A/N: Hello again, everyone!

A shout-out to ahowell1993, Love. Fiction .2019, DawnSumner000, Simone140089, Kelly, Skylar, Martha, Betty, Susan, and Amy for either reviewing Chapter 29, favoring and/or following the story.

Again, sorry for the delay!

My apologies if I had made any mistakes but do enjoy the chapter!

Also, I would like to credit ahowell1993 for helping me with this chapter.

PS: I have a brand-new one-shot story: That One Night!

Previously on "Criminal Minds"

"…George Foyet is The Reaper."

"Foyet escaped…Guards found him in his cell vomiting blood and convulsing…They rushed him to the prison hospital."

"They're gonna find him, right?

"No, they're not."

"Foyet's back."

"Agent Hotchner."

"Aaron?"

"Tell Jack I need him working the case."

"Promise me that you will tell him how we met and how you used to make me laugh."

"Haley..."

"…Promise me."

"I promise."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Where's mommy?"

"She's on the other side now, little guy."

Thanksgiving Day.

"Oh, Spencer, sweetie," Élise said, drained by the events caused by Foyet as she and Reid were just getting out of bed. Placing her hands over her face. "I hardly slept last night. That damn phone call and those gunshots and her last conversation with…" Now her hand was over her mouth.

"Yeah." Reid agreed.

"I still can't believe Haley's gone." Élise could feel the tears in her eyes. "Hotch. I wanted to check on him last night after…but I…I didn't know what to do."

Reid pulls Élise into his arms and kisses the top of her head. "I know."

Exhaling sharply. "And to think, this is the first Thanksgiving without Haley."

"Yeah." Trying to change the topic at hand. "Did you hear from your family?"

"Yeah." Élise timidly said. "My parents will be joining as well as my brother and wife."

"Well, that's good," Reid said as he was trying to pick out clothes to wear for Thanksgiving dinner.

Putting on her robe, "I'll go and check on Hotch and Jack."

"I'll make some breakfast." Reid offered just as he kisses Élise on the lips.

Élise sighed weightily before she walked into the bedrooms Hotch and Jack were staying while they look for a new place. Hotch disclosed to the team, especially Élise and Reid that a few weeks after Foyet broke into his apartment, he knew—and admitted—he couldn't spend another night. And now after the recent events, Élise and Reid have offered Hotch and Jack one of the bedrooms while they look for another apartment and would soon plan on selling the house he, Haley, and Jack lived together.

Opening the door,

"Lise!" Jack waved to Élise as he saw her walk in.

"Hey, Apple Jacks." Élise tried to sound upbeat, despite the circumstances. "Did you sleep well?"

Jack shook his head.

Élise smiled sadly. Walking over to Hotch's side,

"Hey, Hotch." Élise quietly spoke up.

Hotch was silent.

He looked exhausted.

And broken.

"Look, uh…if you want, you can join us for Thanksgiving dinner or maybe Reid and I can bring you some dinner…"

"I'm okay." Hotch softly but finally spoke up. "I'll let you know of anything, okay?"

"Okay." Élise said before asking him, "You want to be alone?"

"Daddy, may I please watch some TV?" Jack asked.

"Sure, buddy." Hotch ruffles his son's hair before kissing his head.

"Come here, home kid." Élise brought Jack into her arms and carried him to the living room.

While Reid was resting his left leg on the couch as he was watching cartoons with Jack and Opal in her playpen, napping, Élise was finishing up on the French-style green beans. As she walked out of the kitchen,

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

"Gee, I wonder who that could be?" Élise softly said. As she opened the door,

"Princess!"

"Dad!" Élise smiled when she saw her dad. But not before eyeing her brother and sister-in-law getting out of the car. Awkwardly waving at them,

"Hey, Arthur. Brenda." Élise gestures them into the house. "Glad you all can make it."

"Spencer." Arthur noticed Reid on the couch. Reid uses his cane to walk over and give his future father-in-law, brother-in-law hugs, although he wasn't really used to hugs. "How have you two been lately?"

"I've been good, thanks."

Brenda pointed to his left leg, "What happened to you?"

Reid explained, "A few months ago, I got shot by an unsub while I was protecting a trauma surgeon and his son."

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked.

"I've been in physical therapy as soon as I got released from the hospital. The progress has been going well; I just graduated from using crutches to a cane."

"Well, that's good."

Finally, Élise's mother enters the house and all eyes on her,

"Élise."

"Mother." Élise civilly replies.

Élise's mother's eyes started wandering around the living room. "How much did you two pay for the house?"

Reid explains, "Actually, we're renting it, Ms. Geneva. From one of my colleagues, Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan."

"Interesting." Ms. Geneva noticed Opal in her playpen. "And you have a dog?"

"Yeah. A black lab puppy named Opal Marie. David Rossi gave her to us as a gift to us."

Ms. Geneva soon observed the floors, "See you got over your fear of dogs; I hope you've been cleaning these floors more often. You know how dogs can be."

Élise could feel the tension in her body, "I think I need to check on the potatoes."

"So, you finally learned how to cook instead of relying on takeout and junk food?" Ms. Geneva followed her into the kitchen.

Élise rolled her eyes in annoyance. As she grabbed the potatoes out of the refrigerator,

"Who was that kid in the living room?" Ms. Geneva hissed.

"Reid's boss and supervisor's son, Jack Hotchner," Élise answered, washing the potatoes.

"And he could have introduced himself instead of watching cartoons?"

Slamming down the potatoes, "Mother!" Élise slightly exclaimed. "Stop!"

Ms. Geneva wagged her finger at Élise, "Don't speak to me like that; I'm still your mother."

"You don't think I know that? Please, let's not to this today." Élise said and just as Ms. Geneva could say anything. "Please. Let's not. Jack's mother—Hotch's ex-wife, Haley, was just killed yesterday by someone the team had been investigating, George 'The Boston Reaper' Foyet."

Ms. Geneva's facial expressions soften, "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. He and his son are going to be living until they get a new apartment. So please, mother." Élise beggingly pleads. "Let's not do it with the tension, okay?"

Ms. Geneva heavily sighs, "Fine." After a brief moment of silence, "Do you need any help?"

Élise looked over at her Thanksgiving checklist, "I just did the green beans; all that's needed to be done is the turkey, buttermilk biscuits, mac and cheese, and yams with marshmallows, mashed potatoes. Spencer and I made and froze the butternut squash soup and gravy. I made pie dough and froze the discs; let the turkey thaw for three days now. Spencer helped cube bread for the stuffing, prepped and refrigerated the cranberry sauce. Yesterday before we got called into work, we assembled and refrigerated the stuffing, baked the cheesecake pies."

"Wow," Ms. Geneva said. "I'm really impressed."

"Thank you." Élise quietly replied. "Spencer taught me. And I watch cooking shows like Iron Chef, Top Chef."

"You know I'll always love you, right?" Ms. Geneva walked over and hugged Élise.

"Same here." Élise hugs her back.

Hours later…

As Reid was fixing up his dark purple cardigan sweater, Élise had just come out of the bedroom bathroom, changed into a simple navy sweater and gray pants.

"You look nice." Reid complimented.

Élise smiled. "Thanks."

"So, how is it with you and your mother?"

After exhaling, "I already told her to let's try and not start any tension." Sitting on the bed, "You know I…never invited friends over to my place and pretty much kept to myself during middle and high school because of my mother?"

Joining Élise, "Why?"

"I had a friend in the neighborhood, Roxana Cuevas; she was a year younger than me, but she was my best friend. I often invited her over, but one day, she told me how my mother frightens her. Since then, I…anyway, she moved the summer before I started middle school."

"Really? Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Élise looked away before asking Reid, "Did my mother scare you at first when you met her?"

"A little bit," Reid admits.

"It's a Caribbean thing; we can be intimidating. Usually, it depends on the person. But still…" Élise bit down on her lip. "Even though I'm the Silent Eliminating Enforcer, I could…never really stand up to her. It's just so hard."

"It's always hard to stand up to our parents. But there are times when we will have to. And in a way, you did today in your own way."

"I guess I did, huh?" Élise tried to sound upbeat.

Reid took ahold of her palm and kissed it. "You know you and your mother will always love each other, right?"

Élise looks to Reid, smiling. "She said the same thing."

"Oh," Mr. Micha exclaimed at the table setting. "You and Élise did a great job setting up the table."

"Thank you, sir," Reid said before he sets the stuffed twelve-pound turkey in the middle of the table.

"Hey, guess who's going to join us." Élise introduces, "Aaron. Jack. I'd like you to meet my parents, Mr. Micha and Ms. Geneva, my older brother, Arthur and my sister-in-law Brenda."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Hotch shook everyone's hands before he sat down; Jack sat next to him Élise, and Reid sat at the head of the table. Mr. Micha sat across from Reid at the other end of the table; Ms. Geneva next to him, then Brenda, and Arthur.

"You, too, sir. And we're so sorry to hear about…"

"Yeah." Hotch quietly said.

Élise cupped her hands together, trying to enlighten the mood. "Okay. If I may, I would like to give the prayer."

"Okay." Everyone holds each other's hands around the dinner table. "Heavenly father, we would like to thank you for getting us together today and for us to have this lovely meal in front of us this Thanksgiving Day, rich or poor. We would like to thank you for all that you have done for us; protect us, guide us, be our light in the dark. Your glory, daily provision, mercy, and care to joy to our love ones. May many days be like days like this. Thank you in Jesus' name, amen."

"Amen." Everyone said in unison.

Until next time!