Hi guys! I'm really glad I was able to type this up really quickly for you all. Your support has been the main thing that got this story so far! I'm pretty sure you'll all like this one ; )

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"It's Christmas!" Jack yelled excitedly as he jumped up on Hotch's bed, crawling over his father to sit in between him and Emily. The two of them blinked awake, after having been up late and woken up early.

"Is it really?" Hotch asked as he sat up, running a hand over Jack's sleep mussed hair. "Are you sure that's today?"

Jack laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. Come on, get up!" Jack said enthusiastically.

By now, Emily had also sat up. "Yeah, come on, Aaron. We can't keep the boy waiting!" Emily said as she threw the blankets off and got out of bed, motioning for the two Hotchners to follow her.

The three headed into the living room where an abundance of festively wrapped boxes awaited them. Emily and Jack separated the presents out, making a pile for each of them while Hotch went into the kitchen to start a pot of much needed coffee. Emily had tried giving up caffeine, but realized pretty quickly that was next to impossible in their line of work. She had, however, been drinking a lot of decaf mixed with just enough regular coffee; finding that less caffeine did make her less jittery and helped her sleep more. For that reason, Hotch made sure to keep some decaf in his cabinet for her.

He went back into the living room a few minutes later, skillfully carrying two mugs of coffee for him and Emily and one mug of hot chocolate for Jack. He sat them all on the coffee table and took a seat next to Emily on the couch, Jack making himself comfortable on the floor next to them by his pile of presents.

"Can I go now?" Jack asked eagerly. Hotch laughed and nodded his head. He was glad that Jack was still young enough to enjoy Christmas so much. He hoped there would still be a few more years like this with him.

Jack opened his presents quickly, so excited to open them all he didn't even know where to start. Hotch and Emily decided to watch Jack open his before they gave theirs to each other. The nine-year-old was more than thrilled with all of his presents. His favorite had been the science kit that Emily had got for him; there were all kinds of things he could experiment with it…and make a big mess as Hotch playfully pointed out.

"Okay your turn!" Jack said happily as he turned to Hotch and Emily. He was excited for Emily to open hers, so he wanted her to go last. "You start, Dad!"

"Okay." Hotch agreed as Emily handed him a gift wrapped in what looked like several layers of red cellophane so it couldn't be seen through, tied at the top with a giant green bow. He took his time unwrapping, knowing going slowly would make Emily and Jack impatient.

"Will you just rip it off already? I didn't wrap it that tight!" Emily laughed at his antics.

Hotch finally ripped the cellophane off gently, revealing a giant basket full of his favorite things. There was a bottle of his favorite Scotch, a Christmas mug filled with chocolate and peppermint candies, a book by his favorite author, a new tie, and a new laptop bag since she noticed his old one was pretty much falling apart, and he kept forgetting to buy a replacement. Emily had really gone out of her way to make this gift personal and special. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at everything inside. "Emily, this is wonderful. You really went out of your way." He said as he put the gift on the ground so he could lean over and kiss her quickly, not anything too hot and heavy since Jack was in the room; but just enough so that she knew he was serious.

She smiled back at him after he pulled away. "You're welcome. I'm really glad you like it." She said honestly. She didn't know what it was, but shopping for him always made her nervous. She knew him so well, and yet she could never think of a perfect gift. She always felt a sense of relief when he genuinely liked what she got for him.

"I'm not sure if this will top what you did. But we'll see." Hotch said as he handed her a neatly wrapped rectangular box.

She opened it just as slowly as he had, feeling her breath catch in her throat as she pulled the paper off and opened the lid of the box.

It was a key.

She looked up at him, wondering if she was right about what this meant.

"Emily, will you move in with us?" Hotch asked, smiling happily and biting back a laugh at her completely bewildered look. He wanted to propose to her right then and there, but he knew her. He knew she would want to go slowly and ease into the idea of possibly getting married one day.

He watched as her eyes became glassy with tears and all she could do was nod; too emotional to find the words. He gently put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, feeling her relax into his embrace. She closed her eyes and stayed there for a moment, not wanting to get too emotional and give herself some time to collect her thoughts. As they pulled away, Emily felt him place a soft kiss to her temple. Emily glanced over and saw that Jack was watching them intently, so she sent him a smile before turning her attention back to Hotch.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? It's not too much?" Hotch asked, her silence worrying him a little.

Emily shook her head. "No, it's not too much. I…I can't wait to move in with you." Emily managed, a goofy grin spreading across her face.

"You're gonna live here!" Jack exclaimed. "It's the best Christmas ever!" He said, abandoning his massive pile of presents and running over to Emily to hug her tightly.

"You're okay with that, right?" Emily asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Duh!" Jack said emphatically as he pulled away from Emily's embrace. "It'll be like a sleepover but every night!"

Emily couldn't help but smile. "You're right. It's gonna be great!"

"Can you move in today?" Jack asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Oh, honey I'd love to. But I have so much stuff it'll take me a few days to go through it all." Emily told him. "But I'll start packing as soon as possible." She added, earning a smile from the boy.

"You can start when I go to Aunt Jessica's later!" Jack said.

"Jack, it's Christmas. Emily doesn't want to pack on Christmas." Hotch interjected.

"No, he's right. I don't have anything else to do once Jack goes to Jessica's, so there's really no better time to start." Emily said, running a hand over Jack's messy hair.

"Yay!" Jack exclaimed.

"Why don't you go get ready? Jessica will be here soon to get you." Hotch said as he glanced at the clock. Jessica and Haley's family always came down for Christmas, and on Christmas Day Hotch always let Jack go and visit; thankful that despite everything Jack was still able to have relationships with his mother's family.

"Okay!" Jack agreed as he bounded down the hall and into his room.

"He's so excited, isn't he?" Emily asked, still smiling.

"This was actually kind of his idea. I couldn't think of the perfect gift, and Jack said a good present would be having you here all the time, so I got a key made that next day." Hotch explained. "I know it's not much, but—"

"Aaron," Emily cut him off before he could say anything else. "This is perfect. Nothing you could have bought me could ever top this. I can't wait to live here with you and wake up next to you, and watch Jack grow up with you…" Emily started, taking a breath before continuing. "I never thought I'd get this…not with you, not with anybody. You've made me so happy at a time when I wasn't sure if I could ever be happy again. I love you, Aaron. And I love Jack, and I love this apartment. Everything is perfect." Emily told him honestly, leaning over from her spot on the couch to kiss him hard. He moaned a little when she used her tongue, but he stopped himself quickly, knowing Jack could come back in at any second.

"I love you, too." Hotch said as he forced himself to stop kissing her, though that was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. "I want nothing more than for us to be a family." Hotch said sincerely.

Before either of them could say anything else, there was a soft knock at the door. Hotch reluctantly moved off the couch to open the door for Jessica.

"Merry Christmas," He greeted her warmly, hugging her as she entered the apartment.

"Merry Christmas!" Jessica said back.

"Jack's just getting ready, I'll go and get him." Hotch said as he left the room in search of the nine-year-old.

"Hi, Emily. Merry Christmas." Jessica said with a smile as she sat next to the brunette on the couch. "So…did you like your present?" Jessica asked.

Emily smiled. "I take it you knew about it? I loved it. I'm so happy." Emily admitted. Emily had wondered from time to time how Jessica felt about all of this, she knew that Jessica had played a huge role in Jack's life for years, and Emily would never want to come between him and his aunt.

"I'm glad. Jack talks about you all the time. He really, really loves you." Jessica told her.

"I really love him too, he's a great kid." Emily replied honestly.

"I just want you to know that I'm really happy for you guys. I can see the way you look at me sometimes, like maybe you're afraid of what I'm thinking. I've always been protective of Jack, even when my sister was still alive. After…after everything, I really took care of Jack as much as I could for Aaron. I love Jack, I couldn't ask for a better nephew, but I'm not his mother. I'm really glad that you love him as much as I do…as much as I know Haley still does. So don't worry, okay?" Jessica smiled, giving Emily's hand a soft squeeze.

"Are you sure you aren't a profiler?" Emily asked jokingly. "I just never wanted to interfere with anything. Jack's wellbeing is so much more important to me than my own happiness. If I thought that my being with Aaron was going to affect him negatively in any way, I would walk away. Even now." Emily told her. "It would absolutely kill me, but I'd do it."

"That'd why you're perfect for him. For Aaron." Jessica clarified. "Because I know he would do the same. You're really good for them, Emily. Don't ever doubt yourself." Jessica said just as Hotch and Jack entered the room.

"Aunt Jessica, you have presents!" Jack said as he placed a couple of bags at her feet.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything." Jessica said, but moved to open them anyway. There was one present from Jack and one from Hotch and Emily. Jack had found a bracelet at a store and insisted that Hotch should get it for her, so Hotch agreed. He and Emily got her a spa gift certificate, knowing that the blonde did so much for them and deserved to treat herself.

"Thank you guys, you're all so sweet. My present for Jack is at my house, but I did bring a little something for you guys." Jessica said as she glanced over to Hotch and Emily. Reaching over and grabbing her purse, she pulled out a little box and handed it to them.

Inside were two key rings with a little ceramic house charm on the ends.

"I know it's kind of lame, but I saw those, and after Aaron told me what he planned to do I knew you needed those for your keys." Jessica explained.

"I love them, thank you." Emily said as she turned to hug Jessica.

"They're not lame," Hotch assured her, leaning over and taking his turn for a hug. "Thanks, Jess."

"Oh, it's nothing." She smiled. "Well, Jack, are you ready? Everyone's so excited to see you." Jessica said.

"Okay!" Jack agreed. "Bye, Dad! Bye, Emily!" Jack told them as he hugged them quickly before leading Jessica out of the apartment, leaving Hotch and Emily alone.

"Well," Hotch said, sitting down next to Emily and pulling her a little closer. "What do you want to do?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her neck; a sensitive spot he knew she couldn't resist. "Go start packing?"

"Hmmm…" Emily mumbled softly. "I think that can wait a little bit longer." She whispered, getting up from the couch and pulling him by the hand back to bed.