Alright!

So this will be the last chapter of this particular story, but have no fear, I've already got the first chapter of story number 3 all planned out (just need to get it written).

Thanks to everyone who has been reading, And a HUGE thanks for all the kind reviews that you guys have taken the time to write, it means so much to me, and they have definitely motivated me to keep going!

So I hope you enjoy all the cheesiness that this chapter has to offer!

-J

Chapter 16

"Emily got hurt while she was away on her case," Alex said, sitting across from Dr. Sullivan early Friday morning. "She was hit in the head with a baseball bat."

"She's okay though?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "I was pretty freaked out when I found out. It scares me; thinking about something happening to Emily, but I think I feel better about it now. I mean Emily's tough, I just have to trust that she's going to be okay."

"That's really great Alex," Dr. Sullivan said. "You seem a lot more relaxed about it then you did last week. What else has been going on at home?"

"Emily's seeing someone," Alex answered, a big smile on her face.

"And I take it you like this someone?" Dr. Sullivan asked.

"She's great," Alex replied with a smile, thinking about JJ. "She reminds me a lot of my mom. I mean the whole thing between her and Emily is really new, but I hope it works out. I like spending time with them together."

"That's great Alex," Dr. Sullivan smiled; glad to see such a change in the teen. "You know it's great to see you so happy."

"You know, I didn't think I would be able to feel like this so soon," Alex confessed. "I still think about everything that happened. And it still makes me sad, but every day it gets just a little bit easier. Emily makes it easier."

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Emily arrived to work late that day, having dropped Alex off at school after her appointment. Hotch had text Emily telling her that he was pushing their morning conference to 10:30am, so she would have time to get in and go over any files she wanted to review with the team.

Emily and JJ had spent the last two days discussing what they wanted to do about telling the team now that they were dating, not wanting to keep secrets, but afraid of what telling would mean for the future of the team. After much deliberation it was decided that the pair would talk to Hotch first before informing the rest of the team, hoping that the unit chief would be understanding.

Arriving at the BAU, Emily saw Reid and Morgan, working quietly at their desks in the bullpen, neither man noticing Emily arriving. Knowing that JJ hoped to talk to Hotch before the team gathered that morning, Emily headed up to JJ's office.

"Hey gorgeous," Emily greeted, poking her head into the media liaison's office.

"Hey yourself," JJ replied, looking up from the file she was currently engrossed in with a smile. "How'd everything go today?"

"Great," Emily smiled. "I think Alex comes out a little happier every week."

"That's great," JJ grinned. "So are you ready to do this?" She asked, suddenly looking nervous.

"I am," Emily replied confidently, walking further into the office, seeing the anxiety on the other woman's face. "You were right yesterday, we need to be honest with them. Plus I'm willing to accept whatever consequence comes our way if it means I get to be with you."

"And if Hotch says one of us has to leave?" JJ questioned.

"Then I will take a position in another department," Emily replied without hesitation.

"You'd really do that?"

"In a heartbeat," Emily replied, bringing a smile to JJ's face. "I told you, I'm in this Jen. I'm all in," she said, coming around the desk, just as the blonde stood up.

Before Emily could lean in for a kiss, JJ put up a hand to stop her. "Cameras," she explained, nodding towards the corner of the office.

"Right," Emily replied, having forgotten where they were for a moment. "Later then."

"Definitely," JJ smiled. "So lets go do this."

The pair walked quickly and quietly towards Hotch's office, neither looking towards the bullpen, but feeling both Reid and Morgan's eyes on them as they knocked on the unit chief's door.

"Come in," Hotch called from where he was sitting behind his desk.

"Hi," Emily greeted as she led the way into the office, JJ following close behind. "We were hoping we could talk to you. Is now a bad time?"

"No now's fine, please sit," Hotch replied, gesturing towards the two chairs in front of the desk. "Is everything okay?" He asked once the women were seated.

"Yeah everything's fine," JJ replied, sitting on her hand in order to resist reaching out for Emily's hand. "There's something we need to tell you though."

"What's going on?" Hotch asked, looking from one agent to the next.

"Emily and I…welll…" JJ began, searching for the right words.

"We're dating," Emily stated, straight to the point, surprising JJ, who looked at the brunette in shock. "It just sort of happened, and it's only been a few days, but we want to give this a serious shot. Which is why we're coming to you now."

"We know there are rules against this," JJ said, finding her voice. "And we understand that you have to do your job, but we just wanted you to know."

At first Hotch didn't respond, still watching both his agents as he considered his options, both women looking worried.

"You're right there are rules," Hotch finally said. "However I know the two of you. And I know how serious you both take your jobs, which is why I'm going to say this. As long as you're able to keep things professional out in the field, I see no reason why this needs to change anything."

"Really?" JJ asked, surprised.

"Really," Hotch replied with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. "And let me just say, it's about time."

"It's about….what?" Emily asked confused.

"Rossi and I have been wondering when you two were finally gonna figure it out," Hotch explained, trying not to laugh at the surprise written all over both women's faces. "We thought Alex might bring you two closer together."

"Why does it seem like everyone else knew we should be together before we did?" Emily said, shaking her head with a laugh.

"Probably because they did," Hotch replied matter of factly.

"We're hoping to tell the rest of the team today," JJ said. "Which shouldn't be difficult since apparently everyone already knows."

"Well Reid might be surprised," Hotch joked. "You can let them know after our meeting."

"Thanks Hotch," JJ said, standing.

"Yes, thank you," Emily said, getting up to follow JJ out of the office.

"You're welcome," Hotch smiled. "And ladies? Congratulations."

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"Emily anything pressing in your files?" Hotch asked towards the end of the team's meeting that morning.

"I have a case in Arizona that seems really familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it," Emily explained. "I was hoping Reid might be able to take a look at it."

"Of course," Reid agreed, taking the file from Emily's hands.

"JJ has anything come across your desk?" Hotch then asked, turning his attention to the media liaison.

"I had a detective contact me about a couple murders in Florida," JJ began. "I read it over and it didn't really strike me as a serial. The victims were similar but the M.O's were completely different. I handed it over to Morgan this morning and he agreed."

"Yeah it doesn't seem like the same guy at all," Morgan agreed. "Could become a problem if they both kill again though."

"JJ contact the detective and have him keep and eye on missing persons that fit the victomology. Garcia can do a search as well. Tell him what we think and have him keep us informed of any other murders."

"Yes sir," JJ replied, making a note in her files.

"Alright anything else?" Hotch asked, which was met with silence. "Alright before we disperse there's something JJ and Prentiss would like to discuss with us."

Everyone's attention turned towards Emily and JJ, who were sitting together looking slightly nervous, neither woman noticing the knowing looks on all the agents' faces.

"JJ and I have some news that we'd like to share with you," Emily began, looking towards the blonde.

"Emily and I are dating," JJ finished for the brunette, looking up to see all the profilers watching the pair happily. "And apparently none of you are even a little bit surprised by this," she laughed.

"I am SO happy!" Garcia squealed, standing up and coming around the table to engulf both women in a hug. "This is so great!"

"Congratulations, bellas," Rossi said, sending a wink towards the women.

Morgan also stood, patting Emily on the back. "Took you long enough Princess."

"Yeah, yeah," Emily laughed. "We know," she said turning towards the youngest profiler who was hugging JJ. "Reid you don't seem all that surprised either."

"Given the fact that JJ allows you to call her Jennifer, but yells at anyone else who tries, I kind of figured there was more going on than you let on," Reid explained. "Plus it's hard not to notice the looks."

"Kid has a point," Morgan agreed.

"Apparently we were the only blind one's Em," JJ laughed, moving to the brunette and squeezing her hand.

"Oh look at you two!" Garcia gushed. "You're absolutely adorable. This calls for a celebration!"

"I agree," Rossi said.

"How about everyone comes over tomorrow night and we can celebrate," Emily suggested.

"Perfect! I'll bring the games!" Garcia replied happily before once again pulling her friends in for a hug.

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"Hello?" Alex answered her phone later that day.

"Hey kid," Emily greeted, from the car on her way home from work. "You at Zoey's?"

"Yeah," Alex replied. "I was going to come home for a bit, but I figured you and JJ had plans so I just came straight here. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Emily said. "Although we wouldn't have minded seeing you."

"So you do have plans then?" Alex asked. "Big date?"

"I'm just going to make her dinner and then we'll probably just watch a movie or something," Emily replied. JJ was currently following the brunette home since she didn't want to leave her car parked at work all weekend. The pair had decided to have their date night at Emily's rather then going out, both preferring the more intimate atmosphere.

"I'll be sure to call before I come home tomorrow then," Alex laughed.

"Ha Ha," Emily said, rolling her eyes despite the fact that the teen couldn't see her. "So we told the team about us today."

"And?"

"And they're coming over tomorrow night to celebrate," Emily explained, the smile evident in her voice.

"So neither of you have to leave your job?" Alex asked.

"Nope."

"That's great!" Alex replied happily.

"I know. We were both thrilled," Emily said. "And it turns out the team wasn't all that surprised by the news anyways."

"Well did you really think they would be?" Alex asked, laughing.

"Well we at least thought Reid would have been, but even he knew," Emily explained.

"Well he is a profiler," Alex replied.

"This is true," Emily agreed. "Anyways I just wanted to check in with you, and let you know about tomorrow night. I was thinking you could invite the girls over as well. Garcia said she was bringing games."

"Oh okay," Alex replied. "Zoey's going to her cousin's tomorrow and Olivia has this thing with her dad that's apparently some big tradition, but I'm sure Spencer would come. Her parents are out of town anyways."

"Alright well tell her she's welcome to stay the night."

"Awesome," Alex replied. "Well I hope you and JJ have a good night."

"Thanks," Emily replied. "You have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

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Later that night Emily and JJ sat in the family room, having just enjoyed a nice dinner prepared by Emily, enjoying a glass of wine as music played softly in the background.

"This is nice," JJ said, taking a sip of her wine. "And dinner was wonderful Em, thank you," she continued, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on the brunette's lips.

"My pleasure," Emily smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. I thought about taking you out, but I thought this would be nicer."

"It's perfect," JJ replied with a smile, intertwining her free hand with the other woman's. "You know it's crazy how right this feels."

"I know what you mean," Emily said, placing a kiss on the back of the blonde's hand. "I'm glad we finally figured this out," she laughed.

"Me too," JJ smiled. "So I believe I was promised a cheesy, romantic movie."

"And you shall have it," Emily said, releasing JJ's hand to grab the remote, turning off the music and switching on the DVD she had put in the player earlier that night.

Emily took another sip of her wine, sitting back in the couch as The Notebook started, putting an arm around JJ, who curled in close to the brunette.

"I love this movie," JJ whispered, placing a kiss under Emily's chin.

"I know," Emily smiled, having had watched the movie with the blonde many times before.

The pair let their attention drift to the movie, remaining cuddled up as Emily ran her hand absentmindedly through blonde hair. It wasn't until about halfway through the movie that JJ looked up, a smile spreading across her face before she placed a rather passionate kiss on Emily's lips. When she broke away, there was still a great big smile on her face.

"What was that for?" Emily asked, JJ's happiness putting a smile on her own face.

"Just because," JJ replied. "This is pretty perfect."

"It is, isn't it?" Emily said, leaning forward to kiss the blonde quickly. "I could definitely get used to this," she said before placing a hand behind JJ's head, pulling her in to meet her lips.

JJ deepened the kiss, pulling Emily with her as she lay back on the couch, allowing the brunette to cover her body with her own.

"We're going to miss the movie," Emily said, pulling back a little breathlessly.

"I so don't care," JJ replied before pulling Emily back into a kiss.

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"Emily?" Alex called out when she entered the condo late the next afternoon with Spencer.

"Hey," Emily replied from around the corner where she was getting a glass of water in the kitchen. "How was your night?" She asked as she pulled the teen into a hug.

"It was a lot of fun," Alex said, returning the taller woman's hug with a smile.

"Hi Spencer," Emily greeted. "How did you guys get home? I would have picked you up."

"Zoey's mom brought us to my house so I could get some more of my things," Spencer explained. "My sister brought us here since she was going to her friends. Thanks for having me by the way," Spencer said politely.

"Of course," Emily smiled. "We're glad you could come."

"Hey you're back," JJ called as she came down the stairs and saw that Alex had returned.

"Hey," Alex laughed as JJ pulled the teen into a big hug. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course," JJ replied as she released the teen. "Hanging out with Emily's fine for a while but she doesn't quite have your witty personality."

"Hey," Emily said, giving the blonde a dirty look.

Alex laughed. "Well you're going to have to manage without my witty personality for a little bit longer because we have a lot of homework," the teen explained, pointing to herself and Spencer. "What time is the team coming?"

"Probably about 8pm," Emily replied. "We were going to get Chinese for dinner beforehand. You guys go upstairs and get some work done and I'll call you when it's time for dinner."

"Sounds good," Alex said before leading Spencer upstairs.

The rest of the day went by quickly, Alex and Spencer remaining in Alex's room where they completed a good portion of their homework before joining Emily and JJ downstairs for dinner.

Garcia was the first to arrive, having refused to drive with Morgan so that she could come half an hour early. The blonde was even bubblier than usual as she gushed about Emily and JJ's new romance.

It wasn't until Emily went to answer the door and JJ went to collect snacks in the kitchen that Garcia sidled up to Alex on the couch.

"So you must be happy," Garcia said happily.

"Obviously," Alex replied, checking over her shoulder to make that both woman were still occupied. "I don't really know if we had anything to do with it but I would say we make a great team Penelope Garcia."

"You got that right dumpling," Garcia replied, as Spencer laughed, having heard about the pair's plan from Alex. "You by the way are just gorgeous," Garcia said turning to Spencer.

"Oh thank you," Spencer replied sounding surprised but laughing by the sudden topic change.

The rest of the team trickled in, receiving drinks in the kitchen from JJ before gathering in the family room, all chatting amongst each other. Hotch and Haley were the last to arrive, coming over to greet Alex who had been talking with Rossi.

"No Jack tonight?" Alex asked after introducing the pair to Spencer.

"No, he's with my sister tonight," Haley replied. "She thought we could use the night off."

"Well that's cool," Alex replied. "I'm not sure I'm ready for what Garcia has planned."

"No one's ever prepared for Garcia," Hotch joked.

"I heard that boss man," Garcia said, going to grab her bag from where she dropped it by the door. "Alright everyone needs to get into the living room so the fun can begin."

"I'm not sure our definition of fun is the same," Rossi said, reluctantly taking a seat on the couch next to Reid.

"Yeah I'm a little worried," Reid agreed.

"Hush you two, you will have fun," Garcia said, coming in with a variety of board games in her arms. "I brought choices but I think we should play Cranium."

"Oh yeah I love that game," Spencer agreed, from where she was standing with Alex.

"Everyone needs a partner then," Garcia explained.

"I call Alex," JJ said, grabbing the teen by the waist and pulling her down onto the couch with her.

"Wow, ditched by my girlfriend and my kid," Emily said, sticking her tongue out at the pair who were laughing. "Spencer Hastings I hope you're ready to kick some serious butt," she said taking the other teen by the hand and sitting down on the floor.

"We've got this," Spencer replied confidently.

"Oh it's on," Alex said, whispering something to JJ who nodded in agreement.

Hotch and Haley were obviously paired, while Morgan grabbed Garcia, leaving Reid and Rossi together, neither anxious to play, but knowing better than to argue with Garcia.

The game got loud rather quickly, everyone laughing and talking loudly, enjoying seeing Reid look uncomfortable doing impersonations and impressed with Hotch's charade abilities. Emily and Spencer took an early lead, but it wasn't long before JJ and Alex caught up, the two pairs getting rather competitive.

"Alright it's a team charade, everyone plays," Garcia explained late in the game. "If Alex and JJ get it they win."

"Alright kid we've got this," JJ said, focusing her attention on the teen standing in front of her who was ready to act out the card that was being passed to one member of each team.

"Alright, ready, set, go," Garcia shouted turning the timer over.

Reid, Spencer, Garcia, Haley and Alex all began acting out the card, their teammates looking at them like they were crazy as they all began shaking their legs in varying ways. JJ watched as Alex put her fingers close together, indicating that something was small, then made it look like something was crawling on her leg, which she then began shaking.

"Ants in your pants!" JJ shouted.

"THAT'S IT!" Alex yelled, throwing her arms up in celebration as JJ jumped up, engulfing her in a hug, briefly lifting the teen off the ground.

The pair continued to celebrate, much to everyone's amusement as both females fell onto the couch beside Rossi, laughing happily.

"I hope you realize you're dating a child," Garcia said to Emily, looking at JJ who wasn't even paying attention.

"Oh yeah, I know," Emily said, shaking her head but smiling at the sight of JJ and Alex so happy.

"Don't be jealous," Alex said, smiling as JJ kept one arm wrapped around her.

"We'll get them next time Spence," Emily said, ignoring Alex and putting her arm around her daughter's friend.

"Alright Pictionary next, but everyone has to change partners," Garcia instructed.

"They're forcing us apart," Alex said to JJ, feigning a pout as she considered her options. "Haley?" She asked as she watched Spencer get pulled next to Garcia, the other teen looking a little frightened.

"Sure," Haley agreed, while Hotch sat with Rossi, Morgan with Reid and JJ with Emily.

The group played on well into the night, before one by one they began to disperse, leaving Spencer, Alex, Emily and JJ on their own, the condo suddenly quiet. The two teens were sprawled out on the couch half asleep while JJ and Emily sat on the smaller sofa, looking around at the mess that was the family room.

"Why don't you two head to bed," Emily called out, seeing that Alex's eyes were beginning to drift shut.

"Yeah, okay," Alex yawned, poking Spencer in the ribs before getting up off the couch. The teen walked sleepily towards Emily, holding her arms out, waiting for a hug.

Emily laughed, standing up and embracing the younger brunette. "Night sweetheart," she said, placing a kiss on the top of Alex's head. "Love you."

"Love you too," Alex replied before moving over to JJ.

Emily pulled Spencer into a hug, wishing her a goodnight, and watching while Alex leaned over to hug JJ.

"Night JJ," Alex said sleepily. "Love you."

"Love you too Lex," JJ replied a smile on her face. "Night Spencer," she said over Alex's shoulder.

"Night," Spencer replied before following Alex towards the stairs, both teen's looking like they were sleepwalking.

"Can we make breakfast together tomorrow?" Alex asked from the stairs, looking at JJ.

"Sure," JJ smiled, as Alex continued on up the stairs.

Emily smiled at the blonde as she sat back down beside her, pulling her in for a kiss that was short, but sweet.

"So I guess you're staying the night then huh?" Emily joked, having figured that JJ would stay, but unsure of how she felt about spending the night when Alex was home.

"It would appear so," JJ laughed, feeling rather relieved that Alex was so comfortable with having her around. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too," Emily agreed, placing a kiss on JJ's cheek. "But what do you say we get to bed? I want to cuddle with my girlfriend tonight," she said, taking the blonde's hand and pulling her up off the couch.

The pair made their way upstairs hand in hand, both hoping for many more nights just like this one; filled with love, laughter, happiness, and most importantly: family.