Consequences Ch. 10

AN: This chapter… What can I say? This chapter was a long, but good, time coming. I've been waiting to write this chapter since the idea for this story came into my head.

2 months later (8 months pregnant)

Emily's POV

Emily had heard about a new exhibit being displayed at the National Museum of Natural History from a friend; it was only scheduled to be in town for a couple of weeks. She had been trying to find time between work and getting the nursery ready, just in case the triplets decided to come early. She was grateful when Strauss has told her to take the rest of the week off; it meant that she could finish painting the nursery, the cribs and other things put together, and go and see the exhibit before it left town.

She knew what her doctor would say if she saw her out and about but she hadn't been to the museum in three months, just before finding out about Beth being pregnant. Emily hadn't been worried about running into Beth the last time that she had decided to go to the museum but this trip she was. She didn't want Beth to ask her about why she was avoiding Hotch or why she hadn't stopped at Hotch's place to celebrate their announcement with them. In fact, she didn't want to see Beth at all; she was the biggest reminder of why Hotch didn't know about the triplets.

Hotch's POV

Hotch and Jack had decided that since both had the day off that they would surprised Beth at work and then take her out to lunch. As they walked into the rotunda, Sarah, Beth's assistant curator, told them that Beth was currently helping settle a new acquisition in Ocean Hall.

"Did you want me to let her know that you guys are here?" Sarah asked as she gave Jack a high five.

"No, we came to surprise her and take her to lunch," Hotch said as he and Jack headed for Ocean Hall.

Hotch and Jack walked up quietly behind Beth before wrapping their arms around her. Hotch noticed something was different right away as he hugged her. As he turned her around to face him and Jack, he noticed the baby bump that she had been flaunting for the past three weeks was no longer there.

"Aaron, Jack, what are you guys doing here?" Beth asked as she stepped away from them. "Finish the setup then come get me so we can get everything else into place."

"Jack, can you go look at the animals in this area of the museum, while Beth and I have a little chat?" Hotch asked before Jack moved to look at all the creatures in Ocean Hall.

"What are you two doing here?" Beth asked again as she crossed her arms over her body.

"We came to surprise you and take you out to lunch, but it seems like you have a bigger surprise for me," Hotch said as he pointed to her stomach. "I guess we aren't pregnant, are we? How could you do this to me and Jack? I mean seriously, he was so excited to be having a little brother or sister and now I have to tell him that it was all a lie."

"Aaron…." Beth said.

"Explain to me why you would even pull a stunt like this," Hotch said as he thought about how he was going to explain to Jack that Beth wasn't really pregnant and that he wouldn't be getting a little broth or sister in six months.

"I'm not ready for a baby, especially with being promoted to head curator. Hell, I can barely handle Jack by myself," Beth said as she tried to rationalize what she had done to her boyfriend. "That guy's night was horrible for me. Jack barely listened to me and kept doing things even though we had both told him no on other occasions."

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me that you weren't ready for a baby?" Hotch asked as he started to get angry.

"Because you kept talking about wanting another child and how you weren't getting any younger," Beth said.

"I cannot believe this," Hotch said as he walked around the hall. "We're done."

"Aaron, we can start trying to have a baby," Beth pleaded.

"I can't trust you after this; after lying about something this big," Hotch said as he looked at Beth. "I'm sorry but no, that isn't going to happen."

Hotch sat on a bench inside of Ocean Hall trying to think of how he would explain everything to Jack. That was when he realized he needed to find Jack so that they would go grab something for lunch. He started to panic, when he returned to the spot where he had been arguing with Beth, that he couldn't find his son. He really started to freak out when Jack wasn't sitting anywhere near the African elephant in the rotunda.

"Sarah, have you seen Jack any where?" Hotch asked as the assistant curator walked past him.

"No, sorry," Sarah said.

"Is there any way for you to close the museum down until I can find him?" Hotch asked.

"I'll talk to security," Sarah said as she started to panic about the little boy being lost.

"I'm going to call my team in to help me search," Hotch said as he pulled out his cell phone.

Emily's POV

Emily was seating on the benches just outside of Mammal Hall when she noticed someone sit down next to her. When she looked she saw that it was Jack and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Jack, what's wrong, buddy?" Emily asked as she slid closer to the youngster.

"Emmy! Daddy and Miss Beth are arguing over by the sharks," Jack said as he latched himself onto Emily's right arm.

Emily had heard arguing as she came down the stairs from watching the butterflies but she had thought nothing of it; that is until now.

"Let's go see if they are done talking," Emily said as she grabbed Jack's hand and started walking towards Ocean Hall.

She could hear Beth pleading with Hotch about something but she decided that instead of having Jack listen to the adults argue, it would be better to take him to get a snack.

"Hey, how about we head downstairs to the café and get some hot chocolate and a cookie?" Emily said as she sent a text message to Hotch letting him know that she had Jack and they were going to grab a quick snack.

"Ok," Jack said as they headed for the elevators.

After an hour, two cups of hot chocolate, four cookies, and stories about school from Jack, later, Emily was starting to worry that Hotch hadn't received her message or that he and Beth were still arguing. That was until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Uncle Dave, what are you doing here?" Jack asked as he noticed Dave standing behind Emily.

"Come on. Let's head back upstairs," Dave said as he helped Emily out of her chair.

"What's going on?" Emily whispered to not worry Jack.

'Hotch closed the museum and called us in when he couldn't find Jack," Dave said as they climbed into the elevator.

"I sent him a text message letting him know that I had Jack and that we were going to the café for hot chocolate and cookies," Emily said as she panicked about Hotch thinking that someone kidnapped Jack.

"I figured that when I saw it was you with Jack," Dave said as the elevator reached their floor. "Hotch may have not seen the notification when he called us."

"Daddy," Jack called as he ran towards his father.

"Jack, where did you run off to?" Hotch asked as he picked Jack up in his arms.

"I got scared when you and Beth were fighting so I came out to here and saw Emmy," Jack said. "She took me downstairs to the café for hot chocolate and cookies."

"Emily's here?" Hotch asked as he looked over at Dave.

"Yes, I'm here." Emily said as she stood over next to Jessica. "I sent you a text message letting you know that I had Jack and was taking him to get a snack downstairs. It was nice to see everyone again but I really must be going."

"Thank you for keeping an eye on him," Hotch said as he got his first look at a very pregnant Emily Prentiss.

"It wasn't a problem," Emily said.

"Have lunch with us before you leave?" Hotch asked as he tried to get Emily to stay and talk to him even if it was in a group setting.

"Maybe some other time. I'm actually late for an appointment," Emily said as she headed for the front doors. "Goodbye Jack."

AN: I promised that something big would happen in this chapter. I'm really hoping that I didn't disappoint any of you. I decided that I would chop this chapter in half because if I continued on with how it was originally, it would have taken me more time to edit.

Chapter 11 (which I'm hoping to have up on Saturday or Sunday): Hotch finds out that he is the triplet's father.