A/N: It's Thanksgiving time in my world and who does that holiday best in that world? Of course, it's my favorite lady. But I'm going to go out on limb with this one. I hope you enjoy it.

Per my usual, this story will be posted a chapter a day.

All rights to the Criminal Minds characters belong to Mark Gordon Productions, CBS and ABC Studios.

*Knightly bow*

Chapter 1

Caitlyn Hotchner hit the save button on her laptop. Thank God, she inwardly sighed. Pulling up her email, she selected a sender. "This is my final, final," she typed, attaching her document. Triumphantly hitting the send button, she leaned back into the black leather chair of the study she shared with her husband and came to peace with herself.

The case she had gone out with Aaron's BAU team nine months ago hadn't gave her all the answers she wanted. She shook her head. My research into the psychology of the pedophilic mind didn't give me the ultimate answers I wanted, Mitchell Richland be damned. But it raised enough valid questions and insight for this damn paper. Cait had spent the better part of the whole fall working on it from home, having her semester off from teaching to do just that.

Rocking in the chair a bit, she smiled. It did give me a little extra time at home so I could work on my other project. Just then, she heard the garage door go up and brightly smiled. Phase One, the easy one, is here.

Cait got out of the chair. Beans, her ever present research paper writing companion woke from her nap and followed her, wagging her tail. Cait rubbed her head. "You're getting to be a spoiled dog with me home." Beans barked her agreement. Cait laughed as Beans followed her into the kitchen. She looked to see the door open from the garage. Maggie Barkley walked in, followed by her dad and Mike, carrying his grandparents two pieces of luggage along with his bookbag slung over his shoulder.

"Good to know you've finally learned to pack light mom after all these years," Cait teased, pulling Maggie into a large hug.

"No shit," Mike mumbled under his breath. Jarrod gave him a smile.

"You're worse than your father," Maggie groused, enjoying the hug from her oldest child. "And he can afford the extra baggage fees. I just worry about the damn weather you can have around here. It isn't California." Cait rolled her eyes at two of her favorite men. Jarrod and Mike shared a look with smiles.

"No mom, it isn't," Cait smiled, letting her go. Jarrod pulled his only daughter into a massive embrace. "Hi daddy," Cait said, kissing his cheek. The father/daughter bond they had was special.

"Hi sweetie," he smiled, kissing her cheek as well. "Missed you."

"I've missed you dad," Cait smiled pulling out of his hug. "It's good to see you again."

Mike dumped his bookbag on the bench, pulling off his sneakers. He looked at Jarrod. "You spoil her rotten grandpa," he smiled.

"Yes I do," Jarrod proudly smiled. It was Maggie's turn to roll her eyes. They all laughed, hanging up their coats.

Cait looked at Mike. "I know Mr. College Man you're too big for a mom hug. But how were classes today?"

Mike pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the floor. "Mom, I'll never get too old to give you a hug."

"Thanks Michael," Cait smiled, as he put her back on her feet. "Answer my question."

"Totally uneventful; every class had thirty percent less students. And my Profs sorta knew that. I could have slept in today," he eyed his mother with a smile.

Cait shook her head. "Sorry my son," she said giving him a kiss on the cheek, "your dad and I don't pay part of your tuition for you to do that."

Jarrod smiled at him. "You're busted Mike."

"Totally grandpa," Mike smiled back, taking their luggage bags to the study.

Maggie looked at Cait. "What can I do?"

Cait smiled, shaking her head. "Take a nap; I've got dinner tonight and you and dad have been flying since the crack of dawn."

Jarrod looked at Cait. "Don't have to tell me twice," he said heading to the living room. He plopped down into the recliner, lifting the foot rest.

Cait wrapped her arm around her mother's waist, walking with her to the study. "Mom please, get some rest." She looked at her watch. "I've got to run and get Jack at school in twenty minutes. And I can keep Mr. Energy contained."

"I can do that mom," Mike offered. "And btw grandma, I've got your bed pulled out," he smiled. In the instant of the lull of conversation, they all heard Jarrod snoring. Mike softly laughed. "He's a machine," he smiled. "My kind of machine."

"You machine your butt upstairs to get homework done," Cait smiled. "I like my mom and youngest son time."

Mike kissed her cheek, winking at his grandma. "Knew I'd get blown out of the water on that one," he brightly smiled. "But gram, mom's right."

Maggie eyed him. "When did you grow up on me and get worse than your mother," she asked with a smile.

"I hang around mom and dad too much," he smiled back. Maggie headed into the study as Mike went to get his bookbag.

Cait smiled at Mike and went into the kitchen. To Mike's credit, he silently went up the steps to the brother's lair, instead of his usual shaking everything in the home with his large feet. Cait moved about the kitchen, doing some prep work on her menu for the evening, keeping an eye on the clock.

Fifteen minutes later Cait eyed Beans with her in the kitchen. "Are you coming along?"

"Woof," Beans softly barked, wagging her tail. Cait smiled.

Driving to the school, she noted the first busses leaving. She and Aaron had long discussions about her picking Jack up from school. Jack had talked to them as well, wanting that time with some of his buddies that were on the school bus that went past the house. But in the end, Cait prevailed. "I want that time with him Aaron," Cait said. "For Haley," she whispered.

She smiled at the memory of the loving hug her husband pulled her into at the end of that conversation as she parked her SUV in her usual spot. Cait got out and crossed the bus loading zone to stand on the sidewalk.

Jack burst out of the school a couple minutes later, with his usual large smile, his bookbag on his shoulders. And with his ever-growing body, nearly tackled her. "Whoa buddy," Cait laughed, pulling him into a hug. "You gotta talk to Mike and Matt and take it easy on me."

"Mom," Jack asked.

"You're getting too darn big," Cait smiled. Jack beamed back. "Come on," she smiled. "Beans is waiting on you."

Jack pulled her coat sleeve. "What about grandma and grandpa?"

Cait smiled, pulling him close to her. "Grandpa is snoring in the recliner."

Jack smiled. "He rocks." They crossed the bus lane to her vehicle.

Cait smiled. "Yes he does," she said, getting to her SUV. "Get in there," she smiled opening the back door, "and get buckled up."

Climbing into her driver's seat, Cait smiled, buckling her own seatbelt. Thanks Haley.

-00CM00-

Maggie and Jarrod, now fully set in their retired ways, got out of bed earlier than their usual time Wednesday morning to see their "boys" off. Maggie got Mike and Aaron their breakfasts as Cait pushed the usually early morning sleepy head Jack to get moving. "Bud," Jarrod smiled at Jack, "you should know better by now to mess with your mom's schedule," he said, pointing to Jack's bowl of oatmeal.

Mike shoved in his second piece of toast after polishing off his bowl of oatmeal and putting it in the dishwasher. "I gotta run Grandma," he smiled. "I'm battling DC traffic for my nine o'clock class," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

"I gotta head out too," Aaron said, buttoning his dress shirt and tightening his tie. He rinsed his oatmeal bowl out and put it in the dishwasher as well.

"Have a good day dad," Mike said, giving Cait a kiss. "Love ya Grandpa and Jack!" They both returned the sentiments.

"Bye Mike," Aaron smiled.

"See you later Mike," Cait smiled, pushing Jack off his chair to get his teeth brushed. Mike headed out the door.

Aaron pulled Cait into a hug, giving her a kiss. "See ya later Doc," he smiled.

Cait rubbed her thumb across his cheek. "Have fun with your meeting with Cruz with team evals," she smiled.

Aaron shook his head, with a laugh. "It's Dave today," he smiled, pulling on his knee length coat, wrapping the scarf Cait had given him around his neck. "That'll take five minutes." He kissed her again, Maggie as well and looked at Jarrod. "Have fun with the girls," he smiled.

"I'm sure there's honey-do projects in my future," he smiled back. "Jack! Get moving," he hollered up the steps. Aaron shook his head with a smile at Jarrod as he headed to the door. He gave Cait one more quick kiss with the smiling approval of his in-laws.

"Text me when you get to Union Station," Cait said. Aaron nodded and moved to the door.

"Bye dad," Jack said, rumbling into the kitchen with his bookbag.

"See ya later buddy," Aaron said, heading out.

Cait handed Jack his coat, grabbing her own leisure coat from the coat hooks. Jack zipping his coat blew back in the kitchen. "Thanks Grandma," he smiled, giving her kiss. "Loves ya grandpa!" They both smiled.

"Let's go Jack," Cait said.

Maggie and Jarrod listened to quiet of the house and shook their heads at each other. Looking at Beans sprawled on the living room floor, taking her morning nap, they smiled at each other. "I think Beans has the right idea," Jarrod winked at Maggie. They headed back to their bed in the study.

-00CM00—

Nine hours later, the sycophancy of the usual sounds of the day before Thanksgiving filled the home. Sean and Leslie walked in the garage door, smiling. Aaron proudly followed them, holding Wyatt, his sleeping nephew on his shoulder. Cait helped him quietly get his jacket off. Aaron handed Wyatt to her, giving her a kiss. "I want to hang up my own coat." Cait smiled, rubbing his arm as the rest of the family shared greetings and caught up with each other.

Wyatt woke up on Cait's shoulder with all the noise, rubbing his eyes. He looked around to get his bearings and then at Cait. "Aunt Tat," he exclaimed, giving her a hug. "Wherph Beans?"

Cait laughed as Aaron came back into the kitchen, unbuttoning his dress shirt collar and loosening his tie. He beamed with pride at his nephew. "Hey you," Cait said, tickling Wyatt. "You still can't get out Cait, but you can say Beans as plain as day," she laughed.

Wyatt laughed with her and Cait set him on his feet and let him go. Beans barked a mighty one, putting her front legs down on the floor for a challenge for Wyatt's young legs. Wyatt didn't disappoint a soul, taking off to chase Beans, who happily barked at him to catch her as she slowly raced around the nook table.

Maggie put her arm around Leslie's waist, smiling. "That is just too precious," she smiled. "Cait and the boys sent Jarrod and I some of the videos of your vacation here this summer."

"We had a great time," Sean smiled.

Jarrod rubbed his shoulder. "It's family Sean," he smiled. "You always enjoy it."

"And appreciate it," Sean smiled.

The family was so busy they didn't hear Matt coming in the garage door. He snuck up behind his mother, winking at his dad and pulled her to him. "Happy Thanksgiving mom," he said, kissing her cheek.

-00CM00-

Cait and Maggie fed their crew their usual Thanksgiving Eve meal. It was another raid of the leftovers from the family freezer. No one complained. Matt, helping with clean-up in the kitchen looked at his mom. "That's better than anything I eat on campus," he smiled. They once again attended Thanksgiving Eve services at the Hotchner's church together as a family.

Sean and Leslie came down the steps from putting Wyatt to bed to hear Cait gathering the clan together in the living room. They entered in and stood along the planter.

"I need to talk to all of you," Cait looking around and then at Aaron, who smiled. "While I've been working on my research paper, I've been working on another project." She smiled. "Which I can happily say has come to fruition."

"Mom," Matt asked.

"There's going to be a surprise for Thanksgiving and your dad and I need some buy-in from everyone," she said, looking around the room.

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