Chapter 17: Wake Up (Ngerraberrakernama by Emily Wurramara)

Hotch smiled as he lay Jack down in his bed, pulling his soft, blue blankets up to cover his sleeping body and tucking them in around his sides. The little guy was exhausted, but at least the exhaustion meant that he didn't fight Hotch when it came time to head to bed. Hotch leant forward and placed a kiss on Jack's hair, running his hand over his back, before he pushed himself up from the floor and made his way out of the room. As he closed the door behind him, Hotch let out a sigh.

It had been a wonderful day with Jack and Zac, Hotch having come home early from work so that he could enjoy some quality time with the boys. They'd gone for a walk to the park and kicked the ball around for awhile, and then come home and vegged out on the couch all evening watching movies and eating so much junk food they'd need to eat nothing but vegetables for the rest of the week just to make up for it. It was one of those days where they just let things slow down, not wanting to cram too much into their Friday. And now Jack was asleep and Zac had gone out with friends, and Hotch was on his own once more. He wondered if he should do laundry, go into his office and get some work done… maybe both. He trudged down the stairs, making his way into the kitchen and grabbing a cold beer from the fridge, before he headed downstairs. As he cracked open the beer, Hotch thought about what he and Jack could do the following day and wondered if he should take Simon and Elizabeth up on the invitation to visit them. They adored Jack, and he loved running around in their big backyard. Simon had set up a soccer goal at the end of the yard, and he loved to help Jack practice.

Simon and Elizabeth had made it clear, after Emily had come back, that it didn't matter to them what Aaron's relationship was with Emily. They wanted to stay in the Hotchner boy's lives, and would always make room for them. It helped Hotch to realise that he still had hope for them, that if her parents were willing to keep showing up at Jack's soccer games and inviting them over for dinner, that maybe they still had a chance. Hotch wasn't going to ever give up... he couldn't... Emily was the woman he loved and he couldn't imagine ever finding anyone else like her. But for now, he had to respect her wishes and keep his distance... from her.

Hotch paused on the stairs and reached into his pocket, taking out his cell and quickly typing out the message to Simon. Once it was sent, he continued down the stairs, pausing on the final step when he felt his cell buzz in his pocket. He smiled at Simon's immediate and resounding "Absolutely!".

As Hotch rounded the final corner into the lower level of the house, he took a sip of his beer. He stopped in front of the small laundry, sliding open the doors and putting his beer on the counter. He opened the chute and took out the hamper, tossing the darks into the washer while the lights when on the floor. Once the machine was full, he switched it on, dropped the hamper back into the chute, and grabbed his beer from the counter, before he closed the doors and headed into his office.

Hotch pushed through his office door and looked over at his desk, sighing at the thought of diving back into the world of serial killers. He loved his job, but he needed a break from that world, even if it was just for one night. After all, it was Friday night and even though their consults were piling up again and the backlog of cases needed a solid month of work, he needed to cut himself some slack. As Emily always said to him, if he wasn't careful, one day they'd find him buried under a pile of paperwork.

Hotch looked down at the drink cart and bit his lip, looking at the bottle of whiskey that had been waiting for Emily's return, and he had a sudden thought about something he could do to pass the time before he went to bed. He made his way over to the desk, opening one of the drawers and taking out a pad of blank paper. He grabbed a pen from the cup in the corner of the desk, and then made his way over to the large leather sofa, dropping the pen and paper onto the coffee table. He went over to the drink cart and poured himself a glass of whiskey, abandoning his beer, then he took a seat at the sofa.

As he stared at the blank paper and sipped his drink, Hotch wondered where to start.

"Oh my god," Declan exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at Emily, "I think this might be the most perfect pancake ever… in the history of the world."

Emily chuckled as she turned back from where she was juicing oranges, looking over Declan's shoulder, "Wow… it really is," she remarked, "Well done Dec… now let's see if you can do that ten more times."

"Ten!" Declan replied with a smile, "How hungry are you, Mo… Emily?"

Emily bit her lip as she turned back to the orange juice, deciding not to respond to Declan's slip-up. She felt like she was his mom, but his recent experiences with his biological parents didn't really leave him with much of an affinity to those terms. He'd always called Tom, "Dad", and he'd called Louise, "Nan", but both of those were more out of habit than anything else. And since they'd started spending more time with her parents, Declan had started to call Simon and Elizabeth, Pop and Grams, so his place in the family was set. Moments like this, when Declan was spending a long weekend with Emily while Tom was out of the country for work, made her feel like his mom, but that was really Declan's call. All Emily could do was let him know that she was ok with it, if he was.

Emily looked up at Declan and offered him a small smile, "You know..." she started, pausing to clear her throat, "... if you wanted to, you could call me... anything you want really."

Declan shrugged, keeping his eyes on the batter as he poured it into the pan, glancing back at Emily as it began to cook, "I know I haven't called you that before, but..." he shrugged again and bit his lip, "... do you think it would be ok?"

Emily walked over to Declan and placed her hands on his shoulder, reaching up with one hand to brush through the long hair that fell over his forehead, "It would be more than ok with me," she replied with a smile, "And if you're going to start calling me Mom, I think it's time I tell you something I've wanted to tell you for awhile."

Declan looked up nervously at Emily and nodded, "Ok, Mom," he said softly.

Emily bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, "You really need a haircut," she teased, grabbing the sides of his face and planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Mom," Declan groaned, pushing Emily away from him and turning back to the pancakes, smiling as he looked down at the frying pan. He was secretly delighted at Emily's unique way of making him feel loved and cared for, not that he was about to tell her that. She had always been attentive, but since the stuff with his biological parents, Declan had appreciated the sacrifices she'd made for him even more. And those sacrifices were what made him want to call her his mom. Genetics aside, Declan had always felt closest to Tom and Emily, and since he called Tom 'Dad', it only made sense to start calling Emily 'Mom'.

"We will go this week and find somewhere to get your hair cut," Emily said brightly, opening her mouth to say more but stopping when there was a knock at the door. She grabbed a tea towel to wipe her hands, before she made her way out of the kitchen and down the front hall, wondering who would be knocking on her front door at 8am on a Sunday. Emily checked the peephole and smiled at the sight of her visitor, stepping back and opening the door with a grin on her face.

"Hey kiddo," Simon said brightly, stepping through the door and wrapping Emily up in a tight hug. He breathed into her hair and smiled, still coming to terms with the fact that she was back and she was safe. For most of his time in Paris, he'd kept his distance, watching from afar as his daughter lived her second life. It wasn't until he'd heard from his contacts that Emily had received a call from Tom, that Simon had broken protocol and made contact. He'd done all the right things, walking for hours around Emily's neighbourhood until he was sure he wasn't being followed, before he finally knocked on her door. And the way she had embraced him now was just as special as that first one in Paris.

"Dad," Emily replied softly, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was in the neighbourhood," Simon said with a chuckle, "Now I hear one of my grandsons is here, and I'd very much like to say hello."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, gesturing towards the kitchen, letting the door close behind her as she followed her dad down the hall. She knew that seeing Declan was only the excuse to get him into the apartment, but Emily suspected there was an ulterior motive to his visit, her suspicions confirmed when her dad placed a gift bag on the entry table. Even though her curiosity was rampant, she decided to wait until he brought it up before she asked about the bag.

"Declan, my boy!" Simon exclaimed, walking into the kitchen and smiling as he looked over his shoulder, "Oh, those look good."

"Hey Pop," Declan replied, using the spatula to point to the frying pan, "Check out these perfect pancakes!"

Simon chuckled and nodded, licking his lips, "They smell incredible… do you think you have enough for me to join you?"

Declan nodded, "I've been instructed to make ten, but I think we've got enough batter to make a few more," he replied with a smile.

"Good fella," Simon remarked, reaching into the cabinet for the plates, "While you work on those, I'll get started on setting the table."

Emily furrowed her brow in confusion as she watched her dad set up the table for breakfast, taking plates and cutlery into the dining room, and returning just as she started the coffee machine. She was trying to cut back on her caffeine intake, but god only knew what her dad had in store for her, and she'd more than likely be needing a boost to get through it. She grabbed a couple of mugs from the cabinet and met her dad in the dining room with them, placing them on the table before she stood up and rested her hands on her hips.

"Do you want to share with me now, or later?" Emily asked, tipping her head to the side and watching her father carefully. He was usually pretty good at hiding his tells, but that didn't mean she would miss all of the signs that might give her a hint of what he was there to talk about.

Simon huffed and shrugged, standing up to face his daughter, "Well, there are three parts to my visit, so you get to pick," he said sternly, "At some point I'd like to take Declan out for a walk and get to know him a little better, but in the meantime, perhaps we can start with Zac."

Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I can't talk about this Dad," she said, feeling her stomach turn at the mention of his name, "He's still not talking to me and I wouldn't even know how to reach out to him."

"You do know, sweetheart, but we won't get into that now," Simon replied, hinting at the option Emily had to talk to Hotch about it, "What I will say now is that you and Zac need to forgive each other, and if you don't find a way soon, your mother and I will be stepping in."

Emily frowned, shaking her head in confusion, "What do I need to forgive him for?" she asked, "He's the one who's angry with me, not the other way around."

Simon raised his eyebrows, "Sweetheart, you're angry too. Angry at how Zac reacted to you coming back, angry at Zac for not trusting that your keeping your situation from him was in an effort to protect him, angry at Aaron for telling Zac without you," he explained.

Emily shook her head again, "I'm not angry with Zac at all, Dad… I just…" her voice caught and she swallowed over the lump in her throat, "… I miss him," she finished, clutching at her chest and rolling her eyes as the tears started. He was her oldest and he was the baby she'd held against her chest moments after he entered the world. He was the reason she'd gone into the work that she had. He was the reason that she'd kept the areas of her life separate, in some vain attempt to keep him safe. And now, that same boy was not speaking to her. She missed him desperately, it almost made it hard to breathe when she thought about it, so she'd stopped thinking about it.

Simon made his way over to Emily and pulled her to his chest, "I know you do, kiddo," he whispered against her hair, "And I'm working on him too… trust me."

Emily sniffed and nodded, standing up straight and looking her dad in the eye, "I know you are, Dad," she replied, "I just wish he'd give me a chance to explain."

"Like you've done with Aaron?" Simon asked, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. He knew that his daughter loved the man, and that those feelings were definitely reciprocated. And he couldn't understand why they were wasting this time. If anyone knew that time was a precious resource, it was Simon, a man who had spent so much of his time away from his family that, when he was back with them, no matter how brief, he tried to make the most of it. He had never known if the mission he was flying out on would be his last, so he had to make every second count whenever he was with Elizabeth, Emily, and Zac.

"Dad, they're not the same," Emily urged, "Aaron is… naïve. He thinks we can just go back to who we were and what we were before everything… but we can't."

"So you've forgiven him then?" Simon asked, watching Emily shrug and nod and not believing either response to his question, "Try again, Milly."

Emily rolled her eyes, "I know that Zac and Aaron became close while I was away, and the whole time, Aaron felt like he had to lie to Zac…" she paused and shook her head, "… I can't fault him for wanting to tell Zac the truth when the time came. I've forgiven Aaron."

Simon furrowed his brow, gesturing around him, "If that's true, then why is he not here with you?" he asked, "Or why aren't you there with him? You know he could help you with Zac, but you're like me… god help you… and you're too stubborn to let him in."

Emily opened her mouth to speak, but Simon held up a hand to stop her, making his way down to the entry table and picking up the gift bag. She furrowed her brow as her dad made his way back towards her and held out the package.

"After we eat breakfast, I'll take Declan out for a while," Simon explained, reaching into the bag and taking out an envelope with Emily's name on it, "I think you need some time alone to read this."

Emily bit her lip and nodded, slipping the envelope back into the bag and gesturing over her shoulder, "I'll go and put this in my room," she said softly, smiling when Declan walked into the dining room with the large plate of pancakes, "I'll be back in just a second... don't you dare eat all of those before I get back."

"We'll be back soon," Simon said brightly, tapping Declan on the shoulder as he shuffled into his coat. He had been genuinely wanting to spend more one-on-one time with the boy since they'd first met, getting to know him and find any shared interests, and he figured that this would be a great excuse to give Emily the time to read the letter. He knew she'd try to find reasons to procrastinate, but Simon wasn't about to give up. He had seen Emily and Aaron together, and he'd seen them apart, and he couldn't imagine why his daughter was making the choices she was.

Simon looked over at Declan as he started through the front door, "So young man... how do you feel about record stores?" he asked as he pulled the front door closed behind them.

Emily watched the door shut and listened as Simon and Declan's voices faded, tapping her fingers against her hips as she looked around the apartment. She was certain there was something she could find to distract her from the task her father had set her, but as she ran the list through her mind, she came up short. The dishwasher was stacked and running, frying pan was soaking in the sink, and the table had been wiped down. There was no laundry to do, nothing to pick up in the living room… she let a puff of air out through her lips, resigned to the fact that there was nothing to stop her from taking this time and reading Hotch's letter.

Emily turned and headed through the kitchen, stopping to pour herself another cup of coffee, before she made her way into her bedroom. She paused just inside the door, looking over to her bedside table where she'd left the bag, and studied the small, embossed rose on the side. She was working her way up to picking up the bag and inspecting its contents, not sure if she was ready to read his words.

Part of Emily wondered if Hotch had finally found the words that might convince her, but another part worried that this was Hotch's way of saying goodbye. She worried that he had written a letter to tell her that he was giving up, after the countless times that she had turned him down in the short time she'd been back in DC. A part of her had been hoping he'd reach that point, hoping to avoid having to repeatedly push him away... each time getting harder than the last. It was like he was trying to wear her down, and she wondered if she would let him break her resolve before she was ready.

Emily shook her head quickly, waking herself from her daze and making her way over to the bedside table. She wouldn't know until she read his letter, so all the contemplating and guessing was pointless. She furrowed her brow as she reached into the bag, pulling out the bottle and staring at the label. A small smile grew on her face as she realised – it was the whiskey that Sean had given her as a housewarming gift. The whiskey that she'd had JJ give to Hotch, along with the letter she had written from her hospital bed.

Two possibilities ran through Emily's mind as she ran her thumb over the label. Hotch was reciprocating her gesture, and in turn, would reciprocate the words that she'd written to him in her letter. Or, Hotch was telling her that she'd need a drink to get through his letter.

Emily sighed, it was way too early for a shot of whiskey, so that would have to wait for later. She placed the bottle on her bedside table and reached back into the bag to take out the envelope, dropping the empty bag onto her bed and walking over to the window. She tucked the envelope into her back jeans pocket and sat her coffee mug on the window sill as she pushed the window open. After she climbed through and was standing on the fire escape, Emily stooped down to pick up her coffee and then headed up the stairs. She unfolded the deck chair and took a seat, taking the envelope out of her pocket.

When she saw his handwriting, Emily's heart skipped a beat and she took a sip of her coffee as she started to read his words…

Dear Emily,

I know you will probably think this is unfair of me, and I can actually picture you burning this letter as soon as you realise who it's from, but I hope you'll give me this chance to explain myself and make a last-ditch effort to convince you of how much you mean to me.

When you left for Paris, you sent me a letter and the words that you wrote gave me hope for the entire seven months that you were gone. Every day, I looked at that letter and I thought about what it would be like when you came home. How I would get to tell you that I love you too. How I would get to tell you how much I love your son, and how much he and Jack adore each other. How I would get to tell you that I was proud of what you did for Declan. How I would get to tell you that I want us all to be a family.

And now, here we are.

I don't really know what happened, Em. I thought I was doing the right thing by telling Zac about you. I had spent seven months lying to him about you being gone, and I wanted him to find out in a way that wouldn't leave him hurt and confused. I wanted to give him time to process what this meant. I could never have imagined that he would react the way that he has. And for that, I'm so, so sorry.

Em, I love you and I never meant to hurt you. I thought I was doing the right thing.

I want you to know that I heard you last night. I heard what you said about why you think we can't be together. And I respect what you have to say, but sweetheart, I disagree.

I know what you did, and I love you because of what you did, not in spite of it. I've spent the last seven months learning more about what you did when you were with the CIA, and finding out about the risks you took, the lives you saved, and the sacrifices you made for our country… it makes me love you even more. I know you worry that my knowing that history would make me resentful or angry or jealous or… whatever… but it doesn't.

Actually, that's a lie. I am resentful, but that's because I couldn't be there with you to back you up when you went through all of that. My job in this life is to protect the people I love, and I do resent the fact that I couldn't be there, back then, to protect you too. To work alongside you. To be your partner from the very beginning.

But I'm not asking us to go back in time. I couldn't be your partner from the very beginning, but I want to be your partner until the end.

Em, you have seen me in some of my darkest moments. You watched me kill a man with my bare hands, and you stayed by my side. You watched me walk into hostage situations and burning buildings and god knows what else, and you stayed by my side through all of that. Every time I was hurt, you were the one who stood by me and made sure I was ok. You were the one I wanted to be there. I love our team Em, but I adore you. You're the one I want next to me when we're interviewing victims and interrogating unsubs, and you're the one I want next to me when we're making oatmeal for our sons. You're the one I want to back me up when we're running after the bad guys, and you're the one I want to wake up with every morning.

All I'm asking is that you give me the chance to show you how much I want to stay by your side. Give me the chance to show you how much you mean to me.

I love you, Emily Prentiss.

And if you give me the chance, I will show you every day of your life how much I love you.

I'll be waiting, if you're ready to talk.

Love always,

Aaron

Emily closed her eyes as she considered Hotch's words, letting the sun warm her skin and holding the hot cup of coffee against the skin of her chest. Her heart was beating so fast, and she could feel tears starting to well in her eyes.

Hotch loved her.

Aaron Hotchner loved Emily Prentiss.

Emily was tempted to jump up from her seat and run to Hotch's place right now. But her fear was paralysing, preventing her from standing up and taking even one step towards a future with Hotch.

His letter gave her hope, but she knew it was more complicated than Hotch simply saying that her past would not be an issue. He was right, there were things from his past that could have caused Emily to run in the other direction, but that thought had never occurred to her. She saw his actions as examples of his absolute commitment to protecting the people he loved, and that was one of the reasons she loved him. She knew that she would be safe with him, that he would kill for her if it came down to it, and that didn't scare her at all.

What still kept the fear firmly planted in her gut was the thought of all of the things that could break them. Emily trusting Hotch to keep her physically safe was one thing, but trusting him not to hurt her with his words was another. Emily trusting Hotch to love Zac was one thing, but trusting him to bring Declan into their family and love him was another. Emily trusting Hotch with her body was one thing, but trusting him with her heart...

Emily sighed as she thought about that last point, and the lack of confidence she had in their ability to avoid those moments where they might say something to hurt each other. They were both equally stubborn. They were both equally adept at figuring out the words that would hit just right and hurt the other person. They were both equally committed to their careers. All of those were landmines Emily's wasn't sure she wanted to risk stepping on. Gambling with just hers and Hotch's hearts was one thing, but to gamble with Zac's or Declan's or Jack's... or her parents... or the team... those were hearts that Emily couldn't risk breaking.

When it came down to it, Emily still couldn't see a way to reconcile all of the good and all of the potentially problematic, and until she got there, it didn't matter how many beautiful letters Hotch wrote. It didn't matter how many times he brushed her hair behind her ear or kissed her forehead or told her she was beautiful.

Emily knew that she needed to work through these doubts before she could even contemplate a future with Hotch, but even as that thought passed through her mind, Emily felt a smile grow on her face. That bubble of hope was back in her belly, and even though Hotch's words hadn't convinced her to completely throw caution to the wind, at least that hope was there. She wasn't burning his letter, she wasn't tossing it in the trash. She wasn't saying "no", anymore.

She was saying yes, when she was ready.

Emily stared at her computer screen, wondering if she'd accurately captured her version of the case and contemplating how it all could have ended in some other way. She hated that Ally had been so distraught that she had tried to run into the bullpen, ultimately obliterating any chances of her father being able to see his family ever again. She hated that she had been responsible for the little girl and hadn't been able to keep her away from the bullpen until her father was restrained and blindfolded. When Ally had started running out of the room, Emily had tried to stop her, but the little girl's pain had given her an adrenaline-laced boost of energy. JJ had done her best to assure Emily that there was nothing she could've done differently, but Emily wasn't so sure.

Emily let out a sigh as she submitted her report, staring at the screen for a moment longer, before she hit print on her work and locked her computer. She reached under her desk and picked up her purse, stowing her laptop and a couple of files away so she could get some work done at home. The apartment was too quiet without Tom or Declan in it, and she needed to occupy herself with something so she wouldn't spend too many hours ruminating about her life and all of the choices she had made. She was working her way through her doubts, trying to come to the point where she could say yes to a future with Hotch and their family, but it was taking time, and while spending more time in that mental space might get her there faster, it could also do more damage, and nothing distracted Emily more easily than case files.

As she pushed her laptop into her bag, Emily reached in to shift the contents around and her fingers ran over the letter she'd been carrying around for the last few days. She still hadn't figured out how to respond to the words that Hotch had written to her. She'd been so touched by what he'd said, but she needed to take the time to work through her doubts BEFORE she responded. Emily Prentiss was never one to half-ass anything, and she wasn't about to start on what was probably the most important decision of her life.

Emily bit her lip, that little voice in her head telling her to just throw all of her caution out of the window and run up to Hotch's office now. She was grateful that the louder voice in her head was still the one of reason, stopping her from acting impulsively and ruining everything before they'd even started. She felt like she'd made progress on that account, at least now she wasn't saying a flat-out no to a future with Hotch, but she wasn't quite all the way there yet. She knew she'd never be completely free of doubt, but she needed to tip the scales a little more in their favour.

Emily hoisted her purse over her shoulder and made her way over to the printer, collecting her report and stashing it in the file. She turned and headed up the stairs, checking over her work as she walked, hoping to sneak into Hotch's office and drop off her report before he came back from Rossi's office. They'd been behind closed doors for the last hour and Emily didn't have the energy for another interaction with Hotch right now. She figured she could run into his office, drop her file in his inbox and run out, before he had a chance to see her.

"Prentiss."

Emily jumped and looked up from her report, finding Hotch stopped in front of her, just outside of his office door. She felt all of the air escape her lungs and she took a deep breath in, realising that she could have avoided this uncomfortable situation if she'd spent a little more time working on her report and a little less time working through her personal issues. She internally chastised herself, getting ready to speak but before she could say anything, Hotch spoke up again.

"Is that for me?"

Emily nodded, holding out the file for Hotch and smiling nervously, "Sorry… yes… uh…" her voice trailed off and she shook her head. She furrowed her brow, looking up at Hotch and swallowing hard over the lump in her throat as she handed the file over. She noted the tired look on his face and Emily knew that she was partly to blame for it. She just wished she could figure a way to tell him that, even though she wasn't saying yes just yet, she was working on it. She wanted to give him hope, but at the same time, she was scared to do that. She couldn't help but wonder if all of her ruminating might find her unable to say yes, and in that case, she didn't want to give him hope and then rip it away. She needed to keep her thoughts to herself until she was sure. And just as she'd resolved herself to that plan, words started coming out of her mouth without permission.

"While I've got you here," Emily started, waiting for Hotch to look up from the file, "Did you want…" she paused, suddenly lost for words, and shook her head, "Uh, did you mandate that I recertify for takedown training?"

Hotch shook his head, "No, I didn't mandate it… uh…" he paused and looked down at the way Emily was clutching her purse to her shoulder, "Is everything alright? You ok?"

Emily frowned and nodded, "Oh yeah… I'm good," she replied, shrugging, "It's all in a day's work, right?" she paused and nodded awkwardly, pursing her lips into a tight smile, "I'll see you in the morning."

Emily turned and walked away, and Hotch watched for a moment before he turned back to his office to pack up for the night. As he reached his desk, he turned back to look out his office window, watching as Emily and Morgan talked in the bullpen. He couldn't help but wonder if Emily had been planning to say something else. She hadn't asked to speak to him about his letter, but she also hadn't returned it or yelled at him for sending her father with the letter. And that gave him hope.

Hotch picked up his laptop bag and briefcase, grabbing his coat as he headed towards the door. After days like today, all he wanted was to hug his kids and rest assured that they were safe. Now that Zac was back from Philly, staying with Hotch until he could figure out his own accommodation, the house felt almost complete. And tonight, the plan was simple. They'd make some falafel for dinner, spend a little time playing board games, and just enjoy some time together. Just as he stepped onto the landing outside his office, his cell began to buzz in his pocket. He checked the caller ID and smiled, answering the call with a bright voice.

"Hey Zac," Hotch said, "I'm just leaving the office now. Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah… uh…" Zac paused and cleared his throat, "I was just heading home from campus and Lucy called… she wants to come for a visit next weekend, but I didn't want to say yes to her staying at your place until I checked with you first. And if it's not ok, I can book us into a hotel room for the weekend, or see if we can stay with Grams and Pop."

Hotch smiled at Zac's nervous babbling, waving at Reid as he made his way out of the glass doors of the unit, "You know what I think about Lucy. She's welcome to stay any time," he replied, "You don't need to ask, and it's not just my place... how many times do I have to tell you it's your home too?"

Zac huffed and nodded, "Ok," he replied, "I'll let her know that she can stay with us then… thanks Dad."

"Oh I've been waiting for this moment for so long," Hotch teased as he hit the button for the elevator, "What does family never have to say?"

Zac chuckled and shook his head, "Damn, Dad… you've had that one in your pocket for awhile…" he paused and huffed, "... I'll see you when you get home."

"See you then, bud," Hotch replied, before ending the call.

As he stepped onto the elevator, Hotch looked down at his cell and smiled softly. That bubble of hope that he'd felt earlier had grown in his conversation with Zac. The fact that he'd come back to DC and had asked Hotch if he could stay with him until he figured things out gave Hotch hope that their family had a chance. Zac could have stayed with his grandparents, but chose to stay with his mom's… Hotch shook his head, realising he didn't really have a title in Emily's life… yet…

In any case, Zac had chosen to stay with Hotch and Jack. And that made him wonder if it was a sign of things to come.