A/N: This oneshot is for HGRHfan35 for reviewing DS. Her prompt was "dad" with the characters Hotch, Emily, and Jack. Enjoy!

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"What's this?"

Emily's head popped up from a stack of case reports she'd brought home with her for the weekend. Her eyes widened reflexively when she saw the white plastic stick that her seven-year-old stepson held up. "Oh, uh, that's garbage, honey. Where'd you find it?"

"In the garbage," Jack said, shrugging.

"Sweetie, that's yucky," Emily said, though she should have been chiding herself for neglecting to bury the test under other refuse instead of just dropping it on top. "Give it here, please."

"But what is it?" Jack asked.

Emily sighed troublesomely and wished she hadn't pushed Hotch to get back into golf, of all things. He had just left a while ago to play eighteen holes with Rossi and wouldn't be home for a few hours. Why not a quicker sport? she wondered, though she wouldn't know what she would do if he were home after all. "It's a thermometer. A disposable one," she said to Jack, thinking not so well on her feet.

"It doesn't look like a thermometer. How come it says "p…preg…" Jack squinted.

Before Emily could take the test away from Jack, a bout of nausea rolled through her stomach. "I don't feel so well, honey. I'll be right back." She rushed off to the bathroom, tired of putting up with the morning sickness. Most days, she ignored it, but today it brought her to her knees.

"How come you're throwing up?" Jack asked sadly, hugging the bathroom doorframe and hanging his head into the bathroom.

"Because my tummy's upset," Emily explained when she came up for air.

"How come?"

"I don't know," Emily said patiently. "But may I please have that thermometer back?"

"How come it says 'pregnant'? Jack asked, finally handing the test back over.

"Oh boy," Emily muttered. "Okay, okay. Do you know what 'pregnant' means, honey?" she asked Jack, flushing the toilet and starting up the faucet to rinse her mouth.

"It means a girl is gonna have a baby, right? My friend's mom is pregnant."

Emily closed the toilet seat lid and sat down on it, holding out a hand for Jack. She suddenly found it odd that it seemed easier to tell a small child than it did to tell the father of her baby. She blamed that on Hotch's repeated proclamations that their little family of three was the perfect size. He couldn't have been any more clear that at forty-seven years of age, he felt too old to be a father again, and that perhaps he thought her forty-two years were too many to be a mother.

She hadn't considered any possibility other than keeping the baby. It was deciding when and how to tell Hotch that she'd figured would be the challenge when she'd gotten the positive result just after he'd left for golf. However, it now looked like she wouldn't be given the luxury of much time to decide, thanks to her carelessness.

"You're right, Jack. That's what it means."

"How come it says that on a thermometer, though?" Jack asked, not quite making the connection. Emily licked her lips and thought maybe she was in the clear, but then Jack's eyes lit up. "Oh! You're pregnant?"

Emily laughed. "Well, according to that, yes, I am. There's always a chance it could be wrong, so I need to go see a doctor first so they can make sure, but that's what it looks like."

"You're gonna have a baby?" Jack asked.

Emily nodded. "I'm gonna have a baby."

"Cool!" Jack cried. "Your belly isn't big like my friend's mom, though," he noted.

"That takes time. Hopefully I'll still look normal for a little while." Emily cleared her throat and wondered just how much it was that Jack knew about pregnancy or sex. She wasn't sure how extensively Hotch had spoken with Jack on the matter. She wasn't even sure whether Jack knew that two people were involved in creating a baby. She smiled and raised her eyebrows expectantly, inviting Jack to impart upon her anything else he knew.

"When is it gonna be born?" Jack asked.

"Probably about eight or so months from now," Emily said.

"That's a long time."

"Yeah, it is. Plenty of time."

"Does Daddy know?"

"Not yet," Emily replied with a smirk. "Do you think I should tell him?"

"Yeah. Is it his baby, too?"

Emily inwardly applauded Hotch, if indeed it was he from whom Jack had learned this. "Yes, it is."

"Does that mean the baby's gonna be my brother?"

"Or sister," Emily said with a nod. "But yup, you're gonna be a big brother either way."

"Cool! Can I play a video game?"

"I—a video game?" Emily asked, surprised that Jack's interest ended there.

"Please?"

"Okay, sure, for a little bit. Let me brush my teeth and I'll come watch."

—

Emily awoke two hours later on the couch when she felt a blanket being draped over her. Her crusty eyes struggled to open. "Hmm?"

"You feeling okay?" Hotch asked, instinctively laying the back of his hand across Emily's forehead.

"Where's Jack?" she asked in a panic, ignoring Hotch's question for now.

"Washing up for lunch."

"Oh, how long did I sleep?" Emily pulled herself up and stretched her arms over her head as she yawned her way through her words.

"No idea. I came back early, though."

"What? Why?"

"Somebody, uh, called me to inform me that he was going to be a big brother and that I was going to be a daddy again," Hotch said, sitting down on the coffee table and cupping Emily's knee. "Is that true?"

Pale and with her mouth agape, Emily simply stared at Hotch. "I…yeah. I took a test this morning and he found it in the garbage. I didn't tell him anything new in terms of…what comes from where, though, I swear, I—"

"Emily," Hotch said, his deep voice lightening a bit just for her. She looked at him desperately, now searching for some sign that this news was at least somewhat good for him. "I think the bigger deal here is that we're having a baby. Don't you?"

Emily nodded. "I know you didn't want a baby, but…" she said with a quavering sigh.

Hotch chuckled. "You're one of the best profilers I've ever met and you fell for that? Come on, I was trying to feel you out to see if you wanted kids."

"What? No, you weren't," Emily said, unwilling to admit how naïve she'd been.

"Yes, I was. Emily, I would love to have a child with you."

"Yeah?" Emily asked, warmth spreading to her fingers and toes with the touch of Hotch's palm to her cheek.

"Absolutely." Hotch broke into a joyous smile and pulled Emily in for a lingering kiss. "I love you. This is fantastic news. But…we might wanna go over the basics when it comes to falling asleep and leaving children unattended," he said, clearing his throat.

"Why? Oh God, what'd he do? Did he color all over the walls or something?"

Hotch shook his head and handed Emily her phone. "I think he called and told just about everyone in your address book. Looks like you have some missed calls to return."

A/N: Please leave a review!

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