OMG. This is end :( Enjoy the epilogue my amazing readers!

Epilogue

2 years later

"Let me get that." Rossi bent over and picked up the handful of files that had fallen off Emily's desk. Placing them back in front of her, he immediately realized the mistake he had made.

"Dave, I'm pregnant, not an invalid." Emily rolled her eyes in the man's direction and snatched another file from the stack. JJ, who had been walking past the two on her way to the coffee maker, tapped her pen on Emily's head in disapproval.

"Be nice." She admonished with a small smile. Emily frowned as the men giggled. The sound ceased the moment she turned her gaze towards them.

"I'm sorry." She said to Rossi as if she were a child that had been scolded by their mother. JJ shook her head with a smile.

"You know, just because you're bored doesn't mean you can be snippy." The blonde informed her as she refilled her mug for could easily be the fourth time that day. Emily groaned as she spun in her chair. It was true- she was beyond bored. The moment she had told Aaron and the team about her pregnancy, she had been all-but banned from doing anything remotely interesting. She hadn't seen the field since her second month and after her fifth, their unit chief wouldn't even allow her to accompany them on cases. She placed a hand on her stomach as she rose.

"Hey, you don't know what it's like." She said to her friend. "Aaron didn't make you stay chained to a desk."

"That's because he isn't Aaron to me." JJ snickered and Emily swatted her arm. The blonde grinned and lifted herself onto Emily's desk, cradling her mug as if it were a child. In the two years since their engagement, Aaron and Emily had bought a house and moved their expanding family in together. Ana was more than happy to live with her new family but continued to stay in contact with her parents and sister. The three had even visited the city several times, becoming increasingly comfortable with the BAU team. The teenager was enrolled in George Washington University in Georgetown, Virginia and spent the majority of her time either working at her part-time job or studying. Emily and Aaron were surprised at how determined she was regarding her schoolwork and how easily it had rubbed off on Jack. All in all, their new family was doing quite well for itself.

"As…interesting as this was," Emily let out a breath, "I think once is enough for me." JJ laughed wholeheartedly, surprising the group.

"Yea, that's what I said too." She blew on her coffee. "We'll see what tune you're singing after you actually have the baby." She waited for a snarky, Emily-like response but the brunette simply scoffed. JJ turned to her friend and watched as she rubbed her stomach. Taking in her rigid stance and deep breaths, JJ shot to her feet and nearly spilled the coffee onto herself.

"Whoa." Morgan jumped, startled by the blonde's sudden movement.

"How long?" she asked her friend, ignoring Morgan's protest. "Emily, how long?"

"Uh," the brunette frowned as she sucked in air. "about an hour?"

"What?!" JJ cried, immediately sprinting for her purse.

"What happened?" Morgan, Rossi and Reid all shot out of their seats at once.

"Emily's in labor." JJ announced from across the bullpen as she fished her car keys out of her bag. The men froze, doe-eyed and pale.

"No, no I'm not." Emily protested. "It's still early."

"Try convincing them." JJ gestured to her stomach and helped the woman stand as she ushered her towards the elevator, the three men following close behind. "Now would you prefer to have your baby on the office floor or in a hospital?" Emily didn't respond. She was too busy trying to stay upright.

"Someone call Aaron." She managed to let out.

"Already on it." Rossi announced as the elevator doors opened and the group made their way to JJ's car. Suddenly, Emily stopped and doubled over, a hand pressed against her stomach and a frown etched on her face.

"Morgan." JJ ignored the pain in her hand as Emily crushed it. Without a word, the man grabbed the now immobile Emily and carried her bridal style towards the car. JJ tossed the keys to Reid and got into the back with Emily who was now sweating and panting. She cradled Emily's head against her chest as Morgan got in beside her and Rossi went to the front.

"Aaron," they heard the older man say into the phone. "you might want to pick up. Your wife's going into labor and I'm fairly certain she'll want you there."

"Where-where is he?" Emily cried as she felt JJ swipe a hand across her now sweaty forehead.

"He's in a meeting with Strauss." Rossi explained. "Don't worry, he'll be there." Before he could finish his sentence, Emily let out a loud groan.

"Reid, if you don't speed it up, I'm going to have this baby right here. Is that what you want?"

"Got it." The younger agent stepped on the gas pedal forcefully, sending the others flat against their seats. They tried to ignore the honking of horns as they broke almost every traffic law in the books. JJ tied Emily's hair up as the most recent contraction subsided.

"Not a fan." The brunette shook her head, her eyes now shut tightly. "Definitely not a fan."

"I know, Em. I know." JJ patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically.

"Have you thought of any names?" Morgan asked in an attempt to distract her. Emily let out a shaky breath before answering.

"Michael." She clenched her teeth and groaned once more, the pain obviously increasing by the second. "Or Emma."

"Those are really ni-" Morgan was cut off by the sound of Emily's closed mouth scream.

"We're almost there, Em." JJ promised as the woman squirmed in her grasp. Before long, Reid stopped the car in front of the nearest hospital and Morgan rushed to the other side of the car. He eased Emily out of JJ's arms and swiftly carried her past the automatic doors. By now Emily's pants and groans had turned into outright yelps. They didn't have to ask for help as the hospital staff caught sight of them at once and ushered Emily into the closest wheelchair. As the nurse began to wheel Emily away, JJ felt the woman's hold on her hand tighten.

"Ma'am, we have to go." The nurse turned to JJ who shook her head in return.

"I'm coming with her." the blonde insisted. The nurse didn't have time to argue. "Call Hotch and Ana. Tell him if he's not here within the hour, I'll shoot him myself." The three men didn't doubt her for a moment. JJ ignored the shocked look from the nurse as she followed her past another set of doors and out of sight.

Forty-five minutes later, an exasperated Hotch burst through the hospital doors with Ana and Jack in tow. He caught sight of his team and rushed towards them.

"I was in a meeting." He explained quickly. "Where is she? Is everything ok? Did we miss it?"

"Hotch, man, relax." Morgan raised his hands in an attempt to calm him. It didn't work. "It's been less than an hour, you're good."

"JJ's with her but I'm sure she's waiting for you." Rossi explained as he waved down the closest nurse. Ana and Jack went to follow but were stopped by the nurse in front of them.

"There's not enough room for too many people. Are you family?" she asked the two.

"I'm her husband." Hotch explained and the woman nodded. "This is her-"

"It's ok." Ana shooed him away. Although she wanted to see Emily, she didn't want to take up the much needed space. "Go, we'll wait here." Hotch nodded quickly and followed the nurse at a sprint. Ana and Jack sighed, both disappointed that they weren't allowed in, and sat down next to the rest of the team. Minutes later, Penelope came and joined them. The group of six paced, tapped their feet and twirled their thumbs in boredom and anxiety. While their worried about Emily and the newest member of their family, a part of them knew that they were lucky to be in a different room than the brunette.

"Come on, Emily. One more!" the doctor instructed. Emily threw her head back and groaned loudly. Easy for him to say!

"Emily!" Hotch's voice cried as he opened the door. He ran to her side, nearly barreling into JJ, and grabbed her hand.

"Oh thank God." Emily mumbled as she struggled to focus on his face. "Aaron, please tell the kind doctor that this is not as easy as television makes it look!" Everyone in the room- besides the aggravated pregnant woman, of course- laughed. JJ resumed her position on the other side, allowing Aaron the room he needed to comfort his wife.

"Emily, one more big one and you're done." The doctor said, a smile still dancing on his lips. The woman exhaled and shut her eyes.

"Can't." she shook her head, exhaustion getting the best of her. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Come on, Em." Aaron moved a handful of hair away from her eyes. He cupped her cheek and nodded as Emily opened her chocolate eyes and stared at him. "Just think about our daughter or son. Think about how amazing they're going to be." He watched as Emily seemed to gather up what remaining strength she had and closed her eyes. Squeezing both JJ and Hotch's hands as tightly as she could, she let out one final scream before the sounds of a baby's cries echoed throughout the room.

"It's a girl!" the doctor announced over the sounds of the infant's crying. Emily broke into a teary grin as Hotch leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"You did it." He whispered. "Thank you, Emily." She nodded and leaned against him, catching her breath. She felt JJ place a hand on her shoulder and looked over at her friend who was beaming.

"Congratulations." She told the couple and placed her own kiss on Emily's temple. The brunette smiled wearily.

"Thank you." She breathed and JJ's smiled grew. She removed the mask she had been forced to wear and watched as the newborn was brought into view for the first time. She was small, smaller than expected, and red-faced. JJ wiped away a tear as baby Emma was placed into Emily's arms and wasn't surprised in the slightest when the cries ceased immediately.

"She's perfect." Emily smiled as tears streamed down her face. Hotch gently caressed his daughter's head and wiped away a tear of his own.

"Just like her mother." He kissed Emily's lips briefly and JJ took that her as cue.

"I'll go tell the others." She told them. The couple barely acknowledged her exit. The group of six were out of their seats as soon as the blonde came into view.

"Is she-"

"She's perfect." JJ silenced their concerns at once, a radiant smile on her face. "They both are." They collectively sighed in relief.

"When can we see her?" Ana asked, anxious to meet the newest member of their ever-growing family. JJ shrugged, saying she didn't know, and took a seat beside the girl. They waited for less than ten minutes before Hotch returned and gestured for all of them to follow. One by one, they entered Emily's room and smiled at the sight that greeted them. Emily sat upright in bed, her face slightly flushed, holding a bundle of pink blankets against her chest.

"You want to hold your baby sister?" the brunette turned to Jack and the boy immediately perked up. He sat on the edge of the bed and- with Hotch's help- cradled the infant against him.

"She's so tiny." The boy whispered as if afraid of startling her. "Was I that tiny?" The group chuckled.

"Not quite." Hotch smiled as he took his daughter into his arms and walked over to the rest. Each gawked and aw'ed at the baby's curious expression. She already sported a head of black hair and her eyes were light shade of blue that would no doubt change over time.

"Oh my God." Penelope squealed and clapped her hands. "I could just eat her little, buttercup face up!" Everyone laughed. Emily reached out and squeezed Hotch's arm.

"JJ," he approached the blonde. "Would you like to hold your goddaughter?" As the question sunk in, the woman's eyes widened and the smile on her face grew. She nodded furiously and held out her arms.

"Yes. Definitely yes." She laughed as Emma was placed into her arms. She smiled as the girl tilted her head and extended her hand out. JJ placed her pointer finger into the tiny hand and watched in awe as the small fingers closed around it.

"She's beautiful, Em." Ana placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. Emily turned and smiled at the girl.

"Thank you." The older woman said softly before drawing her into a hug. Ana chuckled as she felt tears drip onto her shoulder. As Emma was handed back to her mother, the group fell into a comfortable silence, all content in watching the infant fall asleep. Emily rocked her slowly as her entire world seemed to automatically revolve around the tiny human in her arms. Emily smiled. She didn't know she could ever feel a love as powerful and as overwhelming as this. JJ was right; it was more than worth it in the end and she was more than happy to deal with it all again if it meant having another just like Emma. As she watched her daughter's wide eyes close, Emily felt an overpowering sense of gratitude to whatever deity allowed her to feel this happiness. Surrounded by her family, new and old, Emily was comforted by their presence, knowing that the sounds of silence that surrounded her radiated with their undying and complete love- and after all, what more could she possibly ask for?

The End

Wow, I cannot believe it's over! I'm so thankful to have such amazing readers! Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed or even momentarily glanced at my story! I'm so glad I got to share it with you guys & I can't wait to share more! The sequel to Predetermined Fates will be up soon & I'm also planning another CM story that will be titled 'Only Human' that will be very different from the others! I hope to hear from you all again! Love you!