Finally, here's my new story. I've been working on this for a couple weeks now, but after watching the latest episode and those sweet scenes between Jack and Hotch, I couldn't help but finish and publish it as quickly as possible. *SPOILER ALERT ON* (OMG! I love that little boy. He's so sweet in his little suit and little red tie. Awww! And Hotch's reaction when he told him that his costume was of him. I love them both!) *SPOILER ALERT OFF*

This story is set a year or so after Haley's dead and is slightly AU for several reasons I'm sure you will be able to pick up by yourself. Anyway, comments or criticism will be appreciated, as always.

I don't owe Criminal Minds or any of his characters. Also, thanks to nebula2 for the initial beta. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

...

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." Barbara Bush.

A Friday afternoon in March found the BAU's bullpen filled with agents, all busy at their desk working on paperwork and more paperwork.

Derek groaned softly as he added one more file to the other two already completed. The pile he had to work through didn't look any smaller than it had yesterday. In fact, he could have sworn it looked even bigger today. It was probably just his mind playing tricks at him.

He leaned back in his seat, popping his neck as he took a moment to look around him. Reid was on his desk, a large cup of coffee pushed aside as he looked down at the file he was reading with far too much interest. Morgan rolled his eyes. Pretty boy was the only person he had ever met who could actually enjoy paperwork. He turned his attention to the desk at his side and smiled when he found Emily looking as fed up and bored as he felt as she stared at the screen before her, brows pitched together.

Maybe he could take a short break from the paperwork and go to the kitchenette for some coffee for them. It was pretty shitty coffee, but the caffeine would help perk them right up.

Derek was still pondering the idea when his gaze wandered further away and toward the offices upstairs. Through the open blinds, he could see Hotch sitting behind his desk, head resting on his closed fist and his elbow on the desk. The pile of paperwork he had to work through was at least twice as big as his own, so he could only imagine how he was doing in there.

After his brief tenure as Unit Chief and finding out how much of the team's paperwork Hotch took upon himself to deal with, Morgan now tried to make sure paperwork went where it was due. There was no way in hell he was going to let Hotch deal with that mess- especially now.

The door to JJ's office was open, just like it always was, and he could catch just a glimpse of her behind the piles of potential case files on her desk. She was on the phone, a pen caught between her teeth as she listened patiently to whoever was on the other end of the line. She had a report to write as well, and Morgan could only imagine how hard it could be to work on that when her phone kept ringing and there were dozens of new cases waiting for her attention.

He couldn't see Rossi from where he was, but knowing how much the older man hated paperwork and how well he could handle Strauss even on the worst of days, he bet the other man was taking his sweet time to work on his own reports today.

Morgan shook his head with a smile. He didn't feel quite so wound up any more, but a look at Emily prompted him to get to his feet. Both of them could still use some coffee.

"Uncle Derek!" A very familiar voice called out in what was just a few decibels low of being a shout, and he turned to find Jack Hotchner walking hand in hand with his aunt and with a huge grin on his tiny face.

More than a year had already passed since Haley's death, and the team had been there for Hotch and Jack, and Jessica too, every step of the way.

It was only five or six months after Jack was living with Hotch permanently when he decided the apartment wasn't suited for raising a little boy. With Dave's advice and Morgan's expertise, he searched around Jessica's neighborhood until he found a cozy little house with a small backyard where Jack could play. After the official housewarming party organized by Penelope, the team (plus Henry, Will, and sometimes even Kevin) continued to show up at the Hotchner household for random visits, each of them willing to support Hotch in any way they could.

Dave was perhaps the most regular visitor. As Hotch's best friend, Dave had made it his job to make sure Hotch didn't forget to look after himself while he was busy taking care of his son. He had Hotch's total trust, and years of knowing the younger man had taught him to recognize when he needed to push Hotch to get him to talk, and when it was best to just be there for him. And, of course, there was his expertice in the kitchen, which had proven a blessing as well, but it wasn't only his good food that had endeared him to the younger Hotchner. To the team's surprise, he had quickly become Uncle Dave, spoiling Jack rotten and even playing or drawing with the young boy sometimes.

Penelope was, well, Penelope. She was a whirlwind of color and happiness and all that was good in the world that regularly showed up at Hotch's doorstep with all kinds of delicious and colorful baked goods, books, games, and art crafts to be done, and even other little gifts for both Hotchers, all of which always came with a bright smile on her face. There was not a single visit from her that wasn't rewarded with at least a laugh or a few smiles from Hotch, and she had quickly become Jack's favorite babysitter.

JJ, on the other hand, had become Hotch's go-to person in all things having to do with parenthood. It took a while for Hotch to be comfortable reaching out to her, but she had worn him down in the end. Jack loved her, and even with the age difference, he could spend hours playing with Henry, so there were plenty of playdates and offers to take Jack with her whenever Hotch and Jessica needed it. She and Hotch could spend hours exchanging stories about their sons, swapping parental advice, or just relaxing together while they watched their sons play.

Emily had effortlessly become another of Hotch's few confidants, and an adaptable one at that. She was capable and willing to give Hotch what he needed even if he didn't know it himself. She could offer Hotch the normalcy he desperately craved sometimes, or call him on his bullshit and straighten him up when he needed a good kick in the ass. Emily was a natural with children as well, and she could spend hours with Jack doing anything and everything as if they were the best of friends.

Spencer was, as always, a source of knowledge both useful and useless, keeping Hotch engaged and stopping him from getting lost in his own head too much. And, just to prove Henry truly had broken the curse of the 'Reid effect', Spencer got along with Jack perfectly, showing and teaching him all sort of magic tricks, and responding to all sorts of questions from the boy, who seemed to enjoy listening to Reid speak even if he didn't always understand the meaning of everything he said.

Derek hadn't been particularly close to Hotch before, but that hadn't stopped him from showing up unexpectedly, bringing pizza and beer to watch a game after Jack's bedtime, or when the little guy was away. Of course, he could also spend countless hours taking advantage of the backyard, running around with Jack playing football or any other sport, and even getting Hotch to join in sometimes. He had even brought Clooney around, the big dog falling in love with the kid as much as Jack had with him.

"Hey there, little man," Morgan called back with a genuine smile before picking Jack up in his arms. He looked at the woman, taking notice of the small backpack she was carrying. "Hi, Jessica. What are you guys doing here?"

"Hi, Aunt Emily! Hi Uncle Spence!" Jack greeted as the two agents appeared behind Derek. Emily said hi back with a smile, while Spencer offered the boy a small wave.

Jessica gave them an apologetic smile. "Hi everyone. This little guy and I came to see Aaron."

"Yes! We came to see Daddy."

"Everything okay?" Emily asked before Derek spoke.

"Everything it's fine," She reassured them. "It's just that something came up at work and I need to swing by the office, so Jack is going to stay with Aaron for a couple of hours."

"Guess what, Uncle Derek?" Jack asked, drawing everyone's attention. Without waiting for an answer, the boy went on. "Yesterday Miss Taylor asked us to draw a picture of our family in class. I asked her if I could paint mommy even if she's in heaven now and she said yes, so I painted Daddy, Mommy, Aunt Jess, Uncle Spencer, Aunt Emily, Aunt JJ, Uncle Dave, Aunt Pen, and you too, Uncle Derek," Jack finished, holding a finger for each of them.

"Miss Taylor said my drawing was pretty, and when she asked if everyone was my family I told her what Daddy told me. I told her that family were the people that were around aaall the time, and made you smile and feel happy when you were sad." Jack tilted his head slightly. "I think she didn't know that, but she told me Daddy was very smart and that I was lucky my family was so big.

"Daddy liked my drawing too, and he put it on the fridge last night."

There was nothing but silence after Jack finished his tale. Nobody knew what to say.

Derek turned his gaze to Jessica first, relieved to see the woman didn't seem bothered by her nephew's words. She probably had already heard the story. He looked at his colleges then. Spencer had ducked his head as he fidgeted with his tie, while Emily was looking at Jack as if he were the most beautiful and special thing she had ever seen. He shot a quick look at Hotch's office, before turning back to the boy in his arms with a smile and ruffling his hair.

"Naughty, naughty people! I can't believe nobody told me my favorite mini agent was here!" Penelope called loudly as she entered the bullpen.

As soon as Jack heard her voice he all but jumped from Derek's arms and ran to her. "Aunt Penny!"

Penelope enveloped the boy in a big hug and kissed the top of his head. "Well, hello there my little cupcake. I've missed you so. Have missed me too?"

"Can you guys keep an eye on him while I speak with Aaron?" Jessica asked quietly as Jack and Penelope continued to speak.

"Of course!"

"Sure."

"No problem."

The three agents exchanged looks as Jessica chuckled softly. "Thank you. All of you."

Derek watched as Jessica met with JJ in the small hallway outside the offices. They greeted each other with smiles and a kiss on the cheek and spoke for a moment before Jessica went on her way to Hotch's office while JJ walked toward the bullpen.

By that moment, Penelope was sitting in Derek's chair while Jack sat on the desk by her side, his short legs swinging back and forth as he chatted away, jumping from one subject to the next almost too far for them to keep up.

Derek and JJ exchanged a smile over Jack's head as the blond walked closer, joining the rest of the team as they stood around the boy.

"Hi, Aunt JJ!" The boy called, pausing in his story as soon as he saw her.

"Hey, Jack. It's good to see you," JJ replied, moving closer to kiss his small cheek.

"Where is Henry, aunt JJ? Uncle Dave brought me some new cars the other day and I want to show them to Henry. We can play with them together!"

"Well, Henry is at home with his dad right now, sweetie," She explained gently, "but I will make sure to tell him you said hi and that you want to play with him very soon. And I promise I will speak with your dad to set a play date for you, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Aunt JJ!"

"You're very welcome, Jack."

"Daddy!" Jack shouted excitedly before anyone could say something else. The boy wiggled a little as he tried to get down from the desk, but it was until Derek helped him down that Jack ran to his father.

Hotch was just on his way down to the bullpen with Jessica by his side, but he was ready to sweep his son up into his arms as soon as he reached his side, a broad smile on his face.

"I missed you, Daddy!"

"Hey, buddy. I missed you too."

"Aunt JJ said Henry and I can play together soon, Daddy!" Jack informed his father with an even bigger smile.

"That's great, buddy," Hotch replied, flashing JJ a brief twitch of his lips as he and Jessica came to stand with the rest of the team. "Aunt Jess told you you're going stay with me for a bit, right?"

Jack nodded earnestly from where he was still in his father's arms. Jessica moved close enough to kiss the boy's cheek.

"Be good to your dad, okay? I'll see you later, darling."

"Bye, Aunt Jess."

Jessica bid farewell to Hotch and the rest of the team before disappearing through the glass doors.

Jack turned to his dad with wide, hopeful eyes. "Can we go to the zoo Daddy? We haven't gone to see the animals in a looong time. Can we, Daddy? Please?"

Derek watched silently as Hotch's smile turned pained as he met his son's puppy dog eyes. "Daddy has work to do here, buddy, but I promise we'll go to the zoo soon, okay?"

Jack's expression fell, but the boys nodded rather than protest or try to change his father's answer. Derek wanted to shake Hotch and tell him to take his kid to the damn zoo, but he didn't have to-

"Come now, Aaron," Dave called as he walked toward the team, taking Derek and everyone else by surprise. Nobody had seen him approach, but then again, they had been too distracted. "I'm sure you can trust your team to hold the fort while you take this little champ to see the tigers and whatnot."

Jack perked right up as soon as he heard the older man's voice. "Hi, Uncle Dave!"

"Hey, kiddo. Ready to go with your dad to the zoo?" Dave ignored the glare Hotch sent his way and smiled at the boy in his friend's arms.

"Rossi is right, man," Derek finally spoke up, drawing Hotch's attention. "We can take care of things in here, no problem."

The statement was soon followed by words of agreement by the rest of the team.

"Please, Daddy?" Jack joined in trying to convince his father. "I want to see the monkeys and the lions too."

Hotch stared at the team, meeting everyone's gazes for a thoughtful moment. Then, he turned back to his son's hopeful face, and everyone could see the decision was already made before he said anything.

"Alright, buddy. We can go to the zoo for a little while." No sooner had Hotch finished speaking Jack wrapped his tiny arms around his father's neck and hugged him tightly.

Derek smiled along with the rest of the team as they watched them.

Hotch excused himself for a moment to go back to his office and returned only a moment later carrying his briefcase and the tiny backpack. "Okay, buddy. Time to say goodbye to everyone."

Rather than offering them a quick goodbye and a hand wave, Jack took it upon himself to walk around, offering each of them a hug and a kiss.

Hotch stood with Jack by his side and stared at the team. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, but be sure to call if anything important comes up. And thank you, all of you," He added, his voice soft.

"Anytime, man."

Hotch nodded once more before taking Jack by the hand and leading him out of the BAU.

The team stood there until the Hotchner men disappeared from view, and then slowly went back to their respective jobs.

Derek looked down at his desk one more time. His workload was the same, but somehow it didn't feel quite so daunting anymore. Maybe he could even swing by Hotch's office and pick a file or two. But first, he was getting that coffee he had been thinking about.

"The best part of life is when your family becomes your friends, and your friends become your family." Danica Whitfield.

...

... So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please let me know. And yeah, that second chapter I mentioned back then never happened, so sorry about that.

Thanks to all who read it. I hope you all have enjoyed, and as always feedback appreciated. Thank you.