A/N – thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing & alerting this story still, please check out the poll on my profile page, thanks to everyone who helped with my query on the forum am storing that knowledge for a later chapter!

Chapter 13 – Coming Home –

Four days later –

It had been an exhausting four days, with the heat and the long hours all the team were glad to be heading home. As Morgan drove Emily and Reid to the airport Emily looked down at her watch, 2pm, she sighed as she realised that she wasn't going to be able to pick Kate up from school. Emily reached down and picked her phone up of the floor, the battery had died earlier in the day and she currently had it on charge, it was then that she realised that she had missed several phone calls from her mother and quickly dialled to pick up the voice mail message she had left.

"Hello Emily dear, I know that I said that I would be able to pick Kate up from school but I've got to go the White House for a function tonight so I'm busy getting ready. Hope you can make alternative arrangements, we've had a great time together and I'll speak to you soon."

Emily sighed, politics had always come first with her mother and she knew that nothing would ever change that, but at least they had finished the case so Emily quickly dialled another number.

"Hello you are through to the all-knowing one!"

"Hi Garcia, how are you?"

"Fine thank you my darling Emily, now what can I do for you? I thought you were all coming back home?"

"We are but I need a favour please. Apparently my mother has got some function to attend tonight and can't pick up Kate from school and I was wondering..."

"If I could Kate-sit? It would be my pleasure Em."

"I should be back home about 6pm so if you could pick her up and take her back to mine that would be great, I'll pick up a pizza and some beer on my way home!"

"No worries Em I'll see you soon."

Emily put her phone back down on the floor so that it could continue to charge as she felt Morgan's eyes fixed on her.

"Did I just hear something about pizza, beer and my favourite girls?"

"Morgan you are so subtle! I take it you would like to come back to mine, how about you Reid?"

"Pizza sounds good."

"What about the others Prentiss?"

"Already on it Morgan."

Emily quickly picked up her phone and sent a text message to JJ seeing if she, Rossi and Hotch wanted to join then.

"Well they're in, looks like we're having a party at mine!"

"Auntie Pen!"

Kate came out of the school and saw her 'Aunt' standing by Esther and she went running over to her.

"Hello my fair little friend, how was school today?"

Kate stood in front Garcia and screwed up her face before Garcia pulled her into a warm embrace.

"That good! Well at least I can brighten up your day, we're heading back to your place and later Emily is coming back."

"Mom's coming home?"

"Yes sweetie, she's flying back as we speak, so how about we go home and bake some cookies?"

The kitchen area looked like a flour bomb had hit it, Garcia and Kate were covered in flour and now icing sugar as they stood making frosting to go on top of the cookies. They were busy making some pink frosting, lost in concentration as they failed to hear the front door open.

"Hey is anyone home?"

"Mom!"

Kate turned away from Garcia as she spotted Emily, forgetting that she was covered in flour and sugar she went running over and enveloped Emily into a hug.

"Woah, slow down Kate! Oh my word look at the state of you!"

Emily gently pushed Kate away, both of them laughing as they saw the mess Kate had caused, it was then that the young girl saw everyone else coming in the door.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Well we've all had a hard couple of days and Uncle Derek heard me talking to Aunt Pen about having Pizza so he decided to invite himself over and then I thought that I'd better see if anyone else wanted to come too."

"Oh so it's a good job Aunt Pen and I made cookies then!"

Kate smiled as she took a hold of Emily's hand as everyone filed through to the sofas.

"Oh my babygirl what on earth have you and Kate been doing?"

Morgan laughed as he saw the state of not only Garcia but Emily's kitchen as well.

"We were making cookies my chocolate cookie monster and I'd keep quiet if I were you otherwise you may find certain photos being circulated around..."

"Ok ok I'll stop!"

"Right then Kate I think that you had better go upstairs and clean up, Garcia and I will sort the kitchen out, JJ can you ring for pizza and there are beers in the fridge."

Emily quickly shepherded Kate towards the stairs as Garcia went over to wash her hands followed by Morgan as he opened the fridge looking for something to drink.

Emily stood in the kitchen, smiling to herself as she watched the lovely scene that was being played out in her condo. JJ, Reid and Kate were sitting on the floor playing Mousetrap whilst Morgan, Rossi and Hotch were sitting drinking beer and playing Uno Extreme.

"Penny for them?"

"Oh hey Garcia, sorry I spaced out for a minute there. Everyone seems happy don't they?"

Garcia nodded as she looked worriedly at her friend.

"I'm ok Garcia, just glad to be home. I'm just going to go up and get changed and then I'll be back down and ready to join the party."

Emily wandered up the stairs, stopping briefly to look in her office and sighed as she saw the pile of mail that had accumulated while she was away, she decided to leave it all until the morning. After changing into a pair of jeans and a grey FBI t-shirt Emily meandered back downstairs to join in the game of Mousetrap.

"Come on Kate it's time to go!"

Emily shouted up the stairs to the young girl who was running late due to going to bed late because she was playing games with Reid and JJ.

"I'm coming!"

"Ok have you got everything?"

"Yes mom!"

"Right then we should just be in time. Now I'll be there to pick you up after school, Hotch has given us the day off so I'll catch up with the chores and do some grocery shopping so we don't have to eat take-out again!"

Emily successfully managed to drop Kate off at school on time, she then stopped to do the grocery shopping before she headed home. After the food had been put away Emily set about tidying up the room after the previous night's impromptu party. Before she knew it the morning had almost disappeared as she made herself a much needed cup of coffee and headed up to her office to sort through the bills and junk mail that had arrived whilst she had been away.

Emily sat down and started thumbing through the pile when she saw two nearly identical letters, one addressed to her and one to the guardian of Katherine Stanley. Curious Emily opened hers first, she dropped the paper onto the desk as she read it, in shock she immediately opened the other one and was dismayed to see it was the same. Emily sat there in utter disbelief, how was she going to tell Kate that they had been summoned to testify at the trial of Mr and Mrs Ainsley?