"Aw, you didn't have to wait up for me, baby." Andrew said from the kitchen when he got home. I turned my head around, raising a finger to my lips to indicate for him to be quiet. He furrowed his brow in confusion, walking into the living room and rounding the couch to see Hank lying next to me, his head resting on my lap as I gently rubbed his back. "Well, this is a surprise." He whispered.
"He got scared by the thunder, I just got him back to sleep." I replied quietly. "How was your case?" I asked as Andrew settled down next to me on the couch.
Andrew sighed. "We got him, just not in time to save the latest victim." He'd been out in the field on a local case for the past few days, not getting back until late at night and leaving early in the morning.
I placed my free hand on Andrew's thigh. "I'm sorry, love. You did your best, that's all we can ever do."
"I know." He nodded, placing his hand over mine and linking our fingers. "So, are you going to tell me what mister Hank Morgan is doing here?"
"I had lunch with Savannah yesterday and we got to talking. You've been busy with the case this week, and Savannah has been busy with the seniors who are in their last rotations. We just noted that between work and kids, we couldn't remember the last time we had a full, uninterrupted night with our husbands, so we made a deal. We have Hank until 2pm tomorrow, and then Derek and Savannah are taking Stella for the night. Keely already had that sleepover with some of the girls on the team planned, so you and me will have a full night with just us." I smiled as I watched Andrew's eyes darken with the prospect of some much-needed time together.
"You, Emily Prentiss-Mendoza are amazing." He smiled, leaning in for a kiss. He trailed his lips down my jaw and neck and I had to bite back a moan.
"Andrew… I have a three-year-old asleep on my lap." He pulled away then, taking a deep breath and reeling himself in. "Tomorrow night I'm all yours, I promise."
"I look forward to it." He winked. "Alright, I'm going to go grab a shower. You good with him?"
"Yeah, I'll go put him back in bed soon."
####
The next morning, I awoke to the sounds of laughter. I glanced a look at the alarm clock and was surprised to see it was 8am. Crawling out of bed, I pulled my robe on and made my way out to the living room. I was greeted by the sight of Stella in her swing, with Hank standing in front of her playing peek-a-boo.
"Peek boo!" Hank called out in his sweet toddler voice as he revealed his face from behind a blanket. Stella squealed in delight, smiling her precious toothless smile.
I walked to the kitchen where Andrew was standing at the island, sipping a cup of coffee. I came to stand behind him, wrapping my arms around his body and placing a kiss between his shoulder blades before resting my chin on his shoulder.
"Did you sleep well?" Andrew asked.
"Mm, very, thank you! But you didn't have to turn off my alarm. You've barely slept this whole week, babe. I would've gotten up with the kids."
"I was already up and you looked so peaceful."
I frowned, wondering how long he'd been awake. "This one really got to you didn't it." I said, referring to his latest case. He simply nodded, so I turned him around to face me, placing a hand on his cheek. "You can talk to me, you know. I understand it."
"They were just kids. High schoolers." He said quietly, referring to the victims
"Like Keely." I acknowledged knowingly. "Have you gone up to see her yet?"
He shook his head. "I didn't want to wake her last night."
"Why don't you go wake her now. Go hug your daughter. I'll get breakfast started." He nodded, moving to head upstairs. Before he could get more than two steps away, I reached for his hand, stopping him. "Hey, I love you."
He smiled, stepping back in and placing a soft kiss to my lips. "I love you, too."
####
The rest of the morning flew by. Emily made waffles for breakfast, letting a very eager Hank help pour the batter onto the waffle maker. When Andrew and Keely came downstairs, they cut up some fruit to go with breakfast. I smiled at Keely when I noticed her being extra playful with Andrew and letting him hug her just a little more. Andrew never talked cases about his cases with Keely, but she could always sense when one involved kids.
After breakfast, we set out for the park. It was an especially warm day for the middle of May, mid 80s and sunny. Stella was sleeping against my chest in a baby wrap while I pushed Hank on the swings. Andrew and Keely tossed a frisbee in the grass. After a while, Hank wanted to join the "big kids," so Andrew went and pulled out a plastic bat and wiffle ball from the trunk of the SUV and Keely helped him swing while Andrew pitched.
"Kee! I did it!" Hank screamed in delight when he hit the ball without assistance.
"I saw. Good job, kid!" Keely smiled, embracing Hank when he ran over to her for a celebratory hug.
"You hit now?" He asked, handing her the small, plastic bat.
"Sure!" Keely took the bat, standing up and getting into ready stance.
"You ready?" Andrew asked. Keely nodded and Andrew threw the pitch. Keely hit it straight on and the ball went flying directly back towards Andrew. His quick reflexes were the only thing that stopped him from getting hit smack in the face, as he ducked just in time.
Keely threw a hand over her mouth, feeling bad for almost hitting her dad. Andrew looked back to where the ball landed behind him, then looked back at Keely. "Oh, you think this is funny?" Andrew joked as he noted that Keely was trying to hide her laughter.
"Sorry!" Keely managed between bouts of giggles.
As I watched from a bench on the sidelines, I smiled at the look of joy on Andrew's face, knowing this morning was just what he needed. Keely gave Hank the bat back then, and they played for nearly another half and hour before everyone decided that an ice cream run was in order.
####
"Ok, I packed plenty of outfits and diapers for her, two pacifiers, and her sleeper. Her formula is in the front with two bottles and her feeding schedule. She typically goes to sleep after her 9pm feeding and stays down until about 5:30am, but if she wakes up at all, a 2oz bottle and she's back out like a light. Oh, and her lovey is in the side pocket and…"
"Babe, they got it." Andrew tells me as he wrap an arm around my shoulder.
Derek laughed. "You know Em, when you joined the BAU all those years ago, I'd never have imagined this side of you could exist."
"Oh hush." I said, playfully slapping his arm. "We've never left her overnight before."
"I remember the first time we left Hank overnight with Derek's mom, I was a wreck." Savannah sympathized. "I promise we'll call if we need anything but try to enjoy your night."
"We will." Andrew ensured.
With that, Derek and Savannah went on their way with Hank and Stella. Keely had gotten picked up an hour ago for her sleepover with some of the girls from the tennis team, so it was just Andrew and I.
"Now, Mrs. Prentiss-Mendoza, how would you like to spend the afternoon?" Andrew asked as he sauntered over to me after closing the front door.
"I think first-off a nap is in order." I replied. Andrew frowned, clearly having other plans in mind. "You've barely gotten any sleep this whole week, and if you want to take full advantage of an empty house tonight, you're going to need your rest."
"Fair enough. A nap it is." He smiled, taking my hand and leading me to the bedroom.