Chapter 46: Plotting

"Hey Nate," Emily greeted when he answered the door to her. He had been waiting patiently with his father, but he was anxious to see her.

"Mom," Nate said, hugging her.

"Are you all set?"

"Almost. Be right back," he replied before running off to his room to grab his bags.

Emily called out to make sure he put on a jacket. It was cold out.

"Emily," James finally said something.

"Hello, James."

"Before you say anything… I'm sorry."

"For?" Emily was going to make him work for it.

"For everything. I overreacted. I was upset, and I took it out on you. None of it was your fault. I know that, but I took it out on you anyway. For that, I'm sorry. And you were right…"

"Oh… Yeah?" That, she certainly wanted to hear.

"We shouldn't argue in front of Nate, yet I can't seem to help it."

"We'll work on it," she said. "I know it's not completely your fault, but we need to take steps to address it. Thank you for saying that."

"I'm ready," Nate yelled as he bundled into the room, Patch and his bags in his hands.

Nate stood next to his mother. "Can we go? I can't wait to go get Jack's gift. Are we still going to see them later?"

"We are. How about we ask your dad if he'd like to come with us today?"

"Really?" Nate asked.

"You don't have to do that, Emily," James cut in. He appreciated it, but he knew she really didn't want him with them. He was also afraid Nate might not want him to go with them.

James' biggest fear was losing his son. A part of him felt that was why he raged so hard at Emily. She was too good to him and just took it, making her an easy target. He loved that his son had someone like that in his life, but his emotions were constantly electrified. He often didn't know how to work through them. While he was working on it in his therapies, it just didn't feel like he was making the progress he hoped.

"It will be fun. Hopefully," Emily said. "We're just running to the store to pick out Jack's present. Why don't you come, and I'll drop you off at your therapy appointment later? If we have time, we can stop for something to eat."

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"Yes. Whatever is wrong in our relationship," she said, "We need to be there for Nate. That includes outings and being around each other. So, let's do that. Nate knows what he wants to get. We'll shop for a bit, maybe eat, I'll drop you off, and then your service can take you home."

"Ok. Give me a second," James replied before going to grab a coat.

"Thank you," Nate said once his father was gone, offering his mother a hug.

"For what?"

"For being the best mom," he told her. "Thank you."

She returned the hug, rubbing his back. "You're very welcome." Standing tall, Emily took his bags in her hand and said, "Wait for your dad. Tell him I'm waiting in the car. Ok?"

"Ok." He peeked out the window. "You got your car back!"

"I did."

"It looks brand new."

"I told you it wasn't too bad."

He nodded. Emily kissed his cheek and went to the car, waiting for them to meet up with her. It didn't take very long to see James and Nate pop out of the door and head her way.

All buckled in, they were off. They drove up to the mall in DC so that they could walk around for a while as they shopped. Their conversation was lacking a bit, but it wasn't forced, and it wasn't yelling, so it was better. Nate was happy enough to keep the conversation flowing and the mood up.

"This is the store I need," Nate proclaimed.

"Ok. What exactly were you thinking of getting Jack?" Emily was really regretting not asking that before as they entered a tech store.

"You'll see," he told her, running along, not waiting for James and Emily to follow beside him.

"Isn't it awesome?" Nate asked his parents as he stood in front of a drone wall. Dozens of brands and models stood before them.

Most of them, Emily realized, were way too pricey for a child's birthday, even if that child was Jack.

"This is the one I want to get Jack," Nate grabbed one of the boxes and turned to face his mother.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. He picked a toy model, much more affordable and much more sensible for a first-time flyer.

Nate went on and on about the features and how cool it would be if both he and Jack had one. "Then we can fly it together and play. Oh, we can race. Wouldn't that be fun? You and Hotch could try too," he reasoned.

"Are you asking if we can buy one for Jack, and for you?"

He puffed out his bottom lip and shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Which one would you get for Jack?"

"This one," he said, pointing to a blue and green model. "I think he'd like the colors."

"And which one would you want?"

"The red one."

She rolled her eyes as he practically hugged the box.

"Okay," she acquiesced. "We'll get them both."

"Yay."

"But… You can't open yours until Jack does and no flying it in the house. It's only to be used outside and with adult supervision. I don't want you and Jack chasing after it as it flies into the road."

"Promise." His eyes grew wide with excitement, giddy with the thought of playing with the new toy.

"Let's hurry and get to the register before my wallet is completely emptied."

"I wouldn't do that," Nate declared as his eyes wandered to the game station.

"Uh huh…" She laughed, pushing Nate forward. "Keep moving."

Nate toddled in front of them wavering between the aisles with a box in his hand, his box, while Emily carried Jack's. He went back and forth, zig zagging to look at all the different things. Emily and James watched.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked James, noticing his dour face.

"Nothing's wrong," he responded. "I'm just. I like seeing him so free and happy."

"Me too."

Emily smiled and offered him her arm to take before she urged him along so they could catch up with Nate. Emily wanted this to be a better day that also worked to show Nate that they could be around each other without fighting. There were moments she felt like the old James was there. He would crack jokes and talk to her like she was human again. She was just keeping her fingers crossed. Thankfully, that concluded the shopping portion of the day, and there was plenty of time for food before James needed to be at his appointments.

"How was Nate after I left?" Emily asked James after Nate was sent to go wash his hands before the food came.

"He was fine. Slept through the night this time."

"That's good… I was worried."

"Because you thought I'd hit him?" James asked.

"No, James."

"I worried about that sometimes," he admitted. "So you can admit that you were too."

"For as long as I've known you, you have never been a violent person."

"But sometimes I feel like I still have no control over it, and I feel myself growing angrier and angrier."

"You're learning to control it again, and I have faith that, if you feel it growing too big and you are losing control, you'd remove yourself from the situation. I'm not going to lie and say the thought never crossed my mind, but I don't think you'd hit him. That wasn't what I was worried about."

"Then what were you worried about?"

"He has been through a lot… Just in the time that I've been in his life. I can't even speak for what it was like before."

"It was pretty mundane, actually. We moved a lot, and he was isolated from most people, but we were always together. The three of us."

"Now it's totally different… I'm worried that things have changed, and he hasn't really dealt with some of the trauma."

Worried he was missing things he shouldn't, James asked, "You think there's something wrong with him?"

"No. No, but sometimes he gets clingy and very worried about me. Like with my car… It wasn't that bad and I wasn't even in the car, but he wouldn't leave my side all day and when he was with you, he had a nightmare. I've seen him do things like that with you too."

"Isn't that normal with kids sometimes?"

"I guess… I don't know. It's not like I raised a brood. I just think, maybe we should consider letting him see a therapist of his own."

"Does he need that?"

"It can't hurt, James… Actually," she paused, looking toward the bathroom to make sure Nate wasn't on his way back yet. She was about to say something that she wasn't sure would be received well. "I was thinking that, as his parents, we need to coexist peacefully… So, maybe we should do family counseling."

"Me and you with a shrink?"

"We have issues to work out too. You can't always be so upset when I'm around, and I can't hold all my feelings in all the time either. This would allow us to get to a good place and then we can have a few sessions with Nate, too, so he can see that we can be a weird kind of family."

James thought on it. His first instinct was to say no. He shared enough of his life with Emily and part of him was holding onto some misplaced anger toward her, but he could also admit that he wasn't being fair to her. He owed it to her and their son to try.

"Ok," he quietly said. "We can try it…"

"Really?" she was surprised.

"I just want what's best for him," he said, before adding, "It's about time I learn to accept that you are the only other parent he will ever have. It's me and you raising him…"

Emily smiled and put her hand on his. "We're going to figure out how to make it work."

He nodded and they chatted a bit more. He mentioned looking for a job soon once his therapies started to let up some. She encouraged him to do it thinking it would be good for him to get out more and do things. Money wouldn't hurt either.

When Nate returned, he was the one to bring up family therapy with Nate. Nate was confused at first, wondering why they thought he needed to talk to a stranger when he could talk to them or his friends, but Emily and James explained that, sometimes, it helped to talk to people who weren't involved in some way or had feelings involved. There were things that were more easily worked through with strangers.

"So, I can talk to them about whatever?"

"Yes."

"Can I still talk to you?" Nate asked, bashfully, looking at his parents.

"Absolutely. I love talking to you, Nate. So does your father. We hope you can tell us anything, but this is so you can talk about things that you may not want to discuss with us or things that might scare you, or things about us that you think might hurt our feelings. Anything you want."

"And we're going to talk to someone, too… All three of us… As a… As a family," James added. "We all want to be happy and we want to make sure we are all the best we can be for you."

"Really?" That seemed to make Nate happy.

"Yes. Your dad and I agree that we need to stop fighting. It's not fair to you, and it's not fun for us."

"It's not fun for anyone," Nate added. "When are we going to start?"

"Not today," Emily said. "Today, we're going to bring your dad to his appointments. I'll make some phone calls and find a place that has what we need, and we'll take it from there. Hopefully soon, though."

"Ok. I think it's good," Nate told them.

"We think so too," James agreed.

It was the first time Emily felt that they all seemed relaxed and hopeful. She thought that before, but she wasn't really aware of the feeling until that moment. Another step…

"We should get going," James told Emily. "My appointment is in an hour."

"Where'd the time go?" They had been there for hours. "You're right. Nate, coat."

"Yes, ma'am," Nate teasingly saluted.

This car ride felt markedly different for all of them. There was genuine laughter in the car. No one was pretending that the past few days hadn't happened or that they were ok, but they were content to think that things could be better. They were making a binding agreement to try by voicing it to Nate and agreeing to try family counseling.

And they would try.

Emily found a reputable family therapist at the same practice that had a top of the notch child psychologist. She included James in the decision to use Dr. Garland for Nate, and just that olive branch made him feel included and more like they were co-parents rather than that he was just another of Emily's responsibilities.

It was good. They had appointments set for the next week. One for the family, one for Nate, and all of James' normal appointments… They were once again busy with a bunch of doctors and work and school and activities, but it didn't feel quite so overwhelming this time.

By the end of the week, they still hadn't had another fight, though they hardly saw each other either. But Emily was true to her word. On Friday, when Nate came home from school, she spent a little time with him, gave him his afternoon snack, and then dropped him off with James.

"I'm going to be here around nine tomorrow," Emily told James.

"That's early."

"It's Jack's birthday. His party starts at 11, and I'm going to help set up."

"It's at the apartment?"

"No. It's at Hotch's sister-in-law's, well, Jack's aunt's place."

"Hotch is married?" James asked.

"No, James. He was married. Then divorced. Then Haley passed. I've told you all about Hotch before."

"You left all that out."

"Probably because you didn't want to hear it," she said. "Anyway, I'll be here at 9. Please have him ready."

"Yeah. No problem," James agreed.

"Great. Bye Nate," she called. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye Mom. Love you."

"Love you too."

She waved goodbye to James and headed home. Knowing she would be home alone that evening. Emily offered some help to Hotch and Jack. So, after stopping home for just a moment, she went to help them stuff gift bags.

It took some time, but they got it done.

"Who knew making goodie bags could be so exhausting?"

"Wait and see how bad party planning can get. It can be one giant headache if you let it," Hotch said.

"Ugh. I can't wait to spend a birthday with Nate, but I'd really like to avoid the party hassle."

"Make James throw it."

"To be honest… I'm not sure Nate has ever had a birthday party. Nothing like I remember kids' parties being like anyway. He seemed pretty new to most social interactions. I don't know. We've got some time to figure that out."

"You do." Hotch smiled at her, letting her know it was ok to feel as overwhelmed as she was feeling at the thought of a birthday, but that she didn't need to feel that way. "Still going to come help out tomorrow?"

"Yes. Absolutely. On my way to Jessica's, I'll get Nate and stop at the bakery to pick up the cake."

"You're a lifesaver. Thank you."

"I don't mind. It's on the way."

"Well, we appreciate it."

"I know," she said.

"Jack's going to put on a movie. Want to stay and join us? There will be popcorn and wine if you want it."

"Oh, popcorn and wine with my favorite birthday boy and his father? How can I say no?"

"You can't," Jack said, sneaking into the room. "I picked the movie. It's ready to be started once the popcorn's done. I already put it in the microwave."

On cue, the ding of the microwave sounded.

"You guys settle in," Hotch told them. "I'll get the popcorn and our drinks. Emily, white?"

"Whatever you're having, I'll take."

"You got it."

By the time Hotch met them in the living room with the bowl and glasses, Emily and Jack had broken out a puzzle and were working on that as the opening credits rolled.

"You guys didn't wait," Hotch playfully whined.

"You were too slow for us, Dad," Jack said.

"Then I guess all this popcorn is for me."

"Dad," Jack chastised. "You have to share or you're just being selfish."

Hotch and Emily laughed.

"Is that right? So, if I shared all this buttery goodness with just Emily, am I still being selfish?"

"A little less."

"And if I share with both of you?"

"Then you're generous and I won't have to fight you for it." Jack made fake karate moves.

"Alright. Alright. I'll share." Hotch pretended to cower.

Emily just enjoyed the show as father and son went back and forth. This was a side to Hotch that she had seen before, but not all that often. He was always great and more relaxed around Jack, but seeing him as carefree and playful as she did then was always a treat. It was also a reminder that Jack, though just a few short hours away from being an official teenager, was still very much a kid.

"Ok. Knock it off you two," Emily said. "Movie time."

She emphasized her point by grabbing a handful of popcorn, popping a kernel into her mouth, and tossing one at them.

"Here," Hotch said with a laugh as he handed Emily her drink.

"Thanks."

The movie started getting into the action as they worked to put the puzzle together. Soon, the world map was starting to take shape. Not long after that, they were engrossed in the movie, all merging onto the couch.

"Wow, I should get back to my place and let you boys get to bed," Emily said as the movie wrapped up. "Jack has a big day tomorrow."

"I'm not tired," Jack said.

"Come on, Jack. It's almost 11. Go get ready for bed, ok?"

"Alright," he huffed. "Thanks for hanging with us, Emily."

"No problem, Jack. Happy almost birthday."

"Thanks. Night," he said with a yawn before offering her a hug.

"Goodnight. See you tomorrow."

Jack headed off to his room and left the adults to talk.

"Want me to walk you to your apartment?" Hotch asked.

Emily laughed. "Very chivalrous of you, but I haven't been drinking much and I'm perfectly capable of managing a few stairs."

"Ok. Just thought I'd offer."

"Appreciated, but unnecessary. Want me to help clean up?"

"No. There's nothing I can't just throw in the dishwasher tomorrow."

"Alright. Well, I'll see you bright and early. I promised Jack that I'd take him to pick up his flowers, so I hope that's ok."

"I guess we're going to meet the infamous Chelsea."

"Relax. It's puppy love."

"You say that when it's Nate's turn and you have to give him the talk."

"I'll make James do it."

"Yeah, like you'd leave him to handle something as important as that. You might let him start the talk, but you'd finish it."

"You're probably right, but I'm hoping I have a few more years."

"Goes by quicker than you can imagine."

"I know."

Hotch held up her jacket for her.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow."

Emily slipped out the door and went to her apartment, immediately changing and getting right into bed.

Without an alarm, she was still up the next morning unreasonably early for a weekend, but she used it to her advantage. After wrapping Jack's present and packing a small bag with extra clothes for Nate just in case there were spills or accidents at the party, she used what time she had left to do some grading before she got behind. Her students knew her to be timely and she didn't want to let them down.

But that time flew by and, before she knew it, the birthday boy was at her apartment ready to go flower shopping. She thought it was funny and cute that he was buying something for someone else on his birthday.

"Ok, Jack. What are you looking for?" she asked when they arrived at a floral shop.

"I don't know. What's your favorite?"

"Well, you can't go wrong with roses, but those are awfully expensive. I like so many different flowers, but let's focus on Chelsea. What does she like?"

"She likes pink and yellow."

"We can work with that. What about chrysanthemums? Look," she pointed to a display. "They come in all different colors and we can mix a few different kinds of flowers in a small bouquet."

"They're pretty. Ok."

They worked together to put together a pretty, colorful, but tasteful bouquet filled with chrysanthemums, baby's breath, and a few other flowers. Then, Jack worked on creating a second bouquet.

"What are you working on now?" she asked.

"No peeking," he told her.

She put her hands up and walked back. "Ok. I'll just hang on to this one and wait over there."

"Good."

Emily was suspicious, but it wasn't like he was doing anything wrong with a bunch of flowers, so she just let it happen. Though, waiting left time for her mind to wonder. Was Jack a playboy? Was he trying to befriend or seduce two girls at the same time? That didn't seem like him, but one never really knew.

Jack snuck by her and to the register, paying for both bouquets without her even knowing. Again, Emily had no clue what was happening.

"I would have paid."

"But I have my own money and if you paid, then it wouldn't have been from me," Jack reasoned.

"Smart boy," she said. "Alright, put the bag in the backseat, but be gentle about it. We're going to pick up your cake and then get Nate."

On the way to the bakery, the two talked about Chelsea and some of Jack's friends that were going to be at the party. He was excited for everyone to meet Emily and Nate. A lot of the friends were children he grew up with, going to school with them since he started. It was sweet, she thought, that he wanted to bring Nate into that circle of friends.

"You really look out for Nate, don't you?"

"Of course. He's like a little brother, and I did it for Henry too, but I don't see him nearly as much as I do Nate. I would do it for Michael too, but he's not old enough to hang out yet."

"That's very nice of you Jack. I couldn't have asked for a better friend for Nate."

"I like him."

"He likes you, too. I know he looks up to you like a big brother as well."

"We've bonded. We've both lost parents and have been through some bad and good things. He needed someone to look out for him, show him the ropes… You know, other than you. I've tried to do that."

"I guess you have. You're both a lot alike."

"Yeah. And we like the same things, which makes it easier to get along."

"You know, Jack, you're starting to sound suspiciously grown up and I don't know if I like it. Soon you're going to be in college and smarter than all of us. I'm not ready for that."

"I'm not that old, yet."

"Yet," Emily parroted. "So, are you going to tell me about the other flowers? Who are they for?"

"What other flowers?" he asked, playing it coy.

She rolled her eyes and let the rest of conversation flow until they got to the bakery. The cake was already out and waiting for pick up. They gave it a quick inspection, Jack eyeballing the multicolored soccer themed sheet cake that read, Happy 13th Birthday, Jack!

"What do you think?"

"It's great. Thanks," he said to the baker.

It was already paid for, so all that was left was loading it into the car without incident. Once secure, it was off to get Nate and then party decorating time.

Nate was ready and waiting when they got there. Emily spoke briefly with James just to confer plans for the following week. They had their appointments, and Emily wanted to sign Nate up for little League.

"I'm glad he wants to play."

"He loves baseball."

"I know. Makes me think of Vince. Let me know if he needs me to take him shopping," James said.

"We'll figure that out later."

"Have fun at the party," he told his son, wishing Jack a happy birthday in the same swoop.

Emily asked Nate if he had a nice time with his dad. Nate was quick to smile and say he did.

"We watched movies and played games. He didn't get upset at all and we talked a lot about things. It was nice."

Emily was glad to hear it.

They waved goodbye before Emily drove off. As they drove, the boys were whispering back and forth too quietly for Emily to hear. And she was trying to eavesdrop. They weren't often very secretive, but they were being intentionally and very overtly secretive then. Emily debated whether she needed to give them a lesson in spy craft or if she needed to employ a little more of her own and really get to the bottom of whatever it was they were plotting.

"What are you boys up to?" she asked.

"Nothing," they answered in unison.

"That doesn't make it sound like nothing."

"But it is," Nate said. "Stop being so nosy, Mom."

Jack just laughed and the two went back to their whispering. Emily tried not to let it get to her and focused, instead, on getting to spend some time with two other little boys that she hadn't been able to see much of recently. JJ had been so busy with work and Will that they only had the few randomly scattered play dates with the kids and even fewer girls' nights. So, she was ready to trade these two boys for the younger models, if only for an hour or two.

Auntie Em needed some LaMontagne boys time.

Unfortunately, that would be cut short.

When they got to Jessica's house, Emily was met with a bit of an icy reception. Emily had met Jessica before, and they had gotten on just fine, Jess even took care of Nate on occasion, so she had no idea what her problem was, but Emily didn't much care either. The day was about Jack and giving him a great birthday. So, she ignored Jessica's weird welcome and asked, "Where should I put the cake?"

"I'll take it," Jessica said.

Emily handed it over without any argument and went to go help set up. They all worked diligently until the place was covered in streamers and balloons and various other decorations. There were food tables and a present table, and a giant caricature sign out in the front lawn letting everyone who passed by know it was Jack's birthday. Everything was set up and it was perfect, except neither of the parents nor any of Jack's cousins knew where Jack and Nate were.

"They're up to something," Emily said.

"They're boys. They're always up to something. I'm sure it's fine," Hotch said.

"You were their age once. You were always up to something. Was it always fine?"

He grimaced momentarily, thinking back to that time when he and Sean tried to build a tree house without their parents' permission, and he ended up breaking his ankle falling out of the tree. He was eventually fine…

"Don't worry so much. They'll reappear once the guests start arriving. They popped up when Penelope got here, right?"

"I guess."

"JJ sent me a message saying she'll be here with Will and the kids any minute. Henry will get their attention. For now, they're probably just feeling all the presents trying to figure out what's inside."

Emily dropped it, and, sure enough, Hotch was right. When JJ got there, Henry immediately called out for the boys who were all too eager to get him in on whatever they were doing.

"I guess it's just you and me, Michael," JJ said to her son as her husband and Hotch went to go set up a few things outside.

"And Auntie Emily," she added. "How's my favorite toddler doing?" Emily asked the boy.

He gave her a happy, toothy smile and held up his hands.

"Seems he missed you," JJ told her.

"And I missed him. Look at that sweet face."

Emily held him to her chest, embracing him in a warm hug before tickling his belly.

"You've gotten so big," Emily said. "You're not allowed to get any bigger. Ok?"

He shook his head no.

"No? You're going to grow up on me? That's not nice. Let's take your mom and go catch up with Penelope. She's gonna want to see you."

Michael babbled a bit as Emily, Penelope, and JJ caught up before the festivities began. Penelope once again asked about Scott and the dating situation.

"We're not dating," Emily made clear.

"Have you talked to him since you went out?" JJ asked.

"You mean, since you and Penelope put me on a dating site and set me up?"

They at least looked guilty.

"Yes, we talked. He's Wyatt's father. Wyatt is friends with Nate. We set up a playdate."

"Like an adult kind of play date?"

"Like a play date for our sons, PG. Mind out of the gutter."

"Come on. How long has it been?"

"Since I've been in a relationship?" Emily asked.

"You know what she means, Em."

"How long has it been? He's handsome. I'm sure he'd take care of you."

"Ugh. This is not the appropriate place to be talking about this."

Penelope huffed and stood. Before walking away, she said, "Fine, but we are talking about this."

"She's crazy," Emily said to JJ.

"Has it really been that long?"

"What?"

"It has, hasn't it?" JJ asked. "A year?

"JJ, come on…"

"So not that long."

Emily was blushing, now.

"Right before Nate?"

"Enough now. Little ears," Emily said, putting her hands over Michael's ears. Emily looked away. "Oh look, someone needs me. Coming," she called out, though no one actually called her. "Michael, have fun with your crazy mother."

She passed him to JJ and went anywhere else. She found Henry and Nate playing and spent some time with them as Jack started greeting the early party goers. Spencer, Dave, and Derek all came by.

There were games set up for the kids and the house was full of them. It was a nice day, thankfully, which allowed them to spend a lot of time outdoors and really allowed them to set up a scavenger hunt. Each kid that came was given a little satchel full of clues to follow once the hunt began, and it was now getting started. All of them were eagerly participating, hoping to win the prizes.

"Hotch," Jessica said, politely interrupting the friends' chatter.

"The scavenger hunt is going well," Hotch said.

"It is. Jack said you wanted to leave the prizes in the basement, but we should probably bring them up soon."

"I never said that," Hotch said.

"Well, then Jack wanted it. I don't know. They're in the basement. Do you want to go grab them?"

"Sure."

Before he and Jessica could leave, one of Jessica's children came running over in need of his mother's attention. She gave him an apologetic look.

"I got it," Hotch said. "Go."

Penelope, who had been standing close enough to overhear their conversation despite the group around her talking, offered assistance. She saw the moment she was waiting for.

"Emily can help you," she said.

Hotch looked to a surprised Emily. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"No… I can help," she said, giving Penelope a look, one that was clearly asking what the blonde was up to.

"Great. Thanks." He nodded for her to follow him and, to the rest of his friends said, "We'll be right back."

They walked away from the party, heading indoors toward the other end of the house where the basement access door was.

"What do you think that was all about?" Hotch asked Emily.

"I don't have a clue. You know Garcia. She's always up to something."

The house was quiet, but they could hear music playing and the kids running around as they made their way into the basement.

"It looks like someone left the light on downstairs," Emily said.

Hotch replied, "That's good because this switch for the main light isn't working. Watch your step."

His hand was on her back as he walked behind her, ready to try and catch of her she slipped in the dark. Emily wanted to say that she didn't need the help, but she kind of liked the feeling of being taken care of or looked after. It was nice.

"It looks like it's flickering down there," Emily said, moving a little quicker. "Are those candles?"

As they neared the last of the steps, they heard the door above them slam shut and a clicking sound.

"Wait here," Hotch told her, "I'm going to check that." When he reached the top of the stairs again, he tried the door. "It's locked."

"What?"

"We're locked in."

Emily joined him. Both banging on the door and calling out.

"No one's going to hear us," Emily concluded. "They're all outside."

He tried again anyway.

"Look, Hotch. Let's just get what we need and then worry about getting out. I'm sure it was just an accident, and people will come looking for us eventually. It's fine."

"You're right."

They walked back down the steps, this time getting a full view of what was going on down there. It was, indeed, candlelight that was flickering. An intimate table was set up with a vase of flowers in the middle.

"It looks like someone had dinner plans."

"You think Jack did this for Chelsea? Those look like the flowers he bought with you."

Emily noticed this bouquet was not the same one he gave to Chelsea.

"Roses," she said.

"What?"

"I don't think Jack did this for Chelsea," she told him, moving toward the table. "I saw him give her the flowers earlier. She seems nice by the way… And there's a note here."

Hotch joined her and looked at the piece of paper labeled, Emily and Hotch.

"That's Nate's writing," Emily noticed.

"This is Jack's," Hotch said when he unfolded it.

"What's it say?"

"Have fun."

"Have fun?" Emily asked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"I told you these boys were up to something."

"But why trap us in a basement at his own party?"

"I can't even begin to work out their logic."

"Well," Hotch said. "We might as well sit down and get comfortable. Who knows how long we'll be waiting."

"Might as well," Emily agreed, grabbing a snack off the plate. "Want some?"

"Sure."

They talked and wandered the basement, realizing that the prizes weren't even down there. They were sent there for a reason, one they tried to figure out. The only consensus they came to was that Jack and Nate wanted them to spend time together. But they always spent time together, so why like this?

The conversation veered as they got bored down there. Eventually, and somehow naturally, their laughter and story sharing turned to relationships.

"How are things with Scott?"

"There are no things with Scott," she said.

"You've been talking with him, haven't you? That's what Jack told me."

"Jack told you? How does he know?"

"Probably Nate."

"But how would Nate know?" Emily questioned. It wasn't like she was sharing her dating life, or lack thereof, with her son.

"You'd have to ask him."

"I will," she said.

"Are you going to answer?"

Emily rolled her eyes and told him, "We've had a few phone conversations, maybe went to lunch once."

"So you're dating?"

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like… Like you're unhappy about it…" Like you're jealous. "So you're dating," she mimicked.

"I'm not… If you're happy, then I'm happy for you. We just talked about this, though. You said you had a nice time, but you weren't really into him. I'm just wondering what changed."

"I'm… Not really. It's just…"

"It feels nice," he finished.

"Right."

"But don't you want more? Don't you want to be with someone who does more than that? That makes you happy every time you see them or who can make you smile without even trying, but still tries anyway. Someone you can rely on and trust."

"That sounds nice, Hotch. If you know where I can find that, please tell me."

"Maybe you're not looking in the right places."

"You sound like JJ and Penelope now… So where should I be looking?"

Ignoring the question, he said, "I've been doing some thinking since last time we spoke about this."

"Yeah? And?"

"And I've come to the conclusion that we're a lot alike, and that neither of us should settle for someone who doesn't get us and our drives. I've done that, and I wouldn't change anything with Haley, at least not about being with her. But we grew in two different directions. We stopped understanding each other. And with Beth, she understood that I loved my work, but she was equally as dedicated to her work, so there was no chance there."

"What are you getting at?"

"Haven't you experienced that too?"

"Yes," she said. "Only, my relationships have been a lot more dysfunctional and not anywhere near as stable."

"You're in a different place in your life now."

"I am. Now I'm a single mother with a whole other set of baggage. That's not really a turn on."

"I don't think it's a turn off."

"That's because you're a single father with baggage." She laughed. "Why is it that we always end up on this topic?"

"I don't know."

"I… I don't see myself being with Scott forever, but our kids are friends and I want to be friendly with him."

"You're using him," Hotch said.

"No. I'm not. I'm letting nature take its course. Whatever happens, happens. That's something I've never really tried, so now I am."

"I hope it works out for you," Hotch told her, a little dejected.

"What about you? Any dating prospects? You know, other than the hoard of single mothers at the school that all want a piece of Aaron Hotchner."

"They do not."

"You've never had to sit through one of the mothers' meetings. They assume just because you're a mom, you have plenty of time to sit around these meetings gossiping. You're a good 30% of the gossip."

"That can't be right."

"You're attractive, Hotch. People are going to want to date you."

"Thank you?" he said, one brow raised. "You're not exactly ugly either Emily. Men want to date you too."

"What men? Please point them out."

"I've been to meetings at the school too. Men do their fair share of talking. I almost had to confront one of the dads who was taking a little too much interest in your cleavage."

"Ugh. Do I even want to know who it was or what he said?"

"No," he quickly answered. "Trust me. He won't be making any moves. You deserve someone better than that. Someone who will appreciate you for more than your… assets."

"Ok dad," she joked. "But seriously. Thanks."

Their seats at the table were close to each other, but with some space between them, yet their hands seemed to wind up next to each other, pinkies grazing.

"No problem," Hotch said. "I'd do it for any one of you."

"Even Morgan?"

"Probably not. Derek would like it too much. He would welcome being someone's eyes candy."

"He would," she agreed.

Their hands moved closer still, unconsciously. As they moved, they brushed a napkin off the table, knocking it to the ground. Their hands pulled away as they both reached down for it. Their heads were practically touching, lips just inches apart as their eyes met. Hotch leaned in closer. Emily followed. Lips were grazing, ready for more, when a bang sounded, the basement door pulled open.

They jumped apart, both wondering what just happened.