Disclaimer: see my profile

A/n hey all... Here's the last chapter. Thank you all so much for your support of this story. I enjoyed writing this for you.

Epilogue

18 months after the wedding

"Happy Birthday to you," the team and Emily parents sang with friends and Helga, "Happy Birthday to you; Happy Birthday dear Spencer and Aaron, happy birthday to you."

Aaron clapped his hands and laughed while his father blushed scarlet.

"Hey kid," Morgan called his friend's attention to him. "How does it feel to be thirty?" He asked as Reid helped Aaron blow out the candles on their cake.

"The same as it felt to be twenty-nine," Reid answered. "Like genius, I don't think age can be quantified. Some people are old at forty and some are still young at ninety. It's a state of mind."

Emily grinned at Morgan's eye rolling. "You asked Morgan. Don't ask him questions if you don't want to really know the answer."

"Yeah…" JJ agreed. "How long have you known Reid? You should know better by now."

Morgan scowled at JJ.

"Don't crinkle you forehead like that," Garcia, advised, "You'll get wrinkles."

Everyone laughed at him, including Hotch.

"Wrinkles run from this handsome face." Morgan shot back.

"Can we get back to the cake?" Reid said.

"No need to get testy. We're waiting for you to cut the cake. It's the responsibility of the birthday boy to cut the cake. Since junior there is too small to wield a knife…"

"Cute Morgan," Emily said.

"Hurry up…" Garcia danced in her seat. "I want to give Aaron his present."

Aaron looked up at the sound of his Godmother's voice. "'Cia…presents?" He said much more clearly than the average two year old.

"Yes my handsome little genius." Garcia gushed.

"The way you talk to him," Morgan complained.

"You're jealous because there's a young good looking guy that's captured her attention." Mai said while rubbing her pregnant belly.

"I'm not jealous."

"Yes you are," Emily agreed, winking at JJ.

"Here… Eat your cake." Reid shoved a plate with a large slice of chocolate cake in Morgan's general direction.

Laughter rang out over the picnic area. Sun shone brightly on the park as they enjoyed a rare Indian summer day late in October. The sky had a few clouds scuttling across its dark blue surface. The green grass had just begun to go golden and some of the flowers were dead, but the feeling of family flourished while Reid passed out slices of cake around the table.

A tiny cry marred the happiness of the moment and the cutting of the cake. Reid dropped the knife and turned to retrieve his daughter from her carrier.

"Don't cry Dianna." He cuddled her close. She immediately went quiet.

"She's got you wrapped around her little fingers." Rossi teased.

"They both do," Emily said.

Reid ignored the voices of his wife and team. His little angel stared up at him with her mother's eyes. Those eyes had captivated him from the moment of her birth three months before that day.

"Hey birthday boy… Where's my cake?" JJ asked.

"Okay!" He handed the baby off to Hotch who beamed down at her.

She cooed up at him and waved her little hands at her favorite uncle.

Reid finished with the cake to Garcia's delight. "Finally!" She said as Reid gave the last slice to Robert.

She handed a brightly wrapped gift to Aaron. The small boy began ripping the paper off the box with great enthusiasm. The box that emerged from the wrapping paper had a picture and large words printed on the front.

"Look daddy more magic tricks," the two-year-old read.

"Wow… You're pretty lucky little man."

"Say thank you to Aunt Penelope." Emily prodded gently.

"Thank you 'cia." He said.

"You're welcome sweetheart."

"Here's a gift to Reid from Robert and Elizabeth." JJ passed a white envelope down the table to Reid.

"Thank you," he said.

He opened the envelope and went scarlet. Four round trip tickets to Las Vegas dropped onto the table in front of him.

"I c-can't… We c-can't accept… It's t-to much…"

"Yes you can," Robert said firmly. "You spent Christmas last year with us. We want you to see your mom."

Reid looked over at Emily who smiled broadly at him.

"Did you know about this?"

"Yes… It's time for Dianna to meet her grandmother."

"Thank you… And thank you," He turned to his in-laws.

"You're welcome. We hope you have a great holiday."

"More presents," Aaron said excitedly.

"Yes… More presents," Emily ruffled his wavy hair.

"I haf a gift for my little Liebchen," Helga said.

The gift bag she passed to Garcia made its way down the table to the excited two year old. Inside he found a pad of drawing paper and a large box of crayons.

"Yay… colors." He clapped his hands. "Daddy… Can I draw mommy?" He asked Spencer.

"Yes, you can draw mommy after the party. Say thank you to Helga."

The small boy climbed off his mother's lap and ran to the housekeeper.

"Thank you Helga." He jumped in to her arms.

"You are velcome Aaron." She kissed his forehead. "You are getting so big."

"Daddy… Why is Helga crying?"

"She's sad you're growing up."

"Oh… Aaron leaned up and smacked a kiss on Helga's cheek. "Daddy says it's good for little boys to grow up."

Everyone laughed at the look of 'you'll answer to me mister for telling him this," look Helga gave Reid. Reid went pink and decided to un-wrap another gift. Aaron looked from his dad to Helga with a very puzzled expression. Helga wiped her eyes and smiled which seemed to placate the little boy.

"See … no more tears," Emily said.

Aaron jumped down and ran back to his dad.

"Hey little man… Should we finish opening our gifts?"

"Okay Daddy."

The Reid men attacked the piles of gifts in front of them with the methodical thoroughness worthy of genii.

"You can stop worrying about him," Rossi said to Hotch who watched the process with great interest.

The unit chief rocked Dianna Elizabeth Reid while she sucked with great enthusiasm on her pacifier. "I'm not worried Dave."

Dave observed his friend watching their youngest agent. "You know… I think you have given up worrying about them." He said quietly.

"He may get into more trouble than the average two-year-old child, but he's a good man with a loving family. There's nothing else I could want for him or any of my team."

"See… You have learned a thing or two." Rossi said.

Hotch smiled down at Dianna. The future lay with her and Aaron. The adventures of their lives were just beginning.

----

Emily put Dianna in her crib. Spencer met her in the hallway coming out of Aaron's room. They passed each other, reaching out to clasp hands for a brief second.

Reid beat her back to their room after they'd each tucked in the opposite child and said goodnight. He pulled off his clothes and pulled on sleep pants and a tee shirt.

"Hey…"

He turned to see Emily looking at him slyly.

"What?"

"You know what mister. You're putting on clothes that I have to go to the trouble of removing again.

He flushed scarlet. "Emily!"

"You have two children, and we've been married for a year and a half and you can still blush."

"Emily!'

"I think it's cute." She said as she approached him at a slow stroll. "Are you ready for your birthday present?"

"You already gave it to me this morning."

"I'm not talking about the new chess set." She said running her hands through his hair. "How about I do something to really make you blush?"

"Okay!"

---

He lay with his head on her chest. "I love you Emily."

"I know," she said smugly.

"Thank you for the last two and a half years."

Tears gathered in her eyes. "There's nothing for you to thank me for baby. I love you."

"Then thank you for giving me a family." He propped himself up on an elbow. "Is this as good as it gets?" He asked her.

"No… It only gets better from here."

THE END