Chapter 19: 1000 Sundowns (song of the same title, by Emma Louise)

Emily paced nervously in her living room as she sipped on her tea, checking her watch for the hundredth time that morning as she thought back over the last twenty-four hours. They'd flown to Boise, found a bomber, flown back to DC. She and Hotch had chased each other across DC, declared their love for each other, and spent hours kissing and talking… and more kissing.

Emily sighed as she thought about how the night had gone, how they had been, almost brutally, honest with each other when it came to answering the first round of questions. She appreciated Hotch's transparency when it came to her question about him not holding her past against her, and she had told him as much. It still concerned her, however, that he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't bring up her past. She knew she had to trust him, but that thought terrified her.

They had at least ended the night on a positive note, agreeing for Hotch to pick her up in the morning for Jack's soccer semi-finals. It would be the first time she'd seen him since before she'd left for Paris, and Emily was so excited. She adored Jack and had missed him so much in her absence, and she'd been keeping her distance from him since she got back, knowing that her love for him might have unfairly tipped the scales before she was ready. Hotch had told her that he'd worked hard to make sure Jack understood how she had come back to them, and while he was confused about why they couldn't bring Haley back, he was thrilled that he was at least able to have Emily in his life again.

Emily had called her parents that morning and explained what was going on, and her dad had told her that they'd keep Declan with them and suggested she pick him up after the game. He'd spent more time that morning working on his science project, with Simon's help, and had been enjoying some two-on-one time with his grandparents. Emily felt herself getting emotional at the thought of how hard her parents were working to make sure that Declan felt like he was part of a family. It was exactly what she'd always hoped for.

Emily looked up expectantly at the knock on the door and she made her way down the hall, placing her mug of tea on the entry table and taking a deep breath. As she pulled the door open, she beamed at Hotch, then looked down as Jack barrelled into her legs, squeezing her tight.

"Emily!" Jack exclaimed, wriggling with joy as Emily lifted him up and squeezed him in a solid hug. He wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and squeezed so tight she thought she might lose breath, and as she lowered them both to the ground, Jack kept hold of her.

"Jack-in-the-box!" Emily cried out, feeling the tears running down her face as she reunited with the little boy who had come to mean so much to her, "I missed you so much!" She dropped to the floor, hugging Jack tight to her, not wanting to let go. And he seemed just as eager to make up for the time they'd lost in her absence. Before Emily had left for Paris, she and Jack spent hours together, every week going on adventures to the park or binge-watching Disney movies. During her exile, Emily had resorted to watching the same movies as a way to feel connected to Jack from far away... nine times out of ten, it ended with her sobbing in the shower. But now, she squeezed him tight and inhaled the scent of his shampoo and felt like it was another home-coming.

"I did too," Jack replied, gently stepping back out of Emily's arms and playing with the tip of her ponytail, "I have so much to tell you… I started school and I ride my bike now without any training wheels and I went to Hersheypark and Daddy had a beard but I didn't like it, so now it's gone, and Zac taught me about bugs and we made a compost and…"

"Woah buddy," Hotch interjected, ruffling Jack's hair and holding out a hand to help Emily stand up again, "You've got all the time in the world to tell Emily about everything."

Hotch leant forward, kissing Emily gently on the cheek and offering her a smile, "Good morning," he said softly.

"Good morning," Emily replied, her dimples showing as she smiled back, glad that they seemed to be on the same page about displays of affection in front of others, especially tiny humans. They were already getting back into that place where things didn't even need to be said, they just seemed to know what the other was thinking without having to say the words out loud. It was familiar and safe and warm. And Emily was glad that they'd had last night to talk through their expectations of how they wanted to be in public. At home, Aaron and Emily could make-out as much as they wanted, provided there was no audience. But in public, and especially at work, different rules had to apply... at least for now.

Hotch looked down at Jack, who was busy watching the grown-ups, and he smiled, "We should get going, buddy," he said brightly, "We don't want to miss your first semi-finals."

Emily chuckled as Jack nodded enthusiastically, and she turned to collect her belongings from the entry table, shoving her cell and badge into her jeans, and keeping her keys in her hand. She'd already holstered her sidearm on her ankle, the unfortunate requirement of being a federal agent, even when their activity for the day was a six-year old's soccer game. She followed Hotch and Jack out of the apartment, turning back to lock the doors, and when she spun around, Jack held out a hand for her. She took his small hand in hers and the three of them made their way downstairs.

As they made their way down to the carpark, Emily smiled as Jack continued with his rapid-fire description of his life over the past seven months – trips to Martha's Vineyard, visits to the park with Zac and Lucy, making pizza and looking at the stars through Zac's telescope. Even though the mention of her oldest son's name made her heart hurt, Emily wouldn't stop Jack for anything in the world. His energy gave her life and she didn't want to risk missing out on any of his stories. As she heard Jack describe the trip that he'd taken with Zac to visit Lucy in Philly, Emily wrinkled her brow and looked over at Hotch. He nodded and smiled, whispering to Emily so as not to disrupt Jack's flow.

"While I was in Pakistan."

Emily nodded in understanding and smiled softly at Hotch, squeezing Jack's hand when he looked up at her and realised she wasn't paying attention to him. She chuckled and bit her lip at the glare the little guy was attempting to give her, "Sorry buddy," Emily said softly, looking back up at Hotch as soon as Jack went back to his story-telling.

They reached the car, and it was seamless as they returned to their old steps like they were on autopilot, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Hotch climbed into the driver's seat while Emily helped Jack into his car seat, buckling him up and tickling his side. There was one lovely addition to their routine, however, when Emily climbed into the front passenger seat and Hotch reached over to take her hand. He started them out of the carpark and onto the street, running his thumb over her hand, the friction causing Emily's heart to skip a beat.

The drive to the fields wasn't long, but Jack continued his storytelling, filling in many of the blanks that Emily had been cataloguing since her return. As Hotch parked the car and switched off the engine, he looked over at Emily with a smile and leant over to kiss her cheek again, this time planting his lips a little closer to the tip of her mouth. It was as close as they'd get to a proper kiss until they were alone again, but it would do… for now.

Emily climbed out of the car and, again, it was just like it was before. Hotch went to the trunk to get their bag while Emily helped Jack out of his car seat, taking his hand and meeting Hotch at the front of the car. They walked over to the field, finding Rossi corralling the players together, getting them ready for their pre-game strategy session.

Rossi looked up when he heard Jack call out his name and a mischievous smile grew on his face when he spotted Emily walking with them, big smiles on all three faces as Jack swung between Emily and Hotch. When they drew closer, Rossi left the huddle of kids behind to greet them, pulling Emily into a hug and whispering into her hair.

"About fucking time."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, tucking her chin on his shoulder and hugging him tight, "Please don't say 'I told you so', or we might have to kick your ass."

Rossi laughed as he stood back from the embrace, reaching up to gesture with his thumb over his shoulder, "We will need to talk more about this, but for now, I need to steal your men… we've got a match to win."

Emily nodded, smiling as Hotch leant over to kiss her cheek and taking the bag that he held out, "Good luck buddy," she said softly, reaching down to ruffle Jack's hair, before he and Aaron jogged over to join the rest of the team.

Emily looked over to the sidelines and wrinkled her brow, spotting some familiar faces. As she walked over to join the rest of the spectators, she reached over to pull Declan into a hug, looking up at her parents with a confused expression on her face.

"What are you guys doing here?" Emily asked, standing back and running her fingers through Declan's hair.

Elizabeth stepped forward to kiss Emily's cheek, stepping back with a shrug and a smile, "We come to as many of Jack's games as we can," she replied matter-of-factly, watching as Simon pulled his daughter into a hug.

Emily stood back and looked over her parents, dressed casually in jeans and sweaters, wondering if she'd ever seen her parents in such a state. She shook her head and huffed, looking down at Declan with a smile.

"How was your night?" Emily asked, "Did you get your project finished this morning?"

Declan nodded, "Yeah, Pop helped me with it," he replied, "It's in the car so don't let me forget to bring it home with me."

Emily nodded and wrapped her arm around Declan's shoulder, looking up at the field and spotting the team finishing their pre-game prep with a loud cheer. As the referee blew the whistle, Hotch and Rossi made their way over from the field, joining Emily and the others on the sidelines as the game started.

Hotch turned to Declan and smiled, "Good to see you again, Declan," he said brightly, placing a gentle pat on the boy's shoulder and looking up at Emily.

"You too… uh…" Declan cleared his throat as he looked up at Emily, unsure of how to address the man. He only really knew him as Agent Hotchner, but he couldn't call him that.

Emily smiled softly, realising what Declan was thinking about and leaning down to whisper in his ear, "You can call him whatever you want. Hotch… or Aaron… or 'hey you'."

Declan chuckled and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and watching the game carefully. He tapped Hotch on the arm nervously, waiting for him to look back at him, "Uh… Aaron… you could probably tell the midfielders not to bunch up so much… they need to mark their players."

Hotch smiled and nodded, "Thanks for the tip," he replied, holding up a hand and high fiving the young boy. When he looked back at Emily, she was smiling wide, clearly happy that Declan was warming up to him. Hotch stepped closer to the sideline and shouted out Declan's suggestion to the players on the field, watching as they followed the instructions.

Emily watched the game, feeling a sense of peace at being surrounded by her family and enjoying the simplicity of the moment. It felt so domestic, and that was something that Emily had missed in the past year. Just watching a six-year-old's soccer match on a cold Saturday morning, surrounded by most of the important people in her life. She still felt like she had to look over her shoulder, but hopefully that would go away with time. For now, she just wanted to enjoy these moments of peace.

Emily was so caught up in the moment that she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, but when her father spoke up, she roused from her thoughts.

"Look who's here!" Simon shouted brightly, walking over to where Lucy and Zac were making their approach and pulling them each into a hug.

As they made their way over to the rest of the group, Emily swallowed hard over the lump in her throat, unsure of what to do. This was the first time she'd seen Zac since her first day back in the States, and she kicked herself for not anticipating that he would be there at the game. Much to Emily's relief, Lucy seemed to understand the awkwardness of the situation, and she made her way over to Emily, pulling her into a hug. They hadn't seen each other in years, but they had kept in touch, and Lucy knew that Emily had stayed in contact with her parents. It had shocked her to hear about Emily's death, and even though she still didn't understand what had happened, she was so glad to know that Emily was actually alive.

"Oh my god, Emily," Lucy whispered, "It is so good to see you."

Emily wrapped her arms around Lucy's shoulders, smiling into her hair, "You too, Goose," she replied succinctly, stepping back and gripping the younger woman by the shoulders, "When Aaron told me, I… I was so happy."

Lucy smiled brightly, glancing back at Zac before she turned to Emily again, "It was a long time coming, but we're here now."

Emily huffed, looking over at Hotch and nodding, "I know what you mean," she replied, wrapping her arm around Lucy's shoulder as Zac approached them.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Zac said softly, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing at Declan before he looked back at his mom, "It's uh… it's good to see you."

Emily bit her lip and nodded, "You too, Zac," she replied, suddenly feeling like all eyes were on them. Emily waved Declan over and gestured to Zac, "Uh… Zac, this is Declan. Declan, this is my son, Zac."

Declan held out a hand and the two boys shook, Zac smiling brightly at the young man before him. Zac knew enough about his mom's situation to know who Declan was, and he was glad to meet him. This was the boy that Emily sacrificed herself for, and Zac appreciated being able to put a face to the name. He was a living, breathing reminder of how protective their mom could be, fighting and dying for this kid, like he always knew she'd do for him. Meeting Declan actually made it a little more difficult to be upset with their mom.

Zac gestured with his thumb over his shoulder, "Do you play, Declan?" he asked, glancing between the young man and his mom.

Declan nodded, "Yeah, I play soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball," he replied, "You?"

Zac shook his head and huffed, "Sports weren't really my thing," he explained, "Definitely more of a science and music kid."

"I don't know, Zac," Emily interjected, "You were pretty good at karate."

Zac huffed and nodded, smiling at his mom, "True… but I think genetics played more of a part in that one, as opposed to any commitment to training on my part."

Emily smiled and nodded, looking over at Lucy and tipping her head, "So what have you been up to Goose?" she asked, glancing up at Zac and biting her lip.

"Well… I guess recent changes include finishing my Masters and moving to Philly for work," she replied, "What about you? You're still with Aaron at the BAU?"

Emily nodded, "Yeah… uh, we've had a few cases now, so it's been good to get back into it," she replied, "What are you doing for work?"

"I'm a counsellor, for kids who are in foster care," Lucy explained, "We get referrals when kids are having issues in their foster homes, or when they're getting into trouble."

"She's basically a superhero," Zac teased, reaching down to squeeze Lucy's hand, "At least, she's my superhero."

Emily smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped when she heard her dad's voice.

"Here Zac," Simon said, casually holding out a note while he glanced back and forth at the game, "Why don't you help your mom grab a round of hot chocolate from the van?"

Zac rolled his eyes at his grandfather's less than subtle attempt to reunify him with his mother, but still followed her when she started to walk away. He ran to catch up with her and when they fell into step, Zac swallowed hard, wondering whether he should keep things light or take this opportunity to start them down the road to reconciliation. He really did want to fix things, but he didn't quite know where to start.

"How's Declan going?" Zac asked, figuring he'd start with something relatively easy.

Emily smiled gently and nodded, "He's doing well," she replied, "He sees a counsellor twice a week, and we've moved him and Tom into a new house in Reston. We wanted to keep things stable for him, so he still stays at school during the week, but otherwise he's with one of us."

"He seems like a good kid," Zac commented, stopping next to his mom when they reached the line for the coffee van, "It makes more sense to me now… meeting him."

Emily furrowed her brow, turning to Zac and crossing her arms across her chest, "What makes more sense?" she asked.

Zac shrugged, "Why you 'died'," he replied, holding up his fingers to gesture air-quotes, "You were trying to protect him, from his father… at least that's what Dad told me."

Emily swallowed and nodded, taking a moment to place their order and paying, before she stepped to the side, "What else has Aaron told you?" she asked.

Zac shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets and chewing on the zipper on his jacket, "That you didn't have a choice when it came to being sent away, and that you were still in a coma when we were all told that you were dead, and that you didn't get to choose who was told about you being alive."

"But you're still mad…"

"Mom, I love you, you have to know that," Zac replied, "But you could have picked up the phone to call me any time in that seven months. Hell, you could've told me about it all before you… well… that whole situation went on for longer than those couple of days, and you kept it all from me. You could have…" Zac let his voice trail off and he shook his head, "… that's why I'm upset."

"Zac, sweetheart," Emily started, reaching for Zac but pulling her hand back when she realised that she was asking too much of him. This was their first proper conversation in almost eight months, and Emily knew they had to take it slow. She closed her eyes and nodded gently, stepping back from Zac and smiling sadly, "When you're ready, I will answer every question you have for me… so long as you're prepared for answers you don't necessarily want to hear."

Zac nodded, looking down at his feet and turning to his mom with a sad smile, "Would it be ok if I gave you a hug?" he asked nervously, digging the toe of his sneaker into the dirt.

Emily nodded, feeling the tears start to well in her eyes, and when she felt Zac's arms wrap around her shoulders, she wasn't sure what to do with her hands. She anxiously waited for him to settle before she brought her arms around his waist, squeezing tight and sniffing back her tears. He still fit so perfectly in her arms, as he always had, and that made Emily nostalgic for the days before Paris. As much as she loved where she was now with Hotch, she couldn't help but dream of going back in time and doing things differently to keep Zac safe.

"I'm sorry about the crying," Emily joked, "It's been a big few days and I'm a little over-wrought."

Zac huffed and shook his head, "It's ok, Mom," he replied, "I've been there for every other upset, so I'm pretty used to you being a hot mess."

Emily chuckled, squeezing Zac's sides and only stepping back when the barista called her name. She took the first of two trays of coffee, Zac taking the second. As they started back towards the field, Emily looked over at Zac and smiled gently.

"You let me know when you're ready," she said softly, watching Zac carefully and feeling her breath return when he nodded, "And when you want to talk, I want to hear all about you and Goose."

Zac snorted, "Oh you should definitely ask Dad about some of that," he replied, "He has a funny story or two… funny for him, not so funny for me or Goose…" he paused and tapped his mom's arm with his elbow, "And just so we're clear, I do love you Mom, and I'm really glad you're alive."

Emily opened her mouth to respond, but she realised they were a little too close to the others, so she sniffed and nodded, watching as Zac made his way over to Declan, holding out a hot chocolate and ruffling his hand through his hair. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her two sons interacting, and it skipped a little more when she caught Hotch's eye and he winked at her.

Emily handed a hot chocolate each to her parents, then made her way over to where Hotch was standing on the sidelines, holding out a cup for him. He reached over to squeeze her shoulder as he took a sip of his drink, trying his best to respect the agreement they'd come to in the car, not to be too demonstrative in public, especially since it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they'd shifted their relationship. It would all come with time, and at least they were on their way. Hotch could at least be grateful for the opportunity to have Emily by his side.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hotch asked softly, keeping his eyes on the field while taking momentary glances in Emily's direction. He had seen her and Zac walking to get the hot chocolates, and he'd seen them hug, but they still seemed to be a little awkward with each other.

Emily shook her head, cheering as Jack kicked the ball to Fred, who kicked the ball straight past the keeper, scoring a goal. When she stopped cheering, Emily looked up at Hotch and bit her lip, "Later," she replied succinctly, turning back to watch the game.

Hotch nodded, turning back to the game just in time to watch Jack score a goal, seconds later the referee blowing the whistle to signify the end of the game. As the teams shook hands, Hotch and Emily followed Rossi back to the rest of their family, standing further back from the sidelines.

"Poppy!" Jack shouted as he ran off the field, "Did you see me? I scored a goal!"

"I sure did, Jack!" Simon replied, laughing as Jack launched himself into his arms, "You don't think I'd miss a moment like that, do you?"

Emily wrinkled her brow and leant into Hotch's side, his hand coming up to rest on her hip, "Poppy?" she asked, looking up at Hotch.

Hotch huffed and shrugged, "He heard Zac calling your parents Grams and Pop one day, and he's been calling them that ever since," he explained, watching Emily carefully for any signs that she was uncomfortable with this change. Much to his relief, the smile that grew on her face told him that she was more than ok with it.

Hotch reluctantly released his hold on Emily and tipped his head towards the field, "Come on Jack," he said brightly, "We've gotta get the rest of the team ready for the finals."

Jack wriggled out of Simon's arms and dropped to the ground, chasing after his dad and Rossi as they tried their best to boost the team's energy. There was one last game to play, and then the season would be over. Hotch would have his Saturday mornings back, and as that thought passed his mind he pictured those mornings being spent in bed, reading the paper and drinking coffee with Emily by his side.

Emily made her way over to her dad and draped her arm over his shoulder, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"What was that for?" Simon asked, looking over at his daughter with a soft smile.

Emily shrugged, "For making them a part of the family," she replied, "And for working hard to give me that family back."

"Well, kiddo… what you've seen is just the beginning," Simon started, huffing at Emily's confused expression, "Has Aaron told you about the changes we made at Martha's Vineyard?"

"And then, we went on this slide that was like… as high as my school, and we went whoosh, down the slide," Jack said, excitedly describing the slide that he and Zac had ridden at the circus months earlier. It was an event that had clearly left an impression on the little boy, given that he'd already told everyone in their extended family about it in the months that had passed since they were there.

Emily chuckled and looked in the rear-view mirror, watching as Declan expertly asked Jack follow-up questions about the rides they went on and the circus show. She turned to look at Hotch, reaching over to link their hands together, Hotch bringing them to rest on his thigh.

"I was thinking, we could take the boys down to the park after lunch," Hotch said, glancing at Emily with a smile, "We could have a talk about what to tell the team… now that Rossi knows, I don't want it to become gossip, so…" he shook his head and huffed, "I'm getting ahead of myself."

Emily shook her head, squeezing Hotch's hand, "Go ahead… say what you were going to say," she urged.

Hotch shrugged, hitting the indicator as he turned onto the side street, then taking another right onto the alley that ran behind their houses, "I just thought we could maybe invite the team around for pizza one night soon, and tell them here… away from the office…" he paused and furrowed his brow, looking over at Emily while he waited for the garage door to open, "… unless you had other thoughts?"

Emily pursed her lips and shook her head, "I hadn't really thought about what to tell the team," she replied, squeezing Hotch's hand and smiling, "I didn't even know that Rossi would be there today, so I wasn't exactly prepared."

Hotch huffed and nodded, "Good point," he replied, steering the car into the garage and putting it into park, "Well… what if I invite them around on Monday night?" he asked.

Emily nodded, "Provided we don't get a case," she replied, squeezing Hotch's hand before she let go and opened the car door. As she climbed out of the front passenger seat, Emily opened the back door for Jack to climb out, after Declan had unbuckled him from his car seat. Hotch grabbed the bag from the trunk and gestured for Emily and Declan to follow Jack out of the garage. Once they were in the backyard, Emily wrinkled her brow, looking up at the large townhouse that Hotch and Jack now called home.

It was a step above their previous apartment, for sure, and Emily was a little overwhelmed. The size of the house made Emily wonder if Hotch had been thinking about more than just the increasing property value of buying a place like this in DC. From what her dad had described, the house was pretty sizeable and would allow for their family to live quite comfortably, if that was what they both wanted. Emily shook her head, realising that she was getting ahead of herself, so she looked back at Hotch as he closed the garage door behind him, and he reached over to take her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Daddy," Jack started, "Can Declan and I play before lunch?" he asked, pointing at Declan who was juggling the soccer ball he'd found in the corner of the backyard.

Hotch nodded, smiling at the sight of the boys playing together, "Sure buddy," he replied, "Ten minutes, and then inside to eat." He kept hold of Emily's hand as they made their way upstairs, and when he unlocked the back door, he gestured for Emily to go in first.

"Aaron," Emily said softly, "This place is incredible."

Hotch huffed and nodded, dropping the bag by the staircase before he turned back to Emily, "I know… I still can't believe we live here, but it was the right price and it meant that Jack could stay at the same school…" he paused and turned back to Emily, his brow furrowing at the sadness in her eyes, "… Em, are you ok?"

Emily shook her head quickly, biting her lip and letting out a puff of air from between her lips. She stayed silent, relieved when Hotch simply closed the distance between them, pulling her into a hug and wrapping her up in his arms. He didn't push her to talk, instead just holding her while she tried to ground herself. When she felt like she could speak again, Emily leant back, bringing her hands up to sit on Hotch's shoulders, leaning up and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Hotch followed Emily's lead, wanting to deepen the kiss, but stopping when she pulled back. She was right to do so, given that their sons were downstairs in the backyard, but Hotch couldn't help but wish it was bedtime so they could be alone.

Emily rested her head on Hotch's chest and sighed, grateful that he seemed to understand the current limits to their physical affection. She loved kissing him, but she didn't want Jack or Declan walking in on anything that would require a follow-up conversation. She figured it would all come with time, but for now, she wanted to save any embarrassments… for everyone.

"How about a tour?" Hotch said softly, kissing the top of Emily's head, "I've been waiting to show you the bathtub."

Emily chuckled and nodded, stepping back and holding out her hand, Hotch taking the lead. He showed her the main floor first, including the large kitchen and dining room, before taking her upstairs. He pointed out Jack's room, then Zac's, and then pointed down the hall.

"There's another room on this floor," Hotch explained, "And I've been thinking about doing some work in the attic to make a kind of hangout space…" he paused and shrugged, hoping not to terrify Emily with the amount of thought he'd put into the prospect of making room in the house for her and Declan. He didn't think they were at that point just yet, but he wanted to flag his intentions for the future. He would love for Emily and Declan to join them in this home one day, and to maybe even add another name to the family if they could. For now though, they could just focus on what they had and enjoy the steps they were taking together.

"Wait…" Emily furrowed her brow, "… is this where your room is?" she asked, pointing to the room at the end of the hall.

Hotch smiled softly and shook his head, "Come with me," he explained, taking Emily by the hand and walking back down the stairs, "I'll show you why I loved this house."

Emily's confused expression only grew as she followed Hotch back down to the main level of the house, then down another flight of stairs, bringing them into a long hallway. Hotch led her to the left, past the laundry, and he opened a door, bringing them into his home office.

"This whole floor," Hotch gestured, "Is one big master suite… the office, then," he continued, taking her hand and leading her through the door into the master closet, and stopping in the large bathroom.

Emily's eyes grew wide when she saw the bathtub, "Oh… my… god," she exclaimed, "This is like a dream, Aaron!" She made her way over to the tub, running her hand over the ceramic and biting her lip. It was a decent depth, one where you could cover everything in water and still have room to move. Even though Emily was nowhere near being ready to move in with Hotch, she wondered if she could even just ask to borrow his bathtub.

"Come on… we're not done yet," Hotch said with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around Emily's waist and kissing her neck, before he took her by the hand and led her out of the bathroom, through the rest of the walk-in-closet, and out into the master bedroom.

"Aaron," Emily said softly, shaking her head as she looked through the bedroom, out across the patio, and into the backyard where the boys were playing, "This place is amazing…" she paused and shook her head as he walked over to open the double French doors that opened onto the backyard. She moved over to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and tucking her head on shoulder, watching the boys play. When Hotch squeezed her hands at his waist, Emily kissed the shoulder of his shirt, resting her head against him, "I'm so proud of you."

Hotch huffed and turned, pulling Emily into a tight hug as he whispered against her hair, "I know you want to take things slow," he said softly, "So you just let me know when you're ready… there's room here for all of us, if that's what you want."

Emily gripped the back of Hotch's shirt in her hands as she held him tight. He hadn't just bought a house for him and Jack… he had thought about all of them, whether he knew it at the time or not. She knew she wasn't ready yet… they'd only just started to figure all of this out, but this house was a pretty clear indication of what their future could look like. Soccer games in the backyard, picnics in the front, kids running around and exhausted but happy parents enjoying a soak in the tub. Emily could imagine Christmases with Zac and Goose coming to visit, walking Jack to school, and Declan home with them on weekends.

Hotch misinterpreted Emily's silence as fear that he was going too fast, and when he stepped back, he looked down at Emily with a worried look on his face.

"I haven't miscalculated, have I?" Hotch asked, brushing Emily's hair behind her ear as he studied her face, "I didn't mean to put undue pressure on us, but I wanted to be clear what the endgame is for me…"

Emily shook her head, leaning up to quickly kiss Hotch before she stood back and rested a hand on his chest, "Not at all," she replied softly, "I was just thinking…" she paused and shook her head, swallowing hard over the lump in her throat, "… this is everything I wanted, for the boys, for you… for me."

Hotch's face softened, and he leant forward to kiss Emily's forehead. He held her for a moment, relishing in the fact that he was allowed to do this now. He felt like they'd been trying to figure this out for so long, and now they had the rest of their lives ahead of them.

Emily's stomach grumbled, breaking the silence, and she chuckled, looking up at Hotch with a blush growing on her face.

"I really know how to ruin a moment, don't I?" she joked, gesturing with her thumb over her shoulder, "We should probably get lunch ready and feed these growing boys."

Hotch nodded, taking Emily by the hand, and leading her back out into the hallway and up the stairs.

Hotch smiled as Fergus ran over to his wife and daughter, wrapping them up in his big arms and laughing with them as the triplets ran across the grass.

"Now that's what I call a wee naked babby!"

Hotch chuckled softly, running his hand over Emily's arm as the final track of the movie played, the three clans sailing off into the sunset and Merida and her mother riding their horses across the cliffs. He picked up the remote from the spot next to him on the couch, and let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting in the room. As he looked around at his companions, he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face.

Declan and Jack were both sound asleep, curled up on one end of the couch, the older boy holding onto Jack to stop him from falling to the floor. The boys had spent the afternoon kicking the soccer ball around, and then after lunch, they'd gone to the park where they had… pretty much done the exact same thing. It had been a very active day for both of them, so when Hotch had proposed a movie after dinner, he had assumed that at least one of them would fall asleep.

Hotch let out a sigh, looking down at Emily, who was also in a deep sleep, her head resting on his chest and an arm draped across his stomach. He pressed his lips to her hair, inhaling the scent of coconut, and glad that they'd decided to have dinner at Emily's place. He couldn't imagine having to get everyone back in the car to drop her and Declan home. As it was, Hotch was tempted to suggest that they just stay there for the night, but he didn't want to rush.

He felt Emily stir at his side, leveraging herself on his chest as she pushed herself up, "Oh my god," she whispered, looking over at the boys and smiling brightly, "That might just be the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Hotch chuckled and nodded, "Hmmm…" he replied, looking at the boys, then turning to face Emily, "I hate to break up the party, but it's late and we should be getting home."

Emily was tempted to just tell Hotch to stay and let Jack sleep in Zac's room, but she didn't want to be too presumptuous. They'd barely made this change twenty-four hours ago, and even though it was years in the making, she'd been the one to suggest they take things slow. And that meant no sleepovers… yet.

Emily nodded, leaning down to kiss Hotch gently, knowing that making out wasn't an option with two of their sons sleeping on the same couch, but she'd be damned if she didn't get a decent kiss from him before he left.

"You know," Hotch mumbled softly against her lips, "We could find somewhere private to do this."

Emily chuckled against his lips, breaking contact and dropping her head on his shoulder as she pat his chest, "I'm sorry," she replied, feeling a warmth travel up her neck and face.

Hotch shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry about," he whispered, reaching up to gently grip her chin and bring her lips up to meet his again, "I was just trying to be practical."

Emily stood from the couch, stepping lightly on the floor and holding her hand out to Hotch, "Come with me," she whispered, waiting for him to stand from the couch before she led him into the kitchen. As they rounded the corner, Emily turned and tipped her head, "Is that better?"

Hotch nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him, capturing her lips in his and deepening the kiss they'd been enjoying before the move. As he slipped his tongue into her mouth, running it over hers, he heard Emily groan. It had been a long time since he'd kissed any woman, so he was grateful that he still knew how to do it. And their efforts last night proved fruitful, as Hotch repeated some of the steps he'd taken, leading to a shiver from Emily.

Since there was no chance that they'd be going any further tonight, Hotch decided to rein himself back in, moving his wandering hands back to Emily's waist and squeezing tight. He reluctantly removed his lips from hers and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks for coming to the game today," Hotch whispered, "I think Jack's really happy to have you back."

Emily chuckled and nodded, locking her arms at Hotch's waist, "It was a really good day, Aaron," she replied, leaning back to look him in the eyes, "And thank you for being so great with Declan."

Hotch shrugged nonchalantly, "I love you Em," he said softly, resting his lips on her forehead, "And I really do want to try and make this work, so that means making sure that all of our sons know they're welcome… and loved."

Emily sighed, feeling like Hotch was saying the exact words she'd imagined every time she had dreamed about this moment. She gripped the sides of his face and growled softly, "I can't believe how much I love you, Aaron," she said, lowering her voice, "And I want to make this work too… so let's just keep that in the front of our minds and take it one step at a time."

Hotch let out a sigh, resting his forehead on Emily's, "I don't want to say goodnight, but I really need to get Jack back home to his own bed," he said, "Maybe… is it too much to ask if you want to do something tomorrow?"

Emily chuckled and shook her head, "Not at all," she replied, "But Tom is coming back from Kuala Lumpur, so I have to drop Dec off at their place in the morning."

Hotch shrugged, "What if we pick you guys up tomorrow morning, and we can go and get breakfast, and then we can all drive out to the house together?" he asked, figuring they'd have to tell Tom about this change at some point, and they might as well do it tomorrow. Tom would be a vital part of the parenting team, and he had already been quite clear about his opinions on their relationship when he'd caught up with the guys at Rossi's house. Hotch wasn't anticipating any push-back from him, and his proposal would give him an idea if Emily was of the same opinion.

Emily grinned and nodded, "That would be perfect," she replied, staring at Hotch's lips and licking her own, and wishing she had the self-control to kiss him one last time. She knew if she did though, she probably wouldn't be able to stop herself this time and she'd be ripping Hotch's clothes off his back before he could blink. Even the thought made a blush creep up Emily's neck and she dropped her head down in an effort to hide it from Hotch.

"Are you having dirty thoughts, Agent Prentiss?" Hotch teased, offering Emily a crooked smile as he watched her face grow a darker shade of red. She'd tried to hide it, but there wasn't much she could do to completely block his view.

Emily swatted Hotch's chest and shook her head, "Stop," she begged, "It's not my fault you're so gorgeous."

Hotch snorted, shaking his head, "You're insane," he teased, kissing her quickly and trying to pull away. But Emily had other ideas.

"And I love this tooshie," Emily teased, playfully squeezing Hotch's butt cheeks, a mischievous smile growing on her face. She giggled when he poked her sides and stepped away from her, pointing a finger in her face.

"You're a dangerous woman, Emily Prentiss," Hotch said brightly, "Now I'm going to get my son out of here before you start up again."

Emily chuckled, following Hotch out into the living room and over to the couch. She ran her hand over Declan's head, stirring him from his sleep, and he released his hold on Jack.

"Time for bed, buddy," Emily whispered softly, "Say goodnight to Aaron."

"Goodnight Aaron," Declan mumbled quietly as he stood from the couch. In his half-asleep state, Declan reached for Hotch and gave him a quick hug, before he started off towards his room, "Goodnight Mom, I love you."

Emily smiled softly at Declan's sleepy goodnight, and she turned back to watch Hotch lifting a slumbering Jack from the sofa. She walked with them down the hall, stopping by the front door so that Emily could kiss Jack's temple. She gripped Hotch's face in her hands, placing one final kiss goodnight on his lips, and when she pulled away, she offered him a small smile.

"We'll see you in the morning," Emily said softly, "Love you."

"Love you too," Hotch replied, opening the door and making his way into the hall. He closed the door gently behind him and waited until he heard Emily turn the deadbolt, before he started them on their way home.

A/N: There's only one chapter left after this, and then the plan is to move into the next part of this universe. I haven't started writing that story yet, so once chapter 20 is up, it might be a wait before I start posting the chapters over there. I do have ideas for what to write, but nowhere near as organised as I've been for these first two parts of the story.