A/n Here's a little one shot I came up with last night. Feedback is appreciated
"Mike… stop playing with those cards and help me!"
Josh Reid had little patience for his brother's preoccupation with magic. Their father had the same obsession, but he was actually good. Mike was - well let's just say he had a lot to learn, at least when it came to card tricks.
"Shut up dork face, I'm trying to concentrate."
He pushed wisps of brown hair behind an ear, in an unconscious imitation of his father. He was, as his mother often said, his father's son. He was shy like his father, but his social skills were more developed than Spencer's had been at thirteen. Both of the boys looked like their dad. They had the same eyes, and hair, and hands. Their faces were shaped like their mother, and they didn't have their father's enormous intellect, although they were both very smart.
Joshua was more like his mother. He had her easy confidence, and her energetic way of dealing with the world. His first love was soccer. JJ was proud to say that he'd probably win an athletic scholarship just as she had.
He and Michael are identical in looks, and if they are silent, one has a difficult time telling them apart. If they speak, it is easy enough to know which is which, as they are two separate personalities.
Failing once again to pull off the trick he is practicing, Mike throws the cards down on the bed, and Josh laughs, "You see… it's a waste of time. Come on, mom and dad are leaving soon, and that means Aunt Penelope will be here any minute. We have to get into Dad's office."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Do you want to impress her or not?"
Michael blushed, and Joshua smacked him on the head. "Jeez, can't you control that, you look like a nerd when you do that."
"Mom says girls like shy guys."
"She has to say that, she's our mom." He adopted his "lecture to the nephews" voice that he often heard from Uncle Jason. "A young person's self esteem is very important -"
"I know Josh; stop trying to sound like a profiler."
"Michael, Joshua get out here, now!"
"What did you do, mom sounds pissed!"
"Why do you assume I did something, and why do you always get top billing with mom?"
"Because I'm the shy one… remember?"
The boys knew better than to ignore their mother. They entered the living room, and Spencer stood there waiting for them with JJ. They were dressed for dinner with Uncle Jason and Aunt Stephanie. Diana was sleeping over at a friend's house so they didn't have to worry about her spoiling their plans.
The only one they had to worry about was Jessica, their younger sister. She was ten, and a pain in their butts. She looked like her mother, and had her father's brains. She was always following them around and trying to horn in on their activities. They teased her, and fought with her, but if anyone else hurt her, they had to answer to the twins.
"Aunt Penelope's going to be here soon, I want you two to do what she says, understand?'
"Mom… why do we have to have a babysitter, we can stay by ourselves."
JJ glanced over at Spencer, who'd heard and participated in this argument a thousand times. "You can't stay here alone with Jessica, and you know it, besides you love Penelope."
"Yeah, we like her, but Bobby's a dork."
"Joshua, stop calling him that, can't you be friends."
"Dad, he's a little boy, make him play with Jessica."
Spencer sighed deeply, sometimes he wished the boys were babies again, at least then all he had to worry about were spit ups, and dirty diapers. The door bell rang, and JJ went to answer it, after giving the boys her patented 'behave yourselves' look.
Aunt Penny gave them her usual enthusiastic greeting, and Bobby went to find Jessica immediately after entering the house. The boys waited impatiently for their parents to leave, then they had to tell Penny all about their school projects, and she wanted to see Michael's latest magic tricks. She clapped energetically even when he messed up the card trick again. She didn't care; she always thought they could do no wrong.
"Mike, when you are a famous magician, can I be your humble assistant?"
Michael blushed again, and Garcia laughed with delight, he was just like his dad, so cute. "Ah - I don't think I'll ever be famous Aunt Penny."
"You can do anything you want, just remember that."
After several more minutes of acting like hosts, Garcia went to the kitchen to make popcorn. "Then we'll watch whatever movie you want, my sweet boys."
Josh gestured to Mike, and they left the living room on tiptoe. "Geez, I thought she'd never stop talking. Why does she still treat us like we're five years old?"
"Shut up Josh, and keep an eye out for Jessica and Robert." He pulled the lock picks Spencer had given him for his last birthday, out of his pocket. They were supposed to be used for his escape artist tricks, and had been given to him under the exact promise, that they were used for that purpose only. The boys rarely got into trouble, and Spencer had no reason not to trust them.
Mike went to work on his father's office door. Picking a lock isn't as easy as it's portrayed in the movies, or in books, sometimes it takes a few tries to get the right results. He was sweating profusely by the time the door opened. They had to hurry before they were caught by nosy Jessica, or by their babysitter. Once they got into the office, they found the item they wanted pretty quickly, and were just shutting the door when Jessica and Robert came around the corner.
Jessica smiled widely, she dreamed of getting her brothers in trouble, and it looked like the opportunity had dropped in her lap. "What ya doin," she said coyly.
"Go away Jessie, you and Bobby go watch whatever dumb movie Aunt Penny wants to watch."
"I'm gonna tell dad that you went into his office, and that you called Aunt Penelope dumb."
"I didn't call her that, so get lost little baby."
"You were in Dad's office, I saw you, you're gonna be in trouble when Daddy gets home."
"You shut up little tattletale or I'll lock you in the closet."
Jessica's eyes filled with tears, and she ran crying from the hallway to her room, with Robert hot on her heels. Jessie had inherited more than her fathers hands, and his sculpted facial features, she was afraid of the dark as well.
"Did you have to do that Josh, she'll tell Aunt Penny."
"No she won't, she can't without telling her why I said that. Now come on, let's put that in our room where Jessie won't find it."
"Are you sure Dad won't miss it."
"He doesn't need it remember, he works at home, and I know for a fact he doesn't have to teach a class at Quantico tomorrow. We'll put it back after school, and he'll never know it's gone."
Mike grinned and said, "We make a great team, don't we?"
Josh laughed and said, "You're the brawn and I'm the brains."
"Shut up dork face!"
"Stop whining, lover boy."
"Boys… the popcorn's ready, come watch the movie," Penelope yelled from the living room.
They both rolled their eyes, and went to their bedroom to hide their prize. Jessica and Robert were in the living room, and Jessie was still sniffing over Josh's threat. She told Garcia that she'd seen a spider, and Penelope fell for it, comforting her, and allowing her to sit next to her on the couch.
Robert glared at the twins, and they wondered if he would tell his mother what they'd done. They decided to bribe him with chance to play with their Game Boy. His mother wouldn't let him have computer games even though she loved computers. She was determined that he played outside with his friends, and learned something other than how to be a hacker like her. In reality he wanted to be a profiler like his father.
The boys sighed with relief when their parents finally came home, and Aunt Penelope left with Robert. They went to their room without complaint, which should have made Spencer suspicious, but he was too tired to wonder about it.
"So Michael, what do you think Sarah will do when you show her the proof you promised her. Do you think she'll K I S S, kiss you?" He said, in a high, sing song voice.
"Shut up Josh," Michael tossed his pillow at his brother, who dodged it, and tossed it back in one fluid motion. Michael didn't move as fast and the pillow hit him in the face.
"I'll get you for that," he pushed Josh down on the floor, and soon they were wrestling. Michael knocked over a lamp, and when it busted, they froze.
"Boys, what are you doing?"
"Nothing mom!"
"Go to bed!"
"Ok mom!"
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Michael Reid was abruptly torn out of a very pleasant dream, in which Sarah had indeed kissed him like Josh had teased the night before. One minute he was smelling the scent of vanilla that always hung around her, and the next Josh was bouncing on his bed, hollering at him to get up.
"Come on Mike, we're gonna be late, and you still have to make yourself beautiful for the lovely Sarah." He made kissing noises, and leaped off the bed when Michael made a grab for him.
After breakfast and saying goodbye to their parents in their shared office, the boys grabbed their messenger bags and headed out to the bus. They were only thirteen, but had already skipped a couple of grades, which put them in the 9th grade. Sarah was in the ninth grade as well and two years older then Michael. She was black haired, and porcelain skinned, as only a fifteen year old girl can be before the pimples begin to show up. Her eyes were bright blue, and Michael thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.
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JJ was in the kitchen making lunch for herself and Spencer, when he called out to her, "Honey, have you seen my badge."
When it was determined that the boys had taken his badge, the theft earned them 3 weeks grounding with no computer, or television, or cell phones, and in Michael case his lock picks. Joshua sulked most of the three weeks, but Michael was content to spend the time remembering that day at lunch when he'd showed the badge to Sarah, and she'd kissed him on the cheek. Nope he wasn't going to wash that side of his face ever again.