Prentiss
I walked off the plane with the team and towards the cars waiting to take us back to Quantico. It was very early in the morning and I had slept on the plane.
"Okay, I'm sorry but…" JJ lifted my shirt to reveal my stomach.
"Oh, really?" I raised my eyebrows at her.
"You're only 12 weeks. My bump wasn't this big at 12 weeks…"
"Okay, stop." I rolled my eyes and pulled my shirt back down. The other three laughed at me. We stepped into the single SUV, Reid between JJ and I in the back and Rossi in the passenger seat. Morgan almost always drove when he could. My phone rang once we pulled away from the airstrip and I looked at the number. I didn't recognise it.
"Agent Prentiss." I said as I held the phone to my ear.
"Very professional. Hi." I heard Hotch's voice and I knew my eyes lit up.
"Hey!" I said excitedly, "Oh my god!" I accidently hit Reid at my side, "Oh, sorry Reid."
"Ow…" Reid said quietly.
Tears filled my eyes as I listened to his voice, "You hurt Reid? Never mind, I don't particularly want to talk about Reid right now. You've been calling me like crazy, is everything okay? Is Jack okay?"
"Jack's fine, everything's fine. Morgan got shot in the arm yesterday, but everything else is fine. You have to call Jessica to talk to Jack; we just got back from a case."
"I called you to talk to you, Emily."
"Well how are you? Are you safe? Are you in danger? Are you coming home?"
He sighed, "Not yet. I'm okay, honey. I'm in the same amount of danger as I would be in the field with a more serious, complex unsub."
"I find that really hard to believe."
"The only thing that's wrong with me is how much I miss you, Jack and the team."
I smiled to myself, "We miss you too."
"And how are you?"
"Uh…I'm fine. Nothing's really happened out of the ordinary lately." I glanced around the car. Morgan looked at me briefly over his shoulder with raised eyebrows, Rossi was looking at me through the side mirror and JJ and Reid were both staring at me. They were all questioning why I didn't tell him now.
"How's Jack?"
"He misses you a lot, but he's still doing better than me, surprisingly. He got in a fight at school a few weeks ago. They kid punched him in the face because his father was in jail and you put people there. Jessica and I had a meeting with the principal and the mother of the other kid so it's all sorted out now. He had a black eye for a few days but he thought it was cool after Morgan and Reid made him feel better about it."
"But he's okay now, right?"
"Yeah, he's fine." I assured.
"Are you with the team?"
"Yes, just not Garcia." I confirmed.
"Put me on speaker please?"
I smiled and pushed the speaker button.
"Hey!" JJ and Reid said enthusiastically at the same time.
"Hey guys." I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Hey man, how's it going there?" Morgan asked him.
"Well we're not really getting any closer to finishing this at the moment. We need a breakthrough to speed up the time here."
"You should really find that breakthrough because I really need you to come back."
I heard him laugh to himself, "You'll survive a few more months."
"Months!? Are you kidding me? How many?"
"Anywhere between one and thirty…"
I closed my eyes and dropped my head into one hand.
"You miss me that much?"
I took a breath, "Aaron, I'm—" I stopped before saying 'pregnant'. I couldn't tell him over the phone, it just wasn't right. I closed my eyes again and shook my head. "I miss you." I resorted to that.
JJ made it sound a little less suspicious, "Aw, me too." She smirked at me.
"Me three." Reid smiled.
I looked at Rossi and Morgan, "The other two do as well, they would just never admit it," I smirked at them, "And Garcia really misses you. Every time she calls to give us information on something, she doesn't hang up until she asks if we've heard from you. She's even almost asked us why you hadn't called her about something yet. She keeps forgetting."
Morgan pulled into the precinct lot and we stepped out of the car. Rossi carried my bag for me as I kept speaking to Hotch. When we stepped onto the sixth floor from the elevator, I smiled at Garcia. We all stood with her and I put the phone on speaker again.
"Okay." I said.
"Hey Garcia." Hotch said.
"Ah!" She screamed quietly in excitement, "Oh my god! Sir, how are you? When are you coming back? Are you kicking arse over there?"
"I'm doing my best." I could hear the smile in his voice again.
"And how are you feeling about the whole new Emily thing?" She asked, referring to my pregnancy. My eyes widened.
JJ gasped quietly, "She hasn't told him." She sung.
"…Oh no…I'm sorry." Garcia looked at me.
I shook my head, "It's okay."
"What new Emily thing?"
"Uh…I was offered a position at the state department." I lied. It was the first thing that came to mind, "I declined, so Garcia is just elated that I chose the team over a new job. She likes to tell people about it."
"Take me off speaker?"
"I think you should call Jack."
"Emily—"
"I have to go; we've got work to do here."
"You're lying, but okay. I'll call you back later."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye." He hung up and I looked at Garcia.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She said quickly.
"Why didn't you just tell him?" Morgan asked.
"Because I feel like it isn't okay to do over the phone…"
"Well yeah, it sucks that way, but you might not see him for months," JJ said, "And you're starting to show."
"Then won't he be in for a huge surprise when he gets back…his girlfriend all bloated and moody." Rossi said.
I snickered, "Gee, thanks. I have to go book an appointment for next week, so conversation over." I said as I walked away from them. I went through the glass doors into the bullpen and dropped my bags on the ground as I slumped into the chair. I sighed to myself and dropped my head into my hands. I should call him back and tell him but I wanted him to speak to Jack first.
I decided I'd do it later and I spun my chair to my desk. I was supposed to go home and get some rest, relax after the case, but I started the new paperwork on my desk. I was turning into Hotch. After a few minutes, I decided to call the doctor to book an appointment.
I worked for about an hour before I decided that enough was enough. JJ, Ross, Reid, Morgan and Garcia were all around our desks. They didn't want to leave me here, so despite me silently working, they stayed here and talked to each other. I picked my phone up and dialled the number that Hotch had called me on previously.
"Em?" He picked up quickly.
"Yeah, did you get a new phone?"
"I lost mine somewhere in the reception-less areas of Iraq. This is my temporary personal one; my work one if fine. I'll get a new one when I get back."
"Yeah…about that. Do you have any idea when you'll be back?"
"I told you, between one and thirty months."
I closed my eyes, "I'm going to need you to come back within the next six or seven at the most." The team fell silent behind me.
"What? Why? What's wrong?"
I took a deep breath, "I don't want to tell you over the phone; I want to tell you in person."
"I'm not allowed to leave."
"Then I'll come to Iraq and force them to take me to you."
"Emily, just tell me. Come on, you're worrying me."
I bit my lip and glanced at the team. JJ nodded encouragingly and the others just watched me. I don't know why I couldn't do it, but the words just wouldn't leave my mouth. I stood up and walked away from them quickly. I reached Hotch's office and closed the door behind me.
"Emily, are you there?"
"Yeah." I said quietly.
"Are you okay?"
I took a deep, unsteady breath, "Aaron…I'm pregnant." I waited for something, anything to tell me what he was thinking or feeling right now, but there was only silence. "Hotch? Aaron? Please, please say something."
"Are…are you sure?"
I snickered, "You think I wouldn't check a million times? I took three at home tests and then had the doctor run two of his tests."
"Well how far?"
"12 weeks, almost 13."
I heard him sigh, "I'm so sorry that you couldn't call me sooner."
"No, it's not your fault. But my pregnancy, now that is your fault." I smirked.
He snickered, "So does the team know?"
"Yeah. I tried to keep it from them but…well, you know, they're profilers."
"Well how are you taking it?"
"I'm worried," I admitted without hesitation, "I'm here pregnant with your child, and you're in a different country and you have no idea when you're coming back. The kid could be two before you get back for all we know."
"I am going to do everything I possibly can to get home to you."
I took another breath, "I just don't want you to be away in seven months. I don't even want you to be away in two, I mean, you're going to miss it all."
"No I'm not; I am going to come back in time, Emily. I promise."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep." I shook my head.
"Emily, I am going to do everything I can."
I sniffed, "I have an appointment next week…the first ultrasound. You're not going to see it."
"Take JJ with you. I might not be home for a few weeks, but I will be there for the birth, honey."
I nodded to myself and wiped the single tear on my cheek, "Honestly, are you happy or disappointed?"
"I'm surprised, but I would never be disappointed. I'm elated."
"Are you going to lose cell service again anytime soon?"
"I think I have a more weeks at the least before I might have to go back out. Let me know when the appointment is and I'll call you after it."
"It's on Friday afternoon at 3:45, Virginia time."
"Are you still working? How will you be sure that you'll be there?"
"I am working. If we happen to still be on a case, then I'll leave early for the appointment." I sat down and we continued talked for a long while. Eventually, he was called to go do something that I probably wasn't really allowed to know the details of. We exchanged "I love you" before he hung up and I sat in his office for another ten minutes before I decided to get up.
I walked out his office door and down the steps towards my desk. JJ asked how it went, I vaguely recounted our conversation and then she invited me to lunch with the rest of the team. Once again, I slipped more paperwork into my bag and left with them. I'd admit, I was hungry. I was eating for two now.
We went to a café down the street and I asked JJ if she'd come with me next week. She was happy that I asked and she was excited to be there. I was nervous and excited all the same, but I tried to keep my mind off it for the most part.
