After a quiet yet tense ride to the airport alone in the SUV with Hotch, Emily sat down and looked out the window. While their cases were never easy, this one had been particularly challenging given the number of child victims. Children killed by the UNSUBs. A teen who survived when the rest of her family was killed. Vulnerable children victimized by the very people who were entrusted to care for them.

Once again, they had been in a situation with a terrified child with a gun who had only gotten to that point because all the adults around him had failed him. But at least this time the circumstances were different.

This time Morgan was with her and he was ultimately able to talk the boy into handing over the gun. However in order to achieve that Morgan had holstered is gun which meant she was protecting not only herself but her teammate by holding a gun of that child while neither of them were wearing their vests and the rest of the team wasn't just outside the door.

And why did this child have a gun and why was he considering using it? Because they had been directed to return him and another child to what they learned during the case was an abusive foster home. The same abusive foster home where both the UNSUBs had lived before aging out of the system. The same foster home the UNSUBs had been waffling about targeting next before one of them was arrested. Then when the other was surrounded by police he had covertly passed a gun to this child to finish their dirty work. And Morgan's empathy was what this child desperately needed as it is what ultimately lead the child to handing over the gun to them.

As she settled into a seat on the jet as they waited for the others to arrive, Emily sighed as she thought back to Hotch's criticism about him needing her to be objective. Perhaps he was right in this situation that taking Carrie to DC wasn't the best option for her or Carrie. However that comment so soon after what her experience at the foster home had her again questioning herself.

It wasn't the first time she had heard feedback about her objectivity.

While with JTF-12 she and Clyde were teamed up supporting Jeremy who was undercover in Prague to complete part of the mission. They had a plan and Emily's part of that plan was to covertly approach a location from one side as Clyde entered from the other side.

As she was preparing to set off explosives to distract so they could move forward. However just before she did, a group of school children were suddenly where they weren't supposed to be. They would have been injured or killed if she acted at that time. She had called for a delay, planning on just long enough for the children to be out of range. However in the time of that delay her position was compromised in a way which had Clyde having to take out a sentry for them to complete their mission and get away.

Once they were back at the team HQ for the case, he had ripped her a new one about compromising the mission. He let her know in no uncertain terms that he didn't consider the lives of those kids to be of greater importance than their mission.

In the debrief after Doyle mission, he had referred to this incident as a reason why her actions should be questioned and why she shouldn't be trusted in the field. While insulting, that wouldn't have been so suspicious if it hadn't been him who had appealed to Bruno for help in pushing her to agree to go undercover on the Doyle mission in the first place. Or that he was one of the few people who knew the location of the safehouse that was ambushed. These factors were just highlights of why she didn't trust him and was fearful of him finding out about Declan.

####

As the others started to arrive at the jet, Emily's thoughts turned fully to Declan. After their conversation at the police station, Emily could feel worried bubble up inside of her. It was particularly stinging to hear Hotch's immediate and complete dismissal of getting involved with a child victim in the name of being objective.

What would he say about the risk she took in hiding Declan?

What would he say about her continued involvement with Declan?

She had accepted that staying involved with Declan was a risk. While they had put layers of separation in the arrangement it didn't eliminate that risk. But she hadn't been willing to leave an innocent four year old unprotected.

With Doyle arrested Declan had lost the protection he had had since birth which had him in great danger. Doyle's decision to hide his true identity was most likely the reason he was still OK by the time the agent she and Sean had entrusted to make contact had reached Louise offering them protection. Protection that she had quickly accepted.

However as time went on the reports coming back worried her. While Louise had accepted the help, more recently her behavior had been described as 'off' and 'secretive'. Emily wouldn't be quite as worried if this feedback wasn't coinciding with members of her old team pushing her for information on Doyle.

They were now investigating if Louise was trying to conceal being in contact with someone. It had never escaped their minds that Louise was a wild card in the arrangement.

Doyle had entrusted her for the day-to-day care of his beloved son. The son he had envisioned following him as a warrior. In order to have earned such a position, Louise must have proven her loyalty not only to Doyle but to Valhalla. Although it had been confirmed that Doyle was still being held in custody and interrogated, he had followers. Followers that could perhaps cause just as much trouble.

It was the reason Emily hadn't been directly involved with them. It was why those who were directly involved with Louise and Declan didn't know the names Emily Prentiss or Sean MacAllister. If that information was to get into the wrong hands, it could endanger not only Sean and his family but also Emily and anyone close to her.

Depending on how they decided to proceed, she may need to reveal that Lauren Reynolds wasn't dead however had no plans to share her real identity with them. But before considering that they needed to solidify a plan.

While she didn't regret making the effort to protect Declan she was living the complications and risks of such a decision.

####

JJ quietly shook her head as she walked onto the jet with Morgan and Reid and saw Hotch and Emily already there. They were sitting in different areas, both seemingly in their own worlds.

Unlike Reid and Morgan, JJ had unintentionally heard the exchange between the two at the police station about Carrie.

While JJ could understand the point Hotch was trying to make taking home victims they meet on cases, she was surprised at the harshness of his tone and words.

As a profiler, Hotch could easily read the person he was talking to as well as the situation. It hadn't been the first time she had seen him use that approach with someone. However it wasn't how he generally interacted with members of the team nor when anyone was talking about a sensitive issue such as what Emily had brought up.

As she looked over at her friend staring out the window, JJ decided to go and talk to her. To share the news that had brought her to where she was when she overheard that conversation.

That family had come forward and Carrie did have a place to go. Hopefully that would reassure Emily that the young girl would be OK.

####

Hotch could feel his restlessness increase as he took out his phone. Over the last couple of weeks conversations with Haley had become increasingly difficult. This one had been no exception.

He had called to talk to Jack before he went to bed since they would be arriving later than what would allow him to take Jack to dinner. With this only the second time the team had travelled since Haley left with Jack, it was only the second time he had missed his agreed time with Jack.

It was at the police station after the case was over that he realized with time changes and flight time that he would miss seeing his son today. He had called Haley to let her know and had to leave a message.

It was just after that when he walked into the workroom to help pack up so they could leave that Emily mentioned taking home the survivor from the case.

He sighed. While he maintained that his opinion was right, he knew immediately that he had handled it poorly not only from her reaction during the conversation but also how strained their interactions were after that until they went to different areas of the jet when they arrived. All of the progress that they had made in their relationship in the weeks since Milwaukee suddenly seemed to have disappeared.

He needed to talk to her but the jet was not the right place to have the conversation they needed to have. Additionally, he wanted to call and try to talk to Jack before they took off. No he would catch her when they got back to the BAU and clear the air between them.

####

Emily sat quietly thinking about what JJ said after she stood and walked back to the seat she had picked for the ride home. As she did she was reassured with the news JJ had shared about Carrie's family becoming involved.

It was a relief that Carrie was going to have someone with her as she tried to move forward from the death of her parents and brother. She was satisfied by JJ's assessment that they were good people. But even so, she couldn't get Carrie's question about happy families out of her head.

Emily had only vague memories when her family was happy. Before her brother died. After that, her mother withdrew and before long took her own diplomatic position away which took her away from Emily and her father. Her father had been burying himself in work leaving Emily to spend most of the time with her nanny.

After her father died and Emily went to live with her mother, her life was a series of diplomatic posts throughout Europe until she started boarding school in DC for the last couple of years of high school. The only constants through those years were her nanny and her grandfather.

As she got older, it was ingrained in her that personal happiness wasn't what was most important. Just recently she had learned the devastating truth of how her mother and stepfather had ruined the happiness that she had been finding years earlier because they felt more would be gained by her following a different path and marrying who they wanted instead.

And she was still processing what she had learned as well as her recent talk with Hotch about it as she considered Carrie's question again. Were there happy families? Maybe but she knew hers would never be again.

####

Shortly before they landed, Emily thought back to the conversation she had overheard part of earlier of Hotch quietly talking to Haley about Jack.

His son.

Months earlier when they were at the Super Bowl party she had been somewhat taken aback when Haley had kept hidden that she was showing Emily pictures of Jack. Comments later led her to believe that most of the team had met Jack.

At that point she just thought it had to do with their past that he didn't want her near his son. But they had cleared the air between them. He knew what really happened then. She thought things would improve between them. While it had in some areas, this apparently wasn't one of them.

The more she thought about it the angrier she became but she also couldn't help but be hurt by the tone of his disbelief about her taking care of a child. When they had been together they had started to plan for the future. Marriage and children had been a part of that future. So why now was the idea of her now caring for a child so unfathomable to him?

She had spent years of her career with the FBI advocating for children. What did he find out about her that made the concept of her with children so unthinkable?

He didn't know about her time with JTF-12 or at least she didn't think he did. Not that it would disqualify her. What JJ said to her had helped particularly given their rocky start. But it seemed like deep down she still wanted Aaron's approval.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Hotch sat down across from her in the seat JJ had sat in earlier.

Looking over at him, she didn't say anything not wanting to reveal her anger now. She nodded when he asked her to stop by his office before she left for the night. After gaining her acknowledgement, he went back to his seat.

####

After the jet landed, the team made their way to the BAU to complete their reports for the case. Just as Hotch was starting to climb the stairs to go to his office, a man walked into the bullpen and over to him, stopping in front of him. As he looked at Hotch, he said, "Aaron Hotchner?"

Hotch nodded as he answered, "Yes."

The man held out a manila envelope as he replied, "you've been served." before quickly walking away and out of the bullpen.

The team quietly observed as Hotch stood there looking down at the envelope before walking back out of the bullpen. After looking at each other, they sat down at their desks as they considered what just happened.

AN: The next chapter will pick up later that night when Emily and Hotch talk. Hotch will find something unexpected afterwards. I'm still working on it and will post as soon as it's done.