XLIV



After taking a couple of moments to celebrate in peace, Reid and I left the clinic, holding hands tightly as we sipped our cooled down coffees. Once outside, we lingered near the entrance of the building, unable to part ways thanks to the sudden news we'd just discovered.


"Guess we'll have to start coming up with names." I gave him a subtle brow wiggle as I sipped my drink. While the flavour was fine, the lack of heat made me scrunch up my face and pull away. In response, Reid shook his head and sipped his own, unfazed at the taste. "How do you feel about Spencer Jr.?"


At that point he scrunched up his face too, shaking his head.


"You mean you don't wanna name your kid after yourself?" I asked sarcastically, holding back a smirk.


"I'm not that ostentatious," he retorted.


"I mean fair, but Spencer is a great name. You sure you don't wanna share it?"


"I'm pretty sure."


I snorted and shook my head, taking a couple of steps towards Luke's car. As I did, I dragged Reid over, gripping his hand tightly. "How about my name, but like the male version?" I turned to face him once we got to the car. I leaned against the door, raising my brow curiously.


"Actually, Isla was originally a predominantly male given name," Reid replied.


"Really?"


He nodded and took a sip of his coffee.


"Alright, so that's one name down," I joked.


Reid rolled his eyes and pushed me aside, shaking his head as he opened the door and motioned me inside. "We're not naming our kids after ourselves. That's way too pretentious."


"Have you met me? I'm the definition of pretentious," I replied with a smirk. As I spoke I reached out to ruffle his hair, causing him to groan in annoyance and pull away.


"I wouldn't say you're pretentious. Tasteless, maybe, but not pretentious."


I scoffed at his comment and handed him my coffee, shooting him a glare as I maneuvered myself into the seat. Instead of apologizing, he merely laughed and watched me struggle to get comfortable. When I was, I reached over to throw on my seatbelt, softening my stare once I realized he was smiling. "What are you smiling at, pretty boy?"


"You," he responded simply.


I stuck out my tongue and fake gagged as I fished through my bag to find Luke's keys. Once I got them I stuck them into the ignition and adjusted the radio so that it was quietly playing in the background.


"Meet you at the house?" He questioned.


I looked over and nodded. "Yeah. Wanna call Rossi and let him know where we're at?"


"Sure." He leaned over and kissed my cheek, flashing me one last smile before closing the door and moving onto the sidewalk. Once there, he walked towards his car, making a quick stop at a garbage can nearby to throw out my still full coffee.


Once he was out of view I did a quick check of the street and pulled out onto it, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Even with the absence of coffee, I still felt like I was vibrating the whole way home. In just twenty-two weeks Reid and I would be welcoming a pair of boys into our lives, which in my opinion was absolutely wonderful.


When I got to the house I shut off the car and slipped outside, feeling a set of pains radiate in my lower back. I bit my lip, suppressing a groan as I straighten out my body and closed the door. Immediately, I pressed my hand to the base of my spine as I waddled up the driveway and into the house. Silently, I slipped down the stairs, instantly throwing my body onto the bed with a sigh.


Reid arrived not long after, chuckling softly as he made his way into the bedroom. "No napping allowed ma'am, we have a party to get to."


I propped myself up on my elbows, shooting him a fake glare before outstretching my hand and wiggling my fingers. "Help me up."


He rolled his eyes and followed my command, carefully pulling me up to my feet without issue. Once standing, I clapped my hand on his shoulder, flashing him a thankful look. "Do you need to change or anything?" He asked.


I took a step back and examined my outfit. "I don't think so, do you?" When I looked back up he shook his head and pocketed his hands, flashing me a wide grin.


"You look great."


"So do you." I retook my place directly in front of him, grabbing hold of the bottom of his tie. "I like the purple. It suits you." I placed a quick kiss on his lips before brushing past him, earning myself an annoyed groan. "C'mon doc, the team's waiting."


We arrived at Rossi's not long after. Slowly, like usual lately, I hobbled out of the car, watching out of the corner of my eye as Reid ran to my aid, holding out his hand for support. Despite my want to do things myself I took it anyway, giving him a narrow eyed look once I saw the smirk form across his lips. "I don't need your help," I stated coldly, ripping my hand away once I was fully upright.


"Yeah, okay," he replied sarcastically.


I snorted and followed him to the door. Upon arrival, he rapped his knuckles against the wood, glancing over in my direction not long after. As we waited, I felt my heart beat against my chest. For some odd reason I felt suddenly nervous, which didn't make much sense to me. The team already knew I was pregnant with twins. The fact that we were having boys was probably the least exciting news, yet I couldn't stop thinking about it.


My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar face opening the door. As she did, I narrowed my eyes and parted my lips, unsure of how to respond. Beside me, Reid let out an excited yell, his arms outstretching excitedly as he took the dark-haired woman in his arms.


"Emily?" I questioned. For some odd reason my mind could barely process she was here, which only made her laugh as she gripped onto Reid's back. Once their hug was done she moved to me, scanning the length of my body as she pulled me tightly into her grasp, shaking me back and forth.


"You're so fat," she commented jokingly.


I let out a loud laugh, gripping her in my arms. It'd been so long since I'd seen her I almost forgot what she looked like. "Oh, my god. You're really here. Holy shit."


"When did you get here?" Reid asked.


She pulled away, but kept her arm wrapped around the length of my shoulders. Excitedly, I moved my hands to grip her torso as I snuggled into her. "This morning. Garcia called me a couple of weeks ago and told me to come down when I had time."


"I'm never letting you go," I sighed.


"You're going to have to," she replied with a laugh, "other people want to see you."


Despite my protests she pulled away from me, motioning Reid and I to follow. As we did, Reid grabbed my hand and moved inside, playing with my fingers absentmindedly. The team, like always, was crowded around Rossi's kitchen casually sipping wine and snacking on food. The moment the three of us entered everyone started yelling, their excited reactions filling the room as we walked over to meet them.


Without missing a beat Garcia ran to my side, offering me a glass of red liquid. "It's sparkling juice. Since you can't have wine," she said with a shrug.


I took a sip and nodded. It wasn't the most amazing drink in the world, but it was more the thought that counted anyway.


"So, what's the verdict?" Rossi asked. He rested his palms along the counter, raising his brow at Reid and I who shared a pair of tight lipped smiles. I raised my brow too and elbowed his side, ushering him to respond. As much as I wanted to speak, at this point I was so nervous I felt like I couldn't.


For a moment he remained silent, his eyes watching my face, which eventually scrunched up impatiently. When it did, he merely chuckled and turned to the team, resting his hand on the small of my back as he spoke, "we're having boys."


Like before, their voices filled the room. Almost instantly the group ran towards us, pulling us into hugs, while muttering happy words and other such delighted responses. Through the mess of positivity I found myself crying, which caused Morgan of all people to let out an annoying awww and pull me into his arms. I rolled my eyes and swatted him away, but before I could Prentiss joined in and together they held me close, making jokes at my expense.


"Look at you crying, you never cry." Prentiss brushed a chunk of hair behind my ear, glancing over at Morgan who merely shrugged his shoulders and laughed. When she looked back my way she flashed me some puppy dog eyes and pulled me in tighter, stroking the back of my head.


"It's the stupid hormones," I muttered. I brought the back of my hand to my face, giving my eyes a quick wipe.


After a few more moments of leaky eyes and tight knit hugs, Prentiss pulled away and moved through the crowd, taking up a spot next to Garcia who immediately starting chatting. At that moment I realized how much I missed this. All of us being together. For the most part we all stayed in contact, but over the last few weeks it was obvious we'd kind of lost touch. On top of their already busy work schedule the rest of the team had lives to live and none of us could blame each other for that.


As I took in the loving scene in front of me a phone began to ring, prompting the majority of us to check our screens. When we realized it was Hotch's, a weird hush fell through the crowd as he let out a sigh and excused himself from the room.


"Duty calls," Rossi mumbled, raising his glass into the air. He gave us all a tired look and brought the drink to his lips, downing a good portion of it before placing it onto the counter in front of him.


At that point Reid wandered to my side, placing his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him sadly, already feeling lonely at the thought of him having to leave. I always felt so empty when he was gone.


"I know," he said, immediately reading my mind. He dugs his fingers into my flesh, pulling at the tenseness of my muscles.


Not long after Hotch returned to the kitchen, his brows knit together as he strode across the floor to stand in front of us. He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Rossi raising his hand. "Where are we going this time?" He asked.


"Vegas," Hotch replied.


Without a word the group started gathering their stuff and moving towards the door. As they passed they each gave Prentiss and I a quick set of hugs, reassuring us that the party would resume when they got back. I shrugged the situation off like it was nothing even though deep down I really was disappointed.


"You guys are more than welcome to visit here," Rossi said, pulling me into his arms. He shot Prentiss a subtle nod, which she immediately returned while flashing him a smile. When he pulled away, he scanned my face and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, kid. I promise we'll make it up to you."


I rolled my eyes and flashed him a fake smile, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Get me something cool from Vegas and all will be forgiven," I joked.


Reid, who was standing behind me, placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "What could you possibly want from Vegas than you don't already have?" When I turned to face him I noticed the smirk on his face, prompting me to roll my eyes again.


"A bunch of money," I retorted, poking him the chest.


He snorted and shook his head, while Rossi merely laughed. "You know he's banned from most casinos, right?"


"Yeah, but that hasn't stopped him before," I replied with a shrug.


Reid opened his mouth to respond, but before he could I pulled him in for a kiss, holding his face in my hands tightly. As much as I wanted to deepen it I ended up pulling away not long after, earning myself a frown, which I sadly mirrored. Most of the time when we said our goodbyes we were able to do them in private so having to suddenly remain PG was extremely frustrating.


"I'll call you the second I get a chance, okay?"


I nodded, running my thumb along his cheek as I scanned his face. At this point I hated goodbyes more than anything and while I knew they were obviously inevitable it never became easier. Just knowing what could happen on the job only caused my anxiety to worsen, a fact that Reid knew all too well. He hated leaving just as much as I did.


He planted one last kiss to my forehead, gripping the roots of my hair tightly as I closed my eyes and released a breath. His lips, while warm and loving, only sat for a second and when they left I immediately felt myself longing for more.


After that him and Rossi joined the others outside, giving Prentiss and I a final wave before moving through the doorway and closing it behind them. The second they were gone I felt the nervous pit in my stomach only grow, causing me to instinctively wrap my arms around the boys inside my torso.


Prentiss moved her arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her chest, giving my shoulder a tight squeeze. "Oh, you'll be fine. You got me to keep you company." In response, I scrunched up my face in fake disgust and stuck out my tongue, causing her to roll her eyes. "You're such a brat. C'mon, let's raid Rossi's fridge," she added with a laugh.

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