A/N: Hey, guys. So, this story is for one of my good friends, Audrey, (ankCM). She suggested the prompt, 'summer, strawberries, Iowa, Audrey Hepburn, and a baby.' Thank you, love-bug, and I hope you enjoy this, I know I did! Sorry this took so long, I just got back from Costa Rica.

Thank you to my two BETAs, Kelsey and Emily! You are both amazing and I love you dearly.

Now, what you all have been waiting for,

Chapter 3

Emily glanced across the room as the phone rang later that night. It had been a rough few hours spent moving furniture with Clyde. Not only had it been bad enough having to spend the time alone with him, but he seemed to know something was up. He had interrogated her all throughout dinner, inquiring upon her whereabouts and wondering why she hadn't picked up the phone when he had called repeatedly. Her response was "because we're not married, never were, never will be. I have a life." That got him to shut up for the rest of the meal, which was a simple plate of food that the lazy man had prepared for the three of them. Macaroni and cheese.

As Emily crossed the room to pick up her cell, Clyde cast a swift glance at her, rolling his eyes. "Sure, now you can pick up the damn phone. Who is it, your boyfriend?" He shook his head irritably and watched as she retreated into the bathroom, clutching the phone to her chest.

As she locked the door, she answered with a quiet "Prentiss."

Hotch smiled to himself as he listened to the soft breathing over the phone. She was always so subordinate, so sophisticated and ready to work, even when they were off duty. "Pren - Emily. It's, uh… Hotch." He worked his jaw as all coherent thoughts seemed to leave him. Why had he even called her to begin with?

As the silence stretched on, she cleared her throat awkwardly, "Um, alright? Hotch, is there-"

"Sorry, I, uh… Emily, I'm sorry for what happened today. I didn't mean to sound so-"

"Hotch, it's fine."

Hotch. So that's who had called at, he glanced at his watch, quarter to nine PM. Clyde sighed as he pressed his ear to the bathroom door, trying to hear Emily's side of the conversation. Was this work related? Or was this the man whom she was out with all day? Her words from dinner ran through his mind as there was a pause in the conversation. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Oh, screw what she said. He wanted his Emily back. Besides, he hated Aaron Hotchner. Ever since that case so long ago. He pulled back from the door as a tiny voice spoke up from behind him. Lorelai looked up at him with her big brown eyes, Emily's eyes, and giggled softly, smiling. "Dada? What'ya doin?" She looked up at him curiously now as he picked her up and carried her to the living room.

He tapped her nose and sat her on his lap, "Honey, can you tell me who your mother was with earlier today and what you did?"

Lorelai gave him a funny look and crossed her arms, turning her head away. "Why?"

Clyde groaned softly and shook his head. She definitely had Emily's sass. "Okay, LoLo, sweetie, if you tell me, I'll take you to breakfast tomorrow, and then ice cream-"

"Clyde Easter, no you will not." Clyde glanced up as Emily walked into the room, her arms folded over her chest as she glared at the man. "Don't spoil Lorelai even more."

Clyde stood up with the child in his arms, "Oh, come on, Emmy. A growing girl needs to eat a good breakfast, you know."

Emily glared harder, shaking her head. "Don't call me Emmy. And that is not what I was talking about, Clyde." She sighed and sat down in the couch, mumbling softly as she placed a hand over her face, "I know coming down here was a mistake."

This riled the English man, causing him to stare at her. "A mistake? Emily, I'm not the one who walked away from us. You took Lorelai with you, I just want to see her before you decide to hide her away for another two years."

Emily growled, standing up and meeting him, chest to chest. "Hiding her away?! Clyde, I asked you when you'd come visit. I sent you plane tickets, invitations, emails to her birthdays, and you always responded with, "I'll see what I can do." Did you ever show? NO, so don't even tell me I hid her away from you."

Clyde looked down at Lorelai and covered her ears as he shook his head, "God, Emily. When did you become such a bitch?"

Narrowing her eyes, Emily took a step closer and lowered her voice to a cold whisper, "I've always been one." She shook her head and walked out of the room, right as he called out.

"Yeah, forgot about that. Sorry. Oh, by the way, how was your date with Agent Hotchner? Did you two play a game of baseball? Are you two going out tomorrow?"

Before Emily left the room completely, she turned and threw a pillow, hitting him square in the face. "Shut up, Clyde." She groaned internally, running a hand through her messy hair and pulling it out of its ponytail as she got ready to shower. As if he'd known she was actually out with him. However, she had no idea as to why she had gotten so defensive of the whole situation… She and Hotch hadn't actually done anything together… They weren't anything close to a couple, so why had she felt obligated to defend herself? She closed her eyes as she lathered her hair with her signature shampoo. A soft mix of strawberries and vanilla.

What had happened over the phone after he had apologized was that he actually asked her to bring Lorelai over so she and Jack could play together. As if to sweeten the deal and truly apologize, he told her that they'd bake cookies, and that only Sean would be around, as Carrie and Angela were taking Audrey shopping in the city tomorrow. Unable to refuse his offer, she accepted, mumbling a soft goodnight as the call came to an end.

As she finished in the shower and changed into a tank top and shorts, she walked down to the living room and glanced in, watching as Clyde tossed Lorelai up over his head. Her maternal instinct kicked in and she panicked slightly as she entered the room. "Clyde!"

To her relief, he caught her and she began giggling wildly. Emily's eyes caught his as he smirked, "Emmy, calm down. She likes it."

"Don't call me Emmy."

She glared at the man, watching as he threw her up again, causing her to laugh outrageously as he caught her in his arms. "Again, again!" She screamed and laughed as he threw her up a bit higher this time.

"Clyde, really! What if you drop her?"

"Aw, come on, Em. Don't ya trust me?"

"No."

He shrugged and held her close, "Eh, fair enough." He glanced at the girl in his arms and tapped her nose once more, "Sorry, biscuit. Mommy's being a worrywart and ruining our fun."

As if to crush her heart, Lorelai turned to her mother and bit her quivering lower lip in the most adorable way.

"Jesus Christ, Clyde." She rolled her eyes and looked down at Lorelai. "Baby…" Emily walked to her daughter and brushed her fingers through her thick, dark hair. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to get hurt. Hey, I think I know what will cheer you up…" She smiled and shrugged, Lorelai's face scrunching up with curiosity.

"Wha' mama?"

"Well, you remember Jack, right? His daddy invited us over for a play date tomorrow… After breakfast with daddy, you and I will go over there, huh?"

The youngling grinned widely, a dimple beginning to peak out and indent her cheek as she nodded. "YEAH!"

Emily laughed softly and glanced over at Clyde, hardening her gaze as he scoffed. "Not one word, Easter. This is a play date for the two of them. Besides, Hotch is my boss."

He smirked and shook his head, "Yeah, okay."

"And Clyde, no ice cream for her tomorrow. Now, I'm putting her to bed." She nodded, holding his gaze as she carried her daughter out of the room.

As Emily entered the Hotchner residence with Lorelai at her hip, she smiled slowly as Sean opened the door to let her inside. "Aaron, your girlfriend is here!" Emily bit her lip and blinked, "Um, Sean, we're not-"

"Oh, I know. It just annoys the shit out of my brother, sorry if it bothers you, though… I guess I can turn it down a bit, though." He shrugged and glanced back as his brother approached with a stern look.

"Sean, we're not-"

"Mhm. Well, you two kids have fun." He winked at Aaron and moved on to Lorelai as Jack came running, "I'll take them out to the backyard to play, if you'd like." He nudged Emily's arm discreetly as he walked out.

Emily sighed softly and watched as he left them, "So…"

Hotch cursed internally, trying to reformulate his plan in his mind. "So, would you like to help me make lunch?" He shrugged and smiled very slightly as she nodded and followed him into the kitchen. They filled the tension with casual conversation for the first few minutes as they gathered the ingredients. "Hmm, My brother finished off that pie this morning… What are you in the mood for, for dessert?

Emily eyed Hotch and shrugged, "Do you think chocolate chip cookies would be acceptable?"

He grinned widely, unable to control it as the memory from their first encounter tugged at his brain. He stifled it and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Would you like to start on them?" She caught his eye and grinned as well, nodded swiftly.

Aaron watched as Emily hummed and maneuvered around the kitchen, almost as if she were dancing. Never had he seen a woman so graceful in the kitchen. A genuine smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he watched her carry on. He glanced at the large bowl with the unbaked dough and grinned, an idea falling into place. He waited until her back was turned. She was returning the eggs to the fridge, when she heard Aaron's footsteps behind her. Holding up the spoon in defense, she turned and whacked his hand with the utensil as he scraped his fingers against the side of the bowl. "Hotch, honestly, you're worse than the kids!"

She glared, placing her arms over her chest as he reached into the bowl again and dabbed a bit of cookie dough onto her nose. "Aaron!" She squealed softly and reciprocated, only throwing it at his head. Sticking her tongue out. The dough had hit him right in the middle of his forehead. Emily grinned wickedly at Aaron as he aimed another handful at her.

"Uh oh… I don't think I like that look."

"You won't get any cookies if you keep this up." She laughed softly and smirked, scooping up another handful when her feet suddenly left the ground. Squealing in shock and laughter, she looked down to see strong arms around her waist, holding her up against a very firm and muscular chest.

"Oh no you don't." Aaron grinned as she tried to kick her way free, but gripped her tighter against his body. "Besides, I think this is way better…" He growled softly by her ear, unable to control himself.

"Aaron!" She tried to free herself, both unaware that Sean had walked in and was now looking on in amusement. Sean smiled to himself and returned outside, letting the two brunette agents have a moment as they laughed. It wasn't often either one of them could laugh so freely, almost in a childish manner.

Aaron grabbed another handful of the dough and dabbed at her cheeks, smudging chocolate all over her face.

He released her then, letting her catch her breath as they both stopped laughing. She looked up at him and smiled. "You have cookie dough all over your face."

He chuckled and nodded, wiping a small bit from her nose and grinning wide, dimples and all. "As do you, Agent Prentiss." He winked and her heart just about melted.

She laughed softly and shook her head, "Well…" As if things had just become awkward, she shrugged and turned, finishing the balls of dough. "I'll put these in then, and then we can eat lunch." She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, pulling out a small glob of the cookie dough,

"I'm sorry."

Shocked and confused, she looked up at him and shook her head, the corners of her mouth arching up slightly, "Don't be."

He nodded, his own smile beginning to play on his lips as well. "Alright then… I'll go get Sean and the kids-".

Before he could leave, Emily reached up and picked some of the dough from his dark hair. They exchanged smiles before he left her in the awkward sexual tension, giving her time to reflect on everything and sort out her true feelings. Surely bosses do not bake cookies with their employees, especially have it turn into… this.

Glancing around the kitchen, she gasped softly. Whatever this was.

They had made such a huge mess. Dough covered the cabinets, the counters, and the flooring. She quickly darted around, trying to clean it as best as possible. She was on the floor, scrubbing at the tile when Aaron came in with a small laugh. "Why is it everytime I see you, you're on the ground?"

He shook his head and helped her up, brushing the pad of his thumb against her cheek to get some of the dough away, "We'll clean up after. Don't worry about it." He turned as the door closed and a throat cleared awkwardly from behind them. Sean.

"I'm not cleanin' that up." He beamed knowingly at the couple and turned away with a smirk. "What's for lunch, brother?"

"Well, because you were too lazy to cook, and I can't make extravagant meals, we're having quesadilla and enchiladas."

Emily chuckled softly and shrugged, bringing over the plate of food. "We shall see." She grinned and sat down at the table, across from Aaron and next to Sean.

"So, Aaron, Carrie and I were thinking about having our own child soon…"

Aaron glanced up from helping Jack and Lorelai cut their food and sputtered slightly. "Woah, um, so soon? It's only been, what, a month since you two got married?"

Emily glared mildly at Aaron and raised an eyebrow as Sean cringed slightly. "OW!"

"What?" He eyed Sean with wide eyes.

Emily blushed scarlet and bit her lip. "Oh…"

"Emily, she kicked me under the table... Pretty sure she was aiming for you though." He smirked at the two of them and took a sip of his glass.

Aaron held in a slight chuckle and glanced at Emily as she blushed and turned to help Lorelai. "Definitely meant for me."

She slowly looked up and smirked wickedly as she kicked again, this time the toe of her boot collided with the right man, and she smiled, satisfied. "Wait, you mean Audrey isn't…"

Sean shook his head and smiled sadly. "No. Carrie and I just got married. I had adopted Audrey as my own once we did, though. It's still recent." Emily nodded and smiled, mumbling a small 'oh'.

"So, you and Carrie are going to try for a baby of your own?" Hotch sipped his own drink and shrugged, "Uh, good luck, I guess?"

The next few minutes of the meal were silent until Jack piped up from his seat and looked at his father with wide eyes. "Daddy, where do babies come from?"

Emily tried to hide her laughter but failed miserably. She glanced across at Hotch and ran her fingers through Lorelai's hair as she ate contently. "Yeah, Hotch. Where do they come from?" She grinned, enjoying the shocked and panicked look on her unit chief's face.

"Emily…" He growled under his breath as Jack began to play with his father's tie around his neck. "You are not helping at all." He nudged her foot underneath the table, causing her to laugh harder. Hotch sighed and looked down at his son, placing him on his lap. "Well, buddy-"

As he was about to begin, the front door opened and Audrey walked in, followed by Angela and Carrie holding shopping bags. "So, I see you made lunch in - Holy crow, Aaron. Why is my kitchen so messy?" Emily stole a glance across at Hotch and bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Well, you see, uh… Emily and I were-"

"Oh, so now you're blaming Emily? Honestly, Aaron. Didn't I raise you better? And, oh Emily, it's so good to see you again, dear. Really, Aaron?" She shook her head, half amused. Emily finished her meal and helped Carrie clean up the kitchen, the two of them laughing as Angela scolded Aaron in front of the children.

"So, how was shopping?"

"Long. Definitely could use a girls' night out soon." Carrie shrugged and put her hair up into a loose bun. "And how was… lunch?" She grinned, nudging Emily's arm.

"Uh, good, I guess." She shrugged, downplaying everything as she hid her smile.

Carrie was unconvinced at this and she shook her head as she laughed. "You guess? Well, it must have been fun because there's cookie dough all over the kitchen." She picked out a piece of cookie dough from Emily's hair and smiled discreetly as the brunette woman blushed.

"I, uh…"

"Emily?"

She glanced up as her name was called from the other room. Smiling instinctively, she glanced up at Carrie and nodded, apologizing silently as she left and followed the voice. "Yeah, Hotch?"

She walked into the room and he smiled very slightly as he raised his head to glance at her. "Wanna take a walk?" The walk had been Sean's idea, of course. She smiled a bit wider and nodded, falling into step with her unit chief. She felt the warmth of his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out. He glanced down at the brunette down by his side and nodded.

"So, Sean told me that Lorelai and Jack are becoming the best of friends." He shrugged and steered her away from a small hole in the dirt path. She smiled and nodded, thanking him quietly.

"Hm, I don't doubt that. All last night Lore had been wanting to see Jack again…" She sighed softly and closed her eyes as the sun beat down on the back of her neck.

"Same with Jack. Sean said that they were playing as if they had always known each other. Like us, I think they really make a great pair." He hadn't even realized what he had said until she gasped softly and bit her lip. Watching her glance down at the ground, he stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Yeah… Like us." Emily whispered breathlessly.

Hotch cleared his throat and shrugged, placing his index finger under her chin and lifting it up so she could meet his eyes. She did and blushed sheepishly with a small smile as she hid her nerves.

"Emily." He stepped closer toward her, covering the rest of the distance between their bodies and rested his forehead against hers. He breathed her given name again, causing her to look up at him. There was nothing steady or reliable about his expression. His eyes were dark, his cheeks flushed. As she raised her face, he brought his down slowly, his mouth slanting across her own. And even as she froze in surprise, they were kissing. Hotch. She was kissing her unit chief. But in that moment, she didn't even care. He was Aaron in that moment.

His mouth was soft and firm; one of his hands circled the back of her neck gently, guiding her mouth to his. With his other hand he cupped her face, running his thumb gently across her cheekbone. His touches, his lips, were tentative, and she knew why. He would mind that this was the height of impropriety, that he should not be touching her like he was, kissing her, that she should be pulling away.

But she didn't want to pull away. Even as she wondered at the fact that it was Aaron she was kissing, Aaron making her head swim and her ears ring, she felt her arms rise as if of their own accord, curving around his neck, drawing him closer.

He gasped against her mouth. He must have been so sure she would push him away that for a moment he went still. Her hands glided over his shoulders, urging him with gentle touches. Hesitantly, he returned her caress, and hen with greater force-kissing her again with increasing urgency, cupping her face between his burning hands, his thin gun-calloused fingers stroking her skin, making her shiver. His hands moved to the small of her back, pressing her against him; her weakening legs gave way, and they half stumbled backward against a tree by the side of the path.

Her fingers wound tightly in his shirt as he caught them, resting her chest against his as he inhaled and breathed in her scent.

She felt like she was spinning, her mind unable to process anything as she felt her heart beat out of her chest. And suddenly, all of the songs began to make sense.

She was the first to pull away from the sweet embrace, leaving them both panting for oxygen. She looked up at him with a shocked expression, but a smile quickly arched at the corners of her lips as he looked down at her, completely flushed. He released her slowly and worked his jaw, not quite knowing what to do next.

"So, um…"

"Yeah…" She released a breath and nodded awkwardly, watching him curiously. Her unit chief had just kissed her. Surely she wasn't going insane, right?

She closed her eyes once more, trying to calm her pulse rate. "So, I..."

Before she could even finish, she heard Sean's voice from the house calling to her about Lorelai. Apparently she had gotten hungry again, and he wanted to know what he could give her. Emily glanced at Hotch one last time before leading the way back indoors. If there wasn't tension before, there sure as hell was tension now. However, it was a different kind of tension, Sean observed. Somehow this was much different… They already had seemed to move in sync, but now they really were. As Emily took care of Lorelai, Aaron was right by her side whispering to her. Sean watched the dark haired duo as his brother made her laugh.

After the cookies Hotch and Emily had baked earlier were distributed, Emily yawned softly and glanced down at her watch. It was already close to dinner time. She bit into her cookie, finishing it quickly and glanced over at Hotch sadly. "We should go soon. It's already getting late, and I'd hate to intrude on another one of your meals with family." She smiled sheepishly and shrugged as he told her it was fine if she did, that his family loved her. She laughed softly and shook her head, eyeing him warmly. "Hotch, I'm sure you all will get sick of our presence eventually." Emily moved into the living room to grab Lorelai's belongings, as well as her own.

Sean approached from behind and leaned against the wall, "Leaving so soon, Em?" She turned around to face him and smiled softly as she nodded.

"Yeah, Lore and I should be off. It's getting late." She shrugged and glanced down at her daughter as Jack and her clung to each other. She sighed softly as Sean laughed when Lorelai began to put up a fuss about leaving. Leaving meant no JackJack, and no JackJack meant she had no one to play with. She didn't want to leave. Besides, she liked this Agent Hotch-man that her mother seemed so fascinated by. Why would mommy want to leave if they both like it there? It just didn't make sense.

"Lorelai, come on, honey. Please?" Lorelai just fought back harder, pushing and pulling away from Emily's grasp.

Sean placed a hand on Emily's back and nodded, "I'll get Aaron." She nodded, watching as he left for the kitchen. As Sean eyed Aaron at the counter, he smirked, "Your hot girlfriend needs some help with the kids."

"Emily is not my girlfriend." He growled, returning to his work as he silently added a 'not yet'.

"Oh, but you so wish she was.. Careful, man, she's a gorgeous woman. Any man would snatch her up sooner or later." He winked, patting Aaron's shoulder. "Just hope you don't wait too long." He shrugged and walked out of the kitchen as an exhausted Emily entered with Lorelai on her hip, a slight frown forming on Emily's beautiful features. After having wrestled with Lorelai, she was completely worn out.

She turned to watch Sean leave, and then moved closer to Aaron, Lorelai resting against her chest. "Wait too long for what?" Her dark eyes searched him, making him grow uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Uh-" Before he could think of a coherent response, she found something else to distract herself. He sighed in relief and shrugged.

"Oh, tell me you did not bring your paperwork with you?" She covered the distance between them in two strides and glanced over his shoulder, groaning softly. "Hotch!" She shook her head and rolled her eyes with a bemused expression. "You are on a vacation with family. I am not letting you do paperwork." She gently thumped the back of his head, causing him to groan in slight pain and Sean to chuckle from the edge of the room.

"Hey, I can report you for that."

A small grin began to form on her red lips as she chuckled. "Really? 'Cause, uh, last time I checked… We both were still off duty." Her eyes twinkled and he allowed himself to laugh.

"Prentiss."

She smirked, letting out a soft sigh as Lorelai stirred in her arms, trying to get down and play with Jack. "I should really get back now… I'll see you soon, Hotch." She glanced down at his papers and swiped them into the folder. She grabbed the folder and grinned. "No, I'm taking these with me. Hotch, spend some time away from the office." She nodded, tucking the folder under her arm as she balanced Lorelai. "Thank you… This was nice, you're actually a pretty great cook." She winked and walked out towards the door, pausing only when she heard her name being called from behind her.

"Emily, wait."

She froze and turned, not knowing what to expect.

"Emily.." Hotch followed her out and held out her purse for her, shrugging, "I'm thinking you might just need this… You left it on the couch." He smiled a thin smile and nodded, "Well, uh…" He stopped completely when she stood up on tip toes and pressed her lips to his cheek gently, placing a gentle kiss there. She pulled back with a soft smile and shrugged, whispering a soft 'thank you' before turning back to her car. This time when she left, Hotch watched her pull out of the property completely and watched her car disappear, before he returned to the indoors.

A/N: Okay, so because of my recent trip to Costa Rica, Spanish food is still in my mind, so, yeah… Sorry for the quesadillas and enchiladas.

Oh, and there is more of the story to come.

Thank you for reading and please review! It always makes me happy to know your thoughts.

-Em.