Chapter 3
The Hotchner and Taylor vehicles pulled into the parking spots of Moe's Bait Shop a little before 5:30 that evening. Matt got out of the truck and looked at Aaron as Beth and Abbey got out. Matt looked at his watch. "Matt, what are you thinking?" Aaron asked.
"That maybe Abbey and Beth take the truck and get to the cabin while we get our fishing licenses. The kids are getting hungry."
Aaron smiled. "Way ahead of you partner. Beth texted Dave fifteen minutes ago to get the Weber going." The kids started to get out.
Matt looked around. "Case, Col, stay in the truck. You're going to the cabin with mom and Beth so they can get dinner going."
Colin nodded his head. "I won't argue with dinner dad," he said shutting his door.
Matt looked at Abbey, handing her the keys. He went to the back of the truck, partially unfolded the cover and pulled out the minnow bucket. He pointed at a cooler to Abbey. "That's the food cooler."
"Got it," she smiled, moving to climb in while Beth did the same. Matt latched the cover back down and walked into the store behind Aaron, Jack and Cam as Abbey backed the truck out.
Moe looked up from behind the counter. "Welcome back guys," he smiled. "Where's the trouble maker," he questioned with a laugh.
"His growling stomach means more," Matt smiled, shaking Moe's hand after Aaron. "What's the option for a fishing license for four days?"
Moe shook his head. "A ten day one." He looked at the two men. "Honestly? I've yet to meet a game warden that works on Mondays. And if one happens to stop you, just show them your badges. Hell guys, you really don't need licenses at all around here with the job you do."
"We play by the rules," Aaron said.
Moe smiled. "Sorta figured that; but I'm only selling you two a three day one."
Matt looked at Aaron, who nodded with a smile. "We can live with that," Matt smiled.
Less than three hours later, the ladies were doing clean up in the kitchen while Matt, Aaron and Dave got the two air mattresses blew up on the porch. The boys were in Dave and Hayden's shower while Casee was upstairs. They had full buy in on showers, a quick movie and early to bed in return for an early wake up call for fishing. Even Colin. Matt and Aaron laid out the four sleeping bags for the kids as Dave shut the patio windows for the night. "That time of year," he smiled at his two protégées. "It cools off at night."
Matt and Aaron looked at each other. "Note on the clothes for the kids in the morning," Aaron said.
"Way ahead of you Hotch," Matt smiled.
The three couples sat around the fire pit with the kids tucked in bed. The guys were enjoying their scotch as the ladies sipped their Bailey's. Abbey nestled up to Matt. He put his arm around her. "Getting chilly?"
"A little," she smiled. Matt pulled her closer, taking another sip of his drink. Abbey curled her legs, still wearing shorts under her and Matt pulled her closer. Aaron and Beth did the same. "Will the kids be warm enough?"
Matt nodded. "Between the sleeping bags and the dogs," he smiled. "They'll be fine."
Beth looked at Aaron. "You've got tomorrow morning covered with clothes?" Aaron nodded with a smile, kissing her.
Matt looked around Dave's backyard and put his index finger to his lips with a smile. Just then, the owl that scared the kids last year took his nightly roost in his usual spot and sent out a call. Matt smiled. "Welcome back Mr. Owl." Matt recounted the story to Hayden as Dave pointed out to her where the Horned Owl was perched.
Aaron drained his drink. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm heading to bed. I still need some more sleep with a six a.m. wake up call on the horizon."
Matt yawned and drained his glass. "I'll let the dogs out," Dave smiled.
The cabin lights were out by ten.
-00CM00-
Aaron and Dave looked at Matt as he walked into the kitchen the next morning. He was wearing his usual sports shorts, along with a Bureau sweatshirt and socks with his flipflops. Aaron and Dave were in jeans and sweatshirts. "What," Matt asked, pouring his coffee. "I'm a Wisconsin kid. I don't give up on the shorts until after Labor Day."
Ten minutes later, the four kids were sitting at the lunch counter, eating doughnuts while drinking some milk and juice. The two dogs were crunching away on their breakfasts. Dave, Aaron and Matt enjoyed their coffee and some doughnuts as well. The sun was just starting to rise. Hayden walked into the kitchen. The kids all looked at each other. "Good morning you," Dave smiled.
Hayden smiled at him, grabbed a paper towel off the roll near her, and wiped the powdered sugar of his favorite doughnut from Dave's goatee and then kissed him. The kids snickered. "If that's our morning send off," Dave smiled, pointing at Colin, "hang on to that honey."
"Way ahead of you David," she smiled.
Hayden rubbed Jack's back. "You ready?" Jack smiled his response, stuffing in another bite. Smiling at Cam, Hayden just shook her head as he shoved in his final doughnut bite and grabbed another. She rubbed his shoulder and smiled at Casee. "Good morning my chéri," she said, kissing her head. "You ready to show these men girl power?"
"You bet Aunt Hayden," Casee smiled, giving her a hug. Matt silently nodded with a smile at Aaron to look at a beaming Rossi.
Hayden got to Colin. He looked at her. Hayden wiped the powdered sugar off his face and smiled. Colin kissed her cheek. "It's game on Aunt Hayden. We've got to get our dinner for our go home meal."
"Fish well my young friend," she smiled. "I envy you."
"Aunt Hayden," Colin asked. The rest of the kids looked at her.
"I've never been fishing in my life," she sadly said. "I'd love to see you all out there."
"Hayden," Dave said. "Why didn't you say something to me? You can go with us anytime."
"David," Hayden smiled, rubbing Colin's back as he grabbed another doughnut, "I don't have the appropriate wardrobe."
Dave looked at her and started to open his mouth. Matt jumped in first. "That's easily fixable. But it might not be Paris posh." Dave glared at Matt.
Hayden laughed, shaking her head at Dave. "David, I learned earlier this summer where our boy Colin gets his directness from." She smiled at Matt. "I may have the proper English accent and lived a privileged life. But I would dearly love to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. And one of those would be seeing these children have fun," she smiled.
"Shit," Matt grumbled. Aaron looked at him. "Our ladies are going shopping this afternoon." Aaron just shook his head as Casee smiled.
"Sounds like a plan to me," she enthused.
Aaron looked at Matt. "She's getting that age…..?"
"Yeah," Matt sadly said, shaking his head.
"Good luck partner," Aaron smiled. Dave smiled as well. Matt shook his head again.
Dave looked out the patio doors. "The sun is coming up," he smiled.
Aaron looked at the kids. "Finish up; get your teeth brushed and use the bathroom."
Colin eyed him, draining his juice. "No peeing in the tall grass Uncle Aaron?"
"No," Aaron, Matt and Dave emphatically said together.
Casee looked at Hayden getting at of her chair. "Ouch," she smiled like her mom. "The alpha males just took a hit." Hayden roared with laughter.
Colin shook his head, stuffed in his last bite and drained his milk glass. "Penny busted all of us on that." Matt smiled.
Casee pointed at Hayden with a wink, heading out of the kitchen. "With a little help from mom and Beth." Jack and Cam laughed. Matt grabbed Colin's two plastic glasses and put them in the recycling bin the kitchen island.
Hayden looked at Dave. "Long story," he said.
"Only in your world," Matt snarked at Dave. He got the Rossi glare again. Matt and Aaron laughed.
Ten minutes later, Hayden watched as they all headed down the hill to the dock with the dogs running ahead of them. She smiled and moved to head back to bed.
Matt and Aaron pushed the pontoon boat away from the dock as Dave fired up the engine. He piloted the boat away from the dock and headed out. Casee, sitting in on the front bench shivered. Matt pulled her up, sat down and held her close to keep her warm. It took less than ten seconds for Colin to join them. Dave and Aaron smiled at the scene as Matt snuggled Colin in as well. Jack and Cam moved to stand with Aaron and Dave. They both pulled the boys close and Dave slowed the engine a bit.
Dave smiled at Cam. "You take over the wheel matey." Cam looked at him. Dave smiled and nodded, rubbing his shoulder. Cam put his hands on the steering wheel as Dave rubbed his chest to keep him warm. He pointed. "And go around the point."
"Uncle Dave," Jack asked, standing in Aaron's embrace. "What about the sandbar?"
Dave shook his head. "Jack, as cool as it's been, the fish are going to look for shallow water for warmth." He helped Cam guide the boat around the point of the lake shoreline and nodded. "That bay is the shallow water. And where I duck hunt; ducks like shallow water."
As they went around the point, Dave looked at the kids. "Wave to Cory and Tina; they're both up drinking their coffee on their deck and watching us." They all did. A single bell peeled out less than twenty seconds later. "That's them saying hello to you," Dave smiled. Casee blew them a kiss. Cory rang the bell again. Casee beamed at her uncles and waved at the cabin on the point. The boys joined her. That got them another bell ring. Aaron, Dave and Matt enjoyed their large smiles and waved at Cory and Tina. Mudg and Wilma barked a greeting as well.
Dave cut back the engine more and pointed to Cam where to head the pontoon. "You got it kiddo," he smiled. Cam proudly smiled. Cutting the engine off, Dave helped Cam position the boat so they all could fish off both sides. The kids quickly grabbed their fishing pools and baited their hooks.
It took Jack less than three minutes to land the first crappie. Cam and Casee snagged theirs as well. Matt silently went to the front of the pontoon to quietly lower the anchor as Colin reeled in his first. Dave did the same with the anchor in the back.
Thirty minutes later, with the sun now glistening on the lake, Matt peeled off his sweatshirt, tossing it onto the boat floor, busy with helping the kids landing all the crappies. Dave and Aaron did the same, as the fish basket began to fill with the kids' catch. In between their catches, the kids shed their sweatshirts as well revealing their t-shirts they had on.
And thirty minutes later, with the basket now nearly three-fourths full, it ended. Just like that. Colin looked at Dave. "I think it's starting to get too warm for them here."
"Ready to head back," Dave asked.
"No," Matt said, opening his grandfather's tackle box. He pulled off his socks and tossed them on the clothes pile. Digging around in the tackle box, he pulled out a special lure and smiled. "Da said this baby was the one that bass couldn't resist." He nodded at the stand of weeds and reeds. "And that's where bass like to hang out." He looked around. "Do you mind?"
"Go for it Uncle Matt," Jack smiled.
"I'm in," Dave said.
"Do it dad," Cam added. Aaron rubbed his shoulder with a smile.
Matt attached the lure to his line and gave it a long cast into the spot with his fishing pole. He softly reeled the line. He slowed a bit. 'Dad," Casee whispered.
"Someone is taking a peek." He stood for a second and then reeled some more. "But I haven't got their interest yet." He reeled the line in and then cast the lure into the same spot, starting over again. He slowed again reeling the line. And then suddenly set the hook.
"You got him dad," Col excitedly asked.
"Yup," Matt smiled.
The bass danced on top of the water, trying to shake off the lure set in its upper lip. Matt reeled in the extra line to keep the bass firmly hooked. The bass dove for deeper water. Matt patiently reeled the fish in. Twenty feet away from the boat, the bass did a second dance on top of the water. Aaron had his cell out to capture the moment as the dogs barked their excitement. Dave got the kids out the way to get to the fishing net and get to the pontoon safety rail as Matt reeled the huge bass close to the boat. Dave reached over the side with the net and scooped the fish onto the boat.
"Wow, look at the size of that bass," Jack gushed.
"Nice job partner," Aaron smiled, giving Matt a high five.
Dave pulled the bass out of the net, released Matt's lure from its lip, and held it up by its gill. Aaron snapped a picture of the kids all admiring the fish. "I gotta say kid," Dave smiled. "That's the biggest fish I've seen come out of this lake."
Matt smiled, taking the fish from him. Aaron took a picture of Matt holding the fish. Matt looked at the kids. "And now it's a lesson for all of you." The kids looked at him with a question. Dave winked at Aaron, knowing Matt's plan and pulled out his cell to video. Aaron nodded his head with a smile. "You show respect to a worthy opponent." He started to lean over the side with the fish.
"Really dad," Colin asked.
"Really," he smiled, gently putting the fish into the water and letting it go. "Son," he said, standing back up, "we have enough in our basket. We don't need him." The bass floated for a second or two. Then it swam away, giving them another dance on top of the water, before diving to the murky bottom. A bell peeled across the bay.
"Garcia will love that video," Dave smiled.
Casee hugged her dad. "Why you, Uncle Aaron and Uncle Dave are our superheroes."
"Yup," Jack smiled. Matt kissed Casee's head.
Dave looked at Jack, rubbing his shoulder. "And you're Captain for the ride home," he smiled.
"Sweet!" Aaron pulled out his cell and sent a text.
"Uncle Aaron," Colin said. "Please tell me that's breakfast."
His cell pinged backed. He looked at the message and smiled at Colin. "Waffles and sausages work for you Col?"
"Most awesome Uncle Aaron," Colin smiled back. The rest smiled.
"I'm in on that," Matt smiled getting a hand slap from his youngest son. Dave and Aaron smiled.
Aaron and Matt pulled the anchors up. Cam, Casee and Colin pulled the fish basked over the rail. It took all of their strength working together. The bell peeled again. The kids beamed as Jack got the pontoon heading towards the dock with all the kids waving again at Cory and Tina. They got another bell peel and smiled.
Going around the point, Matt looked at Dave and Aaron, clearly getting warm from the morning sun while in their jeans. He sat down on a chair in the back, put his bare feet in his flipflops up on the rail, stretched out linking his fingers behind his head and fiendishly smiled at his partners. "Who's the idiot now?"
Dave glared at Aaron. He laughed. "I warned you about him the first day you came back to the BAU," pointing at Dave.
Jack, piloting the boat, gave Dave his mini Aaron glare. "Uncle Dave, you are totally busted."
"Yuppppp," Matt said, doing his best Reid impersonation, pushing his chair back more. The kids roared with laughter at Dave.
He joined them.
###
A/N: For those of you in the US that don't fish as well as my Euro's – bass like to put up a fight. That's why they are so fun to catch. ;)
My deepest apologies to my readers that are total animal lovers.
