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.' Sorry this took a lot longer than expected. I just kind of lost my motivation and well, yeah… I've been RPing a lot lately and therefore sort of forgot about my fanfiction. Alas, I am back. Postings will still be slow, as school is getting difficult with the whole looking at colleges thing.

Chapter 4

The day had come when Emily was to leave Iowa. It had been only three days since she had last been over the Hotchner family's house and baked cookies with Hotch… in a nonsexual way, of course.

Iowa had been great and beautiful, but now it was just time to go back home, back to where she was familiar with. She craved the crisp DC air, even missed the all too familiar landmarks that lined the city. She would never admit aloud, but she was growing a little tired of the constant dry climate, the dirt paths, and even the vegetation was beginning to annoy her. Emily Prentiss wasn't one to get sick, but with all of these plants, her allergies were beginning to control her.

The morning that she was prepared to leave, she had gotten a phone call. A call from a man, whom she had grown surprisingly closer to over the past week. Aaron Hotchner. She answered without hesitating, using her first name instead of her last now. She had opened up to him subconsciously, and now she finally saw it. There was no way that they'd go back to how they were before this coincidental trip. They had become close friends, perhaps even closer than either had expected.

Emily tossed her hair over her shoulder as she finished packing all of her own and Lorelai's stuff. Aaron had invited them both over for one last lunch at his mother's house with Sean, Carrie, and Audrey. After gladly accepting, telling him she'd be over in an hour, she had quickly darted around Clyde's new home, making sure she had packed all of their belongings. She was planning on stopping at Aaron's mother's one last time before they hit the road and drove back home, just to thank them all for their southern hospitality.

Strapping Lorelai in the backseat, she waved a goodbye to Clyde, giving him a hug, despite all of his trouble and antics. "Take care, Clyde."

She nodded, giving him a small smile. The man reciprocated with a soft huff, and nodded in reply, placing a hand on her shoulder blade. "Emily…" She glanced up curiously and cautiously, slightly nervous of what he was going to say. "Emmy, I'm sorry I was a dick to you this past week, and in the past." He released a breath and shrugged, looking up at her with sincere and warm eyes. "I want you to know… that if you and Agent Hotchner get together, I support it. And I'm happy that you've found someone who can make you smile still." He gave her shoulder a small squeeze and nodded once more. "You deserve happiness, and if I can't bring it to you, then I hope he can. Take care of yourself and Lorelai."

Emily stared up at him with wide eyes. Certainly she did not expect him to say that. She blinked in surprise, a smile beginning to arch at the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Clyde. But, uh… Hotch and I, we're not…" She shook her head and cleared her throat. "We're not together, and I don't think we ever will be." She smiled sadly, "We work together, and we both like to keep things professional. It probably wouldn't even work between us." She held his eyes with her dark ones and caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand. "Thank you for saying that. And I hope you can find somebody." She glanced back at the car and saw Lorelai growing restless in her car seat.

"I should really go now. Thank you again." She surprised the man in front of her by throwing her arms around him one last time and pressing her lips to his cheek. "Goodbye, Clyde. Come visit." She whispered softly.

Although she certainly did not love Clyde, there would always be a place in her heart for him. He was more like an old friend than an ex-boyfriend, the father of her child. She smiled one last big smile and turned back around to leave.

As she drove down the dirt path for the last time, she glanced back in her rearview, catching Clyde waving back at them. She smiled slowly and began to head to Hotch's family-home, leaving the Iowan house in the dust. "So, Lorelai, you excited to see Jack?" She looked back at the girl as she swung her feet in circles.

She nodded and giggled softly, clapping her hands in excitement. "Yeah!"

Unable to control her smile, Emily laughed softly and nodded. "Alright, baby. We'll be there in a few minutes."

The next few minutes were filled with Lorelai's excited chatter about what she wanted to do with Jack once they were together again. She smiled and looked up at her mother as she watched her drive. "Mama, can 'ack and Mistah Hotch-y come oveh and play?" Emily tried to hide her laughter but couldn't. She caught Lorelai's eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded with a soft grin.

"Of course they can." She watched Lorelai for a few moments before pulling into the road leading to the long dirt path driveway. She pulled up to the house and parked beside Hotch's car, turning the engine off. "Ready?" She exhaled softly and climbed out of her car. For some reason, although she had done this so many times over the past two weeks, and had known Hotch for years, she still was nervous every time she walked up to the porch. She thought about the way his eyes seemed to twinkle each time he opened the door for her, the way his body language was always friendly and welcoming. She smiled to herself, immediately relaxing as she knocked on the large door.

From the inside, she could hear Jack's voice as he ran towards the front door. "I GOT IT, I GOT IT!" Emily stifled a laugh as the door swung open for them, revealing little Jack Hotchner at the corner. Lorelai squealed from Emily's arms and kicked, wanting to be put down to play. "Hi, Miss Em'ly! Lor'lai!" He grinned, his father coming around from behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Emily, come on in." He gave a small smile and led Emily inside while Jack and Lorelai ran off to go play in the yard.

Emily replied with a swift nod and a smile that graced her lips. "Hey." She stepped inside and followed him into the kitchen as he offered to get her a drink. "Angela, Carrie and Sean are out, but they'll be back in a few minutes." She nodded and bit her lip, catching herself as she stared at his mouth. Images of that day floated through her mind. His soft lips, his touches, caresses, the way his body felt pushed up against hers. She sucked in a breath and smiled slowly as she took the beer bottle from him.

"Thank you." She mumbled quietly before bringing the glass to her lips.

Hotch stared at her in awe. Her eyes were always so lovely and dark, so mesmerizing. He studied her features as he, too, sipped from his beer. "I'm glad you could make it." He shrugged and leaned against the counter, watching her with his dark golden eyes. "So, have you eaten yet?" He cast an eyebrow in her direction and smiled warmly.

"Not yet. I was planning on just stopping at a Subway or something." She shrugged, catching his gaze and returning it. "But I suppose you have other plans?" She chuckled softly as he nodded once and downed the rest of his beer. Leave it to Hotch to always have a plan.

"Mhmm, sure do." He checked his watch and nodded, "Why don't I take you both out for a bite? Then perhaps some ice cream before you head home?" He watched her face, a dimple beginning to show as Emily's smile grew wider.

"That does sound rather tempting. You drive a hard bargain, Agent Hotchner." She smirked and looked out the kitchen window, keeping an eye on the two kids. "Yeah, I'd love that." She turned back to him and nodded. "Shall we go round up the kids then?"

He followed her around to the back door and walked outside by her side. As they walked, his hand accidentally brushed against hers. She smiled slightly, hiding it from him as she turned her head, pretending she hadn't noticed. He blushed delicately and inhaled softly.

"When are you leaving?" She turned back to him with a raised eyebrow and shrugged, waiting for an answer.

"Tomorrow, I believe. That's if I can get Jack ready by then." He exhaled. "I know we've had cases down here before, but how'd you like the countryside of Iowa?"

Hesitating a moment before answering, Emily looked up at him with warm eyes and shrugged. "It's been nice. The houses are nice down here; it's just the heat I dislike." She smiled, "I grew up in a lot of major cities as well, but also quite a few country sides… It's nice." Her dimples indented her cheeks as she finally caught up to Lorelai and Jack, Hotch at her side like always.

"Come on, bud. We're going to treat the ladies to lunch." He winked as his son came running towards the two adults. Jack collided into Emily's lean legs and grinned as he looked up at her with a giggle.

"Emmy!" He pulled at the hem of her skirt, wanting to be picked up by his favorite aunt.

Emily laughed softly and bent down to pick up her boss' son. "Hey, buddy." She tapped his nose with her forefinger and watched as Lorelai approached Hotch with bright eyes. She smiled to herself as the man lifted her daughter off of the ground and placed her over his shoulders. "Feel free to put her down if she's too heavy." She glanced at Lorelai as she held onto Hotch's shirt, gripping it in her fist.

Another memory came crashing through Emily's mind.

Her hands traced over his shoulders and down his chest as she bunched his shirt in her hands, his lips covering hers, his hand running through her dark hair, holding her head in place, while the other was around her back, circling the small of her back.

The images were enough to dampen Emily's panties and make her thighs ache. She sucked in a breath and avoided the man's playful gaze.

"Emily." Just hearing his voice forced her to look up at him. She met his playful eyes with her own and smiled. "Are you saying I can't even lift an-almost-three year old? Because I am hurt."

Laughing, she shook her head. "Not at all. She's just getting big, and I don't want her to-"

"Emily." He held her eyes for a moment, much longer than necessary.

The silence stretched on for what felt like forever. Emily finally broke it, unable to stand the tension any longer "I, uh.. Shall we go then?"

He finally nodded after another moment and led the way to his car, pulling his gaze away from hers. "We shall." He helped Lorelai into her car seat as Emily helped Jack into his own. She buckled him up and glanced up, meeting Hotch's eyes. She looked away with a slight blush and licked her bottom lip as she combed her fingers through her hair on her way to the passenger seat.

"So, where are you taking us, might I ask?" She eyed him with curious eyes, wondering just what he had in mind for the four of them. She inhaled softly as he started the car, backing out of the narrow path.

"That, Agent Prentiss, is a surprise." He took a minute to meet her eyes with a wink and a charming smile before turning his vision back to the road.

As Emily was about to reply, Lorelai cut her off from the backseat. "Ass 'im, mama!" Emily looked back at her daughter, stifling a soft chuckle before catching Hotch's glance and blushing.

"You mean, 'ask'?" She stared at her daughter as she nodded vigorously. Emily bit her lip and shrugged. "Ask him what, exactly?"

Aaron watched Lorelai roll her eyes from the back of the car. He stifled a grin and stared at Emily as she watched Lorelai. "She is definitely your daughter." He smirked as Emily turned her attention back towards him, a questioning look in her eyes. "She already knows how to roll her eyes. I've noticed that you do that same eye roll, especially when I give you an order at the BAU." He grinned, chuckling openly as she sputtered for an explanation and grew flustered over the issue.

"I, well, uh." She flushed slightly and closed her mouth, only to open it again a second later. "Well, I didn't think you ever noticed, Sir."

He turned his head to look at her with an amused expression displayed on his face. "Ah, there it is. The 'sir' that I've missed so dearly. You know I've always hated when you called me that." He stared at her as she began to smile, his own smile beginning to come out. "Yeah, I know that you do it as a tease."

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at his assumption. He had hit the bulls-eye on that one. She turned back to Lorelai with a raised eyebrow as the young two year old pouted, her lower lip jutting out as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to get her mother's attention. "Mommy!"

Emily gave a small smile and looked Lorelai over. "Ask him what, Lore?" Lorelai shook her head and rolled her eyes again. How could mama forget already? All she wanted was to play with Jack when they got back home, was that really so hard to understand?

Lorelai looked at Jack as he sat in his booster seat, kicking his legs to and fro. "'bout playing when we get home! You said so earlier!" She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Emily blushed scarlet and slid down in her seat slowly as Hotch turned his head in her direction. She finally mustered up the courage to look at him, biting her bottom lip. She shrugged as he held her gaze. Finally breaking the eye contact between the two of them, Hotch glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled back at Emily's daughter.

"I'm sure Jack would like that." He nodded and held Emily's eyes once more as he caught them in the mirror. "I would, too." He whispered, barely audible.

Letting in a deep breath, the corners of Emily's mouth lit up in a small grin. She instinctively leaned forward, her eyes staring straight into his as she smiled slowly. "Oh?" She tilted her head to the side and studied him, her heart rate increasing with each moment. What did any of this mean? Were they flirting again? She watched him nod once, before pulling into a smallish, yet cute restaurant. He gave a small shrug and gestured for her to look up at the building. Emily followed his line of vision and nodded, her eyes growing a bit wider as she read the name of the place. "Sean's Corner." Emily read quietly, glancing at Hotch with curious eyes. She waited until they were seated inside. For a family restaurant, it was quite beautiful inside. Lorelai waited for Emily to lift her into her booster seat when Jack caught her eye as he sat next his daddy in the booth.

Lorelai stared at him in wonderment and shook her head as her mother tried to seat her in the booster seat. She kicked and struggled against Emily's arms. "Lorelai, honey-"

"NO!" The young girl shook her head and kicked again, not wanting to go in the booster seat. "No! I wanna be like 'ack!" Emily sighed softly and looked across the table at Hotch, praying he wasn't laughing at her. "I wanna sit there!" Lorelai wailed, her arms flying through the air, nearly hitting Emily in the face. The brunette nodded slowly and pursed her lips.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, baby. You can sit like Jack then. Just, please calm down." She helped her daughter into the booth across from Jack. Emily sat herself down across from Hotch and gave a small smile before muttering an apology. A minute later, a young waitress approached the table, a small box of crayons and a few sheets of paper in hand. She set them down on the table with a smile and rested her eyes on Hotch. "You have a lovely family." Emily felt her cheeks warm at the comment, but before she could manage to correct the waitress, Hotch thanked her instead, letting the comment go.

The makeshift family of four ordered their beverages, leaving the waitress to go collect them. Hotch felt eyes on his face and he slowly looked up from helping Jack in a game of tic tac toe. "What?"

Shaking her head, the brunette smirked, slightly amused. "Nothing. Just… thinking."

Hotch set his crayon down and shook his head as he shifted somewhat closer. "Thinking about what?"

How much I like you. How you didn't correct the waitress when she called us a family, the way your lips feel against mine, the way you always make me feel safe…

All of these thoughts came to mind as Hotch stared down at her. She died inside to confess to him but couldn't. Instead, she shrugged and attempted to change the subject. "So, your brother, Sean?" She shook her head and chuckled sheepishly as she unfolded Lorelai's napkin for her. "You told me he had a restaurant… You never said it was beautiful." She smiled a bit wider as she glanced around the interior, noting where the exits were, just in case. Her self-defense classes had taught her to always observe every room closely, making sure she knew where the nearest exits were.

Hotch shrugged, a small smile pulling at his lips as he watched her turn her head this way and that, admiring her the same way she seemed to be admiring the restaurant. Without speaking, he set his hand over hers in a gentle manner. She snapped back to reality as she immediately felt his body heat radiate off of him. He quickly pulled his hand back, wishing he could get a better grip of himself. This was Emily. This couldn't work out like that. They were friends only. He mentally kicked himself for getting too close. "Not much to say, really." He paused and took in a soft breath. The waitress returned with warm eyes directed at the two children. She smiled and placed the beverages in front of each person. She grinned down at Jack and Lorelai before placing their drinks down as well.

"And I'm guessing you two are the ones who wanted the chocolate milk?" She watched with a tiny giggle as Jack nodded vigorously. She glanced back up at Emily and Hotch before asking if they had decided on their orders yet.

As soon as the young blonde left the four alone once more, Hotch continued as if they hadn't been interrupted. "I didn't know either, to be honest… I haven't returned back home until this week." He shrugged and gave her a wider smile. "It is a nice restaurant though. I'm glad he seems to be doing well with it."

Emily smiled and stared up at him with dark eyes. "Aw, you're a proud big brother." She smirked slyly and watched as Lorelai tried to reach her drink. The young child was too short of the table and couldn't reach it completely. She whimpered softly and reached again, nearly knocking Emily's glass over. Emily stifled a sigh and pulled Lorelai onto her lap. She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and pressed her lips to the top of her head before bringing the cup in reach of the small child.

Hotch chose to ignore Emily's comment, and instead he watched as Lorelai sat on Emily's lap, bouncing slightly as she drank a sip of milk, the chocolaty drink dribbling down her chin. He smiled warmly and grinned slowly as Emily raised her eyes up to meet his. Her lips matched his smile and she shrugged as Hotch stared at her in amazement. He reached across the table hesitantly, and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his eyes never leaving hers all the while. "You are so beautiful." He inhaled softly and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, admiring her as her cheeks flushed. He pulled back quickly and stared down at her, blushing a light shade of pink. Had he really just said that? He looked away from her face, afraid of what he'd see in her eyes. Would she be angry? Embarrassed? Mortified that he had touched her in such a loving gesture? To his very great surprise, Emily began to smile once he looked down at her. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from embarrassment of being called beautiful, but she didn't seem to mind the gesture. He hadn't anticipated this reaction from her, really.

She bowed her head slightly and mumbled her thanks as he watched her carefully with a soothing gaze. He placed his hand over hers again, and nodded gracefully at her. "I mean it." He took in a soft breath and lowered his voice. "It's, uh… actually hard to believe that you're single..." He gave her a nervous smile and shrugged slowly as Emily began to chuckle softly.

"Oh?" She cocked her head to the side as her free hand, the one that wasn't being held by Hotch's, still rubbed circles around Lorelai's back. Lorelai leaned her head against her mother, her eyes closing shortly. Emily smiled and stifled her giggle. "Uh oh… I think somebody's getting a little sleepy..." She pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead and grinned, thinking about how nice she had it now. She gave the young child a slight shake and looked down at her lovingly. "Honey, Lore, It's not nap time yet. You have to eat, my love, and then you can sleep in the car.

Hotch nodded, watching with a glint of amusement in his eyes. He gave a small shrug as soon as Rory, the waitress from before, placed the platters of food onto the table with a smile and the promise that she'd check back on them later. They ate in silence for the first few minutes, Emily only speaking when she caught Hotch's beautiful eyes watching her. "This is really great." She smiled warmly, "Even though it is completely unnecessary to treat us to lunch, thank you."

He matched her smile and bowed his head temporarily. "No need to thank me. It's your last day in Iowa; it's the least I could do."

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

-Em.