A/N: In my own copy of this story I have a small portion dedicated to Dan and Pip saying goodbye. I know they were just throwaway characters but given their prominence in Emily's San Francisco life I figured they deserved a final hurrah.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds. Or Planet Earth.

"And that's it," she said, pushing the last of the boxes into the SUV. Emily turned to face Dan, holding Emma. He passed her over and smiled. "I'm gonna miss you Em," he said. Emily smiled as she buckled Emma in her car seat. "We're gonna miss you guys too," she said. She turned to face her friends. As she pulled him tight in a hug Dan whispered in her ear, "Drive safe Em," he paused as he stood back. "Invite us to the wedding," Pip teased. Emily grinned. "Haha. Sure," she said. She turned once more at her car door to look at her building. As beautiful as it was, the place she and Emma were going had so much more to offer. The man she loved, her family, the BAU. Dan and Pip watched as she hopped in her seat and waved before she drove off.

Emily pulled into the carpark of the hotel in Denver the next evening. It was about 7pm in Colorado and Emily looked at her watch as she carried Emma and their bags up to their room. She quickly went about changing Emma and putting her to bed before she picked up her cell. "Hi. You've reached Aaron and Jack. We're not at home at the moment so please leave your name and number and we'll get back to you as soon as possible… BEEP." Emily smiled. "Hi, it's me. Just thought I'd drop a line and tell you we made it to Denver. All I can say after driving for twenty hours is THANK GOD FOR DVD PLAYERS! Anyway that's the big part of the drive over. The rest of the trip is made up of 8-hour legs so hopefully I won't get too sick of driving. Mind you, this country is beautiful. Give me a call if you get this soon. And if I don't answer it's only cause I've collapsed from exhaustion. Love you. Bye," she said before hanging up. She picked up the remote and switched on the television, falling asleep to Iron Chef.

Hotch and Jack had just arrived home from his friend's birthday party. He put Jack to bed before he went back to the living room to check the messages. As he listened to Emily's message he smiled. He looked at his watch and figured out what time it was in Colorado. 8pm, not too late to call. He picked up his phone and dialed the number. "Hi, this is Emily and Emma. Sorry we missed your call but leave your name and number and we'll get back to you soon. P.S. In case you didn't hear… we're moving back to DC! Ok, name and number… after the beep… BEEP." Hotch frowned. "Uh… it's me. Uh… Ho… Aaron. Sorry I didn't get your call. Jack had a birthday party and we just got back. It was so good to hear your voice. Glad you made it to Denver. I'm glad you're taking your time. It's not safe to drive too much. In saying that I will be extremely happy when you finally get here. I guess we'll talk soon. Give Emma a cuddle for me. I love you too Em. Bye," he said before hanging up. He tapped the phone on his chin and smiled.

Emily and Emma were pulled up at a rest stop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Emily pulled Emma's lunch from the back of the car before she set her up on the pullout bumper. As she helped her daughter unwrap the sandwich Emily pulled out her cell and dialed speed-dial 1. "Hi, you've reached Aaron Hotchner of the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit. Please leave your name and a detailed message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible… BEEP." Emily rolled her eyes. "Well. Here we go again. We're stopped for lunch and thought I'd call. Nebraska is really beautiful this time of year. We really should come out here at some point. Emma's being such a good girl. I can't believe how well behaved she is. And she's my kid. Ok, well I guess you're busy with a case or something. Give me a call when you get this. And since I cannot stop saying this… I love you Aaron. I'll give Emma a hug for you and you give Jack a hug for me. See you soon." Emily sighed as she closed her cell. She looked down at Emma and laughed seeing peanut butter globs on her shirt. "Alright sweetheart. Let's get you changed then we can keep going."

Hotch walked through the foyer of the hotel in Phoenix. He ran his hand through his hair as the team made their way to the elevators. They were silent in the ride up, pausing in the hallway to say goodnight and agree to meet for breakfast before they flew back to DC. He walked into his room and collapsed on the bed. His phone began to vibrate with a message so he pulled it out of his pocket. He listened to the message and checked his watch. That message came in at lunch and she was hoping to make it to Chicago by nightfall. It was now ten pm so Hotch was hoping she'd pick up. He rolled his eyes when he heard the voicemail message. "Hey sweetheart. It's me. I really want to hear your voice. And not just in a message, which is good. But I really miss you. Now that I know that you feel the same way I can't wait for you to be home so we can figure this out. I think the team's picked up on something. According to Morgan I've been significantly happier since San Francisco. I suppose working with behaviouralists does have it's drawbacks. I tried to brush it off on your coming back to the team but I don't think they bought it. In fact, I know Rossi didn't. But in case you're wondering he thinks it's good. His exact words were "WELL IT'S ABOUT FREAKIN TIME!" Direct quote. I hope you're still driving safe. Remember you've got a man and a boy both waiting for you and your daughter to come home. Have fun and try and relax. Everything will all work out eventually," Hotch paused and took a deep breath. "I love you Emily. See you soon."

Emily looked in the rear view mirror and laughed at Emma mumbling along to Aretha Franklin. She couldn't help but smile when she watched her daughter. Emily looked back at the road and noticed the sign. "Washington DC: 220 miles." She sighed. They'd just left Pittsburgh and were on the final leg of their trip. Four days of driving and Emily was ready to get out of the car and sleep. And in just over three hours they would be there.

Emily's mother was so excited about them returning to DC that she'd gone over to refurnish the home. While she was sad about her daughter's failed marriage, she knew that Emily hadn't been truly happy. But now, she was coming home. And back to the BAU where Elizabeth knew her daughter belonged. And Emily knew that her mother would do whatever was in her power to help her along.

Emily picked up her cell and hit the speed dial. After it hit the voicemail message (of course, why not?) Emily waited for the beep. "Ok, so apparently I'm having an affair with your voicemail. In any case, it's good to hear your voice. We've just left Pittsburgh. ALMOST THERE! I can't believe how excited I am to be coming home. And to you… of all people. I've wanted this for so long and, while I do have Emma now, I wish I'd done this a long time ago. I love you so much Hotch… Aaron. I should really learn to separate the two… But I love you both and I can't wait to see what happens. We should get home by dinnertime, around 6:30. My mother has already set up Emma's room with furniture so I'll probably just get home, put her to bed, eat some dinner and do the unpacking tomorrow. If you get this before then and don't have a case, feel free to come around. I really don't think I'll be able to wait too long before I see you. I love you Aaron. And Hotch too. See you soon." She smiled as she hung up.

Hotch walked out of the conference room and headed towards the elevators. He reached into his pocket and saw the new voicemail. He knew who it was but still got excited as he hit the button. His eyes crinkled when he heard her voice, her words. And he knew, tomorrow morning… she was finally here. He was tempted to pick up Jack at six and race straight there. But he knew she'd be exhausted from the drive and should get some sleep.

So he simply dialed her number and waited. "Hello," she said, answering the phone. "Emily! You're there!" he said, more excited that she'd actually picked up this time. He quickly schooled his features and drew in the excitement as the elevator doors opened. "Oh it's you! Yay!" she cried out, excited to hear his voice, live. "Where are you?" he asked, glancing at his watch. "Uh, we're about an hour from home. I can't believe we're finally here! I can tell you with absolute certainty that if you want to go anywhere further than a ten-block radius from my house, you're driving," she joked.

Hotch felt the corners of his mouth twitching as he walked through the BAU up to his office. "Either option is fine with me," he said, "So I was going to pick up Jack and surprise you tonight but you sound exhausted." Emily smiled and nodded. "I want to see you too but I'm really tired and Emma's starting to get cranky so I think it'll be baths, toast, then bed for us tonight," she said.

Hotch nodded and sat in his desk chair. "Alright. Well… what time do you want us round tomorrow?" he asked. "Uh, how about 9? I know you could probably come around earlier but I really just want to get a good night sleep in my own bed," she said grimly. Hotch smiled. "Alright. 9 it is. We'll bring breakfast," he said. Emily smiled. "It's a deal. I'll bring the cranky 1-year old," she joked. Hotch chuckled. "I'll see you in the morning Em. Drive safe and I love you," he said. Emily smiled. "I will. And I love you too."

Hotch hung up his cell and looked at the clock. There was no way he was going to get any more work done tonight. The sooner he picked Jack up, the sooner they would go to bed. Which meant the sooner he would see Emily again. He packed up the paperwork in his briefcase and turned off his desk lamp before he walked out. "See you Monday guys," he called out to Reid and Morgan as he walked past.

Emily smiled as she walked through the front door of her home. And it was home. As much as she loved living in San Francisco she could never call it home. Because her family, her parents and her team-mates, weren't there. Emily locked the deadbolt then walked down the hall, threw her keys on the counter and dropped the small bags at the bottom of the stairs. Emma was fast asleep on her shoulder and didn't stir at all. Emily kissed the top of Emma's head before she started up the stairs.

She quickly changed Emma and put her to bed. Emily looked around the room that her mother and step-mother had decorated. Light green walls with a big pink E above her crib. White furniture, including the rocking chair that Emily's own mother used when she was a baby. Emily lay Emma in her crib, pulled the blanket up and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight sweet girl," she whispered before leaving the room. This ritual, this moment, was her favourite as a mom. Saying goodnight to her sleeping baby and watching her as she dreamt. Nothing was more beautiful.

Emily walked downstairs and picked up the small bags of clothes. She quickly unpacked, throwing the first load into the washer, before she went into the kitchen to make herself a light dinner. She picked up her plate of toast and glass of juice and walked over to the lounge room. Everything was pretty much the same, though the TV was larger, and there was a small cot in the corner of the room for Emma. Emily sat down on the lounge and switched on the TV. She smiled as her favourite show came on, Planet Earth. She finished her toast and sat back to watch the polar bear cubs toboggan down the snow. A few minutes later she drifted to sleep.