"Yo, hold up. You can't race with my little buddy, that's against the rules," Morgan called out when he saw Rossi and Allen about to steer the twins on their electric bikes.
Another three weeks passed, and a lot of positive changes occurred in the Prentiss household. River was settling in nicely, she was still overwhelmed with the constant love and support but she was learning to accept it rather than fight it. She didn't mean to fight it at first, Emily had helped her come to realize it was a coping mechanism from the trauma she endured and was completely normal—in fact, Emily and JJ were surprised River was doing so well so quickly.
Hudson and Emerson were absolutely thriving. They still needed a bit of extra support when the family went anywhere besides grandma and grandpas but that was to be expected, otherwise they were happier than ever. Their twin bond was unbreakable, they did however absolutely love having so many other children to play with. Hudson and Oliver bonded over all things boy which was really great because even though Oliver loved his sisters and was a fantastic sport when it came to princesses and fairies, he was obsessed with superheroes and Brooks was too young to truly understand. It was very adorable to hear Oliver share his passion for superheroes with Hudson and have the little boy get just as excited. Then he mentioned soccer and to hear that he too wanted to play, JJ nearly lost her damn mind she was so happy.
Emerson and Lily bonded right away as well because they were so close in age, she also connected with Oakley. Honestly though, the twins bonded with all their siblings. Play wise however, they spent the most amount of time with the kids they were most similar to in age because the big kids, besides Oliver, didn't always want to play. Completely understandable as Clarke was going into high school this year, it was clear why she wouldn't want to play dolls for three hours straight. She did enjoy having River around because Clarke and Amelia both could hold their own in a conversation so even if they were in the playroom or outside in the backyard, they didn't have to play seeing as talking was a perfectly valid option.
"And who created those rules?" Rossi asked.
"Me! That's my little bubs, only I get to race with him!" Morgan answered.
The kids were all out front riding their bikes, even Hudson and Emerson because Gerald ordered bikes for them immediately, and the family was over for a cookout. It was a beautiful day; they had swam, played in the backyard, and now the kids were riding their bikes before lunch.
"Uh-oh Uncle Derek, you better run!" Amelia called out to him with a giggle as she raced by him.
"Momma's gonna get you," Oakley continued, following her sister in the huge loop the kids took on their bikes.
"Huh?" he said, then saw the face JJ was making at him. "Woah mama, chill out. I didn't—"
"Brooks is my little bubs, Morgan. You're more than welcome to create your own though," she winked at him then smiled at Savannah who was standing next to Morgan watching the scene unfold. This was the first family gathering she had attended essentially getting a crash course, and my goodness was she ever.
"Uhh," Morgan said, looking at Savannah then he turned back to Rossi. "Race on, man."
"What is going on with you today?" Emily asked Hayley. Lunch was mostly ready so the two were more or less uncovering containers and setting up a buffet style on the countertop so everyone could help themselves, but the women also wanted to add some last minute must haves they knew their children loved.
"What are you talking about?" Hayley questioned back.
"Oh come on, Hayley. How long have we known each other," Emily said, finally facing the woman and putting a hand on her arm.
Once Hayley looked into Emily's eyes she broke down and spilled the beans because she was her best friend and this wasn't something she could keep from her. "Aaron and I were going to wait so please don't say anything," she whispered, and Emily promised. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my gosh!" Emily screamed, wrapping her arms around Hayley. "Oh my gosh, congratulations," she said, whispering this time, then she pulled back and held Hayley by the arms. "Wait, this is congratulations, right?"
"Yeah," Hayley nodded. "I mean, we did not expect or plan this but yes."
"I'm so happy for you, Hayley. This is amazing news, oh I'm so excited. It was the trip, wasn't it," Emily winked at her friend sticking her tongue between her teeth. She understood though, the number of times she and JJ made love on their trip, my goodness it was as if they were teenagers again.
Hayley nodded. Based on the math she and Hotch had done after the positive pregnancy test, the night of their fifteenth wedding anniversary was extra special. "Aaron joked that we'll have an 18 yearlong memory of the trip," she laughed putting a hand on her flat stomach.
"My brother the romantic," Emily said with an eyeroll. "Just know you have two sisters who are very, very excited for you," she continued. And it was true. Sister-in-law was such a distant word, the two of them were more like sisters and had been for years—in fact, they acted like sisters far before the family found out about Emily and Aaron being related and JJ was included in that too.
"Thanks Em," Hayley said, hugging her once again.
The women broke apart when they heard screaming and crying followed by some commotion coming from the front door and gasped seeing Morgan carrying a bloody Hudson as JJ comforted Emerson with River by her side helping.
Emily rushed to get a washcloth then into the living room where the family started to gather around, although thanks to Sandy the mothers, Morgan, the twins and Savannah had some space to breathe and figure out what was going on. Savannah because she was a doctor and could help, just another reason the family loved her for Morgan.
"What happened?" Emily asked Morgan in a whisper as she held the cloth gently up to Hudson's nose.
"I have no idea; the bloody nose just came outta nowhere. He was fine one minute then boom, blood everywhere," he said, just as shocked as the mother. Hudson's shirt had blood all down the front which scared him causing the tears, and in return the fear in his sister who couldn't stop screaming.
"Shh, shh, shh, you're okay baby girl," JJ soothed. "Hudson is going to be fine. Mommy is going to make him all better, I promise," she said, rocking from side to side keeping Emerson's eyes facing away from her brother.
"Here momma, I got Emerson's stuffy," Oliver said, handing her the stuffed animal.
"Thank you, buddy," she said, accepting the stuffed animal on Emerson's behalf. "Look sweetie, Ollie got you bubbles, do you want to snuggle her?" JJ asked and Emerson took the furry friend right away then she cuddled closer to her mother.
Oliver also brought peanut butter however Emily shook her head no at the moment because she didn't want the stuffed animal to get blood on him, that wouldn't come out and Hudson would be devastated. "You're doing so good baby," Emily said smiling at Hudson. Morgan was still holding him which actually made it easier on Emily because she could apply the right amount of pressure while looking into his eyes to keep him calm.
"Is Hudson gonna be okay?" Oakley asked Garcia.
"Oh of course he is gumdrop," she assured. "Your mommies are the best at making everyone feel better, Hudson will be good as new in no time."
"Hey Pen, can you maybe help these little ones make a plate please?" Emily asked knowing she and Hayley had set out all the food and it would be best to get them out of the room.
"Yes I can, come on my angels let's get some yummy food!" she announced. Oakley and Lily happily took her hands then they went into the kitchen with everyone else, the littlest twins were set in Allen and Rossi's arms as well which was great, they truly were happy with anyone.
Emily removed the cloth about five minutes later to see how things were doing and said, "Hudson, let's take this shirt off okay buddy? We'll get you a new one to put on." He made no effort to help Emily, Morgan did however and once his shirt was off JJ handed him his stuffy peanut butter and the mother swapped out the bloody cloth for a new one. "Just a few more minutes to be safe, baby. You're doing such a good job, I'm so proud of you."
Emerson was much calmer now and she moved to sit in between JJ and Morgan on the couch so she could hold her brothers hand causing the adults to smile. "I here too Huddy."
"Fanks Emmie."
"I wouldn't be concerned about a single nosebleed. He's an all-around healthy little boy, sometimes they just happen," Savannah whispered to the mothers while the twins played with one another using their stuffed animals, it was a go to game when they didn't have toys and distracted them quickly.
"Could this be some underlying condition from—" JJ said, trailing off seeing as the kids were right there and the woman already knew.
"It would be more likely this environment caused it," Savannah responded then explained when she saw JJ's face. "Their bodies are finally getting acclimated with the outside world as opposed to where they were…but like I said, it's not uncommon for a child to get a nosebleed for no reason. Don't worry, you two are incredible mothers."
"Take a breath, Jen," Emily said. She too was worried however, not as worried because she had a few nosebleeds as a child, and nothing came from it; she's even had a few as an adult. "Hudson, can mommy check again please?" she asked so he'd look up at her.
"Is the scawy stuff all gone mommy?" he questioned, closing his eyes just to make sure.
Emily used some pampers to gently wipe his face clean and then said, "Yeah buddy, it's all gone. You were so brave."
"Yeah, I bwave!" he smiled.
"Much braver than Uncle Morgan," Emily whispered to the twins causing them to laugh at the man's expense. "Do you feel okay? Does anything have an ouchy, buddy?" she asked, tentatively touching around his nose even though he didn't get hit with anything.
"No mommy, I don't haf any ouchies," he assured. "But I don't want the scawy stuff pwease," he continued.
Emily cupped Hudson's cheeks so he'd stop shaking his head around to prevent any dizziness and gave him a soft smile. "I know you don't baby. The scary stuff is all gone, mommy was just making sure you don't have any boo-boos. We want to keep you in one piece just like peanut butter, right?" Emily said, holding the stuffy up in front of him.
"You so silly, mommy," he giggled. "Pe'nut butter haf no boo-boos."
"Well I don't know, you take him on some pretty crazy adventures. Yesterday he saved the world from flying spaghetti and meatballs all by himself," Emily said, remembering the latest from the Oliver and Hudson tales.
"Yeah, that was a cwazy day," he giggled, and Morgan couldn't contain his laughter, this little boy was killing him.
"The craziest," Emily agreed. "Oh look, River got you a new shirt buddy," Emily continued seeing the woman walk back into the room.
"It haf a wion on it just wike pe'nut butter!" Hudson exclaimed.
"No way! I think I should wear that one and you can wear mine," Morgan said.
Hudson turned around in his lap and looked at him like he was crazy. "Nu-uh! Mommy help, help," he squealed, when River handed her the shirt. His body was shaking with nervous excitement because he didn't want Uncle Morgan to put on his lion t-shirt.
"But that's the coolest shirt I've ever seen," Morgan argued.
"No, no, no," Hudson squealed, sticking his arm through the head hole of the shirt.
"Woah, woah buddy," Emily laughed. "Let's try this again, we don't want you to get stuck in there." Emily helped Hudson get the shirt correctly on his body and once it was, he spun around and plopped down in Morgan's lap again with a satisfied smile.
"My wion shirt, see," he smiled proudly.
"I still think I should wear it," Morgan teased, tickling Hudson.
Emily scooped Hudson up before Morgan could tickle him too much and the mothers made the kids plates of food then situated them with the rest of the children feeling relieved, they dodged a bullet. They were doing their best to avoid scary injuries going forward no matter how impossible it seemed.
"Are you thinking about making a break for it?" Gerald asked Savannah after everyone had eaten lunch.
The kids had patiently waited for their moms to finally say they could play giving them plenty of time to digest and were now running around in the backyard again playing here, there and everywhere. Savannah honestly didn't know how they kept track of everyone, her boyfriend included because he was having just as much fun running around like a little kid. She was standing on the deck watching the everyday chaos when Gerald spotted her, and he couldn't help but wonder.
"Not at all," she laughed.
"Good. You'd miss out on a lot of great memories if you did," he smiled.
"You have a beautiful family," she commented just as Emily gave Hotch a shove then the two cracked up about something and sprayed one of the kids with a water gun.
"Yes I do," he agreed. "I am a very lucky man. And you're a lucky woman, I've known Derek for many years now. He's a keeper. Welcome to the family," he winked, then walked down the deck steps to join everyone.
Morgan was so easy to profile Gerald could do it; he knew Savannah was the one for him because the man brought her to a family gathering. Morgan hasn't even introduced a woman to the team before nevermind the family. Savannah meeting the children essentially put a ring on her finger without her knowing it. They had been dating for a year so introducing her to everyone was a long time coming. Now he just needed to buy a ring.
"Uncle Derek, we got you out like ten times already!" Savannah heard Oliver say to him.
"No way, little man. Look, not a drop of water on me," he teased. The navy-blue t-shirt he was wearing did make it difficult to see the water however, that was also because his entire shirt was soaking wet.
Oliver made eye contact with his siblings, cousin, moms, aunts and uncles then they all turned to face Morgan and sprayed him at the same time causing the man to scream and the kids to burst out laughing. "Woah, woah, woah," Morgan yelled, blowing out the excess water in his mouth as he spoke because more was flying in. "Baby girl, do somethin' they're gangin' up on me here!" he said, looking at Penelope who was judging the game as she always did.
"Oh no sweet cakes, you did this one to yourself," she smiled.
Savannah took a seat next to Garcia and smiled seeing the tea party Brynley had set up for the two of them, with her aunts help. It was surprisingly peaceful in all the chaos, especially since her twin was happily smashing his blocks down with his dinosaur not even three feet from them. "Care for a spot of tea?" Pen asked in her best British accent causing Brynley to giggle.
"I'd love some," Savannah said, accepting the cup from the baby. "Thank you so much."
A few minutes later their tea party was rudely interrupted by a soaking wet giant who was blocking their sunlight and getting their beautiful faux pastries 'all drippy' as Garcia eloquently put it. "That doesn't even make sense baby," Morgan said, furrowing his brow at her.
"Just move, we're having a good time and you're ruining it by getting our toys wet from your clothes. Go somewhere else," she said, pushing him away.
"Geez," Morgan said. "I'll go play with my little buddy instead. He won't care that I'm all drippy," he continued, sticking his tongue out at Garcia then blowing a kiss at Savannah. "Woah, dino attack!" Morgan said when Brooks knocked down the blocks again and he burst into another giggle fit. "Let's stack em' super high this time bubs."
Savannah watched as Morgan helped Brooks stack his blocks and couldn't help but smile. She had heard everything about the children she's met today for the last year, so she knew how much he cared but seeing him interact with them, gosh it was something else.
The kids had now been playing outside for hours and while they could continue until it got dark, they couldn't in wet clothes. Lily already had her shorts and t-shirt off and was sitting in her underwear wrapped in a towel cuddled up in Sandy's arms, Oakley was wrapped in a towel snuggled in Elizabeth's arms, and Emily had seen a few shivers from Emerson and Hudson who were in Allen and her own arms.
The children had all changed into their bathing suits after riding their electric bikes except for Lily who insisted she wasn't going to play in the water, it didn't matter what Emily said to her the little bug didn't want to so the mother let it slide. Now the peanuts lips were nearly blue as grandma snuggled her because she had nothing on but a towel. Granted, she had two towels wrapped around her and blue was an exaggeration, but Emily could tell it was time to get everyone inside.
"Alright my babies, let's go inside and get you into some warm showers and baths. How does that sound?" Emily asked, cuddling Emerson a bit closer when she said it.
"Yeah, I'm really cold," Amelia nodded.
"What bout' my wion?" Hudson questioned, pointing to his chest even though he was wrapped in a towel. He was cold too but he had just put on this shirt, and he wasn't ready to take it off yet.
"I bet mommy can put it in the dryer for you while you take your bath," Allen suggested and Emily nodded. Pjs be damned, the t-shirt could be put back on with any bottoms as long as he got warmed up Emily didn't care.
"Otay, wets go!" Hudson exclaimed.
They quickly decided who went where tonight then off they went. The mothers had a system down pat, it didn't matter the entire family was here they wouldn't get in their way but the grandmothers could be useful when it came to Brooks and Brynley however, River and Penelope stepped up before they offered. That left the grandmothers to start on dinner which would also be very helpful.
"Hey mom?" JJ called up from the bottom of the stairs.
"What is it honey, your mom is busy?" Gerald said back, then realized it wasn't Emily. "Oops, I'm sorry Jennifer. Did you need your father, or can I help you?" he asked.
"It's fine," she laughed, this wasn't the first time they've played musical parents. "Can you please toss this in the dryer, I completely forgot to on the way down here."
"I sure can," Gerald nodded, then saw his son about to pass JJ. "Give it to Aaron, I'm sure he will bring it up for you."
"Wha—oh," JJ said, now seeing the man next to her. "Can you please?" she asked, and he nodded.
River was kind enough to allow Hayley to give Harper a bath in her tub while Jack showered in the guest bedroom bathroom and Hotch was down there making sure he had everything before joining the other adults. The big kids could handle their own showers but the parents just liked to make sure they had what they needed which was understandable, especially for Jack as this wasn't his home although it was like his second home.
"Back to bathtime," JJ said, leaving Hotch to head up the stairs with the lion t-shirt as she went back to the twins room.
Scattered bedtimes typically made for scattered baths/showers however, when they were done all at once the mothers had a routine. The big kids showered, that meant Clarke, Amelia, and Oliver who were able to complete everything by themselves start to finish, then the littles were strictly baths. Oakley and Lily did a shared bathtime for a while and still did on occasion and will up until one of them tells their mommies they don't want to anymore. Emily found when it was just the two of them and JJ was away on a case it was easier for her to give them a bath together, sometimes they'd ask where the other was if it was a solo night, and others they were too distracted by their bath toys to notice. On nights like these though, especially because Hudson and Emerson are used to bathtime together, it was easiest to have a shared bathtime.
"Momma, can we still pway after?" Emerson asked as JJ rinsed her hair.
"After what, sweetie?"
"This." she answered, wiping her eyes from splash of water. Emerson didn't fully understand the concept of tipping her head back when her mommies used the cup to rinse the shampoo out so even though she closed her eyes, the water made a big splash everywhere.
"You mean your bath?"
"Mhm," she nodded.
"Of course you can. You'll be able to play until dinner and then I'm sure your siblings will want to watch a movie afterwards too," JJ tempted knowing how much the twins loved them.
Hudson gasped and Emerson's eyes went wide. "Maybe we can watch the wion one!" Hudson said.
"I wike the wittle mermaid!" Emerson added.
"I think those are both great choices," she smiled, and the twins cheered. And when they did, one of the happy hands that flew up knocked the cup JJ was holding to do one more rinse of Emerson's hair and it dumped all over the blonde.
"Oopsies," they said at the same time.
JJ just laughed, she was already wet from the day and had to change anyways, what was one more cup of water. "Oh my silly little monkeys I'm gonna getcha," she teased and gathered up a handful of bubbles and blew them in the direction of the twins causing them to burst out laughing.
"Momma!" they squealed.