Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds

The flight was only supposed to have been seven and half hours but they had sat on the runway at Dulles for almost an hour due to a rain delay before finally taking off and they were delayed upon arrival at Heathrow for almost another hour due to a medical emergency. Both JJ and Henry were antsy by the time they actually departed the plane.

Emily was there to greet them when they deplaned.

Hugs exchanged JJ looked in stunned disbelief at her friend. "I know you told me you were pregnant but it's such a shock to actually see you pregnant." The brunette had a very slight bump.

"How do you think I feel?" Emily scoffed. "I thought I was just gaining weight!"

JJ shook her head. "You look incredible Em. Seriously." She looked at her glowing friend. "Okay, let's go find our luggage and get out of here. We're both starved, aren't we buddy?" JJ looked down at her son, who despite everything had really behaved beautifully.

"I'm really glad you came." Emily hugged her tightly again. Emotion overwhelming her, she hadn't realized how much she had missed her former coworker until she saw her walking towards her. She laughed as she stepped back. "Sorry, hormonal pregnant lady."

"Oh sweetie, you haven't seen anything yet." JJ laughed suddenly very happy that she would get to experience all those events with her friend. As they moved through the airport towards luggage claim JJ responded to a few texts from a concerned Will, Spence and Pen, promising to contact them all later.

After claiming their suitcases the small group decided to stop while still at the airport for a quick bite to eat rather than trying to find something on the way back to Emily flat. Henry was still very well behaved but JJ didn't want to push it.

They were in a taxi on the way back to Emily's flat when JJ's phone rang. "What happened to calling me when you landed?"

"I didn't forget." JJ protested. "I was going to call you when we got settled at Emily's."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "Everything go okay? Did Henry travel well?"

JJ smiled at the obvious concern evident in his voice. "Everything went fine; we had a rain delay at Dulles and some medical emergency when we landed at Heathrow. Henry had a brief moment during the flight but I was able to distract him with some games I downloaded on the Ipad. Crisis averted." She reported.

"Okay, well I'll let you go. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." It was obvious that neither wanted to end the call.

"Everything's fine." Her voiced lowered an octave. "I'm glad you called."

"I'm probably going to do it from time to time." Hotch paused a moment. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, I think I expect you to." She retorted. "I imagine that I'll probably be calling you on occasion as well."

He cleared his throat. "Good. You take care of yourself JJ, and if you need anything, make sure you call me."

"I will." She breathed then admitted, "You're making me regret my decision."

"Now you tell me," he groaned, "If only I would have gone with my impulse when I saw that fucking request." He complained. "Just do me a favor and try not to fall for any surly, tea swilling Brit while you're over there."

Feeling emboldened by the distance, and the kisses he planted on her at the airport, she responded honestly. "Not a chance, there's a tea swilling, surly American that I'm already pretty fond of and have every intention of returning home to." She blushed, knowing that Emily was overhearing the entire conversation.

He chuckled. "Good. I'll be waiting for you." He let that statement set for a minute. "I'll let you go now and get settled but I'll be talking to you soon and often."

"Okay. Bye." She disconnected the phone and was still grinning when she glanced up and met Emily's amused eyes.

"Will?" She asked, nodding at the phone. At JJ's scowl she giggled. "Oh, it must have been Reid."

"Shut up, Emily."

"So how is Hotch?"

"Hotch kissed mommy." Henry piped up from between them.

"Did he?" Emily's smile grew even wider as he looked from Henry to JJ. "How long has that been going on? I don't think I got a kiss when I left."

"Someone obviously gave you something." JJ stared pointedly at Emily's stomach. "Let's not forget why I'm here."

"Is this your way of telling me you don't want to talk about Hotch yet?" Emily laughed.

JJ blushed as she ran her hand through her son's soft hair. "No. Not yet." She breathed a sigh of relief when Emily didn't push it. The change in the dynamic of her relationship with Hotch was too new and she needed a while to process it herself.

She was brought out of her reverie when they arrived at Emily's flat. The pictures she had emailed didn't do it justice. Even Henry was impressed and that was a hard task. There was an open living plan, three bedrooms, a dine-in spacious kitchen, but the best feature was the wall of tall windows that overlooked a park. She could imagine spending happy weekends with Henry there.

The living space was smaller than they were used to especially as she and Henry would be sharing a room since the third one was going to be used as a nursery. She just hoped her young son wouldn't form a habit that would be hard to break once they returned stateside.

In a surprisingly short period of time they were settled in. They still had boxes that were being shipped, more clothes and some books and toys for Henry but for the most part they were settled. Now they just had to figure out the sitter and work situation.

While Henry was forming an attachment to Sergio, JJ took the opportunity to contact her mom, Will and Penelope to let them know that the pair had arrived at the flat safely and were settling in. Will and Penelope both took the opportunity to complain once again that they weren't the one that drove the pair to the airport, each wrongly assuming that the other was responsible for the slight – a fact JJ did nothing to correct. All three hinted at the possibility of a future visit, which she did nothing to encourage.

Coming out of the bedroom JJ smiled as she spotted Henry fast asleep on the sofa, Sergio snuggled by his side. She foresaw a pet in their near future. Turning she headed to the kitchen to find Emily quietly working. "Hey."

Emily looked up and smiled. "Hey there, everyone notified?"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Yes." She pulled out a seat and sank down into it. "I think I'll be emailing Will and Pen for a while. Both are perturbed that they were not the ones to see Henry and I off at the airport."

Emily grimaced, "point them towards one another and your problems are solved."

"Ha," JJ scoffed, "if only. Pen is still smarting from the break up with Kevin but she won't do anything about it. Morgan used to be a good sounding board for her but something has been going on with him too, I don't know…" She stopped midsentence and looked up at her friend. "Oh my God."

"What?"

JJ shook her head. "Don't you what me, Emily Prentiss."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, JJ." She replied, but the sight of her picking at her nails was all the evidence that JJ needed.

"You realize that I would have figured this out sooner if I didn't have my own drama to deal with."

"You mean Hotch?"

"Nuh uh." She wagged a finger at her. "Nice try. First, Hotch is not part of my drama. He's the only bright spot in my messed up world, besides Henry of course." She shrugged at Emily. "I'm not sure what that means yet. But you are not going to distract me with Aaron Hotchner. We are going to sit here while you explain how it is you are pregnant with Derek's baby and why the hell you haven't told him yet?"

Emily sighed. "It's a really long story and I don't come out looking too good in it."

JJ lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "I'm not going anywhere for a couple of months so get talking."

Emily stood up, "come on, if we're doing this now I want to be comfortable."

JJ followed her into the family room and watched as Emily curled herself into the overstuffed chair and before long it all spilled out. JJ had shared with her friends her decision not to marry Will but she never discussed with them what had happened after she fled Rossi's home on the night of the would be wedding. Or more specifically what happened with the team that she left behind that evening.

She didn't know Penelope and Kevin spent the evening trading longing glances, both wanting so badly to reconcile but neither knowing how. Or that Beth and Hotch danced and flirted, but when Hotch staunchly supported JJ's decision their short lived romance fizzled rather quickly. She was aware that Rossi and Strauss had not so secretly rekindled an old romance, but not that it caught spark on the same night.

"It just happened, JJ." Emily shrugged, "we were dancing, then he drove me home and then," she rubbed a hand over her stomach. "I had already made the decision to leave the BAU I think it was just two lonely people wanting to be less lonely."

JJ listened in silence. Obviously Emily had convinced herself that their affair was as simple as that but she could tell from looking at Emily it was more. Plus she'd known there was something off with Morgan as well. "Do you regret it?"

"No." She blushed, "It was nice." She rolled her eyes as JJ stared at her pointedly. "Okay, it was smoking hot, animalistic sex. It was fantastically unbelievable."

JJ grimaced. "I wasn't asking for a critique of his performance!" They both laughed for a moment then JJ asked somberly. "I don't understand Emily, why haven't you told Derek?"

"I don't know, Jay." Emily whined. "I've had the conversation a thousand times in my head, but when I actually talk to him I just can't make myself tell him."

Remembering the feeling too well herself JJ quietly stated, "Yeah, I know what you mean. But Em, Derek needs to know."

Emily shook her head. "He doesn't deserve to have his life turned upside down because we made a decision to celebrate my leaving in style."

JJ laughed, "You made the decision to celebrate together and you made that baby together. Guess what, you suffer the consequences together." She shook her head. "If he finds out before you tell him, like I don't know, when he comes for that visit he keeps talking about, he's not going to be happy. The longer you wait, the angrier he's going to be. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"Okay, let's talk about that. Say I tell him and he thinks this is a good reason to get together?"

JJ stopped her with a hand in the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't borrow trouble. Don't look at my failed relationship as a reference guide. I made way too many mistakes along the way. A baby does not a family make."

Emily glanced down at her stomach. "But you loved Will once, right?"

JJ was silent a really long time, so long that Emily wondered if she was going to answer her. "I think I wanted it to be more than it was. Will is a terrific guy, he really is. I should be in love with him, I should want to marry him but in the end I just don't."

Emily looked at her with sympathy. "JJ."

"I know, I'm horrible," She sighed. "Do you see now why I couldn't marry him? He deserves better."

"Jay," JJ looked up to find tears flowing down Emily's face. "I'm in love with Derek. What if he feels like that about me?"

"Oh Sweetie," JJ hurriedly looked for a box of tissues. Spotting them she bounced up and gave them to her friend. "At least give him a chance. I'm not sorry that I took a chance on Will, I'm sorry that I couldn't be what he needed me to be. I didn't marry him because I do love him, he deserves to have someone completely devoted to him, but so do I and we can't get that if we're together. You don't know how Derek feels you're projecting my failed relationship on yourself." She leaned forward and kissed her friend's forehead. "Call Derek, you're just making the situation harder than it has to be."

"I can't." Emily sobbed. "I don't think I could handle it if he decided he didn't want anything to do with us."

"You're being ridiculous." JJ argued. "You know that's not going to happen."

"It could."

"Fine," JJ agreed, "It could. But you know it's not going to. He was upset that you brought me over here instead of him. He's planning on a trip over here to see you. That sounds like a man that's missing you, not one that wants to cut all contact. If Derek Morgan was doing his normal hit it and quit it routine you wouldn't have heard from him at all." JJ bluntly pointed out.

"You're right, I'll call him." Emily agreed.

"When?" JJ pushed.

"Soon."

JJ would have pushed further but Emily's cell started to chirp and then she was racing out the door. JJ knew that she was going to have to push a lot harder to get her friend to make that call. That or she was going to have to get really sneaky and get Derek to London.

Thank you for reading! I promise I'm not baiting you along. Derek is going to find out next chapter. Again, I'd like to give a huge thank you for those that have taken the time to review and follow this story. I hope you're still sticking with me and you're still interested in it.