Here is my first Criminal Minds story. I am striving to keep in line with the characters and the show. I am not a shipper so my stories will focus only on the team as coworkers and as a family. This takes place at the beginning of season 7 and I am throwing out the first episode and replacing it with mine. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Of course, none of the characters belong to me.

"Daddy! It's time to get up," Jack Hotchner announced happily, bounding up onto his father's bed.

Sighing Aaron Hotchner rolled over onto his back. He put his arms behind his head to gaze fondly at his son who was grinning from ear to ear. "What's your hurry today, buddy? Usually your aren't this eager to go to camp."

"Field trip," Jack answered, bouncing up and down in eager anticipation.

"Aah," Hotch said letting his eyes go wide in surprise. "I had forgotten," he teased.

Jack scrunched up his nose and said very seriously. "You should have wrote it down."

Hotch laughed and sat up to ruffle his son's hair. "Are you implying that I'm old?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

Jack giggled. "I don't know what 'imply' means but you are sorta old. But not like Uncle Dave, he's really old!"

"Thanks, buddy, I think. Now go and get dressed while your old man drags himself out of bed." He said, reaching over to give his son a fond swat on the back.

"Kay." Jack grinned while he nimbly dodged his father's hand and bound out of the bedroom as quickly as he had entered.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Hotch called after his departing son.

"Pancakes," echoed down the hall.

Hotch smiled to himself as threw back the covers. "Pancakes it is."

"You're in early," David Rossi observed from his office doorway, cup of coffee cradled between his hands, as Hotch walked by.

"Had to drop off Jack early at summer camp." He replied as he stopped beside Rossi. "Today is the big field trip." He smiled, remembering how excited Jack was that he practically flew out of the car. He had to chase his son down to give him his lunch, spending money, and a goodbye hug.

"Where to?" Dave asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"The National Zoo. He really wants to see the red panda cubs."

"Ah," Dave smiled. "Sounds like fun for the kids but I have the feeling the adults may feel differently after a couple of hours."

Hotch chuckled. " I couldn't agree more. I would rather deal with a homicidal maniac wielding a machete than thirty six-year olds for hours on end."

"Here, here," Rossi said saluting with his cup.

Hotch's smile faded as he looked over the bullpen. "Jack asked me if Emily liked red pandas and if she did would she go see them with him when she got back."

"Ouch," Dave said in sympathy. Emily's death was still a bitter pill to swallow for the team but it was different for Jack and Henry. Both were told that Emily was off on a special assignment. Henry was too little to understand death and Jack was still dealing with the death of his own mother several years ago. "What did you say?"

Hotch shrugged. "What could I say? I told him I didn't know and that we would have to wait and ask her when she finished her current assignment."

"How did he take that?"

"In typical Jack fashion. He said okay and that he was going to buy Emily a stuffed red panda at the zoo so I could send it to her."

Dave frowned. "Send it to her?"

Hotch sighed and ran one hand over his head, turning the perfectly combed hair into a spiky, disorderly mess. He knew he would have to tidy it up when he got to his office but right this moment he didn't care if his hair looked like an annoyed hedgehog.

"Since Emily died, Jack has been drawing pictures for her. He said he didn't want Emily to get homesick. He doesn't do it as much as he did in the first months but she is still in his thoughts. You remember on Mother's Day when he made cards for JJ and Penelope? Dave nodded. "He made one for Emily too."

Dave took a sip of his coffee. "What do you do with the card?"

"I put in the folder with the pictures which I keep in my file cabinet here under 'E'. I didn't have the heart to throw them out. Plus there are some from Henry in there."

Dave gave Hotch a sad smile. "Emily always had a way with kids. She drew them to her just like a bee to honey."

Hotch smiled back. "I think my son had…has a crush on her."

Both men turned their gaze back to the bullpen and to Emily's empty desk. It was a stark reminder of the hole Emily's death had put in the team's soul. The camaraderie and bantering was missing from the room. Instead, a cloud of gloom and grief that hung over everyone and everything filled the room.

It still seemed like yesterday when Hotch watched a tearful Penelope clean out Emily's desk. When Reid and Morgan had offered to help, she had glared at them with tear filled eyes. Both agents quietly backed away and left her to her grief. Penelope had packed each item away slowly and carefully, trying to keep a hold of her friend a little longer. Finally when there was nothing left, she had closed the lid with a quiet sob, picked up the box, and took it back to her office where it still resides to this day. Hotch knew that Penelope keeps Emily nameplate next to her main computer screen.

No one went near Emily's desk. When JJ had returned to the unit she chose to use Morgan's old desk. She had said that the mere thought of sitting in Emily's chair made her sick to her stomach. So it sits unoccupied while each member of the team nurtures a tiny hope that one day they would walk into the bullpen and find Emily sitting there, brown eyes dancing in merriment, smiling broadly. Only then would everything be back to normal.

"Remember when Garcia with ballistic on Anderson when he had leaned against Emily's desk? Rossi asked.

"Do I," Hotch chuckled. "I think Anderson is still hiding from her in the copy room."

Dave raised his cup to his lips, took a sip, and grimaced. The coffee had grown cold while they were talking. Sighing he knew he had to make a second trip to the break room for a fresh cup.

"Is Strauss still after you to fill Emily's spot?" He asked.

"She is but I can put her off for a bit longer. Personally I think it is too early. The wound is still too raw. I'm afraid if I brought in someone new, he or she would constantly be compared to Emily which would be unfair to both."

"I quite agree. I think the team is working well the way it is."

"Try telling that to Strauss," Hotch replied arcing an eyebrow at Dave.

"If you want me to run interference for you, I'll be glad too. I could use a good verbal joust right now," Dave said grinning.

"Make sure you are well protected down below."

Jack walked slowly past the shelves full of stuffed animals in the zoo's gift shop. He made sure that he kept his hands in pockets as his mother had taught him. Look but don't touch was what she had always said when they were out shopping. He just hoped deep down in his heart that there was a red panda here. There just had to be one but so far he was not having much luck. Then he saw it. Its red mask was peeking down at him from the top shelf.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the silver hair zoo volunteer asked.

Jack nodded eagerly, pointing.

She followed the line of his finger and smiled. "The red panda? She asked, touching the stuffed animal.

Yes, Ma'am," Jack answered finding his voice and manners.

"Here you go," she said, taking it off the shelf and handing it to him. She was pleased by the delighted look that lit up his face. This was why she loved working here.

Jack gazed at the medium sized panda. It was perfect. Its face was expressive, the colors bright, and when you hugged it, it was soft and squishy. He just knew that Emily would love it.

He thrust his hand back into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill and a handful of change. He showed it to the volunteer and asked, "Is this enough?"

She looked at the money in his hand then at the tag: fifteen dollars. She could tell that he really wanted it and how it would tear at her heart to see his eager face fall into disappointment.

"Yes, it is," she answered and led him over to the cash wrap. She took the ten-dollar bill and rang up the sale as Jack bounced up and down in excitement. Discreetly she pulled a ten out of her own pocket and put it in the drawer to make up the difference.

Pulling out a bag from under the counter, she said, "We'll just put him in a bag to keep his clean. It is a 'he'?" Jack thought for a moment. He nodded yes. "Good. I'll put his head up so he can see where he is going." She handed him the bag. "There you go. Now keep a tight hold on him, you don't want to lose him would you?"

"No, Ma'am," Jack beamed taking a hold of the bag carefully. "Thank you," he said before turning and dashing off to join his classmates.

Another volunteer came over to stand next to the silver haired woman. "You know, Velma, you're going to go broke doing that all the time."

Velma smiled at her coworker. "I'll do it again just to see a child face light up with delight."

"Did everyone get what they wanted?" Mrs. Moore asked her small charges as Jack hurried over to join the group. A chorus of 'yeses' echoed through the gift shop. "Good," she said and made a quick head count: ten. Everyone was present and accounted for.

"Okay, everyone. We are going to head over to the covered pavilion for lunch. Then afterwards we are off to see the elephants. Everyone cool with that?" Ten smiles beamed up at her. "Excellent," she said and open the door. "Follow me."

The ten kids spilled out the door into the bright and warm afternoon. They clumped together like ducklings following the teacher down the path. Jack walking at the back of the pack, tripped over his shoelace that had come untied. Stopping, he put the bag down and sat on the ground to retie his shoe. With the tip of tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, Jack carefully formed the bow like the way his father had shown him, looped the lace around it and pulled it tightly into the shape of two bunny ears. Satisfied with his handiwork, he started to get up when a hand appeared in his line of sight to pick up his shopping bag. Suddenly uncomfortable, Jack jumped to his feet. Nervously he looked up at the man with short-cropped gray hair smiling faintly down at him.

"Hello, Jack," he said in a soft Irish accent.

Well? What did you think? Hit that little ole review button and let me know good or bad and everything in between.