Criminal Minds Oneshots

Motherhood

Summary: Emily and Tara finally become mothers

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x Tara Lewis

Category: Fluff

Content Warnings: adopting a newborn, brief mention of a hospital and the birth mother

Word Count: 1.2k

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Due to the nature of their jobs Tara and Emily were used to sudden phone calls that interrupted their day. However, since they'd been in contact with an adoption agency, every unexpected call brought not only an adrenaline rush but also so much excitement and hope.

They knew that their lives could completely change any day now but when the agency finally called, Tara and her wife felt anything but prepared. Of course they had made sure that their house was ready for their child - from colorful walls in the nursery to bottles and diapers - but there was only so much one could do to prepare for becoming a parent.

The phone call came when both women were working on a case with the rest of the BAU somewhere across the country. Tara's heart instantly began racing when she saw the number of the adoption agency lighting up on the screen of her phone. She stepped out of the meeting room for a moment to answer and knew just a few seconds later that she was about to become a mother.

Emily was busy discussing a profile with some police officers but knew that something was up when her wife approached her. After excusing herself, she stepped aside to talk to Tara.

"Emily... we're having a baby," Tara whispered with a slight tremble in her voice.

Almost absent-minded Emily asked, "She's in labor?"

She was the birth mother of their child, a woman both Emily and Tara would be forever grateful for.

"Yes," Tara confirmed. "The agency just informed me."

Emily couldn't hide her excitement, exclaiming, "We need to get back to DC!"

Just a few phone calls later a last-minute flight back to their hometown was booked. Emily had told the whole team to meet them at the local police station to share the news. The excitement the women radiated gave away that what they were about to share had nothing to do with the case.

"JJ, looks like it's time for you to take over as Unit Chief," Emily announced with a bright smile painted over her face. "We're having a baby."

Of course the team had already been informed beforehand about the upcoming changes but everyone was still surprised when they realized that as of today a lot of things would be different for the BAU. Happiness for the becoming mothers outweighed any worries about that though. Rossi was the first one to hug Emily and Tara, kissing their cheeks before he let JJ take over to throw her arms around them.

After everyone had a chance to wish them all the best for this new chapter of their lives, Emily and Tara hurried to the airport to catch their flight. It was still hard to believe for them that they would soon meet their daughter. It was a long flight and they were aware that it was very likely that their baby would already be sleeping peacefully once they'd arrive at the hospital.

Excitement and nervousness sank in when the plane approached the destination. Tara reached for Emily's hand, intertwining their fingers. Smiling at each other, neither of them could hide their current emotional state.

"Are you nervous?" Tara softly asked.

Emily squeezed Tara's hand while whispering, "More than I thought was possible."

The woman from the adoption agency was already waiting for them when they arrived at the hospital. Emily's heart was pounding louder than ever, drowning out all of the surrounding sounds. She almost didn't understand what the woman was saying but luckily her wife was there to remain level-headed. There was no hesitation from Tara to say yes when she was asked if they were ready to meet their daughter.

"Hey little one, your moms are here to finally meet you," the nurse at the delivery station chirped as she took the baby out of her bed.

When the nurse gently placed the newborn into Emily's arms, there was no way for either of the two women to hold back their tears. They took their time to get to know her, tenderly brushing their fingertips over the soft hairs on her head.

"She's absolutely perfect," Tara cooed once it was her turn to hold their daughter for the first time.

"She really is," Emily agreed before placing a careful kiss on the baby's forehead.

"Evelyn Penelope Prentiss-Lewis," Tara whispered. "Our daughter."

Their daughter was named after Tara's late mother and one of the greatest women they both knew (who certainly would spoil her youngest godchild soon).

What followed in those first few days as new mothers were a lot of sleepless nights and hours of just staring at Evelyn in awe. Tara and Emily didn't expect how magical bringing a child into their lives would feel. Watching each other take care of their daughter brought them even closer and they savored every second of cuddling up together with their child.

The crib was rarely used, impossible seemed the thought of not having her close at all times. It was clear long before Evelyn was born that they would want to stay at home with her for as long as possible. Emily decided to take a whole year off work while Tara went on parental leave for six weeks.

When the team came to visit to meet the newest addition to the BAU family, everyone wanted a chance to hold little Evelyn. Matt was the most practiced with children but even he was very careful as he picked up the baby to hold her.

"It goes by so fast," he said. "It's easy to forget how little they are at first."

"I always thought you were insane for having twenty kids," Emily laughed, "But now that we have her... I want like ten more of them."

"Just for the record, I have five children," Matt chuckled. "But I know what you mean."

"Don't give him any ideas," Luke playfully warned. "We can't have another team member go on parental leave."

Matt shook his head, "Trust me, five kids are enough."

The next few weeks went by faster than they would have liked. It was almost impossible for Tara to leave her girls to go back to her day job but she knew it was inevitable. She didn't even make it to Quantico before calling her wife from the car to check in with them. Emily reassured her that everything was going alright and sent a picture of their sleeping daughter to calm Tara down.

Luckily there was no new case on her first day back so Tara was able to go home to her wife and daughter after eight long hours apart. She found her girls cuddled up on the couch, Emily sleeping peacefully while their daughter inspected her mother's face.

Tara lay down beside her daughter, placing a gentle kiss on her head before whispering, "Hi sweet girl. I missed you so much."

Evelyn answered by cheerfully cooing, waking up her mom. Emily stretched her arms over her head, a wide grin spread over her face once she laid her eyes on Tara.

She leaned over to kiss her wife, mumbling against her lips, "We missed you, too."