Christmas vacation ended too soon, and Emily, JJ, Sinéad, and Caitlín were home in Quantico.
The agents were amused to see how well the twins could submerge themselves into their lives, and they even liked having people to come home to at night. Emily and JJ also liked that their home was a little noisier now; they hadn't known that they needed it until then. And even though there were now four adults living in Apartment 4B at Park Place now, they were becoming a family.
This first became evident when the twins disappeared for a few hours within arriving and then laden down with proper groceries and even fun lunch boxes for everyone upon returning. Sinéad's lunchbox bore a scene from Pocahontas, while Caitlín's showed the TARDIS from Doctor Who flying through space. Emily's lunchbox had a picture of the classic Enterprise from Star Trek on it, and JJ's depicted a scene from Classic Peanuts of Lucy being herself and yanking the football away from Charlie Brown.
The twins even packed Emily's and JJ's lunch boxes for them every day, saying that they were getting a head start on being nannies by doing their part to make sure that their charges were growing on a healthy track.
Emily and JJ were not against that at all.
They especially liked their lunch boxes and carried them around with pride.
"Okay, I'll bite." Derek said to the couple one late Friday afternoon at the end of the team's weekly update meeting in the conference room. "We've been back from Christmas vacation for about a week, and you two are way happier than we've seen you in awhile—something happen in Pennsylvania that we don't know about?"
Emily fought back a blush as she thought briefly about the times that she and JJ had gotten frisky, but quickly gave an answer.
"There aren't any engagements to announce," (she laughed when she saw Derek slip a dollar to Penelope) "But JJ and I did get two new 'housemates,' for lack of better phrasing."
This had everyone's attention right away, so JJ tacked on a few more details.
"Well, since Emily and I are adding three babies to our family in the spring, we decided to look into hiring live-in nannies and we hired my stepsisters because that's exactly what they do for a living. They've moved in with a us and will be helping us look for a bigger place."
"How nice." Rossi commented.
"They're identical twins," Emily added. "Although they dress as differently as night and day, so you can't tell at first."
"What are their names?"
"Sinéad and Caitlín." said JJ.
The words had barely left her lips when, a few seats down from her, there was a small thud—like the sound of something being dropped—and they turned to see Spencer scrambling to catch a Rubick's Cube that had slipped through his fingers at the mention of the twins' names.
"Easy, killer." Derek chuckled, catching the cube before it could hit Penelope as it went skidding. "Which sister do you know, and how?"
Spencer tried in vain to reach for his toy. "Give me back my puzzle!"
Next to Derek, Penelope put her hand over the puzzle, holding it hostage.
"Nuh-uh, Boy Wonder." She said gleefully. "Spill the beans, and then you'll get it back."
Recognizing defeat, Spencer sat back in his chair and explained himself.
"I know Caitlín, although I've never met her in person. She intended to come to a lecture of mine at Quantico in the fall, but she had to send in for a written copy, explaining that she missed it. I sent her a copy, we kept in contact, and we've been friends ever since. Time just got away from me, and I remembered that she was moving to town when JJ said hers and Sinéad's names. That's why I dropped my Rubik's Cube."
"Well, if that isn't adorable," Penelope finally slid the cube across the table back to its owner. "Then I don't know what is."
"You know," JJ said ever-so-smoothly. "Spence isn't the only one of us who knows my sisters."
Rossi raised an eyebrow, fully invested now—he lived for moments like this with his team because they made his life more exciting than it had been in far too long.
"You and Emily are already the twins' family, and Reid knows Caitlín. I can definitely say it isn't me."
"It isn't me, either." Hotch added. "That leaves Morgan and Garcia."
Unable to keep them hanging any longer, JJ blurted, "It's Garcia. She knows Sinéad, although more in cyberspace."
"You gotta be specific, Tinkerbell." Penelope said, already mentally whittling down her options. "I have a very strong online presence, and she probably does, too."
"Sinéad said that SubRosa359, Madame River Song, and Excelsior 1701-D should mean something."
Emily, who hadn't heard these usernames beforehand, chuckled. "She's nerdier than I am—I just counted four Star Trek references and two for Doctor Who!"
Penelope finally got her say in, beaming. "I didn't know until just now that her actual name is Sinéad, but she's the most active—and nicest—user on my gaming blog, and we follow each other on Tumblr and Twitter."
Derek was the most curious about his fiancée's friend. "Did you know Sinéad was coming?"
"Yes and no: Sinéad said she was moving to Virginia with her sister, but she didn't mention Quantico." Penelope picked up her knitting project she'd been doing earlier and resumed it, looking lost in thought. "I want to meet her more than ever now."
"And you will." Rossi said suddenly. "Tonight."
It suddenly felt like there was a record scratch moment after that, with everybody staring at him in surprise and JJ speaking on everybody's behalf, saying, "I beg your pardon, sir?"
"Well, all of us at this table are a family, aren't we? And we did just get two new people that I'm curious about." He replied. "It's also been awhile since we've had a get-together, so I expect to see all of you at my house for dinner at eight tonight with your own families, and of course, the guests of honor."
His tone didn't leave much room for arguing—not that any of them would turn down an invitation to dinner at his place because he was an amazing cook—and so they all accepted the invitation, dispersing afterward, back to their various desks and offices, having nothing left on the agenda and less than a half hour left in the work day.
JJ was just sitting back at her desk when she felt an insane amount of wiggling from the baby. No kicks or punches yet, but she couldn't not feel Baby Bird when he (or she) moved around.
"You just aren't gonna let mama focus, are you, Baby Bird?" JJ cooed to her bump, giving it a tickle. "Why can't you be still? Mama would really appreciate that."
The baby, while actually not hungry for once, just kept moving around, keen on showing JJ that being polite was of little to zero interest.
Giving up hope of getting anything accomplished, JJ sighed and packed her things up; she'd get to everything tomorrow, anyway.
KNOCK-KNOCK!
Just as she finished putting her things away, she looked up to see Spencer in her doorway, knocking on the doorframe. He was ready to leave the building, what with his jacket on and messenger bag in hand, although JJ knew immediately that he wanted to talk to her because the outside hallway where the elevators were was in the opposite direction of where her office was.
JJ also noticed that Spencer was displaying some anxiety.
"Spence, you okay?"
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Jennifer, can I talk to you?"
"Of course."
JJ sat back in her seat and motioned the chair opposite hers, immediately noting how he'd called her by her full name because he never did that unless it was a really serious matter.
"Come sit with me, Spence."
The profiler sat down and let out a nervous breath. "So everybody knows now that I know Caitlín, but when did you and Emily find out?"
"Shortly before Christmas Day, when we took her and Sinéad out to lunch. Caitlín even said that you guys have been seriously corresponding since you gave her that copy of your lecture?"
"Uh-huh." Spencer nodded. "She understands about my technophobia and we have talked on the phone, but she loves to write letters, just like I do."
"Caitlín is an old, old soul caught in a high-tech era." JJ remarked. "I've known her almost ten years now, but according to her dad, she's been like that for her entire life, even during the Ireland years."
Spencer chuckled nervously. "At the risk of getting off on the wrong foot with Caitlín, especially since I haven't even seen her in person yet, I'll just say that she and I have gotten really close. If it doesn't freak her out, I… want to go the next step with her."
"As in be her boyfriend?"
Spencer nodded. "Not right away, but yes, because she and I really and truly love each other. Please don't judge me because I haven't met her yet, but I also want to marry her."
JJ suddenly felt like a mixture of a proud mama and a proud big sister. "There is no way I could judge you for that, not when Emily and I fell in love with each other as fast as we did. Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"
"No," he admitted. "And I realize that it's normally traditional to have this kind of conversation with the father-figure, but I don't know him yet. Seeing as you're her stepsister—and older—talking to you seems like the most logical choice, especially since you and I always look out for each other. Even when I tell my mom about the things I do, she always tells me she's happy that I've got you as a big sister."
JJ grinned, her day made. "Well, I am positively flattered now, and I also wouldn't let just anybody near either of my sisters, but you, my friend, are more than 'just anybody.' Love enters your life in the most unexpected ways every now and then, but when you know what you have and how good it is, you hang on and make it work because the end result is the best feeling in the world."
"Is that what happened with you and Emily?"
"Yes."
Again, the young man looked nervous and JJ took more pity on him. "Talk to me, Spence. You can tell me anything."
"I can't believe I was able to say everything I was thinking so far, even if it wasn't in the most sensible order, and I wouldn't even be having this conversation with you if I wasn't one hundred percent sure how Caitlín and I felt about each other, which is a lot—"
JJ held her hands up in a time out position when she realized that Spencer was about to start really rambling into things that would scar her for life if she knew.
"Okay, maybe don't tell me everything."
"I was wondering," Spencer said, getting the message. "If I could have your permission to officially date Caitlín."
JJ's response was immediate. "Oh, Spencer—of course; I couldn't imagine anyone else with Caitlín besides you, now that I've spent time with her and seen the way she lights up when she talks about you. I am saying yes."
For a split second after that, Spencer thought he was going to faint, but JJ caught him and helped him to his feet, even fussing over him, straightening his jacket and his shirt collar.
"You okay, buddy?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Mhm." He gave her a brief hug, still a big deal because hugging wasn't really his thing. "Anything I should know for when I see her tonight?"
"Caitlín loves magic tricks, just as long as you don't break it down scientifically. She also loves everything Shakespeare." JJ said thoughtfully. "Just be yourself, and maybe even have a trivia war her."
Spencer was taken aback; he knew his friends loved him, but most of the time, they told him to dial it back.
"Really, JJ?"
"Really." JJ turned Spencer around and gave him a gentle nudge towards the door. "Now go ahead and go, but don't forget to breathe, okay?"
"Okay…"
The last part was more to himself, and in a mumble as he left JJ's office in a daze.
Not long after his departure, Emily showed up all of her things in hand, clearly ready to go home. JJ quickly gathered her things and followed her out.
"Hey," Emily turned to JJ, touching her arm as they rode the elevator down to the parking lot. "Why did I see Spencer leaving your office, looking like a lovesick puppy?"
JJ smiled. "You know him and how old-fashioned he is; he came and told me that should things go well with Caitlín, he wants to marry her at some point down the road."
Emily was all smiles at that. "This is Doctor Spencer Reid we're talking about, so they must really love each other!"
"Oh, I'd say so. Spence even asked my permission to date Caitlín."
"Awww. Just when I thought our family couldn't get any more interesting, it did. Give it a few years, and Spencer will be our brother-in-law."