Ok so this chapter is during the events of "Slave of Duty" and my take on why Emily went with the team on the case.

It's November 2009, Emily is 39 and Hotch is 44.
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"I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you, like I've been there before. I'll be there for you 'cuz you're there for me too..." – The Rembrandts, "I'll be there for you."
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Emily stood in the narrow hall of the apartment, her hand resting on her and Hotch's bedroom door, wanting to push it open and go inside to where Hotch was helping Jack with his tie, but not quite able to bring herself to do it.

It's not that she didn't want to disrupt the moment the pair were having, because even though she'd been afraid at first that Jack wouldn't feel comfortable with her being around, he'd taken to the change like a duck to water.

It was the fact that she didn't know what to say... she didn't know what words she could use to comfort the two most important people in her life, and that was why she couldn't quite face them... she couldn't express how she felt yet and she was, to be honest, afraid that she'd say something wrong, so she needed to leave them to mourn their loss in their own way.

All she did know is that she'd be there for them, every step of the way.

~.~.~.~.~.~

She watched as he stood alone on the balcony after the funeral... and even though she wanted to talk to him, she couldn't find her feet, she couldn't move from her seat.

She knew that he needed to think, she knew he had big decisions to make regarding his future, and she knew she couldn't and shouldn't help him make them, so she sat and watched him, knowing that if he needed or wanted her, that he'd tell her.

When she found out they had to leave on a case she was beyond pissed that she had to leave him here on his own, but she knew Strauss was still here so she couldn't even say goodbye.

She made her way slowly to the door, but at the exit she stopped suddenly causing the rest of the team to stare.

"Are you coming Emily?" JJ asked as she stood beside the SUV, holding one of the doors open.

"I just need to say goodbye... make sure he's ok." Emily informed them; not looking any of them in the eye as she spoke, being caught in a trance like state instead.

"We get it, just hurry." Morgan told her soothingly, knowing that she needed to say goodbye before she left.

Emily nodded her head in thanks and turned quickly on her heel, running back into the ball room and out onto the balcony, not caring if she was spotted by Strauss, to where Hotch now stood on his own, staring out at the night sky.

"Shouldn't you be away by now?" Hotch asked, not even needing to turn around to know who it was behind him.

"I don't want to leave you." Emily confessed quietly, knowing that he was able to look after himself, but not wanting to let him.

"Emily the team needs you more than I do." He told her firmly, turning to face her when he spoke.

"No they don't... they'll manage." Emily tried to reason, though knowing that he was right.

"Honey, you know they won't... plus I need to think a few things over in my head, and if you're there I won't be able to... no offence." He told her, trying to convince her to go, even though a part of him wanted her to stay with him.

"Are you sure?" She asked, wanting to give him one more chance to ask her to say.

"Positive." He replied sadly. "Now go before Strauss see's you." He added.

"Ok... I love you." She told him sadly as she turned to leave, knowing that even a kiss on the cheek or a hug would raise eyebrows, and they still could be seen from inside.

"I love you too." Hotch replied as he watched her leave.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Hey Em." Morgan called, as he jogged to catch up with her on their way across the air strip to the jet, on the way back from the case.

"Yea?" Emily replied, not looking up from the ground as she continued to walk.

"You ok? You went a bit crazy with that Unsub back there." Morgan said, looking at her and trying to catch her eye.

"I just wish I was at home." Emily replied, looking him briefly in the eye, just long enough for Morgan to see the tears rise in her eyes. "I need to know they're both ok." She added, talking about Hotch and Jack.

"Emily, Hotch and Jack are lucky to have you in their lives, now especially." Morgan told her, reaching an arm out and pulling her close to his side. "And they both know you'll always be there for them." He added.

"Well I've done a great job of that so far... the day that Aaron buries his ex wife and the day Jack buries his mother, I'm called away on a case." Emily replied with a regretful sigh.

"Emily, believe me when I say you're there for them more than you think, even if it's from afar, you are always there for them, and they know that." Morgan told her firmly, hoping to squash any doubts his best friend had.

"Thanks... it actually means a lot to hear someone say that to me." Emily sniffled, sounding slightly less depressed now.

"Any time princess." Morgan replied, kissing the top of her head as he spoke.

"You know I hate it when you call me that." Emily pretended to huff.

"Yea well tough, Garcia's my baby girl, you're my princess and JJ's the mamma, so you girls are just going to have to deal with it." Morgan told her with a smile, happy with himself that he'd gotten her smiling again.

Emily shook her head playfully but said nothing. Secretly she was happy that Morgan was teasing her, it meant that for a brief second things were normal again, and that she didn't have to get on the jet and go home to a devastated child and his broken father.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Emily sighed as she opened the apartment door and made her way into the apartment, throwing her go bag in the corner and trudging over to the kitchen where she planned on grabbing herself a bite to eat, as she knew Hotch and Jack would be either at the grave or sleeping, and she didn't want to disturb them.

She was only slightly shocked to find Jessica in the room as well, fixing up what looked like a bowl of spaghetti hoops, which was Jacks favourite.

"Hey." Jessica greeted softly, when she turned to see Emily behind her.

"Hello Jessica." Emily replied awkwardly, not knowing if Jessica hated her or not for breaking up Hotch and Haley in the first place.

"Don't worry... I don't hate you." Jessica told her, as if she'd read her mind. "And neither did Haley... she actually thought you were good for him, she just didn't deal well with it at first."

"Thank you for telling me that." Emily replied. "And I'm sorry for your loss." She added.

Jessica nodded her head but didn't reply, knowing that there was nothing else left to say.

"Is Jack in bed?" Emily asked, knowing that he'd been spending a lot of his time sleeping since he'd gotten back, which wasn't a good sign for a child who was once so active.

"He's in his room watching a video of him and Haley, but he wants to see you." Jessica told her with a smile.

Emily nodded and made her way down the hall to Jacks room, stopping momentarily at the door before pushing it open to reveal the young boy lying on his bed, facing away from the door, watching a video of him and Haley blow out candles on his birthday cake.

"Hey buddy." Emily called softly, not wanting to startle the young boy.

"Emmy your home." Jack replied, jumping of his bed and coming to hug her even though his voice lacked the enthusiasm it normally had when he seen her or his dad.

"Yea sweety I am, and I missed you loads when I was away." Emily told him as she stooped down and pulled the young boy into a tight hug.

"Emmy will you put me to bed now?" Jack asked her after a moment.

"But it's only four o clock sweety, and Aunt Jess is making you spaghetti hoops." Emily told him.

"I know... but when I sleep mommy visits me, so I want to go to bed now." Jack informed her, looking like he was about to burst into tears.

"Ok buddy, I'll put you to bed." Emily replied, feeling a lump form in her throat at Jacks confession.

~.~.~.~.~

Hotch sighed as he finally got up from the bench in front of Haley's grave, and began to walk back towards his car slowly.

He'd been there for at least an hour before Dave came, and he'd thought everything over in his head... he'd even had a 'discussion' with Haley about what to do next, and everything now seemed a lot clearer in his mind.

He'd known even before he'd come to the grave that he'd never be able to leave the BAU, or the FBI for that matter.

He knew it was in his blood, and that he wouldn't be truly happy unless he was able to hunt down the bad guys and make the world a better place for his son.

So really with that in mind before he'd even gotten here, there was only one other thing he needed to talk to Haley about... Emily.

He'd known that Haley hadn't approved of their relationship at first... heck he'd even go as far as to say that she'd resented their relationship at first... but once she'd gotten over the initial shock of them being together she'd actually started to approve of the idea of them being a couple, even going as far as to let Emily's name go on Jack's list of emergency contacts at his pre school.

All that said Hotch still wanted to think things over... to make sure Haley really would have been ok with Emily playing such a huge role in Jacks life.

She hadn't known just how serious Hotch was about his relationship with Emily, and she'd already been gone when Emily had moved in, so Hotch needed to 'talk' to her, just to make sure she approved of Emily becoming the mother figure in Jack's life from now on.

So now, as Hotch unlocked and opened his car door, he knew in his mind what the answer was... he knew that she would approve; he knew that Haley would have wanted this, because as she'd said, Jack needed to believe in love, and he intended on keeping that promise to her... it was one of the hundreds of promises he'd made to her, and this one he intended on keeping.

~.~.~.~.~

"Hey." Emily called softly when Hotch walked in the door of the apartment, later that evening.

"Hey." He replied quietly, as he kicked his shoes to one corner, not looking her in the eye.

"I missed you when I got home." Emily told him. She waited for him to reply but when he didn't she continued. "Did she help you figure things out?" She asked, knowing where Hotch had been.

"Yea..." He replied. "Yea she did." He repeated, before moving across the room and pulling Emily into a warm hug, not wanting, or needing to talk any more.
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There, that was pretty long, but a lot happened in the episode, so the chapter needed to be long. Tell me what you thought.