Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
A/N: Shout out to tannerose5, Hippichic81, and OhSnapItsMadison for reviewing chapter 35.
As Spencer wiped Piper's face and hands from lunch, Piper looked up at her daddy.
"Can we pwease go to the park?" asked Piper.
"We need to change out of our nice clothes first, Goober, so you don't ruin your church dress." said Spencer before looking at Olivia and his dad who were cleaning up Albert and Ava's faces from their lunch, "I think I'm going to do an outing with just Piper."
"OK." said Olivia.
A half hour later Spencer and Piper were looking at the play equipment at the park, and Spencer knelt down to Piper's eye level.
"What do you want to do?" asked Spencer.
"Swings." said Piper.
"OK." said Spencer.
Two minutes later Spencer was pushing Piper on the swing, and when Piper had enough she alerted her daddy.
"Stop daddy." said Piper.
Spencer stopped the swing and removed Piper from the swing, and a few minutes later they were sitting on a bench and Piper saw something that was confusing to her.
"What is she doing?" asked Piper as she pointed out a teenage girl to her daddy.
"She's doing cartwheels." said Spencer.
"I want to do one." said Piper before she noticed the girl doing something else, "What was tat?"
"She was doing some flips." said Spencer.
"I want to do tat too." said Piper.
"What that girl is doing is called gymnastics." said Spencer as he started to explain what was done, and when he was finished Piper looked up at her daddy.
"Can I do tat?" asked Piper.
"Let me talk to mommy later, and if she thinks that gymnastics would be fun for you I will sign you up." said Spencer.
Spencer noticed the teenage girl making her way towards them, and a minute later she approached Spencer and Piper.
"I noticed you two watching me with interest." said the girl.
Spencer stood up and helped Piper get down.
"My daughter was watching you with interest, and I explained to her about gymnastics since my wife and I have been talking about activities that my daughter can do to release her pent up energy." said Spencer.
The teenager knelt down down to Piper's eye level.
"What's your name, sweetie." asked the girl.
Piper stayed quiet, and Spencer decided to introduce himself and Piper.
"My name is Spencer, and this is my two year old daughter Piper." said Spencer.
The girl looked at Piper.
"My name is Allison, and would you like to learn how to do some somersaults?" asked Allison.
Piper looked up at her daddy who nodded yes to her.
"Yes pwease." said Piper.
"You're very well mannered." said Allison before looking at Spencer, "Mind if I show your daughter how to do some somersaults?"
"Go ahead, and I have a suspicion that with how you you're acting towards my daughter you probably have a relative around her age." said Spencer.
"I have a niece around Piper's age, and Andrea has been enjoying the meets I compete in at school." said Allison.
"I know a two year old girl named Andrea, and her parents are Maeve and Robert." said Spencer
"Putnam." finished Allison.
"You're the sister that Bobby has been talking about." said Spencer before he gave Allison his full name.
Andrea smiled when she recognized Spencer's name.
"I actually met your wife Olivia since I once joined she and Maeve on a trip to the mall." smiled Allison.
Piper spoke up.
"Can you pwease show me?" asked Piper.
"Yes, sweetie." said Allison.
A minute later Allison was showing Piper how to do a somersault as Spencer sent Bobby a text.
YOUR LITTLE SISTER IS TEACHING PIPER HOW TO DO SOMERSAULTS, AND I BELIEVE THAT PIPER MIGHT END UP BEING SIGNED UP FOR GYMNASTICS SINCE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SIGNING UP ANDREA. ~ SR
Later that night when Spencer and Olivia were getting ready for bed, Spencer looked at his wife.
"Piper wants me to sign her up for gymnastics." said Spencer as he explained his afternoon with Piper.
"Allison once joined Maeve and me on a trip to the mall, and she's such a sweetie." smiled Olivia.
"So do you think gymnastics would be a good extracurricular activity for Piper?" asked Spencer.
"Yes." said Olivia.
"Then Piper can start going to gymnastics in January since Bobby's planning on signing Andrea up for those classes." said Spencer.
The next day at work Spencer was standing at the coffee pot with his teammates talking about their weekend, and when it was Spencer's turn he looked at his teammates.
"Piper's starting gymnastics in January since Piper enjoyed being taught how to do somersaults by a family friend's sister yesterday afternoon." said Spencer.
"Gymnastics is going to be so much fun for Piper, and I can't wait to find cute leotards for Piper to wear." said an excited Garcia.
Rossi looked at Spencer.
"While you were out with Piper yesterday afternoon, I decided to stop by to spend time with the kids and while interacting with the twins I noticed that Ava has been showing signs of being on the autism spectrum." said Rossi.
"My dad, Olivia, and I were already talking about Ava showing signs of having Asperger's syndrome due to her behavior, sensory issues, and stomach problems that she has been dealing with." said Spencer.
"When are you going to get her tested?" said Rossi.
"Olivia and I are going to take her to a specialist when she's 18 months old so she can get the help she needs since I know that I should have been diagnosed years ago when I was a child instead of waiting like I did." said Spencer.
Kate looked at Spencer.
"You have autism?" asked Kate.
"I have high functioning Asperger's syndrome, and next month will mark three years since I was diagnosed. When I was diagnosed, Livy and I knew that I could pass down Asperger's syndrome, but we were willing to take that risk since there are therapies that can help children thrive." said Spencer.
"Just like Sammy Sparks." said Rossi.
"Who's Sammy Sparks?" asked Kate.
Spencer briefly explained the case while mentioning his interactions with Sammy, and when he was finished Rossi looked at Spencer.
"You were amazing with Sammy." said Rossi.
"I know, but let's just say that Sammy was a huge reason why I realized that I needed to think about settling down and starting a family." said Spencer.
"Which you did a few months later when you took that sabbatical." said Rossi.
Hotch looked at his agents.
"We should get started on our consults." said Hotch.
A few hours later Spencer got onto the jet with his teammates, and when Hotch saw everyone he looked at Garcia who was already video chatting with them.
"All right. Let's go, Garcia." said Hotch.
"Trans Alliance flight 420 just crashed in a Colorado field northwest of Durango." said Garcia.
"Any survivors?" asked Kate as everyone buckled up.
"152 passengers, all presumed dead." said Hotch.
Spencer sighed sadly as he thought about the children that could be on that flight.
"Where was it coming from?" asked Morgan.
"Pittsburgh. It was going to Phoenix." said Garcia.
"So it happened in mid-flight? The plane just fell out of the sky?" asked JJ.
Spencer turned himself from his spot to look over where some of his teammates were sitting.
"That's highly unusual. 80% of plane crashes happen within 3 minutes of takeoff or 8 minutes of landing." said Spencer.
"Well, an early call came into local law enforcement from a witness who said he saw "a streak of light" in the sky just before the crash." said Garcia.
"Surface-to-air missile." said Morgan.
"We've been asked to determine if there was a crime. And if so, give the profile of the offender." said Rossi.
"We'll be working with a joint task force. Everyone's on their way to the crash site now." said Hotch.
"I know flying's safer, but I still wish you were driving. Safe travels. Call me when you get there." said Garcia.
Spencer's phone vibrated.
ARE YOU HEADING TO COLORADO DUE TO THAT PLANE CRASH? ~ OR
Spencer quickly typed a reply.
THAT'S WHERE I'M HEADING RIGHT NOW, AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I'M GOING TO HELP DETERMINE IF IT'S A CRIME. ~ SR
Spencer looked at his teammates.
"Sometimes I think Olivia's IQ might be higher than 155 since she figured out where we're heading." said Spencer.
At that moment there were a few smiles and chuckles going around the plane before the seriousness that erupted due to over 157 men, women, and children dying earlier.
Morgan looked at Spencer.
"Are you OK?" asked Morgan.
"I'm just thinking about the children who died on that flight." said Spencer.
"Me too, Spence." said JJ.
Spencer and Kate pulled up at the crash sight and a minute later they introduced themselves to the NTSP agent before walking around the scene. Kate picked up a toy truck that Spencer looked at sadly as he thought about Albert.
"The plane broke up into 5 main sections. The two wings, the aft hull and tail, the forward hull and cockpit, which we have here." said the NTSP agent that was working with them.
"How large is the spread?" asked Spencer.
"About a half mile." said the NTSP agent.
"That means the plane broke up before impact. Have you found the digital flight data recorder yet?" asked Spencer.
"We're still searching. It might have been driven deep into the ground after impact. The good news is the DFDR and the cockpit voice recorder are in a single unit, so we're only looking for one black box." said the NTSP agent.
"Where was the copilot found?" asked Spencer.
"About 20 yards that way. Excuse me." said the NTSP agent before walking away.
Spencer looked at Kate.
"You've been quiet." said Spencer softly.
Kate looked up at Spencer.
"Sorry." said Kate.
"You know, a disaster of this magnitude is really hard to wrap your mind around, let alone your feelings." said Spencer.
"You don't need to worry about me." said Kate, and when Spencer didn't talk for a few seconds she looked at Spencer again noticing his thinking face, "What, are you gonna profile me now?"
"It's hard to turn it off sometimes." said Spencer with a small smile on his face.
Kate realized that it wouldn't hurt to open up to Spencer since she has been told that he's a great listener.
"I guess I should just tell you this. Hotch and Rossi already know. My sister and brother-in-law died in 9/11. They were working at the Pentagon." said Kate.
"So sorry. I can imagine this must obviously bring back a lot of painful memories." said Spencer softly.
"Yeah. Anyway, I don't want to be that weepy Agent with the tragic past, so you don't have to walk on eggshells around me." said Kate before walking away.
Spencer caught up with Kate.
"A childhood friend was murdered by a child molester when I was four leading me to eventually join the FBI, and my mom has schizophrenia, since we're sharing." said Spencer.
"Thanks for letting me know." said Kate before she decided to lighten things up since found it easy to talk to Spencer, "After my sister died, I adopted all 10 of her kids."
"Wow, and I only have three." said Spencer.
"I'm kidding." said Kate.
Spencer and Kate laughed.
"They had a baby girl, Meg. We took her in. Actually, Chris and I moved into their house. Anyway, she's 13 and the light of my life." said Kate as she realized that she was glad to be working with another parent who knows what it's like to leave your family for a few days.
"Oh, she sounds terrific." said Spencer.
"Yeah, she is. Maybe I could bring her by so you, Olivia, and your kids can meet her sometime since I showed her a picture of you, Olivia, and the kids that was taken at your birthday dinner last week and she talked about wanting to get into babysitting." said Kate.
"We would really like that." said Spencer as they continued walking towards the copilot seat.
"This must have been the copilot seat." said Kate.
Spencer pointed with his left arm.
"That means the plane came from that way. You know, it's possible the metal attaching the chair got caught in the power lines. It could have slowed his descent." said Spencer.
"A series of minor bumps instead of one big crash- it's the only way he would have survived." said Kate as she noticed Spencer looking at something, "What is it?"
Spencer leaned forward to get a closer look as he thought about how Ava constantly deals with motion sickness when either flying or during long road trips.
"Vomit. Passengers threw up before the crash." said Spencer as a news van pulled up.
At that moment an NTSP agent came over.
"Sorry about that." said the agent as he saw news vans pull up, "Oh, great. The hardest thing about this investigation will be staying ahead of the media and all the stupid conspiracy theories."
"Let the games begin." said Kate.
As Spencer and Kate were heading to where the entire task force was working, Kate looked at Spencer.
"So is your mom institutionalized?" asked Kate.
"She has been residing in a private sanitarium in Las Vegas since I was 18, and when Olivia and I found out we were expecting twins my mom decided to stay in Vegas while my dad decided to retire from being a lawyer and move out to DC to help Olivia and me with the kids." said Spencer before rubbing his neck.
"You alright?" asked Kate.
"You heard about the case in Texas that caused Blake to leave in June?" asked Spencer quietly.
"Yes, and I recall hearing through the grapevine that you got shot in the neck and were on medical leave for over three months." said Kate.
"I'm still dealing with pain even though it's been five months, but even though I was on medical leave for over three months I did enjoy the second half of my leave since it was spent on my uncle's ranch outside of Las Vegas and visiting my mom since she's been doing well since last Christmas." said Spencer.
"What does your uncle have on his ranch?" asked Kate.
"He raises five horses, and I have a horse that's now 12 years old. Let's just say that Nikola was happy that I rode him nearly every day during the time that Olivia, the kids, and I spent out there." said Spencer.
"Do you have a picture of your horse?" asked Kate.
"I do." said Spencer and pulled out his phone to show a picture of him and Piper on Nikola, "Livy and I put Piper on a horse for the first time when she was 18 months old, and she loves getting to ride horses on her great uncle's ranch." said Spencer.
"Aww." cooed Kate as she looked at the picture of the father and daughter.
"My uncle has been a widow since I was 11 years old, and my aunt Rachel died of an ectopic pregnancy so he considers me one of his sons since he has a 31 year old son named Andrew. And my aunt Ethel was married to my dad's younger brother uncle Daniel who died in a car crash when I was four." said Spencer.
"Seemed like your childhood had a lot of tragedy." said Kate.
"The killer who killed Riley Jenkins was targeting me next, but if it wasn't for my mom's instincts about Gary Michaels being a serial child molester I probably wouldn't be here today." said Spencer.
"I actually read the case file when trying to get an idea of what types of cases you guys worked on in the past." said Kate.
"The killing of Gary Michaels eventually led to my dad walking out when I was 10, and I didn't see or hear from him until I tracked him down when I was trying to find Riley's killer. After hearing the full story, I really didn't start talking to my dad until Olivia and I got onto the topic of having kids since my parents are the surviving grandparents since Livy's parents Piper and Albert Hartford died when Olivia was 20." said Spencer.
"So Piper and Albert are named after their late grandparents?" asked Kate.
"Yes, and Ava's named after Olivia's childhood friend who died of Kawasaki Disease when she was 10 since Piper's a Kawasaki Disease survivor herself since she ended up in the hospital at seven months old." said Spencer.
"Kawasaki Disease?" asked Kate.
Spencer started explaining what Kawasaki Disease was, and when he finished Kate looked at him.
"I hope Piper's OK." said Kate.
"She is, but twice a year she sees her pediatric cardiologist to make sure that her heart didn't develop any coronary aneurysms." said Spencer.
"When was Piper's last heart check?" asked Kate.
"It was in August and she didn't have any coronary aneurysms, and Piper refused to have the echocardiogram unless I was in the room." said Spencer.
"I noticed that she's a daddy's girl." said Kate.
"She was my first Father's Day present since she was born on Father's Day, and I'm still planning on the moat and draw bridge I want to put in my yard to keep boys away from her." said Spencer.
Kate laughed.
"Chris is like that too." said Kate before looking at Spencer, "For now you and Olivia should get to enjoy Piper and Ava being as young as they are before they are a teenager like Meg."
A short while later Spencer talking to Rossi and another agent as he had a map in front of him.
"If a MANPAD, a shoulder launched surface-to-air missile were used, we're looking at a target acquisition range of 6 miles. Factor that into the plane's forward momentum as it's coming down and we're left with this area right here." said Spencer as he circled an area on the amp.
"MANPADs are cheap and plentiful on the black market. You can get one for a few hundred bucks." said Rossi.
"I thought only planes closer to the ground were vulnerable." said the agent.
"True. Most heat-seeking missiles have a maximum range of 20,000 feet. Large systems like the Buk which took down Malaysia Air 17 are hard to get and require expertise." said Rossi.
"You know, it's possible the plane was brought down to 20,000 feet to get it into manpad target range." said Spencer.
"That would mean a hijacker was on board." said the agent.
"That could account for the missing 13 minutes of communication." said Rossi.
"If there were a hijacker, he had at least one partner on the ground." said Spencer.
"Guess who drew the short straw." said Rossi.
"Depends on if you believe suicide is the gateway to paradise or not." said Spencer.
"Has anyone been red-flagged on the passenger manifest?" asked the agent.
"Not yet." said Rossi.
"If a terrorist cell is responsible, this is just the beginning." said Spencer.
Spence was pinning a blueprint of the plane onto a white board when he heard JJ speak up.
"What's Spence doing?" asked JJ.
Spencer looked at his teammates, Commander Reardon, and the agent who got him the blueprint.
"Guys, these are the construction blueprints for the airplane. I compared it to the way the plane broke apart, and I think I may have found something interesting." said Spencer as he pointed at the part before he started his long engineering lesson, "The hull of an airplane is really just a bunch of round barrels riveted together. The wing, however, is a masterpiece. It's the most physically complicated component of an airplane. Nearly 200 feet long, it bears the weight of the entire aircraft and is shaped precisely to fit within a hundredth of an inch. The curvature of the wing is what gives it its lift. Air rushes faster over the top, creating a vacuum, which sucks the wing upward and in turn the entire fuselage. This is important because an airplane wants to be nose-up. It creates positive Gs, that sensation you get when you're forced to the back of your seat. Negative Gs, on the other hand, are an entirely different matter. When the nose of a plane begins pitching downward, you get negative Gs, which puts enormous pressure on the structural integrity of the aircraft. With enough negative Gs, the wings will start to rip off the plane, which then compromises the fuselage. The plane broke into major pieces along structural joints and attachment points. There's no evidence of gaping holes or pieces of the fuselage torn in areas without seams to suggest impact with an external object like a missile. So the fact is, the way the plane broke apart, I think the crash was caused by something internal." said Spencer as he took a breath when he finished.
"So are we talking about some sort of explosive decompression, like on TWA flight 800?" asked JJ.
"A massive explosion would have resulted in pieces of fuselage the size of a carry-on." said Spencer.
"That rules out a hijacker with a bomb as well." said Rossi.
Commander Reardon who stayed for Spencer's engineering lesson spoke up.
"Wait a minute. A hijacker would certainly explain the 13 minutes of lost communication. Maybe he drove the plane into the ground." said Commander Reardon.
"Or the passengers did. This could be the start of another 9/11." said Kate.
"If that were the case, I'd suspect a faster cascade of events. Still, we can't rule it out." said Hotch.
"The reality is, there are at least 50 reasons for lost communication." said the agent.
"Such as?" asked Commander Reardon.
"As stuck mike, an air traffic controller sending the wrong frequency to an aircraft. The average amount of time for lost communication is 7 1/2 minutes." said the agent.
"We have to remember the transponder was still working. No secret code to indicate a hijacking or any other emergency was sent." said JJ.
"Let's think about this. The ACARS data recording system was turned off." said Morgan.
"And that would have to come from someone in control of the flight systems." said Hotch.
"So something happened in the cockpit. That makes it the pilot and/or the copilot the most likely candidates." said Rossi.
"Their background checks came back clear." said Commander Reardon.
"What about suicide?" asked Morgan.
"You mentioned a slats deployment mid-air. You said it was very rare. But if it did happen, how would it happen?" asked JJ.
"Pilot error or intention." said the agent.
A/N: Part Two of A Thousand Suns is in progress, and the next chapter will include Kate, Chris, and Meg going over to the Reids for dinner.