Adjusting the old picture of her daughter on her new desk, Emily looked over the small expanse. Her first few days at the BAU had been trying on the relationship she had with her daughter; the threat of her having to fly off to solve a case the first week her daughter was adjusting to a new city and school system being the last thread of Ava being able to hold onto her positivity.

The dinners once the newest agent got home were mostly silent until Ava herself got tired of the tension and asked her mother to pass the peas.

But thankfully Emily's new coworkers had been able to bring some levity to her days. Spencer was the most adorable adult she'd ever interacted with, and the way he blossomed around their technical analyst always made her smile. She had found out that JJ also had a child, and they discussed everything from their children's attitudes to favorite hobbies.

Emily hadn't been able to speak much to Derek or Rossi other than when she got their help on one of the files Hotch had placed on her desk, but she knew that once she had the chance to really talk to them it would be easier for her to head out with the team.

Hotch couldn't have been more supportive of her. When she had found it difficult to deal with the constant calls from her lonesome daughter Hotch had made sure to sit her down for a private lunch and tell her a few stories about him and Jack. From all she had heard, the four year old was a handful but well behaved when his father picked him up for their days together.

"Hey Princess."

Brows shooting up at the nickname, Emily turned in her chair to face her coworker. "Are you talking to me?" she almost laughed.

The younger man's lips tightened when he realized he may have made a mistake. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Emily shook her head. "What's up?"

"A couple of us and a few members of Team Bravo are headed out to a bar downtown tonight. Do you want to come?"

The single mother smiled wide at the other agent. He had approached her the day before to ask the same question, but a phone call to his desk quickly cut him off. She hadn't been sure if they still had gone out that night. "I would love to," she grinned, "but I really can't. I have to get home to my daughter."

Derek stood from his desk and peeked over Emily's shoulder to see the picture she had set on her desk. "She looks just like you," he nodded, noting the little girl's dimples. "Is she still that small?"

Emily rolled her lips and gently shook her head. "Not so small anymore."

"Well the offer stands." He sat himself back at his desk and logged out of his email. "It's a Friday so we'll more than likely be there until after ten."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Turning around she packed up the rest of her things and made sure she had her treat for Ava packed away in her briefcase. It was almost six already and if she wasn't home before seven she would have her daughter blowing up her phone.

Hotch slowly closed his office door as he looked down to the newest agent on his team. She had been strong the first week on the job, helping with the profiles and even calming down officers who had gotten rowdy during custodial interview. It was obvious to him that when he hired her Emily would be a great agent, but the fact that she had done such an amazing job in the first few days certainly impressed him. "Emily."

The brunette turned in her chair and smiled up to her oldest friend. "Hi Hotch."

"Getting ready to go?"

Emily slowly nodded. "My nanny is going to want to be getting home soon and I promised Ava her favorite dinner."

The older brunette smiled at the softness he saw on his subordinate's face at the mention of her daughter. "Yeah, I have Jack tonight." Thinking of the young Prentiss girl he hadn't yet met, Hotch took a step forward. "Why don't we have dinner?"

The ambassador's daughter felt her eyes bug out of her head at the notion. "Tonight?"

"I'm not sure if we'll be called away tomorrow and you did promise me that I could meet your daughter," Hotch smiled. "What do you say?"