A/N: A tweet I posted set off this idea. It's not so short, but really sweet and a one-shot with the CM kids as well as my OC Matt Taylor and his family involved as well.
As usual, all rights to the CM characters belong to The Mark Gordon Company, CBS and ABC Studios.
Luvs ya T! *Knightly head bow*
Trick or Treat
Penelope Garcia walked into the bullpen through the side door and went to JJ's desk. "You are bringing my bundle of energy to my apartment tonight yes?" It was Halloween, with the team just returning the evening before from a tough case.
"Yes Garcia. Actually, you're going to get the whole gang. Hotch, Beth, Matt, Abbey, Will and I are doing it together," she smiled broadly.
"OMG! That's just too radical! All of my luvs?! Together!? This is just too awesome. Kevin and I will be waiting with stupendous surprises!"
"We'll be there Pen," JJ smiled.
"Hey," Emily chimed in, smiling as well, looking over her shoulder, "don't forget my place."
JJ rolled her desk chair over, rubbed her shoulder and gave her a smile. "We won't. All of you are on our list."
Spencer Reid, doing a consult, looked up from his computer. "Me too?" he added.
"Got it Spence."
"Don't forget my Black Thunder. He gets moody if you do," Garcia added.
"Penelope, I just told you. All of you are on our list. We won't miss a one of you. Promise." Garcia smiled and headed back to her liar.
-00CM00-
The Taylor household was an absolute beehive of activity with not three, but five, super charged kids about the night's upcoming activities. The parents all smiled as the five kids sat down to Abbey's BBQ sandwiches, with the adults standing around the kitchen, eating chips, raw veggies and dip as well and enjoying a beer, except Beth drinking a glass of chardonnay.
Matt looked at JJ. "So master planner, where are we going first?" Abbey smiled. Raquel, their nanny, was hovering over all the kids at the table, making sure they ate and got filled up.
"Per Hotch, we stop at Jess's first. She's only a mile away. Then, through my own magical digging, which btw, would make Garcia proud," Hotch and Matt exchanged smiles, "we hit Derek, Reid, Garcia, Emily and then Rossi. In that order; actually, that's why I sent you all the emails about packing bags for the kids. I was hoping we maybe could get them changed and in their pj's there."
"I'm sure Dave has a tub in that home somewhere for all the boys," Abbey noted.
Matt looked at Hotch. "If I decide to quit, she's my recommendation on tactical," he smiled.
"Got it," Hotch smiled back.
"I'm surprised Dave isn't here," Beth said.
"I invited him Beth," Matt explained, "but he said he had things to do," he said, shrugging.
Abbey looked at all of them. "Sorry, I'm not a profiler; I just cook them after you catch them. But Dave turned down a home cooked meal?"
"Babe, he got the invite and you heard the response." Abbey just shook her head.
The kids finished eating, and looked at their parents.
Raquel smiled. "The Niño's are ready to rumble." The three set of parents in the kitchen looked at each other, got the kids cleaned up from eating, finished their meals as well, and set out to the different bedrooms upstairs to get the kids in their Halloween costumes.
Will and JJ appeared first, with Henry looking like Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean. Raquel pulled him into a hug, giving her approval. "You look mucho grande my luvs," she said, letting him out of the hug. "And I've got a start for your Halloween bucket," she smiled, putting in two mini Snicker bars that she would hand out to neighborhood kids while Matt and Abbey took the kids out.
"Gracias Raquel," Henry beamed, proudly showing off his Spanish skills he was learning in pre-school. JJ and Will smiled just as proudly.
Jack walked in a couple seconds later, fully regaled in his Batman costume. "Awesome big guy," Will drawled, sharing a hand slap with the young Hotchner, as Aaron and Beth both proudly smiled. He got the same treatment from Raquel that Henry did.
Hotch knelt down and looked Henry in the eye. "Do I mess with Captain Jack?"
"Arrrrrr matey, you better not!" Henry said with a smile.
"Aye, aye sir," Hotch smiled back. He and Henry shared a fist bump.
Beth shook Henry's pirate hat on his head. "You look very swashbuckling," she smiled at him.
"Thanks Beth," Henry said as he wrapped his arms around her legs. Standing in the kitchen, they heard the rumblings of the three Taylor kids coming down the steps.
A couple seconds later, the Star Wars trio of Luke Skywalker (Colin), Han Solo (Cam) and Princess Leia (Casee) walked in, followed by their parents and Wilma. Wilma took one look at Batman and barked a loud warning. Jack pushed his mask up. "Wilma! It's me." Wilma shook her tail in her usual happy mode and nuzzled Jack's ear. He lovingly petted her head and scratched her behind the ear.
The kitchen was filled with smiles and laughter as the group took a look around, commenting on the costumes. The digital cameras came out and Abbey, JJ, and Beth recorded the Halloween for posterity.
Matt, Hotch and Will grabbed their beer bottles from the kitchen counter they had started during dinner. Matt hoisted his in a toast. "To fortitude to get through this night." The other two fathers laughed, clinked longnecks together and polished them off. "By the way Will, how's that ring feeling on that finger?" Matt smiled.
"Mighty fine, thank you," Will smiled.
They headed to their cars and got the troops loaded in their seats and buckled up. It was nearly six o'clock and the sun was quickly disappearing in the western sky.
They followed Hotch and Beth to Jess' home. While the six adults stood out on the sidewalk running parallel to the street, Jack led the group up the sidewalk to the home and looked around. When the five kids were assembled on the doorstep, he proudly rang the doorbell.
Jess opened the door as the kids shouted "Trick or Treat!" She roared with delight and placed goodies in their candy buckets. She and her parents had been included in some of the team's family gatherings and knew all the kids. And she was very supportive of Aaron and Beth's relationship. She waved to all of them standing on the sidewalk.
Jess brought the kids inside for a couple of minutes, taking a few pictures of her own to send to Jack's grandparents. Yet, they took an extra-long time in the home. Jess finally sent them out the door. "Have fun," she shouted at the group waiting for their children. They all waved back.
"What took so long," Matt asked the group as they came back down the sidewalk.
"Colin and Henry had to go the bathroom Uncle Matt. Aunt Jess helped them," Jack reported. He knew he was the oldest and the leader of this team. Matt looked at Hotch, proudly beaming and shook his head, as they all headed for their vehicles.
The stop at Derek's was eventful as well as the kids got to meet Clooney. He walked them all back out to curb, ever the diligent Agent, exchanged hand slaps with all the boys and planted a sweet kiss on Casee's cheek. Matt shook his head. "Six or thirty-six, you are always the ladies man."
Derek flashed his big broad smile. "That's me. Have fun kids." They all waved their good-byes.
The next stop was Reid's apartment. He opened the door and the kids once again shouted "Trick or Treat!" Reid smiled broadly, leading them in, with the parents standing in the doorway.
Reid looked at the kids. "You did say trick or treat and I've got the trick." He gently pulled the earring off Casee's ear, and did the same magic trick he did with Henry with JJ's wedding ring the night his parent's got married, trying to settle the young man down. JJ and Will stood in the apartment.
While he was doing the trick, Hotch and Matt, never being to Reid's place before, looked around. The clutter of books and magazines around the place did not surprise them. The electronic piano did. But they both understood. Sammy Sparks, the autistic boy on a case last year had deeply touched Reid. Abbey whispered in Matt's ear, "You profiled it would be like this, didn't you," she asked, astonished at the place. Matt just smiled at her and kissed her temple.
"Yup babe, pretty much what I expected," he whispered in her ear.
While the rest of kids were enthralled at his magic stunt, Henry looked at him and pouted. "Uncle Spence, does that mean we don't get a treat?"
"Of course not Henry," he smiled. He pulled a bowl off the table behind the couch. "Each of you gets to pick two. You all know how many two are right?" The kids bobbed their heads in unison. "Henry, since you are the youngest, you get to go first." The kids took their turn, in age order of course as Dr. Reid wanted, looking at the goodies Reid had in the bowl.
Jack, going last, pulled out a Snickers and another piece of candy. Cam looked at him. "A Nestle Crunch Jack? You don't like them."
Jack smiled. "But Beth does and I share." The best buds in the world shared a fist bump as Matt, with his right arm wrapped around Abbey's waist, reached around Hotch to his left, and rubbed the top of Beth's head. She just looked at him and smiled, as JJ and Will beamed.
They said their good-byes to Reid as another group approached, loaded up and headed to the next place where all the adults knew was going to be extremely more than eventful. To predict Penelope Garcia's mind, especially when it came to the kids, was like predicting the weather. Most times, you weren't going to get it right. Even with the profilers in the group.
As they pulled to curb outside of Garcia's apartment, Matt looked at Abbey and just shook his head. His wife, always the practical one, just smiled. "Run with it big dog."
"And we'll probably be running with it until 11 tonight. And it's a school day tomorrow." Abbey just smiled at him as she let Cam out of Matt's pick-up on the curbside, now in a booster seat. Matt let Casee out of her booster as well, yet keeping her tightly close with the street traffic. Beth walked up and pulled Casee to the curb and as Hotch guided Jack to the curb. Matt got Col pulled from his safety seat, already unbuckled and joined the group, with kids rushing ahead. JJ and Will headed up the walk in front of the other four, following the kids.
As they approached the steps, Beth noticed Matt shaking his head. "Matt," she questioned.
"Garcia got shot on those steps by an unsub four years ago, just shortly after Rossi re-joined the team. That was not a good time in my life," he said shaking his head. "Hell," looking at Hotch, "any of us."
Beth whispered, "I didn't know that."
Hotch, one arm around Beth, grabbed the back of Matt's neck and gave it a squeeze. "That wasn't on your watch partner, and we got through it."
Matt looked at Abbey, rubbing his ribs, knowing the hell he went through during that time as he then looked at Hotch. She lovingly rubbed his goatee. "Thanks part," he smiled. "But it was still hell."
Hotch, knowing that Matt made the call to JJ to take down the unsub in the BAU bullpen, giving her the order to "execute the target" just shook his head as well. Beth looked at Hotch. "I'll tell you later," he whispered.
The kids, JJ and Will were already in the tiny foyer of the secure building as the other four ascended the steps through the door. Will held the door open for them. Henry, like at Spence's building, knowing the space, pushed the button to ring up to Garcia's place.
The loudspeaker crackled on with the theme song for The Flintstones. The three Taylor kids as well as Jack all smiled. They recognized the tune, as Matt and Abbey had DVR'd many of the episodes, an homage to their own youths. Jack had watched many of them when he stayed with the Taylors. Given Hotch's dating habits with Beth, that was more than once lately. Henry had no clue. After the tune played, the security door buzzed to let them in. JJ grabbed it open and herded the kids in. The rest of the group followed.
They went up the stairs to Garcia's apartment, with Henry, once again, leading the way. The five kids gathered and Henry knocked. Penelope threw the door open in her usual fashion and the kids got a look at her and Kevin, dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. The four oldest got it. Henry looked at his aunt. "I don't get it Aunt Penny," he said.
Colin looked at his counterpart, just a couple months younger. "Henry, you don't know Fred and Wilma?" Jayje and Will exchanged looks as Matt and Abbey laughed.
"You two need to expand your DVR horizons on Cartoon Network," Matt smiled, as Garcia ushered the kids in. For the next twenty minutes, Garcia and Kevin dotted on kids, with Garcia giving them all wrapped surprises while Kevin overfilled their candy buckets, much to chagrin of the adults involved with their children.
As they were all leaving, Colin looked at Penelope, "Thanks Penny, we had a Yabba Dabba Do time!" Matt and Abbey just looked at each and shook their heads. Their wildcard son struck again. Hotch and Beth just laughed at them.
They loaded up once again and headed to Emily's place. The lobby to the security entrance of her building was considerably bigger than the one at Garcia's and they all fit in comfortably. Matt rang the buzzer, and a voice crackled over, "Come up pretties, I've been waiting for you," adding a maniacal witch's laugh.
Casee looked at her father. "That doesn't sound good daddy."
"Don't worry sweetheart, Uncle Aaron and I have your covered," he smiled. The adults all looked at each other, smiling. Emily was going to have some fun with the kids.
Emily stood by her slightly cracked open door and heard them coming up the steps. With that size group, who could miss it? As she heard the kids coming down the hall, she stuck a large green warted, gnarled finger with a yellow pointed fingernail out the door, showing a green wrist and the hem of a black sleeve. "Come closer my pretties" she said, bending the finger towards the door, watching the kids through the peep hole. The kids moved down the hall, albeit, a little slower.
Emily waited unto all the parents were in the hall as well and threw the door open, revealing herself as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, complete with broom. Just then, Sergio, her black cat, walked out from under Emily's floor length black dress, and meowed with a sneer at the kids. He stood in front of her with his tail at full height, twitching at the end. Jack and Cam, leading the parade of kids, froze in their tracks. Colin ran into the back of Jack. The adults bit back their laughter.
The "witch" looked around. "No," she lamented in her best witch's voice, "I'm doomed. It's Batman and he brought back up," she said, throwing her wrist to her forehead in vintage silent movies acting. "Doomed I say; doomed…" as she "melted" to the floor.
It was hard to say who laughed more: the kids or the adults. Jack sauntered up. "Pretty cool Emily," he smiled.
Emily quickly snaked out a hand and grabbed Jack's ankle. "Who says I'm not done my pretty?" she laughed again as the witch. Henry nearly jumped out of his costume. The rest of the kids roared some more, drawing a couple neighbors to open their doors and peek out. Sergio tried to sneak down the hall, with JJ scooping him up before he could make his escape. She rubbed him behind his ears, getting a deep purr.
One woman had a very concerned look on her face as Matt walked by. He pulled his credentials out of his back jeans pocket. "FBI ma'am, everything is OK." He winked at her and she smiled back, shutting her door.
Emily got up from the floor and laughed in her voice. "Come on in," she smiled. Henry was still a little leery. Emily pulled the wart off her nose, revealing her lovely normal skin tone. "It's really me Henry. I just wanted to have some fun with you kids."
Henry looked at his buddy Colin, who nodded it was OK. "Em, you scared me!"
She scooped him up into a hug. "That's part of the fun of Halloween," she smiled. He tossed his arms around her neck, as the whole group made their way into the apartment.
JJ set Sergio down. As Emily put candy in the kid's buckets, Sergio rubbed against Casee's leg. She handed her bucket to Abbey, after thanking Emily for the candy and giving her a hug. "Can I hold him?"
"Sure Casee, and his name is Sergio. And he likes to be rubbed behind his ears." Matt looked at Hotch, while Abbey helped Casee lift Sergio correctly. Two strokes by Casee's finger behind his ear had him purring contently again.
"That's the Sergio?" Matt, as Assistant Unit Chief, and in charge of the team's safety, had read Emily's psyche evaluation as well. Hotch just rolled his eyes at him.
Beth looked at him, and beat him to the words. "I know; you'll tell me later," she smiled.
Abbey looked at her. "Welcome to the secrets of the BAU."
"Well, it was still a nice touch with Sergio making his appearance," Matt smiled.
"That was all him. I didn't plan that, believe me. He marches to his own drummer" she smiled. "Anyone want a beer? And I've bottle a bottle of wine in the fridge as well," while she accepted the last hug from Cam.
Will looked at his watch. 7:16 it read, with JJ glancing over his shoulder. "We'd love to," he drawled, "but we still gotta go to Dave's and it's a school night."
"Can't argue with that," Emily smiled. Abbey, JJ and Beth did do the quick pictures, with Emily replacing her nose wart. She and JJ shared hugs. "See you in the morning. Thanks for bringing them. I had a blast."
JJ looked at her. "I call you later when our son wakes up with a nightmare," she devilishly smiled. "Much later."
"Go right ahead. I'm sleeping like a log these days. I won't hear it," she smiled. Hotch and Matt exchanged glances at the comment. Emily was indeed finally healing from her run-in with Ian Doyle. The group headed out, loaded up and left for the last place on the list.
As they drove down the street, with Hotch and Beth in the lead, Jack looked out the window at Dave's. "Dad, you sure Uncle Dave is home." The house was completely dark.
"He said he would be buddy." As Hotch pulled into the driveway, two lamps in the front window flickered on and off. Beth looked at Aaron and shook her head, smiling. Like Emily, Dave had surprises for the kids. But knowing him, they would be over the top. The Taylor's and the LaMontangue's pulled up to the curb.
As they all got out, they heard the most eerie, spooky noises coming from the house. And the entire front of Dave's mansion was covered in cobwebs. Hotch looked at Matt getting his group out as Hotch let Jack out, smiled and shook his head.
As the kids went up the walk, a gentle breeze rustled the fall leaves in Dave's yard, which was unusual. All the kids startled a bit. Dave's lawn service kept his yard pristine. And while the kids knew for certain that this was Uncle Dave's home, after their scare with Emily, they walked to the front door slowly, instead of with their usual burst of energy.
The kids approached the front door, which eerily swung open on its own before they got there. Cam looked over his shoulder at his dad. Matt nodded at him. When Cam moved his head back to the front door, Matt smiled at the rest of the adults.
The normal "Trick or Treat," hollered by the kids was replaced by a rather subdued one. They stood in the open door, to hear loud foot stomping slowly coming at them. Jayje just shook her head. Out of the shadows, a figure approached. The five kids looked at each other as the figure entered into the doorway and stood in front of them. To run or not to run was the shared idea. The adults were on the lawn looking in, smiling broadly.
Suddenly, a flashlight beamed on, revealing Frankenstein in his finest glory. The three oldest in front flinched a bit. Colin looked at Dave. "That's pretty cool Uncle Dave, but do we get candy?" Matt and Abbey just shook their heads, as the rest of the adults laughed.
"Colin Taylor, you are exactly like your Uncle Aaron; absolutely no fun." The rest of the kids giggled. Dave pushed on an inside light, whistled for Mudg and waved them all in. Mudg nearly tackled all of the kids.
Casee reached up for a hug. "You scared me Uncle Dave," she smiled as Dave pulled her up, Casee giving him a kiss, make-up and all. She knew who she had around her little finger. There were three of them actually. And Will wasn't far behind. Actually, as the only BAU female child, she had Morgan, Reid, and Kevin pretty much in her camp as well. And she knew how to bat the baby blue eyes, inherited from her father. When she started dating, she was going to make Matt very gray in a hurry.
"That's OK sweetheart. I got a bunch of the kids in the neighborhood shaking in the shoes," he smiled as he set her down.
They entered in, with Dave leading the kids into his kitchen. The kids scrambled up into the lunch counter chairs and he set out caramel brownies for each of them and pulled a milk jug from the fridge, pouring out the right proportions into the glasses he already had out. He looked at Matt. "You know where the beer is. And there's some wine in there for Beth as well." Matt took off to play bartender, as Dave got the kids fixed up. More pictures with the kids and Uncle Dave were taken.
Matt re-entered after raiding Dave's beer fridge in the garage, handing Beth a glass of chardonnay and passing around the beers. As the kids ate, Dave put some candy in their buckets, along with small envelopes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they were gift cards to some retailer. Yet, it made the parents all smile. Dave's love for these kids was loud and strong. He loved the chance to give them gifts. And get away with it with their parents.
Matt handed a beer to Dave as well, as the kids finished. JJ looked at him. "Tell me the Rossi mansion has a tub big enough for four boys and another for Casee?"
Dave smiled. "That's why I wanted you here last so you could do that. Did all of you bring stuff for the kids to change into?" The adults smiled and nodded.
JJ looked at Abbey and Beth. "Would the two of you mind taking care of the boys? I'd just love to have some girl time." They both smiled and shook their head. "Of course, Casee, if that's all right with you?"
"You bet JJ." Then she whispered with a smile, "With all these boys, I'd like some girl time." Dave, Matt and Hotch all smiled. JJ smiled as well and pulled her from her chair.
Matt winked at Hotch and Dave. "Hey Will. That sorta tells me that someone might want a girl around in the future." JJ and Will both blushed.
"That's none of your business Cob," Will drawled with a smile. The ladies exited with the kids, following Dave's directions to the bathrooms upstairs.
Dave snuck at look at Hotch. "Any girls in your future?" Matt smiled broadly at his profiling mentor.
"That's none of your business either." Matt laughed. "Btw, who got fixed? You or Abbey?" When the team had returned from the case at Ramstein, he and Abbey had both made it very clear they were done making children in the Round Table room that night.
"50-50 partner on the bet. You profile it. But that's the best part. You can fool around and not worry," he smiled.
"And of course, you still do?" Hotch wasn't going to back down from Dave and Matt giving him a hard time about his sex life with Beth.
"I'm Irish; she's a Texas girl. Enough said," Matt broadly smiled.
"Shut up all of you," Dave snarled.
Matt winked at Aaron again, and whispered. "I don't think Uncle Dave has got some loving lately." Will just shook his head at the dynamic of the three men as Dave broke out the scotch bottle, swearing at Matt in Italian. Of course, Matt had an answer for him.
The three fathers set out for their vehicles to get the bags for their children and took them upstairs. The fathers, along with one that had lost his own, enjoyed their scotch when they returned to kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, the kids and ladies, with Mudg happily leading the way, walked into the kitchen. The dads got the kids bundled up for the cool night air and they said their good-byes to Uncle Dave, each one giving him a big hug. Mudg got his as well.
As they climbed into their vehicles, Dave looked at himself in the mirror next to door. "Time to get this stuff off" and he headed upstairs to his shower.
-00CM00-
The team was on the jet the next afternoon, winging their way to chase down another killer. During the briefing on the plane, Matt slipped Dave a note sitting next to him. Hotch watched the exchange and Dave, after reading the note, rubbed his goatee and then looked at his hand. Matt just shook his head.
After the briefing, Dave, sitting on the aisle next to Matt excused himself and went into the restroom. Hotch looked at Matt across the table, both of them sitting next to windows. "Now what did you do?"
Matt mischievously smiled. "I just told him he missed some green make-up in his goat." JJ, sitting next to Hotch, just smiled. The rest of the team had already seen the digital pictures from the night before, compliments of Garcia before the briefing in the Round Table room. Morgan and Reid exchanged smiles, as Emily just shook her head.
Dave came out of the restroom, swearing in Italian. As he got to the four-top, he unleashed one at Matt. Matt gave him one back.
Hotch glared at the two of them, while silently thanking Matt on the inside for doing just what he did best: keeping this team alive with his humor so the job wouldn't eat them up and keeping them alive in the field. The rest of the team snickered, including Garcia hooked in, and then got back down to business.
###
A/N: Fred Flintstone's favorite expression, when he was happy, was what Colin quoted. For those of you not knowing the Flintstones, I highly suggest YouTube rather than me trying to explain. For the theme song, it's a simple search. And one I can still sing along with! I loved that cartoon.
My usual shoot outs to my Hotch sisters and the rest of the gang at CM Rev with XOXO's. My Euro tweeters get much love as well. And to hxchick and a certain educator, my luvs also to you to lovelies.
Again, of course, another Knightly bow of the head.
And my congrats to my Hotch sisters Thn0715 and HansonFanGermany for being nominated for 2012 CM FanFic Awards! Vote soon and vote often!
I also say that I'm humbly proud to announce that I've been nominated for two stories as well. One, I collaborated with my fanfic mentor! That just blows me away! And I'm still very, very awed by the experience. My luvs Tig!