April 2012

Kids' Ages

Jack Hotchner - 6

Henry LaMontagne -3

*Emily is due any day

*Penelope is 8 months pregnant

Jareau

JJ sat at her desk in the bullpen, observing her colleagues and friends. They were all crowded around the small space. Derek, Spencer, Emily, and herself are all sitting at their respective desks. Hotch leaned against the edge of his wife's desk. Penelope had pulled a chair up next to Derek, and Rossi stood behind Spencer's desk. Every one of them had a smile on their face, to varying degrees. Their lives had been going well lately. Hotch and Emily were just days away from bringing their daughter into the world, and Penelope wasn't far behind. Spencer's migraines hadn't flared up in a while. Derek had his new girlfriend. Rossi kept to himself mostly, more so than Hotch now that the latter was married, but JJ had noticed him smiling more often as of late. And JJ was happy with her boyfriend and Henry who was growing like a weed.

The team laughed at something Penelope had said.

"And don't forget about my baby shower tomorrow," She announced. "Baby and I expect lots of gifts."

"There's technically no possible way for me to forget," Spencer pointed out."

"Yes, Reid, we get it, you're a genius," Derek teased.

"The theme is gonna be 'byte-sized,'" JJ announced.

"Isn't it the cleverest?" Penelope gushed.

"It's both technologically relevant and indicative of the size of the fetus growing in Garcia's uterus. It's clever," Reid mentioned.

The team grimaced at the mention of Penelope's uterus.

"Well I'll be there, Kitten," Rossi told Penelope.

"We will all be there," Hotch spoke for the team.

"We can't wait to celebrate the fourth B.A.U baby," Emily added.

Just then, JJ's cell phone rang. "Excuse me," she said picking up her phone and seeing that it was Will. She left the bullpen, answering the call as she went.

"Hey, Babe, what's up? Everything alright?"

"Ma Cherié," Was all Will said. It came out as more of a whimper, and JJ could tell he had been crying. Dread and worry settled deep in her stomach.

"Will, what happened?"

"Aunt Lucy called. My grandpa's gone, Jen."

JJ's heart broke. Will and his Grandpa Michael were extremely close. When Will's mom died when he was 11 he and his dad went to stay with him for a while. Then when his dad was murdered years later, Will made sure to visit his granddad regularly, even after his move to Virginia. Hell, they'd considered naming Henry, Michael in honor of the man before falling in love with Henry instead.

"Oh, Baby, I'm so sorry. I'll be there in just a minute. I'm coming, Baby."

She reluctantly clicked off the phone. Five minutes later, she was on her way home.

Will was in the living room, hugging Henry tightly when JJ walked through the front door.

"Mommy!" Henry yelled, scrambling out of his dad's arms and running to his mom.

"Hey, Bubs. Are you making Daddy feel better?" JJ asked, walking towards Will.

Henry nodded. "Daddy's sad 'cause PawPaw died."

"That's right, Bubs. PawPaw was very special to Daddy."

"Mommy, can I go play? Daddy's making me sad."

JJ allowed her son to go so she could have a moment alone with Will.

"They're holding the viewing tomorrow. An' the funeral on Sunday," Will explained.

JJ sighed. As important as it was for her to be there for her boyfriend, Penelope needed her too. "Pen's baby shower is tomorrow."

Will took her hand. "You can stay for that, but please fly out for the funeral. I need you there, Jen."

"I'll be there," JJ promised. "We'll get through this."

Garcia

"Alright! Time for games!" Emily announced, standing at the front of her living room beside Penelope. "Now, JJ is going to come round with yarn. Everybody cut a piece off that you think will match the length of Penelope's piece."

JJ went to every person, each of them cutting off a piece of the pink yarn. Unsurprisingly, Reid was the closest.

Then they played a game where groups of two worked together to change the diaper of a baby doll and get the best time. The catch is: they are only allowed to use one hand each. The winners of that game were JJ and Penelope, followed by Aaron and Emily, and after them were Derek and Savannah, leaving Rossi and Spencer in last place.

"Can you blame us?" Rossi said when the team began to tease them about their nearly 5-minute time. "I haven't changed a diaper in 30 years, and Reid hasn't ever."

The team laughed at the remark. The next task, they had to relocate to the dining room so they could paint wooden letters that spelled out Olivia for over the crib. Each person had a different letter except for Rossi and Penelope. They worked on their tasks while chatting lightly and eating small snacks. They worked at it for over an hour before Emily got up to get another mini cupcake. Penelope glanced at her friend stood up, and noticed that a puddle formed on the ground underneath her.

"Oh, oh my gosh! Em, I think your water just broke!" Penelope squealed, unable to curb her growing excitement.

Emily looked down at the same time that everyone looked at her. "Uh, yeah, I think you're right."

The rest of the team sprung up and into action. Hotch raced to his wife's side at the same time that Savannah did.

"You're gonna be just fine, Emily," she assured her. "But it's time to head to the hospital."

The team broke apart then, Hotch and Emily headed for their car, Hotch all but carrying his wife. Penelope hurried after them at Emily's beckoning. JJ, Rossi, and Reid put themselves in charge of gathering the hospital bags and car seat. Derek and Savannah told the soon-to-be parents that they would stay behind with Jack, promising to bring the boy when his little sister made her appearance.

Five minutes later, Rossi, Reid, and JJ were on their way to the hospital, ready to meet baby Hotchner.

Hotchners

"I'm so sorry for ruining your baby shower, Pen," Emily said, looking at her best friend. Aaron and Penelope were the only ones in the room with her, the others choosing to wait outside for the birth of Baby Hotchner.

"Nonsense. This will be a great story to tell Olivia someday," Penelope assured her best friend, rubbing her shoulder.

Emily only grimaced in response. The contractions were getting closer and closer together and extremely painful. The nurses predicted it wouldn't be much longer.

The three of them played rummy while they waited for the doctor to tell them it was time for her to push.

Forty minutes later, it happened. With Aaron on one side and Penelope on the other, Emily prepared to welcome her daughter into the world.

The next hour was a blur. Emily barely registered Aaron and Penelope speaking words of encouragement or the doctor giving instructions. She barely felt any pain as she pushed with everything she had. All she could think about was her daughter who she was minutes away from meeting. Her energy was depleting and she desperately needed to rest.

Then she heard the coveted sound. Her daughter's cry. Emily slacked against the bed sighing loudly. Tears of relief fell out of her eyes.

"You did it, Honey! She's here," Aaron spoke soothingly as soon as he cut the umbilical cord. He kissed her forehead.

The nurse placed the baby, now swaddled in a white blanket and wearing a pink hat, on Emily's chest.

"She's perfect, Em," Penelope said, snapping a picture. "I'm going to go tell the team the good news and give you guys a moment to bond."

Emily smiled tiredly at her friend as she left, grateful for the quiet moment with her husband and baby. She studied her daughter. Just like her mother, the baby had raven black hair. However, when the infant blinked open her eyes moments later, Emily noted that it was looking into the eyes of her husband. When Aaron wasn't weighed down by work, his eyes shone a chocolatey brown, a feature their daughter now possessed. The most shocking about her features was how much she resembled Jack despite only being half biologically related.

A quiet few minutes later, the door opened and Jack ran in, followed by the rest of the team. Jack hopped onto the bed excitedly, trying to get a good look at her baby sister.

"Jack-Jack this is your baby sister," Emily told him, raising the sleeping baby slightly so the boy could get a better look.

"Hi, Baby sister," Jack greeted, his voice soft and gentle. He stroked the baby's hair. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure, Buddy. Be very careful. You have to make sure to support her head." Emily helped Jack situate her in his small arms.

The moment was met with at least a million camera flashes, as the entire team tried to capture the sweetness.

"So do we finally get to know her name? Or are you going to keep us in the dark for the next 18 years?" Dave asked, a large grin on his face.

Emily and Aaron shared a look, smiling at one another. Aaron took his daughter into his arms and brought her over to Derek who they would later announce as the baby's godfather.

"Guys, meet the B.A.U.'s newest member: Elaine Silvia Hotchner."