It was mid-August by now, and the team plus the team member's spouses and Emily were going out for a celebratory picnic after having seen Maggie and Anderson's case to a satisfactory close earlier in the afternoon.

"To getting justice for these women and kids," Rossi proposed, putting his Pepsi up for a toast.

Penelope added, "And to family."

"Justice and family," Rossi nodded. "Two of the best things in this world."

The toast was made around the picnic table, but Alex's mind was obviously elsewhere.

"What's up, buttercup?" Penelope asked, jabbing her lightly with her elbow.

Alex sighed, looking down at Dayton on her other side in her husband's arms. "I… have an announcement to make." She looked to Hotch, and her boss nodded minutely, giving her permission to continue.

The team had all seen this sequence of events before, and, considering the rumors that had been flittering around the Bureau of late, they knew what it meant.

It was Reid who said the words aloud, and they came out in a sad, childish murmur. "You're leaving."

Alex swallowed and nodded, eyes averted. "I'm moving to Boston to be with James and Dayton. It'll be better for Dayton if we're living together as a normal family. You all know that." She met every gaze that was turned onto her requesting, "Please tell me you understand."

Everyone nodded. They all knew how hard this job was on families.

"Who are you going to have coming into the team once she leaves?" Derek asked Hotch.

"I don't know," Hotch said carefully. "I've got a short list made up, but I've got to see what a couple of my first choices say before I say anything definite."

"Who's on the short list?" JJ asked curiously.

"A couple of different women; why?"

JJ shot a vaguely giddy smile in the direction of Penelope, whose eyes were glittering far too much.

"Don't you two get that look in your eyes," Rossi reprimanded. "Everybody knows what you're thinking, and there is this matter of the things called fraternization rules."
JJ snorted and called him a hypocrite to which the older Italian just grinned charismatically.

"Like I said," Hotch repeated, sending sharp, yet somehow still amused, looks towards the two women. "We'll have to wait and see. And besides," he changed the subject, shooting a surprisingly bright grin towards Derek and Penelope. "It isn't like we've been paying any attention to those fraternization rules anyway lately, have we?"

Derek grinned just as smoothly, winding an arm around the shoulders of the tech analyst at his side as he said only – a confession in and of itself – "Nope."

JJ screamed, Emily yelped, and most of the others just started laughing and swapping congratulations and wisecracks with Derek and Penelope.

"What did I miss?" Reid asked, completely clueless.

"Derek's finally laying claim to his 'Baby Girl'." JJ said in a mocking imitation of Morgan.

Reid snorted, informing Morgan, "It's about time, man."

"What happened to Savannah?" Rossi asked curiously.

Derek shrugged. "We just couldn't find the time to make it work. So I figured if time was the issue, and work was what took up all of my time, why not just find the girl of my dreams at work, right?"

Aaron caught Dave's meaningful glance in his direction as the older profiler agreed, "That's about right."

Later on in the afternoon, Aaron glanced towards the slides a few paces away – out of hearing range – to see that Jack was safely well-occupied playing with Henry before he turned back to the task of pushing Matthew gently in a baby swing. Emily sat on the adjacent normal swing with Gideon in her lap, rocking back and forth. The rest of the team was still gathered around the picnic tables, which were also out of hearing range. If he wanted to talk to Emily about what was on his mind, now was an opportune time to do it.

"So… about that short list," he said carefully.

Emily was acting purposely oblivious when she asked, "What about it?"

"You're at the top of it. If you want your old job back. JJ and Garcia swear up and down that they think you're miserable at Interpol."

"They're right," Emily confessed softly. "I miss really being out in the field. The city's horrible; I've learned that I hate London. It's lonely there. And I have to deal with so much politics!"

"You hate politics," Aaron said.

"I know." Then she added deliberately, "And I hate that you're not there with me."

Aaron smiled a little, willing his heart not to hammer as he clarified, "You mean the team."

"No," Emily twisted on the swing to look up at him, eyes and heart both wide open and trusting. "I mean you. I miss you, Aaron, and whatever crazy, stupid, useless, unspoken thing it was that we had – maybe we still have it; I don't know. All I know is that I have so loved coming back here these past few months for this case just for the fact that I get to be around you guys again – all of you as in the team, and as in you in particular. And Jack and Henry and all of these babies, and… you're my family, Aaron, and I don't want to have to go back to London."

"Then don't," he replied simply. "Stay here – with me and Jack and Gideon, and maybe even Matthew if you want."

Emily smiled, her eyes glassy and pink with unshed tears as she admitted in a hoarse whisper, "I would love that."

Aaron slapped his heart onto his sleeve, replying quietly, "And I love you, you know."

"I do know," Emily said with a smile.

He smiled in return, leaning down to meet Emily where she was sitting on the swing and kissing her softly. They had both waited for this for so long that neither one of them wanted to let the moment go by too quickly.

However, JJ and Garcia had no such qualms, and both began screaming wildly as they caught sight on Aaron and Emily.

"Please tell me you're coming back to the BAU," Garcia begged Emily as the two dark-haired agents left the swings and came back to the picnic table to take whatever the team had to say to them.

"And so that you two can finally be together," JJ added, gesturing to Aaron.

"What about the fraternization rules?" Emily asked. "Don't I have to choose the job or the man?"

Cruz spoke up from the other end of the table, speaking as the final authority that he was. "Just make sure that it doesn't affect your work, and there will be no problems. Si, agents?"

"Si," Aaron and Emily answered in unison.

"So you're back?" JJ double-checked with Emily.

"I am back – and even in love!" Emily cried, throwing her arms around her best friend.

When Emily, JJ, and Garcia were done throwing their mini party, Aaron laced his arms around Emily's waist and pulled her to him, her back to his front as they talked with the team.

"You know," JJ remarked. "If it weren't for the fact that he could've stopped the murders of those women, I would almost feel bad for putting Anderson in prison."

"Why?" Will asked.

"Well, think about it. He gave each one of us a child and that was the reason that Derek and Pen finally got together, and it's also how we got our Emily back – and back in love with Hotch. He was actually very instrumental in giving us a happy ending, wasn't he?"

Aaron kissed Emily's hair, whispering so that only she could hear, "Yes, he was. Welcome back home, Em."

Here we are at the end of the story. Thanks for sticking with me; hopefully you enjoyed it! Reviews are my new best friend, if you feel inclined to drop me one! Thanks!:)