"So, what do you think the big news is?" Liv asked, walking into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and, much to her mother's displeasure, hopped up onto the counter to eat it.
"Liv," Emily said, swatting at her daughter's thigh with the dishcloth in her hand, "Come on, please, not on the counter." With an eyeroll, her youngest daughter hopped back down again, settling herself atop the island, instead. Emily pursed her lips but said nothing as she wiped over the space Liv had just occupied, putting her nervous energy into cleaning.
"I think they're getting a house," Alex said, from where he sat at the table, laptop open in front of him.
"They already have a house, dumbass,," Liv was looking at her younger brother like he was stupid; she was about the only person in the world who did so since Alex was undeniably the smartest Hotchner child. Perks of being his older sister.
"Olivia," Emily reprimanded, but her voice lacked conviction, too used to the ways her children interacted, "Don't call your brother names."
"Maybe they're moving to a different one.," Alex shrugged, his eyes never leaving his screen as he typed swiftly. "Plus, they're both lawyers, they have money, maybe they're buying a second house."
Liv seemed to ponder this for a moment, then said, "Why would they gather us all together for that kind of news? If it's just that, Ava's going to be pissed she drove back from NYU for it." She bit into her apple, its juice dribbling down her chin, and swiped it away with the back of her hand. "I think they're getting married."
"Don't speak with your mouth full, Liv." Aaron said, walking into the kitchen, "And they're not getting married."
"How do you know?" Alex perked up, finally, his interest parking with this apparently solid piece of information.
"Because I still have Haley's ring." Their father clarified, and his children nodded, understanding. Whenever Jack decided to propose to Cass - and they had no doubt he would, eventually - he would want to do it with his mother's engagement ring.
"Knock, knock" A voice came from the hall, as they heard the front door open and close, and Ava, the eldest Hotchner daughter, breezed into the kitchen. As always, Ava looked like she'd walked straight off of a runway in her black miniskirt and white shirt with the large black pussybow around the neck. The heeled boots she wore clacked on the hardwood floor as she approached her mother and hugged her. She was a direct contrast to her younger sister, whose hair was flung up into a messy bun and who was still wearing the old sweats and tank top she'd slept in.
"Morning, sis," Liv said, leaning down from where she sat on the counter to offer her cheek for Ava to kiss, "Overdressed, as always."
"Good morning to you, too, college dropout." Ava greeted her right back.
Any animosity in the girls' words was drowned out by the affectionate tone they used with one another, even if their parents did exchange a glance behind their backs, never fully understanding the dynamic between the two girls that made them best friends one minute and worst enemies the next.
"I didn't drop out," Liv rolled her eyes at her parents, a shifty smile on her face as she waved away Ava's comment, "I don't know what she's talking about."
Emily narrowed her eyes, but Aaron shook his head, grabbing two mugs from the cupboard. "Coffee, Ava?"
"No thanks, dad," she said, as she walked over to Alex and kissed the crown of his head. He barely glanced up at his eldest sister, but smiled a little as her familiar perfume washed comfortingly over him, "I'm off caffeine."
"Oooh, a new fad!" Liv teased, finishing her apple and launching the core at the bin, where it hit the lid and rolled to the floor. "How exciting for you."
"Liv, pick it up," Emily told her, "Tea, then, darling?"
"Sure." Ava seated herself at the island, twisting the stool around to face her parents, "So, what's the family meeting about?"
"Well, it's not a proposal," Liv said, before either of them could reply. She and Ava shared a glance, as though they hadn't been texting about what they suspected the catalyst for this family get together might be since Emily had invited them all a week earlier.
"Aw, I was hoping." Ava crinkled her eyes, exhaling noisily through pursed lips, "New house?"
"That's what I said!" Alex called, from the table, as Liv shook her head, unconvinced.
"We won't have long to wait," Emily told them, checking her watch, "He said he'd be here for eleven, it's quarter to. Liv," she said, grabbing her daughter's waist and steering her towards the kitchen door, "Go and get dressed. Go on, make yourself presentable."
"I'm presentable!"
Nonetheless, Liv, grumbling, made her way down the hallway and to the stairs, where they heard her heavy footsteps retreating and, moments later, the creak of the pipes as she turned on her shower.
"Alex, you wanna help me set up the table?" Hotch asked, and Emily cast him a grateful smile. Without complaint, Alex shut down the program he was using and closed his laptop.
"Sure, dad."
And the Hotchner boys headed outside; on a late Spring day like today, they often liked to eat outside on the patio.
"So, what do you think it's about?" Ava raised one eyebrow. Her mother finished cleaning up the sides and moved to the table, sighing as she took Alex's laptop out to the hall. Ava waited the few moments it took Emily to pace the hallway twice.
"I honestly have no idea," her mother said when she walked back in, "Perhaps Jack is ready to propose and he's just waiting until he gets here to ask your father for the ring."
"Maybe," Ava agreed, nodding slowly, not entirely convinced, she and Livvy having their own suspicions.
Jack and his girlfriend arrived shortly afterwards.
"I've got it!" Liv yelled, upon hearing the doorbell ring. She bounded down the stairs, hair still wet from the shower, and threw open the door, launching herself into her big brother's arms as soon as she was able.
"Whoa-hi, Livvy." Jack laughed, getting a mouthful of wet hair and only just catching both himself and Liv before they lost balance.
"I missed you!" She said, stepping back to take a look at him, "You're growing your beard out!"
"Yeah," Jack ran a hand over his face, glanced sideways at his girlfriend and gave a sheepish smile, "Cass likes it like this."
"Oh, she does?" Liv teased, sidestepping him as the rest of the family arrived at the door and Emily opened her arms to her stepson. Liv pulled Cassidy into a hug, "How are you guys?"
"We're good!" was the reply, short and sweet, like Cassidy herself.
When Jack first brought her home, the Latina was terrified. Jack had told her everything about his family, and everything was perhaps a little bit too much. For one thing, he wasn't exactly allowed to discuss his parents' occupation. Add onto that two younger sisters, and any nerves that Cassidy had over meeting the family had tripled.
In actuality, they'd been nothing but welcoming. Liv was perhaps the most difficult to get to know; she'd been fourteen and well embedded into her unapproachable teenage years at the time. Luckily, Cassidy had remembered well what it was like to be a teenage girl, and she'd not taken any of Liv's appraising glares or cold shoulders to heart, especially knowing how much Liv adored her big brother. The rest of the family had warmed to her instantly and Cassidy hadn't been afraid to admit to Jack that she had the slightest of crushes on both of his parents. Nothing creepy, just a solid appreciation of good genes where she saw them. Alex, in turn, had quite the crush on Cassidy back then, his little eleven year old ears turning red whenever she smiled at him, spoke in his direction or so much as entered the same room that he was in. He definitely put Cassidy on a pedestal.
Cass had visited the Hotchner home numerous times since that first visit, though, and was now as good as their fifth child.
"Sweetheart," Emily grinned at her, pulling Cassidy into a hug and kissing her cheek, "Come on in, you've had such a long drive. You both need a nice cold lemonade."
"Or, you know, a beer." Ava amended, her brows creasing as she shared an amused glance with her father.
"Ooh, I'll have a beer." Liv's steps sped up, as did Ava's, as the two of them walk-raced the rest of the family to the fridge.
"Three is your limit, Liv." Hotch told her, casually.
Behind the refrigerator door, Olivia rolled her eyes, opening and closing her mouth as she mimicked her father's instruction
Ava gave her a smug grin and Liv elbowed her in the ribs.
"None for me, thanks," Cass said, as they congregated in the kitchen, "I'm the designated driver."
''Ugh, why?" Liv handed a bottle to Jack, opening a drawer in search of the bottle opener, "You're much more fun after a drink than Jack is."
It was so nice to have all of their children under one roof again. All three of their college-age children had migrated North, to New York. Jack and Ava to NYU, Olivia to Columbia. For a few years in-between, while Jack was at Georgetown, he came by for dinner quite a lot. That was when they met Cass for the first time, the two of them having met at law school, but it was rare to see all four of them seated around the same table these days.
Emily smiled around at them, happy to sit back and watch her children interact. Aaron caught her eye, and she saw in his face the same contented feeling that had settled over her. On top of the table, he took her hand.
"Alright," Jack said, and the chatter stopped, as he took a deep breath. Emily's smile faltered only a little, as she looked from her stepson to Cass, a questioning frown on her brow. The girl opened her mouth a little, as though she were about to speak, then closed it and looked to her boyfriend, who had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Dad, Emily," he nodded to each of them in turn, and it was clear that although this was a family dinner, it was to Emily and Aaron that he spoke, "Cass and I," he exchanged a glance with his girlfriend, who gave him an encouraging little smile, "Are going to have a baby."
The stunned silence lasted only a couple of seconds, then the chatter erupted again, this time to a chorus of congratulations that came mostly from the children. Ava and Livvy unknowingly gave their parents a moment of reprieve as they both rose to their feet, each taking either Jack or Cass in their arms for a hug. Alex stepped up next, the tips of his ears turning red as he hugged Cassidy. Behind their backs, Aaron and Emily exchanged a glance, and were both glad to see their own panic reflected in the other's eyes.
"I'll forgive you for not drinking, I suppose," Liv was saying, laughing as she hugged Cassidy.
"Congratulations, son!" Aaron grinned, his panic hidden behind a joyous smile that Emily knew was genuine, if a little forced. He pulled Jack into a bear hug, and she watched Jack grip the back of his father's tshirt the same way he had since he was a little boy.
"Thanks, dad," his voice, when he spoke, was thick, full of emotion, and Aaron held on a moment longer as Emily rounded the table and held her arms out to Cassidy.
"A baby!" She whispered into her hair.
"A grandchild." Cass whispered back, holding tight to her, as though relieved by their reaction. Her words put a lump in Emily's throat, and as she pulled back, she held onto Cassidy's hands for a moment longer, her eyes sparkling as she beamed at her. She saw in Cass' own eyes unshed tears, and they both laughed.
"Emily?" Jack was behind her, waiting for her reaction and as she turned to the little boy who had made her a mother, as she looked at the grown man in front of her and saw every version of him she'd ever known, she felt her heart swell with pride and something almost like grief, watching him move onto this new and exciting phase of his life.
"Come here," she said, and he had to stoop a little to hug her. Emily remembered being able to carry him up the stairs to bed, and now her arms barely fit around his torso, and he'd grown almost a foot taller than her, "Your mom would be so proud of you."
Jack's arms contracted, holding her tighter when she said that, as if in thanks.
"A little baby," Ava was grinning as the hugs ended, and Aaron disappeared into the house to grab a bottle of champagne from the fridge, "I can't wait to be the cool Aunt."
Beside her, Liv scoffed, "Keep dreaming."