May 6th, 2013 - 20 weeks pregnant

"Is this the part where you psychoanalyze me, Agent Hotchner? The part where you dissect my childhood and tell me how my mom sleeping around with men who beat me turned me into the monster I am today? Is that what comes next, Agent Hotchner?"

The UnSub sneered at him. Clearly not phased by being caught but only pleased to finally be able to rub his crimes in the faces of the masses.

"Actually no. This is the part where you rot in prison for the rest of your life. I, on the other hand, have somewhere to be."

With that Hotch and Morgan got up and a local detective came into the interrogation room to cuff and book the UnSub.

"Wheels up in 20, Team."

They wasted no time in packing up their belongings and boarding the Jet. It was a short flight from Indianapolis back to Quantico. Hotch checked his watch. He could make it… maybe.

On the Jet now. Please wait for me.

Cutting it kind of close aren't ya, Hotchner? Meet me there. See you soon!

The jet landed and for once Hotch was the first to scramble off.

"Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. Thanks for the great work, all!" Hotch shouted to them as he got in the black SUV. He sped to the office and made it with only two minutes to spare. He saw her sitting in the waiting room reading a magazine with an extremely pregnant woman on the cover.

Hotch opened the door and Beth looked up and grinned at him. She stood up ready to embrace him. "You made it!"

Hotch happily accepted her hug and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, I'm late."

"You're not late, you're right on time."

Hotch sat in the chair next to her and kept a hold of her hand. It was a Monday but due to the severe escalation of a serial killer in Indy he had been forced into spending the weekend away from his family. "Learning anything interesting?" He nodded with his head toward the magazine.

"Only the horrors of an episiotomy. You don't let anyone go near my vagina with a pair of scissors, you hear me?"

Hotch gave her a horrified look. "Absolutely not." Haley had to be induced for high blood pressure with Jack and after 3 days and minimal progress she had opted for a C-Section. To be honest he knew very little about pregnancy and childbirth. He was trying to be more present and informed this time around.

"Elizabeth Clemmons?" the medical assistant motioned for Hotch and Beth to follow her. "Alright, Miss. Clemons, before we do anything else I'm just going to grab your weight. If you could take off your shoes?"

Beth removed her shoes and handed her purse to Hotch before saying "turn it around, Hotchner."

Hotch looked at her skeptically. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Aaron!" Beth gave him a pleading look.

Hotch faked a big sigh and turned around facing the opposite direction of the scale. It was only a moment before she stepped off again and the MA led them into a little exam room before taking her vitals.

"Everything looks right on track. The ultrasonographer will be here soon and then your midwife will see you to discuss the results."

Hotch and Beth thanked her and she exited the room. Beth was officially halfway through her pregnancy and she was so excited to be able to take a look at their growing baby with Hotch. She had gotten an ultrasound when she first found out she was pregnant but the experience had been clouded by shock. There was a knock at the door and a woman hauling a large ultrasound machine entered the room. It was fairly cramped in the small room and Hotch took a seat next to the exam table.

"Miss. Clemmons, my name is Hannah and I'll be performing your ultrasound today. If you wouldn't mind laying down on the exam table for me and lifting your shirt and unbuttoning your pants we will go ahead and get started."

Beth hopped up onto the exam table and did as she was told. "Please, call me Beth."

Hannah smiled at her "will do Beth, and who did you bring with you today?"

"This is my partner Aaron."

Hotch stood and extended a hand which Hannah shook.

"Alright well if you don't mind let's go ahead and get started. First I'm just going to put this small pillow under your hip so that we get the best blood flow to the baby."

Beth adjusted herself and pulled the shirt up exposing her belly.

"You're still so small! How'd you get so lucky?!"

Beth felt a bit defensive. "My midwife assured me I'm gaining an appropriate amount of weight."

"I'm sorry if that seemed insensitive. I'm just jealous is all. By my third pregnancy I swear you could tell I was pregnant before I even missed a period!"

Beth smiled at her accepting the apology and Hannah got started. The cold gel on her bare skin made her shiver and the baby kicked in response.

"Oof baby is getting strong in there."

Hotch kissed her hand and watched the screen intently. Hannah showed them the outline of their baby's skull and spine, took measurements of the long bones, and let them listen to the heartbeat. Strong at 155 beats per minute. She moved the wand a bit and then asked them…

"Do you want to know the sex of your baby?"

Beth turned to look at Hotch. He looked back at her.

"Ultimately it's up to you, my love."

"Gahhh, no we want to wait until they're born." Beth told her.

Hannah laughed. "You sound conflicted."

"Aaron really wants to announce it at the birth. I was on board until right now when you could tell us and all I want to do is say yes!"

"Beth, we can find out if that's truly what you want."

"No, I want that moment with you. I really really do. We can wait." Hotch smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss.

"Alright guys, well I have everything I need! I'll print out a report and your midwife will be in soon to go over everything with you guys." She handed Beth a washcloth to wipe the gel off of her abdomen.

After a bit the midwife came in and measured her belly and once again assured her everything was going exactly as it should be. Hotch glanced at his watch.

"We have over an hour before the bus will drop Jack off at the house. Want to grab a late lunch?"

"Mm yes, baby is craving Thai food."

Hotch smiled at her. "Just the baby, huh?"

Hotch and Beth drove their separate cars and met at Cool Basil, their favorite Thai place. They ordered more than enough curries and noodles and bread because Beth claimed the baby was "extra hungry".

"So I had a thought?" Hotch told her.

"Just the one?" Beth joked back at him.

Hotch gave her his crooked smile. "As you know the BAU gets asked to present cases all the time at different conferences, universities, etc. but we almost never do it. However, there was a certain request that caught my eye. It's a forensic psychology conference which is neither here nor there. But! The conference is in San Diego. I figured the team can go and present and then you and Jack could fly out and meet me. We could have a long weekend together just the three of us before the baby gets here. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds amazing! When is the conference?"

"Early June. We would present on Thursday the morning of June 6th. Then you and Jack could fly out Thursday night so that Jack only misses one day of school. We can all fly back together on Sunday."

"That's a great thought you had Agent Hotchner. I'm impressed." Beth giggled at him.

"Better watch that sarcasm before I revoke your invitation, Miss. Clemmons." Hotch joked back at her. "We should go. I don't want Jack to come home to an empty house."

The three of them were settling nicely into their new house. Morgan had come and helped them paint the future nursery, they'd gone shopping for furniture to fit their new living and bed rooms. The house was bright and sunny, plenty of windows with light colored walls. The kitchen was big with an island that Jack would sit at while he watched Hotch or Beth make dinner. Jack loved to practice soccer in the backyard while they watched over him from the patio. Overall it was the perfect house for them and slowly but surely it was starting to feel like home.

Beth and Hotch waited in the driveway for Jack's bus to arrive. They were excited to show him pictures of his baby sibling and to tell him about their vacation to California. The bus came to the end of the driveway and they watched as he waved goodbye to his friends before running up the driveway to give them both a hug.

"How was school today, Jack?" His dad asked him.

"It was good. We had art class and I made a turtle out of clay."

"That's awesome Jack!" Beth told him.

"Can I ask you guys a question?"

"Of course bud," said Hotch.

"Did you guys have to have sex to put the baby in Beth's belly?"

Hotch and Beth looked at each other with an equal amount of fear in each other's eyes. Hotch hadn't been ready for this question yet. He had always used proper anatomical terms with Jack when teaching him about the human body, he knew that was important. But sex? Jack was only 7 years old! He hadn't even thought about having THAT talk with him.

"Buddy, why don't you go put your stuff down in your room and I'll come talk to you in a couple minutes okay?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, Jack. Of course not. I'll bring you some chocolate milk when I come up."

Jack nodded and went upstairs towards his new bedroom. Beth had remained silent during their discussion but followed Hotch to the kitchen.

"Sex?! Seriously?! I am not having that conversation with him today!"

"Aaron, I know he's young but clearly he's already getting information from someone. Wouldn't you rather it be from you than some kid he goes to school with? I know it's going to be awkward and I don't envy you, but it's important that you two have an open line of communication."

"Why just me? You don't think you're a part of this?!"

"Aaron. Be real. You are his dad! This can't come from anybody but you! Now get going, you're probably making him sweat up there."

Hotch reluctantly headed upstairs with a glass of chocolate milk and Beth smiled to herself. She really really didn't envy him right now. She wondered if she could still sucker him into having those conversations if they had a daughter? Beth poured herself a glass of iced tea and sat on one of the zero gravity chairs they had bought for the patio. She was enjoying the warm spring breeze when finally after 20 minutes Hotch and Jack came outside. She noticed that Jack wasn't quick to make eye contact with her and headed straight to the soccer ball in the yard. Aaron sat down next to her.

"What did you tell him?! He won't even look at me!"

"Don't worry he doesn't want to look at me or any other sexually active adults either. He's just embarrassed."

"How did it go?"

"I guess as good as can be expected. I told him what sex was and how it works. I tried to keep it technical by talking about sperm and eggs but it was tricky to take all the awkwardness out of it. I also talked to him about his own body and the changes he's going to go through soon, that was by far the worst part for the both of us."

"Did he tell you who told him about sex in the first place?"

"Yeah, some 10 year old on his bus. He wanted to seem cool in front of all the younger kids I guess."

"Jerk," was all Beth could come up with to say.

"Yeah. I guess it's a good thing it came up though. It's definitely not the end of the conversation. I'm sure he'll have more questions as he gets older and we need to talk to him about consent and everything else. I want him to be a good kid who knows he can ask me anything, but I also don't want to make him grow up too fast."

"Unfortunately we can't shelter him forever. I'd much rather he get this information from you than from some 10 year old on the bus… or even worse; porn he finds on the internet."

"Oh my god," Hotch groaned. "Please don't talk about my baby finding porn on the internet."

Beth laughed. "You're right. That's enough for one day. We have something better to talk about." Beth stood up and shouted "Jack! Come here! We have some photos of the baby we want to show you!"

Jack slowly made his way to the patio, still reluctant to look his two favorite people in the eye, but Beth and Hotch were determined to not make him feel uncomfortable and happily showed him pictures of the newest member of their family.