You Were Never Alone

18 (Tick-Toc)

Before the hands on their living room wall clock strikes 8:30, soft snores fill Hotch's house office.

"Emily?"

Four hours before Jack and Emily's movie marathon and Hotch's proclaimed 'paperwork hour', they told Jack.

"Does this mean I'm gonna be a brother? 'Cause Matthew's mom got married and now he has a little brother." Innocent eyes wait patiently for their answer.

"Uh.."

"Maybe." Hotch tugs the thigh of his dress pants up, and bends down to Jack's level. "That's okay, isn't it?"

Jack shrugs, content written across his face," I don't care."

"You... don't care?" Hotch echos.

"Well," Jack scratches at his jean pocket. "I love Emily and I love you so... if you're getting married so you guys must love each other too? So... yeah. I don't care."

Of course, Jack didn't drop the subject of another member of the family until some time later.

"Emily?"

Acceptance is a very hard emotion for children to wrap their heads around.

"Yes, dear?" They'd watched two movies since Hotch excused himself to finish paperwork.

"Well.." once Hotch stood, Jack crawled to lay in Emily's lap. She wasn't going to complain. Since he'd been nestled so closely to Hotch she can smell his cologne. So it was like cuddling a smaller blond version of Hotch. "Matthew's new daddy is really nice... and so are you. Well..." Jack plays distractedly with the end of her hair," do you think my mom is proud of me?"

He almost asked. He almost asked if Emily and mommy could mean the same thing.

Emily looks down at him, now she never raised a child so she's not positive but...

"Of course she is," she whispers pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

Jack tucks himself back under Emily's warmth and seats quietly.

He told Aunt JJ once. He told her what he what he calls Emily in his head. She creid. So, he won't tell anyone now. He'll continue to call her mom in his head and Emily in the congress of everyone else.

"Wanna go wake daddy up?" Emily asks nudging Jack. Until she nudged him he'd been falling asleep.

"Mmmm," is the answer she receives.

She leans down to his ear and whispers," do you want to sleep in our bed?"

Jack grins and opens his eyes," yeah."

"Okay," she whispers and lifts him up.

She surrounds him in their sheets before she ventures back to the living room to get Hotch. She turns the T.V. and the lights off before entering Hotch's home office.

His brown hair is mopped on his head like he's ran his fingers through it. His pen is dangling on the edge of his finger tips. His head titled back making his Adam's Apple push against the flesh of his neck. He makes a small jerk but remains silent.

"Aaron," she calls a safe distance to his side. They'd learned the hard way that when waking someone up, you want to be out of arm's reach. "Aaron."

He jerks again and his pen falls. The pen thuds softly and he jerks up in his seat.

After the daze leaves his eyes he seems to finally land on her," wasn't sleeping. Ju's dosing."

"If you say so," she picks up his fallen file and turns off his desk light. "Jack's in our bed."

"Why?" He leans on the desk and Emily comes over to grab his arm.

"He looks just as exhausted as you," he lets himself lean against her and she drags him to the bed room.

"At! Change your pants!" She whispers harshly just as he's about to fall into bed.

"Why?" He groans seating up just enough to shimmy them off.

"Just come on." She pats the bed and over he rolls. Jack makes a muffled groan when the bed moves and pushes at Hotch's chest.

"Daddy?" He opens one eye and finds Hotch. "You were asleep."

Hotch pulls Jack against him and lays down," and I'm about to be asleep again."

Emily kisses Jack's forehead and Hotch's cheek," goodnight boys."

I'm sorry it's taken so long. I just haven't been able to write.

-SH