Lex sat on the steps of the deck, watching the groups of people she'd slowly pulled away from. Hotch was the common denominator of all the grown ups and flitted from the BAU to his family to friends to other parents. Then there was Jack, the common denominator of all the groups, grown ups and children alike running all around the place, trying to be the best birthday boy. Lex took a swig of her soda from the bottle and glanced at her phone. She dialled voicemail and listened to the recording, not noticing Penelope Garcia creep up behind her.

"What's up, princess?" Lex looked up and smiled, squinting through the sun. "I'm clairvoyant."

Lex made a blank face. "Who?"

Garcia went to swat her and sat on the step next to her. "Want to talk to Aunty Pen?"

Lex pulled out her phone again and put it on speaker.

"You have 1 old voice message."

"Lex, it's me. Can you please call me? We need to talk things out… Like, um, what I was doing that night, and what you're doing with some old man. Please call me. I miss you."

Garcia stared at her. "Two questions: What old man and why have you not deleted that message?"

"The 'old man' is Hotch. He went by my place to pick me up some clothes and ran into Sean and…" She moved her hand in front of her face to block the sun.

Garcia raised an eyebrow. "Really? No… We'll get back to that. Delete it."

"Maybe he has a good explanation."

"You mean a clever one… There is no way he can justify kissing another woman."

"I know…"

"So? What's the problem?"

Lex frowned. She didn't know. "He's my boyfriend."

"So…"

"So, we've been together for twelve years… Since I was fifteen."

"And in fifteen years, he has accumulated so much respect for you that he cheats on you when he's supposed to be visiting you." Lex looked at the ground. "He's not worth the turmoil and the pain… You deserve someone who cares enough about you to… To go to your home and pick up clothes for you while you're staying at his place because your boyfriend cheated on you?" she suggested. "Maybe, if a little boy who just so happens to be crazy about you is thrown in? Bonus?"

Lex laughed. "You're very funny. Absolutely hilarious."

"Oh." Garcia looked over Lex's shoulder. "Speak of the angelic devil."

Lex looked behind her and smiled up at Hotch. "Hello, ladies. You having a good time?"

"It's bopping."

Hotch chuckled. "Thank you…" He looked at Garcia. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Absolutely."

"Can I borrow Lex off you for just a minute?"

Garcia looked at Lex. "I think I can manage that…" She stood up as Hotch moved toward the kitchen. "Maybe my premonition is coming true…" She winked and walked over to JJ and Emily.

"What premonition?" Hotch asked as he took Lex's empty soda bottle from her and handed her a new one.

"You don't want to know." She ran a hand through her hair. "So what's up?"

"What was wrong with Jack?"

"He's fine… I thought I told you to relax and enjoy the party."

"I'm too busy worrying about my son."

Lex took a deep breath. "It's not really my place and I don't fell completely comfortable with mentioning this to you, but… Jack overheard a conversation you had… with Morgan… about you getting a new… 'lady friend.'" Hotch closed his eyes. "He's just a smart kid, who reads a lot of stories… some about evil step moms and he's just…"

"Shit!" Hotch exclaimed. "He was never supposed to know about that." He looked at Lex. "Look, Morgan, Rossi and Reid were here, and we were having a few drinks, and Morgan and Rossi asked Reid if there was anyone in his life and then they started talking about the last time they'd…" He made hand gestures. Lex nodded, understanding he didn't want to explain everything to her. "And they turned on me. And they asked me the last time I'd met anyone new, with 'potential' - as Rossi likes to put it - and I told them and they started interrogating me and I ended up admitting that… yeah, I'd like to meet someone new. Someone I can have fun with at home and away from home and… Jack was never supposed to know... I tried to steer away from the topic as fast as I could but they're like dogs with bones when they want to be... Shit--"

Lex pulled her hair over her shoulder. "Hotch…"

"Yeah."

"I probably should have said this at the start, but… You don't have to explain anything… It's not my place…"

"Jack has to know I would never let anyone hurt him… He has to."

"He does… He just-- He knows people are good at fooling others."

Hotch shook his head. "Shit, Lex, what do I do?"

Lex turned for the door. "I really don't know… I."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Jessica walked in. She looked from Lex to Hotch.

Thank you, Jessica. "You're not interrupting anything," Lex said. She turned back to Hotch as she walked out to the back yard. "Hotch, I really hope it works out for you… I really do."