Warriors Baby

Seven seconds

Prentiss rushed into the round table room that morning holding her go bag and a cup of coffee. "Sorry I'm late." She huffed plopping down into a chair.

The room got extremely quiet extremely quickly. "Emily," JJ started. "Why are you here?" She asked a nicely as possible.

Emily quirked and eye brow. "We have a case."

"You're on maternity leave Prentiss." Hotch cut in. "You should be at home with Irene."

"I only needed a month I'm fine. She's at a daycare."

"What daycare takes one month old babies?" JJ asked. "Look Em-"

"I can be here okay?!"
.......................................

"This is how Katie sees herself. Self-loathing. Dirty. Disgusting. That is what your husband made her feel. . . Do you have any idea how terrified she must have been? How confused? While you lay awake, protecting an animal, who will always have those urges, and always has . . . you have robbed Katie of her childhood--are you gonna to steal the rest of her life from her as well?" Prentiss was leaned across the desk with her face inches away from Katie's aunt to intimidate her. The mutilated Barbie doll was gripped tightly in her hand.

.............................................

"Susan consoling Katie's mother is an image that's going to haunt me for awhile..." JJ cringed as she spoke to Garcia.

"There are worse things we can be haunted by..." The analysis replied wrapping an arm around her friend.

Emily watched her friends consoling each other before she walked over to the unit chief with a grim face. "Hey..." She spoke softly.

Hotch looked up from his phone with a sigh. "Sorry I was just talking to Haley."

"If you need to get home to see Jack, we understand-"

"No it's okay. What's up?"

"I-I think I should go back in Maturity leave Hotch... Will the director let me?" She sighed holding back her tears. She thought she was ready but after this case she knew- she knew she had to be there for her daughter.

"I never talked to the director yet, as far as he know you were never here. Go home Prentiss. Be with Irene." Emily swore she saw a slight smile spread across Hotch's lips.

...........................................

"She's coming" Jessica, Haley's sister said.

"Thanks" Hotch said as he paced slightly on the front steps.

Jessica turned and watched Haley approach the door and then slipped past her as Haley stepped into the doorway wrapping her robe around herself. "He's asleep." Haley said sternly obviously not amused that her husband showed up.

"Just five minutes" Hotch pleaded. After today there was no doubt he was going to neglect his son. Not that he ever did... But things were changing pretty fast and he didn't want Jack to ever forget him.

Hotch walked up the stairs and opened Jacks bedroom door. He walked over to the bed and sat in the side before leaning over and kissing his son gently on the forehead and reminding his sleeping son how much he loved him.

He walked out of the room and ran into Haley again. "I heard Emily had her baby." She said as she leaned up against the wall.

"Where did you hear that?" Hotch chuckled.

Haley signed pushing away from the wall and walking closer to her husband. "Jack told me, you took him to visit Irene and Emily but forgot to tell me."

"I didn't realize you wanted to know about the team."

"I want to know about the girls you're taking my son to meet." Haley popped her hip to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not mad but we haven't talked about how to explain to Jack that we are seeing other people. If we are seeing other people."

Hotch sighed.m"I'm not seeing Emily... I just thought Jack would like to meet the baby.... Emily needs support..."

"And you can give her that support. Just when support turns into something else come to me first before you bring our son into it."

..............................

Emily unlocked her apartment door and opened it before picking up the baby carrier and walked through the door. Right as she set her purse down Irene let out a ear screeching wail. Letting out a frustrated groan Emily unstrapped the baby from the carrier and lifted her into her arms. The raven haired girl gently rocked her daughter back and forth soothing her hopefully to sleep. But it didn't work.

She headed to the kitchen to take a bottle out of the fridge and placed it into the bottle warmer. Then there was a knock at the door which just made Irene scream louder. "One second!" Emily called before feeling her daughters diaper to see if she needed change. Finding it dry the agent went to the door and threw it open to reveal Derek Morgan.

"Hi." Emily mumbled before she walked back into the Kitchen to grab the bottle.

Derek followed not to far behind. "I can do that." He offered reaching his arms out for Irene. Not giving it a second thought Emily handed her daughter over before checking the warmth of the milk then handed it to Morgan.

She watched great fully as the small child quieted down and hungrily drank the bottle. "You're not so bad at this," she laughed.

"I helped take care of my sisters, not that there was much of an age gap." He replied. "I'm sorry for intruding, I saw how frazzled you looked earlier and wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine really... But I'm going back of maturity starting now."