Chapter 8

The team debriefed on the jet and came up with a plan for Hotch and Emily to go to the first crime scene, Rossi and Morgan would go to the second and JJ and Reid would go to the station to introduce themselves and look over the evidence they had collected earlier. Emily's Phone rang and she got up and excused herself to answer it.

"Probably her new boyfriend she doesn't want us to know about." Morgan stated obviously.

Hotch's ears fixated and his eyes left the file he was reading to look at his team gossiping over Emily. Rossi's head lifted up and Reid's interest was piqued.

"Yeah thanks Briana I'll be back in a few days." Emily said as she started to walk back towards the team.

"Girlfriend?" Reid theorized.

"Could be." JJ said knowingly.

Everyone stopped and stared at JJ's statement with gaped mouths. Hotch laughed knowing her cat sitters name.

"Sorry guys my cat sitter had a question." Emily announced as she came back with a water and bag of M&Ms.

Everyone looked to Hotch wondering how he knew that. He had to know if he laughed when they thought Briana was her girlfriend. JJ knew her cat sitters name but wanted to mess with the nosy men on the team, she was surprised when Hotch's response was a laugh, and it was like he knew what she knew. For the remainder of the flight Emily caught Hotch staring at her. The first few times she caught him he looked away and pretended not to be staring, but the last few times he would give her a half smile, he knew she caught him but that wouldn't be the last time.

The team touched down in El Paso and were welcomed with a dry heat. They were met with a few local deputies who were going to lead the way to the crime scenes and police station. As they introduced everyone on the team to the locals and decided who would be following who JJ and Emily were already fanning themselves. The heat was brutal this time of year in Texas and there wasn't even a breeze. Emily's nostrils seemed like they were on fire from all of the hot air, her V-neck started to cling to her stomach showing the tiny round bump. They agreed not to deny anything and not to lie so she wasn't going to start hiding now. Her breasts however are what kept stealing Hotch's attention they must've doubled in size in the last week. He saw a couple of the deputies staring at her so he stepped in front of her to end their gawking. Emily noticed the stares after Hotch stepped in front of her, she looked to JJ whose face screamed perverts, JJ rolled her eyes and started towards the SUVs. Hotch and Emily walked to their SUV and got in. Morgan noticed Emily clothes were sitting weird on her now, but couldn't exactly piece together why his mind was focused on the two deputies who were making her uncomfortable. They all loaded into their SUVs and started to their destinations.

"God I didn't even realize they were this big now!" Emily stated as they started to drive off towards the crime scene Hotch just sent her a smile. "Wait is that why you kept staring on the jet?"

"Well it wasn't as obvious on the jet, but when you stepped off the jet and broke into a sweat I'd say we all noticed." Hotch smiled at her. "I noticed baby too."

Emily didn't know how much longer the team would be oblivious to baby all of her shirts were fitted perfectly to her body which meant all of them would look weird soon.

"I was thinking of telling the team about baby soon, I'm a few weeks away from being out of the first trimester, but it seems baby likes to grow fast. Wait, how tall are you? I better not be giving birth to a linebacker." Emily rambled.

"Yeah you are showing a little early maybe baby just wants the world to know about them." Hotch suggested.

They pulled down the first victims street and pulled up to the house. Before they got out Hotch handed her vapor rub. She looked at him confused until she realized he was telling her to put it under her nose.

"Ugh I'm going to smell like a rookie!" She exclaimed.

"At least you won't throw up and contaminate the crime scene like a rookie." Hotch suggested.

Emily was hesitant but eventually decided to put some under her nose.

"Fine but only because I haven't thrown up yet today and don't want to start now." She huffed.

They walked through the house and seen the parents murdered in the bedroom and the children's room was virtually untouched.

"So the unsub would've murdered the father first he is the biggest threat in the household. Which that would've woken the wife so she was second. He left the children unharmed they must still be innocent of whatever he believes the parents are guilty of. Look around do you see the price tag on this bedroom? The gold overlay on the windowsill? The big canopy bed? Were the other families from the same tax bracket? That could be it he could be punishing them for their status." Emily thought aloud.

"Your mind really amazes me." Hotch said. "Let's get the team together and look at the other crime scene photos I think you may be right."

When they were back in the car Emily quickly rubbed the vapor rub off of her nose, but she still felt like everyone on the team would smell it on her still.

They made their way to the station Emily had just got done with her second bottle of water and immediately went for the bathroom. JJ seen where she went and decided to check on her.

"Emily?" She called out.

"In here JJ give me a minute." Emily responded. Emily finished up and walked out to see JJ looking at her funny.

"Do you have something you want to tell me?" She asked.

"I….um, what do you mean." Emily asked.

"Your boobs are huge and before you lie remember we've went shopping together plenty of times, I know your usually a 38 D and right about now I'd say you were a DD. You've spent the last three weeks vomiting or green. And now you're shirts suddenly don't fit your stomach or boobs? Have you forgotten I have Henry and I know all the signs?" JJ knew.

"So you know?" Emily asked remembering Aaron suggested they don't hide things and just let everyone deduce what was happening.

"That you're pregnant? Yes!" JJ responded. "Were you not going to tell anyone? Damn is this not happy news? I'm sorry Emily!"

"Calm down JJ it is happy news! I'm just not really ready to tell the whole team yet." Emily stated.

"Does Hotch know? Is he still letting you in the field or is he coddling you like he did me?" JJ asked.

"Hotch knows and I think that's why he keeps pairing up with me, to keep us safe." Emily said with a smile.

"Okay we should get back before everyone notices were taking forever in here. Congratulations Emily! You're having a mini Prentiss! Penelope is going to freak when she finds out!" JJ said as she walked towards the door. Emily pulled out her phone and started to text Aaron.

JJ knows about baby.

Does she know about us too?

No she just noticed a lot of similarities between me and her pregnancy. She asked if you knew and I didn't lie so she knows you know too.

Emily walked out of the bathroom after the last text and caught Aaron's eye. They were both relieved to have someone else know about baby. Emily walked in and went over the other crime scene photos with the team and shared her thoughts with the rest of the team. After reviewing the other photos and hearing Emily's thoughts they were able to determine a profile. The team worked all night trying to find ways to shorten their list of suspects in the murders, eventually Hotch called it for the night and sent the team to the hotel across the street when he saw Emily starting to fall asleep while reading. They started to load up their take out containers and gather their things.

"Rossi, JJ one of you have to bunk with me I can't bunk with Reid again so soon he talks too much in his sleep. It's creeping me out." Morgan stated.

"I do not!" Reid protested.

"You do!" responded everyone on the team.

"Okay, okay! No arguing. Rossi you're with me, JJ if you're okay with it you can go with Morgan. Prentiss if you can take his sleep talking you can bunk together otherwise you'll be on your own." Hotch directed.

"Yeah no offense Reid but I have enough troubles sleeping, you're on your on pal." Emily said with a smile.

Everyone went their separate ways and started to wind down for the night. Hotch and Rossi both had a turn taking showers and were now sitting on their beds. Hotch checked his phone for the fifth time before Rossi said anything.

"Just go see her already!"

"Excuse me?" Hotch asked.

"Emily. I'm not one of the newbie profilers. I've seen you checking her out on the jet and how else would you know her cat sitter's name was Briana? I'm the reason the frat rules were instated and I'm not a gossiper, so just go to her already." Rossi knew they were together and if they weren't hiding things then he wasn't going to deny it.

"You definitely aren't a newbie." Hotch said as he walked to her room.

After a light knock on her door she opened it looking sleepy in just her robe.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Hotch said as he looked down.

"Come in." Emily smiled as she embraced him.