"Gracie no," the FBI agent hissed, taking the earrings from the five month old so she wouldn't swallow them. "You don't eat these." Keeping her eyes on the baby as she put in her earrings, Emily quickly fluffed her hair. "Are you going to behave for grandpa and grandma tonight?"
Grace's tongue stuck out as she tried to blow out a breath, her spit immediately flying all over the dress Emily had bought for her.
"I'm going to take that as a maybe," Emily smiled tensely, picking up the baby and taking her to the kitchen so she could sit in her highchair. Setting the five month old in her seat, Emily watched as Grace reached up to scratch her head, and immediately the agent's mind flashed to Matthew scratching behind his ear in their favorite restaurant back in Italy, the fifteen year old boy smiling at her.
"Ah!"
Emily's head shot up, wiping away Grace's spit bubble before going to wash her hands. "You promise to behave for Emily?" she asked the baby, not wanting to call herself the 'm' word and start to get into the habit. She wasn't hers, she was Matthew's, and what if CPS didn't allow her to keep custody of the baby? What then?
Hearing the doorbell, Emily felt herself immediately begin to sweat. "No no no," she rushed out, making sure Grace was in her view as she ran to the door. "They're early."
"Emily?"
It was Hotch. The ambassador's daughter opened the door with a smile, quickly bringing her boss in for a hug before closing and locking the door behind them. "Thank you again for coming," she spoke softly, smiling over to Grace who was reaching out for her from her spot in the kitchen. "I don't think I'd be able to get through this dinner without someone who was on my side."
Her boss shook his head, picking up Grace from her highchair and letting her play with his tie. "It's not a fight," he almost laughed, watching his friend rush around the kitchen in a red dress he'd never seen her wear before. "There are no sides."
"Do you not remember these people?" Emily huffed, sending the older man a grin as she took the steaks from the broiler. "With them and Matthew's parents, we would never even start a conversation."
"Matthew's parents?"
Emily nodded, moving to the counter to toss the salad she had prepared. "If I invited one set of grandparents, I had to invite the other. And Matthew's parents just started liking me again so they can help me, but with you here everything is going to go better than I can even imagine."
He walked up behind the younger woman and put a hand to her shoulder, not able to hug her the way he wanted with the tasks she was trying to complete.
Her hand reached back to squeeze the hand on her shoulder, Emily biting her bottom lip before backing up and bringing the salad to the dining room table. "They should be here any minute so if you want to sit, or I can get you a drink?"
"Just water," he nodded, walking to her fridge. "I can get it."
She sent him a relieved smile, finishing the fruit plate she had gotten ready remembering that Matthew's father liked fruit rather than vegetables, and she quickly set the platter down beside the salad at the dining room table.
Both heads turned when the doorbell rang, Emily immediately straightening the hem of her dress.
"If you keep pulling at it, you're going to pull it right off."
"It's not too short?"
The dark haired pair met in the foyer of Emily's home, the ambassador's daughter trying her best to look presentable.
"Is that a joke?" Hotch tried to laugh. "It's fine."
"Fine?" Emily hissed, quickly glancing into the mirror by her coat closet and fixed her updo as best she could, curls falling out of the clip that held her hair to frame her face.
The older man's voice had the brunette agent immediately look to him, her eyes meeting his as his fingers pushed back one of her curls so it wasn't in her eye.
"You look beautiful," he whispered to her with a smile, hearing the visitors outside his friend's front door. "You look perfect, ok? I promise. Everything is going to go as best it can, and I'm going to be right here for you."
She took his hand that lay against her cheek and pressed a small kiss to his palm. "Thank you," she whispered back before turning to the door, unaware of the look her longtime friend was giving her, and she opened it to see Matthew's parents standing on her front step. "Thomas," the agent smiled, letting the older man giving her a long hug before her eyes moved to the woman beside him. "Andrea, hi," she tried to smile, afraid of her friend's mother's changing opinion of her.
"Come here, Emily."
Emily let the older woman give her a gentle hug before ushering both of Grace's grandparents into the house, shutting the door behind them. "I'm a little relieved you two are here first," she laughed, sharing a smile with the older couple. "This is Aaron."
"From the funeral," Thomas nodded, shaking the younger man's hand. "I remember."
Andrea smiled at Emily's friend before taking a small step toward him. "May I?" she asked, holding her arms out.
Hotch kissed Grace's cheek and took his tie from her grasp before handing her over to her grandmother, feeling Emily gravitate toward his side as they watched the couple hug their granddaughter tighter than they'd ever been hugged.
"Why don't we all sit?" Emily smiled, leading the rest of her guests into the living room and letting them take their seats. "Can I get anyone anything to drink?"
Thomas shook his head. "I can wait until dinner," he nodded with his finger caught in Grace's hold. "Thank you again for inviting us."
The agent smiled. "Of course. I know she must have missed you."
Andrea took a small whiff of the baby's head before kissing her dark hair. "I barely ever saw her," she whispered, her lips against Grace's forehead. "Only after Matthew won his custody battle did we meet her."
Emily gulped. And now she was Grace's guardian.
"How has she been?"
Brushing a curl from her eyes, the FBI agent did her best to smile to the older couple in her living room. "She had a small ear infection, but that's all cleared up. Other than that, she seems to be adjusting well."
Andrea looked up from the baby. "Do you mind if I see her room?"
"How about when both sets of grandparents are here?" Hotch spoke up, smiling to each and everyone in the room just as the doorbell rang once more.
Emily sent a panicked look to her friend before gently taking the five month old from her grandmother's arms. Maybe the other set of grandparents would be nicer to her and like her better if the baby was glued to her the entire time.
Hotch walked up behind his friend and followed her to the door. "You can't use her as a shield forever," he whispered in her ear, reaching around the younger woman and opening the door for her.
"Theodore," Emily smiled tensely - she could feel her cheeks hurting - "Hennessey," she nodded. "Come in."
The redheaded woman didn't ask before stepping over the threshold and taking the baby from Emily's arms. "Grace," she grinned, walking past everyone else and into the living room where the other grandparents sat.
Seeing the anxiety written across the new mother's face, Theodore stepped in and carefully put a hand to her arm. "Emily, I'm sorry."
She gulped, immediately shaking her head. Who swooped in and snatched a baby from its guardian's arms?
"She's juts missed her, that's all. I apologize for her actions."
Emily could feel her neck straining as she tried for a smile. "It's fine," she choked out, gesturing to the living room. "Please go sit. I'll be right there."
Hotch set his hand to the younger woman's back, waiting until the older man Emily had invited into her home was gone before he turned her to face him. "Breathe," he reminded her. "Just breathe."
"She hates me," the brunette wanted to cry. "This isn't going to go well at all."
"Emily," Hotch said, forcing her eyes to meet his, "do you remember this woman? You're going to have to deal with her for the rest of Grace's life."
The thought alone made Emily want to crawl into her bed and die.
"You're going to have to come to compromises, but right now I don't think anything we say is going to make her feel better or change her opinions. Let's just make her as comfortable as we can, ok?"
Emily let her boss' hand run down her back before they walked through the house and met with the guests in her home. "Is everyone ready for dinner?"
Theodore kissed his granddaughter's head before standing. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble," he smiled, sending a look to his wife to tell her to be nice. "What are we having?"
"I made steaks."
"I don't eat red meat."
Emily's hands brushed down her dress as she shrugged. "I have a salad and fruit too if you don't want the steak."
Henney looked to the younger woman with disdain. "I cannot have it," she stressed. "Do you not understand?"
"Henney," her husband said strongly, "let's go sit at the table."
Thomas stood along with his wife and took Emily to the side, pressing a kiss to Emily's cheek to lend her some support. "Do you need help in the kitchen?"
The FBI agent nodded. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not."
Theodore followed the two into the kitchen, leaving his wife time to cool down.
Hotch watched the three walk into the kitchen from the doorway, not wanting to stand in the way of a relationship being formed but not wanting to leave his friend alone to be made upset once again.
Emily chewed her cheek, handing the older man one of the trays she had plated. "I also have chicken if you don't like steak."
"Steak is perfect."
The brunette's eyes flickered away from Grace's grandfather's, his calm demeanor having her shoulders able to slouch for the first time that night. "Thank you," she almost whispered to him, afraid his wife would hear them talking. "I'm sorry, again. I really do want Grace to have more time with you."
Theodore took the platter from the counter. "I know," he nodded. "And I thank you for that. We're all adjusting."
She kept a smile on her face as she led the greying man back to the dining room, her eyes casting over to Hotch who was just getting to the table. "Here you go." Setting the platters down, both Emily and Theodore sat themselves down, the brunette woman sending her boss a smile when he pulled out her chair for her.
Noticing Grace's grandmother standing by the table, Emily sat straight and looked to her. "Hennessey, would you like to sit?"
"I'm fine."
Hotch looked across the table to his friend to try and calm her, seeing her hands clench around her silverware. "Are you sure?" he asked, standing from his seat. He walked over to the seat beside Theodore and pulled it out for her.
The redheaded woman glared at the Unit Chief, the baby squirming against her chest. "I said I was fine."
"Henney," her husband roared, his head spinning to look at the redhead he'd married, "sit down."
"You will not raise your voice at me!"
Emily felt her eyes beginning to tear as the angry woman handled the little girl who was to be her daughter, not wanting the five month old to be in the middle of the situation. "It's fine," she tried to smile, noticing Andrea and Thomas' discomfort. "We don't have to eat just yet."
"Why would I eat your devil's food?" Hennessey hissed, rocking the crying baby against her chest.
Emily's jaw dropped.
Walking over to the older woman, Hotch took the baby from her arms. "You should leave."
"Give me back the baby!"
"If you cannot be polite to the woman who is the guardian of your granddaughter, then you leave," the Unit Chief said strongly, hearing Emily's heels against the wood as she raced over to him to take Grace in her arms.
Hennessey watched as Grace immediately quieted in the FBI agent's arms, and it took all she had not to charge at the younger woman. "Devil!"
Emily's watering eyes looked up from the child in her arms to see Theodore escorting his wife from the room. "Please stay," she told Matthew's parents, noticing them starting to stand from their seats.
"I will get that baby away from you, I will!"
Kissing Grace's head, Emily watched as the couple left her home, her hands blocking the baby's ears so she couldn't hear the screaming.