First of all a little word of advice. Never ask a car guy for a small piece of advice when writing fanfic. You will end up with a speech on every little detail of the car you want to write about.
Next, I want to really thank everyone for their reviews. I am really, really, shy when it comes to letting people read what I write (which makes me wonder how I passed all those creative writing courses...) so your words really mean a lot. As for the dream, it will make a reappearance in later chapters.
And finally: I do not own Criminal Minds, EB Games, or any other company or product in this story. If I did own Natsume I would bring the original Maria back.
Enjoy :)
Penelope had almost crossed the threshold of her 8th month and she was sure Aaron would be forcing her to take maternity leave soon.
Time had begun to do weird things. It began to speed up when she let her fears of giving birth and motherhood get to her, and it also slowed down when she became anxious to hold her babies for the first time.
Her mind had filled itself with endless questions about how she would do it... she knew how a woman gave birth thanks to the sex ed classes she had taken in high school, the birthing books J.J. made her read, and the prenatal classes.
But looking down she couldn't imagine how she would give birth and not splitting open in the process.
Grabbing her bag she made her way down the stairs. Spencer would arrive soon to take her to the prenatal classes she had been taking with him.
At first she had thought that it would be best to take J.J. with her but once she had time to actually think... it became more logical for Spencer to come. He would be there with her in the delivery room and with his memory he would remember everything said in the classes.
Stopping in the kitchen she grabbed a granola bar and stuffed it in her mouth.
"Prenatal classes?" David asked as he put down his book.
Penelope swallowed. "Yeah. The nurse is going to go over techniques to help reduce pain. Which I think will be monumentally useful."
He smirked as he took a sip of his coffee. "You're making me thankful that I will never have to give birth, ever."
"Yeah, tell me about it." She was about to reach for another bar when she heard Spencer's old Volvo pull up. "Gotta go David." She bent over and kissed his cheek. "I'll be home by 13:30 and then I'll be going out with the girls for a bit, but I'll be back for dinner."
/
"Alright class. As you all know today we will be going over techniques to reduce pain during labour. Now, some of you will be lucky and will experience minimal amounts of pain. But most of you will find childbirth to be less than comfortable.
Fathers, I would like you to position yourselves behind your partner and allow her to lean against you. Mothers, lean into your partner and rest your weight on his body."
Penelope awkwardly placed herself between Spencer's legs and grabbed onto his calves for support. "Ah, the blue and pink socks for today. Nice choice."
"Thanks. It still feels strange to be here. All of the rest of the people here are actually couples..."
She squeezed his calf. "It's ok. If anything this will make you more desirable when you do meet Mrs. Right."
"Ok, looking good so far. We are going to try some breathing exercises that will alleviate some of your discomfort. Ladies, I want you to take deep shallow breaths. Concentrate on your breathing and ensure you breathe at regular intervals.
When you have a contraction breath like this. It will give you control over your situation and will give something for your mind to concentrate on."
The nurse knelt down beside Penelope and Spencer. "Ms. Garcia, space out your breathing a little bit or you'll pass out. Ok, that's better. Are you getting this Mr. Reid? Good."
Standing up she walked to the front of the class. "Everyone is doing so well. Now we are going to be moving on. Next we are going to try to change positions. Just because all you see on tv is women laying down does not mean you have to.
For example you can sit on an exercise ball during the first stages of labour. Some mothers find that this helped manage the pain.
Fathers, go over to the corner and grab a ball for your partner.
Penelope looked questionably at the blue ball in front of her. She did not have good experiences with those... things. But, she would be willing to give this a try.
Sighing she positioned herself on it and tried not to fall off. "I look like an idiot."
"No you don't." Spencer used his hands to help her stay in place. "You look just like all the other women in here."
"Now this is not the only thing you can do ladies. You can get up and walk around, you can take a bath if you are doing a home delivery. And men, you can help by giving a nice massage while the both of you wait for her to become fully dilated. It helps to have her back, feet, or even arms, massaged."
"True, the endorphins released by having a body part massaged would counter act with the pain of the contractions."
"Very true Mr. Reid. And along with these natural methods are drugs.
Some women swear by the epidural, others refuse it. Either way whatever you want is your choice and as long as it will not hurt your baby no one can refuse you."
Penelope slid off the ball and positioned herself on the soft mat, leaning into Spencer.
"Now, when you get an epidural a needle is inserted into your lower back, right outside your spinal cord. It will block a good portion of the pain and should not slow labour down too much. The downside is that it may work only on one side of your body and it may slow down your baby's heart rate. Though if you start labour with a strong fetal heartbeat it shouldn't be an issue.
Again, this is your choice.
And there is also narcotics which would be given intravenously, which are more accurately opioids, that will lessen the amount of pain you actually feel but will not take the pain away. Personally, I would advise against using opioids due to the fact that they slow down breathing for the baby.
You might also be offered tranquilizers which will help relax you though it will not eliminate pain, and it might decrease your memory of the labour. If you do choose this for pain management maybe have your partner bring in a recording device because trust me, when your child is 16 and giving you trouble you will need to remember how much work you did bringing him or her into this world."
The instructor went to her desk and picked up a stack of papers. "That concludes our class, I am going to be giving each couple a list of pain management techniques to take home and examine. When I see you next week I want you to formulate a birthing plan, we will share it with each other and see if we can get some new ideas to help each other out."
Spencer hauled himself up from the floor, struggling, he helped Penelope up. He gathered her stuff and headed out with her, grabbing a sheet on the way.
/
They drove in silence until Spencer cleared his throat. "I know this is not logical but... these birthing classes make me feel a bit... sick to my stomach."
"How so?" Penelope asked as she put a hand on her belly to still her babies.
"Hearing the nurse say stuff like cervix, vagina, and such... and having you there... for the lack of a better word... it is gross. You're like a sister to me. And I don't want to think of your... your..."
"Spencer Reid, your not going to back out of these classes are you? I can't have you in the delivery room with me without knowing what the hell is going on."
He turned onto David's street. "I'm not backing out, just saying that it feels odd... Don't worry, I am still honoured that you are letting me be a part of the delivery and I will be there no matter what."
"Good. Because Fran will be there too but I don't know her as well... I'm not as close to her as I am with you. And like I said, Derek would want you there in with me."
He pulled into David's drive way and put his car in park. "Do you need me to help you bring anything in?"
Penelope slid out of the car and grabbed her bag. "No, I'm fine. But thanks!"
"No problem, see you on Monday."
/
She opened the door and rushed in. In about 30 minutes J.J., Em, and Alex would be coming over. They had insisted that they had to fit in at least one more girl's day before the babies arrived.
Looking in her closet she debated about changing out of her yoga pants into something else. Sure, these were more comfortable than the nicer clothes. But it was a girl's day. She should look somewhat presentable.
Pulling out a blue dress and a yellow jacket she sighed. Her baby blue heals would have gone so nicely with that outfit.
Stripping down to her underwear she began to pull the dress down over her head. Halfway down she realized that she had gotten herself stuck. Her belly had gotten too large for her to pull the dress over it, and her oversized breasts prevented her from pulling the dress off.
Shuffling to the door she opened it a crack. "David? What time is it?"
"14:55!" Came the reply from David's downstairs study.
"When one of the girls gets here, can you send them over to my room... I kinda need some help."
"Alright. But if you want I can help."
"No!" She panicked. "I mean thanks but I need one of the girls for this."
Penelope closed the door and shuffled over to where she thought the bed was, and by feeling her way around with her feet she found the edge and sat down. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before she heard her door opening.
"PG?"
"Oh Em! I am so thankful to see you... I... I got stuck..." Came the reply from the blue dress/human hybrid sitting on the bed.
Emily put a hand over her mouth and stifled a laugh. "I can see that. Here, stand up and I'll help get you out of this." Gently tugging the dress Emily managed to pull it off after a few minutes. "When was the last time you wore it?"
Penelope picked up her sweat pants and over sized shit. "Three weeks ago... guess I kinda grew a little bit..."
"I'd say. When I was pregnant with Andrea I tried to fit into a shirt after a couple months and ended up getting myself stuck... but there was no one to help me so I ended up cutting it off."
"Oh Em, that's awful!"
"Nah, not really." Emily waved a dismissive hand. "I didn't like the shirt anyways. So are you ready for an afternoon of shopping, food, and girl time?"
"Yeah, though I wanted to look at least a little nicer for today."
Emily laughed. "Oh PG, looking nice and being over several months pregnant is almost impossible. Besides, in less than two months you will be wearing spit up and puke, so get used to looking a little disheveled."
Penelope playfully hit her friend. "You can be so encouraging sometimes!"
"Oh, I try to be." Emily threw her a cheeky grin.
"Hey, did we miss something?"
Both the women looked over to see J.J. and Alex standing in the doorway.
"Apparently I am too pregnant to fit into my nice clothes." Penelope pouted.
Emily tilted her head a bit and smiled. "What she is trying to say is that she got stuck."
"Ah, luckily I never had that problem with Henry. But I have heard of it happening..." J.J. ducked as a sock flew by her.
"Yeah, you were tiny, lucky woman. I feel like a bus!"
Alex crossed her arms. "You know girls, after spending months hearing these stories I am almost thankful I did not produce offspring."
"So," Emily clapped her hands together. "are we just going to sit around all day and talk or are we going to shop AND talk?"
Penelope grabbed her purple purse off the bed and her cell phones. "I vote for shopping."
/
On the way to the mall they began passing by the car dealerships. Looking out the window Penelope eyed the minivans, she would have to get one soon...
Before they passed one dealership a particular van caught her attention.
"J.J., can we stop in that dealership for a moment, I want to take a look."
"Well, I guess since you are the Tech Goddess and we are driving your awesome convertible, I guess I could."
/
Getting out she walked towards the dark green van. She knew that she would have to get rid of her Esther soon. As much as she loved that car... it would be very impractical once the babies came.
"It is perfect... quick, anybody know anything about this thing?"
Alex walked around the van, taking a good look at it. "It's a 2004 Mitsubishi Delica Spacegear, a Japanese domestic import. This one looks like it is right hand drive... They are usually very reliable vehicles."
She looked over and saw the girls giving her a hard stare.
"What? My husband is a car guy. I couldn't help but retain some of the information he imbedded into my mind."
"The woman's right. This van is top of the line. Only 30,000 miles on her. Hi, I'm Walter Pots." The young brown haired man shook the hands of the women one by one, Penelope last. "Ah, I am guessing you are the one that is interested in this fine vehicle."
"Yeah, I just wanted to take a look at it. It looks... unique."
"You are right. There are no other car companies that import to North America that have the same design. So, any questions?"
"Sure. Who sold you this vehicle?"
"An older woman whose children had gone off to college." Walter leaned against the van. "She had no need for the space so she turned it in to help her buy a sporty little Miata."
"Would it be possible to come inside and see the service records?" Penelope asked. She had been on her own since she was 18, and knew her way around a car salesperson. If he was going to try to cheat her... he had another thing coming.
"Sure, step this way ladies."
/
Penelope looked over the reports. Everything seemed in line. There had been a minor crash back in 2009 but nothing vital had been damaged. Still, she could use it to knock the price down a bit.
"As you see the car has been certified by the manufacture and a full report has been done. And our mechanic has given it a full inspection. Everything checks out."
Looking over once more she put the paperwork down. "True, but I would just like to take it for a test drive and see how she runs. And if possible, I would want my friend's husband to check it out himself." For the hundredth time she thanked whatever higher power there was that J.J. had married Will. The guy was a wiz at cars.
"Sure, just let me get the keys and we will take her for a spin."
/
Will put the hood down and wiped his hands on a rag that J.J. had left for him. "It looks fine Penelope. Doesn't have much in the way of mechanical problems."
"Is there anything I can use to talk him down on the price?"
"The timing belt. It looks alright now but in the next couple of years it will need replacing. Other than that she purrs like a kitten. If I were you I would seriously consider buying this. It is a solid vehicle."
"Thanks Will, we'll get out of your hair now." She walked out and over to the dealer and her friends. "Alright Mr. Pots, lets go back to the office and work out a price."
/
"Ok Ms. Garcia, the price we are asking for is $15,000. And considering the shape this car is in, that is a good deal."
Pausing she pretended to go over the paperwork in front of her again. She wanted the van, she really wanted this van, it was unique like her.
But the last thing she needed to do was look like she wanted it.
"True, but it was in a crash that tore up the hood of the van."
"Correct, but it did no damage to the frame and no long term damage to the vehicle." He folded his hands and stared at her, trying to read Penelope's face.
"Still... it makes me a little weary of the van. And the timing belt will need replacing in a couple of years which will be a big hassle..."
"How about I knock $1000 off the price for ya?"
"Sounds good, but what if I traded in my old car? It's a classic."
Walter lifted an eyebrow. Usually by classic his customers meant a hunk of junk that was barely worth the metal that encased the vehicle. "What kind of 'classic' car are we talking about?"
"A 1984 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, red with white trim. She's the one we drove in with, as you can seen she is a beauty and I have all her paperwork." She slipped out her tablet and selected the file. Handing it to Walter she smiled. It paid off putting all her paperwork into her tablet.
"Hmm... We don't buy cars older than 2000, but I am personally looking for a car like this for my father. If I can have my mechanic here check it out I can make you an offer."
"Sure. But would it be alright if we took the van out while you do that? We kinda had a girl's day planned and I threw a wrench into it."
"Of course Ms. Garcia. I just need you to sign some a few more forms and you can give her a real test drive."
/
The girls walked through the main entrance of Potomac mall and breathed in.
"Girls, we're home." Penelope said before grabbing her friends and heading towards the game shop. Inside she clutched the newest release from EA Games. "Oooh! J.J., I have heard so many good things about Sims 5! It allows you to customize EVERYTHING!"
J.J. looked around the store for a game that would be suitable for Henry. "Couldn't you do that in the Sims 3 and 4?"
"Yes, but this one has a new game interface that allows you to create your own cars, your own clothes, and your own skin colours and designs without having to download a crappy substandard app from the internet. AND you have 100% control over your sim while they are at work. I can play god!" Penelope was almost drooling over the game.
"Trust me PG, between our job and your kids you won't have time to eat a decent meal, let alone dedicate enough time to that game to make it worth while."
"Ahhh Em, why do you always have to burst my bubble!" Pouting she put the game back. Maybe in ten years or so she would have time to play it. "Hey J.J., doesn't Henry love this series?" Penelope held up a copy of Harvest Moon: Back to the Country.
"Yeah he does, and this one he doesn't have yet..." J.J. took the game and examined the box. "It even has multi-player options. He can play with Jack on his pay dates. Thanks Penelope, this was a good find."
"It is fascinating how he loves a game series based on chores but in reality you complain about his lack of willingness to do real chores." Alex grinned.
J.J. rolled her eyes as she came up to the cashier. "I know. I wish I knew whatever trick Nintendo and Natsume have been using all these year."
"Hey, next can we go to that new clothing store? I hear they got in a shipment of leather jackets." Emily put in her request.
"Sure, as long as we stop by the book store after. I need some new reading material."
"Of course Alex. And then the new maternity clothing store, I need some clothes that will actually fit me..."
/
By the time Walter had called Penelope, the girls had their arms loaded with shopping bags. They had managed to hit up the store with the leather jackets, the book store, a couple clothing stores, and the candy shop; with multiple rest and pee breaks for Penelope.
The last stop had been at the ice cream parlour. Sure, it was late March but they had a craving.
As they walked to the Van Penelope took a bite out of her cone. "Did you know people in the Scandinavian countries regularly eat ice cream in winter? They think it helps warm the blood, or something like that."
J.J. put down her bags as she used Penelope's keys to open the trunk. "And where did you hear that?"
She licked a stray strand of ice cream off her lips. "Spencer."
Emily chuckled as she loaded her bags in. "Figures. You two have been spending a lot of time together. Anything going on between you two?"
"Nope. He's just helping me out. And I think he is testing the waters to see if he can handle the idea of little Spencers running around."
"For that he would have to find a girl to copulate with." Alex said as she took a seat in the back.
J.J. opened her door and got in the front passenger seat. "I can't understand why the girls don't go for our Spence, he is such a cute guy."
"Well, you went on a date with him, didn't you?" Emily took her seat beside Blake.
"Yeah," J.J. pulled the buckle over and slid it in. "but it was weird. He's more of a little brother to me. Do you guys understand where I am coming from?"
"Yeah, totally. But if we found him a lady that didn't work for the FBI maybe we could start a little romance for him?" Taking her napkin Penelope took off the final bits of ice cream and cone that stuck to her lips before she started up the van.
"Do you think he is over Maeve?" Alex asked. "He took her death very hard."
"Maybe, there is only one way to find out. We will find our Spencer a girl. Now ladies, let's go and sign the final papers so this momma can get her van. Speaking of which, I already love it."
/
Penelope signed the last bits of paperwork. She had managed to get the price down to $13,000 and the dealer would pay her $6,000 for her cadi, and, he had thrown in a three year warranty when Penelope offered to pay the majority of the money in cash, minus what Pots was paying her for her car.
Soon she and the girls had Esther cleaned out and ready to hand over to Pots. Leaning over as far as she dared Penelope slid the fuzzy dice off the rear view mirror. She sighed and started walking away to hand the keys over, but stopped and put a hand on the hood of her old car. "I'm sorry girl, but this is the way it has to be. You're going to a good home though, with someone who will spend endless hours on that sexy engine of yours..."
She felt a hand placed on her shoulder.
"I know this is hard P.G. But it is the right step."
Penelope leaned into the hand. "I know."
