A/N: Happy reading!

Even though he was exhausted after getting up with Harlow every time she had cried in the night so that Emily could sleep, Andrew smiled as he brushed his thumb against the small of his baby girl's back through her pajamas and held his fiancée close to him by the hip while the two of them slept against his chest. He wasn't comfortable in the slightest since he had laid down in an awkward position and he knew that he wouldn't be able to move without waking one or both of his girls, but he didn't care about that as he listened to their deep breathing. All he cared about was that they were getting the rest that they needed. One of the midwives had come to look in on the three of them a while ago and she had giggled and teased him about having his hands full with the two of them, something that he knew was probably quite true.

He was going to have his work cut out for him when he took them home to the apartment later on considering it would be his responsibility to make sure they were comfortable and had everything they needed, but he was more than ready to take that challenge on. Penelope and Spencer were already there to clean up a little and move some of Harlow's things into the living room so that Emily would have easy access to them while she relaxed on the couch. He planned on making everything as easy and stress-free as possible for her over the next couple of weeks so that she could just focus on recovering and bonding with their baby girl. He didn't want her to fret about a thing, but at the same time he realised that this was Emily he was talking about and so she was going to wind up fretting about everything no matter what he did.

She mumbled something incoherent in her sleep after a couple of minutes and did that adorable little nose scrunch that he loved so much as she cuddled closer to him, his hand running up and down her back as he pressed his lips to her temple and sighed against her skin when she settled down again. He allowed his lips to rest against her temple for a time as he held her close and brought his hand to rest at the base of her spine, but she soon began to stir and so he pulled back a little before smiling when her eyes fluttered open and she tilted her head back sleepily on his shoulder to look up at him. 'Oh, you've been watching me sleep all morning again, haven't you?' She groaned while resting a hand on his chest, his quiet chuckle answering her question as she brushed her hair out of her face. 'I didn't do that nose thing again, did I?'

'You did and it was as adorable as ever.' He teased, grazing her nose with his own.

She shook her head at him before accepting the long and soft kiss that he pressed onto her lips, her hand venturing up his chest towards his neck so that she could lie her hand there while his lips moved over her own. She was lightheaded and her lips were a little swollen when the two of them eventually parted from their kiss, a breathy laugh escaping her when he rested his hand on her cheek and caressed her bottom lip with his thumb. The sound of their daughter whining caused her to take her eyes off of him and lower her gaze to his chest just moments later and she smiled at the sight of Harlow curled up there in a little ball while she slept without a care in the world. She already knew that she was going to end up being a true daddy's girl. 'She always looks so tiny when she cuddles with you,' She laughed. 'She's just beautiful…'

'She gets it from her mommy, that's for sure,' He kissed Harlow on the top of her head. 'How are you feeling about heading home later on?'

She sighed in response, bringing her hand up to trace the little creases on the back of their baby girl's neck softly with the tips of her fingers. 'Part of me is excited because we'll get to sleep in our own beds tonight, but I can't help feeling nervous about it because we're going to be on our own. While we're here, we have the midwives to help us and show us how to do things, but when we're home we're going to have to figure those things out for ourselves and I'm worried that I'm going to mess everything up. I knew that being a mom was going to be hard, I knew that as soon as the test came back positive, but I just feel like it's going to be even harder with her condition because her needs are so complex. I love her more than anything, but she's so tiny and vulnerable and I keep feeling like I'm going to get it wrong and put her at risk.'

'Baby, look at me…' Andrew said after turning his head in her direction and sliding his hand up her spine so that he could play with her hair, his heart sinking when she tilted her head back on his shoulder again and looked at him with tears in her eyes. 'You and I are going to work this out together, all right? I'm in no way saying that it's going to be straightforward because it isn't and there are going to be times when we make mistakes, but you are not going to put Harlow at risk. I know that I've said this a hundred times, but you honestly were born to be a mother and once we're home you're going to realise how much of a natural you are. I mean, look at the relationship you have with Keely. You've taken on the role of her mom without knowing it, Em, she comes straight to you when she has a problem and she really adores you.'

Emily nodded. 'You think we're going to be okay, then?'

'I do,' He replied. 'And once Keely's finished her exams and flown over here we're going to have an extra pair of hands to help with Harlow.'

'We've only been here a week and I already miss her so much. She's been texting me non-stop, but it's not the same.' She told him.

'I know, but she only has three exams left and then she'll be here,' He reassured her. 'Wait until she finds out we're engaged.'

Her heart raced in her chest at his words and she stopped stroking the back of their baby girl's neck so that she could place her hand on his chest and look at her engagement ring. She had been too exhausted and drugged up with pain relief to properly admire it the night before, but now that she felt a bit more awake she was able to appreciate it more and the beauty of it took her breath away. The diamond was so gorgeous and she loved how the cut allowed it to catch the light, but she had to admit that there was a part of her that wanted to slap him for spending so much money. She had seen rings like hers before and they generally costed at least half his yearly wages if not a little more. 'You mean you didn't give her any indication that you were going to ask me to marry you? I would have thought you would have asked her.'

'Oh, I dropped several hints,' He admitted. 'She's known for a couple of months now that I've been planning to propose, but she told me not to hold out much hope of you agreeing because you're way too out of my league and my dad-dancing at the wedding would make you run.'

She snorted, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed so as not to wake Harlow. 'You know; I've always loved that girl.'

'So, you're going to abandon me on the dance-floor at the reception?' He raised his brow at her.

She pretended to hum in thought for a second. 'Nah, I suppose I could stick around for a little while.'

'Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, I love you more than you will ever know.' He told her, his tone now far more serious than it had been seconds ago.

'I love you too…' She ran the back of her hand down his cheek before leaning in to kiss him chastely.

She settled down beside him and snuggled beneath the blanket once they had parted from their kiss, her gaze fixing itself on their daughter as she began to stroke her cheek with the back of her hand. She was still anxious about taking Harlow home in a couple of hours and trying to settle into life with her, but knowing that Andrew would be right beside her to offer love and support made things so much easier for her. She knew that she would be able to do anything and get past any hurdle that the next couple of weeks threw at her as long as she had him.

It was the one thing she was truly certain about.

Brushing a dark wisp of hair out of her beautiful baby girl's face as she sat on the couch with her in the apartment that afternoon, Emily let out a deep sigh of happiness as she kissed her temple before reclining against the cushion behind her and settling down to watch her nurse. They and Andrew had been home from the hospital for a couple of hours now and even though she hated the thought of tempting fate, she was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were at the moment. She had given Harlow a feed while Andrew had been discharging both of them from the hospital and then their little girl had fallen asleep on the drive home, meaning that they had been able to put her in her crib and get some rest as well once they had gotten in. She had napped for a good two-to-three hours, something they'd both been grateful for.

When she had woken up she had been content to just lie in her arms and cuddle with her and so she had been able to lounge around on the couch for a bit and watch a couple of episodes of Dr Phil while Andrew made a start on their dinner, but now she had gotten hungry again. She felt so blessed to have such a laid back baby, especially when it came to her mealtimes. Harlow appeared to love her feeds and always settled and latched on with minimal fussing, meaning that she could just make herself comfortable and make the most of the snuggles that she was able to have with her while she ate. Easing an arm out from beneath her daughter, she brought her hand up and stroked her cheek with the back of her forefinger before smiling when Harlow cuddled closer to her and opened her eyes so that she could look deep into hers.

She hadn't truly noticed it before, but now that she was able to just sit and study her baby girl's features she was able to see what Andrew had meant when he had said that there was an uncanny resemblance between them. She had gained her beautiful complexion and her hair from her daddy and her condition meant that her features were slightly different to hers, but she definitely had the Prentiss look about her and that was something she adored. She had gained her eyes, her nose, her lips, her chin and her ears and she was by far the most precious little girl she had ever seen. 'You're going to have all the boys after you when you're older, princess, daddy's going to have his work cut out for him, scaring them all away when they come knocking.' She cradled her head in the back of her hand, stroking her thumb against her hair.

'Aww, it's cute that you think they're even going to make it up to the door.'

Looking up from her daughter when her fiancé spoke up, she turned her head in the direction of the kitchen and laughed while shaking her head at him as looked over his shoulder at them while placing a lid on the saucepan on the stove. Once he had turned the flame down to let whatever it was that he was cooking simmer for a while, he left the kitchen area and approached the couch before sitting down next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders as he kissed Harlow on the head. She moved closer to him so that she could settle into his side as he stroked her arm with his thumb and hushed Harlow when she whimpered against her chest at the movement, her eyes drifting closed as Andrew kissed the side of her head once their daughter had returned to her feed. 'You hungry?' He asked as he stroked Harlow's hair softly.

'Starving and that smells amazing,' She groaned. 'What actually is it that you're cooking?'

'A little thing called Bolognese de Rossi,' He smirked. 'Something I remember you tried to make on our first date.'

'Don't remind me, I'm still trying to burn that memory.' She shuddered.

He chuckled, brushing his lips against hers. 'You were so nervous that night and it was adorable. That was when I knew you were the one.'

'Shut up,' She rolled her eyes at him in a good-natured fashion before resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes again when he began stroking her hair, the two of them sitting in silence for several long minutes as they gave their baby girl time to finish up her feed. Harlow pulled back from her chest once she had had enough and smacked her lips as though to tell her that she was done, she and Andrew laughing as she used the muslin cloth to wipe away the milk that dribbled down her chin. She knew even without asking that he wanted to bring up her wind and so she eased their daughter into his arms before pulling the strap of her tank top back up and putting her kimono on. Just before she curled up and went back to watching Dr Phil she put the muslin cloth over his shoulder just in case Harlow chose to spit up.

For quite some time after that, everything was calm and peaceful within the apartment, but when Emily's phone began to ring as it laid on the arm of the couch she paused the show and reached for it before smiling and showing it to Andrew when she saw that Keely was calling. She accepted her FaceTime request once she had run a hand through her hair to make herself look a little more alive, the love that she had for her deepening once they had been connected and she was able to see her sitting at the desk in her room. 'Hey, you, how are you doing?' She asked as she pulled her kimono closed around herself and leaned against her fiancé, allowing him and Harlow to be on-screen with her.

'I'm good, aunt Kimberly says that I can take a break from revising for an hour and so I thought I would give you a call so that I can see you and Harlow now that you're back at home,' Keely revealed while propping her tablet up before leaning back in her chair. 'Oh, you too, dad.'

'Hey, Keels.' He smirked with a shake of his head, alternating between patting and rubbing Harlow's back to ease up her wind.

'We had our science exam this morning which means I only have two more exams to sit before I get to come and see you guys,' Keely told them happily. 'Dad sent me a picture of you and Harlow last night, but it's not the same as being there in person. I want to hold her so bad!'

Emily laughed. 'The guys at the BAU are planning to take us out for a meal to celebrate, but I've told them that they have to be patient and wait until you're here because I want you to spend some time with her before we do any of that. Trust me, we won't be getting her back for a while once Penelope Garcia has her because she's already smitten with her. I admit that that's my fault for naming her after her though.'

'Penelope sounds like quite the character.' Keely brushed a curl back behind her ear with a smile.

'You have no idea.' Emily and Andrew replied in unison, causing the three of them to dissolve into laughter.

Harlow let out a quiet burp seconds later and Emily reached out to stroke her hair, but when she heard Keely gasp she turned her attention back to the phone and gave her a curious glance when she saw the expression of total surprise written across her face. 'What…?' She asked.

'Was that a ring? An engagement ring? Did you and dad get engaged?' Keely almost squealed.

Emily sighed inwardly before looking at Andrew and smiling when he smirked at her, knowing that she had completely spoiled the surprise. She realised that there was no point in trying to change the subject or keep it a secret any longer and so she held up her hand, letting Keely take a long look at her stunning diamond ring. 'He did a beautiful speech and asked me to marry him when the team went home last night.'

'Dad did a speech? He asked you to marry him? You…you said yes?' Keely stammered, the shock evident in her voice.

'Yeah, but it could have been the drugs talking now that I think about it…' Emily teased before her heart swelled when Andrew took hold of her hand and smoothed his thumb across her knuckles, the two of them looking at one another in silence for a second before she turned to Keely again. 'Sweetheart, I know that things are moving faster than any of us expected and I just want to let you know that you can talk to me if the thought of us getting married makes you feel awkward. It was just you and your dad for so long and now Harlow and I are here…'

Keely shook her head, her wild curls bouncing madly. 'Are you insane? This is so awesome; it means you won't be able to leave!'

Tears blurred Emily's vision as she laughed, the love she had for this incredible young woman overwhelming her. 'Keely, I love you so much.'

'I love you too,' Keely replied before a thought crossed her mind. 'I guess I had better get used to calling you mom instead of Emily now.'

'You don't have to do that if it's not something you want,' Emily was quick to assure her. 'You can keep calling me Emily if you'd prefer that.'

Keely nodded. 'I'll take some time to think about it, but would you mind?'

'No,' Emily beamed. 'I wouldn't mind at all.'

'Cool,' Keely glanced over her shoulder when her aunt Kimberly yelled up to her. 'I have to go down to dinner, but I'll text you both later on.'

'Give our love to Kimberly.' Andrew told her while readjusting Harlow against his chest.

'I will,' She reassured them. 'Bye, love you.'

'Love you.' Emily and Andrew replied just before Keely ended the video call and Emily set her phone back down on the couch.

Moving closer to her fiancé and daughter once she had resumed the show she had been watching, she allowed Andrew to release her hand and put his arm around her shoulders again so that she could cuddle against him. 'And you were worried that it was going to take time for her to come around to the idea of us getting married,' He mumbled into her hair before kissing the crown of her head and running his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. 'She loves you, Em, she already sees you as her mom and that's why I knew that she was going to be thrilled when she found out that we were engaged. I should just warn you that she won't shut up about wedding dress shopping now.'

'You know what? I honestly don't care,' She tilted her head back on his shoulder and caressed his cheek. 'Because I have everything I want.'

'Me too,' He whispered. 'I love you.'

'And I love you,' She brushed her lips against his in a slow kiss. 'With all my heart.'

Once she had settled Harlow in her crib and managed to get the baby monitor working that night, Emily switched off the bedroom light and wandered back into the living room before a smile crossed her lips as she watched Andrew walk out of the kitchen area with two glasses of champagne. 'You have no idea how much I want this…' She groaned as she accepted one of the glasses and lowered her gaze to the bubbly liquid, swirling it around for a moment before she looked up at him again. 'But I'm nursing and I think I remember reading an article about how you should avoid drinking because the alcohol ends up in the milk and it can end up being passed to the baby. I…I don't want to risk it.'

'Yeah, but I just read up on it and I found out that one glass is okay and can't do any damage as long as you give it at least two hours after drinking before you start nursing her again,' He soothed, taking a step closer to her and resting his unoccupied hand on her hip through her pajama bottoms. 'She had her last feed less than an hour ago, so we have another three hours at least before she's going to need another. You've been absolutely incredible over the past nine months, Em, and you made childbirth seem like a breeze, so I think you've earned this.'

She smiled when his hand left her waist and he brought it to her face to brush her hair back behind her ear. 'All right, fine, but just this one.'

After nodding he held his glass up. 'Here's to Harlow.'

'To Harlow,' She echoed before they clinked their glasses against one another's and all but downed the champagne, her gaze following him as he took her empty glass from her and carried it over to the counter before returning to her side and taking her hand in his own. She then allowed him to walk her over to the armchair in the living room before he sat down and tugged her into his lap, her hand coming to rest on his chest as she curled up and he wrapped his arms around her so that he could hold her tight to him. Neither one of them spoke for a while after that, Emily content to just run her fingers through the coarse hair on his chest while he buried his lips in her hair and placed occasional kisses on her head, but when she tilted her head back on his chest to look at him the silence was ended. 'You know; I've never thanked you.'

'You have nothing to thank me for, that's probably why.' He chuckled, stroking her leg.

She shook her head. 'But I do. I had quite a chaotic upbringing to say the least and I don't even remember half of my teenage years, but one of the things I do remember is dating some real jerks. I was rebellious and I did it to get back at my parents because I knew that it drove them mad whenever I brought another one of the bad boys home, but in hindsight I realise that I was hurting myself far more than I was hurting them. I allowed the guys I dated to walk all over me and treat me like trash and that ended up leaving me with so many trust issues. When I cleaned up my act and started working for the CIA I started wanting a serious relationship, but I was so damaged by my past and even though most of the guys I dated were nice enough I just didn't trust them. Even when I joined the BAU, deep down I felt as though I couldn't truly trust anyone.'

'Em.' He whispered while giving her a squeeze.

'Please, just let me finish,' She all but begged before settling in his arms again and sighing gently. 'As time passed I did start trusting certain people and I did have a couple of relationships, but none of them lasted longer than a couple of months and I think that that was because I still had my walls up. I trusted them, but I didn't trust them completely and I don't think they had the patience or the willingness to wait for me to be able to do that. Then I met you and you were different right from the get-go. I rescheduled our first date five times because I was so nervous about…about committing myself to you and then when we finally did get together I was still so awkward around you. You never gave up on me though and you never walked away and I've never known that before. I've never known someone to care about me so much.'

She stopped talking and fell silent as she looked at him then, unsure of how to continue, but the way that he smoothed a hand over her hair before covering both of them with the blanket draped over the back of the chair told her that he wasn't expecting her to say anything else. 'No sane person would walk away from a woman like you…' He pointed out. 'You had your guard up the entire time we were sitting at that table over there on our first date. It was obvious that you didn't trust me and that you had been hurt in the past and I'm not even a profiler. I knew that I wanted you from the moment I met you though, so I told myself that I was going to find out who the real Emily Prentiss was or die trying. It hasn't been easy and you drive me insane at times, but the thought of giving up on what we have has never crossed my mind.'

'You mean that?' She asked while snuggling down beneath the blanket and resting a hand on the side of his neck.

'More than I've ever meant anything,' He touched his forehead to hers. 'You are one in a million and I'm not letting you go for anything.'

'Well…' She breathed before pulling him down into a kiss. 'What a relief…'

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review