Aaron stares at her silently and he holds her eyes as the smile slowly spreads across his face. "You're pregnant?" he asks.
"I'm pregnant," she repeats.
"How do you feel about it?" he asks, mostly because she hasn't shown her emotion yet.
She looks at him and says, "Scared. You?"
He smiles at as he walks to her and kneels on the ground in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. In a quiet whisper, he says honestly, "I'm excited, Emily, and so damn thankful."
"Yeah?" she asks, a smile beginning to play along her lips.
"Yes," he says. "Having a child with you… Emily, I'm so happy."
She is smiling then and leans down to hug Aaron tight. "I've been thinking that I could be pregnant. I've been so scared what you would think. It isn't too early in our relationship? Are you not scared that our lives, our job, our past could put them in danger?"
Aaron sighs as he pulls back from the hug. "Sure, I'm scared. But we will protect our child with our lives like we do for each other and for Jack," he says. "But those fears, we can't allow them to stop us from living our lives. We can't let the jobs we've done prevent us from being happy. Having a child with you will make me so happy, Emily."
"Me too," she says truthfully as a couple tears slip from her eyes.
He kisses each tear from her cheek before saying, "As for the it being early in our relationship, I don't really care. I have no doubt that we will be amazing parents. You are already such a wonderful mother figure for Jack. And I am in love with you, Emily. I have never felt this before. I know that, if you'll have me, I will spend the rest of my life showing you how in love I am with you. So, no, it isn't too early in our relationship."
"Because we are going to be in this relationship forever," she says.
"Yes," he tells her. He is sure of it too. Positive. This woman is outstanding. He loves her so much, and the thought of their family growing is amazing. Beautiful. Everything he has ever wanted. "And I know you're worried about Jack, but I promise you that he is going to be so excited to be a big brother. I'm sure of it."
She smiles, laughing at the thought of that sweet boy doting on a little brother or sister while wiping away stray tears. He would really be amazing. "We shouldn't tell him yet though," she says.
"I know," Aaron says.
"I'm just scared that maybe…maybe the past will cause this pregnancy to not be…viable," she says while pressing a hand to her where the scar stretches out. "I mean with what Ian Doyle did. I just don't want to risk getting his hopes up. I didn't want to risk getting your hopes up either, but I just couldn't not tell you."
"I'm glad you told me, Em. Whatever happens, we will experience it together. We will support each other through it together. I want to experience everything that lies in our future together. Pain and joy and everything in between," he says while smiling at her. He really means it. With her, he would tackle anything. He wants to raise another child with her, but if that's not in the cards, then it isn't. "Whatever happens, Emily, I love you. We can get a doctor's appointment scheduled soon, and we'll figure out what we can. From that, we can decide when to tell Jack. If that's okay with you?"
"Yes, it is," she says, leaning again into his hug. "Now, there is a little boy out there wondering where we are to watch that movie. I think we should go enjoy it with him."
Aaron runs his hand over her soft hair. "Are you sure you're up for that?" he asks her.
"To spend time with the people I love the most? Absolutely," she tells him.
Leaning fully into his side, they return to the living room, and Aaron takes the opportunity to say, "I really can't believe I didn't guess it. You having gone so many days without a glass of wine is such an obvious clue."
"I know. Where's that profiler charm?" she ask teasing.
"Must have fallen away when I fell in love with you," he says, returning the joke and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"I am amazing," she says.
"You are," he says.
Through the whole movie that night, Aaron stares at her unable to think of anything but her and the baby— their baby—that grows in her stomach. She has experienced extensive physical trauma though. Maybe, they shouldn't get their hopes up, but he can't stop himself. He has so many dreams for their future. Having another child with her is one that has been on the forefront of his mind for some time. He thought he would broach the subject with her in the future—after several other conversations, but fate decided otherwise. He is so happy now, and even more excited for tomorrow than he was before.
They put Jack to sleep after that movie by reading him several bedtime stories and wishing him a goodnight with a kiss to his forehead. Emily and Aaron walk back out into the living room and she asks, "You ready, Santa?"
"I am. How about you, Mrs. Clause?" he responds, and she smiles at him.
"Very much. Let's make this boy's Christmas," she says as they start bringing out previously wrapped gifts, including two with each of their names on it. One from them and one from Jack for Emily and Aaron.
When they are done, they retreat to their bedroom and climb, as always, into each other's arms. Aaron's hand though rest low on Emily's stomach, and she chuckles, "You know, I don't have a bump yet. Not anywhere close to that."
"I know, but still, our baby , Emily," he says dreamily as he looks at her.
She smiles bright even with her eyes closed now. "Our baby," she says with the same quality to her voice.
They fall asleep that night with their hands cradling Emily's stomach, and they wake to Jack jumping up and down on their bed while yelling excitedly, "Wake up! It's Christmas." Emily and Aaron saw each other first when their eyes open and they smile, simultaneously wishing each other a merry Christmas. Jack grabs both of their hands at the same and drags them out of the bed, and they follow his lead down the hallway excitedly. "Gifts!" he squeals as he sits on the ground and Emily and Aaron join him. Emily leans her body against Aaron still being very tired. "Can I open them?" he asks.
"Go ahead," Aaron says, and they watch happily as he opens gift after gift of things that he had asked for over their months in Paris as well as some replacement items that had surely gone to flames with the apartment was blown up. His biggest gift, a little camera, makes him so happy and Emily and Aaron are proud of themselves for getting him what he wanted.
Once Jack is done with his gifts, his attention turns to Aaron and Emily. He insists that Emily opens the gift from Jack first and she does, finding several necklaces and bracelets. Perhaps they were a little gaudy considering what Emily often wore as an agent, but now as a teacher, it will fit. Even if it didn't, she knows that she will be wearing them all the time because she loves them since they're from Jack. "Oh, Jack, these are so beautiful. I can't wait to wear them all the time. So beautiful," she says as she stretches over to give him a hug. Jack's look of pride really does make her Christmas. Aaron opens his gift from Jack next: a new watch with Love, Emily & Jack etched on the back and he sounds just as appreciative to both of them for the gift though Emily repeats that it was all Jack's idea.
"Now, open my gift, Aaron," Emily says, passing the little rectangle gift over to him. "Jack, come sit closer to your dad. It's for you too."
Aaron looks up at her with interest. He hadn't had any idea what she was going to get for him because each time she asked what he wanted he would say something along the lines of having all he wants by having her. He pulls the wrapping paper away, and then he peels off the tape, holding the white box together slowly as to not rip up the box. With the box open, he finds it: a stack of pictures. The first one visible is of Haley and Jack from not long before Haley's death. "Mommy," Jack says, and Aaron wraps his arm around his son.
He lifts the stack of pictures up, not yet looking through the other photos, to see the only picture in a frame. "How?" he asks as he looks at the picture of himself, Haley, and Jack when he was just a baby. The frame even looks the exact same as the one it had been in back in their apartment.
Emily squeezes his arm as she says, "When JJ came to see me when I first woke up, I asked her about all of your things. Specifically, your photos. She said that most of your things hadn't made it, but that she would look into getting your pictures. When there weren't any pictures in that duffle bag, I just assumed they weren't able to recover them. I got a package with all of these photos in my mailbox at work on the last day before Christmas break. I hope you—"
"Thank you, Emmy!" Jack says, nearly tackling her with his hug.
"You're welcome, kiddo. I love you," she says.
"Thank you, Em," Aaron says as he wraps her and Jack in a group hug. "We love you so much."
"I love you," Jack says too as he pulls back.
As they pull from the hug, Aaron goes through the rest of the photos in the stack. Emily hadn't looked at them before, viewing it as a invasion of their privacy, so she is surprised to find a variety within them. There's so many pictures of Jack, Aaron, and Haley over the years, including a couple pictures of Aaron and Haley when they were young. There's pictures of Jessica with them as well. There is a lot of pictures of the team, and there's pictures of Emily too. Multiple pictures of her when she was young and several pictures of her with her parents. As they go through each photo, Aaron, Emily, and Jack tell stories behind depending on who is featured. The last picture is decidedly Emily's favorite as soon as she sets her eyes on it. It is from one of the many nights where Rossi invited the team to his house for pasta and wine, except this time everyone's family had come. It was the first night that Emily ever really talked to Jack, and in this picture, she is holding his hand and standing next to Aaron. That night, Emily had agreed to help Jack with his social studies project.
Emily wipes the tear from her eye as she looks at all of the people in the picture. "I miss them," she says.
"I do too," Aaron says. "We will see them again." They have spoken about their friends plenty since they have arrived, but not too emotionally if they can help it. Mostly, they have joked about them and what they would think given their relationship. It's too painful to imagine how they will feel to have been fooled about their deaths or what they're going through with grief now. "Emily, this really is the best gift. Thank you," Aaron tells her.
"We should thank JJ when we get back," Emily says, and they agree that they will as well as planning to ask how she was able to get all of those photos.
"Your turn, Emily," Jack says, passing her gift from Aaron to her.
It is in a rather large gift sack, and she pulls the tissue paper out quickly before pulling out the gift and gasping. It's a photo album with the words Our Family written along the front cover. "Oh, it's wonderful," she tells them.
"We must share one mind," he says.
She smiles up at him as she flips through the empty pages of photo album. On the last page, she finds a little card. She opens it up and reads the words scrawled out in Aaron's handwriting. Would you join me and Jack for Christmas dinner on the Eiffel Tower?
"Really?" she asks.
"I know you probably have been there before—"
"I haven't," she said excitedly. "But what will I wear?"
"We took care of that!" Jack says, jumping up and running back towards the hallway.
Aaron has to lean back until he is almost laying to grab the boy by the arm. "I'll pull out the clothes for Emmy later. Now, Emily, would you mind helping me with making breakfast?" he asks as Jack begins to play with his toys.
Emily agrees and they walk over to the kitchen together. "Are you feeling up for this today, Em?" he asks while holding her at the waist.
"Very! I can't believe you got us a table. It must be packed. How did you pull it off?" she asks.
He shrugs, beginning to pull out what he needs to cook their standard breakfast. "I reserved in advance," he says simply.
"You are such an amazing man," she says, hugging his side.
He smiles at her, kissing her forehead. "And you are the most amazing woman. I love you so much." Whispering against her ear, he continues, "And I love our child. Now, go relax on the couch. I will have breakfast ready for us soon."
Even as she walks away, she says, "I'm still capable of doing this, Aaron."
"And yet, I'm capable of spoiling you," he says.
"And I won't argue against that for a moment," she says as she sits on the couch and is immediately joined by Sergio who climbs onto her lap. Jack soon joins her to play with one of his new games.
While sitting on the couch and later when eating breakfast, Emily finds herself looking out the window at the Eiffel Tower repetitively with hopes of what might occur in just a few hours. Meanwhile, Aaron watches Emily and Jack and his anxieties for the day ahead are much less and his hope for the future is much greater.