Times like these were hard to find, a week or two of uninterrupted vacation time and the team was doing their best to make sure that it was the perfect break from their daily lives. Strauss of course had wanted them to only take a few days off, and in shifts too so that someone would always be there if needed, but together Rossi and Hotch had convinced her that it was necessary for all of them to have a full week and a half off from work. As a last ditch effort to prove that it was her in charge of the BAU and not Hotch or Rossi, she flat out refused to give Kevin the same time off, stating that he was technically in a different division, and with Garcia's absence, he would be needed. Will, however, was able to cash in some of his saved up vacation days, turning it into a full fledged family vacation.
The destination hardly mattered to any of them, except JJ and Reid. She wanted to go somewhere relaxing, without copious amounts of people, and therefore, nowhere that could be considered a tourist attraction. Reid wanted to go somewhere historical, or educational and all the ones he could come up with were bound to be full of visitors, to which JJ objected. Finally it was Emily who stepped in a found a suitable solution, camping out in a national forest where there were nice beaches, cliffs, and plenty of nature for Spencer to study.
Each member of the team was an expert at packing, so even though they were planning on being gone for over a week in the wilderness, it hardly took them any time to pack. Hotch and JJ took a bit longer, having to pack supplies and clothes for more than just themselves, but within a few hours everyone was ready to go. Rossi had stepped up to rent the van that would take them to the national forest, as well as the miscellaneous supplies that none of them had already owned.
"Hey JJ, how are you feeling about setting up in the woods for a week?" asked Emily quietly, watching the men trying to stuff their backpacks into the back of the van. JJ gave her a wary look, trying to determine if Emily was going to make a big deal of her fear.
"I'm fine with it. It's a childhood fear, Em, it doesn't really affect me anymore." She laughed at her husband's attempts to corral their excited three year old son before continuing, "Besides, I think the majority of my time is going to be spent trying to keep Henry under control. He's never been camping before."
"Alright," answered Emily as she squeezed JJ's shoulder gently, "But I'll be keeping an eye on you come night time, and the scary campfire stories." JJ just chuckled lightly before wandering off to join her husband in the mission of capturing Henry. Reid and Morgan were talking about all the different ways they would try to find food to spice up their diet on this trip, while Rossi and the driver were finally arranging the last of the packs in the van. Getting everyone in the car took longer than anticipated, due to the fact that Jack had wandered off to climb a tree and didn't hear them calling to him. After a stern talking to from his father, the last two members of the group climbed into the van and they set off on what was to be a glorious family vacation.
Setting up camp wasn't difficult in the slightest, as long as the girls, kids, and Reid stayed out of the way. Hotch, Rossi and Morgan had all spent a considerable amount of the childhoods camping, and were experts in getting the tents ready. Will, while not an expert, was good at following the others' directions, unlike Reid who too often got his own ideas about how best to get the stakes to stick in the ground. After the tent fell down on him and Morgan for the third time he was banished to the lake with the girls. There was no shortage of things to do to keep themselves occupied. Firewood needed to be collected daily, and Reid proved to be an excellent forager, finding a plethora of nuts and berries to spice up their food. Henry and Jack loved climbing trees, swimming, and anything else that the adults could find for them to do. For two days their lives seemed to be perfect. They were all having a good time, sitting around the fire at night together, telling scary stories, or anecdotes from their childhoods. They were growing closer together, if that was even possible. The boys were loving the fact that they had their parent's full attention for a full week and half. The three parents, while wishing every morning that their sons didn't feel the need to get up with the sunrise, were basking in the fact that at any point they could run over and hug their children, play with them whenever they wanted, and no phone calls would ever draw them away from the joyous kids.
That second night, after the fire had been doused and the last of their group had finally retired to bed, 15 armed men snuck into their camp, treading carefully until they were all in position.
Together they raised their guns, and fired, tearing apart the happy world that the BAU family had created for themselves.
New idea that popped into my head. Thoughts?
Sya