Title: Life's a Journey (Part 28 of 40)
Author: trista groulx (dustytiger)
Rating: T (same as the show to be safe)
Disclaimer: I am still a poor barista, please don't sue me. I know that CM is owned by lotsa ppl who are not me, including the network, creator, writers, actors and actresses that bring the show to life weekly.
Summary: After the events of the Doyle storyline Prentiss and Reid's lives change. Will they come together again?
Notes: This one's a bit longer than some others. But you'll see why, it was so much fun to write. Don't you love the idea of Aemelia learning ballet?
Reid gently brushed his daughter's hair, it was now growing past her shoulders and any time he suggested she get it cut she would get upset with him. As much as he liked having weekends where it was just the two of them, having to put up her hair for her first dance class was a more than a little unnerving for the genius.
He had enrolled her in the class after her preschool facilitators suggested that if he wanted to keep her childhood well rounded to find a sport or activity to grow with her. That way if he did decide to put her in special courses in school she would still have peers from an activity outside of school. He thought that it was perfectly logical and had looked into various sports, clubs and activities, finally deciding that ballet would likely keep her interest the longest. He however hadn't expected one of the requirements to be that her hair be put up in a tight bun.
He was glad that Garcia had let him practice, since wigs and dolls didn't have nerve endings so if he pulled to hard her would have no idea. As he brushed through his daughter's straight brown hair he noticed it was easier to manage than Garcia's wavy hair. He began to from the ponytail, and began to secure it with a bright pink hair tie that Aemelia had chosen to wear. He then wrapped the ponytail into a bun, and then secured that with another bright pink hair accessory that JJ assured him would keep in place no matter how much the little girl moved.
The whole time Aemelia was telling him how excited she was about starting dance class. After her hair was done he they both put on their shoes and coats and left the apartment. He opened the car door and Aemelia crawled inside, and sat in her booster seat. Reid handed her the seat belt and she pulled it around herself and buckled herself in. Reid then got in and secured his own seatbelt before pulling off. Aemelia was now telling him a story about the gerbil that was kept in her preschool classroom.
When they pulled up to the dance studio he could see his daughter squirming in the rear view mirror. He was happy to see she as so excited about doing this. He found a place to park, and then let her out of the car. She took his hand as they walked inside. When they got in Reid looked around, studying the other girls and parents who were there. He knew already that there would be a dozen kids in the class, and was surprised to see that he was the only man in the room so far. He hoped that another father would be there. Most of the girls were close to their mothers as they waited, keeping their coats on. Aemelia however was quick to remove her coat and shoes and change into her brand new pink ballet slippers. Upon seeing Aemelia a few other kids began to put on their shoes.
"Daddy when do we getta start?" Aemelia asked.
"We're a little bit early Aemelia and not all of the other girls are here yet," he told her.
The teacher came into the room smiling seeing the flutter of activity. She waited a few minutes as a few other girls and mother came inside. Reid was still surprised to see no other fathers there. A few of the mothers had brought siblings of the girls who were Aemelia's age and some were trying to set up younger children with toys. The teacher had gone to the front of the small room.
"Listen. Moms – and dad," she added after a scan of the room. "You are welcome to stay for any class, but you must follow the rules. Ladies, class starts in two minutes and I expect you all to be ready on time. After today I will expect you take your place on the floor which I will assign to you soon. Come ahead."
A few of the girls looked up at their mothers and then shyly made their way over to the floor and some sprinted toward the floor. Aemelia walked over slowly and stood near the middle of the room. The teacher began to get the names of the different kids and told them where to stand. Reid had sat down confident that Aemelia didn't need him, and knowing that in the information he was given had said not to interfere. Some of the mother were still standing, and a few were trying to tell their daughters what to do. Three teenaged girls had come into the room and were trying to focus some of the girls' attention to the front. The teacher soon had the class underway, showing the girls how to warm up.
"Which one is yours?" a mother whispered to Reid.
"Aemelia, she has her pink tights on today," Reid replied politely.
"Mine is Angel, right there." She pointed to one of the girls. "How did you get stuck taking her today?"
"Stuck? I wanted to come for my daughter's first dance class as it's important for her to learn I'll be here to support her when I don't work."
"You're right, it is, but this is the sort of thing that moms normally do, that's all. Angel's father would not be caught dead doing this."
"Even if Aemelia had a mother I would want to be here as well."
The woman's face changed and she sat up straighter. Reid could not believe that he was seeing what he was seeing in this woman. Another mother who was sitting on the other side of him began to fix her make up, trying to discreet, but only drawing more attention to herself. Even at these events he found himself profiling people, which was helpful when he was trying to figure out which of the parents in a situation he actually wanted to talk. He tried answering with short answers, but the woman didn't get the hint, and soon a second mother was talking to him.
Reid was getting frustrated by the attention. He had gone to be there for his daughter not be harassed by the other mothers. He could hear two of the other mothers, who were clearly friends, whispering behind his back about him. He knew he would never get used to the fact that some of the single mothers, and a few of the married ones would flirt with him whenever he took an active role in his daughter's life. He was glad when the teacher said that there would be a quick break. He stood up to stretch his legs and Aemelia came running over to him and hugged him.
"Daddy!" she giggled. "This is soo much fun!"
Reid smiled. "I'm glad you're having fun, Princess." He gave her a pink, personalized and bedazzled reusable water bottle.
Aemelia gulped down her water then scurried back to her spot. Reid decided to stand up and lean against the wall at the back, away from the other parents hoping they would take the hint. The one who had fixed her make up before went over to him. He sighed softly and quickly sent a text message to Garcia who he knew always replied quickly and could save him from the awkward situation
The woman hovered over him as he pressed buttons on the phone, as well as took pictures and sent them. He would either focus on Aemelia or the phone but she still babbled away. He was glad when the class was over. Aemelia came over to him, and he again gave her the water bottle. She drank the rest of the contents, then ran off to the bathroom. He noticed the teacher coming over to talk to the parents.
"Doctor Reid," the teacher said.
Reid could hear the women start to whisper. "Yes," he said, shaking the woman's hand.
Reid could hear the other mothers whispering. The teacher was talking to all of the parents who were there. Reid just wanted to go home but listened to the teacher speak politely, she was mostly just explaining what was given in the information he had already read. He was glad when one of the mothers came over and started to talk about her own daughter. Reid nodded politely before taking his jacket off the hook. Aemelia was already zipping up her own coat. They left the building and Aemelia told him all the way home about how much she had had.
End Part 28
Notes: Poor Reid... he's not looking for that kind of attention :( Anyway I hope you enjoyed this. My muse ran away with it to be honest I had to prune it down, hope it works. As always the support makes me sooo happy.
