If the team could choose a date, every year, to meet and spend the whole day together, that day would be the 4th of July. Christmas was important as well and they spent together in the early years, but after families began to form, babies began to fall ill on Christmas Eve because of the snow and all the other problems of the fatherhood began to show up.
The first ones were Jane and Weller; they didn't wait so long to start procreating, as Tasha always says. Anthony was born on Christmas Eve and they 3 - along with Patterson and Ian, - spent the 25th in the maternity ward. Shortly thereafter, Jeller attacks again. Anthony was growing old enough not to need to arrest his parents at home, but they had Lilly in his third month of life. She had a flu, driving her parents' and brother crazy.
No Christmas in a group again.
The next year was the teeth, the big meeting actually happened in the new house of Patterson and Ian, but ended early because of Lilly who didn't stop crying. Who could blame the child?
Then the team left for another commemorative date: Thanksgiving. And everything went well in the first time until Benjamin decided to appear before the hour, 7 months and a few days. Ian and Patterson didn't leave the hospital until their son was released and to everyone's surprise, the team spent Thanksgiving together in the maternity ward. Tasha and Reade made a surprise and came to visit the newest member of the team, coincidentally in the same day that Jane and Weller brought their children to visit their little cousin.
If everything were normal for Tasha, Reade, Patterson, Ian, Jane, and Weller, it wouldn't be them.
Fortunately July 4th exists and if there is and is a national holiday, they would spend together. It was late afternoon when the Wellers and Krugers arrived in Brighton Beach, to think that almost ten years ago there were only three of them... Then Ian came, then the kids and now the full account, there were eight. Yes, Katie Patterson is present as well. And Noah, the team just doesn't know yet.
"It's your first time on the beach, sweetheart. Want to get your feet in the sand?" Ian asks the 9-month-old girl on his lap, who starts hitting her legs and opens a huge smile.
"Put her down, Daddy," Patterson agrees as she bends down to help Benjamin take off his clothes. "And you, young man," she now tells the little boy in front of her "nothing to go far or to the water without me, your dad, auntie Jane or uncle Kurt, understand?" She finishes waiting for his answer.
"Okay, Mommy," he smiles and Patterson knows he's planning something.
"Benjamin Kruger, what are you up to?" She picks him up in the lap, tickling and teasing the boy. "Auntie Tasha promised something, didn't she?" Patterson recalls the conversation they had on the phone and how Ben was smiling after he hung up.
"Auntie Tasha did not promise anything, Mommy." He closes his smile and looks serious.
Patterson stares at him a little, trying to decipher in those green eyes which could happen. "Okay kid, I believe you." she didn't believe. "Go with your dad and your sister." She returns him to the ground and the boy soon runs to hold his sister's hand and help her walk.
Ian was filming everything, Katie's first steps on the beach and how she was interacting with the sand.
Patterson stops for a bit and puts one hand on the belly; still couldn't see the volume and hers loose clothing helped with that, but she could already feel her third child growing. She could even see him next year, also playing in the sand with the two older siblings and cousins.
"Is everything okay, Patty?" Weller asks moving closer and placing a comforting hand on his friend's arm.
"Yes, it's fine. Everything's great," she says with a smile. "Just watching them for a minute." She nods at the kids playing with Ian on the edge of the beach.
"They grow up so fast," Kurt agrees, also looking at his children having fun. "Looks like it was yesterday that Anthony interrupted the plans for our Christmas party," they both laughed together. It really did.
"Kurt. Patterson. I've got a place." Jane nods calling them both, pointing to a vacant place in the sand, big enough for the ten people who would occupy it.
The beach wasn't crowded, but it was fuller than normal, so they have to secure an area soon enough before they don't even had a place to put the whereabouts of the toe.
"Did you talk to Tasha and Reade, Kurt? They're not going to miss, are they?" Jane asks wondering how late they are.
"They're on the way. It seems they stopped to buy a buoy for the kids." Weller speaks naturally and then Patterson notices why Benjamin was so excited.
"So that's why Benji didn't wanted to bring his." she says narrowing her eyes at her son.
"Anton and Lilly also don't stop talking about that special buoy." Jane smiles, folding the towel on the sand and putting the bags on top. "Sit there, you two" Patterson says unbuttoning the wide shirt she wore. "I'm going to help Ian with the kids" she drops her shirt and Benjamin's clothes on the towel, running to where her husband is and leaving Jane and Weller behind.
"Did you saw her belly?" Jane asks still facing Patterson's back.
"No" Kurt is distracted looking for something in his bag.
"Look!" She slaps the man's shoulder, pointing at Patterson turning sideways and clearly showing a volume in the underside of her belly.
"Another one?" The couple stares at each other and they talk together, smiling soon after, knowing they would probably be uncles again.
"Ian..." Kurt starts.
"No joke, Weller." Jane interrupts him with a smile, knowing he'd say something stupid. "Leave it to Tasha when she realizes." She would certainly play jokes with the situation.
After a while, Tasha and Reade arrive making the kids happy with gifts. Why are they the favorite uncles?
Lilly once implicated with one of Reade's girlfriend because she thought she was taking his attention. The same thing happened to Benjamin, who implicated with Tasha's ex-boyfriend. Can you believe these kids?
"So, Patterson ..." Tasha begins, as they're all sitting on the sand eating peanut butter sandwich, already at night this time. "Tell me what you've been eating." Jane and Weller stare at each other, knowing what it's all about.
"Since when you ask what I eat, Tasha?" Patterson responds smiling, playing with Katie's hand who was sitting on her lap.
"It's just that I noticed that you have a belly..." she puts her hand over her friend's bathing suit, causing her to laugh.
"What would be your guess, Tasha?" Ian asks, suspicious.
"Well, I do think you guys doesn't have TV at home and so Patterson and you have plenty of time to have-"
"Hey, kids around!" Weller grins covering Anthony's ears, making the boy smirk uncomprehendingly.
"Do you think we're going to be parents again?" Patterson smiles, staring at her husband in a sign that it's time to tell.
"Yes, and I also think Katie will become a big sister," she takes the girl from her mother's lap, tickling the little girl's belly.
"I'm going to have a little brother, Mommy?" Benjamin asks, followed by Lilly's "another baby, Aunt Pattie?!"
"Looks like Tasha told you all before us even had a chance." Ian smiles silly and even a little flushed.
"You two having a baby it's not a surprise anymore, pretty much every year there's one." Reade jokes making everyone laugh again. "Just joking, it's always a good surprise, congratulations and lots of health for this baby, guys." He portrays himself and hugs the couple. Everyone also does it later, including Tony and Lilly, who wish happiness to their cousins.
"Yes! Another baby!" Patterson officially announces as she smiles and leans to give a passionate kiss on Ian's mouth, who places his hand on hers growing belly, letting everyone clap around them.
"To the Fertility Couple, folks!" Tasha says a little loudly and all adults smile - children too, but not understanding. They lift the glass and toast with the alcohol-free champagne. They talk a little more about life, how was Tasha and Reade's work in Manhattan, who share some funny stories of the boys in Quantico.
They were so amused by the reunion that they don't even notice the time passing by and only notice when the first light shines in the dark sky, in the middle of a joke Reade was telling. At that moment, all the children are on their parents' lap, cracked with the sparkle the fires were promoting.
Jane and Weller hug each other sideways and kiss quickly, turning to face the sky again. As well as Patterson and Ian, who share their arms around the kids, including that who was still inside the belly. Tasha and Reade also hug each other, sharing a "Happy Independence Day, Loser" in the middle of some laughter and still holding each other, watching the fireworks fade away after a few minutes.
Palms and shouts stand out on the beach, the kids clap too, really delighted with the new experience, and the sleep that almost hit Katie seemed to have vanished into thin air along with the fireworks.
And it's in the midst of those smiles that they decided that 4th of July would be their day.
The day they met again with nothing to stop them, the day Patterson and Ian announced their third pregnancy. Also the day that Uncle Reade was almost drowned by his nephews; the day Tasha bought a buoy bed that fit all the children upstairs and the day that same buoy stuck, after Lilly wanted to test the resistance of the plastic against a wooden skewer.
July 4th is officially US Independence Day and New York FBI Special Team Day - even if some of them are no longer at the FBI in New York.