Whoop whoop. I'm back with another SHORT story. This one literally took me by surprise and I say that because I typed it up in less than two days. I was sitting at home in front of the Tv and an episode I was watching sparked up the idea, so here it is... I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 01. Playing Hooky

Derek Morgan walked into his kitchen. He saw that a fresh pot of coffee had been made and was sitting in its respective spot on the marble counter top. Reaching up into the cabinet for one of his favorite mugs, Derek grabbed the handle of the pot and poured the hot brew.

"What are you doing here?" He asked his friend once he noticed him sitting at the kitchen table reading a book.

"Uhh, me and JJ had a bit of a fight." Dr. Spencer Reid replied nonchalantly as if it wasn't strange for him to just show up at The Morgans house, at 7:23 in the morning.

"This early in the morning?"

"...it sorta started last night,"

Morgan quirked a brow.

"Garcia said I could make breakfast."

Derek's face went flat in disbelief.

"So far I made the coffee."

Derek frowned at his cup.

"You're welcome." Reid said as he turned the page in his book that he never looked up from.

"Dad, is it hard to make a volcano? I need to make one for the science fair." 7 year old Travis said as he walked into the kitchen with his Star Wars backpack in hand.

"Start with something a little easier, like putting the seat down on the toilet."

"Hey Derek, uh.. can I help Travis with his project?"

Derek finished pouring the milk into his son's bowl and looked up at Reid.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always wanted to do that. When my dad was still around, he hated doing stuff with me. He would always, as they say 'dumb it down' and take whatever I made and make it look unprofessional."

Morgan chuckled with a shake of his head.

Travis jumped off the barstool in excitement.

"Thanks Uncle Spencer! Can we make the volcano spit real fire?"

Reid laughed a nervous laugh and wrapped his arm around Travis leading him out of the kitchen area.

"Good morning hot stuff." Penelope said in a sing song voice as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning goddess." He smiled, leaning in to give his wife of 18 years a kiss.

"Just so you know baby, I have the situation under control."

"What situation?"

"Kee."

Derek tilted his head to the side in confusion, silently asking his wife to elaborate.

"Keelie is sick."

"But she was just fine last night."

"Well yeah, but colds kinda just set in over night." Penelope replied as she reached into the freezer grabbing an ice pack.

Derek finished his mug of coffee and set it down on the sink to be washed. His teenage daughter was 'sick' on a school day. He needed to pay her a little visit.

Keelie Morgan sat Indian style in the center of her bed playing a game on her handheld Nintendo. She heard the creak of the 3rd stair floorboard and knew someone, possibly mom, was coming back. So she clicked off the system and slid the game console under her pillow.

As soon as she grabbed her favorite teddy from when she was a toddler, she laid down on time as her bedroom door was swung open.

"Kee, I brung you an ice pack." Her mother walked into the room as she wrapped it with a paper towel.

"Oh mom, you didn't have to- ...Dad." Keelie finished with a surprise tone followed by a fake smile that indicated 'busted' in Derek's eyes.

Derek motioned for his daughter to sit up and he sat beside her. He felt her forehead to check for a fever than decided he wanted to play.

"Put your tongue out."

Keelie did as told and put her tongue out.

"Put your tongue in."

She also put her tongue back in.

"Put your tongue out." He repeated.

Again, she did as told and put her tongue out.

"And shake it all about." Derek joked.

Keelie gave her dad her famous glare of annoyance and Derek grinned.

"Derek! You don't do the hokey pokey with the ill." Penelope chimed in, missing the whole point of what he had achieved and conquered.

"Honey she's faking! She's not sick. Trust me, I can spot a sick kid from 50 yards away, thanks to germaphobe Reid."

Focusing his attention back onto his 15 year old daughter Derek rested his hands behind him and leaned back coolly.

"Alright Kee, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing." She said with a shrug.

Derek chuckled. "Okay, you can tell me why you're faking it, or you can go to school right now."

"But if I told you why I was faking, then you would know that I was faking and then you would make me go to school anyways. So there's no upside."

Derek continued to grin, getting a kick out of this.

"Well I suggest you get dressed, or you're going to school in your pajamas." Derek turned his grin into a full smile.

Keelie accepted defeat and threw the covers back.

"Fine!" She stood up and snatched the outfit she already had planned sitting on the back of the chair at her desk. "I hope I get sick foreal." She stormed out of the room.

"Ohh that'll teach us." Derek fake slapped himself to be funny, letting his daughter know that her words had no affect on him.

"Man, I am so easily fooled." Penelope sat beside her husband feeling ashamed.

"Nahh, it's just that the kids figured out that they can get their way with you, while I smell bullshit before they open their mouths."

She sighed.

"Babygirl did that seem, odd to you?"

Penelope nodded. "Why?"

"Because Keelie never faked being sick. She fakes being well because she wants to go to school."

Derek was right. Their middle child at one point was the golden child. Loved school, love to learn. Played every sport, and attended almost every social club after school. Keelie Elizabeth Morgan was a socialist. So why was she pretending to be sick so she didn't have to go to school? Beats the hell outta Penelope.

"I'm going to call down to the school, and see if something's going on." She said in a worried tone as she rushed out of her daughter's room to retrieve her cell phone.