A couple days later Hotch called Emily and asked her to come over for lunch. She knocked on his door at 11:30. He quickly opened the door and let her in.

"Thanks for coming over."

"Sure. I told you I would be there for you if you needed me."

They smiled at each other and walked into the kitchen.

"So where's Jack?" She asked, hanging her coat on the back of a chair.

"At a friend's house for a play date. I hope you don't mind grilled cheese and soup for lunch?"

"No that's fine."

"All right, have a seat and I'll start the sandwiches." He went about getting the bread and cheese.

"Do you need any help?"

"Sure. Why don't you pull down a can of whatever soup you want?"

Emily walked over to the cabinet he indicated and took out a can of chicken noodle then dumped it into a pot and put it on the stove.

"So why did you want me to come over?" She asked as she stirred the soup some.

"Let's finish cooking and then talk as we eat."

Ten minutes later they were settled at the table with a sandwich, a bowl of soup and a cup of water. After a couple bites Emily began the conversation.

"Time to talk yet?"

"I guess. I decided to I am going to return to work on Monday."

"Really. I'm glad. We all miss you."

"I talked to Jessica last night when she came over to cook us dinner. She said she would be more than happy to look after Jack while I'm away."

"I knew she would. She knows how important both Jack and your job are to you."

"Yeah. I love my job but I am still unsure if it is the right thing to do. I felt bad enough always leaving Jack when he had his mother, but now that I am his only parent I don't think it is right to constantly leave him without either parent."

"Hey. You are not leaving him parentless." Emily put her hand over his. "Look at me." When his eyes met hers, she saw a few unshed tears. "You will be with Jack whenever you can. Plus we did just prove we don't need you on every case so you could always stay behind a day or two of a whole case sometimes if you think you need it." That brought a small smile to his lips. "You have always been and will always be Jack's hero. He knows you love him and will always be there for him when he needs you and when you can be."

"Thanks." They smiled at each other and she squeezed his hand.

They quickly finished their lunch and then moved into the living room and sat on the couch.

"How's Jack doing?"

"Okay. He is still watching some of her videos but I think he will do that for a while since he was used to seeing her every day and now he's not going to."

"He's a strong boy. He'll be okay. He has you and Jessica and the team will always be there if you or he ever need anything."

They sat there and talked for a while before Hotch looked at the clock.

"It's 3:00 already. Sorry Emily, I have to go pick up Jack from his friend's house."

She stood up and he followed. "Don't worry about it." She smiled at him and gathered her things. "Thanks for lunch and I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Thanks for coming over and yeah I'll see you tomorrow at work."

Hotch grabbed his coat, wallet and keys and together they walked out.