Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the songs that are mentioned in
This chapter is dedicated to "Sierra Clearwater" "mummacass" "McMackenzie" and "nataliebianca" and thanks to all of you for your opinions. :)
**
Thursday morning came after an uneventful, peaceful Wednesday night. Emily looked over and saw Hotch sleeping soundly. It was 6:30, and since he finally had a day off, she decided not to annoy him and to just let him sleep. She put her robe on over her pajamas and started walking to the stairs. Emily heard the faint thumping of the bass line of a song coming from the kitchen. She opened the door and saw Riley cooking food, dancing in a pair of boxers and a tank top. Hotch said she had a beautiful singing voice, but what she was doing at that moment would be classified as yelling (not too loudly) along to the music. She was trying very hard to hold in her giggles, but when Riley started doing the running man, she couldn't hold it in anymore. Riley jumped, clearly startled. She looked at Emily, then turned off the music. She looked at Emily, then herself.
"If I'd known you were up," Riley began. "I would most likely have put pants on."
"Most likely?" Emily asked as she laughed.
"Yeah. Who's to say for sure?"
"I guess you're right. What are you doing up so early?" Emily asked.
"Couldn't sleep. I figured I'd just get up and making pancakes." Riley said.
"In your underwear."
"Yes, but that's a given. You can make anything more fun if you're dancing in your underwear." Riley shrugged. She said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, and everyone knew it.
"I'll keep that in mind." Emily laughed. "Do you need any help?"
"Not really, but if you want to help you're welcome to."
"Alright, I'm a crappy cook so there's not too much I can do." Emily joked.
"Gee, am I ever glad you're helping me." Riley laughed.
"What on earth are you two doing up at quarter to seven?" Hotch asked. Neither one of them heard him come into the kitchen. Riley finally decided to put longer pants on, and she met Jack in the hall.
"Are we going to daddy's work today?" Jack asked.
"Yeah baby. Are you still wanting to go? If not I'll stay home with you."
"NO! Are you CRAZY? I want to go to HQ." Jack said.
"HQ?" Riley laughed.
"Head quarters." Jack explained. Riley was about to say that she already knew and was just wondering why he called it that, but instead she just informed him that they were making pancakes. He ran into the kitchen and gagged.
"Is someone cooking THROW UP?" He asked in agony.
"Moring Jack." Hotch laughed. "No, Emily just attempted to cook the pancakes herself."
"Why? Is she trying to kill us?" He coughed.
"Thanks Jack." Emily said cynically. Riley entered the kitchen too.
"What did you DO to my pancakes?!" She shrieked.
"I just attempted to help." Emily said quietly. Riley started laughing.
"You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't cook."
"What do you know? You haven't even tasted them." Emily retorted.
"If they taste like they smell..." Hotch began but Emily elbowed him in the ribcage.
"Alright, damage control." Riley said as the smoke detector went off.
"Daddy, the pancakes are on fire." Jack said pointing to the pan. Sure enough, the pancakes were on fire. Hotch grabbed the pan and tossed it into the sink, turning on the cold water.
"How did you manage to do that? They're just pancakes!" Hotch laughed. The fire was out in a few seconds. All of the Hotchners were laughing, while Emily stared at her feet in embarrassment.
"That's not the safest way to put out kitchen fires." Riley pointed out.
"I don't care! It worked." Hotch said.
"How did you do that Emmy?" Jack asked.
"I have no idea."
"Okay. Forget about the pancakes." Riley said. She pointed to Hotch. "You get Jack ready to go to your work. Emily, you brew some coffe and dispose of the so called pancakes. I'll get myself ready and fix something else for breakfast.
"Since when are YOU mom?" Jack asked.
"I'm not." Riley protested. "That just took up a decent amount of time, and we need to get to dad's work."
"Riley's right, even if she is beyond bossy." Emily joked, Riley stuck her tongue out at her and ran up the stairs. Everyone ended up following Riley's directions, and they were all ready on time.
**
"And he was all 'push it real good.' We were all like, 'what?'" Riley told JJ and Morgan. They both started laughing. Hotch walked in to the conversation only to here that bit.
"What are you telling them?" He asked.
"You rapped? You actually RAPPED?" Morgan laughed.
"...No." He said quietly.
"I can't picture it." JJ said and she shook her head.
"Don't you have something else to do?" He asked.
"I'm keeping Reid's chair warm while he makes copies of stuff." Riley shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do?"
"I meant them." Hotch said, gesturing to the two agents who had pulled up chairs to listen to Riley tell stories about her father.
"We can work and talk at the same time, we've been doing it for years." Morgan joked.
"Thanks for holding my chair for me." Reid said when he returned from copying papers.
"No problem." She said, getting up and sitting back down on Reid's desk.
"Uhm...that's my desk." He protested.
"It is. How about that." Riley said blankly.
"Yeah..."
"It also happens to be my chair." She shrugged.
"Okay." He laughed. They continued conversation for a minute before Strauss walked into the room.
"I just wanted to remind you all about the charity ball on Friday." She said loudly.
"I totally forgot." Hotch mouthed to the other agents, and they nodded in unison. Emily walked in after her and judging by the look on her face, she forgot about the ball.
"A ball?" Riley asked. "That sounds super fun!"
"Oh, I didn't see you their Miss Hotchner. How are you doing?" She asked.
"Very well ma'am. And yourself?"
"Quite well. Children are invited to the ball too, so if you can behave, you should accompany your father." Strauss said.
"That sounds great ma'am. I'll be on my very best behaviour." Riley said politely.
"Excellent. I look forward to seeing you all there." Strauss said before she left.
"Shit. I forgot all about it." Morgan said.
"Same." Emily said. "I have no dress or anything."
"Neither do I, we should go shopping after work. Riley, if you're coming to the ball, you should come shopping with us." JJ said.
"That's very kind of you to invite me." She said happily.
"This sucks." Garcia said, emerging from her office. "Strauss just came in and told me I have to go to some charity ball. I have no dress or anything."
"Emily, can I invite Penelope to shop with us?" Riley asked.
"Of course you can." Emily laughed.
"I was already planning on asking her." JJ said.
"Great." Garcia said.
"At least you don't have to worry about a date." Morgan said to Hotch.
"Yeah, that's true." He said, kissing Emily's forehead.
"Barf." Riley said loudly.
"I think they're the only ones with a date, besides JJ of course." Reid pointed out.
"I got to round up a date by tomorrow night." Morgan thought out loud.
"Yeah, that'll be a challenge for you." Reid said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, I imagine he'll have difficulties." Emily laughed.
"Alright, alright. You can pick me up at seven." Riley joked.
"You know what little lady, I might take you up on that. I won't have to go looking for a date." He laughed.
"You're stealing my man?" Garcia asked.
"Yes." Riley laughed.
"Well, at least you have a date." Reid sighed. "Even if it is a teenager, which by the way is a bit weird"
"Hey! He could do a lot worse than me!" Riley exclaimed jokingly. "But, I'll find you a date."
"You'll find me a date? How?" Reid asked, slightly intrigued.
"Don't you worry about that. You get you sexy self ready for the ball." Riley said with a wink.
"RILEY!" Hotch snapped, and everyone else laughed.
"Oh loosen up boss man, she's just joking. By the way, where's Jack?" Garcia asked.
"Rossi took him out for lunch. He was bored and Rossi offered to get him out for a bit." Hotch explained.
"Well that was nice of him." JJ said.
"I know."
"Anyways, I'm getting back to work so we can get out of here at a decent hour. I want to shop." Garcia said. The rest of the team followed Garcia's lead, and Riley tried her best to stay quiet and out of everyone's way.
**
"I hate shopping." Emily said, almost growling.
"Me too, I can never find things I look good in." JJ said.
"Ugh, this was a bad idea." Garcia sighed.
"What are you people whining about? Emily, you don't hate shopping. You just hate us all watching you try things on. Suck it up. JJ, anything looks good on you so zip it. Garcia, this was not a bad idea so shush. Now, you're here to get dresses, and I will make sure we don't leave until you have dresses. Unless you want to go naked. It would be quite a show, but I don't suggest it." Riley laughed.
"She's right, I guess." Emily grumbled.
"Let's just get this over with." Garcia agreed.
"Loving the spirit." Riley said under her breath as she grabbed a few dresses.
"What about this?" Emily said, holding up a black dress.
"Nope." Garcia said. "You're to pale for that dress. You need something bright!"
"To match your bubbly personality." Riley joked. Emily shoved her as Riley laughed.
"This?" JJ said, holding up a pale blue strapless dress. It had a black bow on it, and they all agreed that it would look good on her.
"Wear red." JJ said to Garcia. "It'll look good on you."
"Alright." She said showing all of them a red halter-top dress. It was so Garcia.
"I think I've found mine." Riley said. She held up a turquoise dress with spaghetti straps. It was covered in small black polka dots. It a good pick for her.
**
"This is hopeless." Emily said, throwing her arms up in frustration. They'd been to a total of 5 stores and Emily was the only one without a dress. She'd tried on quite a few, but she wouldn't just choose.
"Alright!" Garcia snapped. "This is the last store. We are picking a dress now. Let's go Prentiss."
"It's hard. I look ugly in everything." She whined.
"Oh, shut up." JJ said.
"You said the same thing in the first store." Garcia pointed out.
"Yes, but I was being honest." JJ said.
"If anyone looks ugly, it's me and it annoys me when you guys call yourselves ugly." Garcia said. Riley sighed angrily and the girls looked at her.
"For some of the prettiest girls I've ever met, you lack confidence. Why? None of you look ugly. Now, I could make you all look ugly by beating your faces. You all need to shut up and feel good about yourselves. Emily, pick a dress. Any dress." Riley ranted.
"Wow." JJ said. "You remind me of your father."
"Let's do this." Garcia said. From that moment on, the mood was substantially lighter. Emily tried on a dark, strapless pink dress and that was the one she went with. They all agreed she looked great. All of the girls grabbed dinner and laughed the whole time. All three of the girls liked Riley, and were glad she was there. There's nothing like a shopping trip to make you feel bad about yourself, and apparently there's nothing the logic of a moody 15 year old to make you feel better.
A/N: Oops, much longer than I thought. Sorry about that. Anyways, the next chapter will be the ball. After that, I want to focus on getting Hotch closer with Riley and Jack, and once again I have ideas, but I want to put it to a vote. (I like getting others involved) So, one idea is a small trip. The other idea is the kids get the flu, and Hotch has to take care of them. In your review (and please review :D ) put in your vote, or if you have a better idea, let me know. Thanks for reading!