"I don't wanna sleep, mommy."

Emily shared a smile with her ex as she picked up her son from the couch, the sleepy boy making sure his bowtie was still in place before he snuggled into his mother's chest. The family had been together for three hours that night, playing a bunch of board games the twins loved after finishing up dinner and having a little piece of cake for dessert.

Neither Marc nor Alisanne wanted their daddy to leave.

"Ali knows it's time for bed," the brunette woman cooed, pointing toward her daughter so Marc would see her cuddling into her father's hold. "She's really sleepy. Aren't you really sleepy?"

"No," the four year old yawned.

Emily laughed, kissing her son's dark hair as she led Hotch up the stairs. "I'm sure you'll feel differently in a minute."

"No mommy!"

"Hey now," the Unit Chief's hard voice came, the older man looking pointedly to his son. "Don't get loud like that, alright? Your mommy is looking out for you. Apologize, do you hear me?"

Marc frowned, practically smacking his head onto his mother's shoulder and giving a groan.

Hearing a small 'thank you' being muffled by her shoulder, Emily mouthed the same words to her ex, leading him into the twins' room so he could help her change them into their pajamas.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight," the brunette man grinned, slipping off his daughter's expensive dress and tugging her purple nightgown over her head. "I had a great time."

"These two sure know how to throw a party, huh?" the mother of two laughed, thinking back to her kids pouring the wine for them and spilling all over the dining room table, and doing their best to serve the dinner that Emily had prepared.

Hotch laughed, settling his daughter in her bed and pulling her princess comforter up around her shoulders. "It was the best party I've been to in ages."

"You're just saying that."

The brunette pair shared a wide eyed look before breaking out into laughter at their son's words. "I think it's time for bed," Emily chuckled, kissing the four year old's head before making her way out of the room.

Hotch kissed both of their heads and smiled, watching as both twins rolled over onto their right sides with their teddy bears tucked in beside them. "Daddy loves you," he whispered.

Emily smiled to the older man before shutting the door, walking with him back downstairs to put the rest of the dishes away. "You really made their night," she beamed, her hand touching his before picking up the plates at the table. "Do you know how many times I had to fix Alisanne's bow before she thought it was perfect?"

"As many times as you had to retie that bowtie our son has?"

The chocolate eyed woman snorted, setting the plates in her hands in the dishwasher. "Exactly."

Hotch watched the way his ex swayed around the kitchen, putting everything back where it was supposed to be before she turned back to him, her dark hair flying over her shoulder as she smiled to him. "Any wine left?"

"The wine barely lasted ten seconds," the father of three laughed, holding up the empty bottle. He knew his ex's taste for expensive wine and that's exactly what he had gotten her.

The brunette woman frowned, turning to the fridge and taking out two sodas. "Good for you?"

"Perfect."

Emily sat with the older man on the couch closest to the floor-to-ceiling windows, kicking off the heels that had been hurting her feet for hours and resting against the cushions. "So, the whole school thing."

Hotch nodded. "I still think public school is the best bet. Jack is in public school, I went to public school."

"I went to private," the older woman pointed out.

"And how did you like it?"

The brunette woman pursed her lips. "The girls were bitchy and the boys were bad, but the education couldn't be beat."

Hotch rested back against the arm of the couch, looking squarely at the woman beside him. "Would you want them around the kids you went to school with?"

"I practically described every high school setting," the brown eyed woman scoffed. "That doesn't mean anything."

"All the kids in my school were nice."

Emily let out a laugh. "That's because you were Mr. Popular," the younger woman accused with a smile.

The older man gave a grin. "That's true."

"I'd be willing to look at public schools if you look at a couple of private."

"Deal," the Unit Chief nodded, clinking is can with the younger woman's before taking a drink.

Frowning at a familiar buzzing sound, Emily glanced around her. "Do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything."

Emily shook her head, standing from the couch and following the sound until she saw her phone buzzing against the wood of her end table. "Hello?"

"Emily!"

"Sweetie, hi," she grinned, hearing her boyfriend breathing hard on the other end of the phone. "How are you? How's your night?"

The author huffed, looking up to the windows of his girlfriend's home. "I've been outside your apartment for the past couple of hours."

Emily's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Look out the window!"

The mother of two rushed past her ex who sat on the couch, his dark eyes watching her every move, and she looked out of her beautifully late windows that overlooked the city to see her boyfriend staring up to her, his hand full of flowers waving up to her. "Why didn't you call me before?"

"I did," the older man laughed humorlessly. "About a dozen times! I thought you weren't home for a while but then I noticed your lights on."

"I'm so sorry," she sighed, looking at the reflection of her ex in the window and feeling her heart clench. "We were having dinner."

Castle nodded, making his way toward the apartment building's glass doors. "Well can you tell the doorman to let me up?"

"Of course." Emily quickly dialed downstairs and told her building's security to let her boyfriend in, her eyes darting over to the man sitting on her couch. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know he was coming."

Hotch smiled, standing from the couch and letting her ex lead him over to the apartment door. "Don't worry about it."

The brunette woman's lashes fluttered as Hotch leaned in and pressed a small kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you at work," she nodded, biting her lip as she opened up the door.

"Tell them I love them."

Emily slowly nodded her head. "Of course."