Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 13: Valentine's Day
February 12th 2013 (Present Time)
"What are you doing for Valentine's day?" Garcia asked Emily as they gathered at the round table early in the morning.
"Ugh. Nothing thank god!" Emily replied after falling into her chair next to Morgan. She was never one of those women that thought if they didn't have a date on valentines it was the end of the world. To her it was just a 'hallmark holiday' made up to get people to spend big bucks on jewelry and candy.
"Why not? Emily you ready need to have some fun." Garcia looked as if the brunette was crazy. Garcia lived for this holiday. Boys, chocolate, and pretty gifts! What's not to love!
Emily laughed and squeezed the tech's hand. "I'm far too pregnant to having any kind of fun on a date and anyways I really need to get moving on decorating the nursery."
"What if I told you I know a nice guy that would love to take you out for Valentine's? And before you ask he is good looking, has a great job, very intelligent and I know the two of you will get along great." The blonde was tired of waiting for Hotch to 'take the bull by the horns' so to speak so she was perfectly happy to do it for him.
Emily groans and looked to Morgan for help. "Please don't let her do this to me." She begged.
"Sorry Princess, I'm not going to tell her she can't do this." He said getting the evil eye from Garcia.
"Thanks a lot!" she growled. "Garcia, I really appreciate your help finding me a date but I really don't want to go out. Plus does this guy of yours know I'm seven and a half months pregnant? I don't see a sane guy going on a date with a pregnant woman. There must be something wrong with him."
"For your information he does know and he thinks you're and I quote 'completely sunning and mesmerizing' so there's that and there is nothing wrong with him. I wouldn't set you up with a creep. Emily please do this." At that moment JJ and Hotch walked into the room and took their seats. "JJ, great! Please tell Gumdrop she needs to go on this date."
Emily turned to the other blonde with a glare. She really didn't want this. It wasn't the first time her friends tried to set her up but it was the first time she really didn't want to go. She would just feel awkward and she really didn't want that.
"Em, I think you should. You haven't been out in so long." JJ ignored the glare and agreed with Garcia.
"Ha! See we all think you should." Garcia smiled.
"Morgan didn't say he agreed just that he knew better than to stop you." Emily defended.
"Okay fine let's take a vote. Morgan, yes or no to Em going on a date for Valentine's Day?"
"Y-yes. Sorry princess." He said dodging the flying fist the brunette swung his way.
"Reid?" JJ questioned the resident genius who was lost to the conversation and his nose in a book.
"Huh?" Reid looked up confused.
"Em going on a date, yes or no?" Garcia said with a pointed stare.
He looked to Emily "Well you haven't been on a date in six…"
"Hush. I know how long it's been thank you very much." Emily interrupted. She knew it had been a long time but honestly she was fine with that. She was happy in her life right now and adding the drama and stress of dating didn't seem like a fun idea. Sure sometimes she got lonely but after dating Hotch all the guys that she considered didn't measure up. She feared no one would.
"So that's a yes. Rossi the great what is your vote?" the smiling blonde asked.
"Sure why not. Em it'll be fun." he smiled at Emily but quickly looked away and went back to his work in fear of the pregnant agent taking a swing at him as well.
"Hotch what do you think?" JJ asked.
Hotch swallowed. For one he didn't want to pressure Emily into going on a date. She didn't respond well to being forced to do things she didn't want to. And for two he wasn't sure what Garcia had up her sleeve. Was this 'date' with him or someone else? "I-I don't think I should get a vote." He said quickly.
Emily half smiled at him. "At least someone is on my side."
"Boss man you do to get a vote." Garcia eyed him. Hint, hint Hotch!
"I'll just leave this to you and anyways I think we need to start." He said taking the small remote and turning on the flat screen and pulled up the images of their next case.
"Fine but Em you are still out numbered so you are going on this date." Garcia rolled her eyes at Hotch and went about passing Reid his paper copies of the case file.
-CM-CM-
February 14th 2013 (Present Time)
Emily hated watching the team go off on a case without her. She hated it almost as much as sitting by the phone in Garcia's office with the nervous blonde waiting for a call to say the take down of the Unsub went well and they were coming home.
Putting a hand over the bouncing knee of the tech Emily squeezed gently "its okay. It hasn't been that long. I'm sure they are all okay."
Garcia nodded with a half hearted smile but didn't say anything. Her mind was still working over Morgan's last call to her. The Unsub had taken a hostage and now they were going through 27 floors of a business building trying to find him. She knew that took time but over three hours?
"Let's talk about something." Emily said trying to get the blonde's attention from the phone she was staring at. "So I think I might do a home birth. I read that it could be less stressful both on me and the baby."
That got the tech's attention. "Really? What does your doctor think?"
Emily smiled to herself with an imaginary pat on the back. "She said as long as everything is going well in my last few weeks and there are no foreseeable complications. I'm not sure I will go through with it but I do think it would be nice. You know I hate hospitals."
"You do." Garcia agreed. "Would you just have a midwife or something?"
"Yeah, and my mom will be there and you and JJ if you are comfortable with that. I mean not in the room with me and all the nastiness but at my house."
"I would love that! Oh my gosh yes!" Garcia was out of her seat and hugging Emily within seconds. "I would love to be there for Lil' Princess' birth."
Emily's smile widened just thinking about it. She was close to eight months and that was just another step closer to seeing her perfect little baby. She still had yet to actually prepare for the baby and most of the gifts her parents got her at Christmas were still in their boxes in the spare room she had Morgan clean out but as she got closer it was really hitting her.
Some mornings she still woke up thinking it was a dream but then looking down at her swollen belly she thanked God it wasn't. Even though it was going to be hard on her own she was determined to do everything she could to bring her baby into this world healthy and loved. And surrounding herself with the love of her parents and friend was a piece of that. They will be as much a part of her child's life as she will be. So having Garcia and JJ with her at the birth would be a no brainer.
"I don't think I could ever do what you are." Garcia said sitting back down and glancing at the phone.
"What?" Emily questioned.
"Being a single parent. Don't get me wrong I think you are going to be an amazing mother and this baby isn't going to hurt for anything but I don't think I could do it. I'm not strong like you."
Emily all out laughed at that. Garcia not strong? Yeah right. "You are too. You send your family out every other day to find Unsubs and wait like this for word that they are okay. I'm going completely crazy here. You also sit here looking at all this…" she motioned to the computers and the board with the pictures of the victims hanging off it. "You see more than we do to tell you the truth. I couldn't do this. You are so much stronger than I am." Emily took the blonde's hand in hers. "If you weren't with me these past few weeks waiting for the call I don't think I would still be here."
Garcia shook her head. "But you are the ones that go out and find these creeps. All I do is sit here."
"Oh Penelope, you give us way too much credit. We just have death wishes. You are strong and don't ever say you aren't." Emily joked with a wink. "Plus my daughter needs a strong Auntie Penelope."
Garcia smiled at that and both women jumped when the phone rang. With a hand over her heart and a deep breath the blonde answered. When a smile lit up Garcia's face Emily knew the team was fine and on the way home. Grabbing her files and bag she kissed Garcia's head and made her way to the bullpen.
Putting away her open files and cleaning up her desk she relished in the quiet of the empty room. Normally it was jammed pack with people and noise but for eight at night it was nice and calm with only a few lights left on and only one or two interns turning in their work.
For the past few weeks she loved this time. After 'the call' she would book it back to her desk to soak in the quiet as her mind worked over the case and did her best to move past anything she was hanging onto about it. Now that she wasn't allowed to travel with the team she felt as if she lived at the office. It was her home now and she liked being there when it was quiet. It soothed her in a weird way, taking all her stress away.
"They are on the way home and we have tomorrow off. Everything went smoothly and no one was hurt." Garcia said into the darkened room to Emily.
"Good. Are you headed out?" Emily asked grabbing her purse from the bottom drawer.
"Yes ma'am." She smiled. "Are you ready for your date?" she asked as they both walked into the open elevator.
"No, but I guess I have to be. I'm glad he understood I couldn't go tonight." Emily said remembering Garcia said she would call and make the date for the day after Valentine's since the case would call it close.
"Yeah, he didn't mind." She smiled trying to keep her laugh to herself. Hotch didn't mind at all. Going on a date when he was a few states away was not going to cut it.
"Good, well goodnight. See you on Monday except if I kill you for the bad date." Emily said walking to her car.
"You're going to have fun. Have a nice weekend." Garcia replied with a grin.
A/N: No flashback in this one but I hope you liked the Emily/Garcia banter. They just kind of took over this chapter and wouldn't give it back. Date in the next chapter!