"Where's daddy?"

Emily wiped her son's chin of the milk that had dribbled from his mouth, and she shook her head. "Daddy is at daddy's house," she smiled, watching as her children dug into their new favorite cereal. They had been there for a week now, Emily having gotten her job back at the Bureau and reserving two spots in the Bureau's daycare.

Alisanne nodded absently as she put her two hands around her cup of milk and sipped.

"Where's Jack?" the little boy questioned.

"Jack lives with your daddy, remember?"

The four year old girl looked up from her breakfast. "Pourquoi ne pouvons- nous pas vivre avec papa?"

Emily swallowed, her eyes dulling at the question, tears starting to sting those brown orbs. Why can't we live with daddy? "What? You don't want to live with me?" she tried to laugh, seeing the grins on both of her children's faces. "Your daddy and I have separate homes, so we don't live together. But you both are spending the weekend with him, remember?"

Marc excitedly nodded his head. "I like daddy!"

"I know you do, sweetheart."

The chocolate eyed little girl leaned forward, her elbows on the table as she tried to reach over to talk to her mother. "I like Jack," she nodded, her gaze firm on the mother of two who was trying not to laugh, "but daddy is my favorite."

Emily smiled, standing from her seat and cleaning up the remainder of the family's breakfast. "I promise not to tell your daddy," the BAU agent grinned. "Now you two go get your shoes on, ok? We have to go." She threw all the bowls and plates into the dishwasher before picking her keys up from the countertop in her kitchen.

Picking up her phone, Emily smiled at the picture of her and her boyfriend that was her lockscreen. Castle had had to head back to New York to finish the book that was due for his publisher by the next weekend, and she had sadly said goodbye to him at her apartment before he flew off once again. She didn't know how they were supposed to work out this long distance thing when he was so dependent on his family back in New York, but at least D.C was closer than France.

"Maman!"

Emily looked up and nodded to the two excited bodies jumping around her living room, and she quickly helped them with their little backpacks before ushering the four year olds out to the car.

A half an hour later, the brunette woman was walking into the BAU for her first day, smiling wide at her friends surrounding her desk with a vase of lilies in her best friend's hands. "You didn't need to do this," she laughed, taking a hug from each and every one of her teammates before taking the flowers from Garcia's hands. "These are gorgeous, thank you."

The bubbly blond pressed a long kiss to her friend's cheek, expertly wiping away the bright pink lipstick she had left on her ivory skin. "And now, everyone to the conference room!"

Emily set the flowers on her desk with a smile, looking up to catch her ex staring at her from the catwalk. She gave him a nod, watching as his eyes sparkled to her before they both made their way to the conference room, his hand on her back as he guided her to her usual spot.

She had barely listened to anything her teammates had to say, her dark eyes connected to Hotch's the entire time, neither willing to look away as they had a secret conversation, just like they used to. The kids were fine, Jack was fine, and they could work together without having it get complicated.

They were going to be just fine.

"Everyone good?" his voice gruffed out of nowhere, jolting Emily back into reality. "Alright, wheels up in twenty."

Emily quickly gathered the papers in the file she had been given and stood from her seat, her breath hitching when she saw Hotch standing directly before. "God," she breathed, giving a laugh when she looked up into his eyes. "Hi."

"Do you have someone to watch the twins?"

The mother of two gave a sense of a smile, nodding to the older man before walking from the conference room. "My mother and I had dinner last night, and she absolutely fell in love with the twins. She told me to keep her on speed dial if we were to head out of state."

Hotch gestured to the glass doors. "Do you mind if we go say goodbye?"

"Of course not. Let me just call my mother."

Morgan watched the pair head toward the elevators, Hotch's hand on the small of the ebony haired woman's back, their smiles small as they walked into the steel cage together. "They're still pretty hot."

JJ rolled her eyes. "They're not together."

"They have two kids," the darker man almost scoffed. "They'll be together."

"Emily has a boyfriend."

Morgan glared at the blond woman sitting on the edge of Emily's desk, fingering the flowers they had gotten for her. "Wanna bet on that?"

Emily smiled wide at the four year olds she saw waving to her from the coloring table, quickly gathering her little girl in her arms as she came running for her. "Hi sweetie."

The brown eyed little girl giggled, both her parents pressing kisses to her cheeks just before they did the same to her brother. "We get to go home, mommy?"

"Oh no, not yet," the ivory skinned woman pouted, letting her daughter play with her necklace. "Daddy and I have to go away for a couple of days. You remember when I told you that we had to leave sometimes?"

Marc and Alisanne both nodded their heads.

Hotch smiled as his son's fingers played with his tie. "Your grandma is gonna come pick you up a little later. Is that ok?"

"I like grand-mère."

The father of three laughed, sharing a smile with his ex as they set their children back on the ground. "Well that's good. Mommy and I have to get going, but we're going to call you as soon as we land, ok?"

Marc's eyes widened. "You going on a plane?"

"A big one just for us and our friends," Hotch nodded, his eyes as wide as his son's. "Do you know a place called Missouri?"

The four year olds frowned at their father.

Hotch glared at his ex over their heads when he heard her chuckle, and he slowly shook his head. "No, huh? Well that's where mommy and I are going, and it won't take us long to get there."

"Are you gonna say goodnight?"

"When has mommy ever missed a goodnight?" the brunette woman scoffed, smiling wide to the two giggling children. "Daddy and I have to go, but we'll call you right when we get there ok? Give mommy kisses."

Hotch watched the beautiful woman share two pecks with her kids before they came up to him to do the same, and he felt his heart melt just a little. "I love you."

"Love you too, daddy," they grinned, waving back to their parents before running back in to get started learning their ABC's.