I'm so sorry this chapter took me so long to get up! I have so much of this already planned out, but for some reason I just couldn't get all the words to go together like I wanted. I think I've finally got it now, though! And I know so many of you want to see more team, and I promise you they are most definitely on their way—look out for the next chapter! ; )

On another note, all of your reviews are literally SO sweet. I always mean to take the time and reply to those of you that I can contact, but basically my memory is awful and my motivation is even more awful. Every review I get makes me smile and brightens up my day so much, especially the really long ones. You're all WAY too nice to me! Since this took me soooo long to get up, I didn't cut it where I originally planned, so it's pretty long. I hope you guys like it and thank you again for your sweet words! Xoxo

XxxxxX

Emily, Hotch, and George walked quietly to Starbucks, the silence between the three of them a comfortable one. It was only a couple of blocks away, so they got there in a very few minutes.

"Why don't you two find somewhere for us to sit, and I'll go get the coffee?" Emily offered. George and Hotch agreed. They told Emily what they'd like, both of them attempting to get their wallets out and give Emily some money, but the brunette had turned and walked away before they could do so. The men laughed, shaking their heads and moving toward the back of the cafè and sitting at a table.

"I'm not sure we've actually properly met," Hotch said as he sat across from George. He'd heard many stories of the older man in front of him; he knew how Emily regarded him as part of the family, but George always insisted on calling her "Miss Prentiss" until very recently.

"I'm Aaron Hotchner," Hotch said as he extended his hand out to the man.

"George Freedman," the man replied as he shook Hotch's hand. "It's good to finally meet you. Emily's told me so much about you." George informed Hotch with a smile.

"All good stuff, I hope." Hotch replied, laughing lightly.

"Eh," George said. "Mostly good." He joked with a wink. "You're really a help to her, I do hope you know that. I don't even know if she realizes it. After she sees you or your son, she always seems to have relaxed a little. I know with everything that's happened, it's hard for her to feel like she can relax and feel normal." The grey haired man said softly, his voice light and tired.

Hotch's lips curled up into a tiny smile. "Emily has been one of my very good friends for years, and a lot of times I really have no idea how to make any of this better for her; but I do try. It seems like hanging out with me and my son makes her feel better. She's always welcome at my apartment. I hope you know that that invitation extends to you as well, George. If you'd ever like to have dinner or go for walks with us, we would love to have you." Hotch said sincerely. He wondered how George was coping with Elizabeth's sickness. He knew from what Emily had told him, that George and Elizabeth had quite the past. He knew they both deeply regretted never having truly expressed their feelings for each other. He couldn't imagine what he'd do in George's situation. It amazed him that the man always seemed so calm and together, always seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Thank you, Aaron. That would be nice, maybe sometime soon we can all do that. Emily adores Jack, I'd like to meet him someday." George replied.

Hotch smiled at the mention of his son. "Jack's head over heels for Emily," he said as they both laughed. "I'll make sure you meet him very soon." He promised, just as Emily approached them with the much needed caffeinated beverages.

"I hope you weren't exchanging embarrassing stories about me," Emily said as she approached, sitting the tray of coffee down and taking a seat next to Hotch.

"You got here right before I was about to tell him about that Atlanta consult you and I went on-" Hotch was cut off with a light slap to the shoulder.

"We said we weren't going to talk about that! Ever!" Emily exclaimed.

"We're not, I was just joking." Hotch sent her a reassuring smile.

The three laughed, sitting in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the calmness of each other's company.

The silence was broken by Hotch's phone ringing, and he stepped away to answer it.

"Probably a case," Emily sighed. "Serial killers have really terrible timing." She half smiled.

"If they knew you were here, they might not have to go." George told her, knowing Emily was hesitant to let her friends in. After all, she was a Prentiss. He knew how she and Elizabeth handled things almost identically. He wasn't sure if the two were ever aware of just how alike they were.

Emily sighed. "I know, I need to tell them. It's only fair to them." She said just as Hotch came back to sit down.

"Was that a case?" Emily asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

Hotch nodded. "It seems pretty bad, we're going to brief in an hour; then decide if we're going to leave right away or wait until Monday morning."

Emily nodded, not really knowing what else to say.

"I'm really sorry, Emily." Hotch apologized.

"No, no," Emily said quickly, shaking her head. "It's not your fault, you guys are the best; so I know you'll get whoever's doing whatever horrible thing is happening to people."

Hotch sent her a smile.

"Why don't the two of you head back to the hospital so Aaron can get his car, and I'll meet you back there soon, Emily." George suggested, sensing that the two of them might want to be alone.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked as she worried at her lip.

"Absolutely." George replied as he waved them off with a smile.

Hotch and Emily rose from their seats and bid George goodbye before heading back to the hospital.

They walked slowly, neither of them exactly sure what to say.

"When you guys get back, I want to tell everyone else. I miss them." Emily blurted quickly, looking down at the sidewalk as they walked.

"You do? If you're not quite ready, don't feel like you have to." Hotch said softly.

"No, I'm ready. They deserve to know." Emily replied.

Hotch sent her a warm smile. "Okay, as soon as we're back I'll let you know."

"Do you think I should have them come over to my mom's house?" She asked, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Don't worry about that right now, Emily. We can get a plan together soon, I just want you to worry about your mom right now, okay?" He said as he gently put his arm around her shoulder reassuringly.

Emily nodded, but still didn't look very convinced.

"What if I discuss it with Dave, and everyone shows up at his place? That way you don't have to worry about playing host, and it'll be somewhere we're all comfortable." Hotch suggested softly.

"Really? You think that'd be okay with him?" Emily asked, relieved at the prospect of not having to clean and provide food and entertainment for so many people. She loved them dearly, but she knew she was definitely not up for that.

"Of course it would. Besides, I think he knows something's up anyway, he'll probably just smirk at me and say 'well, it's about damn time you said something, Aaron.'" Hotch said in a deep voice that was supposed to mock Rossi.

Emily laughed. "Your David Rossi impression is weak, my friend."

"Good thing I stuck with a law enforcement career." He retorted.

They walked in silence until they reached the hospital.

"Is Jessica going to watch Jack today?" Emily asked as they approached Hotch's car. She really wanted to do something in return for Hotch always being there for her, especially lately. He was a Godsend, and Emily wasn't really sure if he knew how much she appreciated him. She'd never been one to show very much emotion, and she had always been even worse with words.

Hotch swore under his breath. "You know what? I'm supposed to pick him up from soccer practice so she can handle some kind of work crisis. And I think she's got a date tonight." He relented. Jessica was such a help to him, but he wished he could give the woman a break more often than he was able to.

"I could take him," Emily volunteered. "If you guys aren't done briefing by the time his soccer practice is over, I mean. And even if you and the team have to fly out tonight, he's more than welcome to stay with me. Or I could even keep him at your place, if he'd be more comfortable."

"Emily, I couldn't ask you to do that…" He said.

"You're not asking. I'm offering. Really, Aaron. I want to do this." Emily persuaded, looking at him with those big brown eyes that she knew he couldn't say no to.

"Don't you want to stay here with George and your mom?" Hotch asked.

"I do want to be here when she wakes up, but…if I sit here and wait any longer I'm going to either give myself an ulcer or bite my lip off from worrying so much." Emily admitted. "I need something else to do, and you know I am definitely better friends with Jack than I am with you." She smirked, eliciting a throaty laugh from Hotch.

"You are absolutely sure you're okay with taking him?" Hotch asked seriously.

"Yes, I know how to take care of an eight year old." Emily assured him.

"Okay," Hotch agreed finally, Emily smiled and fought back the urge to hug him. "Thank you for this, Emily. It really means a lot."

"You know I don't mind." Emily replied with a smile. The two of them awkwardly stared at each other for a moment, before looking away at almost exactly the same time.

"Well," Hotch cleared his throat. "I should go. I'll text you where to get Jack if we decide to fly out today." He told her.

"Okay, I'll see you later, then." She smiled as they parted ways; Hotch to his car and Emily toward the hospital entrance.

Emily couldn't seem to stop thinking about that one little awkward moment between them as she made her way up to Elizabeth's hospital room. What had that been about? He'd never looked at her like that before that she could remember. But maybe she was just seeing things. Maybe she just wanted him to look at her differently. But why would she want that? She wondered as she chewed on her bottom lip. She wondered if maybe she had overstepped a bit by offering to possibly take Jack overnight until Jessica could watch him.

She wasn't even sure why she had been so insistent herself, really. Her head tried to rationalize it by saying "he's your friend, of course you would offer to watch his son if he needed someone to!" However, a pang in her chest kept telling her "No, no, you want him to love you like you love him."

She shook her head, she wasn't in love with him, she reminded herself. He was her best friend, he understood her in ways that no one else did. She cared for him, and he cared for her. But she wasn't in love with the man. That would be stupid, she told herself. Because he is quite happily taken and very much unavailable.

She just couldn't quite get that pang in her chest to go away, no matter how hard she tried. She sighed as she entered her mother's room quietly, taking a seat and sitting next to Elizabeth. Emily gently took Elizabeth's hand in hers, promising silently that at least for now, her only concern was going to be her mother.

XxxxX

While Emily had been sitting with her mother, George came back, having decided to hang back a while in case Hotch and Emily needed the time. The two sat side by side, quietly talking together about the things they would do as soon as Elizabeth woke up. Neither of them dared to say "if she woke up," because that was a fate they couldn't fathom right now.

Not long after 2pm, Emily got a text from Hotch that the team had decided to take the case now, because the unsub seemed to be escalating and they definitely wanted to avoid any more deaths if possible. He'd sent her the address of the park Jack's tea, was practicing in, and explained that he had already told Jessica the plan. Jack didn't know yet, though, so he would be surprised and excited to spend a night with Emily.

She smiled, not realizing she was doing it.

"Must be quite the text," George said lightly.

"Aaron and the team are flying out tonight, and he needs someone to watch Jack until tomorrow, so I said I would." Emily explained. "But I'll be staying at Aaron's apartment with him, because our house isn't very kid friendly, and that's where all Jack's things are." She added.

"Oh, well that's really nice of you, Emily." George smiled.

"He's been so great the past few weeks; it's really the least I could do." Emily shrugged. "I have to go pick Jack up now, actually. But, um, if she- if anything changes please let me know." She said softly as she rose from her chair.

"I will." George promised as Emily quietly left the room.

She headed down to the main area of the hospital, and then out to the parking garage where her car was parked. It was hard for her to believe it hadn't even been a full day since she'd gotten the news about her mother's stroke. It seemed like she'd been here for days, just staring at the monitors and trying to count all the wires attached to her mother's body.

She took a breath and exhaled slowly as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road. Taking care of Jack tonight was going to be good for her, she could already tell. She was glad to see him again.

A few minutes later, she had reached the community park where Jack's practice was being held. It wasn't quite over yet, so Emily parked her car and found Jessica in the small crowd of parents easily.

"Hi, Emily." Jessica greeted her warmly with a smile.

"Hey, it's so good to see you again." Emily said, having remembered meeting the woman on a couple of occasions over the years.

"You, too," Jessica agreed. "Listen, thanks so much for taking Jack. I totally would, but work is being ridiculous. And I've kind of already canceled on my date twice before tonight. Jack of course always comes first, but I really wasn't looking forward to calling to cancel again." Jessica said as she looked down at her perfectly manicured hands.

"Oh, it's no problem. I love hanging out with him. You know, you don't have to feel bad for wanting to go on a date," Emily said as she noticed Jessica's avoidance of eye contact as she talked about it. "That doesn't mean you love Jack any less."

Jessica smiled weakly. "I know. Thank you."

The two made small talk for a few more minutes, before all the kids started packing up their things and coming to meet their parents.

"Emily!" Emily heard the familiar voice behind her.

"Jack!" She exclaimed as she spun around and met Jack's smiling face. She hugged him tightly. "How are you, buddy?" She asked.

"Good! What are you doing here?" He asked curiously.

"Well, Jessica told you about your dad having to go to work, right?" Emily asked as she crouched down a bit so she was eye level with the little Hotchner.

"Mhmmm," Jack nodded.

"Well, Jessica has some stuff she needs to do tonight, so I was wondering if maybe you'd be okay with me staying with you tonight?" Emily wondered, unable to stop herself from smiling as she saw Jack's eyes light up and a giant toothy grin appear on his sweet face.

"Yeah! It's like a sleepover!" Jack jumped up and down, nearly hitting Emily's nose with his shoulder.

"Good!" Emily said as she stood to her normal height. "Tell Jessica bye, and then maybe you and I can go get some ice cream." Emily said as she widened her eyes dramatically, evoking a bright smile from Jack.

"Okay!" He agreed, and Emily stepped back a few feet to allow Jack some time to tell Jessica goodbye. A very few moments later, Jack approached her with his soccer bag in hand. Emily took it from him and led him over to her car, putting his bag in the trunk.

"So," Emily said minutes later when they got in the car and were driving down the main road. "Ice cream?"

"Definitely!" Jack agreed from the back seat. Emily smiled as she glanced at him in the rearview mirror. She saw so much of Haley in his appearance, but she also saw a lot of Hotch. She'd only met Haley a very few times, so she wasn't sure how much of her personality he had. But she did know that in his actions and words, she saw so much of Aaron. Not Hotch, the ever stoic FBU agent; but Aaron. The man that was her best friend. The one who put those he loved most ahead of himself at all costs, and who could be equal parts sweet and funny. It amazed her, really, just how much Jack reminded her of him.

Emily turned her attention back to the road. She didn't have many regrets in her life, not even the bad decisions. But as she drove with Jack in the backseat talking to her happily about soccer, school, and his friends- she wished she'd taken time out of her busy life to maybe have her own child. She'd always planned on it, but always later. There had never really been the right time, or the right man, for that matter. She wondered if she did have a child, if it would look like her, or act like her as much as Jack acted like Hotch. She shuddered at that thought, maybe it would be better if her child acted absolutely nothing like her, she decided. She didn't dwell on the idea long, because she knew that if something like that was meant to happen, it would somehow. She considered Declan somewhat of her child. She'd known him since he was small and even if she hadn't been physically present in his life until recently; she'd always checked up on him and sent his parents money for him.

Jack and Henry were pretty much her honorary nephews, so she knew that even if she never actually became a mother, she would always be the really cool aunt. For now, that was enough.

She and Jack arrived at the ice cream shop shortly, Jack trying to contain his excitement as he stayed close to her. He was getting a little old to want to be seen holding an adult's hand in public, but Jack knew to stay close. Emily knew that was due to Hotch's teaching, no doubt.

"Okay," Emily said as they approached the counter. "What kind of ice cream do you think you want?"

"Hmm.." Jack looked at the array of colors and flavors in front of him. "Let's get one of each!"

Emily laughed. "Your dad would probably cause me bodily harm. Let's go with one kind for now, okay?"

Jack nodded and looked intently at the ice cream again. "Can I have mint chocolate chip?" He asked.

"Of course you can," Emily smiled as she ordered a cone of that for him, and a cone of strawberry flavored ice cream for herself.

The two of them found a table to sit at and they ate their ice cream in silence for a few minutes.

"I told Henry that I got to watch Cars with you!" Jack said, breaking the silence. She nearly choked on her ice cream.

She coughed a few times before she cleared her throat and found her voice.

"You did, huh?" Emily asked, trying to remain calm.

"Uh-huh." Jack nodded. "He said he wants you to come to his house and watch a movie with him, too."

"I see…" Emily said as she ran her free hand through her hair. "Well, maybe I can do that sometime very soon."

Jack just nodded and continued eating his ice cream.

Emily wondered if Henry had mentioned that to JJ at all. She wondered if JJ would be mad at her. She knew she was planning on telling the team in a few days when their case ended; but a sudden new wave of anxiety washed over her like a hurricane.

What if Henry had told JJ? What if JJ had been mad and talked it over with Garcia? What if Garcia told Morgan? What if Morgan then told Reid? What if they all knew? Even Alex Blake, the newest agent, probably knew by now. What if she heard about Emily being back and not telling them and even she was angry about it too?

The brunette tried to slow her breathing. Henry was five, he probably didn't remember to tell JJ about it. And even if he did ask about her, maybe he forgot to mention that Jack had seen her lately. It was fine, she told herself. Everything was fine.

"Are you okay, Emily?" She heard, snapping herself out of her thoughts and back to reality.

"I'm fine." Emily lied with a smile.

"Your ice cream is melting." He pointed out. She bit back a curse and hurriedly picked up some napkins and cleaned it up before the ice cream managed to get onto her clothes. Jack laughed, and she couldn't even find a reason to be worried any more. Tonight, she was going to entertain Jack. She would worry about everything else tomorrow.