Fireworks
Disclaimer: I only own Shannon and Julia; CBS owns Criminal Minds. 'Just a Kiss' and 'Sparks Fly' belong to Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift, respectively. Tinkerbell, Cars, Sierra Mist, and Hunger Games all belong to their respective owners. I think that covers everything that I borrowed for this story.
July 4, 2012
Shannon Rossi finished stocking the fridge with an assortment of pop, beer, and juice. The drinks were for the 4th of July barbeque that her father, David Rossi, was hosting for his BAU colleagues and their families.
"Mama I'm thirsty," four year old Julia proclaimed as she walked into the kitchen.
"Would you like lemonade or fruit punch?" Shannon asked her daughter.
"Fruit punch please," the little girl requested.
Shannon grabbed one of the fruit punch juice pouches from the fridge and handed it to Julia. "Juice stays in the kitchen please," she reminded Julia.
"Fridge is stocked dad," Shannon told Dave as the profiler joined the girls in the kitchen. "What time are people going to start arriving?"
Aaron, Beth and Jack are already on their way. Everyone else should be here between 2 and 3," Dave responded.
"Gotcha. I think Julia and I are going to change into our bathing suits before everyone arrives. You did tell them to bring suits and towels right?"
"Of course I did Shan. I may be getting old but I'm not senile," Dave teased. His spacious backyard housed a large in-ground swimming pool, complete with a diving board at the deep end.
"You are old," Shannon teased her dad as she took Julia upstairs so that both girls could change into swim suits. Shannon changed into a striped turquoise, sky blue and white bikini. She slipped on a brown cotton sundress as Julia entered the bathroom.
"I dressed mama," Julia announced. Shannon held back a laugh; her daughter was dressed but she had put her Tinkerbell bathing suit on backward.
"You certainly are, but your swimsuit is on backward baby," Shannon told her daughter.
Julia looked down at her swimsuit. Not seeing the image of Tinkerbell and her friends, Julia looked inside her swimsuit. "It is mama. Look here's the tag," she proclaimed. "Help me fix it please?"
C'mere and we'll put your suit on right," Shannon said. She quickly fixed her daughter's bathing suit. "Would you like braids in your hair?"
"Oh yes please," Julia requested. Shannon located two hair ties and a comb and began French braiding Julia's hair. Her daughter's curly hair tangled easily but Shannon had discovered that French braids kept Julia's hair tangle free.
After Julia's hair was braided, Shannon and Julia went back downstairs. Shannon saw that Hotch Beth, Jack, JJ, Will and Henry had already arrived. The ringing doorbell signaled the arrival of Emily and Garcia. Derek and Spencer were the only two people who hadn't arrived yet.
"Hey guys, I'm so glad you were able to make it," Shannon greeted JJ, Emily, Penelope and Beth. "I see you two have already been deserted." This comment was directed at JJ and Beth, because their partners were nowhere to be seen.
"Aaron and Will went out back with Dave. He mentioned something about a new grill," Beth explained.
"And Henry and Jack disappeared into the playroom with Julia," JJ added.
"It's cute, watching them play together now. Although in another ten years, disappearing in to a room together may not be allowed," Shannon said.
"Can we please not think about our children as teenagers?" JJ asked. "I'm too young to even think about being the parent of a teenager."
The women spent another few minutes chatting, during which Derek and Spencer showed up. Shortly after that, all three kids reemerged from the playroom and announced that they were ready to go swimming. Jack and Henry had both come dressed in their swim trucks so all three kids were ready to swim. Shannon directed the adults to the various guest rooms and bathrooms available for them to change in. She, Julia, Jack and Henry waited in the kitchen while the adults changed.
"Julia what are the pool rules?" Shannon asked as they waited.
"I can't go outside without telling a grown up. Not allowed on the deck unless I'm with a grown up and life jacket stays on until a grown up takes it off for me." Julia replied. She and her mama spent a fair amount of time swimming in her Grandpa's pool and Shannon was always reminding her about the safety rules.
"Uh excuse me Miss Shannon," Jack interrupted. "Do I have to wear a life jacket too?"
"That's for your dad to decide buddy," Shannon told him. "You'll have to ask him."
"Me wear life jacket?" Henry asked.
"Yes buddy, you need a life jacket too," JJ told her son as she joined Shannon and the kids. Just a few minutes later, the rest of the group was gathered in the kitchen. From the kitchen, they went out the French doors that lead to the patio and backyard.
"Dad, do I need to wear a life jacket in the pool?" Jack asked Aaron once they were outside.
"Yes Jack you do," Aaron replied.
"But dad, I don't want to wear it," Jack whined
Aaron knelt in front of his son. "You're older than Julia and Henry so they look up to you."
"Like a leader?" the young boy asked.
"Exactly like a leader," he responded. "As the leader, you should wear your life jacket to show Julia and Henry that wearing a life jacket is important."
"Okay, I'll wear my life jacket," Jack agreed.
~CM~ CM~ CM~
The three children splashed and played in the shallow end of the pool as the adults swam nearby. At one point, Will picked up Henry and threw him into the water.
"Gain daddy, thrown me again please?" Henry asked as he swam back to his dad.
"Okay buddy," Will agreed, picking up his son and gently tossing him into the water.
"Careful Will," JJ requested. Watching her husband throw their young son into the water made the blonde profiler nervous.
"Dad, can you throw me like Mr. Will is throwing Henry? Jack asked.
"Okay," Aaron agreed.
Julia watched from the edge of the pool as the boys were thrown into the water by their fathers. Julia didn't understand why she didn't have a daddy, even though her mama had once explained that there were different types of families. Some families, like hers, only had a mama while other families only had a daddy. Other families had a mama and a daddy. Her mama had told her about other kinds of families, but these were the only ones Julia could remember.
Derek saw Julia floating by herself so he swam over to the little girl. "Hey little princess, whatcha doing all by yourself?" he asked.
"I wanna be throwed in the water too, but I don't have a daddy to throw me," the little girl explained tearfully.
"I'm not your daddy, but if your mama says it is okay I can throw you in the water," Derek suggested. He knew how hard growing up without a father could be. Derek had known and could remember his father, but to the best of Derek's knowledge Julia had no idea who her father was. Shannon didn't mention him, and Derek felt that it wasn't his place to ask.
"Let's go ask Mama!" Julia yelled, splashing water at Derek as she kicked her feet.
"Okay let's go," Derek responded, carrying the small girl over as they walked to where Shannon, JJ, Emily and Penelope were talking.
"Shannon is it okay if I throw Julia into the water? She saw the boys being thrown and felt left out," Derek explained.
"Go ahead, just be careful please," Shannon told the dark skinned profiler. Not for the first time, Shannon realized just how much Julia needed a father. She was thankful for the positive male influences provided by her father, Aaron, and Derek in her young daughter's life.
Derek threw Julia into the water; the little girl squealed with delight each time she hit the water.
After more than an hour of swimming, all three kids were starting to get hungry, tired, and crabby. Dave had already lit the grill, but the charcoal still needed another fifteen minutes before it would be hot enough to put the food on. Altogether, it would be close to half an hour before dinner would be ready.
~CM~ CM~ CM~
"Daddy, did you bring my soccer ball?" Jack asked as he sat wrapped in a beach towel.
"I did buddy. It's in the car," Aaron replied.
"I'll go get it" Beth volunteered, heading to the driveway where the cars were parked.
"Thank you Miss Beth," Jack told his father's girlfriend when she returned with the soccer ball.
"Henry, Julia," Jack called. "Do you guys wanna play soccer?"
"Yeah yeah," Henry cheered enthusiastically.
"I don't know how to play," Julia said.
"That's okay. I can teach you. Soccer is easy and fun," Jack replied.
"Okay, I'll play," Julia agreed.
The three children kicked the soccer ball around a small section of the yard. Several times Jack explained to Henry that he was only supposed to kick the ball. The younger boy still liked to pick up the ball and throw it.
"Kids, time for dinner," Shannon called from the patio. Julia, Jack and Henry ran onto the patio. "We need to wash our hands before we eat.
After washing their hands, Shannon and the kids returned to the food-laden picnic table. There was chicken, steak, and fish that Dave had grilled. There was also a veggie tray, a mixed berry salad and an assortment of potato and pasta salads.
The meal was loud and rambunctious, with several different conversations being held at the same time.
"Man Rossi, you made enough food to feed a small army," Derek told the older profiler.
"I only grilled the steak, chicken and fish. Shannon made everything else," Dave admitted.
"Everything is really good Shannon," Spencer complimented.
"Thanks Spencer," she replied.
Julia was starting to fall asleep at the table, which prompted Shannon to take her young daughter in the house.
"I wanna watch a movie mama," Julia whispered as Shannon set her on the couch.
"Okay angel. Why don't you pick a movie that the boys will like too?" Shannon suggested as she saw Jack walk into the house, followed by Will who was carrying a nearly sleeping Henry.
"Jack-jack what movie should we watch?" Julia asked.
"Do you have Cars?" he wanted to know.
"I think we do Jack. Let me look," Shannon replied. "I found it Jack." She held up the DVD case for him to see.
"Yay!" he cheered.
Shannon put the movie in and went to grab blankets for the kids. Henry was already asleep and Julia wasn't far behind. Only Jack looked like he might stay awake for the entire movie. She made sure all three kids were settled before grabbing another beer and rejoining the adults outside.
~CM~ CM~ CM~
The first thing Shannon noticed when she stepped back outside was the music playing. Hearing Lady Antebellum singing 'Just a Kiss,' she assumed that JJ had hooked her iPod up to the outdoor speakers.
"I see you hooked your tunes up," Shannon said to JJ as she joined the women at the edge of the pool.
"How'd you figure out that it was my tunes?" JJ questioned
"Lady Antebellum country girl; neither Em nor Pen are huge country fans," Shannon responded. "Your kid is down for the count by the way. I think he fell asleep as soon as Will put him on the couch."
"Good, he needs a nap, especially if your dad is shooting off fireworks later," the blonde profiler replied.
"Dad is definitely setting off fireworks. He has quite the display planned," Shannon told the other women.
Across the patio, Derek and Spencer were sitting in a couple of chairs talking. Derek was halfway through a beer, while Spencer was drinking a Sierra Mist. After his ordeal with Tobias Henkel and his subsequent Dilaudid addiction, Spencer stayed away from both drugs and alcohol. He understood the biochemical aspect of addiction and knew that his previous addiction made him more susceptible to other addictions.
"Spencer, are you going to ask Shannon out tonight?" Derek asked. He knew that tonight would be a perfect opportunity, but that Spencer would probably need some encouragement before he actually made a move.
"I don't know, maybe," Spencer replied.
"You do want to ask her out don't you?" Derek questioned his friend.
"Yes. I have no idea how to ask her out," Spencer confided.
"Easy," Derek told him. First, separate her from the rest of the women. Ask her to take a walk with you."
"What if she says no?" Spencer asked.
"Trust me. She won't say no," Derek assured him. "Then while you are walking, talk to her.
"About what?" Spencer wanted to know. Casual conversations weren't his specialty; he was better at discussing statistics and facts.
"I don't know Reid, You and Shannon text each other right?" Morgan wondered.
"Yeah," Spencer replied. "So?"
"What do you talk about in these conversations?" Derek wasn't trying to be nosy, but he needed this information to help his friend.
"We talk about books, movies, music, our jobs, and current events. She often talks about books I haven't heard of, like The Hunger Games. I tell her about classic literature. Oh and Julia, she always has funny stories about something Julia has said or done," Spencer replied.
"See pretty boy, you have plenty to talk about," Derek replied. "At some point while you're walking ask her if she'd like to get dinner with you some time."
"You make it sound so easy," Spencer said.
"It is easy, you're the one who is making it complicated," Derek responded.
~CM~ CM~ CM~
As it turned out, Spencer had no trouble separating Shannon from the rest of the women. JJ's iPod continued to play and during one of the faster songs, the women decided to dance. After several fast songs, a slow song started to play. Shannon took this opportunity to sit down for a minute and catch her breath.
"Hey Spencer, no dancing for you?" she asked as she sat in the chair that Derek had vacated in favor of dancing with Emily.
"No," he replied. "I'm not very coordinated and I'd rather not step on anyone's toes."
"You're not that uncoordinated. You didn't step on my toes when we danced at JJ and Will's wedding."
"That is true," Spencer conceded as Taylor Swift's 'Sparks Fly' started playing. "Would you like to dance?"
"Sure," she smiled and took the hand he held out for her. He guided them to the area of the patio that was currently serving as an impromptu dance floor.
They danced, Spencer ignoring the look that Derek was giving him while Shannon ignored a similar look from her father.
"Shannon?" Spencer asked as Taylor Swift ended and another song started playing.
"Spencer?" she replied.
"Umm I…I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me sometime?" he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her to reply.
"I would love to have dinner with you sometime," she responded with a smile.
"Are you free on Friday night?" he inquired.
"I should be, as long as I can find a babysitter," she answered. Shannon was confident that either JJ and Will or her dad would be able to watch Julia for the evening. JJ had become one of Shannon's closest friends since the young woman had moved to DC last fall. The two women had first bonded over their children, who were just over a year apart.
Just then, a loud boom exploded into the night. Seconds later, a colorful display of lit up the sky. The fireworks had sent the kids running outside. Each child found his or her parent, and the entire group settled down to watch the fireworks display.
END
AN: Thanks for taking the time to read. I wanted to have this story up last week, but I didn't get much written while I was on vacation. A few days after getting home from vacation, I nearly was in a car accident. Thankfully there were no other cars on the road, but the curb still put a huge crack in my oil pan. Finding a new oil pan for a 14 year old car isn't the easiest thing in the world...also not the cheapest either. I'm working on the next story, and I will post the first chapter soon.