baby…?" he asked. "Babies. Twins. They're just over three months old now," Emily explained. Rob raised his eyebrows. "I can't believe it's you," he muttered under his breath. Emily smiled and sat back in her chair. "When Garcia said your name I almost choked on my coffee. I couldn't believe it was you," she said quietly. Rob nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So you go by Rob now huh?" Emily asked brightly. Rob nodded. "Yeah. You always said Bobby sounded like a kids name. So I started introducing myself as Rob," he explained. Emily nodded. "It suits you," she replied. Rob smiled and nodded. "You been with the BAU long?" he asked. Emily nodded and sighed, "Uh, it's going on six years now," she said, her mind flipping when she realized it'd been that long. "They seem like a good team," he said. Emily nodded and smiled. "Yeah. We're family," she said quietly. Rob smiled.

"Speaking of which, how are yours? I heard Tommy opened up a restaurant in Soho," she said excitedly. Rob nodded and grinned. "Yeah. He's the chef, and Stu's in charge of the rest. They're doing pretty well," he explained. Emily smiled and nodded. "And Grant? How's he?" she asked, of Rob's youngest brother. Rob smiled. "He just started his Junior year at Georgetown. He's doing pre-med," Rob explained. Emily smiled brightly. "No doubt he's doing fantastically! He always was a smart kid," she exclaimed. Rob nodded.

They continued catching up for about twenty minutes, Emily finding out that Rob's parents had just celebrated their 50th Anniversary. He promised to say congratulations on her behalf. Emily pulled out her cell and showed him the latest photos of the kids. Jack had just finished the first grade and the class had held an awards ceremony, so she and Hotch had taken lots of pictures of the three kids. Rob still couldn't believe she was a mom. "Jack's got lighter hair than the twins," he commented. Emily nodded. "He's Hotch's son. Hayley, his mom, was killed a couple of years ago," she explained.

Just before it was time for the briefing, Reid returned to his desk. Emily looked up from her work and smiled. She mouthed "thank-you" and the younger agent smiled and nodded. He might've been socially awkward, but he knew that Emily and Rob needed to talk. He loved Emily like a sister, and when Rob had explained that they'd dated, Reid was a little shocked. But he liked the newest team-member and knew they had to give him a shot. So Reid had made a silent promise to himself to look out for Emily. He cleared his throat. "Ok. Briefing time," he said, standing up with the others and heading up the stairs.


Emily knocked on Hotch's door at 11:15. She'd been running a little late after a call to Moscow. Their work at an international level meant that she was busy simply keeping contacts with the local police. Not that she minded. Any excuse to practice her Russian, Arabic, Spanish… linguistic skills in general… was good in her book. At Hotch's answer, Emily opened the door and smiled.

Hotch looked up from the file he was reading and saw Emily in the doorway. "You ready for coffee?" she asked. Hotch nodded and stood up from his desk. Signing off on Agent Anderson's holiday request could wait until after coffee. Hotch smiled and followed Emily through the door and down the hall to the elevators. As a rule, they used the front door of the building as a designated reference point between professional and personal. So when they reached the sidewalk and began the short stroll to the local Starbucks, Hotch took Emily's hand in his.

"So did you and Rob catch up?" he asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Emily huffed and nodded. "We did. I showed him the pictures of Jack's awards ceremony and he caught me up on his family," she explained. Hotch nodded but frowned slightly. Even though he knew the man, and he knew that he wasn't a criminal, he still wasn't sure about Emily showing him the pictures of their family. But she knew Rob a lot better than he did, so he supposed it was ok.

Hotch reached over and held the door open for Emily. She sighed in relief when she felt the air-conditioning hit. Even though it was only just July, the heat was unbearable. And today was the first day in weeks she hadn't been able to wear shorts everywhere. She hoped the kids weren't being too difficult for Hannah, their new nanny. But they were generally well-behaved and, provided they got to have a splash in the pool, she was sure they'd be fine.

After they'd ordered their coffees, Emily and Hotch took a seat towards the back of the shop. They spent their coffee break talking about the kids and the upcoming summer holiday the three of them were paying to Emily's dad and Natalie, and how Emily was coping so-far with being away from the kids. "I mean, sure I miss them. But I know that, at the end of a day filled with talking about horrible things like murder and abductions, I get to go home to my four favourite people in the world. So it's ok," she explained. Hotch was surprised. He was sure she'd be a basket case but apparently Emily's amazing ability at compartmentalizing worked on more than just cases. Hotch smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

They were just walking back to the office building when Emily's phone started to vibrate. "Prentiss," she answered. Hotch looked over at her and frowned at the face she'd made. "Ok Jayje. We're just heading back now. I'll be up there in a few minutes," she answered, before they hung up. Emily turned to Hotch. "Looks like I won't be home for dinner," she said sadly. Hotch forced a tight smile and nodded, holding open the front door for her. Emily smiled sadly and walked through.

"What've you got?" Hotch asked Morgan as he and Emily walked into the bullpen. "Child abduction, Seattle," he said. Hotch frowned. The team hadn't been back to that city since Emily's stabbing. And now they were going back and he wasn't going with them. AND if that wasn't enough to worry about, the "new guy" was Emily's college boyfriend. Hotch rolled his eyes.

He grabbed Morgan's shoulder. "Take care of her," he said quietly. Morgan smiled and nodded. "Of course boss," he replied, patting Hotch's arm. Morgan turned and followed the rest of the team out through the glass doors. Emily walked up to Hotch, carrying her bags. "We're briefing on the jet. I'll call you when I get a chance," she said quickly, giving him a brief kiss before chasing the rest of the team. Hotch turned and watched as the elevator doors closed. He sighed and walked back down the hall to his office. This was going to be a long few days.


A/N: So I wanted to get them through their first day. And I'm not great at writing case-fic so I'm just going to skip forward a couple of days. Please read and review.