Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.
A/N: Shout out to Fashionista7, criminalmindsrocks, fishtrek, and Astrahan for reviewing chapter 26.
Sorry for the delay. Writer's block and getting sick sucks.
I need positive thoughts right now because my mom, step-father, and I currently have COVID-19 while my 24-year-old brother ended up getting tested yesterday because of starting symptoms while my step-grandmother has to get tested too. My mom got diagnosed on the 2nd while I ended up started having symptoms on the 3rd and my step-father started symptoms on the 4th (That day was the worst symptoms for me since I had a 103-degree fever and a headache) and we couldn't get tested until the 5th. The bright side of catching COVID-19 when I did is that I get out of quarantine much sooner on the 13th if I'm symptom-free by then instead of the 25th.
It's August 20th of 2007 and I decided that Georgetown Day School requires uniforms.
Spencer knocked on the door of his half-sister's bedroom, "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, Stephanie," said Spencer.
Stephanie who was wearing a knee-length green, white, and black plaid pleated skirt, a short-sleeved white oxford blouse underneath a green blazer that had a grasshopper and GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL embroidered over her heart, a green, white, a green tie that had yet to be tied instead of the crisscross tie she also picked out, white knee-high socks, saddle shoes, while her armpit length straight brown hair was left down looked at her brother, "How do I look in my uniform? I feel like Hermione Granger in my uniform."
Spencer smiled, "You're beautiful, Stephanie," said Spencer before looking at his sister's tie, "Need help with your tie?" asked Spencer.
Stephanie nodded, "Yes please."
A minute later Spencer was tying his sister's tie into a Windsor knot, "You'll most likely need Maeve's help to straighten your tie because I always get my tie crooked."
Stephanie looked at herself in her mirror, "I think that you did a wonderful job, Spencer."
Spencer also thought about one of Maeve's favorite shows being "Gilmore Girls" and how he was subjected to watching a few episodes over the past year, "Even though you have my eyes, you also remind me of Rory Gilmore too."
Ten minutes later the Reid and Donovan family were sitting around the breakfast nook eating breakfast while Violet and Arthur were in their baby swings that were gently rocking them when Maeve looked at her father, "Are you ready for it to be just you, Violet, and Arthur in this house until Stephanie gets home from school at 3:30?" asked Maeve.
"Despite getting to take care of three-month-old twins, it's going to be a bit quiet here," said Joe.
"Are you going to continue taking Violet and Arthur on a daily walk through the neighborhood?" asked Maeve.
Joe nodded, "I will."
Zoey who had gotten over her jealously of Violet when her human father returned to work full time causing her to see how much Violet missed their daddy had just finished drinking some water and walked over to her daddy who was sitting at the edge of the breakfast nook and sat down and let out a few cries.
Spencer looked at Zoey, "Since I just heard you drink water, do you need to be burped?" asked Spencer.
Zoey grinned as she moved her head to guide her daddy's hand onto her chest.
Spencer started scratching rubbing and scratching Zoey's chest as he shook his head of Zoey deciding that she always needed to be burped by him ever since the first time she watched him burp Violet, "I know that your having me burp you as a way to get my attention since you watched me burp Violet."
A minute later Zoey lets out a loud burp causing everyone including Violet and Arthur to start laughing.
After eating breakfast, Stephanie was standing in front of the tree that was already displaying fall foliage in their front yard while her brother used a digital camera to take the traditional first day of school picture of her before she carpooled to school with Holly and Holly's mother and siblings.
A half-hour later, Spencer, Maeve who was reminding her father that she ended up pumping 10 bottles of breast milk the night before, and Mary were saying goodbye to Violet and Arthur and left the house at the same time while Joe comforted Violet and Arthur who started crying when they realized that their mother was leaving.
After printing off a photo of a smiling Stephanie in her school uniform, Spencer placed the new photograph into the frame that contained a picture of just Stephanie in her school uniform causing Emily to look at him, "New pictures of your sister?" asked Emily.
Spencer nodded, "The traditional first day of school picture that parents take of their children or in my case a picture of my sister."
Emily nodded, "I remember my parents doing that when I was little," said Emily before looking at the picture of a smiling Stephanie, "Did you drop your sister off at school yourself?" asked Emily.
Spencer shook his head, "Since I already met with Stephanie's teachers, IEP manager, and principal; Stephanie rode to school with her best friend and classmate Holly since Holly's mother who works as an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Georgetown Day School offered to give Stephanie a ride to and from school so my father-in-law doesn't have to leave the house with Violet and Arthur to pick up Stephanie from school."
"That's nice of your next-door neighbor," said Emily.
"With the child abduction cases we worked, I rather have it that Stephanie carpools with a neighbor or gets a ride from Maeve, my in-laws, or me instead of letting her just walk, take the school bus, public transportation, or her bicycle," said Spencer.
"I hated being taken to and from school by one of my mom's security detail members," said Emily before thinking about Spencer's wife, "Wasn't Maeve supposed to go back to work today too?" asked Emily.
Spencer nodded, "She did."
"How did Violet and Arthur handle Maeve going back to work today?" asked Emily.
"Violet and Arthur both cried when Maeve, my mother-in-law, and I all left the house at the same time," said Spencer.
Emily thought back to Spencer telling everyone how Violet and Arthur both cried when he went back to work, "Just like they did when you returned to work full-time."
Spencer nodded, "It isn't easy to leave Violet and Arthur for a few days each week, but I know that I'm making this country a safer place for Violet and Arthur while Maeve is making a difference in the medical community by studying genetic diseases and various cancers in hopes of finding a cure."
At that moment Spencer's computer alerted him of an email causing him to smile when he opened it up to realize that his father-in-law who had his FBI issued email address sent him a video of Violet and Arthur causing him to turn up the volume on his computer so he could hear Violet and Arthur babbling to each other while laughing.
Emily smiled when she heard the sounds of Violet and Arthur babbling and laughing, "Seems like they're having quite the conversation."
Spencer grinned as he forwarded the video to his Aunt Erin and to Dr. Jesson at Bennington Sanitarium to share with his mother, "I wouldn't be surprised if they were discussing their plans for my ever-growing list of plans for world denomination."
Later on that day at lunchtime, Maeve was sitting at her desk and smiled at the first picture of her, Spencer, Violet, and Arthur taken together shortly after Violet's and Arthur's births before laying her eyes on the professional portrait of Violet and Arthur that was taken when Violet and Arthur turned three-months-old causing her to grab her phone and text her father.
HOW ARE VIOLET AND ARTHUR DOING? ARE THEY MISSING ME? ~ MR
A minute later her father replied with a picture of Violet and Arthur sleeping together while holding hands in Arthur's crib.
VIOLET AND ARTHUR ARE DOING FINE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE MISSING YOU, SPENCER, MARY, AND STEPHANIE. THEY JUST FELL ASLEEP 10 MINUTES AGO. ~ JD
Mary walked over with a cup of tea for her daughter, "Checking in on Violet and Arthur?" asked Mary.
Maeve nodded, "Yes."
"It wasn't easy for me after I returned to work after yours and Johnathon's births, but it will get easier to leave Violet and Arthur every day like it has gotten for Spencer," said Mary before looking at the latest picture of Violet and Arthur together that her daughter put on her desk, "Even though I love Violet and Arthur, when should I expect the news about getting another grandchild or two?" asked Mary.
Maeve laughed, "Can I just focus on enjoying Violet and Arthur being babies, and when they're toddlers, Spencer and I try for another baby?" asked Maeve.
"Just remember that your father, your mother-in-law, and I aren't getting any younger," said Mary.
Meanwhile, at Georgetown Day School, Stephanie who had just finished eating lunch was sitting underneath a tree outside of the cafeteria with Holly, Erica, and Ramona when Erica who all thankfully had the same lunchtime as her and was enjoying having Stephanie as a new friend looked at Stephanie, "Even though we know that you had to attend orientation for new students two weeks ago, how are you liking Georgetown Day School so far?" asked Erica.
"Even though I'm one of the new girls, I like the teachers that I had classes with so far while everyone has been nice to me," said Stephanie.
Ramona who had moved to Washington D.C. when she was eight because of her father getting a job at the Pentagon thought back to how her first day of school turned out for her, "Did you have to tell everyone about where you're from and what led you to move to Washington D.C.?" asked Ramona.
Stephanie nodded, "Yes and a few classmates told me that they lost a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, or uncle to a car accident."
Erica who had a small crush on her new friend's brother moved a blond curl behind her ear, "Did you mention that your brother is the youngest profiler for the F.B.I. and that you're already an aunt to three-month-old twins?" asked Erica.
Stephanie nodded, "Yes."
At that moment Stephanie's, Holly's, Erica's, and Ramona's case manager Mrs. Regina Beasley who was a 48-year-old woman walked over to the girls and looked at Stephanie, "How's your first day going so far Stephanie?" asked Mrs. Beasley.
"It's going well and my teachers and classmates are all nice to me," said Stephanie.
"Just let me know if you have any problems when you come to my classroom for study hall during seventh-period, Stephanie," said Mrs. Beasley.
"I will, Mrs. Beasley," said Stephanie.
Mrs. Beasley smiled at Holly, Erica, and Ramona before looking at Stephanie, "It's nice to see that you made friends with Holly, Erica, and Ramona on your first day of school, Stephanie."
Holly shook her head, "Mrs. Beasley, Stephanie is my next-door neighbor. So after Stephanie had recovered more from the accident and got settled into living with her brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew; my parents and Dr. Reid introduced Stephanie and me to each other while my parents told me to make sure to introduce Erica and Ramona to Stephanie two weeks after we got time to get to know each other a bit and have a sleepover."
"That's good," said Mrs. Beasley just as the bell rang, "It's time for sixth-period, so you young ladies get to class and I'll see you four ladies in study hall during seventh-period."
Stephanie, Holly, Erica, and Ramona all stood up and straightened out their skirts and brushed the grass off of them before picking up their folders and notebooks as they spoke in unison, "We will."
A few seconds later Stephanie was following Erica who had gym class with her to the gym while knowing that she wouldn't have to change into her gym uniform that was currently in a duffel bag in her hands right now since it was the first day of school and she would just be picking out her gym locker while her gym teacher would be talking about what they would be doing during the school year.
A few hours later at 3:30 P.M., Spencer was fixing himself a cup of coffee when his cell phone rang causing him to smile when he saw that it was his sister who would have been home from school by now causing him to answer his phone, "How was school, Stephanie?" asked Spencer.
"I had a great day. I like all of my teachers while all of my classmates were nice to me," said Stephanie.
"That's good. Did you get any homework today?" asked Spencer.
"No homework since my teachers just gave out their syllabuses and had everyone share something about themselves," said Stephanie.
"Do you have anything that needs Maeve's or my signature?" asked Spencer.
"Yes," said Stephanie.
"I'll look over everything after dinner then," said Spencer.
"So you're not on a case right now?" asked Stephanie.
"No case, so I'll be home for dinner tonight," said Spencer.
"Good because I want to tell you more about my day during dinner," said Stephanie.
"I have to get back to work, so how about you get started on your chores," said Spencer.
"I will, Spencer. Love you," said Stephanie.
"Love you too, Stephanie," said Spencer before hanging up.
Two and a half hours later, the Reid and Donovans were eating homemade pizza for dinner while Stephanie eagerly told her brother, sister-in-law, Mary, and Joe about how her first day of school went causing all four adults to think about being glad about how quickly Stephanie has come out of her shell since she came into their life.
A/N: My late Charcoal Lab Cleatus had me always burp him after he drank water because of how jealous he got of the attention I was giving my now eight-year-old second cousin over eight years ago when my little second cousin I used to babysit was a baby. July 16th of 2017 was the last time I burped Cleatus, and boy did I cry since it was my last time burping him. Thankfully, I have some videos of me burping Cleatus by rubbing his chest.