Holding her breath, the new mother - she still cringed at that word - waited for the elevator to bring them up to their desired floor. After a weekend with Hotch and Jack, Emily had thought it was best the rest of the team meet the little girl who was quickly taking over her world. She had decided to bring her to the office, knowing that they wouldn't have any new cases because the B team was on rounds that week, so instead of putting her in the FBI daycare that day she brought the baby and everything she needed with her to the sixth floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, Emily took a step to the left of the doors and set the baby's carrier down and quickly checked her diaper bag. She would kill someone if she remembered everything Grace needed except for her diapers for the day.
"Agent Prentiss?"
Emily looked up at the familiar voice, watching as Jordan Todd from Counter Terrorism walked over to her with a file in her hand. "Jordan," she smiled, letting the younger woman take her into a hug.
"How are you?" JJ's old replacement asked, stepping back with her eyes immediately darting down to the baby in the carrier.
Gulping, the brunette gestured down to the little girl. "This is Grace." She watched as the friendly woman knelt down before the five month old and watched as Grace played with the ladybug on her blanket.
Jordan looked up to her old colleague with a smile. "I heard you had a baby." Smiling down to the baby, she tapped at the bumblebee hanging from the carrier's handle to watch a smile cross over her face. "She's precious, Emily. Congratulations."
Emily let her lips purse as she slowly nodded her head. "Thank you," she said with a tense smile.
"She looks just like you."
The brunette agent quickly shouldered her diaper bag and picked the carrier back up as she bid the other woman a good day, and she quickly made her way into the BAU bullpen to lessen her chances of getting asked any more questions.
Spotting her friends from across the room, Emily quickly made her way over and set the bag down by her desk.
"Is that my baby girl?"
Emily grinned, setting Grace's carrier down on her desk and pulling down her blanket so they could see her face.
Derek walked up to his friend's desk, feeling a few other of his colleagues behind him as he let his finger trace over the entirety of the baby's right hand. "Hey there, beautiful," he almost whispered. "Look at you."
Letting himself keep a distance from the baby in their bullpen, Reid smiled at his friend. "She looks just like Matthew."
Emily bit nervously into her lip. "I know," she smiled back, reaching into the carrier and smoothing down the baby's hair with the tips of her fingers.
"Her ear infection's gone?"
She quickly nodded her head. "Yeah, but just keep your voices low," the brunette said as a precaution, knowing how the baby reacted the other day when she raised her voice while on the phone. Looking around the bullpen and over toward their kitchenette, Emily found herself frowning. "Where's Garcia?"
Derek kept his eyes on the baby as he listened to his friend's question. "She was getting breakfast with Kevin. She's going to be mad she missed this munchkin," he smiled, watching as Grace used her hands to push her cheeks together.
"JJ?"
Reid shrugged. "Said something was going on with Henry and she'd try to get here later."
Turning her head at the sound of footsteps coming down the catwalk steps, Emily smiled. "Hey," she grinned at her friend, letting Hotch squeeze her hand.
"You brought Grace?"
Emily shared a smile with the older man before turning to the little girl in her carrier and undoing her buckle. "Come say hi to Aaron," she chuckled, pressing a kiss to the baby's cheek as she bounced in her arms. "Remember Aaron?"
The green eyed girl looked up to the older man and took only a second to register his face. "Ah!"
Hotch laughed, taking the little girl into his arms and letting her pat at his face with her hands. "I'm happy to see you too." Peppering her apple cheek with kisses, the single father let his hand pat against her back. "How good were you for your mommy when I left?"
Derek's brow raised.
"Playdate," Emily said quickly, noticing her friend's questioning eyes.
"Is this the new princess?" the author of the group asked, quickly making his way down the catwalk and stealing the baby from his friend's arms.
Her jaw dropping, Emily almost charged over to the older man she viewed as a second father, knowing exactly how hysterical Grace reacted around new people if they got too close too quickly. But slowly stepping back, she realized the little girl she was working for custody of was cuddling into Rossi's chest, her tiny fingers playing with his tie clip as her head laid on his chest.
Charging into the bullpen, the technical analyst almost dropped the coffees she was carrying as she rushed over to the table. "I saw Jordan and she said there was a baby. It has to be Grace, right? Where's the baby?"
Emily felt herself leaning back into her friend's chest and she laughed, immediately taking the coffees that Penelope thrust into her hold. "She's right there."
"Calmer than I thought," her boss joked, smiling into Emily's hair when he heard her laugh.
Turning to face her friend, Emily pulled gently on his hand that laid on her desk to get his attention. "Hey," she said softly, "I wanted to ask if you would help me out on Friday."
"Of course," he said automatically. "Is everything ok?"
The brown eyed woman quickly nodded her head. "Of course. It's just a dinner."
Hotch frowned. "You need help with a dinner?"
"Well you just kind of need to come," the new mother shrugged. "I just need you there as a buffer." Seeing her friend give her a look, Emily felt her shoulders shrug. "Grace's grandparents are coming to the house for dinner and I don't want to deal with them alone."
Immediately the Unit Chief's eyes widened in realization.
"I'm just scared," Emily admitted. "I need someone to be there for support."
Hotch took another step toward his friend and forced himself not to warp an arm around her shoulder the way he wanted. "I would come even if you didn't ask," the older man assured her, sharing a smile with his favorite friend before Penelope's call tore them apart.
"Em," the blond gushed, "we need pictures!"
Emily frowned, letting her friend take the coffees from her and hand her daughter back to her. "For what?"
"Do you have any pictures with Grace yet?"
She felt her heart flutter as Grace's open mouth pressed against her cheek in somewhat of a kiss, and it occurred to her that she hadn't thought to take a picture of them or even the baby by herself.
Garcia gave the new mother a toothy grin and took her phone from her bra. "Can I?"
Emily hiked the baby on her hip, tapping with her index finger on the baby's cheek to get her to smile. "Smile Gracie," she whispered, kissing her cheek before smiling at her friend for the picture.
"Hotch!" the blond called, watching as her boss walked away to get out of the picture. "Come on, get in."
The older man met Emily's eyes.
"Come on," she smiled.
Hotch slowly made his way back over to Emily's desk and put his arm around his friend's waist, tickling the baby's back before smiling along with the brunette at the camera.
Hiding her grin behind her phone, Garcia took a couple of shots. "Ok!" Shoving her phone into Derek's hands, she rushed over to the new mother and baby and practically pushed her boss out of the way. "My turn," she grinned, taking the baby and looking to the camera with Grace and Emily laughing, Hotch shaking his head as he went back to his office.