"No, JJ, don't you get up!" Hotch commanded as JJ attempted to refill their guests drinks. JJ smiled warily at Emily who could tell that her pregnant friend was reaching the end of her rope with her overprotective husband.
"Jayje, you really should just take advantage of this servitude." Garcia pointed out.
"Yeah, this is only going to last so long, when are the babies due?" Emily asked.
"They're due the 29th, but I'm getting started the 21st, so that's only about five days away!" JJ said excitedly.
"Until then, you're supposed to relax, remember?" Hotch added smiling as he reentered the room.
"Yeah, it's not every day you get Hotch to do whatever you want, normally he's just a drill sergent." Morgan laughed as his boss refilled his drink.
"You're just lucky we've been so busy these past couple of weeks or--" Hotch stopped as he saw JJ grimace. It had been four months since the ordeal, and he had healed nicely and quickly returned to work. JJ's doctor had instructed her to go on maternity leave two months ago, and the team knew how much she missed being in the field. This was a rare treat, the team together days after solving a difficult case, helping eachother unwind. It was something that happened more and more since JJ wasn't with them, almost like they had to reconnect with her before they could go on for another case.
"JJ, are you ok?" Rossi asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She dismissed as the pain passed. "I think it was just a contraction. I've been having them all day." She winced as another contraction hit. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." The rest of them stood worried at the idea that they couldn't do anything to help.
"JJ, are you ok?" This time it was Hotch that voiced his concern.
"Umm, my water just broke." JJ admitted to the stunned faces in her living room.
"Let's get you to the hospital!" Hotch said authoritatively, grabbing the keys as Morgan ran to pick up JJ.
"NO! I can walk!" She said exasperated as she swatted away Morgan's help.
It had been a good thing that they had driven straight from the office. The entire team piled into two SUV's and sped to the hospital in record time, with sirens and lights blaring. JJ had quickly gotten situated in a maternity room with Hotch as the team waited impatiently outside. Garcia would sit worrying in a chair and randomly get up to pace, then would sit back in her chair and worry some more. Morgan and Emily attempted to pass the time with idle conversation that neither was really paying attention to. Reid got several odd glances from the nurses as he appeared to flip through every magazine in the waiting room, although those who knew him knew that he was just reading at his normal pace. Rossi refused to talk to anyone, and simply stared at the entrance to the waiting room, waiting for Hotch to let them know. An hour passed before a nurse came to alert them.
"Mrs. Hotchner is asking for all of you."
Garcia entered the hospital room first and fled to her friend's side. "Jayje, how are you feeling?" She asked, JJ looked completely drained with beads of sweat still on her forehead.
"I'm tired." JJ responded smiling down at the small pink bundle in her arms.
"Would you like to meet your neices?" Hotch asked the team smiling as they filed in, a matching pink bundle in his own arms. "JJ, Jack and Hayley are coming in the morning and your parents will be here later tomorrow." JJ nodded and smiled happily.
Garcia held her arms out expectantly as JJ passed over the little girl in her arms. "Penelope Garcia, meet Rachel Amy Hotchner." The little girl barely stirred as Garcia began to coo at her.
"And who's this little tyke?" Rossi asked, his attempt to sound gruff, but it came out as more of a soft grandfatherly question.
"This beautiful little girl is Allison Jareau Hotchner." Hotch smiled, reluctantly handing over his little bundle to Prentiss.
Prentiss gingerly lifted the pink hat off the little girl, "Oh! Look at all of that hair! It's so dark!" She observed as she snuggled the newborn close before begrudgingly handing the little girl over to Rossi.
"Oh, this one has blonde little peach fuzz!" Garcia cooed, eyeing Morgan warningly as she protected the little girl in her arms.
"Come on! Garcia--" Morgan pleaded
"NO! How many girls have you broken their hearts! I will not let you near these little girls!" She said completely serious as the team laughed.
"Oh, don't you worry, I'll tackle any boy that comes within three feet of these little ladies." Rossi warned.
"Rossi, I would have never pegged you as the 'grandfather' type. You like babies?" Emily asked teasingly.
"I am never getting any of my own, so I will spoil these little girls as if they were my own flesh in blood." Rossi said without looking up from the little girl in his arms as Garcia reluctantly handed her little bundle over to Morgan who held the small newborn like a football.
"Morgan! You can't hold a little girl like that!" Garcia yelled.
"Actually, did you know that newborns simply like the security of being held tightly, so Morgan's way isn't necessarily wrong--" Reid stopped at seeing the angry glare from Garcia.
"Reid, do you want to hold her?" Hotch asked, noticing how the younger man seemed to stand as far away from the newborns as possible.
"Well, um...I mean..."
"Reid, you're not scared are you?" JJ teased from her hospital bed.
"No. It's just...I've never...I mean...I just" Reid stuttered.
"You've never held a baby before?" Hotch supplied.
"Um. Yeah." Reid admitted as the team laughed.